Each year USBBY, the US section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), selects Outstanding International Books (OIB) – books originating or first published in a country other than the US. This list is a natural extension of USBBY’s mission – to build bridges of understanding through children’s and young adult books. As a member of the OIB committee and ALSC’s Early Childhood and Preschool Services committee, I’m excited to highlight some that are perfect for sharing in storytime.
Tag: diversity
2026 National Día Program Registry Open
The 2026 National Día Program Registry is now open, and ALSC invites libraries, schools, and community organizations to register their upcoming programs and events. By using the national registry, program planners help build a searchable database that showcases all types and sizes of programs that highlight El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) and Diversity In Action. The program registry is a great way for planners to share diversity programming ideas and best practices with colleagues nationwide. As participants share their events to the database, the searchable Día program map and data table grow! Use this form to enter your programs. Why Celebrate Día? Día is a nationally recognized initiative that champions the importance of literacy for all children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It’s a daily commitment to linking children and families to diverse books, languages, and cultures. Free Resources To help participants…
Housing Diversity in Picture Books
When we select books for story times and other programs, we consider the race and ethnicity of the characters, their dis/ability, gender identities and other factors so that our programs are representative and reflective of our diverse communities. Something we may not consider is how housing and home is depicted in picture books. In 2015, I was awarded a fellowship to examine this idea at the Marantz Picturebook Collection for the Study of Picturebook Art in the Reinberger Children’s Library Center at Kent State University. During my time here, and in 2020 when I completed the study, I reviewed a sample of 185 picture books published in the United States from 1999 to 2019, including award-winning books and those featured on notable or recommended book lists. What I found was perhaps not surprising: 138 books in the sample included images of home (human, animal, or other) of some kind and…
Interviewing Library Advocates: Davina Menchaca, Inclusivity Advocate
In January of 2024, I was forwarded a question from a library guest about how to get American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services for storytime. Sadly I had never even thought about having an ASL Interpreter in my programs. What followed were a few meetings with our Children’s Services Manager, staff from the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, and Davina Menchaca, the parent who requested the services for her daughter. Almost two years after first starting the program, Davina has helped us reach Deaf and Hard of Hearing children from around the state by sharing our program far and wide. Without her, this program wouldn’t have happened. By responding to Davina’s advocacy for her daughter, we were paid back tenfold with Davina’s advocacy for our library.
Back to School with Special Education Students at the Public Library
When Back to School season rolls around, libraries across the country fill displays with books about new teachers and first day jitters. Your library may host an evening for school staff, where they can learn all about library services. You may offer an exclusive teachers-only Friends of the Library book sale. But typically, families with students in special education may not get all the support they need in the lead up to a new school year. Navigating the special education system is challenging – there are IEPs, 504s, evaluations, and tons of documentation – and families new to the IEP system can find it especially overwhelming. But what if the library could build a program that connected parents and caregivers with the expert advice and support they needed before they begin another adventure through special education?
Picture Books that Cause Delight
I hope you liked my Joyful Picture Books Part 1! Welcome to Part 2! Let’s talk about the word “joy” itself for a moment? What does it conjure for you? Perhaps you are remembering the birth of a child? A wedding day? The conclusion of a huge accomplishment like your graduation day? Getting a dream job? Here are two brief definitions that I think are particularly apt. In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, joy is described as being “a source or cause of delight” while at Dictionary.com, it says that joy is “the expression or display of glad feeling.” When applied to picture books, I think both these definitions are spot on. Picture books can most definitely be a source and cause of delight as well as evoke the expression of glad feelings. Evidence that picture books bring joy is very easy to find. When was the last time you saw a child…
Everything I Need to Know I Learned In Library School
When I graduated with my degree in education, I was required to create a capstone binder that outlined how I met “core competencies” related to education and teaching. It included things like assessments, teaching of certain core subjects, and demonstrated student growth over a period of time. After graduating, I was so happy to never do anything like that again. That is, I was…until I got to library school.
Middle Grade Books: Don’t Miss These!
There’s no bad time for a middle grade book. Summer reading, back to school, winter reading, these books for third to sixth grade readers “slap.” Here are three I’ve been reading lately. I discovered Good Different on the shelf, read the description on the fly-leaf, and then it sat on my desk for weeks. The book features Selah, a girl who discovers she is on the autism spectrum, while not knowing what the autism spectrum actually is.