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#1000BlackGirlBooks Campaign Exceeds Goal

Last fall, Marley Dias, with help from her mother and two friends, set out to collect a thousand books with relatable, black female lead characters. They are planning on donating the books to area schools that both Marley and her mother have attended. In an interview with People, mother Janice Johnson Dias said, “This movement is obviously very personal to Marley, but it also highlights the need for diversity in literature.” So they started collecting books and held a book fair. As the momentum grew, so did Marley’s profile. She appeared on Fox29’s “Good Day Philadelphia” then landed a spot on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where Ellen and photo-giant Shutterfly gifted her with a check for $10,000.

A Thousand Books Strong

As librarians, we tend to think of our duty to the people, to supply diverse materials that represent and speak to the identities of our library users. One tween decided to take matters into her own hands.

Ancient and Contemporary: A Conversation with Duncan Tonatiuh

Duncan Tonatiuh’s evocative and charming picture books have been staples of the bestseller list since his debut book, Dear Primo: Letters to My Cousin, in 2010. Since then he’s written and illustrated Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, Diego Rivera: His World And Ours, and Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation. His most recent book, Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, details the life of José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada, the Mexican artist whose calaveras (skeletons performing everyday tasks) have become a ubiquitous presence in Day of the Dead celebrations. The book was named a 2016 Sibert Award Winner, Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Honor Book, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015. Duncan Tonatiuh talked with Brendan Dowling via telephone on January 26th, 2015. The following is an edited version of their conversation.

sept oct public libraries feature article

Just Good Practice: Engaging Families with Young Children

Books can open doorways to discovery. PerfectPiggies! (2010) by Sandra Boynton, for example, delights babies and toddlers with quirky fun and
upbeat illustrations—and helps grown-ups interact with children. “Isn’t that pig silly? What do you think will happen next?” Adults learn to relax and enjoy the “conversation”—”bah doo bah doink.” Parents can invite story connections to personal life. “A piggy needs kindness. Wasn’t Grandma kind to bring us flowers yesterday?” A well-chosen book and a suggested home activity help parents create a heart-to-heart intimacy with their child. Library play-and-learn centers magnetically draw children into the kind of play that engages and inspires them. Grown-ups and children—by talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing—can enter into this world of discovery.

The Latest and Greatest Middle School Reads

‘Summer Reading’ time may be over, but students will need books to read for school before you know it. Here are some recent titles that are perfect for those in-between middle school students who are moving on from the grade 4-6 books but not quite ready to plunge into the sometimes scary ‘young adult’ section. We’ll call them ‘YA-lite’—kids will just call them great reads.

Observations from Serving on a Children’s Book Award Committee

I’ve been a children’s librarian for almost seventeen years, but 2014 was the first time I participated in a book award committee. While the award might not be as well-known as the Newbery–publishers were not inclined to print our potential choices in paperback just because we were going to select them as nominees- our committee nevertheless had a daunting task.

Putting Your ENTIRE Fiction Collection into Genres

How do you find commonalities between genres for children and genres for adults? Are there any? Does it matter?

I Was Lucky Because I Could Walk to Our Local Library: A Conversation with Cece Bell

Award winning author Cece Bell has been writing and illustrating children’s picture books for several years. This year, her book for older children, El Deafo, earned her a Newberry Honor. A graphic novel memoir, El Deafo tells her story of becoming almost completely deaf at a young age due to illness. Depicting the resulting challenges—and delights—are a cast of bunny characters that tell a very human story.

“We Need Diverse Books” Campaign Gaining Momentum

If you work with children’s books and go online, there’s no way you can miss the colorful logo of the “We Need Diverse Books” (WNDB) campaign, which launched in 2014. What started as a tweet between creators Malinda Lo and Ellen Oh has turned into a grassroots movement that has bloggers, authors, librarians, and publishers getting involved and addressing the need for diverse characters and narratives in children’s literature.

One Book 4 Colorado: Free Books for Early Literacy

In April 2015, the One Book 4 Colorado program gave away its selected title to four year-olds across the state for the fourth time since its beginning in 2012. This year’s selection was How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen. Over 70,000 books in English and Spanish were given away in libraries, preschools, […]

Seen on TV – A Popular Genre

Does the phrase “As Seen on TV” make you think of late night infomercials and gadgets that never work quite right? In the library, it can mean circulation gold!

Humorous Books Can Appeal to Reluctant Readers

It breaks our hearts to see increased numbers of unhappy children being dragged to the library by concerned parents wanting to improve reading skills. We believe there is a genre of books that will help both parents and children find reading happiness.