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CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEADING STANDARDS FOR ALL IL EDUCATORS 

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CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEADING STANDARDS FOR ALL IL EDUCATORS 

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a) Self-Awareness and Relationships to Others - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders are reflective and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and how they impact others, leading to more cohesive and productive student development as it relates to academic and social-emotional development for all students. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Understand and value the notion that multiple lived experiences exist, that there is often not one "correct" way of doing or understanding something, and that what is seen as "correct" is most often based on our lived experiences.

2) Approach their work and students with an asset-based mindset, affirming the validity of the students' backgrounds and identities.

3) Know about their students and their lives outside of school, using this knowledge to build instruction that leverages prior knowledge and skills.

4) Include representative, familiar content in the curriculum to legitimize students' backgrounds, while also exposing them to new ideas and worldviews different from their own.

5) Engage in self-reflection about their own actions and interactions and what ideas and biases motivated those actions.

6) Explore their own intersecting identities, how they were developed, and how they impact daily experience of the world.

7) Recognize how their identity (race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/

emotional ability, socioeconomic class, religion, etc.) affects their perspectives and beliefs about pedagogy and students.

8) Educate themselves about students' communities, cultures, and histories.

9) Critically think about the institutions in which they find themselves, working to reform these institutions whenever and wherever necessary.

10) Assess how their biases and perceptions affect their teaching practice and how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.).

b) Systems of Oppression - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders understand that there are systems in our society, especially, but not limited to, our school system, that create and reinforce inequities, thereby creating oppressive conditions. Educators work actively against these systems in their everyday roles in educational institutions. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Understand the difference between prejudice, discrimination, racism, and how to operate at the interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional levels.

2) Collaborate with colleagues to determine how students from different backgrounds experience the classroom, school, or district.

3) Know and understand how the system of inequity has impacted them as an educator.

4) Understand how current curriculum and approaches to teaching impact students who are not a part of the dominant culture.

5) Be aware of the effects of power and privilege and the need for social advocacy and social action to better empower diverse students and communities.

6) Understand how a system of inequity creates rules regarding student punishment that negatively impact students of color.

7) Understand how a system of inequity reinforces certain suppositions as the norm.

c) Students as Individuals - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders view and value their students as individuals within the context of their families and communities. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Learn from and about their students' culture, language, and learning styles to make instruction more meaningful and relevant to their students' lives.

2) Engage with students' families and community members outside of the classroom to develop a more holistic understanding of the students' lived experiences.

3) Develop positive, strength-based partnerships with students and their families by learning about them, soliciting their opinions, and valuing their expectations, especially with those marginalized by schools in the past.

4) Provide parents with information about what their child is expected to learn, know, and do at his or her grade level and ways to reinforce concepts at home.

5) Share the classroom systems and policies (expectations, agreements, recognition and incentive practices, etc.) used in the classroom with students' families and align them to the values and cultural norms of those families.

6) Provide multiple opportunities for parents to communicate in their language and method of preference, to the greatest extent possible.

7) Set holistic goals for students that accommodate multiple ways of demonstrating strengths and success (e.g., alternate academic achievement metrics, growth indicators, leadership, character development, social-emotional learning competencies, and school values).

d) Students as Co-Creators - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders (who fundamentally believe all students are capable) center learning around students' experiences and position them as co-creators, with emphasis on prioritizing historically marginalized students. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Encourage and affirm the personal experiences (family, community, culture, etc.) students share in the classroom.

2) Make authentic connections between academic learning and students' prior knowledge, native language, culture, and values.

3) Consistently solicit students' input on the curriculum (e.g., interests, people, or concepts).

4) Co-create, with students, the collective expectations and agreements regarding the physical space and social-emotional culture of the classroom and school.

5) Create and embed student leadership opportunities into the student experience (e.g., peer-led discussion, student-led workshops, and student-run schoolwide initiatives).

6) Persistently solicit student feedback, value that feedback (resist defensiveness), and adjust based on that feedback.

e) Leveraging Student Advocacy - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders will support and create opportunities for student advocacy and representation in the content and classroom. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Emphasize and connect with students about their identities, advocacies, and self-interest.

2) Offer guidance to students on how to develop a self-advocacy plan to inform decisions and choices.

3) Include students in the creation of an inclusive learning community with more opportunities for student expression.

4) Help students identify actions that can be taken to apply learning to develop opportunities and relationships for alliances.

5) Create a risk-taking space that promotes student advocacy.

6) Research and offer student advocacy content with real world implications.

7) Communicate high expectations to which all students can be held and urge students to lead as student advocates appropriate to the students' age and development.

8) Give students space to solve their own problems, negotiate their advocacy needs, and present their perspectives.

f) Family and Community Collaboration - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders will partner with families and communities to build rapport, form collaborative and mutual relationships, and engage in effective cross-cultural communication. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Regularly interact with students, families, and communities in both English and home language through methods of their preference.

2) Actively seek multiple perspectives and contribution from families and the community and invite them to actively share their opinions, feedback, and concerns that impact the school community.

3) Forge ongoing participation with families and community members to meet the diverse needs and interests of students.

4) Continuously learn and build cultural knowledge that families and the community bring to the school community to nurture and foster relationships and inform student learning experiences.

5) Use best practices that are culturally responsive to value students and their families' cultural traditions when recognizing, motivating, encouraging, and supporting student success and growth.

6) Develop relationships with families and the community outside of the classroom setting.

7) Foster students' cultural understanding and connection to the surrounding community.

8) Invite family and community members to teach about topics that are culturally specific and aligned to the classroom curriculum or content area.

9) Welcome communication from parents and reply in a timely manner.

10) Communicate and provide appropriate techniques and materials to support and enrich student learning at home.

11) Collaborate effectively over time with the local community and community agencies, when and where appropriate, to promote a positive environment for student learning.

g) Content Selections in All Curricula - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders intentionally embrace student identities and prioritize representation in the curriculum. In turn, students are not only given a chance to identify with the curriculum, they become exposed to other cultures within their schools and both their local and global communities. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Curate the curriculum.

2) Identify and articulate the purposeful ways in which marginalized communities are represented in curriculum, including print, digital media, and other classroom resources.

3) Employ authentic and modern technology usage inspiring digital literacy through an equity lens.

4) Ensure assessments reflect the enriched curriculum that has embedded student identities.

5) Embrace and encourage a balance of viewpoints and perspectives that leverage asset thinking toward traditionally marginalized populations.

6) Assess one's story through multiple vantage points to gain a whole narrative that includes all sides of parties involved.

7) Implement and integrate the wide spectrum and fluidity of identities in the curriculum.

8) Ensure text selections reflect students' classroom, community, and family culture.

9) Ensure teacher and students co-create content that encourages critical thinking about culture and includes counternarratives to dominant culture.

10) Use a resource tool to assess the curriculum and assessments for biases.

11) Promote robust discussion with the intent of raising consciousness that reflects modern society and the ways in which cultures and communities intersect.

12) Consider a broader modality of student assessments, such as performance portfolios, essays, multiple choice, State exams, oral examination, community assessments, work experiences, social justice work, action research projects, and recognition beyond academia.

h) Student Representation in the Learning Environment - Culturally responsive teachers and leaders ensure the diversity of their student population is equally represented within the learning environment. In turn, all members of the student population feel seen, heard, and affirmed. Exceptionally well-versed culturally responsive teachers and leaders provide exposure to underrepresented or misrepresented minority groups, even when they are not present within the population of their school and community at large. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:

1) Uphold systems of support that create, promote, and sustain a welcoming and inclusive community.

2) Ensure linguistic diversity is represented throughout the building and seek ways to reflect representation of world languages.

3) Verify that course materials are representative of all students, including materials for centers, stations, labs, classroom libraries, etc.

4) Ensure classroom and building decorations are inclusive of all students throughout the building or within the community or city at large.

(Source: Added at 45 Ill. Reg. 3320, effective March 2, 2021)

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TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
SUBTITLE A: EDUCATIONCHAPTER I: STATE BOARD OF EDUCATIONSUBCHAPTER b: PERSONNEL
PART 24
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEADING STANDARDS FOR ALL ILLINOIS EDUCATORS SECTION 24.50 THE ILLINOIS CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEADING STANDARDS

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Stonewall Awards: check the Children's and Young Adult category winners

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Stonewall Awards: check the Children's and Young Adult category winners

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Schneider Family Book Award " for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences."

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Schneider Family Book Award " for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences."

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A GIRL NAMED ROSITA:  THE STORY OF RITA MORENO 

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A GIRL NAMED ROSITA:  THE STORY OF RITA MORENO 

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https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Named-Rosita-Moreno-Trailblazer/dp/0062877704/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1FJJ837DOPB78&keywords=rita+moreno+children%27s+picture+book+biography&qid=1650947717&s=books&sprefix=rita+moreno+children%27s+picture+book+biography%2Cstripbooks%2C531&sr=1-3

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The inspiring biography of the incredibly talented Rita Moreno, actor in and executive producer of Steven Speilberg's upcoming West Side Story .

"An inspirational title for young elementary children. This energetic, illustrated biography honors her determined spirit with colorful exuberance."-School Library Journal (starred review)

When young Rosita moved from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States, she didn't know what to expect-but she knew she loved to sing and dance. Working to overcome the language barrier and bullying she experienced in a strange new country, Rita eventually made her way to Hollywood with a dream to be a star. There, she fought to be seen and heard and eventually reached the pinnacle of success, landing her iconic role in West Side Story and, finally, winning her groundbreaking Oscar.

Brought to life by the bold and vibrant illustrations of New York Times bestselling illustrator Leo Espinosa ( Islandborn ), and lyrical text of Pura Belpré Honor winner Anika Aldamuy Denise ( Planting Stories ), this gorgeous tribute to the life and career of the first Latinx person to have earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award will inspire little dreamers everywhere.

Informative author's note and timeline also included.

A Spanish-language edition is also available.

Praise for Anika Aldamuy Denise:

"[Anika's] lyrical text, sprinkled like fairy dust with Spanish words, begs to be read aloud."- New York Times Book Review on Planting Stories

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A Girl Named Rosita: The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!

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Amazon.com: A Girl Named Rosita: The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!: 9780062877703: Denise, Anika Aldamuy, Espinosa, Leo: Books

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GAME CHANGERS: THE STORY OF VENUS AND SERENA WILLIAMS bu Lesa Cline-Ransome

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GAME CHANGERS: THE STORY OF VENUS AND SERENA WILLIAMS bu Lesa Cline-Ransome

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https://www.amazon.com/Game-Changers-Story-Serena-Williams/dp/148147684X/ref=sr_1_19?crid=1AK646EIGS4Q1&keywords=tennis+williams+children%27s+biography&qid=1650947650&s=books&sprefix=tennis+williamschildren%27s+biography%2Cstripbooks%2C77&sr=1-19

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THE PEOPLE'S PAINTER: HOW BEN SHAHN FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE WITH ART by Cynthia Levinson 

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THE PEOPLE'S PAINTER: HOW BEN SHAHN FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE WITH ART by Cynthia Levinson 

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https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Painter-Shahn-Fought-Justice/dp/1419741306/ref=msx_wsirn_v1_1_sccl_23/144-6437420-9878805?pd_rd_w=RTvgY&pf_rd_p=edd207be-8a1c-4e1d-9856-c764818e859d&pf_rd_r=A786WYRWA9B8Y0XDY1CP&pd_rd_r=e20f34a0-a96d-4459-92ef-a054eb92c028&pd_rd_wg=Q3WY2&pd_rd_i=1419741306&psc=1

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FOUR FEET, TWO SANDALS by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed

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FOUR FEET, TWO SANDALS by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed

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https://www.amazon.com/Four-Feet-Sandals-Karen-Williams/dp/0802852963/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38CLM1U4KTEUV&keywords=four+feet+two+sandals&qid=1650947373&sprefix=four+feet+two+sandals%2Caps%2C1007&sr=8-1

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RIDING A DONKEY BACKWARDS: WISE AND FOOLISH TALES OF MILLA NASRUDDIN, retold by Sean Taylor and the Khayaal Theater

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RIDING A DONKEY BACKWARDS: WISE AND FOOLISH TALES OF MILLA NASRUDDIN, retold by Sean Taylor and the Khayaal Theater

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https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Donkey-Backwards-Foolish-Nasruddin/dp/1536205079/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HEY6Y9NCWEBN&keywords=riding+a+donkey+backwards&qid=1650947132&sprefix=donkey+backwards%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-1

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ITZHAK: A BOY WHO LOVED VIOLIN by Tracy Newman

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ITZHAK: A BOY WHO LOVED VIOLIN by Tracy Newman

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https://www.amazon.com/Itzhak-Boy-Who-Loved-Violin/dp/1419741101/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2X6I7RXCDS05&keywords=itzhak+perlman+picture+book&qid=1650946888&sprefix=itzach+perlmanpicture+book%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-3

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https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Boy-M-Evan-Wolkenstein/dp/0593121597/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27FNMTFV9XQYA&keywords=turtle+boy&qid=1650946783&s=books&sprefix=turtle+boy%2Cstripbooks%2C167&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Blackbird-Girls-Anne-Blankman/dp/1984837354

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https://www.amazon.com/Be-Prepared-Vera-Brosgol/dp/1626724458/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23E6FMKVJIHG2&keywords=be+prepared&qid=1650946519&s=books&sprefix=be+prepare%2Cstripbooks%2C114&sr=1-1

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SWEEP:  A STORY OF A GIRL AND HER MONSTER by Jonathan Auxier

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SWEEP:  A STORY OF A GIRL AND HER MONSTER by Jonathan Auxier

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https://www.amazon.com/Sweep-PJ-Library-Story-Monster/dp/1419737023/ref=sr_1_1?crid=404IN9V0HGO6&keywords=chimney+sweep+monster+chapter+book&qid=1650946439&s=books&sprefix=chimney+sweepmonster+chapter+book%2Cstripbooks%2C193&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Dragon-Sofiya-Pasternack/dp/0358006074

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LAST KIDS ON EARTH:  THRILLING TALES FROM THE TREE HOUSE by Max Brallier

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LAST KIDS ON EARTH:  THRILLING TALES FROM THE TREE HOUSE by Max Brallier

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https://www.amazon.com/Last-Kids-Earth-Thrilling-Tales/dp/0593350065/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2147VTBNYQ9H7&keywords=last+kids+on+earth+graphic+novel&qid=1650946176&s=books&sprefix=last+kids+on+earth+gra%2Cstripbooks%2C807&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Pearl-Rick-Riordan-Presents/dp/1368014747/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16HAKL92TFAUV&keywords=dragon+pearl&qid=1650946026&s=books&sprefix=dragon+pearl%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Henrys-Freedom-Box-Underground-Railroad/dp/043977733X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33CT44HC2X717&keywords=kadir+nelson+box&qid=1650945801&s=books&sprefix=kadir+nelson+box%2Cstripbooks%2C94&sr=1-1

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Including diverse voices is a priority in K-12 classrooms, and we've developed a unique model to make it easier: Reading Diversity. (This model may look familiar: It's a new version of an existing tool called Appendix D.)

Traditionally, tools that aid text selection have focused on quantitative and qualitative measures like complexity, word and sentence length, cohesion, language features and knowledge demands. But these tools do not include diversity and representation, critical literacy, or reader and task as part of the selection criteria.

Reading Diversity is different. This model promotes a multi-dimensional approach to text selection that prioritizes critical literacy, cultural responsiveness and complexity.

We have designed two versions of the Reading Diversity model as two editable PDF tools educators can download, complete, save and share.

Explore these sample Reading Diversity tools, and begin cultivating a more inclusive classroom library today!

Sample Tools K-2

Sample Tools Grades 3-5

Sample Tools Grades 6-8

Sample Tools Grades 9-12

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Including diverse voices is a priority in K-12 classrooms. Learning for Justice offers a unique model to make it easier: Reading Diversity.

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the problem with celebrating Tikki Tikki Tembo

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While no one asked me to share my concerns with the members of the ABA, I wish they had. If they had, I would have said this: Hello! There's a good chance you are sick of the topic that I am about to broach, that you are rolling your eyeballs and you are secretly thinking, "Who cares?"

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Rudine Sims Bishop: ‘Mother’ of multicultural children’s literature

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The legacy of a scholar, and what the esteemed professor emerita thinks of children’s books today.

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Figuring out to how to handle classics that critics say haven't aged well can be tough for librarians charged with putting together school collections. Students have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the "Little House" series for generations, and for many years, having these "classics" available in school libraries was a given. But today, some media specialists are questioning the proper place for these and other novels.

Just two years ago, the American Library Association (ALA) decided to drop Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from its children's literature award, citing her work's "dated cultural attitudes toward Indigenous people and people of color." The phrase "The only good Indian is a dead Indian" shows up multiple times in Little House on the Prairie. ALA was careful to note that renaming the award was not an attempt to "censor, limit, or deter access to Wilder's books and materials."

Andy Spinks didn't consider it to be censorship when he weeded Wilder's series out of his collection at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA, a suburban school about 20 minutes outside of Atlanta with a student body that's 20 percent white.

"These aren't kids who are really going to be interested in rolling across the plains in a horse and buggy," says Spinks, one of two library media specialists at the school.

Spinks stresses that he doesn't support weeding to "intentionally circumvent" reconsideration policies but notes that "problematic books also often meet the criteria for weeding."

He adds that it's not hard to discard a book or a collection when it's somehow problematic and also unpopular with your students.

But what about when a popular classic is also seen by some as problematic?

"Sometimes I think people don't know what to do with those books," says Meg B. Allison, a teacher librarian at U-32 Middle and High School in East Montpelier, VT.

The problem with Atticus Finch

Published in 1960, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird quickly became popular with readers throughout the country and around the world. The novel is set during the Great Depression and tells the story of Atticus Finch, a small-town Alabama lawyer who takes the case of Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. The story is told through the eyes of Finch's young daughter, Scout. The Pulitzer Prize winner has never been out of print.

In 2018, PBS named it America's favorite novel, following a national survey of nearly 4.3 million Americans.

"People love that book, but they ignore so many of the racist tropes and the depictions of people of color that are derogatory," says Julia E. Torres, a teacher librarian who serves five schools through her job with Denver Public Schools.

Critics say the novel perpetuates stereotypes about African Americans and doesn't give its Black characters any agency. But the book is still assigned reading for many students, and it remains on the shelves at most high schools.

"There's a lot of area in between taking a book off the shelf and deemphasizing it," says Spinks. " To Kill a Mockingbird used to be my favorite book, so I would recommend it all the time. Now I don't do that."

Instead, Spinks says he encourages students who read it to keep in mind that the book examines "racism from a white perspective."

The novel has faced frequent challenges for its language. The N-word is used liberally in the book, and some parents have complained that reading the book aloud in class is inappropriate.

Fans of the book say it teaches tolerance and helps to awaken racial consciousness.

That's a point that Torres questions. "If it were so successful at raising racial consciousness throughout the United States all these decades, why are people still forbidding their students from reading The Hate U Give or going to see the movie?" Torres asks. "Also, if it [is being read] in high school, that's pretty far along in the game for people to be learning about racial injustice or racialized aspects of our justice system."

Torres has taught the novel a few times in the past, but if a teacher asks for her help teaching it today, she usually suggests another book, like Samira Ahmed's Internment, set in the near future, about a teen sent to a U.S. internment camp for Muslim American people. Or, she suggests they teach To Kill a Mockingbird using excerpts or through a critical consciousness lens, which would include lessons on white saviorism and the weaponization of white women's tears.

Some librarians suggest using modern novels such as Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give to provide context to classics.

"The themes of To Kill a Mockingbird are about coming of age and agency and finding one's voice as a youngster," says Allison. "Well, Angie Thomas does that very, very well with The Hate U Give, and so they've been augmenting and supplementing curriculum with some more contemporary choices, especially written by #OwnVoices authors."

In 2015, author Corinne Duyvis started the #OwnVoices movement on Twitter. The movement aimed to support kid lit that spotlighted diverse characters written by writers from the same background.

Sometimes authors backed by the movement face obstacles when it comes to getting their work in front of young readers in the classroom. The Hate U Give, which tells the story of Starr Carter, a Black high school student who witnesses the fatal shooting of her friend Khalil by a white police officer, has been challenged because of its language and its depiction of police.

Read: Kid Lit Authors (Re)Make History

Huck Finn and the N-word

Torres argues that many people who challenge these books ignore problematic classics such as Mockingbird and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain's novel, which follows a white boy and a runaway slave who make their way along the Mississippi River on a raft, includes the N-word hundreds of times. Torres notes that reading it can cause distress for Black students, particularly if they're the only one in a class.

"A child of color sitting in the classroom listening to that word said over and over again with no discussion about it, which I know happens, that's upsetting," says Torres.

Allison says that's where a good teacher should step in and provide information about when the book was written and some of the factors that might have gone into Twain's choice to use that word.

"You have to understand that time period and what language was doing at the time and compare it to what we're doing now and not just let students read that book in a classroom setting without some sort of context and support," says Allison.

Kimberly N. Parker, assistant director of Shady Hill Teacher Training Center in Cambridge, MA, says that type of support is important when teaching texts such as Huckleberry Finn.

Parker, who holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, spent nearly 20 years in the classroom before taking on her current role and often taught the novel, which was required.

"The problem is that we can do so much damage and harm," says Parker. "We do harm if we don't teach that text in ways that are antiracist, if they are not culturally sensitive, and also if that's the only time that children have to see themselves reflected in text. I'm really convinced that we can do better."

Curation vs. censorship

Sometimes that impetus to do better comes from parents and other members of the community.

Miranda Doyle, district librarian for the Lake Oswego (OR) School District, where she oversees 10 schools, says it's not unusual for the district to receive informal requests to reconsider a book.

"If it's one of our assigned curriculum books, then I think it would be worth looking at whether that's something we want to continue to teach, whereas if it's in the library, I would advise leaving it on the shelf as long as it's something that is currently within the guidelines of what we have in the library," says Doyle, who also serves as the intellectual freedom chair for the Oregon Association of School Libraries. For many librarians like Doyle, the answer is to add more contemporary books to the collection through careful curation. "Making sure when we're promoting books, when we're putting up displays, when we're doing reading programs and we're adding to the curriculum that we are choosing books that are not problematic and are, in fact, diverse and respectful and from a wide variety of authors," says Doyle.

That's also the approach favored by Allison, who says she worries about librarians who pull books simply because they find them personally offensive.

"That's a slippery slope, because for some people an LGBTQ character might be offensive," says Allison. "I firmly believe in the freedom to read statement by the American Library Association that even books that are offensive to some people need to be available to students, so from the standpoint of my librarianship and my role in the library, I'm not removing texts, but I certainly may not promote them or display them."

She cited her decision not to display the work of Sherman Alexie last year during Native American History Month.

"I put [out] Tommy Orange," says Allison, referring to Orange's novel There There, about 12 Native American characters convening at the Big Oakland (CA) powwow. "I put other authors out, especially #OwnVoices authors, and try to be as inclusive as possible to have texts that are by authors from diverse perspectives, but I'm not removing Sherman Alexie's books from my library shelves because he's somebody that's been implicated in the MeToo movement."

The author of several novels including the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has faced allegations of sexual harassment in recent years and issued a statement in 2018 acknowledging "there are women telling the truth about my behavior."

Still, librarians note that they're trying to strike a delicate balance. "Trying not to censor and not to further oppression at the same time is challenging," says Spinks.

Torres, who says she would never tell another educator not to teach a certain book, is not in favor of pulling texts from the shelves. "I believe in a child's right to read what they want," she says.

But, she says, it's important to allow the canon to grow and evolve.

"I do think teachers need to work together with their students to figure out what do we value as a community, what do we want to learn about, what are we curious about?" she says. "What texts can we bring into our community that will help us grow?"

Freelance journalist Marva Hinton is a contributing editor to Edutopia and the host of the "ReadMore" podcast, an interview show that primarily features authors of color.

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Little House, Big Problem: What To Do with "Classic" Books That Are Also Racist

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Figuring out to how to handle classics that critics say haven't aged well can be tough for librarians charged with putting together school collections. Students have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the "Little House" series for generations, and for many years, having these "classics" available in school libraries was a given.

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WHAT TO DO ABOUT RACISM IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS

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WHAT TO DO ABOUT RACISM IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS

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Many of us learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. His earlier work like Green Eggs and Ham and Cat in the Hat are iconic in the children's literary world, and have transcended even beyond kids' bookshelves. But fans of his books learned that some of his works will no longer be published due to racist messaging.

According to Dr. Seuss Enterprises, they will not longer publish six of his books because, "These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong." In And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street , a character described as "a Chinaman" has lines for eyes, wears a pointed hat, and carries chopsticks and a bowl of rice. (Editions published in the 1970s changed the reference from "a Chinaman" to "a Chinese man.") In If I Ran the Zoo , two characters from "the African island of Yerka" are depicted as shirtless, shoeless and resembling monkeys.

Another example is the Little House on the Prairie series. To many fans, the books based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's life on the western frontier capture the spirit of America. The stories tell a tale of adventure, resilience in the face of extremes, the excitement of the unknown, and of re-settling and making something of oneself wherever one might land. The collection of eight books, which have been read by millions and shared among generations of families around the world, contain several dehumanizing descriptions of Indigenous and Black characters. In one passage in Little House on the Prairie, Wilder wrote, "There were no people; only Indians lived there," while in another, Pa, the father of the family, says, "the only good Indian is a dead Indian." In Little Town on the Prairie, Pa appears, blackface, in a minstrel show and sings a racist song - an anecdote accompanied by an illustration of the characters in blackface.

Other classics with racist content include , The Secret Garden , . Newer books that have been called out for stereotypes and cultural insensitivity include Curious George books, and Ook and Gluk by Dave Pilkey, Skippyjon Jones books, and even Raina Telgemeier's .

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What to do about racism in children's books - Ypsilanti District Library

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Many of us learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. His earlier work like Green Eggs and Ham and Cat in the Hat are iconic in the children's literary world, and have transcended even beyond kids' bookshelves. But fans of his books learned that some of his works will no longer be published due to racist messaging.

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION of DIVERSE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, courtesy of LEARNING FOR JUSTICE

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION of DIVERSE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, courtesy of LEARNING FOR JUSTICE

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ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A STORY OF PAINTER ALMA THOMAS by Jeanne Walker Harvey

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ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A STORY OF PAINTER ALMA THOMAS by Jeanne Walker Harvey

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https://www.amazon.com/Ablaze-Color-Story-Painter-Thomas/dp/0063021897

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https://www.amazon.com/Nowhere-Boy-Katherine-Marsh/dp/125021145X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R6YKTK5VC8HC&keywords=nowhere+boy&qid=1650943846&s=books&sprefix=nowhere+boy%2Cstripbooks%2C1338&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Whole-Rajani-LaRocca/dp/006304742X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1650943452&sr=1-1

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Sydney Taylor Book Award:  The "Jewish Newbery"!  

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Sydney Taylor Book Award:  The "Jewish Newbery"!  

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Award Overview The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries since 1968, the award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature.

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All of Jen Wang's stuff is solid.  This is marvelous. 

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THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang

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THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang

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https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Dressmaker-Jen-Wang/dp/162672363X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1F6GMRD34OBZB&keywords=prince+and+the+dressmaker+by+jen+wang&qid=1650942783&s=books&sprefix=prince+and+the+d%2Cstripbooks%2C103&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Jazz-Jessica-Herthel/dp/0803741073/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KP7KW0YTB5AM&keywords=I+am+jazz&qid=1650942597&s=books&sprefix=i+am+jazz%2Cstripbooks%2C105&sr=1-1

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WHEN AIDAN BECAME A BROTHER by Kyle Lukoff

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WHEN AIDAN BECAME A BROTHER by Kyle Lukoff

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https://www.amazon.com/When-Aidan-Became-Brother-Lukoff/dp/1620148374

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Pura Belpre Award:  Books by Latinx Authors and Illustrators about Latinx characters!

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Pura Belpre Award:  Books by Latinx Authors and Illustrators about Latinx characters!

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About the Pura Belpré Award

The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking ( REFORMA), an ALA affiliate.

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Puerto Rican children in the U.S.A. through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.

It is now an annual award. It was a biennial award from its inaugural year in 1996 through 2008.

Administered by:

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About the Pura Belpré Award The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

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THE LAST CUENTISTA by Donna Barbara Higuera

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THE LAST CUENTISTA by Donna Barbara Higuera

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https://www.amazon.com/Last-Cuentista-Donna-Barba-Higuera/dp/1646140893/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=1S3W50FBECKU8&keywords=rick+riordan+presents&qid=1650941588&s=books&sprefix=rick+riorda%2Cstripbooks%2C1838&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVjFXUDNEVTlTMktIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTY4NjE4M1VTMElGT1lMUDNINiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjczMzkzSFRURjJFOEE4RFg2JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

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TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY by Kwame Mbalia

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TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY by Kwame Mbalia

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https://www.amazon.com/Tristan-Strong-Punches-Hole-Novel/dp/1368042414/ref=sr_1_17?crid=1S3W50FBECKU8&keywords=rick+riordan+presents&qid=1650941588&s=books&sprefix=rick+riorda%2Cstripbooks%2C1838&sr=1-17

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ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME by Roshani Chokshi and Anu Chouhan

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ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME by Roshani Chokshi and Anu Chouhan

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https://www.amazon.com/Shah-Time-Graphic-Novel-Pandava/dp/1368075053/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2W1LWACG7AAJT&keywords=aru+shah+graphic+novel&qid=1650941254&s=books&sprefix=aru+shah+graphic+nove%2Cstripbooks%2C192&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRkVVSzFTNEFRVkpNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDcwNDQxMkFFWTRDUDJXUks5WSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjAyNzA5MVZIQlhSQUNXMFQyUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

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https://www.amazon.com/Race-Sun-Rick-Riordan-Presents/dp/1368024823/ref=sxin_10_mbs_w_global_sims?crid=1VBK3L858LRMB&cv_ct_cx=sal+and+gabi+break+the+universe&keywords=sal+and+gabi+break+the+universe&pd_rd_i=1368024823&pd_rd_r=165b5494-d638-4f16-9964-b1a5bb77e735&pd_rd_w=9WfBC&pd_rd_wg=Ad1uR&pf_rd_p=cf550e7f-068b-4af8-a681-e56285166856&pf_rd_r=JAEFVJSNFDPSCDZ4S634&qid=1650940993&s=books&sprefix=sal+and+%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-4-9e7645f9-2d19-4bff-863e-f6cdbe50f990

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Based on the song by the Grammy-winning artist

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0063014440/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

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YUYI MORALES...check out all the books by this author/illustrator!

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YUYI MORALES...check out all the books by this author/illustrator!

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Told with a combination of powerful, spare language and sumptuous and complex imagery that is typical of Yuyi Morales's work, this is the story of a fawn making her way through a border landscape teaming with flora and fauna native to the region.

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LA PRINCESA AND THE PEA by Susan Middleton Elya

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LA PRINCESA AND THE PEA by Susan Middleton Elya

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https://www.amazon.com/Princesa-Pea-Susan-Middleton-Elya/dp/0399251561/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EJZP690CK7D8&keywords=princesa+and+the+pea&qid=1650940300&s=books&sprefix=princess+and+the+pe%2Cstripbooks%2C279&sr=1-1

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Check out the whole Vamos! series and other works by this exciting author. 

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VAMOS!  LET'S GO TO THE MARKET by Raul the Third

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VAMOS!  LET'S GO TO THE MARKET by Raul the Third

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https://www.amazon.com/%C2%A1Vamos-Lets-Market-English-Spanish/dp/132855726X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2REJYQTQ39DST&keywords=Raul+the+Third&qid=1650940149&s=books&sprefix=raul+the+third%2Cstripbooks%2C202&sr=1-2

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593109031/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

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Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez

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Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez

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https://www.amazon.com/Federico-Wolf-Rebecca-J-Gomez/dp/1328567788/ref=pd_sbs_3_sccl_2/144-6437420-9878805?pd_rd_w=Znkex&pf_rd_p=23e9c531-a4f3-4198-b456-2bff73f4055a&pf_rd_r=JBB3XX07HQXQCNAJW9JD&pd_rd_r=800be9db-9e0a-4ea8-b90e-82a58942f0a6&pd_rd_wg=h6H73&pd_rd_i=1328567788&psc=1

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THREE BILLY GOATS BUENOS by Susan Middleton Elya

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THREE BILLY GOATS BUENOS by Susan Middleton Elya

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399547398/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

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https://www.amazon.com/World-Between-Based-Refugee-Story/dp/0358439876/ref=asc_df_0358439876/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=521017633432&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7165829577541157188&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021748&hvtargid=pla-1389962018117&psc=1

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THE GRAND MOSQUE OF PARIS: A STORY OF HOW MUSLIMS RESCUED JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST by Karen Gray Ruelle

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THE GRAND MOSQUE OF PARIS: A STORY OF HOW MUSLIMS RESCUED JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST by Karen Gray Ruelle

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https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Mosque-Paris-Muslims-Holocaust/dp/0823423042/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3RPP0QOERFLS9&keywords=mosque+picture+book&qid=1650939460&s=books&sprefix=mosque+picture+book%2Cstripbooks%2C237&sr=1-2

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GOLDEN DOMES AND SILVER LANTERNS: A MUSLIM BOOK OF COLORS by Hena Khan

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GOLDEN DOMES AND SILVER LANTERNS: A MUSLIM BOOK OF COLORS by Hena Khan

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https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Domes-Silver-Lanterns-Muslim/dp/1452141215/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2MMNLT9XKUAEU&keywords=muslim+book+of+colors&qid=1650939355&s=books&sprefix=muslim+book+of+color%2Cstripbooks%2C215&sr=1-2

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https://www.amazon.com/My-Mosque-M-Yuksel/dp/0062978705/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3RPP0QOERFLS9&keywords=mosque+picture+book&qid=1650939178&s=books&sprefix=mosque+picture+book%2Cstripbooks%2C237&sr=1-4

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https://www.amazon.com/Amiras-Picture-Day-Reem-Faruqi/dp/0823440192/ref=msx_wsirn_v1_3_sccl_3/144-6437420-9878805?pd_rd_w=3RcF4&pf_rd_p=edd207be-8a1c-4e1d-9856-c764818e859d&pf_rd_r=T23EF7AA1E20FQW326GN&pd_rd_r=444fd867-1ef3-452e-bd8d-fa9ad49bbfe8&pd_rd_wg=zooXh&pd_rd_i=0823440192&psc=1

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All of Trudy Ludwig's Books are good fodder for discussion, and usually has excellent and helpful endmatter for adults.  

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https://www.amazon.com/Sorry-Trudy-Ludwig/dp/1582461732/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1FQSH69T79OM8&keywords=sorry%21&qid=1650938955&s=books&sprefix=sorry+%2Cstripbooks%2C113&sr=1-8

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https://www.amazon.com/Visiting-Day-Jacqueline-Woodson/dp/0147516080/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YL5IQW574BZO&keywords=visiting+day&qid=1650938833&s=books&sprefix=visiting+day%2Cstripbooks%2C112&sr=1-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Crenshaw-Katherine-Applegate/dp/1250091667/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CGABWXW8O618&keywords=crenshaw&qid=1650938698&s=books&sprefix=crensh%2Cstripbooks%2C186&sr=1-1

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Recommend all of Gordon Korman's funny, poignant middle-grade reads!

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https://www.amazon.com/Unteachables-Gordon-Korman/dp/0062563904/ref=asc_df_0062563904/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416662155241&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7346871167080454664&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021748&hvtargid=pla-1056096884152&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=95590145444&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416662155241&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7346871167080454664&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021748&hvtargid=pla-1056096884152

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THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS by Onjali Q. Rauf

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THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS by Onjali Q. Rauf

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https://www.amazon.com/Boy-at-Back-Class/dp/1984850814/ref=asc_df_1984850814/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459515588584&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7346871167080454664&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021748&hvtargid=pla-929190913651&psc=1

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Eve Bunting is a picture book author that tackles a lot of economic diverse and bibliotherapeutic topics. 

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https://www.amazon.com/Yard-Sale-Eve-Bunting/dp/0763693057/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=yard+sale+picture+books&qid=1650938054&s=books&sr=1-2

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LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET by Matt de la Pena

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LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET by Matt de la Pena

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https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stop-Market-Street-Matt/dp/0399257748/ref=pd_sbs_2_sccl_19/144-6437420-9878805?pd_rd_w=Xg9KX&pf_rd_p=23e9c531-a4f3-4198-b456-2bff73f4055a&pf_rd_r=S2X34HZ9YHA17AE1RZ1G&pd_rd_r=6d447949-a356-4c98-8567-c9b90c8082a5&pd_rd_wg=ziYgF&pd_rd_i=0399257748&psc=1

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https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Away-Home-Eve-Bunting/dp/0395664152/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/144-6437420-9878805?pd_rd_w=HiuA5&pf_rd_p=6b3eefea-7b16-43e9-bc45-2e332cbf99da&pf_rd_r=8JFYGFYFEXZQHJSFRDFC&pd_rd_r=7424083a-7924-4926-8025-723465af7d9f&pd_rd_wg=qupSr&pd_rd_i=0395664152&psc=1

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https://www.amazon.com/Death-Toilet-Paper-Donna-Gephart/dp/0385374178/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TBHP7KDUUXMZ&keywords=death+by+toilet+paper&qid=1650937541&sprefix=death+by+toilet+paper%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1

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Check out all the classic fairy tales retold in African settings by Rachel Isadora!

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Check out all the classic fairy tales retold in African settings by Rachel Isadora!

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https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rachel+isadora&crid=3OQ8DVL1VRGFL&sprefix=rachel+si%2Caps%2C281&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

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https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Listened-Cori-Doerrfeld/dp/073522935X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CNDGH25SB0S0&keywords=rabbit+listened&qid=1650937196&sprefix=rabbit+listened%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-1

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Check out categories on the right side of this blog page!

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Author: Annette Bay Pimentel

Illustrator: Micha Archer

From the Book Jacket: Because Bobbi Gibb is a girl, she's not allowed to run on her school's track team. But after school, no one can stop her - and she runs to her hearts content. She is told she can't run again when she tries to enter the Boston Marathon in 1966, because women are just not considered capable of running such a long distance. So what does Bobbi do? She bravely sets out to prove the naysayers wrong and show the world just what a girl can do.

This fascinating piece of history is brought to vivid life in stunning collages. Bobbi's story will inspire readers, who will cheer her on for her passion, talent, and persistence.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Loved this story so much! Proving people wrong when they tell you NO or that you CAN'T do something is so inspiring. Bobbi's actions changed things for the better. It must have taken a lot of courage. We need more stories shared like this to remind our youth to not give up and follow your dreams - no matter what people may think or say!

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Author: Annette Bay Pimentel Illustrator: Micha Archer From the Book Jacket: Because Bobbi Gibb is a girl, she's not allowed to run on her school's track team. But after school, no one can stop her - and she runs to her hearts content.

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Arab American Book Awards (including children's lit)

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Arab American Book Awards (including children's lit)

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The Arab American Book Award is an honor given each year to outstanding books written by or about Arab Americans. The Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 in partnership with librarians from the University of Toledo, and the mission is to celebrate Arab American literature and honor those who have produced exemplary work. Through outreach and publicity, the award raises greater awareness of Arab American literature and scholarship. We have awarded more than 100 books and every year we are honoring more titles and authors. Our book award is the only one in the nation created specifically to honor Arab American writers and books about the Arab American experience.

Winners are chosen each year from the categories below. Past award years may not have winners for all these categories, or have multiple winners for one category, due to the fluidity of submissions each year. Also, if deemed appropriate, honorable mentions within these categories may be awarded as well.

Adult Fiction

Adult Non-Fiction (The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award)

Poetry (The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award)

Children's/Young Adult Literature

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Book Awards - Arab American National Museum

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The Arab American Book Award is an honor given each year to outstanding books written by or about Arab Americans. The Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 in partnership with librarians from the University of Toledo, and the mission is to celebrate Arab American literature and honor those who have produced exemplary work.

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You Don't Have to Be Jewish:  Including Jewish Children's Lit in Your Diverse Collection

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You Don't Have to Be Jewish:  Including Jewish Children's Lit in Your Diverse Collection

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It has unfortunately recently come to my attention during the course of a six hour workshop about diversity in children's literature by a high-profile and impactful sponsor, no books representing Jewish people were included. My understanding is that when a participant questioned the exclusion, it was pointed out that the recommendations also did not include obsese or old people, either; time was limited, not every group can be included. Tzivia MacLeod has written a very brave article, Respectfully, to professionals: please. Find the room, find the time. Whether Jewish or not, inclusion of this literature in collection development conversations is more than religious representation. It's respectful acknowledgement of the backgrounds of some of the most seminal contributors to the genre: Maurice Sendak, the Reys, The Hobans, The Zemachs, Judith Viorst, Judy Blume, Shel Silverstein, R.L. Stine, Judith Kerr, Julius Lester, Mordicai Gerstein to name a very few. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that Jewish American contribution is American history, extending broadly and meaningfully into the secular American world. But more than that, as is the battle cry of diversity in children's literature: all children deserve to see themselves represented on the shelves. Further, all children deserve access to quality literature that reflects people The first thing to do is probably get acquainted with A less extensive but very thoughtful list is the
Well, the Tree of Life synagogue shooting that happened in Pittsburgh less than a year ago didn't happen because people were obese. And the attack on the San Diego synagogue this spring wasn't because people were old. I appreciate that not every religious group can be represented at book recommendation events, but the timing of such exclusions is questionable. If any other racial or ethnic group marginalized in our history were excluded from the lists at the same time that mass marches were actively happening to call for their eradication byWhite Supremacist and other hateful groups, well, what would you call that? Poor timing? Outrageous? Or something else?

Dear Diversity: Are Jews Allowed? which references another separate scenario of exclusion.
different from themselves. Holes in collection diversity are holes in preparing students for encounters with the human diversity that with any luck and effort will demarcate the 21st century as much as any technology, so if you have no Jewish kids at your school, you need Jewish children's books even more. If you are a teacher or librarian and you do not have books representing Jewish people in your collection, there is a lack in the diversity of your collection. So, what's the fix?

The Sydney Taylor Award list, which is kind of like a Jewish Newbery given by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL). A committee of professionals determine "outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience," not unlike the Coretta Scott King Award and Pura Belpré award for their respective representations. The authors and illustrators do not have to be Jewish to receive the Sydney Taylor award. The AJL has a handy annotated list of all winners since the award's inception in 1968, which is an education in itself. Love Your Neighbor: AJL Recommends Jewish Books for All Readers compilation (full discloure: one of my books, Vive la Paris, now out-of-print, appears on this list, and has also received a Sydney Taylor Honor). These titles can be organically integrated into character education programming. One of my favorite articles I have read is "Is The Rainbow Fish Jewish?" by Heidi Estrin. Written for Jewish educators, it is a powerful testament to the overlapping of values found in vibrant children's literature to be embraced by many faiths. Rachel Kamin, an esteemed and active AJL committee member and reviewer, along with her colleagues, compiled a beautiful and extensive list of Jewish Stars: Recommended Books with Jewish Themes for Schools and Libraries that deserves the attention of anyone adding Jewish identity to the diversity of their collections. And the Book of Life is a long-running, fun and informative podcast hosted by Heidi Rabinowitz for anyone interested in Jewish literature for young people. All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. The name Sydney Taylor comes up a lot in conversations about Jewish children's literature because she was "the first children's author to write books about Jewish people that were read by mainstream America" (Cummins, 2014). She started the series in 1951, a chummy plum of realistic fiction that finally depicted Jewishness as a matter-of-fact in the course of the daily adventures. To me, it's kind of like The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 of Jewish literature. Throughout, there's feeling that family is the world, but the rest of the world is still there, too. For better or worse.
I am the lucky librarian in a racially, ethnically, religiously and culturally diverse school in Chicago and am acutely aware of the balancing act between presenting diversity and separation of church (and synagogue and mosque) and state. But the bottom line is, a good story belongs to everybody. These are just a few titles I personally use successfully in my programming over the years with the children I serve. I hope you will share yours in the comments section.

King Matt the First by Janusz Korczak is the story of a boy king who rules over a country of children while the grown-ups make a mess of their own. By page two of a read-aloud, my fifth graders were hooked. Whether being in the trenches of war with his foul-mouthed roughneck bestie Felek, building life-sized dolls to fool his jealous advisors, trying to ingratiate himself through dispersal of chocolate or traveling the world to find an unlikely guest for his meeting of a children's parliament, this book is a masterwork of cliffhangers. It also contains some of the most nuanced, profound and entertaining characters in children's literature. Popular as Peter Pan in parts of Europe, it is largely unknown here in the states, which is a great loss to be ameliorated.
Taylor also was pioneering in the way she wrote about urban life, a family crowded into a small apartment, relatable to many of my students. The exciting, funny, emotional, episodic chapters are devour-able, thank goodness she wrote more than one. Fans of old-fashioned book candy a la Beverly Cleary and Betsy-Tacy series will rejoice. The series holds up like a good TCM movie: classic.

Korczak's real life story is legendary, and ultimately tragic. He was a Polish pediatrician during WWII who ran orphanages in Warsaw (and really did try an innovative children's parliament as described in the book in that setting). Korczak had many opportunities to escape the Nazis but elected to stay with his charges, and died with them at Treblinka. Every time I read this book, I can feel Korczak loving those children and trying to prepare them for the difficulties of this imperfect world. He wrote and read aloud these words as a gift to the children he loved, children he was trying to distract from suffering with the joy and excitement of these great adventures. And now, almost a hundred years later, the words can come from your lips to the children you care about, and they still work their magic. A miraculous legacy of read-aloud. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Issac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Written by the master storyteller, my students have thrilled and laughed raucously to this read-aloud, favorites being "Fool's Paradise," the story of a family who tricks a bridegroom into believing he has died and gone to Heaven in order to help him appreciate his life on Earth; "The First Shlemiel" which is a slapstick series of events gone wrong with culminating hilarity and forgiveness; and then the cover story, Zlateh the Goat, in which a goat saves a boy's life in a winter's storm. There is also "The Snow in Chelm," an introductory story to the town in literature that is famous for its wise fools, though exploration of this may be better served in Singer's wider collection, Stories for Children. To introduce children to Singer's work is to introduce children to truly graceful narrative and a gentle view of humanity.

Less gentle but just as important: "In 1945 the war ended. the Germans surrendered and the ghetto was liberated. Out of over a quarter of a million people, about 800 walked out of the ghetto. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. I was one of those twelve." The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel and Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy. If the only books that represent Jewish people in your collection take place during the Holocaust, that would be as much of a mistake as only representing African Americans in the context of slavery. That said, it is an important chapter in history shared by all humankind, and there are some remarkable children's books set against this backdrop. Two of the finest are, inexcusably, out of print, one of them being Yellow Star was written by the niece of one of these twelve, composing the unthinkable story into an accessible verse memoir that does the honest and tricky work of presenting what really happened to the Jewish people during World War II while still being readable and appropriate with guidance for middle-grade readers. A masterful introduction, and in tandem with The Devil in Vienna, they do highly effectual work in teaching students about the human experience in this most inhumane context. The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel, a brilliant translator and author whose own family escaped Vienna during the war. She does such a resonating job of depicting the painful cleaving of a friendship between Jewish Inge and Leiselotte, daughter of a Jewish S.S. officer. It is easy for children today to imagine the strain between the two friends, and the ultimate loss.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Hershel has agreed to spend eight nights in the synagogue and rid the town of Ostropol from the goblins plaguing their Hanukkah celebrations. Part ghost story, part holiday story, and decorated with both hilarious and beautiful illustrations by the inimitable Caldecott-winning Trina Schart Hyman, this is the favorite, favorite, favorite annual classic read-aloud for my second grade; I show the children menorahs, dreidels and chocolate gelt to allow children who are not Jewish to understand the objects referenced, and then we all play dreidel, dance the hora and draw pictures of our own goblins. This is what I mean when I say story belongs to everybody. More mystical Jewish fun may also be found in reprint of the classic The Rabbi and the Twenty-Nine Witches by Marilyn Hirsh, one of my own childhood favorites. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Andre Carillho, is the story of the great New York Dodgers pitcher so dedicated to his faith that he would not come to the mound during the 1965 World Series on the highest Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, even in the face of great discrimination. Biographies are a great place to start with sharing Jewish history and identity, and they can be read aloud across the grade levels. Besides, there are so many good ones: I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley; Emma's Poem by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Claire A. Nivola, the wonderful story of Emma Lazarus and how she came to compose the words on the base of the Statue of Liberty, "The New Colossus," which famously begins, "Give me your titred, your poor, your huddled masses/yearning to breathe free..." Every young citizen deserves to know this story and that a Jewish woman is behind this national invitation. It is a great story to begin a school year with, but also perfect for integration into units about immigration which also often happen around Thanksgiving, an occasion to read another Jewish classic, Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen, though I usually elect instead to share the Oscar-winning video adaptation of the book, a little pricey but worth it and along the lines of Eleanor Estes' masterpiece The Hundred Dresses as far as fodder for discussion of bigotry and empathy. Here is the trailer: Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Sholom's Treasure: How Sholom Aleichem Became a Writer by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein; Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall's Life and Art by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpré; Write on, Irving Berlin!: How An Immigrant Boy Made America Sing by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by David C. Gardener, to name a very few, many more cited on the lists referenced above and out there in the world, including one of my very favorites:

Finally, Bagels from Benny by Aubrey Davis, illustrated by Dusan Petricic, which I share with children just because it is a book I happen to love. In an effort to show gratitude to his God, Benny hides bagels in the Holy Ark of the temple. The bagels disappear, and Benny's grandfather is outraged at the sacrilege. But where are the bagels actually going? This tear-jerker is about the connection between people's idea of God and the more earthly ideas of gratitude and service, the idea of tikkun olam, acts of kindness performed that honor and are in keeping with one's faith; like the Golden Rule, a concept embraced by caring people of all religions and all non-religions, and certainly by children.

By sharing these kind of stories, children will learn important words like "synagogue," "rabbi," " To suggest "well, we also didn't include people who are heavy" when talking about limiting our conversations about diversity is unfortunately an utterly nonsensical answer; think of it being offered to any other racial or ethnic group. It is logically flawed. An old person used to be young, and a heavy or thin person might change their weight, but regardless of religious practice, Jewish heritage is part of an unchangeable identity. As sure as African American, Native American, Latinx or Asian people have unhappy stories of American aggression and "otherness," so do Jewish people. And in conversations about diversity in children's literature and allowing children to see themselves reflected in the literature they read, to exclude Jewish children's literature, , is irresponsible at best and a form of ethnic erasure at worst. It is especially ugly juxtaposed with the publishing world's flood of salable, sometimes platitude-filled pablum about empathy. Kindness is as kindness does, and the word is a living thing. Read and develop collections with mazel tov," " mitzvah," "S particularly at this juncture of revisited history g'milut chasadim, or loving kindness, in deed as well as in mind. My wish for the Jewish New Year. habbos,"even latke and dreidel, vocabulary that I do not believe will invite conversion any more than reading a book about a child in a hijab will make someone a Muslim or seeing an illustration of a Christmas tree will make someone a Christian, but it will in fact allow children to navigate in a friendly, knowledgeable, tolerant and compassionate manner amongst people of a particular group who may be different in some way from themselves. I would think that would be a general objective for the education of all children.

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It has unfortunately recently come to my attention during the course of a six hour workshop about diversity in children's literature by a high-profile and impactful sponsor, no books representing Jewish people were included.

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Coretta Scott King Awards - written by, illustrated by and about African Americans!

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Coretta Scott King Awards - written by, illustrated by and about African Americans!

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Hi, kids! You're welcome to read (book recommendations if you scroll down), but this post is mostly for your parents.

What is the criteria for supporting your child's development as an anti-racist through children's literature? Especially now that you as parents have such an active role in the remote/crisis learning process, here are some things you can consider:

Discussion is very important. Ask questions. What do you think the author was trying to share by creating this book for us? How did the book make you feel? What would you have done in that situation? Was that fair? From whose point of view is the story told? Why do you think the author made that choice? What questions do you have about what we read in this book? Asking questions that have more than one possible right answer often inspires more critical thinking. It's also okay to stop and connect what you're reading with your real life experiences and invite children to do the same. It's okay not to have all the answers and wonder along with your child.

Older kids can read and enjoy picture books. Visual cues are powerful and positive images matter. It's okay if there is less text sometimes. At our school, we don't have baby books. We have illustrated books. We learn from art.

Don't be afraid to read aloud to your child, even if your child is older. There are lots of good academic reasons to do this, but emotionally, it is also a very comforting act right now. Plus, it sets the stage for those important discussions.

Look for books that emphasize action and demonstration. Developmentally and appropriately, children instinctively want to take action against injustice. Action is possible and constructive. Select books that model this.

Be wary of didactic writing and propaganda. While our times are sure to inspire powerful art, publishing is still a business, and there will be a rush and a glut of thematic books of varying quality on the theme of anti-racism, selling books on recognizable situations that may be satisfying in how affirming they are, but not necessarily high quality or well developed in terms of writing and illustration. Children deserve the best, most thoughtful literature. Be mindful of books for children full of short sentences that read like commands or statements but lack story lines, character development or, in the case of non-fiction, cited research or primary sources.

History is still relevant. The saying goes, "those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." We repeat and repeat. Black history is American history. The responsibility for deep learning and appreciation of this history belongs to all of us as American citizens, and will afford us new avenues for recognition, communication, compassion, amends, growth and change. Seek out this history and witness through children's literature.

Read books featuring characters outside your own race or ethnicity to build empathy and a moral imagination...and also so you don't miss out on great stories. Normalize seeing and reading about people outside of your own racial or ethnic group because it is and should be normal.

We are fortunate to be one of the most diverse schools in the city. While our school represents many groups and individuals who have received the brunt of systematic racism, hate and ignorance, we are taking this time necessarily to focus on African-American interests in memory of George Floyd and all that his untimely death represents.

Here are a few titles and lists to get you started. Links to free ebooks when possible, and when not possible, please check them out at our Chicago Public Library when they reopen soon.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. This wonderful story of a family ultimately caught in the crosshairs of history is full of humor, humanity and characters you will never forget. This is the first year in over a decade that I have not read it out loud to middle schoolers, I hope they will still find their way to this marvelous novel! All of Christopher Paul Curtis' books are recommended, I suggest an author binge!

Parts of the book were inspired by the poem The Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall, which you can hear put to music here. You will cry, but the poem's dramatic irony and important message are so important for discussion. Can conflict be avoided where racism and injustice exist?

A great non-fiction compliment to this book is We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson, a remembrance of 4,000 school children who marched, and many were jailed, to desegregate schools in one of the most violently racist cities in America. Every bit as compelling and heart-rending as fiction, but every bit true.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman. I love this book because it looks like Stone Academy! Follow primary children through their day at an ethnically and racially diverse school. The word "welcome" is a meaningful one. How do we make everyone really feel welcome?

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch. Grace wants the part of Peter Pan in her school play. She doesn't look like the traditional Peter Pan. Can she land the part? This beautifully illustrated book also has a healthy dose of girl power!

Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Aiko, offers free verse and fodder for discussion.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. This is a very popular and page-turning book in our school library collection. Told from the point of view of a twelve-year-old killed by a police offer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one, he meets the ghost of another young man, Emmett Till, and the daughter of the police officer who shot him. Complex and compelling, this is a thoughtful exploration of historical racism and how it impacts us today.

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko and Sean Qualls. Many students are surprised to learn that before 1967, couples from different races could not legally marry. This nonfiction picture book gives the history of the romance...and the fight...that made this civil right possible for interracial couples.

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. In her own words and with lots of photographs, the six-year-old girl who in 1960 desegregated her school in New Orleans through screaming, angry mobs, under National Guard protection and with one committed teacher, tells her story. What an amazing book and a must-read about a true American hero and her family's spiritual strength and resiliency. After you read it, you may want to watch the movie. This is such an important story. When we sit together at our school, all of us, when we look around and see we are all here, we owe a debt of gratitude to Ruby Bridges.

Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman. This is one of our most popular and well-received historical fiction books in the library, based on the author's own childhood experience in the 1960's as a daughter of an FBI agent relocated from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi, to help African American voters. When a mandatory integration law brings Valerie to an all-white classroom, will anyone stand up to the torments of the "cheerleader" clique before tragedy ensues? An important book about crowd-thinking, bravery and the power of one.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia has won pretty much every award under the hot summer sun! The story of daughters who go to meet their mother who has moved to Oakland and is active in the Black Panther Movement. Another excellent summer reading choice is The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon, about a big, braggadocious kid who comes to town and provides an interesting influence on the boys, testing their loyalties. Fans of Kenny and Byron in The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 will enjoy this book.

In A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, Shayla is a rule-follower extraordinaire. But after being stirred to action by a Black Lives Matter demonstration, she becomes more involved in the movement and finds herself taking more risks. Why not, it's middle school, time to be a little more daring and reinvent herself! But when pushed to take sides, will Shayla be able to choose right from wrong, even if the rules suggest wrong is right? What causes are worth breaking the rules? Taking a stand and learning where you stand when the stakes are high is the kind of trouble that builds character and makes for some great realistic fiction and great discussion. This is the author's first novel and we hope to see more!

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Katherine Krull, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, is about a Mexican-American figure in history, but if you know Martin Luther King's name, you should know his, too...Chavez inspired MLK! Chavez led a 300-mile march to Sacramento, California to fight for the rights of farm workers who were being badly abused, and won many changes through his demonstration. An inspiring true story, well written and with beautiful illustrations. The marches and demonstrations we see today were grandfathered by people like Chavez.

Another important name to know and a contemporary of Martin Luther King with a different approach to correcting injustice is Malcolm X, whose beginnings and the influence of his family can be introduced to children in Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Be Malcolm X by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, illustrated by AJ Ford. This is a historical figure whose name and influence will no doubt be invoked in the coming weeks and it is important that children become acquainted.

Teammates by Peter Golenbock, illustrated by Paul Bacon. A true story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player on a Major League baseball team, and how his friend Pee-Wee Reese had his back. A beautiful testament to Robinson's grace and the power of the upstanding in times of trouble. Fans of this book (and of sports) may also enjoy Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dem Lee, about the little league baseball team formed in the Japanese internment camps after World War II. This book shows that while racism rears its ugly head against many groups, endurance and dignity can prevail in greater measure.

Middle grade sports fans and book lovers will be charged up over the work of Kwame Alexander, especially the basketball and family themed novel in verse, The Crossover, the story of two brothers drifting apart. Spotlighting characters that are not stereotypical yet facing the challenges of life black young men in America, this is the first book in a series and has also been made into a graphic novel.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. That big gold Newbery medal doesn't lie; if I may share an opinion, this is one of the best children's novels and read-alouds ever written. Exciting, heartbreaking, original, this is the story of a legendary, runaway, homeless white kid who finds a home with a black family in a racially divided town. Ooooh, the discussions you will have.

Leon's Story by Leon Walter Tillage. First person memoir of a school custodian who also happens to be a witness to history in a sharecropping family with run-ins with the white supremacists. One of the most resonating and contextual books about Civil Rights I have ever read, and offering an avenue of deserved reverence for courageous people across socioeconomic strata. Along those lines, another interesting book is the novel How I Found the Strong by Margaret McMullan, which explores the motivations of a white family of soldiers during the Civil War and gives us the chance to consider the ways class can connect or disconnect us as much as race.

The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel. Just as not the only books about African Americans shared with children should be about slavery, not all books about Jewish people should be about the Holocaust. However, this book is timely and relevant, exploring the friendship...and the end of a friendship... between a Jewish girl and her best friend whose father is a Nazi. How do political attitudes affect our personal relationships? This is an important anti-racist conversation.

Midnight Without Moon by Linda Williams Jackson, about a girl in 1955 eager to move North, but changes her tune after the trial for Emmett Till, a black young man killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Maybe the South needs her and the changes she can help to bring. But what will those changes be? This is a great choice for a book club with friends, this powerful page-turner has so much to discuss. The author has been called a modern Mildred Taylor, who penned Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, a Newbery-winning classic that I also recommend if/when you enjoy this book, along with Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper and picture book Bessie Smith and the Night Riders by Sue Stauffacher.

The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom by Emily Arnold McCully. Wow, wow, wow. This picture book nonfiction, albeit hard to find, is one of the best books I have read to exemplify how history gets whitewashed. Martha Washington, our first First Lady, does approximately everything humanly possible to to keep, track down and torment the woman who was enslaved by her family. This is a rare book and can be hard to find, but an important one for discussion about entitlement and the capacity for evil when accepted by the culture at large. Good read in combination with the harrowing true story picture book Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by the great Kadir Nelson.

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. This author is one of the bravest nonfiction authors out there, taking on the hardest topics with the most meticulous research and primary source material. This book is no exception. Definitely an upper grade read, this book explores and uses photos to show the history of this hate group. It is important to know where it comes from so we might be armed with more knowledge to stop it.

Also for older students, The Hate U Give by former teen rapper Angie Thomas has been one of our most popular YA books in the school library this past year, about a police shooting of her unarmed best friend and the girl who comes forward about it and lives in the aftermath. Contemporary and relevant. Eerily relevant. So many middle grade students have already read it; the follow-up novel, On the Come Up, is also out. Both are excellent for discussions about labels and speaking truth to power.

Anything written by Jason Reynolds is worthy of your time, but Stamped, a young adult "remix" of National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning: Racism, Antiracism and You, is the book of the hour. From the description:

"This is NOT a history book. This is a book about the here and now. A book to help us better understand why we are where we are. A book about race.
The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winningStamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited."

I still have a special place in my heart for For Every One by Jason Reynolds, written as a poem- performance for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and later read as a tribute to the late and very great African American author and way-maker, Walter Dean Myers. Reynolds also encourages young writers to tell their own stories in Brave the Page. Even in these difficult times, with the help of great books, to paraphrase Maya Angelou, we are inspired to know better, do better, be better.

This list, of course, is limited, and you will discover many more important titles, authors and ideas here:
31 Children's Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism and Resistance here
37 Children's Books to Help Talk About Racism and Discrimination here
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race here
Anti Racism 101: Starting to Talk to Kids About Race here
New York Times list of Books that Tackle Race and Ethnicity here
Talking About Race Portal from the National Museum of African American History and Culture here
The Coretta Scott King Award lists here
CPS ebooks about race relations here
You Don't Have to Be Jewish here

And! If you see this sticker on a book, that is the Coretta Scott King Award, given by a roundtable of the American Library Association to African American authors that "demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal values." In other words, it's a distinguished book about African Americans either written or illustrated by an African American.

Thank you for your partnership in and commitment to your child's education, hard-working parents! Please feel free to share your own recommendations, experiences and relevant links in the comments section.

Stay safe, brave and compassionate, Stone Bookworms!

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Hi, kids! You're welcome to read (book recommendations if you scroll down), but this post is mostly for your parents. What is the criteria for supporting your child's development as an anti-racist through children's literature? Especially now that you as parents have such an active role in the remote/crisis learning process, here are some things you can consider: Discussion is very important.

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https://www.amazon.com/s?k=yara%27s+spring&i=stripbooks&crid=JRPX3SNE3O2K&sprefix=yara%27s+%2Cstripbooks%2C452&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_7

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https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Place-Land-Janae-Marks/dp/0062875876/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2V1QLIR4DLI39&keywords=a+soft+place+to+land&qid=1650641964&sprefix=a+soft+place+to+land%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1

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https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mango+shaped+space&crid=373JQQ5GSJYFN&sprefix=mango+shaped+space%2Caps%2C106&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

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IVY ABERDEEN'S LETTER TO THE WORLD by Ashley Herring Blake

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IVY ABERDEEN'S LETTER TO THE WORLD by Ashley Herring Blake

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https://www.amazon.com/Aberdeens-Letter-World-Ashley-Herring/dp/0316515477/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2B1A6O7G0OLIC&keywords=ivy+aberdeen%27s+letter+to+the+world&qid=1650638602&sprefix=Ivy+A%2Caps%2C410&sr=8-1

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In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity, perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish . Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World exquisitely enriches the rare category of female middle-grade characters who like girls--and children's literature at large.

When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm--and what's worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.

Mysteriously, Ivy's drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?

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Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World [Blake, Ashley Herring] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

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https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-previously-published-as-GEORGE-ebook/dp/B00SZIBREW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=alex+gino&qid=1650638343&sr=8-1

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ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP by Annette Bay Pimentel 

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ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP by Annette Bay Pimentel 

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https://www.amazon.com/All-Way-Top-Disabilities-Everything/dp/1492688975/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XKKY0WVJLWLC&keywords=all+the+way+to+the+top&qid=1650637905&sprefix=all+the+way+%2Caps%2C1742&sr=8-1

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MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY by Gail D. Villanueva

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MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY by Gail D. Villanueva

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https://www.amazon.com/Fate-According-Butterfly-Gail-Villanueva/dp/1338310518/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3J6HO3KO4GC4&keywords=my+fate+according+to+the+butterfly&qid=1650637563&sprefix=my+fate+according+to+the+butterf%2Caps%2C658&sr=8-1

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EVERY MONTH IS A NEW YEAR by Marilyn Singer

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EVERY MONTH IS A NEW YEAR by Marilyn Singer

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https://www.amazon.com/Every-Month-New-Year-Celebrations/dp/1620141620/ref=sr_1_1?crid=230B9PJXK4XFH&keywords=every+month+is+a+new+year&qid=1650637273&sprefix=every+month+a+new+%2Caps%2C577&sr=8-1

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I CAN MAKE THIS PROMISE by Christina Day

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Turning the reassuring line for children into a meme for adults should make everyone uncomfortable.

After the senseless calamity of a mass shooting, people seek comforts-even small ones-in the face of horror. One of those small comforts has come to be Fred Rogers's famous advice to look for the helpers. "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news," Rogers said to his television neighbors, "my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

Lately, whenever something goes horribly wrong, someone offers up Rogers's phrase or a video in which he shares it as succor: during the Thai cave rescue, in response to the U.S. family-separation policy, after a school-bus accident in New Jersey, following a fatal explosion in Wisconsin, in the aftermath of a van attack in Toronto, in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas school massacre, and more.

And so it was no surprise when "Look for the helpers" reared its head again after a gunman killed 11 people and wounded six others in a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday. Not just because the shooting marked another tragedy in America, but also because Rogers, who died in 2003, was a longtime resident of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where the synagogue is located. It's as if all the other crimes and accidents in which Fred Rogers has been invoked were rehearsing for this one. " A Massacre in the Heart of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," reads the headline of Bari Weiss's New York Times column on the slaughter.

Once a television comfort for preschoolers, "Look for the helpers" has become a consolation meme for tragedy. That's disturbing enough; it feels as though we are one step shy of a rack of drug-store mass-murder sympathy cards. Worse, Fred Rogers's original message has been contorted and inflated into something it was never meant to be, for an audience it was never meant to serve, in a political era very different from where it began. Fred Rogers is a national treasure, but it's time to stop offering this particular advice.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood aired from 1968 to 2001, and it continues to run in syndication and on streaming services today. It was intended for preschoolers, which means that anyone who had kids under age 5 and owned a television, and anyone who was a child of that age since then, probably became neighbors with Mr. Rogers. That covers just about the entire U.S. population, which explains why the man and his show are so recognizable. The program's ubiquity also speaks to the applicability of the "Look for the helpers" idea-it's easy to quote or cite on-air or online, and it binds people of many generations and walks of life in tender recognition.

But it was never meant to do that much work. Rogers was an expert at translating the complex adult world in terms kids could understand: a grown-up emissary to a children's nation. "Look for the helpers" was advice for preschoolers. But somehow, when it got transformed into a meme, the sentiment was adopted by adults as if they were 3-year-olds.

It's a powerful notion for kids, especially very young ones. Fred Rogers Productions maintains a r esource for parents on talking to children about tragic events that explains why. Children are small and fragile. They rely on adults for almost everything, from daily care to emergency rescue. "Look for the helpers" is a tactic that diverts a child's distress toward safety.

Even for preschoolers, it was never meant to be used alone. On the part of the Fred Rogers website about tragic events, "focusing on the helpers" appears among an eight-bullet list of tips. It also advises parents to turn off the television, maintain regular routines, and offer physical affection. Not only was this advice meant for children; it was intended as part of a holistic approach to managing a small child's worry during a crisis.
Read: The quietly radical Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Seen in this context, to extract and deploy "Look for the helpers" as sufficient relief for adults is perverse, if telling. Grown-ups sometimes feel as helpless as children, and on the internet, where this meme mostly proliferates, distressed social-media posts, futile emoji, and forlorn crowdfunding campaigns have taken the place of social and political action. Which isn't to say that that sort of action is easy to carry out anymore. For a populace grappling with voter suppression, wealth inequality, and the threat of a police state, among other perils, it's not always clear how citizens can effect change in their communities and their nation. Ironically, when adults cite "Look for the helpers," they are saying something tragic, not hopeful: Grown-ups now feel so disenfranchised that they implicitly self-identify as young children.

Among critics of "Look for the helpers" as a meme, a common objection is that just looking for the helpers is insufficient, at least for adults. Instead, you're supposed to strive to "be a helper," a variation on the original that's almost become its own meme.

But that assumes anyone knows who counts as a "helper" anymore.

Rogers attributed the line to his mother, who probably gave him the advice during the 1930s. Things were difficult then, but tragedy came in a different form. Illness and death, natural disaster, economic despair, and, soon enough, global war. In all these cases, there remains some clear line between a threat and its relief.

Those matters would complicate themselves in the 1960s and beyond, when Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood entered its heyday. The show addressed current events, in its own way, from violence to segregation to war. But even in the 1980s, when the Cold War still raged, threats like tornadoes still preoccupied "Look for the helpers" wisdom.

Fred Rogers diligently refined the language he used on his show, transforming simple but ambiguous ideas into polished, sophisticated ones that take children's lives into account. It is dangerous to play in the street would become Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them, and listening is an important part of growing. In that example, your favorite grown-ups accounts for all sorts of circumstances, from guardians who are not parents to authorities the child trusts for established reasons. It's a genius phrase, and classic Fred Rogers fare.

"Helpers" is a similar one. It covers official authorities like police and firefighters, but also laypeople like bystanders and Good Samaritans.

Even so, it seems that Rogers meant the term to refer mostly to trained service professionals in a position of authority. In a 1986 newspaper column about the helpers concept, Rogers was still leaning on natural disasters as the paradigm for terror, and on childhood memories of newspapers, radios, and newsreels that fomented fear. In a 1999 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Rogers clarified the idea more, talking about the people "just on the sidelines" of a tragedy. His hope was that media might show actors like "rescue teams, medical people, anybody who is coming in to a place where there's a tragedy."

This wisdom should have felt a little romantic in its aspirations, even in the 1980s and '90s. Who "helps" avert global nuclear catastrophe, or climate change, for example? But today, the idea of helpers on the sidelines of horrific disasters isn't just quaint. It's dangerous.

After the Pittsburgh attack, President Donald Trump told reporters that the Tree of Life synagogue should have "had protection in mind," by which he probably meant armed guards, or "good guys with guns." Never mind the fact that the shooter had wounded four police officers during the standoff, thanks in part to the semiautomatic rifle with which he was reportedly armed. Those who advocate for guns everywhere see gunmen as the "helpers." Those who do not construe the people who would limit access to them, or who would curtail domestic terrorism and white supremacy, as the "helpers" instead. The conflict over who gets to count as a helper is a complex amalgam of political and social conditions. But unfortunately, adapting Fred Rogers's concept for the universe of kids to the world of adults allows any speaker's favorite notion of "help" to fill in the blank.

The suspect himself, a man named Robert D. Bowers, appears to have construed his own actions as heroic rather than villainous. Bowers reportedly shouted "All Jews must die" before opening fire at Tree of Life. He advanced conspiracy theories about a Jewish incursion of government and society, including the false idea that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a humanitarian nonprofit, was funded by George Soros to import immigrants for violence. On Fox News, Lou Dobbs gave prominent airtime to an advocate of this view the same day as the synagogue massacre. And Trump has spread similar fears about criminal incursions by immigrants, not to mention other angry falsehoods. Bowers, Trump, Dobbs, and others all consider themselves "the helpers." For those who want to look for them-or to be them-in a time of crisis, ideas of help and harmful actions are dangerously conflated.

Fred Rogers has a saintlike legacy for good reason. He touched people of all backgrounds and faiths. He modeled goodness and character. But his was never a gospel for grown-ups. It was designed for children, and entrusted to adults to carry out with kids' interests in mind. (His attempt at a show for adults failed.)

We must stop fetishizing Rogers's advice to "look for the helpers" as if it had ever been meant for us, the people in charge-even in moments when so many of us feel powerless. As an adult, it feels good to remember how Mr. Rogers made you feel good as a child. But celebrating that feeling as adults takes away the wrong lesson. A selfish one. We were entrusted with these insights to make children's lives better, not to comfort ourselves for having failed to fashion the adult world in which they must live.

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wake of the stoneman douglas school massacre

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longtime resident of the squirrel hill neighborhood

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quietly radical mister rogers’ neighborhoodseen

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The Fetishization of Mr. Rogers's 'Look for the Helpers'

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Turning the reassuring line for children into a meme for adults should make everyone uncomfortable.

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https://www.amazon.com/Anything-But-Ordinary-Addie-Adelaide/dp/0763668419

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Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

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Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

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Award Winning Graphic Novels for Children - Arapahoe Libraries

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Award Winning Graphic Novels for Children by ArapahoeLauraRose - a staff-created list : Quality graphic novels for children! (And the young-at-heart.) This list includes graphic novels which have won the following awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books, Asian/Pacific Americans Award for Children’s Lit…

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KATIE THE CATSITTER by Colleen AF Venable

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