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1. Coronavirus was raging in the United States.
2. Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and reforms were happening widespread throughout the nation.
3. Gun violence occurred across the nation.
4. The nation entered into a coin shortage.
5. Students and teachers prepared to go back to school in a virtual format.

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What themes are prevalent in the NYT Bestsellers list for this week?

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What themes are prevalent in the NYT Bestsellers list for this week?

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Of the ten books on the Best Sellers list this week, seven of the books feature black protagonists and honor black culture (Sulwe, Something Happened in Our Town, Hair Love, The Day You Begin, Last Stop on Market Street, All Are Welcome, and I am Enough). Five  books are about diversity and acceptance of oneself and all cultures and races (All Are Welcome, The World needs More Purple People, I Am Enough,  Hair Love, and Sulwe). Three books cover themes of anxiousness and courage to try new things (The Day You Begin, The Wonderful Things You Will Be, and Waiting is Not Easy). One discusses a police shooting (Something Happened in Our Town).

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How long did each book stay on the list (and why)?

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How long did each book stay on the list (and why)?

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1. The Wonderful Things You Will Be - 242 weeks (This book has themes that apply over and over, encouraging success of kids.)
2. Something Happened in Our Town
-New to the List (This book hit the charts when race riots were at a high)
3. Hair Love
-14 weeks on the list (This book deals with acceptance of oneself and celebrates black culture during the time when it was a large topic of conversation.)
4. Sulwe
-13 weeks (This book also deals with acceptance of oneself and celebrates black culture during the time when it was a large topic of conversation.)
5. The Day You Begin
-18 weeks (This book helped young children navigate unknown situations during the pandemic)
6. All Are Welcome
-17 weeks (In a society with a need for the celebration of diversity, this book successfully taught acceptance)
7. Last Stop on Market Street
-25 weeks (This book discussed heritage and culture during a time where Black culture needed to be celebrated)
8. I Am Enough
-13 weeks (This book also deals with acceptance of oneself and celebrates black culture during the time when it was a large topic of conversation.)
9. The World Needs More Purple People
-6 weeks (In a society with a need for the celebration of diversity, this book successfully taught acceptance)
10. Waiting Is Not Easy!
-79 weeks (A children's favorite already, this book helped calmed the nerves of many children who braced themselves to navigate new situations in the coming year).

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Theme Discussion: Police Violence and Shootings

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Theme Discussion: Police Violence and Shootings

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During a time where parents struggled to make sense of the events happening around the country, many turned to children's books to explain the world to young children. Books such as Something Happened in our Town helped explain and carefully navigate complicated issues such as racial injustice and violence, set in a format that children could understand and engage with.

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Theme Discussion: Celebrating Black Culture

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Theme Discussion: Celebrating Black Culture

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With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in July 2020, many members of American society recognized a need to celebrate and appreciate Black culture in America. Parents turned to children's literature to identify the beauty of Black culture with books such as Sulwe and Hair Love. These stories embrace the nuances of this culture, and present it in a way that develops perspective for people of other races and helps black children feel represented.

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Theme Discussion: Anxiousness and Starting Anew

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Theme Discussion: Anxiousness and Starting Anew

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Many young children (and adults) were experiencing nervousness and anxiety about going back to school in a virtual format in order to maintain safety from COVID-19. Young students were struggling to cope with these emotions, which explains why books such as Waiting is Not Easy, The Day You Begin, and The Wonderful Things You Will Be are on this list. Many turned to literature to calm their nerves, and parents sought to explain a complex situation to their young children using stories as a guide.

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Which current events did not show up on the list?

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Which current events did not show up on the list?

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Many events that happened in July made an impact on the books in this list, however, two major events did not seem to make a direct impact: COVID-19 and the coin shortage. While it is arguable that emotions about COVID-19 were addressed in books that taught students how to deal with anxiousness (Waiting is Not Easy), there were no direct titles that represented a correlation to the pandemic. This could be because families were simply tired of reading about it, or perhaps it frightened children to read about it. The coin shortage most likely did not appear in the themes of the best seller books because it was not something children needed to know was happening at the time.

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Theme Discussion: Diversity and Acceptance

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Theme Discussion: Diversity and Acceptance

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On a positive note, awareness of the need for diversity and acceptance of all cultures thrived in July of 2020 with discussions on antiracism at an all time high. Books like All Are Welcome, The World Needs More Purple People, and I Am Enough helped share ideas of diversity and acceptance.