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An article about the benefits fo Wordless Picture Books.

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An article about the benefits fo Wordless Picture Books.

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Also discusses how to incorporate in lesson plans for students of all ages.

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Traditionally, wordless picture books have been defined by what they do not contain: words. They have also been defined by an assumed readership of young readers who can't yet read words. This potential bias toward the essential nature of the wordless picture book - which I also call a visually rendered narrative - needs to be rethought in order to consider the potential of this type of book in today's classrooms. In this column, I would like to challenge both of these traditional ways of looking at wordless picture books and offer a few approaches for integrating wordless picture books into a wider range of classrooms: preschool through middle school.

Literary considerations

To begin, wordless picture books often do contain some words. For example, most wordless picture books contain a title, the author-illustrator's name, and other peritextual elements like copyright information, author blurbs, and book jacket teasers usually created by the publisher. The textual elements included with these picture books serve to identify the work, designate the topic or focus of the book, and allow readers and librarians to shelve and retrieve the books. In addition, other words are often contained in the illustrations as signs, labels, or parts of the décor, for example; these are defined as intra-iconic text (Beckett, 2014).

In their classic taxonomy, Richey and Puckett (1992) divided wordless picture books into two main types, wordless and almost-wordless picture books, and delineated several sub-categories for each type. They asserted that many wordless picture books contain dialogue, labels, onomatopoeia, text used as a framing device at the beginning and end of the book, symbols, and of course, titles. So, we have to admit that wordless picture books aren't entirely wordless!

Wordless picture books may be better defined by what they do contain - visually rendered narratives - rather than what they do not contain. In some wordless picture books, the visual narrative is rendered through a sequence of images that contains features typically associated with graphic novels, such as gutters and panels (Low, 2012). Flotsam (Wiesner, 2006) and The Snowman (Briggs, 2002) are two examples of this type of wordless picture book. Other visual narratives are rendered through full-page illustrations. For example, the wordless picture book Chalk (Thomson, 2010) features some of the most detailed, full-bleed sequence of illustrations found in any picture book. The colorful illustrations of the playground setting and the dinosaur that comes to life in the story are simply breathtaking. In this type of picture book, the turning of the page, rather than individual panels, orders and reveals the narrative sequence of images.

Second, all readers can enjoy wordless picture books and should be exposed to them whether or not they can read words proficiently. Being able to make sense of the world begins with making sense of visual information. It goes without saying that young children can read pictures long before they can read words. However, making sense of some of the more complex wordless picture books available today requires being able to understand the conventions of these books, including the sequential rendering of visual information, the drama of the turning page, and ways to navigate panels, gutters, and other design features. The sparse written text that may be included is there to support the visual images, anchor the narrative sequence, and call attention to various aspects of the visual narrative. In wordless picture books, the written text is subservient to the visually rendered narrative. As wordless picture books grow more complex, older readers will find challenges and enjoyment in these texts, which are too often relegated to younger readers.

Pedagogical possibilities

Knudsen-Lindauer (1988) suggested that wordless picture books offer numerous pedagogical benefits for emerging readers, including the development of pre-reading skills, sequential thinking, a sense of story, visual discrimination, and inferential thinking. In addition, Arizpe (2014) outlined the demands that wordless picture books place on readers. In order to make meaning in transaction with these visual narratives, Arizpe suggested five things that readers of wordless picture books must learn to do:

Give voice to the visual narrative by participating in the story sequence

Interpret characters' thoughts, feelings, and emotions without textual support for confirming these ideas

Tolerate ambiguity and accept that not everything may be answered or understood

Recognize that there are a range of reading paths to explore through the visual narrative

Elaborate on hypotheses about what is happening in the narrative sequence

Providing time for readers to immerse themselves in a variety of wordless picture books allows them to enjoy the elaborate illustrations, explore the narrative possibilities these books offer, become comfortable with the absence of written text, and develop understandings of how these books work. Wordless picture books can be used to support readers' understandings of narrative conventions as they progress toward more sophisticated graphic novels and multimodal texts.

In a recent study, I worked with a high school teacher using Flotsam (Wiesner, 2006) and The Arrival (Tan, 2006) to introduce her readers to the conventions and designs of visual narratives in wordless picture books that are also found in graphic novels. The wordless picture books used in her classroom offered her older readers a relatively risk-free opportunity to share and discuss the visual and narrative conventions that would support their reading of other multimodal texts.

In addition to understanding the visual and narrative conventions of wordless picture books, readers need to be able to interpret what is happening in individual images and illustrations. Facial expressions, gestures, settings, events, actions, and motives all have to be inferred from the sequence of images, since no text is available to anchor the meaning potential of the visual narrative. By discussing a variety of narrative and visual features, we bring forth readers' implicit understandings of visual images and narrative sequences and make them explicit so we can examine how they serve the narrative and influence interpretations. As reading teachers, we need to call students' attention to how these books work in addition to what they might mean.

Wordless picture books by Barbara Lehman - for example, The Red Book (2004), Rainstorm (2007), and The Secret Box (2011) - are wonderful visual narratives that keep readers exploring the details of the illustrations over the course of numerous readings. Recent award-winning wordless picture books like The Lion and the Mouse (Pinkney, 2009), and Flora and the Flamingo (Idle, 2013) offer the reader opportunities to explore beautifully illustrated picture books and focus children's attention on the rendering of the visual narrative.

Wordless picture books are not simply for beginning readers, however. Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad (Cole, 2012), The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo (Feelings, 1995), and Mirror (Baker, 2010) are sophisticated visual narratives that evoke discussions concerning the types of social issues usually reserved for older readers. As picture books cross over into young adult themes and topics, they become even more important for sharing and discussing with older readers.

Concluding Remarks

From classic wordless picture books like Anno's Italy (Anno, 1978) and The Snowman (Briggs, 2002) to more recent publications like Wave (Lee, 2008), Journey (Becker, 2013), A Ball for Daisy (Raschka, 2011), and Sidewalk Circus (Fleischman, 2007), the quality of the wordless picture book continues to improve and evolve. The open-endedness and rich visual experiences that are offered in these texts require readers to slow down and pay close attention to the details of the illustrations and the rendering of the visual narrative. As readers are invited to shift from the temporal logic of the written text to the spatial logic of the visual image, we need to find ways to support their meaning-making processes with visually rendered narratives in addition to written language (Kress, 2010).

Imagination is an important part of the process of reading visual narratives. Readers are being asked to actively participate in the construction of the narrative and cannot rely simply on the literal decoding of written text. The open-endedness or ambiguity that is inherent in wordless picture books allows readers to construct diverse interpretations and return again and again to reconsider their initial impressions. Teaching readers to dwell in complex illustrations and to wander through the sequence of images in wordless picture books, exploring the possibilities they offer, is an important part of becoming visually literate (Serafini, 2010, 2012).

In today's world, being able to make sense of visual images is an essential skill both in and out of school. Too often, being literate focuses on reading written text and not in making sense of the world across modalities, in part because of the logocentric or text-focused nature of schools and society (Bosch, 2014). Teachers need to develop their own capacities for talking about visual images and narratives in order to support the development of these capacities in their readers (Serafini, 2014). Wordless picture books may be the best platform for introducing many narrative conventions, reading processes, and visual strategies to readers of all ages.

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Wordless picture books may be better defined by what they do contain - visually rendered narratives - rather than what they do not contain. This article challenges traditional ways of looking at wordless picturebooks and offers a few approaches for integrating wordless picturebooks into a wider range of classrooms, preschool through middle school.

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Article about the purpose and power of picture books.

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Article about the purpose and power of picture books.

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by Allyn Johnston and Marla Frazee

Maybe now, while we're all running around wringing our hands and wondering if picture books are dead, it's time to declare our love for them.

What is a picture book, anyway? In the most basic, classic, and very best sense, you could say it's a story for young children told in both words and pictures that unfolds over thirty-two or so printed pages that are sewn together at the spine and housed within hard cardboard covers. And this story, when read aloud, will cast a spell over all who are present to hear it and look at it; and, with luck, it will go straight into their hearts and never be forgotten.

On good days, we don't think picture books are dead - or even that they are dying - but we've heard the rumors and felt the rumblings. On bad days...well, this isn't the place to talk about the bad days. Let's just put it out there right away: we are making no predictions here about what may or may not replace traditional picture books, and we are not offering any opinions about whether it's an exciting, scary, sad, or wonderful time. We just want to say that we love picture books. And we want to say why.

It's theater!

The words in a picture book are written to be performed. They are meant to be read aloud. Each syllable, each line break, each sentence's placement on the page and where those critical page-turns occur, the rhythm, the word choice, the repetition (and maybe even the rhyme, if it's done well) - all of these are massively important. The goal is for everything to come together in such a way that the reader of the book becomes a star performer and their audience adores them. The read-aloud experience should be so extraordinary that practically as soon as the book is closed, everyone just wants to open it up and do it again.

It is a simple circle - if the adult reading the story loves the story, that adult will love reading it aloud, and because he or she is having such a positive experience, the child experiences love for the story, and by extension, love for the person reading it. And when this happens, a space is created - a holy space, if you will - where the book, the child, and the adult are under a spell together. It may be a quiet, dramatic, or wildly raucous spell, but it is a spell nonetheless.

When picture books really work, it is because they make us feel something intensely. Every word, every picture, and every page-turn (especially that final one) contributes to the emotion and builds toward a completely satisfying ending. The words, the pictures, and the intimacy and theater of the moment all combine for a dynamic and loving multi-sensory experience.

Kids are picture-reading virtuosos!

While the words in picture books are meant to be read aloud, children can read the pictures on their own. They don't need to be taught this skill and are, in fact, way better at it than grownups. They study pictures for story, meaning, character, setting, plot, and motivation and for a parallel, counterpoint, or secondary narrative. They notice everything, which obviously includes any mistakes.

A few years ago, at a book signing for Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert, an earnest boy of around five came up and said, "There's a mistake in this book." He then pointed to an illustration of a girl twirling a baton on Christmas morning, which was one of fifteen gift-opening vignettes sprinkled across a double-page spread (see above), and explained how the speed lines indicate that the baton is moving one direction, but the tassels are moving the other direction. Of course, he was right. Yikes.

If children are confused by the pictures, it's because the pictures are confusing. The child doesn't need to be taught how to read the picture better; the picture needs to be better!

When we read aloud to kids, we know they can understand and appreciate complexities in language and story far beyond their ability to read words on their own. But the amazing thing is, without any help from us, they are experts at understanding the complexities of story to be found in the illustrations.

The pictures allow a not-yet-reading child to make his or her own way through the narrative of a picture book. You see children take this path when they pick up one they have just heard and then plop on the floor with it to study the pictures intensely, page after page, for a really long time. Pictures speak to them, and they understand what the pictures are saying. They are not stressed. They are privately and independently learning how stories work. They are "reading."

When we were finishing All the World, written by Liz Garton Scanlon, the copy editor asked a question about the final art. "You can't see what the little girl on the last page is holding. Problem?" This little girl is the same little girl who picked up a shell on the opening spread of the book and proudly showed it to her mom when the text says "a shell to keep." The shell is never mentioned again in the word-story, though it does appear one other time in the book twenty-eight pages later in the party scene, where it's sitting on the floor next to the girl while she plays hand-clapping games with a friend.

We talked at length about whether the shell should show in that final picture, and then decided to leave the piece as is, with the girl's hands cupped around something that isn't quite visible.

When the first proofs arrived, a friend read them aloud to his three-year-old daughter, Maggie. When he finished, there was a palpable hush, and then Maggie whispered, apropos of nothing: "I know what she has in her hands."

Because this picture-reading skill is one that seems to reside mostly in childhood, the intricacies to be found in pictures (and the way these intricacies weave themselves in with the words) often remain unseen by those of us who are no longer children - even those of us who are writing, illustrating, editing, reviewing, and buying the books. Unfortunately, many picture books are published without enough of the visual-narrative richness and depth that children are so capable of finding.

When Max returns to his room in Where the Wild Things Are and finds his hot supper waiting for him, there is much to take note of in the illustration. But one of the most moving and powerful details is that piece of cake sitting there on the table. The cake is only in the picture, not mentioned in the text. A grownup might miss it, or not bother to glean any meaning from it. But a child, with those expert picture-reading skills, will see that cake and understand that Max's mom is no longer angry with him. You do not get dessert if you are still in trouble. It's like a secret message, from picture to child, that says, "Max is okay. Don't worry."

The pictures don't move!

Part of the reason picture books work so well for young children is because the pictures are not moving. Of course pictures move all the time now everywhere anyone looks - and there are amazing and terrific benefits to this, benefits that can be expansive, educational, practical, or just plain fun. But it's the nonmoving pictures in a picture book that make the young child a truly active viewer.

Check out these YouTube videos of two little kids we don't know: three-year-old Gavin, who's reading Roller Coaster, and two-year-old Molly, who's reading Hush, Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures. Gavin sits on his bed and "reads" the book from cover-to-cover, often using his finger to trace the words and point out elements in the pictures. He adds gestures and sound effects to demonstrate the physical workings of the roller coaster. He swings his arms around, holds them in the air, covers his eyes, and screams as if he's actually riding it. He even looks sad when the ride is over. Molly sits on the floor while "reading" and singing Hush, Little Baby. She supplies verbal sidebars that describe what the characters are feeling and makes up imaginary (yet totally appropriate to the story) dialogue between them. In fact, she animates the characters almost as if she were playing with them in a tiny dollhouse. And it's obvious from the way the children are also engaging with their off-camera parents that both families have shared many previous cozy read-aloud experiences with these books.

If the coaster in Roller Coaster were doing more than it is doing on the plain, simple, quiet picture book page, Gavin would not be interacting with it in such a spirited, physical way. He would probably be just sitting there, passively mesmerized. But because the pictures are still, he is motivated to expand them and interpret what perhaps came before and what perhaps will come later. Or add to them - as when Molly inserts her own commentary into Hush. The interactivity with the story comes from the child. It's not predetermined by someone else.

In the nonmoving pictures of a traditional picture book, the moment depicted has been carefully chosen. Ideally, each picture has evolved through a rigorous editorial process of thumbnails, sketches, and multiple dummies, through trial and error (in our case, mostly error!), and has arrived at a complete, compressed moment that goes perfectly with the words on each page, propels the story forward, and leaves spaces in the narrative that can be filled in by a child's imagination. If with a click, buzz, or beep, the image changes, moves, or spins - as it can already do and certainly will continue to do in many dynamic new formats - it becomes another kind of experience for the child. A valid experience, yes, but not a picture-book experience.

Witnessing the comfort and coziness of Gavin's and Molly's environments, the love between the children and their parents, the fact that the children themselves are determining when to turn the pages and how to deliver the words, their freedom to touch the paper and spread the books out before them - this is why Gavin and Molly are so compelling to us. These are children of today interacting with picture books right now, in this time of rumors that picture books are dead.

They're a drug - and legal!

Australian picture book writer and literacy expert Mem Fox wrote the following in Reading Magic, her brilliant book about the power and importance of reading aloud: "As we share the words and pictures, the ideas and viewpoints, the rhythms and rhymes, the pain and comfort, and the hopes and fears and big issues of life that we encounter together in the pages of a book, we connect through minds and hearts with our children and bond closely in a secret society associated with the books we have shared. The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn't achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who's reading aloud - it's the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony."

Or, as a harried lawyer-mother-of-a-toddler once said to us, "Reading picture books with my son is the only calm time of our days. He calms down and I calm down. It knits together our frayed edges." That shared experience, those private moments, that calming power - it is a very potent thing.

We're clearly not alone in believing that sharing traditional picture books with children is one of the best ways to grow them up. If a child's life is filled with picture books, read aloud from birth, he or she will be better able to process the complexities in the world, read with deep understanding, and emotionally connect with themselves and with others. And the adults in their lives will grow right along with them.

So are picture books dead? Is the form over? To us that seems like an absurd question. It's kind of like asking: Is love over? Is love over between a parent and child? Is love over during story time? In a classroom? In a library? On a lap? At bedtime? And the answer to that is obvious.

Of course not.

From the May/June 2011 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. Allyn Johnston is vice president and publisher of Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. Author/illustrator Marla Frazee is a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient and the illustrator of Stars, written by Mary Lyn Ray, to be published by Beach Lane Books in fall 2011.

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Why We're Still in Love with Picture Books (Even Though They're Supposed to Be Dead)

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by Allyn Johnston and Marla Frazee Maybe now, while we're all running around wringing our hands and wondering if picture books are dead, it's time to declare our love for them. What is a picture book, anyway?

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During this time of home learning and shuttered libraries, do you find yourself reading the same picture books over and over again with the children in your life? This guest post -- by Maine author/educator Margy Burns Knight -- offers an approach that might help you make those "old" books new again! Margy is a trained facilitator in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), which was originally developed as a technique for viewing art in museums. In her work, Margy applies VTS to picture books, and has adapted it to broader language learning. Using this technique with picture books can also provide a foundation for an ongoing conversation with your child/ren about race and human differences, such as we did here.
Visual Thinking Strategies work great with the covers of picture books. It's a way to introduce the story and get the readers excited about what they are going to see and read in the book. As you read a book, you can stop at any point and try VTS as a fun way to predict what's next in a story or just to pause and talk about an illustration.

Once you get the hang of how to paraphrase your child/ren's responses and keep the three questions going, almost in a loop, you can use this protocol to have lively, thoughtful discussions about the illustrations in picture books. A great aspect of VTS is that you can do it for two minutes or ten minutes - it is up to you and your child/ren!

Here are the three questions:

1. What's going on in this picture?

2. What do you see that makes you say that?

3. What else do you see?

I am going to take you through a session I have done many times with the cover illustration of the Korean edition of my nonfiction book, Talking Walls:

An illustrated description of walls around the world and their significance, from the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall

Our book has been translated and will be read in another country. On the U.S. edition, the cover is the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. This country wanted to represent their own wall story on the cover, so they hired Anne Sibley O'Brien, the illustrator, to illustrate this story. Instead of me telling you the story, I want you to first help me discover the story and then I will open the book and tell you what I wrote about this place.

Take a look at this illustration. Now I am going to ask you three questions about this story and you can tell me what you think.

1. What's going on in this picture?

Student #1: I think the people are visiting a museum or something like a museum and touching something. There are a lot of colors and the people look happy.

Margy: You think that the happy-looking people may be visiting a museum full of color. What do you see that makes you say the people are happy?

Student #1: The woman holding the baby is smiling.

Margy: Who else wants to add to the story? So far we think this could be some sort of museum with happy people visiting it.

Student # 2: I think it could also be a museum or some kind of visiting place, but look at that barbed wire - that's not so happy. So I think one side is happy and maybe the other side is sad and look, that family is taking a selfie and others look like they are reading something.

Margy: What do you see that makes you say that is a family?

Student #2: Well, all the people are in their own groups and some are kids and others big people so I think that is a family.

Margy: So far we think that this place may be some kind of museum where you can touch and read the colorful things. Families go there to visit and take pictures, but the barb wire tells us that this place could also be sad.
What else do we see? What have we not talked about?

Student# 3: We have not talked about the letters and I think they are Chinese because I have a friend who writes letters like this.

Student #4: I don't think it is Chinese because it is Japanese. I saw that writing somewhere and if you look at the faces they look Japanese.

Margy: So we think this place could be in Asia, maybe in China or Japan. You think that this place is happy and sad and families go there to touch and read the colors so it could be a museum. The families look happy and are taking pictures and pointing and reading.

Thanks so much for doing a great job of looking and talking about the details and sharing your ideas. Here is a copy of the book, so let's look at it and I will tell and read to you what I wrote. I don't read Korean but I know what it says.

So yes, this a place where families visit in South Korea, a country in Asia. It is like an outdoor museum. This is a wall of ribbons in a city on the border between North Korea and South Korea. The two countries have been separated since 1954. South Korean families visit the wall and write their wishes for unity and peace on the colorful ribbons and put them on the barbed wire fence. Yes, the barb wire makes it look sad and keeps the families separated.

This wall story is in the Korean edition of Talking Walls. There are twenty-five more stories about walls around the world in Talking Walls and I hope you read them all.

Summary
So you probably noticed that I accepted all answers and did not correct false information, but gave the correct information when I opened the book and told them what I had written. I then read the story to them. I also told them if they wanted to know more about the wall of ribbons they can find information and many photos online.

This is where I have adapted VTS to be content focused so it includes all four domains of language learning. In my one-hour school workshops we talk about three images. I then ask the students to pick one of the stories and write it down.

Here are three writing samples from grade school students (remember this is after perhaps only thirty or forty minutes viewing three images):

As we know writing is not an easy task, but as you read above, post-VTS writing works so well. The students are so proud of their words and knowledge. Teachers were amazed by the amount of writing the kids did in five minutes!

If you have any questions or you want to practice VTS with me via Zoom, feel free to shoot me an email at margyburnsknight@gmail.com!
*Featured Image Credit: "Ma! Where is TV?" by uffizi.chu is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

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VTS: A New Way to Read the Same Ol' Picture Book! | Diverse BookFinder

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During this time of home learning and shuttered libraries, do you find yourself reading the same picture books over and over again with the children in your life? This guest post -- by Maine author/educator Margy Burns Knight -- offers an approach that might help you make those "old" books new again!

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1. What's going on in this picture?  2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What else do you see?

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Model Picture books as described by SSU Professors

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Model Picture books as described by SSU Professors

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We Are Water Protectors
(Links to an external site.) by Carole Lindstrom (2020)

Magnificent Homespun Brown
(Links to an external site.) by Samara Cole Doyon (2020)

Outside In
(Links to an external site.) by Deborah Underwood (2020)

Bear Came Along
(Links to an external site.) by Richard T. Morris, illus. by LeUyen Pham (2020)

The Undefeated
(Links to an external site.) by Kwame Alexander, illus. by Kadir Nelson (2019)

Fry Bread
(Links to an external site.) by Kevin Noble Maillard (2019)

Drawn Together
(Links to an external site.) by Minh Le, illus. by Dan Santat (2018)

A Big Mooncake for Little Star
(Links to an external site.) by Grace Lin (2018)

Julian is a Mermaid
(Links to an external site.) by Jessica Love (2018)

Dreamers
(Links to an external site.) by Yuyi Morales (2018)

A Different Pond
(Links to an external site.) by Bao Phi (2017)

Windows
(Links to an external site.) by Julia Denos (2017)

The Book of Mistakes
(Links to an external site.) by Corinna Luyken (2017)

Accident!
(Links to an external site.) by Andrea Tsurumi (2017)

They All Saw a Cat
(Links to an external site.) by Brendan Wenzel (2016)

Du Iz Tak?
(Links to an external site.) by Carson Ellis (2016)

Sidewalk Flowers
(Links to an external site.) by JonArno Lawson, illus. by Sydney Smith (2015)

Red: a crayon’s story
(Links to an external site.) by Michael Hall (2015)

Waiting
(Links to an external site.) by Kevin Henkes (2015)

Flora and the Flamingo
(Links to an external site.) by Molly Idle (2013)

A Ball for Daisy
(Links to an external site.) by Chris Raschka (2011)

I Want My Hat Back
(Links to an external site.) by Jon Klassen (2011)

All the World
(Links to an external site.) by Liz Garton Scanlon, illus. by Marla Frazee (2009)

The Lion & the Mouse
(Links to an external site.) by Jerry Pinkney (2009)

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Evaluating Picture Books - Questions to ask

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Evaluating Picture Books - Questions to ask

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1. Do the pages seem to turn in the right pages?
2. Does the text flow naturally when you read it aloud?
3. How does it sound?
4. Do you notice elements of patterned language?
5. Are the sentence or plot structure that make the story predictable?

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Visual elements to think about when looking at illustration.

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Visual elements to think about when looking at illustration.

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1. What do you notice about the use of line?
2. Does a certain type of line dominate?
3. What effect does this have?
4. Why did the artist strive for this effect?
5. What do you notice about shapes?
6. Are they mostly rounded are are they mostly angular?
7. Does one shape dominate the picture?
8. Why do you think the artist wants to draw your attention to this shape?
9. How is texture used?
10. Does it give a distinctive feeling to the scene?
11. What colors are used?  Are they warm or cool?
12. Do they express particular emotion such as anger (red) or serenity (blue).
13. How are colors balanced in the picture?
14. As you turn the pages, how do the pictures relate to one another?
15. Is there continuity or variation in the use of elements?
16. Ho does this reflect the mood or the action in the story?
17. Do the pictures follow a logical or predictable sequence?
18. Do they complement extend or highlight the text?
19. Do they provide crucial details that are not present in the text but are an important part of the story?
20. Do they clarify in such a way that they take the story behind its words?

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Rudine Sims Bishop uses "Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors" as an analogy to discuss the importance of diversity in books and the authors who write them.

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Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors

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"I believe that all children need books that can act as mirrors of their own experiences, and books that can act as windows or sliding glass doors into others' experiences. I am also mindful of the fact that prioritizing books by and about BIPOC in collection development and curriculum is just the first step in enacting antiracist pedagogy. Doing so has the potential to uplift BIPOC students and to transform White students' learning by encouraging them toward true empathy, which must be premised on listening to the voices of BIPOC. But just putting diverse books on our shelves, or even reading them aloud isn't enough."

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Grace Lin's TedTalk about Windows and Mirrors and diverse books.

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Grace Lin's TedTalk about Windows and Mirrors and diverse books.

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The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf | Grace Lin | TEDxNatick

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Great article by Read Brightly.

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Kids need to read books that they can both decode (read the words) and comprehend (understand the meaning). Teachers call this a "just right" book, or a book that is at the child's instructional level.

Let me explain what that means.

A just right book at a child's instructional level is a book that stretches the child just a bit - not so much as to make him frustrated but enough to continue his growth as a reader. This child would make an error on about one word out of twenty.

If this is the goal, you're probably wondering how can you tell if a book your child wants to read is at her instructional level?

You can help your child do the Five Finger Test to figure out if the book is just right.
The Five Finger Test

1. When your child finds a book he wants to read, have him flip to a page in the middle of the book. (One with the same amount of text as the other pages.)

2. Ask your child to read the page - out loud so you can help.

3. From a closed fist, hold up a finger each time your child misses a word. She can do this on her own eventually.

4. No fingers means that the book is an independent level - it's easy for her to read and perfectly fine for part of her reading diet. One to five fingers means the book is at an instructional level - BINGO! - just right for her to grow as a reader. Six or more fingers means the book is at a challenge or frustration level and not recommended because the child won't be able to comprehend the text.

Reading Levels Explained
Thankfully, the Five Finger Test is a quick and easy way to find a just right book. However, teachers and tests will give you something more specific, either a number or letter representing your child's reading level.

These rating systems are a bit harder to use for book selection purposes, but it's possible, so let's take a look at each one.

QRI Grade Level Rating
For older elementary students, the QRI (Qualitative Reading Inventory) assessment is given to assess grade level reading in both fiction and nonfiction. These scores don't match up to specific books but are helpful to use as a guideline when asking for book recommendations and looking at the publisher's reading levels.

Publisher's Grade Equivalent Rating
All publishers have their own system for evaluating reading levels. They indicate a grade level number such as 2.5 for the middle of 2nd grade. The confusing thing is that each publisher has its own system for evaluating and assigning a grade level. Use these as a starting point, not the be-all, end-all for reading level, since they are not normed.

Lexile
The Lexile Measure indicates the complexity of text and assigns it a score from 0L to 2000L; it also measures the student's actual reading ability. Students take an SRI test or a standardized reading test to get their Lexile number. To find books using the Lexile measurement, go to the Lexile site or the Scholastic site.

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What Is a 'Just Right' Book? Reading Levels Explained | Brightly

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Kids need to read books that they can both decode (read the words) and comprehend (understand the meaning). Teachers call this a "just right" book, or a book that is at the child's instructional level. Let me explain what that means.

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Best Books by DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) level

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Best Books by DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) level

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Below are the best children's books, organized by DRA Level. We've scoured the bookstore shelves, talked to teachers, read a lot of online reviews, even surveyed children...and in the end we've come up with the best children's books for each levels.

We'll keep adding to these lists as new discoveries are made (and please recommend any we missed.) In the meantime, we sincerely hope these lists will be a helpful resource for teachers in need of guided reading books or for parents looking for books for their own children to read.

children's books sorted by DRA levels

DRA Level 28-30

DRA Level 38

DRA Level 40

DRA Level 50

DRA Level 60

DRA Level 70

What are "DRA Levels"? An explanation for parents:

To break the daunting task of learning to read into smaller, developmental steps, school use leveling systems to describe where children are at on the reading spectrum and what books are most appropriate for each step in the process. One of the most popular systems of leveling is "Developmental Reading Assessment" system, commonly known as "DRA."

If your child's school uses this system, here's how it works: Your child's teacher will regularly read with your child to determine three important components of literacy:

1. (The ideal range is 90-95% of words read correctly. If a child reads more than 95 out of every 100 words correctly, the book accuracy -- how many words they can read correctly
may be too easy and the child may be ready to move up to the next level (assuming they do well on fluency and comprehension). Conversely, if the child reads less than 90 out of every 100 words correctly, the bookmay be too difficult. Teachers call this "frustration level", for obvious reasons.)

2. fluency -- how many words they read per minute
(The ideal range varies by reading level. Note: This is less important at the early stages (A-E). In fact, many districts do not consider reading speed/fluency until level F.

3. comprehension -- do they understand what they have just read
(The depth of understanding required varies according to reading level -- from simply recalling the facts of the story in the lower levels to more in-depth discussions / insights at the upper levels)

Once the 'test' is given, the teacher will then use the above criteria to determine which of the DRA Levels best fits your child's current reading ability. The levels range from 2-70, with children generally starting at 2 in Kindergarten and, ideally, progressing through the levels of the alphabet to level 70 by middle school.

How often these test are given varies per child. Once a month is a good range, but children who seem to be ready are often tested earlier so that they don't stay on one level if they are ready for a more challenging one. And sometimes, with holidays and events and how busy a classroom can get, tests can be given at intervals longer than a month. So...it varies. Sorry we can't be more specific than that. :)

Then, in addition to determining children's reading levels, books are leveled as well. There are many, many factors that go into how books are leveled. The important thing to know is that the reading level for many popular children's books have been determined, using the same DRA Levels system

The result of all this leveling is that children can be given books that exactly match their current reading ability. This is crucial to reading success!!!

If books are too hard, kids can easily get frustrated and confused. Text structures might be too complex. Unfamiliar types of spelling patterns, punctuation, or words can cause children to question what they already "know". Comprehension definitely suffers.

If books are too easy, the lack of challenge and interest often means kids don't make the progress they should...and they can eventually find reading boring.

Children who read books that 'fit' their current DRA level (teachers call these "good fit books") make much greater improvements in reading ability and reading enjoyment! Daily reading of on-level books is crucial for reading success!

Hopefully this brief explanation has been more helpful than confusing. One last note: We encourage parents to keep in mind that learning to read is a long process that can include leaps and bounds at one point and slow and steady progress at other points. Progress is what we are all shooting for, and half the battle with reading is whether the student thinks he or she is successful at reading. Keeping a positive, encouraging, and upbeat tone is truly an important part of a child's literacy success. :)

Enjoy the books!

Betsy, Cindy, and Virginia
(the teachers/sisters behind this website)

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Best Books by DRA Level -- Teacher's Picks for Best Leveled Books

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Below are the best children's books, organized by DRA Level. We've scoured the bookstore shelves, talked to teachers, read a lot of online reviews, even surveyed children...and in the end we've come up with the best children's books for each levels. We'll keep adding to these lists as new discoveries are made (and please recommend any we missed.)

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Booksource is the premier trade book distributor to K-12 school classrooms across the country. We offer discounted pricing, free shipping and unparalleled expertise and customer service.

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White paper by Fountas & Pinnell Literacy

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ICanRead.com - Your child's love of reading starts here!

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Browse the complete list of I Can Read! books, find printable reading activities, and meet the beloved cast of I Can Read! characters including Frog and...

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Buy books online and find book series such as Beginner Books(R) on PenguinRandomHouse.com

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We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in.

From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

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We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

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All Bearenstain Bears

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Buy books online and find book series such as First Time Books(R) on PenguinRandomHouse.com

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Reading list created by the American Library Association/Children's Book Council Joint Committee for use by educators, librarians, and parents who support young people reading at an advanced level.

For anyone interested in discovering books for children reading at an advanced level, the Reading Beyond lists are the resource for you! Created and periodically updated by the ALA-CBC (American Library Association & Children's Book Council) Joint Committee, this resource "celebrates the power of books to lift and expand children's minds, providing reading experiences beyond levels and limits." - Susan Polos and Janet Wond, 2017/2018 Committee co-chairs

Featuring three categories with 25 titles each, these books were evaluated by the ALA member librarians of the committee and were chosen for their content, quality, and variety of genre and format.

Download printable versions in various formats and with annotations written by librarians on the ALA-CBC Committee.
Kindergarten-1st graders reading at a 3rd grade level 2nd-3rd graders reading at a 5th grade level 4th-5th graders reading at a 7th grade level
Find the Building a Home Library List and More ALA-CBC collaborations.

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ALA-CBC Joint Committee

Building a Home Library

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Reading list created by the American Library Association/Children's Book Council Joint Committee for use by educators, librarians, and parents who support young people reading at an advanced level. For anyone interested in discovering books for children reading at an advanced level, the Reading Beyond lists are the resource for you!

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Good Comics for Kids - A School Library Journal Blog

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Illustration by Marguerite Dabaie

Superman, arguably the most iconic figure in the history of comics, is a champion of "truth, justice, and the American way," in the words of the 1940s radio show "Adventures of Superman."

He's also an immigrant. A refugee, in fact, sent off by his parents to escape their dying planet Krypton and make a better life for himself on Earth. His creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were themselves the children of Jewish immigrants. "Superman was the ultimate assimilationist fantasy," said their fellow cartoonist Jules Feiffer in an interview for Danny Fingeroth's book Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero (Continuum, 2007).

"The mild manners and glasses that signified a class of nerdy Clark Kents was, in no way, our real truth. Underneath the schmucky façade there lived Men of Steel! Jerry Siegel's accomplishment was to chronicle the smart Jewish boy's American dream," Feiffer believes. "It wasn't Krypton that Superman came from; it was the planet Minsk or Lodz or Vilna or Warsaw."

Yang's Superman and Super-Man,
the latter starring a Chinese superhero
Courtesy of DC Entertainment

"Superman navigates two different identities," notes graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, the U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, who is the son of immigrants from China and Taiwan. "He has two names, Clark Kent and Kal-El. He has two outfits, an American one he wears to work, and a colorful foreign one he wears for special occasions." The superhero has special resonance for Yang, who wrote four issues of the Superman comic last year, collected in Superman, vol. 1: Before Truth (DC Comics, 2016). "He lives under two sets of expectations," Yang says. "I was the same when I was a kid. I had a Chinese name at home, an American name at school. I spoke two languages and lived under two sets of expectations." Yang is also writing a different superhero story for DC, Super-Man, featuring a Chinese superman and set in China.

Amid U.S. election-year rhetoric and global discussions focused on immigration, graphic novels by Yang and many others offer other windows onto this topic-by telling their stories about being bicultural Americans who have immigrant parents. The most powerful graphic novels on this subject invite readers to walk alongside protagonists as they face the problems and conflicts associated with negotiating two cultures. The visual medium is particularly powerful, as it easily conveys details of home life, dress, and gesture without excessive description. The format also allows creators to portray subtle nuances-a side glance, a change in posture-without interrupting the narrative.

Yang wrote about his own experiences in American Born Chinese (First Second, 2006), which won an Eisner and a Printz award and was a finalist for a National Book Award. His story was a touchstone for other graphic novelists. "It vibrated through me like a tuning fork," said Vera Brosgol, the daughter of Russian immigrants and the author of Anya's Ghost (First Second, 2011). "I'd never encountered that shame of one's heritage outside of my own head, and it made me feel connected, understood, maybe even forgiven. I was so grateful to Gene for exploring such a sensitive subject, and I started to think that my own unpleasant feelings would be worth writing about if there were any chance they'd connect with a reader."

Nidhi Chanani's Pashmina
Courtesy of First Second Books

Living in two worlds

Many of these creators were born in the U.S. to foreign-born parents. To outsiders, they are the foreigners; to their families, everyone else is a foreigner. "I grew up here!" says 16-year-old Kamala Khan, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants and the current star of the popular Ms. Marvel comic. "I'm from Jersey City, not Karachi!"

Ms. Marvel creators G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona portray Kamala's frustrations with her parents: she complains about having pakoras for lunch and being stuck with the "weird holidays." But when she sneaks out to a party, she quickly realizes that blending in with the other kids is not that simple. "Zoe thought that because I snuck out, it was okay for her to make fun of my family," she says. "Like, 'Kamala's finally seen the light and kicked the dumb inferior brown people and their rules to the curb.'"

Nidhi Chanani addresses these same kinds of conflict in her graphic novel Pashmina, a fantasy about an Indian-American girl connecting with her heritage, which will be published by First Second in 2017. "Growing up with a dual identity has disadvantages, because as an adolescent you are simply trying to fit in," says Chanani. "However, without a core understanding of what would enable that, which comes from being privy to cultural norms through your family, your struggles are multiplied."

"Everyone has to figure out who they are as they grow up, but there's extra work for the children of immigrants, because we have at least two cultures to contend with," says Yang. "We have to figure out how these cultures speak to each other, where they contradict, and how they might fit together."

In Keshni Kashyap and Mari Araki's Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary (HMH, 2012), for instance, 15-year-old Indian American Tina casts a sharp eye on the social structure and drama of her high school and her family, dealing with the usual pitfalls of boys, cliques, and fair-weather friends and casting an equally cold eye on her Indian relatives-and outsiders who project images of India onto her.

For some creators, the conflicts are dramatic. Dan Santat's You Bad Son, to be published by First Second in 2018, is a memoir of his high school senior year. "As the only child of Asian parents who had immigrated from Thailand, "my entire life up to that point was steered in the path of becoming a doctor," says Santat, whose book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend (Little, Brown, 2014) won a Caldecott Medal. Santat "[pursued] my passion of art and secretly took art classes to apply to art school without my parents' knowledge. All of this happened while my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which caused my father and I to butt heads often during her chemotherapy. He couldn't care for her because of his inability-or perhaps an unwillingness because of his traditional Asian male upbringing-to cook or clean, which left me with many feelings of resentment."

Santat's forthcoming You Bad Son
Courtesy of First Second Books

You're not welcome here

In addition to family issues, second-generation immigrants often must contend with prejudice and stereotypes from their peers. "Many of the 'culturally insensitive' taunts I put in American Born Chinese I heard in the halls of my junior high," says Yang. In Ms. Marvel, a high school peer quizzes Kamala's friend about her veil: "Nobody pressured you to start wearing it, right? Your father or somebody? Nobody's going to, like, honor kill you?"

Marguerite Dabaie's self-published comic The Hookah Girl is a series of short comics about her upbringing as a Palestinian American Christian, a heritage that she didn't give much thought to as a child. "I had spent my childhood first not realizing how truly politicized Palestinians are to most Americans, then not discussing my complicated thoughts on the orientalization, gendering, and politicization of Arabness," she says. "Following September 11, so much hatred was swirling around. I felt very viscerally that I couldn't feign ignorance anymore, and I started getting in touch with this aspect of my life I had neglected. The Hookah Girl ended up being like a 'coming out' book for me, where I really got to say, 'Yep, I'm Palestinian.'"

In her self-published comic Gringa!, Kat Fajardo depicts the hostility she encounters from people who assume she is Mexican (she's not) and a noncitizen (she was born in the United States). "As a second-generation kid, why did I have to feel shame over my own family's background?" she writes in Gringa! "Or the fact that they risked their lives and used their life savings to travel up north due to poverty and vicious gang activities. If anything, I should have proudly worn my heritage like a medallion on my chest." Instead, she balks at the Latina side of her heritage and tries to pass for white-until a younger cousin helps her see the folly of that.

You can't go home again-or can you?

While Fajardo chose to embrace her heritage, others find that returning to their roots can be a challenge, as Brosgol chronicles in her next book. Be Prepared, (First Second, 2018) is about her experiences at a Russian Orthodox summer camp in upstate New York when she was nine. "Hoping to find easy acceptance, I convince my mother to send me to the camp, where I'm met with more challenges than I ever expected," she says.

Even coming back to the old neighborhood can be an emotional event. In her self-published comic , Aatmaja Pandya writes warmly about her childhood neighborhood in Queens, NY-the most diverse city in the world, she notes-and her ambivalence about its changing demographics. "Queens is for immigrants and families-why would anyone just out of art school move here?" she asks. "It was like my secret hideout was being broken into....Here, I can feel my roots more strongly than I ever could anywhere else, even back in India....I'm afraid the day I don't feel this place in my bones is coming too soon. Then where will I go back to?"

Marguerite Dabaie's Hookah Girl
Panel courtesy of Marguerite Dabaie

A natural format

Many creators are drawn to how the visual aspect of the graphic novel medium enriches their narratives. "My story has a lot of awkwardness, and not all awkwardness is verbal," says Brosgol. "I want the reader to feel for my protagonist, and being able to see her eyes when she's going through something is so effective. I have big stretches with no text at all; those are the biggest treat to draw because it's pure acting. I also love comics' breezy ability to show physical humor-it's much funnier to see someone falling in a ditch than to read a laborious description."

For Yang, the magic comes from the combination of words and pictures. "The interplay between the two can be wonderfully sophisticated," he says. "Also, each culture has its own way of communicating visually, its own iconography. It's like a ready-made toolbox for a graphic novelist who wants to tell a culturally specific story."

"Through panels, composition, staging, acting and color there are storytelling benefits to comics that are very different than prose," says Chanani. "I enjoy the ability to tell a story in a nontraditional form."

Gringa! by Kat Fajardo
Panel courtesy of Kat Fajardo

While their focus is culturally specific, these stories also have something to offer to anyone who has felt like a stranger. Dabaie says that her work resonates with people who grew up in households that don't strictly follow "traditional" American customs. "I think a lot of people especially relate to the stories about my grandmother because her actions were specific but universal in a lot of ways," she says. "She was totally into spraying WD-40 on her hands to help with her arthritis-so many families have at least one relative with eccentric home remedies. She'd go and trespass on some vineyards so that we'd have fresh grape leaves for waraq diwali [stuffed grape leaves] because we had no other way to obtain fresh leaves, and the canned leaves are blah by comparison. That love for food, and that need to make it absolutely right, is extremely universal."

Santat also sees a universal aspect to his own struggles. "While working on my own story, I've gone through a lot of personal healing," he says. "As an author, I have to write an honest voice of my parents without sounding one-sided or biased....It's a tough moment as a kid when you realize your parents aren't perfect people, and I think it's a feeling most kids can identify with."

Santat says he felt that American Born Chinese was written specifically for him; like Brosgol, he had an instant connection. "[It] showed me that I wasn't alone in my feelings of anger and frustration while growing up as the child of Asian immigrants," he says. "The book changed my life." Back to the top.

Suggested Reading

(self-published, 2007) Gr. 10 Up -The daughter of Palestinian Christian immigrants, Dabaie muses about the image outsiders have of Palestinians and the quirks of her own family in a series of short comics.

(self-published, 2015) Gr. 9 Up -Fajardo depicts the tension between her Latina heritage and her desire to fit in with her non-Latinx peers.

(self-published, 2015) Gr. 7 Up -Pandya has mixed feelings when she returns to the very diverse neighborhood in Queens where she grew up.

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Graphic Novels Portray Bicultural America

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Illustration by Marguerite Dabaie Superman, arguably the most iconic figure in the history of comics, is a champion of "truth, justice, and the American way," in the words of the 1940s radio show "Adventures of Superman." He's also an immigrant.

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Illustration by Ron Chan

Love them or hate them, video games are a mass medium, with over 150 million regular players in the U.S. alone-about a quarter of whom are under 18, according to the Education Software Association. Like much mass media, video games often spin off into other platforms, including comics and graphic novels, providing stories about the characters and environments for gamers hungry to know more. What may be surprising to non-gamers is that many of these books are a pretty good read in their own right-even for those who know nothing about the game.

Video games with complex stories offer storytellers a rich palette of possibilities, some of which may be very different from standard game play. This has attracted some talented writers and artists to the field. Middle grade and YA novelist Matthew J. Kirby, for instance, is writing a series of young adult novels based on Assassin's Creed, while in the graphic novel realm, a number of talents are writing stories drawn from video games, including Eisner Award winners Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki ( This One Summer, First Second, 2014); Paul Tobin ( Bandette, Dark Horse, 2013); and Faith Erin Hicks ( The Adventures of Superhero Girl, Dark Horse, 2014, and The Nameless City, First Second, 2016); as well as powerhouse writer Jim Zub ("Skullkickers," Image Comics; "Samurai Jack," IDW). Next month, Scholastic is launching a series of novels pitched at readers in grades three to seven based on the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMOPRG) World of Warcraft.

"Assassin's Creed" author Matthew J. Kirby
hams it up in front of a mural at the
headquarters of game producer Ubisoft.
Photo courtesy of Scholastic

Dialing Down Violence; emphasizing story

One advantage books have over the actual games is that they can tone down the violence and other aspects that often earn these games "mature" ratings, making them more appropriate for younger readers.

"From the moment I played the first Assassin's Creed game, I thought it would work well as a YA project," says Scholastic senior editor Michael Petranek, who edited Kirby's Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants, published last month. "The mature ratings the video games receive stem from the amount of bloody combat shown visually as the game is played. The events of Last Descendants are no more violent than what you might read in a nonfiction book about the historical events found in the story."

Putting teen protagonists front and center also helped. "The book has all the [game's] core elements of action, parkour, and combat," says Kirby. "Some of the potentially darker aspects took care of themselves, in that the adult characters in the story recognize that they're dealing with teens, and so the main characters are somewhat protected. In other words, while there are certainly deaths that take place, the teens aren't asked to do the killing. That felt very natural and realistic in terms of the storytelling, so I didn't feel like I was compromising anything essential to Assassin's Creed."

Similarly, in Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki, Jim Zub was able to write a stand-alone graphic novel about a teen girl, set in the world of the mature-rated Street Fighter martial arts game, by selecting a protagonist who could star in her own story, outside the continuity of the game. "Most of the other Street Fighter characters are tightly intertwined, and telling their story requires you to explain where they came from and how they know each other," he says. "Ibuki's story is adjacent to a lot of those. A few other characters appear as part of her story, but we were able to focus more fully on just her journey, making it a much more self-contained and satisfying story even if you'd never played the game before."

Paul Tobin and Ron Chan were faced with a different challenge when they set out to adapt the game Plants vs. Zombies into a comic. The early versions of the game didn't have much of a story, just rows of plants shooting at rows of zombies. So the authors used two characters from the game, Crazy Dave (who tends the plants) and Zomboss (the head zombie), and added two new child characters as the leads. "One of the problems I had moving Crazy Dave to the comics was that in the game, he really only speaks in gibberish," Tobin says. "I invented Patrice Blazing, his niece, and since she's family, she can understand what he's saying. Mostly, this allows Dave to be crazy-but still understood. Then there's Nate Timely, a boy who's always adventurous and sometimes competent. They play off each other really well and allow me to explore the stories from different angles."

Appealing to non-gamers

While fans of the games are a natural audience for these books, many editors and creators hope their books can be enjoyed by non-gamers, too.

"As the artist, I may work in direct references to in-game stuff here and there," says Chan of Plants vs. Zombies. "But my priority is always to make the art as fun as possible in a way that prioritizes working well in the context of the comic itself, rather than a 100-percent adherence to the source material."

Kirby agrees that adaptation is a balancing act. "I had to make the story relatable to people who aren't familiar with the game, while making sure well-versed fans of the series are engaged," he says. "The solution ended up being pretty simple. The story is told from the perspective of teen characters who are becoming aware of the larger conflict between Assassins and Templars for the first time. That means readers get introduced to that world through the characters' eyes, which helps to bring new readers up to speed quickly, while also presenting everything to longtime fans in a way that, I hope, feels fresh."

Hicks took a different approach when she co-wrote The Last of Us: American Dreams (Dark Horse, 2013), a prequel to the game The Last of Us, which is set in a world decimated by a pandemic. "We thought about maybe starting the comic with an infodump about The Last of Us world, but I'm glad we decided against that," she says. "It can be more absorbing for a reader if you just dive into a character's story without explaining anything upfront. I hope that readers will come along for the ride; so far, no one has complained to me about finding the story confusing."

These books are all based on real games, and many of them have a gamer feel, with quests for magical objects, portals through space and time, and plenty of fights. All can be read and enjoyed by those who knows little or nothing about the game itself.

Novels

Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants . Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic, 2016).

Gr 7 Up-The Assassin's Creed video game hinges on an ancient rivalry between two factions, the Assassins and the Templars, as well as new technology that allows users to relive the past by reading memories imprinted on an ancestor's DNA and passed down to them. In the book, six teenagers take a virtual trip back to the New York draft riots of 1863 in order to locate an important artifact. All this is explained by a teacher (a cool, renegade one) who also introduces the Assassins vs. Templars angle in what feels like a very natural teacher-student philosophical discussion. The lead characters have distinct personalities, and the way they deal with stepping into their ancestors' worlds makes for fascinating reading. A second volume is due out in December.

Escape from the Overworld: An Unofficial Minecrafter's Adventure . Danica Davidson (Sky Pony, 2014).

Gr 2 Up-Stevie, a Minecraft character, accidentally passes through a portal into a girl's bedroom in the real world. Stevie and Maison quickly become friends, and he accompanies her to school-but the portal is still open. Soon, zombies and spiders are pouring in from the Minecraft realm and disrupting the school's assembly. Stevie and Maison must battle the monsters and defend the school. The book's humor stems mostly from the differences between the real and Minecraft worlds, but you don't have to know much more about Minecraft than that it is made of cubes to understand it. The fighting is game-like, with the heroes throwing blocks and swinging swords, and the zombies and spiders disappearing when struck. The only term that is left undefined is "mob," which is gamer talk for an enemy creature. The story touches on themes of bullying, particularly of kids who look different-as Stevie does in the real world and Maison in Minecraft.

Graphic Novels

Angry Birds Comics, Vol: 1: Welcome to the Flock. Jeff Parker et al. (IDW, 2014).

Gr 4 Up-In these goofy comics, almost timeless in their humor and style, the setup is simple: the birds are trying to keep the pigs from stealing their eggs. In one story, the pigs lure the birds away with a fake amusement park; in another, a bird named "Bomb" has the hiccups-and every hiccup makes him explode, causing chaos but no serious damage. This volume collects the first four issues of IDW's Angry Birds series, and IDW has published three additional volumes.

Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers . Zac Gorman (Oni, 2014).

Gr 4 Up-Repugia is a sad place to live, because there's no candy there. But it's Halloween in the human world, and Klem and his misfit friends decide to make a trip there to round up some sweets-and boost their popularity back home. Along with plenty of goofy misadventures and ingenious saves, this comic has mean bullies and some serious reflections on friendship. Oni produced this as a gorgeous oversized hardcover, and it's a great read at Halloween or any time of year.

Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate . Jim Zub and Max Dunbar (IDW, 2015).

Gr 7 Up-This one gets in on a technicality: it ties in with the fifth edition of the tabletop role-playing game, but there was a Baldur's Gate Dungeons & Dragons video game as well. Not that you need to know any of that. Delina, an elf and sorceress, comes to the city of Baldur's Gate to find her twin brother, who she believes is in danger. When Delina is attacked, her magic backfires and brings to life a statue of an oversized hero named Minsc and his pet hamster, Boo. Minsc has an imperfect understanding of present realities and an addled way of talking, and he and Boo bring a lot of humor to this action-adventure story. The trio meet up with some thieves who help them out, and there are all sorts of double-crosses and surprises.

The Last of Us: American Dreams . Neil Druckman and Faith Erin Hicks (Dark Horse, 2013).

Gr 10 Up-An epidemic has decimated the human population, leading to martial law and quarantine. In this grim setting (mostly rendered in dark blues and grays by colorist Rachelle Rosenberg), 13-year-old Ellie arrives at her new school, a rundown military academy surrounded by barbed wire. She gets in trouble and teams up with another student, Riley, to escape not just the physical walls of the school but the metaphorical ones of their existence. Riley is determined to join a guerilla group, the Fireflies, and she pulls Ellie along. The story is a prequel to the game, and it feels like it. Ellie and Riley fight through perilous situations, including an encounter with zombie-like infected humans, but the end feels like the beginning of another story. Despite copious violence and cursing, there's a lot to be said for this story: it features two tough women teaming up in a hostile world and cementing their friendship at the same time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Akira Himekawa (Viz, 2008).

Gr 1 Up-Link is a young boy who lives in the forest among the elf-like creatures known as Kokiris. He's always been a bit of a misfit, but he finds his purpose when he's called upon to help Princess Zelda keep the land of Hyrule from the evil Lord Ganendorf. This reads like a fantasy tale, with magical creatures and sacred objects, and while it loosely follows the game, it works just fine on its own. Viz is re-issuing this older series as a boxed set and has announced a new series, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, also by Akira Himekawa, debuting spring 2017. The stand-alone story The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Viz, 2015) by Shotaro Ishinomori, is better suited to readers familiar with the game, as the action moves more quickly and less background is provided.

Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon . Paul Tobin and Ron Chan (Dark Horse, 2014).

Gr 3 Up-Tobin and Chan turn the straightforward shoot-the-zombies game into more of an action-adventure story by adding two child lead characters. Patrice is Crazy Dave's niece and is able to interpret his gibberish, while Nate tries mightily to keep up. The five books in this series all provide a good mix of humor and action, eschewing gore for slapstick and witty commentary.

Tomb Raider: Spore, Vol: 1. Written by Mariko Tamaki. illus. by Philip Sevy (Dark Horse, 2016).

Gr 10 Up-This new volume includes the first six issues of an ongoing Lara Croft comic. Croft is an archaeologist-adventurer with some serious fighting skills, and at the beginning of the story she is training with a woman who is almost blind. Lara's insights from this session stay with her throughout the story, and Tamaki and Sevy show readers her thinking, which lifts this story above the usual standard. The plot is pretty basic-Lara and her partner, Jonah, accompany a professor on a quest to find the mysterious mushroom of immortality; meanwhile, they're pursued by a pack of mysterious guys with a military look. This rip-roaring adventure story features lots of swinging from ropes, jumping off cliffs, and blasting away the bad guys, along with fun plot twists when the characters must use ingenuity to get out of tight spots.

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Game Changers: Books Based on Video Games

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Illustration by Ron Chan Love them or hate them, video games are a mass medium, with over 150 million regular players in the U.S. alone-about a quarter of whom are under 18, according to the Education Software Association.

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Research Guides: Education Resource Area: Informational Children's Books

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Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

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The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.

Terms & Criteria | Manual & Committee Information | Submission Information
Visit the new ALSC Awards Shelf to browse all current and past ALSC award recipients! Download a complete PDF list of Sibert Award and Honor Books, 2001 to present Purchase award seals for your collection through the ALA store!
Listen to a brief message from Robert L. Sibert, son of the Sibert Award's namesake (thank you to teachingbooks.net for this clip).

Terms & Criteria
Terms
The Sibert Award is presented annually to the author, author/illustrator, co-authors, or author and illustrator named on the title page of the most distinguished informational book for children published in the United States in English during the preceding year.

Terms include:

Folktales and other traditional literature are not eligible. There are no other limitations as to the character of the book providing it is an original work.

Honor books may be named. They are books that are also truly distinguished.

The award is restricted to authors, author/illustrator, co-authors, or author and illustrator named on the title page who are citizens or residents of the United States. ALL authors and illustrators credited on the title page must meet award eligibility criteria.

The award is restricted to original work first published in the United States.

The committee is to consider in its deliberations only books eligible for the award as specified in the terms.

The award may be given posthumously.

Definitions
Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable, factual material.

Significant contribution is gauged by how well the work elucidates, clarifies and enlivens its subject. The committee considers overall accuracy, documentation, organization, visual material and book design.

Children's literature is defined as the body of books published for an intended and potential child audience. Such books display respect for children's understanding, abilities, and appreciation. Children range from birth through age fourteen. Books for the entire range are to be considered.

Distinguished is defined as noted for significant achievement; marked by quality, excellence, or eminence; distinctive.

Author and Illustrator may include co-authors or author-illustrators. Illustrator may include persons credited on the title page for visual material. A LL authors and illustrators credited on the title page must meet award eligibility criteria.

Original work is defined as follows:

"Original work" means that the text (or illustrations and other graphic material, as applicable) was created by this writer or artist and no one else.

Further, "original work" means that the text is presented here for the first time and has not been previously published elsewhere in this or any other form. Substantial contents compiled from other sources are not eligible. Abridgements are not eligible.
It is understood that in informational books some key elements such as archival images and documents, and other primary source materials may have appeared elsewhere. Indeed the fact that such images and texts are artifacts of, for example, a person, time period, scientific process, or mode of exploration may enhance their value as elements of informational works.

First published in the United States means that books first published in previous years in other countries are not eligible. Books published simultaneously in the U.S. and another country may be eligible. Books published in a U.S. territory, or U.S. commonwealth are eligible.

In English means that the committee considers only books written and published in English. This requirement DOES NOT limit the use of words or phrases in another language where appropriate in context.

Published in the preceding year means that the book has a publication date in that year, was available for purchase in that year, and has a copyright date no later than that year. A book might have a copyright date prior to the year under consideration but, for various reasons, was not published until the year under consideration. If a book is published prior to its year of copyright as stated in the book, it shall be considered in its year of copyright as stated in the book. The intent of the definition is that every book be eligible for consideration, but that no book be considered in more than one year.

Resident is defined as someone who has established and maintains a residence in the United States, U.S. territory, or U.S. commonwealth as distinct from being a casual or occasional visitor.

The phrase only the books eligible for the award specifies that the committee is to consider only eligible books, not an author's body of work or previous accolades.
Criteria
In identifying the most distinguished informational book for children from the preceding year, committee members consider important elements and qualities:

Excellent, engaging, and distinctive use of language.

Excellent, engaging, and distinctive visual presentation.

Appropriate organization and documentation.

Clear, accurate, and stimulating presentation of facts, concepts, and ideas.

Appropriate style of presentation for subject and for intended audience.

Supportive features (index, table of contents, maps, timelines, etc).

Respectful and of interest to children.

Not every book relies equally on every element. The committee need not find excellence in every element listed above but only in those relevant to the book.

The book must be a self-contained entity, not dependent on other media for enjoyment.

The Sibert Award is presented to honor distinguished informational books for children. The award is not presented for didactic intent or for popularity.

Manual and Committee Information

Please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/aboutalsc/coms (scroll down to Priority Group - Awards) for an up to date list of committee members.

Please Note: The following links are resources for book award committee members. These recordings are part of the Bill Morris Seminar that took place at ALA Midwinter in Denver 2018.

[Adopted by the ALSC Board, January 2000; Revised January 2002; January 2004; January 2005; Annual 2008. Annual 2015.]

Submission Information

How to submit books for consideration for the Sibert Medal:

Complete the award submission form.

Review theterms and criteriafor the award. You can also review the committee manual for comprehensive information about the Sibert Medal.

Mail one copy of the book to the award committee chair. Address information available upon completion of submission form (see first bullet above).

The deadline for submitting works is December 31, 2023.

ALSC membership is not a requirement to submit your work.

If you wish, you may attach a cover letter with your contact information to your final work. There is no entry fee for the Sibert Medal.

Please note:

The ALSC office is only requesting for one copy to be sent to the committee chair. Standards are in place for the committee members to review and share submissions.

Neither the ALSC office nor the committee chair can confirm receipt of submissions. If you would like to confirm delivery receipt of your submission please use a tracking number for your package. Submissions that are dropped off in-person to the ALSC office will not be accepted.

The ALSC office cannot answer eligibility questions or advise on which award your submission is eligible for. It is up to you to review the terms and criteria and if you feel you qualify, submit as appropriate. Eligibility is determined by the committee and is confidential.

The book and media awards are announced each year at ALA's LibLearnX meeting in January.
Deadline for submitting books is December 31 of the publication year. FAQs about ALSC's Book & Media Awards Program

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Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal

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The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc.

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Orbis Pictus Award (Nonfiction for Children)

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In an exquisitely executed and lyrical dual text, Larson parallels the birth of a star with the growing curiosity and discoveries of scientist Cecilia Payne. Painterly depictions of star development complement the more loosely drawn scenes of Payne's life. Rich back matter provides even more information.

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Understanding-and Teaching-the Five Kinds of Nonfiction

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In the last 25 years, informational books for young readers have undergone exciting and dramatic changes, evolving into five distinct categories. Nonfiction author Melissa Stewart lays out the distinctions, offers book recommendations, and suggests an activity for young readers.

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Building World Knowledge: Motivating Children to Read and Enjoy Informational Text

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Exposing young children to informational text early on can help them to handle the literacy demands of fourth grade and beyond. Practical instructional techniques can be used to promote understanding and enjoyment of informational texts. The three techniques described here - Text Impression, Guiding Questions, and the Retelling Pyramid - can help children become familiar with the language and structure of non-fiction books.

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Bustle article about how diverse childrens literature is.

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Bustle article about how diverse childrens literature is.

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You hear about it so often these days that you just might wonder: How diverse is children's literature, really? The numbers have been improving slowly, but they remain far from true representation. Now, a new, shareable infographic has the numbers you need to talk about diversity in kidlit, and - admittedly - the outlook is pretty grim.

Since 1985, the University of Wisconsin - Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) has compiled data on diversity in children's book publishing. For the first few years, the CCBC concerned itself only with those books that were written or illustrated by black authors. In 1994, researchers "began also keeping track of the numbers of books by Asian/Pacific and Asian/Pacific American, First/Native Nation and Latino book creators," as well as those books written about people of color by authors of any race.

Several years ago, children's book illustrator Tina Kügler created a widely circulated infographic, "Diversity in Children's Books 2012," which used then-current data from the CCBC. At the time, 93 percent of children's books were about white or non-human characters*.

Although the numbers have changed in the years since Kügler first published her illustration, it has remained in use. In response to St. Catherine University professor Sarah Park Dahlen's request for information on an updated version, a chain reaction led to illustrator David Huyck's involvement. Huyck created a new infographic on diversity in children's literature, and released it under a Creative Commons license.

The good news is that children's literature is roughly twice as diverse now as it was in 2012. The number of white and non-human characters is down to 85.8 percent. Representation for black characters has more than doubled, while Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander characters are also showing huge gains over their 2012 numbers. Unfortunately, the numbers are still low across the board, and Native American and First Nations characters continue to make up less than 1 percent of children's book characters. Books about people of color only barely outpace those about animals, trucks, and other non-human characters.

No wonder Marley Dias got tired of reading about white boys and dogs.

We need diverse books, so that children grow up seeing themselves reflected in the stories they read. White children have no problem locating books about people who look like them, but children of color do not have that luxury. Although 37 percent of people in the U.S. are not white, only 10 percent of children's books published since 1994 "contain[ed] multicultural content," according to Lee & Low Books.

Although children's book publishing appears to be slowly growing more diverse, it remains to be seen whether the trend toward inclusive content will continue in this matter. Gains in representation can be lost just as quickly as they were made, as this year's Man Booker Prize shortlist shows.

So buy diverse books. Talk to your local librarian about creating a more inclusive selection. Pursue the stories of people from marginalized communities, and support the storytellers. Do your part, and we can make sure every kid has a representative bookshelf.
*The exact percentage of books about non-human characters is not accounted for on Kügler's infographic, but it is a distinct category on David Huyck's image. Image: David Huyck/Dropbox

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How Diverse Is Children's Literature? This Infographic Tells The Disturbing Truth

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You hear about it so often these days that you just might wonder: How diverse is children's literature, really? The numbers have been improving slowly, but they remain far from true representation. Now, a new, shareable infographic has the numbers yo

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Diverse Book Finder - Bates College Collection Analysis Tool.

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Diverse Book Finder - Bates College Collection Analysis Tool.

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Home | Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool (CAT)

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Read part 2 of the Diversity Audit blog series here! Read the third part of the diversity audit blog series here!
I first heard the term "diversity audit" earlier this past school year. I knew it was something I wanted to do, but I did not know how to approach it. This past spring I was fortunate that my district "sent" me to a virtual mini-institute hosted by Library Journal called "Auditing, Evaluating, and Diversifying the Library Collection."

This mini-institute gave me a lot of excellent information about diverse books, authors, and #ownvoices, which naturally helped reinforce the importance of doing a diversity audit. Unfortunately it did not really provide any practical "how-to" information to help me understand exactly how to do a diversity audit. I've google'd around a bit and stumbled across a few School Library Journal posts and blogs about diversity audits, but again, I have not really found any comprehensive practical guides. So I am figuring it out as I go, and figured I'd write about my process here. There may be better ways to do this, but this is the way I have come up with, and so far it seems to be working!

Getting Started

**I think a diversity audit, much like a genrefication, makes more sense after your collection has been weeded, since it means less titles to audit. However, the case could also be made for doing it before weeding because you could then use the audit info to help in deciding if a book should be weeded of not**

Why do a Diversity Audit?

First I think it is important to do some PD on the We Need Diverse Books and the #Ownvoices movements, if you are not already familiar with them. In this blog post I am not going to cover the reasons it is important to intentionally, and even aggressively, be working to diversify our collections. That conversation could really take up an entire blog series of its own, so I'm going to proceed here with the assumption that the reader already agrees with the necessity and is just looking for a guide to help get started on a diversity audit! If you need more information on why its important to build diverse collections, check out the linked sites above.

You may also want to google around a bit to read up more information on Diversity Audits in general, before you proceed. I believe a diversity audit is a critical step in building truly representative collections, because no matter how well we think we are doing at this, I promise that our unconscious biases are getting in our way, without us knowing.

We may think we are building representative collections, but we need concrete data to be sure. There is a reason that the Master of Library & Information Science is a master's science degree. Librarianship is a science, and data and research should be the fuel driving our collection development, and other, decisions and goals. Regardless of whether you have the MSLIS degree or not, you're here because you are ready to jump into the science of a diversity audit. Yay! So let's get to it.

Choosing Your Categories

After you have decided to move forward, and have gathered your initial background information, it is time to choose your categories. Meaning you need to decide what types of diversity you want to account for in your audit. It can be as simple as just a couple categories like: Author/character ethnicity: white, not white, lgbtqia+ or not etc or it can be more comprehensive as you want.

I chose to do a very, VERY comprehensive audit instead of a simple one, so I currently have 36 different categories. One reason I decided to be comprehensive is that I have committed my professional goal for this year to being truly aggressive about decentralizing whiteness and decolonizing my practice, myself, and my library collection. I also figured that since, no matter how many categories you audit for, you still need to analyze every single book individually, it makes sense to do as many categories as you want. I am always of the mind that if you are going to take the time to do something then you might as well do it the right way (or comprehensively) so you don't have to go back and do it again later. I also had some categories that I knew would be of particular interest to many of my students, such as "1st generation american," "immigrant," "biracial," "adopted," etc. Here are the categories I chose to audit for:

Author:

white, cis, straight, nondisabled, neurotypical male

white, cis, straight, nondisabled, neurotypical female

diverse author (something other than white, cis, straight, nondisabled, neurotypical)

#ownvoices (book is written by a diverse author AND the character has the same ethnic, racial, gender, sexuality, etc identity as the author)

Main Characters:

Initial Identity markers
Male, Female, Nonbinary/Trans, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Asian (broken up by region of asia), biracial or "BIPOC unspecified,"

Additional Identity Markers
plus size, lgbtqia+, immigrant, 1st gen american, physical disability or chronic illness, neurodiverse or learning disability, nonholocaust related Jewish, holocaust related Jewish, Muslim, Homelessness, Adopted, #ownvoices joy, mental health/trauma, addiction, set outside U.S.

Run Your Copy/Titles Report

I am choosing to record my data collection in an excel spreadsheet instead of inputting everything directly into destiny at first. I will be uploading the information from the spreadsheet into Destiny when I am finished. I decided to work in the spreadsheet directly at first because it is much faster than having to open up and manually alter every single MARC record. Its quicker for me to annotate a spreadsheet and then use the spreadsheet later to create .txt files that I can upload directly into Destiny. I will do that at the end to add each of my data points to the copy records as copy categories. I'll go into that part more in depth further down the blog post.

Now, if you doing your audit by genre, you'll want to filter the results so it only shows one genre at a time. You do this by selecting the row showing your categories and then go up to the top of the spreadsheet to click the "sort & filter" button. All of the column headers will now show a white square with an arrow in it (seen above). You can click on the arrow for the sublocation column and then deselect "select all" and only select the genre you want to start with. You'll notice that the spreadsheet now only shows books within the chosen genre. You can later remove this filter by selecting the "sort & filter" button again at any time.

Start Auditing / Researching

Now that everything is set up, it is time to go through the list one book at a time, filling out the audit report. I used a plethora of tools for this. But first I went through and filled out the ones I knew off the top of my head (lord of the rings, harry potter, etc). Then I went back to the top and worked my way down one at a time.

I relied most heavily on goodreads, but I also had to use google a lot to dig deeper. I start by pulling up the book on goodreads and scanning of "ctrl+F"ing to look for keywords such as "diverse," "poc," "lgbt," "ownvoices," "disability," etc. If I did not think I found everything I needed then I went into google and searched things like "book title + diversity rep"or "book title +lgbt" or "author name + diversity" or "author name + ethnicity/lgbt" and etc.

As I went through each book I just noted my findings by entering a "1" into the cell on excel for that category. Once I got into a groove, I found that I went through an entire genre pretty quickly!

Download My Fantasy Audit Info

You can download my fantasy audit info if you want. If your library has a lot of similar titles you may find it helps you get through your's more quickly. I will add the other genres as I complete them! Please note that for the criteria where I audited the character's diversity, I tried not to use side characters, only main characters. I did not want tokenism to skew my results, so just because a book has an underdeveloped side character of color (like Dean in Harry Potter), I did not indicate that on the audit. I only marked off that category if the identity marker belonged to a main or fully developed character. In some books with big casts, like Rick Riordan's recent books, I did include a lot of the characters as long as they were genuinely developed and were not just kind of "token" characters, in my opinion

Reporting Your Findings

Once you finish filling out your audit, you'll next want to compile, analyze, and report your findings. I chose to do this by converting my data into graphs. I have never been much of a numbers person, so the visual component of graphs helps me personally to evaluate the numbers. Graphs are also more successful for sharing on social media, in newsletters, PD sessions, etc.

In order to gather my numbers, I used the "sort & filter" function in excel again. I went through each column one at a time and filtered out the blank cells so that I could capture the number of "tallies" each column/category has. I then input those numbers into a free chart creator I found on google called meta-chart.com. Here are my initial charts:

Add Your Data to Destiny (If you want to)

If you are planning to add your data directly to the destiny records, there are a couple different ways to do that. Some people add the data right into the MARC records. I am still figuring that part out, and figuring out whether that is something I want to do.

I am definitely adding the data to my copy records via copy categories. I am doing this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, patrons can easily browse by copy category, so students looking for books with a specific type of diversity will easily be able to do so on the search page of destiny. Additionally, having the info as copy categories makes it easy to run reports with that info later. It is also very easy to add copy categories in batches using barcode lists, resource lists, sublocation, etc. It is also easy to add them as you catalog new books into destiny. I am a huge fan of copy categories, personally. I use them all the time, even more then I use resource lists of collections.

To create your copy categories go to the "c atalog" page and select the "copy category tab."

Next, add each of your audit categories as a copy category.

Create a .txt file barcode list for each audit category

I do this by going through my excel sheet one column at a time. One by one I filter the spreadhseet by each audit category (column). Then I copy the barcode list and paste it into editpad. org and save it.

First I filter by the first column (audit category)

Then I copy the barcode column

Then I paste the barcode list on an editpad.org and save it. Repeat for each column!

Use barcode list .txt file to batch update Destiny records

Repeat this step for the barcode list for each column category!

What I learned or What I'll Change

One thing I know I'll change is that I will be adding more category columns for the author diversity. My current categories check thoroughly for character diversity inputs, but the author categories are limited to essentially diverse vs nondiverse. I want to have more specific data on the authors so I'll be adding more categories for that.

Happy Diversity Audits, everyone!

I will update this blog post, or maybe write more posts, as I progress further into my audit process. So far I've got about 15% of my fiction collection audited!

If you like my graphic, check out my zazzle store in the link below!

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Read part 2 of the Diversity Audit blog series here!Read the third part of the diversity audit blog series here!I first heard the term "diversity audit" earlier this past school year. I knew it was something I wanted to do, but I did not know how to approach it.

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How to guide and resources - Diversity Audit

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How to guide and resources - Diversity Audit

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Anita Cellucci, 2016 SLJ School Librarian of the Year Finalist, designed programs to encourage mindfulness and support mental health.

Cellucci (bottom left) with a student-led book discussion group
Photo courtesy of Anita Cellucci

Creating a space that is judgment-free has always been high on my list of ways to make a library welcoming, comfortable, and safe. When I was a child, I visited the public library daily after school and inhaled the smells, the silence, and all that was represented in the space-knowledge, freedom, and predictability. I knew I wanted this at my high school library as well. Social emotional learning (SEL) and the five core competencies are vital to the environment I strive for.

Influences

My approach to SEL teaching was initially inspired by Parker Palmer, author of The Courage to Teach (Jossey-Bass, 1998) and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal, where I took several courses. The center's founding mission is to help teachers connect "soul to role" and kindle the passion to teach the whole child. I've also followed the work of educator and author Rachael Kessler, who focuses on SEL, cultural responsiveness, and inclusiveness while teaching. Social psychologist Daniel Goleman's concept of emotional intelligence and a caring classroom has also shaped my thinking, as have educator/authors Brené Brown and Angela Maiers.

Addressing mental health

My educational goal for student learning is to explore empathy and how it relates to mental health stigma, interwoven with art therapy research. Using a grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) for 2015-16, I collaborated with the Westborough Public Library and the Westborough Youth and Family Services to create programs promoting social-emotional wellness. We created curricula for a ninth grade health class and the senior Psychology in Literature class. A collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) resulted in a whole-school program focused on developing empathy for people with mental health conditions, and NAMI representatives visited the Psychology in Literature group. Other programming included Yoga, Mindfulness, and a Poets-in-Residence program.

I've also completed NAMI Basics, a six-week course on the challenges of children or adolescents with mental health conditions, and received certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid after participating in an eight-hour course that provided a five-step action plan for helping youth in crisis and noncrisis situations. In the library, I use this knowledge to be alert to students who may need support from our guidance department. (I'll co-present on how libraries can help improve students' mental health at our state school and public library conferences in May).

Bibliotherapy

This year, we piloted a strong bibliotherapy program with school behavior health professionals. Our program is a therapeutic approach to using literature to support mental health. We include the adjustment counselor, the behavior health counselors, and the psychologists. We currently have two approaches. In the first, the colleague working with the student will inform me of the student and the issue, and I will suggest a relevant book. The student reads independently and checks in with either the counselor or myself. In the second, I suggest books, and students make an appointment to meet with me, allowing them to build a relationship with the library and librarian. The administration supports my vision of the library as a space for wellness and safety given my training in mental health.

We've noticed several outcomes since starting bibliotherapy.

* Students are open to bibliotherapy as a way to engage with their emotions. * They talk to the librarian about how these books help them. * They look forward to the meetings with the librarian as a way to find a moment of quiet reflection and to create a personal connection with a trusted adult in a safe space. * Students say that they view the library as a peaceful, fun, healthy place that is focused on their needs.

Six Ways To Try SEL at Your Library

* Create material displays that demonstrate awareness, cultural diversity, and student voice (materials developed by students and/or with student input).

* Facilitate school-wide events that promote: literacy through diversity, breaking stigma, and student voice.

* Write grants to bring in SEL-related programs: yoga, reflective writing, slam poetry, community art, and forums.

* Collaborate with community organizations including the public library, mental health providers, and family-service organizations.

* Collaborate with the school's counseling department and others to design programming with SEL elements.

* Partner with the special education department on individualized and differentiated instruction, assistive technology, and literacy.

More SEL library programs

Our Teen Advisory Board, a joint club with the public library, is planning a prom dress drive to help provide an outfit to every girl in the community who wants to attend the prom but may not have the financial means. The group is also working on a photojournalism project to spread kindness and awareness about community residents.

We run book clubs with the GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance)/LGBTQ, grief counseling, divorce, and new student groups.

v With other educators in my school, I participate in training sessions and a book discussion on DBT Skills (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), including strategies for mindfulness and distress tolerance (coping skills for long- or short-term pain, in this case emotional).

Last year I purchased an oversized coloring sheet for a de-stressing library coloring project during finals. It's now on display, and I also always have additional coloring projects out for students and teachers.

I collaborate with teachers using Guided Inquiry Design, a framework for inquiry-based learning that allows space for students to reflect on their learning habits and attitudes.

SLJ 2016 School Librarian of the Year finalist Anita Cellucci is a library teacher at Westborough (MA) High School.

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How My School Library Embraces Social Emotional Learning

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Anita Cellucci, 2016 SLJ School Librarian of the Year Finalist, designed programs to encourage mindfulness and support mental health. Cellucci (bottom left) with a student-led book discussion group Photo courtesy of Anita Cellucci Creating a space that is judgment-free has always been high on my list of ways to make a library welcoming, comfortable, and safe.

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Newton South High School Library

140 Brandeis Road
Newton, MA 02459
call: (617) 559-6561
nshslibrary@newton.k12.ma.us

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NSHS guides: Summer Reading Lists and Resources : Summer Reading Lists

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2014 - Bay Path Vocational Technical High School, Charlton Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan
2013 - Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Bishop Stang High School
2013 - The Miracle of Father Kapaun By Roy Wenzl and Travis Heyin

Mt. Alvernia High School
2012 - grades 7 & 8 read Home of the Brave;
- grades 9-12 read both Home of the Brave and Strength in What Remains
Theme: theology, immigration.

2011 - grades 7 & 8 read Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
- grades 9-12 read The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Theme: theology, civil rights.

2012 - Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2011 - Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Two Schools, One Book with Newton South HS)

2016 One School, One Question :

"Who has power in America's Democracy?"

Students choose one title from these five:

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

2013 - Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
2012 -
2010 - This I Believe II ed.
2009 - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
2008 - Farhenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2011 - Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Two Schools, One Book with Newton North HS)

Salem High School (9th, 10th, 11th grades)
2014 - The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

2014 - A St. Joseph Preparatory High School, Cambridge
Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton

Waltham High School and Waltham Community - Waltham Reads
2014 - Waltham Reads
2013 - Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Peter Nelson.

Wilmington High School
2013 - Grades 9 & !0 - Ice Time by Jay Atkinson
Grades 11 & 12 - Legends of Winter Hill by Jay Atkinson

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NSHS guides: Summer Reading Lists and Resources : One School One Book

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2014 - Bay Path Vocational Technical High School, Charlton Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan 2013 - Unwind by Neal Shusterman Bishop Stang High School 2013 - The Miracle of Father Kapaun By Roy Wenzl and Travis Heyin Mt.

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Graphic biographies have long been a staple of school and library publishers. Even in the dark ages of the 1980s and 1990s, when graphic novels for young readers all but disappeared from bookstores and comic shops, educational publishers kept producing them, perhaps for the obvious reason that children like them.

As the graphic format has grown in recent years, so have the number and variety of graphic biographies. Publishers and creators are finding new people to profile and new formats for bringing their stories to readers. Many graphic biographies are coming over from France, where the format has long been popular.

These titles raise the same issue as all biographies, plus a few more. Accuracy is key, and with graphic biographies, that includes images depicting the setting as well as the facts of the subject's life. A good biographer will consult contemporary images to ensure that clothing, objects, and backgrounds are correct for the period. Many graphic biographies, like their prose counterparts, include source notes or a bibliography. Every biographer must decide which events to include and which to omit, as well as what context to provide. Some authors discuss those choices in a helpful introduction or afterword.

In addition, graphic biographies allow creators to distinguish reconstructed dialogue from actual quotes by changing the lettering style, often including the sources in the margins or endnotes. Here are 10 recent and upcoming graphic biographies that are worth a look.

Before They Were Artists: Famous Illustrators as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle (Etch/HMH, April 2021)
Gr 3 Up -Haidle follows the same structure as in her earlier title, Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, telling the life story of six children's book illustrators (Wanda Gág, Tove Jansson, Hayao Miyazaki, Yuyi Morales, Jerry Pinkney, and Maurice Sendak) in six chapters. While the emphasis is on the subjects' childhood and artistic development, Haidle does cover their adult lives as well. Each chapter opens with a two-page spread showing the illustrator, their creations, and a time line of their life and work, then depicts their artistic growth using text boxes rather than speech balloons. Haidle relies on simple shapes and soft colors to build eye-pleasing scenes. Source notes and a bibliography for each artist are appended.

Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful, by Darryl Cunningham (Drawn and Quarterly, April 2021)
Gr 11 Up -Using his signature simplified style, Cunningham examines the lives, careers, and outsize influence of Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers, and Jeff Bezos. This is a book with a point of view: in the introduction, Cunningham states that all the profiles are of white males because "the richest people in the world are largely white and male," adding that because they control so much of society, including media and the economy, society tends to reflect their values. As he tells each story, Cunningham points out examples of corruption, undue political influence, and environmental crimes that hurt ordinary people but go unpunished; he also highlights the social benefits, when they occur, that stemmed from the work of these men, from advocacy to changes in the way we do business. Cunningham, the author of Psychiatric Tales, How to Fake a Moon Landing, and The Age of Selfishness, has extensively researched his subjects and provides several pages of references, including books and news articles archived on the web. While dry in places, this graphic work is a good choice for students interested in economics and public policy.

Chasin' the Bird: A Charlie Parker Graphic Novel, by Dave Chisholm (Z2, 2020)
Gr 10 Up -Chisholm's book focuses on two years Parker spent in California, from 1945 to 1947. In five chapters, each drawn in a different style, five people relate their encounters with Parker: a painter, a photographer, a sculptor with whom he had a brief affair, a fellow saxophonist, and the record producer who handled Parker's work. Chisholm conveys the duality of Parker's genius (with stunning visual interpretations of his music) and his addiction to drugs and alcohol, sometimes depicting his illness as a malevolent shadow in the background but also showing his recklessness. Parker has deep conversations about art and life with the five narrators, but he also gets into trouble and is admitted to a mental institution, where he starts to get his life back on track. The book ends with Parker's triumphant return to performing onstage in January 1947, when he was perhaps at his peak. The introduction is by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"Corpse Talk," by Adam and Lisa Murphy (DK, 2020-21)
Gr 5-8 -Each chapter in this series of collected biographies is set up as a talk show interview with the subject's reanimated corpse. The Murphys bring cheeky humor and a perceptive eye to these short bios, which consist of an introduction, a four-page interview, and a spread that thoroughly details one of the subject's achievements. The result is a wealth of content delivered in a conversational, easy-to-read tone. Each book profiles a broad range of people, some well known, some less so, and the authors have a strong mix of basic information and fun facts. Corpse Talk: Groundbreaking Women and Corpse Talk: Groundbreaking Scientists are out now, and Corpse Talk: Kings and Queens and Other Royal Rotters is scheduled for April 2021.

The Incredible Nellie Bly: Journalist, Investigator, Feminist, and Philanthropist, by Luciana Cimino, illustrated by Sergio Algozzino (Abrams ComicArts, March 2021)
Gr 6 Up -A female reporter in the late 19th century, Nellie Bly went where few women dared-or were even permitted. She made her bones as a journalist by working undercover in a mental hospital, feigning illness to get through the doors to document the terrible treatment of the patients. Later, as a publicity stunt, she outdid the fictional Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, by traveling around the globe in just 72 days. In this graphic novel set in 1921, she recounts her experiences to a journalism student facing the same sexism Bly encountered. The story focuses on Bly's most active period, when she was in her 20s and 30s, but the introduction by journalist David Randall provides a broader look at her life. Algozzino uses simple, gestural lines and a limited palette, and at the end of the book, he briefly explains how he developed the character designs. The book also includes a bibliography and a spread depicting other prominent women journalists.

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band, by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy (IDW, 2020)
Gr 6 Up -The band Redbone is best known for the 1974 hit "Come and Get Your Love," which saw renewed interest when it was used in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy, but there was much more to them than that. This graphic novel, originally published in France, is framed as an interview of Pat Vegas, who formed the backbone of the group with his brother Lolly. As Pat chats with his wife and daughter, flashbacks appear as comics within the comic with a different style and palette. These comics show the Vegas brothers playing on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, forming Redbone, touring, weathering controversy, and finally breaking up and going their own ways. Musicians such as Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix make cameo appearances; this band really got around! The conversation also drifts to more general topics, including residential schools, the American Indian Movement, and Wounded Knee. The book features a discography, a bibliography, an actual interview with Pat Vegas, and an afterword by Staebler. (This book is available in Spanish and English.)

Seen: Edmonia Lewis, by Jasmine Walls, illustrated by Bex Glendining (BOOM! Box, 2020)
Gr 7-9 -Edmonia Lewis was a sculptor of Ojibwe and Haitian parentage who gained national and then international renown in the late 19th and early 20th century. Walls and Glendining depict the discrimination Lewis experienced at an integrated school. Later, when she moved to Boston, she was frequently featured in abolitionist publications but felt that the writers were more interested in their cause than in her art. Finally, she moved to Rome, where she believed she would not be "constantly reminded of my color." Lewis faced many challenges and could herself be a difficult person, and the creators don't shy away from any of that, producing a well-rounded biography of an intriguing artist.

Teddy, by Laurence Luckinbill, adapted by Eryck Tait (Dead Reckoning, January 2021)
Gr 7 Up -An adaptation of Luckinbill's one-man show, this graphic novel features Teddy Roosevelt telling the story of his life, from asthmatic youngster to aging former president, where the comics format lets the creators expand on the possibility of the theatrical performance. Tait weaves a bird motif through the images, which adds a poignant note: Luckinbill's show is based on a speech that Roosevelt gave in 1918 on the day he learned his youngest son had been killed in World War I. The result is a full portrait of the 26th president, who too often is portrayed merely as the caricature he created of himself.

Why She Wrote, by Hannah K. Chapman and Laurel Burke, illustrated by Kaley Bales (Chronicle, April 2021)
Gr 9 Up -This lively, colorful collection of 18 short comics about prominent women writers groups its subjects in trios according to topic, from gothic horror to control of copyright. Each section starts with a short biographical essay that offers context for the comic that follows. The book also includes a complete bibliography for each writer and more resources in the back matter. Both the essays and the comics have a casual tone that focuses on the personalities and struggles of each writer as well as the part that writing played in her life. While most of the writers covered are white and European, three of the 18 are women of color. Subjects range from the usual suspects (Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, who also crashes both of her sisters' comics) to some who are lesser known, such as diarist Anne Lister, who lived openly as a lesbian in early 19th-century Yorkshire. Chapman and Burke are the team behind the podcast Bonnets at Dawn.

Women Discoverers: Top Women in Science, by Marie Moinard, illus. by Christelle Pecout (NBM, March 2021)
Gr 7 Up -Comics chapters covering the entire working life of five scientists-Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Mae Jemison, Hedy Lamarr, and Ada Lovelace-are interspersed with one-page vignettes about other scientists. The storytelling in the comics is very compressed, so there are big time skips between panels, and many of the conversations within are of the sort where people remind one another of their shared past. Nonetheless, the dialogue feels natural, and the authors provide a lot of information in a compact and readable form. The art is straightforward, with a delicacy of line and color that sets it apart from most comics biographies. While Why She Wrote focuses on emotion and motivation, Women Discoverers takes a much more just-the-facts approach. Both are readable and useful but in very different ways.

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10 Graphic Biographies Bring Notable Figures to Life | Stellar Panels

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Graphic biographies have long been a staple of school and library publishers. Even in the dark ages of the 1980s and 1990s, when graphic novels for young readers all but disappeared from bookstores and comic shops, educational publishers kept producing them, perhaps for the obvious reason that children like them.

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As we experienced Wonder by R. J. Palacio as our class read aloud, we used the following pages as a visual guide to the book. Sometimes the images helped us see people or objects or places that were unfamiliar to us. Sometimes the descriptions helped us better understand the significance of an event. Hearing the songs and reading the lyrics helped us understand why they were chosen to introduce different parts.

No, none of it is really needed to read and understand Wonder. Children's imaginations are completely up to the task of creating mental images to match the text they read. But there are certain descriptions, certain situations, where readers deserve to see exactly what Auggie describes to them. If Ms. Petosa looks like Mon Mothma, then let's see Mon Mothma. That's why Auggie gave us that comparison. At the same time, I'll quickly admit that some images were chosen just for fun, hopefully without detracting from the text, and all were chosen with our class in mind first and foremost.

If you are using these pages as you read Wonder, we'd love to hear about your experience. Are the pages helpful? Are they a distraction? Did we miss anything that you or your class feel should have been included? Please leave a comment and we'll be sure to respond.

Here are all the pages:

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As we experienced Wonder by R. J. Palacio as our class read aloud, we used the following pages as a visual guide to the book. Sometimes the images helped us see people or objects or places that were unfamiliar to us. Sometimes the descriptions helped us better understand the significance of an event.

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List of TTT 2021 Nominees with Full Annotations

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The cost of books and funding literacy programs can add up. But, that should never prohibit students from learning something new or getting lost in a good book. So, what's the best solution when district and school budgets are tight? Try applying for a grant!

Grants can be publicly or privately funded, and they offer money to be used for usually specific purposes that does NOT need to be repaid. Luckily, there is no shortage of grants available for educators. Here, we've compiled a wide-ranging list of some of the best literacy grants out there for educators organized by intended purpose.*

Grants for Literacy Initiatives

The Mazda Foundation (USA) awards grants to promote a variety of programs, including education and literacy. Committed to giving back primarily to the communities where Mazda and its employees live and work to build a better, brighter future, the Mazda Foundation has made contributions exceeding $13.4 million since its founding in 1992.

Believe in Reading targets existing and provably successful literacy programs that serve populations who show out-of-the-ordinary needs, such as geographic areas with low reading scores and high poverty levels. Grants of up to $10,000 (although new applicants are rarely funded for more than $3,000) may be awarded and are renewable for up to three years.

Named after the children's book author and Newbery medalist, the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation awards grants to organizations that operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth. The grants are for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8. Grants range from $500 to $3,000 and are specifically for book purchases.

In commemoration of the author and beloved school speaker, Paula Danziger, the Society of

Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Amber Brown Grant awards one school each year with an author or illustrator visit and $250 worth of new books by the visiting author/illustrator to continue Paula's love of connecting children with creative influences.

The Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry perpetuates the art of poetry in American culture and allows organizations to apply for awards between $1,000 and $10,000 to be used on programs that expand awareness of the positive effects of poetry on society.

ProLiteracy's National Book Fund (NBF) makes grants to adult literacy and adult basic education programs. The NBF supports the following initiatives: basic literacy, adult education, English-language instruction, GED/HSE preparation, and family literacy. Grants have ranged from $500 to $2,000, although greater or lesser funding amounts are considered.

Grants for School Libraries

The American Library Association (ALA) presents this $5,000 award annually for exemplary humanities programming in libraries that serve children in grades K-8. It is named after retired school librarian and long-term ALA member Sara Jaffarian. The humanities program can be focused in such areas as social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, foreign language, and culture. It should be initiated and coordinated by the school librarian and should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it.

Grants for Literacy Leaders

Corwin Literacy Leader Award presented by ILA
Applications accepted between November 15 and March 15 annually

The International Literacy Association (ILA) presents this award to a district or school administrative literacy leader who has recognized the importance of building a culture of literacy within a school or district by offering literacy professional development, instructional resource support, and/or developing specific literacy programs to build capacity and increase student literacy achievement. It is sponsored by Corwin Literacy, a SAGE Publishing company. Candidates must be an ILA member.

Need some additional resources to aid you in the grant application process? We've compiled a few of our best resources to get you started!
*Many of these grants are awarded annually. Grant awards and due dates are as accurate as possible as of February 2021 but are subject to change. Always check specific grant websites for the most up-to-date and accurate application information.

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8 Educator Grants for Reading & Literacy

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The cost of books and funding literacy programs can add up. But, that should never prohibit students from learning something new or getting lost in a good book. So, what's the best solution when district and school budgets are tight?

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Excelsior Awards

Since it's inception in 2011, the Excelsior Award is the only nationwide book award for graphic novels and manga - where kids aged 11-18 decide the winner by rating each book as they read it!

2020 Shortlist
The books on the Excelsior Award Blue shortlst have been designated as suitable for children aged 11+

2019 Shortlist The books on the Excelsior Award White shortlist have been designated as suitable for children aged 9+

The books on the Excelsior Award Blue shortlst have been designated as suitable for children aged 11+

2018 Shortlist

The following books formed the shortlist for the 2018 Excelsior Award Junior and were designated as suitable for children aged 9-11

2017 Shortlist
The following books formed the shortlist for the 2017 Excelsior Award Junior and were designated as suitable for children aged 9-11

2015 Shortlist

The following books formed the shortlist for the 2015 Excelsior Award Junior and were designated as suitable for children aged 9-11

Various Literary Award Winners

The Pura Belpré Award is a recognition presented to a Latino or Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was established in 1996. It was given every other year since 1996 until 2009 when it was changed to be given annually.

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards.

The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., this award recognizes outstanding African American authors and illustrators, and is awarded for books about the African-American experience that are written for a youth audience (high school or elementary).

The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001 with support from Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., is awarded annually to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year.

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.

Polygon's 50 Best Comics for Kids!

View the full list here.

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LibGuides: Comics & Graphic Novels for Kids!: Award Winners

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This year, elementary students will be encouraged to read or be read to as much as they can from their favorite authors and about their favorite topics . Our Summer Reading Lists are a family resource, and while each book is not required, texts from this list are sure to be enjoyed by our students. This format was chosen to celebrate and encourage student growth and family interaction throughout the long days of summer. Students will receive recognition for completing and returning their Summer of Fun C alendars as our new school year begins.

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LPS Summer Assignments - Elementary Summer Reading

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This year, elementary students will be encouraged to read or be read to as much as they can from their favorite authors and about their favorite topics. Our Summer Reading Lists are a family resource, and while each book is not required, texts from this list are sure to be enjoyed by our students.

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Early Readers vs. Picture Books article by Horn Book

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Early Readers vs. Picture Books article by Horn Book

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Some of you know that I have served on the Caldecott and Geisel committees-two equally rewarding experiences.

Some of you know that I have served on the Caldecott and Geisel committees-two equally rewarding experiences. The Geisel Award is given annually to "the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year." It's a relatively new award, so it's interesting to see how the different committees interpret what a book for beginning reader is.

Some books straddle both the picture book and early reader worlds- First the Egg won an honor in both categories in 2008-and it will be interesting to see what great books for new readers were published this year and which ones might also be considered distinguished picture books.

Books for new readers tend to have a few characteristics that are not required for picture books. The font is usually clear and readable, so the eye easily knows where to go next. The vocabulary is generally limited to words that are sight words or can be decoded easily using the rules of phonics. Sentences tend to be simple and do not extend over a page turn. The book should appeal to new readers who are about five to eight years old (as opposed to many easy-to-read books with themes that appeal to toddlers and babies). The illustrations are critical in books for new readers and need to directly reflect the text, helping give clues about harder words and tell the story. You see I have used words like "usually" and "generally" and "tend to" when I list off the characteristics of a beginning reader. That's because it's impossible to find a truly distinguished book that simply follows a formula. Writing and illustrating an excellent book for new readers is very difficult, even when writers like Mo Willems make it look easy.

When people ask me how the discussions differed on the two committees, I break no rules of confidentiality when I say there was little difference. On both committees we referred to the criteria, examined both the text and the art carefully and considered the child reader. On both committees, we were encouraged to share the books with children, but on Geisel we carefully watched the reader to see if the book was truly easy-to-read or not. But, in the end, it always comes back to the criteria.

There are a number of books on our new list that just might straddle both worlds: Underground, Gingerbread Man Loose in the School and I Want my Hat Back pop to mind.

Just something to ponder as you begin reading through the new titles --which is exactly what I should be doing right now.

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Calling Caldecott | Early readers vs. Picture books

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Some of you know that I have served on the Caldecott and Geisel committees-two equally rewarding experiences. Some of you know that I have served on the Caldecott and Geisel committees-two equally rewarding experiences. The Geisel Award is given annually to "the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year."

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Where are my books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
The Book Hog

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If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen,

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A Perfectly Messed up story by Patrick McDonnell.

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The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Make Way for Dyamond by Nikki Grimes
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds (visual/text hybrid kind of like Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Just Roll with It (graphic novel) by Lee Durfey-Lavoie

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older
Just Harriet by Elana K. Arnold
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's library
Star Gazing by Jen Wang
Class Act by Jerry Craft
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Lions and Liars by Kate Beasley

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A Whole New Way
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Vooks is helping kids around the world fall in love with reading. Purposefully paced narration means that children are read aloud to, while also being able to follow along themselves with highlighted text-connecting what they hear with what they see. This helps improve fluency, comprehension, focus and more. Vooks is a whole new way to experience the joy of reading.

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Vooks is helping kids around the world fall in love with reading. Purposefully paced narration means that children are read aloud to, while also being able to follow along themselves with highlighted text-connecting what they hear with what they see. This helps improve fluency, comprehension, focus and more.

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Elevate traditional media with immersive layers of interactive magic. Novel Effect's ground-breaking voice applications bring the stories you love to life, from the page to the screen-and beyond.

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Novel Effect: A voice-driven storytelling app for kids and families

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Novel Effect is an app for kids and families that uses voice recognition to bring the stories you love to life, from the page to the screen-and beyond.