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I'm always working on something! One of my current projects involves working with my department members on updating our instructional programming. I look to the new ACRL information literacy framework for my guidance on this. For librarians transitioning from the old standards or even from bibliography instruction this can be a challenge. Our conversation yesterday [...]

I woke up about 3am and couldn't go back to sleep. This tends to happen to me every once in a while so, I decided to make good use of my time by considering a blog post. I couldn't help but ponder events that occurred in Durham NC, Charlottesville VA and Seattle WA where overt [...]

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I'm always working on something! One of my current projects involves working with my department members on updating our instructional programming. I look to the new ACRL information literacy framework for my guidance on this. For librarians transitioning from the old standards or even from bibliography instruction this can be a challenge.

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Summer Reading 2016 PDF Picture Books Cumpiano, Ina; illustrated by José Ramírez. Quinito's Neighborhood/El Vecindario de Quinito. Quinito knows and loves everyone in his vivid, busy neighborhood. From his carpenter mami to his dentist primo, Quinito learns about the sense of community in which everyone has an important role.

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Tweets by booktoss

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Booktoss means we, the Literary Gatekeepers, need to be willing to see the problems with books and simply toss them aside. Then there are the books I want to keep, and hold, and pass on to kids and teachers. Books that provide authentic views of lives and people and events. Books that are complex, complicated, heartfelt and heartening. Because there are great authors that don't need to tear down, dehumanize and objectify one community in order to make a point.

For this first iteration Books: Keep or Toss I will be looking at two graphic novels set in China; The Only Child by Guojing and The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff. There will be spoilers, so ... gird your loins.
Book to Keep:
The Only Child by Guojing
Some will argue this is a wordless picturebook. I don't care. I am claiming it as a graphic novel, in the same way I openly claimed Shaun Tan's The Arrival. Some might say, "But Laura. I thought you said graphic novels are book length narratives written in the comics medium and comics utilize images AND language to deliver a unique story."
At this point I'd have to shush you, and open the book because it is gorgeous, and magical, and sad, and heartbreaking, and beautiful. So, stop quoting me at me and look at the book!

The Only Child begins with a short author's note Guojing describes the isolation she "experienced growing up in the 1980s under the one-child policy in China". The book reads as if it is an expression of that isolation, but at the very same time it communicates love for family, a respect for a child's imagination, and the possibilities of magic.

The story centers around a little girl in an industrial city who's parents leave for work in the morning, and she is left to entertain herself in their apartment. Her only companion is a small, toy elk that she takes with her throughout the book.

The entire book is drawn with very fine lines - pencil or charcoal - that give a depth to the objects and spaces. The paper is thick, almost luscious and gives the book a physical heft it deserves. Guojing's paneling is and image placement is deft, and provided me with a clear idea of what was real and present in the girls life, and what was not. Take a look at the series of panels on the left page ... the little girl is actively engaged in keeping herself entertained. But, each time she engages in play she ends up with a sense of time simply passing.

Now, look at the facing page (right side). The girl has settled in and is looking at a photo album. Her small hand signals a change in point of view for the reader. We are no longer looking at her play in the apartment. Rather, we are now oriented, as we hold the book, as a co-reader as she holds the photo album.

The book progresses. Things happen. Tension builds as she leaves the apartment, gets on a bus to see her grandmother, and gets lost in the woods. I'm not going to give any further details of the story but I will share the exchange I had with my 12 year old son after he read The Only Child.

"What'd you think?" I asked when he returned the book to me.
"Yeah. Good." He said in typical 12 year old fashion as he headed to the fridge.
"Can I get more words?" I pushed.
"Great drawings. The clouds were amazing. The kid was cute."
"Did you laugh? Cry? Anything?"
He looked at me, rolling his eyes and sighing, "Well, yeah. All of that. What do you think I am, some kind of monster?" The implied dumb-ass was clear. Of course he had all the feelings. How could he not?

I highly, insistently, and obnoxiously recommend this wordless graphic novel for a microcosm level look at the ways the Chinese one-child policy affected a generation.
Book to Toss: The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff
This graphic novel also begins with an authors note. But, instead of a note from the actual author, it is an excerpt from The Economist (July 26, 2007) about a cultural practice in China called "corpse brides" wherein brides are procured for unmarried dead men.

According to Amazon Undertaking is about "Deshi, a hapless young man living in northern China, is suddenly expelled from ordinary life when his brother dies in an accident. Holding Deshi responsible for his brother's death, his parents send him on a mission to acquire a corpse bride to accompany his brother into the afterlife, in accordance with an ancient Chinese tradition that has many modern adherents" ( https://www.amazon.com/Undertaking-Lily-Chen-Danica-Novgorodoff/dp/1596435860).

Yeah. Many.

The salacious nature of the term "corpse bride" set off a warning flag. The term predisposes the reader towards a "Isn't China just so weird and different"? stance that I have seen far too many times. Anytime I see cultural practices used as plot devices I'm skeptical.

Novgorodoff's characters are drawn as caricatures of people but even given this more abstract and absurdist style she relies on some tried and true racist and sexist tropes.

Deshi meets up with a bride merchant (pictured) who is actually has a "fu manchu" mustache which, if you have ever seen any evil Asian characters immediately signals he is up to no good. In fact, he convinces Deshi that to be a real man and a good son he must find a kill a young woman to be his brother's corpse bride.

Eventually, Lily is introduced into the story. Deshi decides Lily is the girl for his brother and convinces her he'll help her escape marriage her father has arranged. She is drawn with ridiculously thin arms and legs and a huge bobble head. In one scene she sits on a riverbank in supplication before she catches a fish with her bare hands to cook for Deshi. She is looks physically delicate and yet she can catch a fish with her bare hands, gut it and cook it over a campfire, all before Deshi has figured out how to kill her.

Much of the book is spent with Deshi trying and failing to kill Lily while they travel the countryside to "escape" her life on the farm. One night, by the light of a campfire, he climbs on top of her and starts strangling her. She wakes, touches his face tenderly, and they have sex. The whole thing is bizarre.

The combination of racist and misogynist tropes, the exoticism of China, along with the rape and forgiveness storyline make this a graphic novel one to toss. Toss it and move on with your reading life.

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Booktoss means we, the Literary Gatekeepers, need to be willing to see the problems with books and simply toss them aside. Then there are the books I want to keep, and hold, and pass on to kids and teachers. Books that provide authentic views of lives and people and events.

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Diversity as Evolutionary in Children’s Literature: The Blog Effect

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Diversity as Evolutionary in Children’s Literature: The Blog Effect

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Diversity as Evolutionary in Children's Literature: The Blog Effect | Campbell | Children and Libraries

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Diversity as Evolutionary in Children's Literature: The Blog Effect

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This year, we get a little extra. On Day 29, we are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Edi Campbell, an academic librarian who blogs at Crazy Quilts. Edi "works to improve the literacy of teens of color and am a strong ally for all marginalized young people. As part of this effort, I also work to promote authors of color. Reading multiple varieties of text is the basis for all literacies and in becoming literate, we learn how to navigate the world around us." Thank you, Edi, and again, welcome:

It is an honor to be part of the 28 Days celebration. As I've read about works of such outstanding authors and artists over the years, I never even imagined that I'd be part of it; still cannot believe it. I started blogging about marginalized teens almost ten years ago and when I began, I was pretty much on my own. I hadn't discovered people like Hannah Gomez, Nathalie Mvondo, Ari, Karen Lemmons, KC Boyd or Vanessa Irvin who are as active online for our children as they are in person. And I certainly hadn't read the fine, important works by Rudine Sims Bishop, Claudette McLinn, Violet Harris, Jonda McNair, Nancy Tolson, Virginia Hamilton and so many, many others. Ten years ago I knew there weren't enough books published for the Black and Latinx students in the school where I worked and even though I've grown to understand the immensity of the issue, I still simply want to put one more book in one more child's hand and turn one more child into a reader.

If you consider that the whitest industries in America continue to be information industries (publishing, technology, libraries and movies) you should begin to question why that's so. I'm not into conspiracy theories, so I don't believe it's intentionally about mind control, but there does seem to be a very controlled, very white message being perpetrated upon our children. And all I want is one more brown book. One more Jerry Craft, Bil Wright, Brian Walker, L. Divine, Kelli London, NiNi Simone, Nnedi Okorafor, Dia Reeves and Zetta Elliott. One more mirror, one more door. One more Tim Tingle, Cindy Pon, Malinda Lo, Eric Gansworth, Y.S. Lee, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Juan Filipe Herrera, Alex Sanchez and Sheela Chari.

I feel like the next ten years will not look like the past ten years in children's publishing. Libraries are embracing (even creating) self-published books. Twitter, Vine, Instagram and Tumblr are giving voice to the masses allowing us to voice concerns, to announce agendas and to connect directly with those who had been hidden from us. These platforms help us find debut authors and promote their books, to immediately questions portrayals of people and histories and they've created #WeNeedDiverseBooks.
What I've learned over the past 10 years is that I'm not alone, we're not alone and it takes all of us to get that one more book.

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Day 29: Edi Campbell - The Brown Bookshelf

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This year, we get a little extra. On Day 29, we are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Edi Campbell, an academic librarian who blogs at Crazy Quilts. Edi "works to improve the literacy of teens of color and am a strong ally for all marginalized young people.

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Today we kick off our RWW Interviews series with a conversation between Elisa Gall and Edith (Edi) Campbell. Campbell is a Reference/Instruction Librarian at Indiana State University. She has served as the Indiana State Ambassador for USBBY and on the WNDB Walter Award Committee, YALSA's BFYA jury, and CYBILS Nonfiction Awards committee.She is a member of the 2018 Printz Award committee and she works with a team to coordinate the annual We're the People Summer Reading List. She blogs at https://campbele.wordpress.com/ and can be found on Twitter at @CrazyQuilts. Thank you, Edi, for sharing your insights with us!

To many of us, you are an online superhero. Can you share your origin story? How did you get started blogging?

Super hero? No, I'm just a librarian doing her thing. There are so many, many more librarians, publishers, editors, authors and illustrators who have done this for such a long time! Their persistence has made it that much easier for me to do what I do. Just imagine some of the things I post that would have had serious consequences just a few decades ago. Because of what they have stated, exposed, spoke and risked, those of us working today are able to feel hopeful.

So, how did I get started?? I came into the library after spending part of my career teaching Social Studies. I had actually been a school librarian for a couple of years before I began blogging. I was looking for a new technology to master and I was also thinking about so many librarians and teachers who kept saying that they had a difficult time finding books by African American authors. I thought that could be something to blog about. I thought I could combine my interest in technology and in books to promote literacy for African American teens. I immediately saw the need to also include books for Latinx and my blog continued to become more and more inclusive.

What has changed since?

I think several things have changed over the years. I've tried different things over the years, some more interesting than others. I think I blog to promote Native American authors, authors of color and their books rather than to promote literacy and that's probably because I'm not in a school library any more. Much of the sharing I used to do on my blog is now done on Facebook and Twitter and I think that brings up one major change in my blog: I just don't post as much as I used to. I think my posts fell off when I was on BFYA and then the Walter Award Committee, and I've not really recovered from that, not gotten back into the blogging routine. Next year, I'm on another award committee so I'll be back to blogging without talking about current books that are eligible for that award.

Something else that has changed since I started would be that other forms of social media have come about that have actually provided a voice to marginalized people. This has been a huge development.

You've talked about the importance of connecting with people with whom you disagree. How do you break the echo chamber?

I have two Twitter accounts and two Facebook accounts and it amazes me how many people I connect with that seem to share my same perspectives. I've even reconnected with people from grade school and high school and still I see little dissent on my FB feeds.

At this time when we'll "unfriend" someone who says the slightest thing with which we disagree, it seems that it takes a conscious effort to connect with people of differing opinions. It's following that person who says something you don't completely agree with or in 'real life' it's taking the risk of saying some things others may not agree with and being able to listen to others' reactions. I'm beginning to think that coming offline and having those face to face connections is where we're really going to build robust communities. Online, where there is no chance to read body language or facial expressions we tend to parse words while expecting nuanced conversations. It's easy to get caught up and misunderstood online.

I like what Ashley Hope Perez said a few weeks ago in giving advice to people who want to be allies. She suggested using social media as a tool for listening. Sometimes, just listening helps us grow more than thinking we have to say something, especially if we're listening to people outside the echo chamber.

In all the work that you do, what are you the most proud of?

This is going to feel like a punt, but I am most proud of my children and this definitely includes my daughter in law. While I maintain that they have become the awesome people that they are despite me, I am so very, very proud that they are my children. I learn so much from them! They are truly amazing people.

I take pride in being a librarian. While people claim librarianship is dying, I find it to be a very vibrant and demanding profession that requires me to keep learning, allows me to innovate services and provide ways for me to make a difference for others.

Can you tell us about the We're the People list?

This is also something of which I'm quite proud! For the past couple of years, I've been able to work with some of the most amazing people in children's literature (Tad Andracki, Sarah Park Dahlen, Sujei Lugo, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Nathalie Mvondo, Debbie Reese, Ed Spicer and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas) to create summer reading lists for all ages of children. We work together throughout the year to identify books written by authors of color that are chapter books, picture books, middle grade, young adult and adult crossover. We critically review each book so that our list contains books that we would be proud to give any child.

We look for books from small and large publishers, as well as self-published books. Intersectionality is extremely important as we look for books that also include LGBT+ characters, those with disabilities and those from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. We want biographies as well as sports books, speculative fiction and mysteries. We try to apply diversity in every sense of the word. It's a lot of work, but it's good work.

How do you stay motivated or promote self-care when facing frustration or pushback?

I don't work alone. From the very beginning, I've been with a network of people who are just amazing! The network has changed over the years, but it's always been there and I can always turn to them for clarity, strategy or for a good laugh. Being surrounded by people of integrity is the key to accomplishing most things in life, including remaining sane.

Balance is a critical part of self-care, but it can be challenging when you earn your living by your passion; when you want to get away from work, yet you want to read a book! I've only recently questioned 'what am I doing for me?' It helps to be healthy, to eat to live rather than living to eat and to get out in nature as much as possible. I think celebrating is an important part of this equation, but in equity work, it can seem like there is so little to celebrate at times, but there are small successes and it helps to stay positive to recognize them.

Who are people you look to for advice and inspiration?

My family really takes a strong interest in what I do. My children keep up with much of what I'm doing and we talk about many issues that intersect with my passion, and with their passions, too. Talking to them, getting a perspective from outside that echo chamber really helps. And the inspiration I get from my daughter-in-law as well as my three children knows no limits.

Children's literature is an intersecting world. We have so many differences within this community, but we have that common drive to get good literature to our children and that really holds us together. I've approached so many people for advice and rarely if ever have been turned away.

There are too many people in children's literature who excel at what they do to begin naming names, too many people who have shared wisdom or advice with me and who inspire me.

What advice do you have for others looking to do equity work in the world of libraries and youth literature?

I'd say if you're interested in doing equity work in libraries and/or children's literature, you should be clear about why you want to do this work. If it's about what you want to get and not what you want to give, you may want to spend your efforts on something else.

I'd say understand that you're joining a network of people who are and have been entrenched in this work; build upon their knowledge. Know that we're reaching a point in time where those who are LGBT+, disabled, Native American or people of color know who we are and what we want. We're not looking for missionaries to represent our interest. We need workers who honor the past while creating a new future. I'd say forget patience, we've been patient too long. Look back and fly forward.

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Today we kick off our RWW Interviews series with a conversation between Elisa Gall and Edith (Edi) Campbell. Campbell is a Reference/Instruction Librarian at Indiana State University.

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We are blown away by the response to our , CCBC infographic. Many have long been advocating for diversity in children's literature; as we'd hoped, this infographic is pushing this work along. Since September 14, the blog post has had over 36,000 views; my initial tweet made over 17,000 impressions; my Facebook post was shared over 10,000 times, including by writers Cynthia Leitich Smith, Zetta Elliott, Mike Jung Junot Díaz. Professors, teachers, librarians, and students - from K-12 through graduate courses at universities and public libraries across the US and the world - are printing, sharing, displaying, and Ellen Oh, and discussing the infographic.

Of course, with so much visibility came many questions.

Sarah Hannah Gómez pointed out the difference between the white category in the 2012 infographic, and ours, which uses data from 2015. She noted that it may cause folks to think we have made progress. But actually, David included the bunny to show that a significant percentage of children's literature depicts animals and inanimate objects (trucks, cupcakes, screws, etc.) as protagonists, something CCBC Director KT Horning wrote about in her 2013 blog post " I See White People. " The 2012 infographic, created prior to Horning's 2013 post, does not reflect this, so the numbers are not exactly aligned.

Many people wondered about categorization. Where are South Asians? Why are Pacific Islanders included with Asians? Where are Jewish people? etc. Categorizing people (and books) into groups is difficult work. After some discussion, we decided to use pretty much the same category titles as the CCBC; you can read more on their website about how they categorize.

The CCBC's data includes distinct categories for books by, and for books about, each of the demographics they count. The about category may, or may not, include a book in the by category (this happens when an Asian American writer, for example, writes a book that is not about Asian Americans.) For our infographic, we used only the about data. It is vitally important to note that this data does not reflect the quality, accuracy, etc. of the books themselves. It is also vitally important to to note that the number of books about and written and illustrated by #OwnVoices authors is significantly lower.

Our hope is that people will continue to ask questions and do the work that will uncover more information. See Debbie Reese's post " A Close Look at CCBC's 2015 Data on Books By/About Americans Indians/First Nations" for one example of how a scholar unpacked the data, and Jerrold Connors' post " We Need Diverse Books, and How! " for some more graphs. As many have done with our infographic, read everything critically. Who is saying what? What is left unsaid? What more needs to be done?

In short, we still have much work to do.

Note: We made the infographic with a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, so you may download a JPF and PDF here.

Recommended citation: Huyck, David, Sarah Park Dahlen, Molly Beth Griffin. (2016 September 14). Diversity in Children's Books 2015 infographic. sarahpark.com blog. Retrieved from https://readingspark.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/picture-this-reflecting-diversity-in-childrens-book-publishing/

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We are blown away by the response to our , CCBC infographic. Many have long been advocating for diversity in children's literature; as we'd hoped, this infographic is pushing this work along.

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On November 9, like millions of other Americans, I woke up to news of our election results and was stunned, devastated, and afraid. Stories of hate crimes began to pour in: people painting swastikas on walls, yanking hijabs off Muslim women, and shouting at nonwhite pedestrians to "go back to where you came from." In my own Minneapolis suburb, high school students found hateful messages graffitied across a bathroom door-"whites only" and "go back to Africa."

This is a climate in which we now all live. This is the climate in which my husband and I are raising our 3-year-old daughter, a Korean American, in a city that is 83% white and 8% Asian. Currently, 96% of Minnesota's K-12 educators are white. Across the country, librarianship is 88% white.

What do these numbers mean for teaching equity and justice to young people? What do they mean for our libraries? At the Association for Library Service to Children's (ALSC) community forum on diversity, inclusion, and support for youth held in December 2016, children's librarians shared the work they do in providing diverse collections and programming. Many librarians agreed that #WeNeedDiverseBooks, and especially books written by #OwnVoices that put characters of different races and ethnicities, religions, orientations, and abilities in a variety of circumstances, settings, and time periods.

"Children need literature that serves as a window onto lives and experiences different from their own, and literature that serves as a mirror reflecting themselves and their cultural values, attitudes, and behaviors," wrote Rudine Sims Bishop, author and professor emerita of education at Ohio State University. Diverse books ensure that children like my daughter see themselves in the books they read, and that her white classmates see her too.

Diverse books give readers opportunities for mirror and window experiences.

Participants in the ALSC forum also lamented a lack of diversity among library staffs, and the Diversity Baseline Survey that I conducted with Lee and Low Books in 2015 demonstrates that the majority-white publishing industry proportionally reflects the whiteness of children's literature. If our professions are mostly white, how should we best serve both very diverse and less diverse communities? All librarians, regardless of their community's demographics, must proactively collect and promote diverse books so that all readers have opportunities for mirror and window reading experiences. This is critically important to bursting personal network bubbles at a time when the Public Religion Research Institute reports that most white people spend time only with other white people. But this is also a groundwork we need to prevent white supremacy from becoming normalized.

LIS professionals have our work cut out for us: Diversify everything. My colleagues and I work hard to weave social justice and diversity into our classes and programs, to prepare ourselves and our students to be actively inclusive professionals. What else can we as librarians and educators do?

Continue researching, teaching, and discussing social justice, equity, whiteness, and antiracism.

Make sure our associations and affiliate organizations provide programs and trainings that push us to think inclusively.

Be discerning and deliberate about the books and other media we purchase, program, and promote.

Put pressure on the publishing industry to recruit and support diverse staff and publishing diverse voices-not just diverse books.

Intentionally seek out, mentor, support, and publish #OwnVoices.

When experiencing resistance to diversifying collections, refer administrators or stakeholders to the ALSC Competencies, the Young Adult Library Services Association's "Future of Library Services for and with Teens" report, and the American Library Association's Core Values: "We are committed to providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve."

We should all hold each other accountable. The future depends on us.

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Diversify Everything | American Libraries Magazine

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On November 9, like millions of other Americans, I woke up to news of our election results and was stunned, devastated, and afraid. Stories of hate crimes began to pour in: people painting swastikas on walls, yanking hijabs off Muslim women, and shouting at nonwhite pedestrians to "go back to where you came from."

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Diversity in Youth Literature: Opening Doors through ReadingEdited by Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Sarah Park Dahlen

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Diversity in Youth Literature: Opening Doors through ReadingEdited by Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Sarah Park Dahlen

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Diversity in Youth Literature: Opening Doors through Reading - Books / Professional Development - Books for Public Librarians - Diversity - Products for Young Adults - ALA Store

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addthis_pub = 'ALAMarketing'; 240 pages 6" x 9"SoftcoverISBN-13: 978-0-8389-1143-3Year Published: 2013AP Categories: A, B, C, D, E, F, ZSurveying the landscape of children's and YA literature, this contributed volume shows how books have grown to include the wide range of our increasingly diverse society.

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Day of Diversity: Extending the Dialogue, Encouraging the ActionSarah Park Dahlen, Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada

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Day of Diversity: Extending the Dialogue, Encouraging the ActionSarah Park Dahlen, Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada

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Day of Diversity: Extending the Dialogue, Encouraging the Action | Dahlen | Children and Libraries

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Day of Diversity: Extending the Dialogue, Encouraging the Action

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Putting the 2015 ALSC Competencies Into Action: A Resource List

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Putting the 2015 ALSC Competencies Into Action: A Resource List

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Our RWW Interviews series continues today with a conversation between Allie Jane Bruce and Laura M. Jiménez. Jiménez earned her Ph. D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2013. She is currently a lecturer in Boston University School of Education's Language and Literacy program. Her research primarily focuses on reading comprehension and issues of representation in young adult literature with a special interest in graphic novels. Her work has appeared in The Journal of Education, Journal of Language & Literacy Education, Journal of Lesbian Studies and, most recently, The Journal of Literacy Research. She is currently working on a large-scale project looking at the ways women and girls are represented in graphic novels.

In addition, she writes a blog ( http://booktoss.wordpress.com/) in which she reviews graphic novels and brings her understanding of graphic novels, YA literature and representation to a wider audience.

Can you share your origin story? How did you get started in this work, and what has changed over time?

Originally, in grad school I studied literacy, reading, and reading motivation. I wasn't interested in literature then. I read a lot, though, I always have. Reading saved my life when I was a kid. But in academia, literature and literacy are separate, and I was looking at literacy.

Then I started teaching children's literature, and I found out that the way that it's taught is very marginalizing along race, class, and sexuality lines. That bothered me. It's also not grounded in literacy research. So, I changed the way I taught. Instead of putting all the "others" in the "ethnic aisle," which, in academia, means the final week of class or in its own course, I taught it as a normal part of children's literature. And it was really difficult for my students, way more difficult than I thought it should be. I was teaching the people who would go on to be American teachers--White women for the most part--and they were having a really really hard time connecting with these stories outside of their lived experiences. And the more stereotypical and trope-ful the book was, the easier they could connect with it. So I had to ask, how do I get people from White America to learn how to read and experience books in ways that are so different from them? The answer came largely from W.E.B. DuBois' theory of dual consciousness. So when I write my blog, I'm trying to help White, straight, able people develop that dual consciousness. It's my way of saying, "I see the world this way. This is how I can translate it for you so you can also see the issues that I am seeing."

At first I was writing about books that I liked, good fit for classrooms. About a year ago I decided, after talking to Debbie Reese, that I was going to take the idea of criticism head on--real, literary criticism. Using race, queer, feminist theory to do that work on an open blog space. Now, I research and write almost exclusively about graphic novels. What finally did it for me was when I had read and posted about Delilah Dirk by Tony Cliff. It was being touted as this great adventure story for girls, and it was incredibly sexist and misogynistic. Her physicality is completely stereotypical, her cleavage is always perfect and out there, her arms are like little twigs, her upper arm is the same thickness as her lower arm even though she's this sword-wielding badass. The importance of image can't be understated. And the response I kept getting: "It's so fun! He tried." And I finally said, "I can't give a medal for trying. Kids, girls, boys, everybody, deserves a better representation than this." It completely rankled me, and I took the gloves off.

Now, I don't go looking for bad books. Unfortunately, it's not that hard. I blog about the fabulous, I blog about the crap. Unfortunately, there's a lot of crap, pumped out under the guise of diversity in literature. That's what really bothers me.

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Our RWW Interviews series continues today with a conversation between Allie Jane Bruce and Laura M. Jiménez. Jiménez earned her Ph. D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2013. She is currently a lecturer in Boston University School of Education's Language and Literacy program.

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“So, Like, What Now?”: Making Identity Visiblefor Preservice Teachers 

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“So, Like, What Now?”: Making Identity Visiblefor Preservice Teachers 

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I was born into and continue to live within the space that Gloria Anzaldúa termed La Frontera, or The Borderlands. Today I write to the Nerdy Book Club Universe from La frontera de los libros/the borderlands of books. I have come to truly admire the Nerdy Book Club bloggers but I am often left with the feeling that the one voice rarely heard from is that of "struggling readers."

For me reading was a giant fire-breathing sloth with red eyes and poison spittle dripping off its chin that I avoided like, well, a giant fire-breathing sloth. I learned to read but I didn't attain any kind of fluency until well into 7th grade. I remain a struggling reader, although now I am also a successful reader. I earned a PhD and now teach children's literature and other courses at Boston University. The irony of my career choice is not lost on me.

Recently I was reading Paul W. Hankin's These 4 Corners post and Teri Lesesne's responses. I was struck by a question he posed, "What do I need to do to replicate the way I come to books?"

Please allow me to let you in on a little secret. There is nothing you can do to replicate the way you come to books that will help me in the least. Nothing. The way you come to books isn't appropriate for me, unless you are a struggling, atypical, non-reader (please note fire-breathing sloth above). When I see a new book and think, "Ugh, there is a lot of arduous work. Well, better get started." I love books and stories but that is still the first thing that pops into my head. Instead of thinking about replicating, maybe you need to ask a different question, "What do I need to do to repair the way they come to books?"

As a struggling reader I suspect I do things a bit differently than most - both as a reader and as a teacher. My personal reading profile is to either read the same book over and over and over again and to binge read on a single topic. Binge reading is quite typical for some struggling readers (email me for research articles). We have a tendency to burrow in and read deeply on one very focused topic. My point is that if you were to ask me to replicate the way I come to books, it would drive a lot of people completely nuts.

On the other hand, when I read children's and YA literature for instructional purposes, I do things differently. I want to provide a set of tools for the pre-service and in-service teachers I instruct. Instead of thinking about myself as the reader, I try to take a open stance and model diversity and variation in text selection.

This is a point that Nerdy bloggers hit over and over and I cannot support it strongly enough. Being dedicated to a diversity of texts means I read outside my comfort zone and aesthetic sensibility most of the time. For example, I am not a fan of historical fiction, poetry, fantasy, and most realistic fiction in which teen girls are the protagonists. But, I read a lot of historical fiction, fantasy and realistic fiction in which teen girls are the protagonists (I'm working on the poetry thing) because I need to find a wide range of books to offer my students. I want them to know how to get over their own reading preferences and instead of duplicating their favorite book lists, I want them to learn how to give their students the power to come up with completely new lists!

I have learned to recognize markers of well-written historical fiction and I have come to enjoy some fantasy (Thank you, Kristin Cashore). More importantly, I have learned the secret to realistic fiction with teen girls is to be mindful of my own annoyance. The more cloying and dramatic I find the characters, the more likely it is brilliantly written (I'm talking to you, Linda Urban). Did I mention I'm working on the poetry thing? I am, really.

Because I do not read quickly, time is a precious resource. The blog-o-sphere and social media allow me to be in contact with a never-ending and amazingly generous group of true book nerds. I am connected to a community of readers and writers that keeps me invigorated to use the time and energy it takes to slog through all the books available to me.

So, instead of trying to replicate your own experience, I would encourage you to keep in mind that some readers hate reading. We may come to love stories or thirst for knowledge and we might even come to terms with reading but only if you help guide us to places where the struggle is worth it.
Laura M. Jimenez is currently a lecturer in Boston University School of Education, so she is a doctor - just not one that can help if your arm hurts when you "move it like this." Her area of focus is on graphic novels and reading comprehension. You can find her online at booktoss.wordpress.com and on Twitter as @booktoss.

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A Struggling Reader Responds by Laura M. Jimenez

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I was born into and continue to live within the space that Gloria Anzaldúa termed La Frontera, or The Borderlands. Today I write to the Nerdy Book Club Universe from La frontera de los libros/the borderlands of books. I have come to truly admire the Nerdy Book Club bloggers but I am often left with...

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I try not to compete with others. I try to remember that my reading speed is my reading speed and that it is a pretty fixed variable. And I try to remind myself that those in the children's literature community who participate in stuff like "book-a-day" challenge do so because they want to expand their reading repertoire.

But ....

And there is always a but isn't there? There is a "but" whenever I start out stating that I am NOT going to compete or compare because reading isn't about others. It is about me, and the book, and time spent.

But ....

I do compare my reading lists to others. I listen to people talk about the pile they are plowing through and I think I am just not doing enough. I'm not accomplishing enough reading. Or, more accurately, I catch myself thinking of it as my non-accomplishment in reading. Because I don't read a book-a-day, even graphic novels take me two or three times as long as I think they should. Of course, I'm not sure where this grand reading speed comes from, but it is there. And I have to think, to put it in the front of my mind that my reading is my reading and comparisons to others in the field are not appropriate.

But ....

I read differently than most people and have developed strategies to deal with my reading-specific-cognitive-disorder, also known as a reading processing disability, AKA dyslexia. I read slowly, with almost no fluidity, I sometimes accidently skip a line or three down the page or up the page without realizing it, until the story makes no sense. I purposefully skip words, especially names that I don't recognize or have never seen before. This kills me when reading Russian literature or high fantasy where name like Higbrt78gjght Von Snepltippy or Greconvortz The Magchonomic can been seen in all seriousness. Why isn't there a Bob or Fran in space? Or on the battle field? Fritz is a nice name, someone should give that a shot.

For the sake of my own sanity I often assign character names based on the first letter of their name or perhaps a last name such as Granger. You know Granger! She's from Harry Potter! Lots of hair, annoys Ron until they start snogging? You know her.

I have other, highly specific reading strategies that have been honed over the years. For example when reading ridiculously thick books such as Pride and Prejudice, or Lord of the Rings I often skip big swaths of text in search of some dialogue. When I find it, I read it. If it makes sense, I move forward. When I finally come to a section that makes absolutely no sense because there are new characters, or they are on a boat, or the story is now being told from the point of view of a woodchuck, I stop and I back up. I back up until it makes sense, then I read a bit, skip a bit, read a bit until I get what is happening.

I am not advocating this method but it really works when I have to cram a bunch of stuff in my head and the reading is killing me because they are on the green hills ir charging over the golden fields for pages on end. It is the only way I can get through the pile of "must reads" which is usually involves a whole lot of "kinda read" or "not read at all".

But ...

Every once in a while there is an "oh man! I can't believe I almost didn't read this!" When that happens the world falls away and I get swallowed by the story. And that is why I read, why I teach, why I love literature. It still takes me a long time to read. I will never complete any sort of book-a-day challenge, just as I never completed in the accelerated reader stuff in school. I'm not that kind of reader. Instead, I'm a sloppy, slow, herky-jerky reader.

But ...

My reading isn't for points or scores or lists. Reading is a selfish act. Reading is for me.
Laura M. Jimenez received a Ph. D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2013. She is currently a faculty member in Boston University School of Education - Literacy program. Her research is focused on graphic novel reading comprehension and what expert readers can show us about the ways graphic novels are read and understood. Her blog can be found at http://booktoss.wordpress.com/

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Piles to Go Before I Sleep by Laura M. Jimenez

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I try not to compete with others. I try to remember that my reading speed is my reading speed and that it is a pretty fixed variable. And I try to remind myself that those in the children's literature community who participate in stuff like "book-a-day" challenge do so because they want to expand their...

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Research on Diversity in Youth Literature

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Research on Diversity in Youth Literature

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Mission: The mission of Research on Diversity in Youth Literature is to publish scholarship attending to issues of diversity, equity, social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality in youth literature, culture, and media.

Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) is a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal hosted by St. Catherine University's Master of Library and Information Science Program and University Library. It will be published two times a year, with the first issue to be published on June 1, 2018.

For our inaugural issue, we welcome submissions by #OwnVoices (underrepresented persons writing about topics related to their lived experiences) from all disciplines engaging with Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's article " Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors " (1990). Almost thirty years after its initial publication, how have youth literature and the practices surrounding it (scholarship, publishing, programming, teaching, and circulation) responded to, taken up, and/or ignored Dr. Bishop's framework and call to action?

Please submit complete essays to co-editors Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen ( spark@stkate.edu) and Dr. Gabrielle Atwood Halko ( ghalko@wcupa.edu) by December 1, 2017. Essays must be between 5,000-8,000 words, including notes and citations, and use APA Style.

This journal is supported by the Children's Literature Association Diversity Research Grant; the American Library Association Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services; and St. Catherine University.

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Research on Diversity in Youth Literature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mission: The mission of Research on Diversity in Youth Literature is to publish scholarship attending to issues of diversity, equity, social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality in youth literature, culture, and media. Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) is a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal hosted by St.