Quote of the Week
While the burden of mistakes can be placed on the author and illustrator, in truth publishers share an equal part of the responsibility in making sure that the books they produce are accurate and do not reinforce harmful stereotypes.
— by Jason Low, publisher of Lee & Low Books
“Is Staff Training Worth It?‘”
from The Open Book
The Most Important Industry News of the Week
This week, I am featuring only ONE industry news link here, because I don’t want to dilute its significance. Hopefully, we’ll start hearing from other publishers, large and small, that take their staff on this worthwhile journey. As an educator who partook in similar trainings in recent years, I have to say that I believe everyone in the United States should have the experience of going through such tough journeys: self-examining, questioning, and re-affirming ideologies that will help create a more equitable society for our own future.
Is Staff Training Worth It? by Jason Low — from The Open Book (Lee & Low Books Blog)
Authors, Books, & Book Lists
A Conversation With Philip Pullman by Katy Waldman — from The Slate: Book Review
APALA Author Interview – Gene Luen Yang by by Jaena Rae Cabrera — from APALA (Asian Pacific American Library Association)
Pep Talk from Neil Gaiman by Neil Gaiman– from National Novel Writing Month
The Little Black Fish and other stories: Iranian illustrated children’s books – in pictures by David Almond and Saeed Kamali Dehghan — from The Guardian
Thinking About Thanksgiving by Nina Lindsay — from Reading While White
Family Ties by Elissa Gershowitz — from The Horn Book Magazine
OPL 2015 Holiday Gift Guide–Children’s Books by Amy Martin — from Oakland Public Library
I gathered these entries from various sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and specific sites that I follow such as Educating Alice, Pub Peeps, Book Riot, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, We Need Diverse Books, American Indians in Children’s literature, etc.