Category Archives: Book Notes

Quote of the Week

I can’t change the color of my skin or where I come from or what the teacher workforce looks like at this moment, but I can change the way I teach. So I am going to soapbox about something after all. Be the teacher your children of color deserve. In fact, even if you don’t teach children of color, be the teacher America’s children of color deserve, because we, the teachers, are responsible for instilling empathy and understanding in the hearts of all kids. We are responsible for the future of this country.

So teach the texts that paint all the beautiful faces of our children and tell the stories of struggle and victory our nation has faced. Speak openly and freely about the challenges that are taking place in our country at this very moment. Talk about the racial and class stereotypes plaguing our streets, our states, our society. You may agree that black and brown lives matter, but how often do you explore what matters to those lives in your classroom?

— words from a speech by Emily E. Smith
as reported by Valerie Strauss
 “Teacher: A student told me I ‘couldn’t understand because I was a white lady.’ Here’s what I did then.’”
 for The Washington Post

Thanksgiving Weekend — A Single Highlighted Selection

Teacher: A student told me I ‘couldn’t understand because I was a white lady.’ Here’s what I did then by Valerie Strauss — from The Washington Post

Quote of the Week

It was interesting to hear my White students say that they think that books do a good job of representing diverse characters. My students of color at this time did not say anything. I did not add to the conversation and I ended the conversation at this point.

…….

It was eye opening to my students. My White students seemed surprised by what my students of color were sharing. I then wrapped up our conversation saying that history and books often overlook certain groups of people and that this year we will be learning about many points of view.

— by Sarah Halter Hahesy
 “Transparency About the Lack of Racial Diversity in Children’s Books”
 from Raising Race Conscious Children

Viewpoints & Practical Suggestions

Transparency About the Lack of Racial Diversity in Children’s Books by Sarah Halter Hahesy — from Raising Race Conscious Children

Supplement Materials to Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Children’s/YA Publishing in 2015 by Harold Underdown — from The Purple Crayon

YA Authors Talk Social Media, Research Process…and Spill Secrets by Mahnaz Dar — from School Library Journal

‘Tis The Season (to contemplate on best books for young readers)

Calling Caldecott (for potential Caldecott Contenders) moderated by the Horn Book staff  — from The Horn Book Magazine

Heavy Medal moderated by Jonathan Hunt & Nina Lindsay (for potential Newbery Contenders) — from The School Library Journal

Someday My Printz Will Come (for potential Printz Contenders) moderated by Karyn Silverman, Sarah Couri, and Joy Piedmont — from The School Library Journal

The National Book Award Winners 2015  — from The National Book Foundation

CYBILS Awards — from CYBILS

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.

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.

Quote of the Week

Updated — I have now included also the entire Panel discussion — which Sean Qualls & Sophie Blackall also shared their views.  They all do not agree with each other.

Around 26:00 — Sophie Blackall talked in details about her own reactions toward the controversy over her book A Fine Dessert; 35:00 – Sean Qualls starts talking; 38:00-ish, he touches briefly on A Fine Dessert; keep watching and you’ll hear Susannah’s views as well.

— Daniel Jose Older
 “Daniel José Older on A Fine Dessert”

A Fine Dessert – Multiple Conversations

Collected below are various online articles, conversations, and comments about the picture book A Fine Dessert written by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, published by Schwartz & Wade, an imprint at Random House.  The book has been under careful scrutiny by many – when it was highlighted as one of the Caldecott hopefuls, when it was among the 10 illustrated books of 2015 chosen by The New York Times, and when it received objections by readers who found certain text and images hurtful.  I did not read or look at the book until this past Monday, after many others already grappled with the book for a while.  The conversations are important to note and should continue, not only about one book, but about the entire Children’s Publishing industry.  More on that from my own viewpoint is forthcoming.  Since Debbie Reese has been diligently documenting and collecting all the pertinent links.  I’m providing only ONE link here in this section.  Do read as much as you can and consider and re-consider!

Not recommended: A FINE DESSERT by Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall by Debbie Reese — from American Indian in Children’s Literature

Books & Awards

The Scholastic Picture Book Award 2015 Winners  — from Scholastic Book Award/Asia

SIMMONS COLLEGE AND LEE & LOW BOOKS ESTABLISH NEW SCHOLARSHIP   — from Lee & Low Books

An Interview with Kate DiCamillo — from The Horn Book Magazine

Please don’t air brush African teen fiction by Ellen Banda-Aaku — from The Guardian

‘Monstress’: Inside The Fantasy Comic About Race, Feminism And The Monster Within by Graeme McMillan — from The Hollywood Reporter

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.

Quote of the Week

Africa is not rich or poor, educated or illiterate, progressive or archaic.

What Africa is depends on which part of it you are referring to.

No single story can adequately reflect that, but a multiplicity of stories can and should broaden our received wisdom about the continent.

With more platforms and opportunities than ever before, there has never been a better time to challenge that confusing and costly concept of a single African story.

— by Nancy Kacungira
 “Why I cannot tell ‘the African story’”
 from BBC News

Viewpoints

Why I Cannot Tell ‘The African Story’ by Nancy Kacungira — from BBC News

Science Has Great News for People Who Read Actual Books by Rachel Grate — from Arts.Mic

You Have to Read the Book by Elizabeth Bird and the Comments section by many — from Fuse8 Production

We Are Not Rainbow Sprinkles by Roger Sutton and the Comments — from The Horn Book

Book Lists & Awards

WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS™ ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL WALTER DEAN MYERS GRANT RECIPIENTS  — from weneeddiversebooks.org

PW’s Best Books 2015  — from Publishers Weekly

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015 — from The New York Times

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.

Quote of the Week

Those words nearly broke my heart. I could have sobbed in the convention hall. Instead, I swallowed them as a reminder that I need to do a better job, too. That I’ll always need to do a better job. That there is no arrival point. I’ll never arrive at some point where I’m outside the system of systemic racism—I’ll always be in it, and because I am, I have to do the best job possible calling people into the conversation that recognizes it, in order to do the work to try to deconstruct it. I’ll always need to do a better job “calling people in” rather than “calling people out.”

— by Brendan Kiely
 “The White Boy in the Third Row”
 from Reading While White

Opposing Viewpoints (Do They Have to Be?)

These past couple of weeks we saw sparks flying with opposing views over specific children’s books and general thoughts on children’s book publishing – mostly centered on the “writing the other” notion.  It seems to me that many practitioners (authors, librarians, critics, etc.) have been thinking hard and deeply and some have tried to sort out strongly held convictions when they clash against others’ beliefs.  Selected here are a few strands that I found especially powerful and am currently struggling with.  I lead the list with one article by Brendan Kiely, whose proposal for “calling people in” to the conversation and discussion on diversity issues in children’s and YA literature seems most sage and hopefully can serve as a reminder that we are ALL in this together and our final goals are to provide the best literary work for the young people in our world.

The White Boy in the Third Row by Brendan Kiely — from Reading While White

This Book Is Creating A Space For Queer Black Boys In Children’s Literature by JamesMichael Nichols — from Huffpost Gay Voices

About Meg Rosoff’s next book… a collection of links to various responses to a following facebook blow-up while discussing Large Fears, the book under discussion in “This Book is Creating a Space for Queer Black Boys in Children’s Literature”  — from American Indians in Children Literature

The Privilege of Colour, the Prejudice of White by Shelley Sousa — from Shelley Sousa: real writer made up worlds

The Hired Girl by Jonathan Hunt and especially the Comments section by many enthusiastic readers — from Heavy Medal

Good Intentions, Bad Outcome by Michael Grant as a response to On Writing PoC When You Are White by Justine Larbalestier

Books, Authors, the Publishing Industry

Wordcraft Circle Honors and Awards, 2015  — from worldcraftcircle.org

What it feels like to write a picture book by Viviane Schwarz — from The Kraken Studio

A Defence of Rubbish by Peter Dickinson

International Literature Shines at the USBBY Conference Science  by Lyn Miller-Lachmann — from http://www.lynmillerlachmann.com

The PW Publishing Industry Salary Survey 2015: A Younger Workforce, Still Predominantly White by Jim Milliot — from Publishers Weekly

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.