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A Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award Update (Part I)

4/20/2021

 

Planting Seeds for Professional Involvement with Bonnie Campbell Hill

BY KATHRYN WILL

Author and two students2018 NCTE Annual Convention, Houston
Winning the 2018 Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award for my clinical work with preservice teachers in our local schools allowed me to support the attendance of two university students, Emily and Allicia, at the 2018 NCTE conference in Houston. They were astounded by the warm welcome they received at the CLA breakfast that year, the sessions they attended, and of course the free books signed by authors. To say they were gobsmacked would be accurate. Upon our return from the conference, they shared their experience in a student gathering on campus with others where it was well received and created a buzz in the teacher education program for quite a time afterwards. They graduated in the Spring of 2019, accepting their first teaching positions in nearby schools. Because of the positive experience they had at the 2018 conference, they attended NCTE 2019 in Baltimore as seasoned conference attendees, focusing in on their current classroom needs and of course gathering books for their classroom libraries. 

After starting a YA book club in the summer of 2019, we continued to meet together virtually throughout the pandemic--sometimes for our book club that grew out of the initial NCTE experience, and other times to navigate classroom or learner challenges. When we met a few weeks ago, I asked them about the initial experience of attending NCTE with me. Emily commented that the experience opened her eyes to the importance of making connections within the profession at a national level. Allicia added that she never would have considered going to something like NCTE if she had not gone with me. It made her dream bigger as a teacher and as a person. They both agreed they will attend again. I am so grateful that winning this award allowed me to plant and nurture the seeds of professional involvement for these teachers in the early stages of their careers. I hope there are opportunities for me to continue this in the future with other preservice teachers.

Author and two students
2019 NCTE Annual Convention, Baltimore
Author and two students
2020-2021 Zoom gatherings for book club and talks about teaching and learning

Catching Up with Quintin: A Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award Update

BY QUINTIN BOSTIC

PictureKathryn Will (left) & Quintin Bostic (right)
When he won the award in 2018, Quintin was preparing to teach his first course in elementary writing instruction for undergraduate preservice teachers. Although his time in the Ph.D. program is coming to an end, the doors to opportunities are just beginning to open. Shortly after receiving the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award, Quintin began to implement his PLC series. The 3-day series supported teacher trainers and teachers in using various strategies to have critical conversations with students through picture books in their classrooms. The professional development program addressed topics like #BlackLivesMatter, LGBTQIA+ families, multilingualism, varying abilities, and more. Attendees of the professional development supported students from preschool to third grade in an inner-city school district in Atlanta, Georgia. A major highlight from the project was that because it was so well received, the project was further funded through a local agency for the continued support of teachers in the local area. Through the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award, not only was Quintin able to implement the PLC series, but he was also able to attend the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in Houston, Texas in 2018, attend the Children’s Literature Assembly’s breakfast, and attend the all-attendee event that featured author Sharon Draper. Because of the award, Quintin has gained a platform that has helped him to continue to advance in his academic career.

PictureQuintin Bostic
Quintin is currently wrapping up his Ph.D. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University. His research focuses on how race, racism, and power are communicated through the text and visual imagery in children’s picturebooks. Additionally, in 2020, Quintin was named co-chair of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Anti-Racism Committee. The association – which provides professional development, advocacy, and support for school-university partnerships – first established the Anti-Racism Committee in response to racial violence in 2020. As co-chair, Bostic will work to foster a culture of equity and inclusion within the association, and in the communities it supports; create and implement anti-racist policies, practices, and systems; and recommend and implement tools and approaches for continued reflection and progress. “Our goal is to address racism by providing teachers and community partners with the necessary resources to do so,” Bostic said. “These resources vary, ranging from trainings to resources, that can help challenge and overcome racist ideologies that are embedded throughout society.” He also just started a new career with Teaching Lab, in which is serves as a Partnerships Manager.

Quintin is beyond thankful to Bonnie Campbell Hill, her family, the Children’s Literature Assembly, and everyone who makes this award possible. “There are so many people, like me, who would have never had the opportunity to have so many experiences without the support, love and care of people like the Bonnie Campbell Hill Award family. I am so appreciative, and I look forward to seeing what amazing things will come out of this award in the future.”

Kathryn Will is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of Maine Farmington (@KWsLitCrew). She is passionate about sharing the power of children's literature with her students. She is one of the 2018 Bonnie Campbell Hill Award recipients, a member of the 2019 Notables Committee, and current chair of the Notables Committee.
Quintin Bostic is a Ph.D. Candidate at Georgia State University. He is also Partnerships Manager at Teaching Lab and co-Chair of the NAPDS Antiracism Committee. His personal website is https://drquintinbostic.com.
Editorial Note:
Check out our April 6 Post about the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader award and look out for another award recipient update post next week. If you are interested in applying for this year's award, visit the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award page for the application details.

Resources for Indigenous Representation in Children’s Literature

3/23/2021

 

BY DONNA SABIS-BURNS

We are obligated to educate our youth with a clear lens and to teach the richness of realistic, authentic, and contemporary literature for children and young adults. We need to promote books where Indigenous characters are up front and visible, not hidden or pushed aside. We want to highlight in a bold, distinguishable manner characters and stories that unveil and promote the beauty of diverse literature written/illustrated by and for Native Nations (also called Indigenous people and used interchangeably here when the specific Nation is not known), and all other marginalized groups.  
​

The movements of #OwnVoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks have elevated the bar by offering a deeper focus and expanded landscape for celebrating the intricacies that Native storytelling brings to the table. Much too often, books featuring Indigenous people are only pulled off the shelf in October (Columbus) and November (Thanksgiving/Native Heritage Month). Well, it is March/April and I am pleased to share with you some resources you may want to check out and bookmark this spring to break that cycle. This blog post features a few rich and informative web pages, the American Indian Literature Awards (AILA), a shout out to an award-winning #OwnVoices book, and other informative and fun resources that highlight the resilience, authenticity, and beauty in literature through a kaleidoscope of traditions representative of the vast diversity across Indian Country.

Native Cultural Links

Heartdrum

Heartdrum is a fun and informative resource offered through HarperCollins Publishers, which provides a range of genuine, innovative, and perhaps unforeseen stories by Indigenous creators for any age. Author-curated by the New York Times Best-Selling Author, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Heartdrum highlights contemporary, near histories and/or futuristic works, including realistic fiction and genre fiction.
What is impressive about this site is its refreshing approach to much-needed stories about Indigenous, contemporary young heroes and heroines. These heartfelt accounts are reflective of the many different Nations of a modern United States and Canada. This is a breath of fresh air because it does not perpetuate the notion that Indigenous peoples are not around anymore. Do not get me wrong, there is a definite need for authentic, truthful history stories of Native Nations, but it is truly wonderful to be able to share a good story about real time people in real time situations in a modern setting. This is a new resource that is just getting off the ground and it already has some exquisite stories to share with you.

Oyate 

Oyate logo
Oyate.org is a small but mighty Indigenous organization working to share the life and histories of Indigenous people with the utmost level of honesty and integrity. This is a resource that serves as a portal into the past and is reflective of today’s society where diverse, #ownvoices books are most necessary. Oyate, appropriately named after the Dakota word for “people,” believes that the world is a healthier place when there is a better understanding and respect for one another and when history is truthfully acknowledged. They aim to distribute literature and learning materials by Indigenous authors and illustrators, provide critical evaluation of books and curricula with Indigenous themes, and offer workshops “Teaching Respect for Native Peoples.” They also have a small resource center and reference library that can be very useful for any educator or parent (or youth for that matter). Since the pandemic, the store portion of the site is temporarily not working at full capacity, but there are many other fine choices for you to peruse and enjoy.

American Indians in Children’s Literature   

AICL logo
We cannot mention websites about literature featuring Indigenous people without showcasing the American Indians in Literature (AICL) website. Established by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, and later joined by Dr. Jean Mendoza as co-editor, the AICL website provides a critical analysis of the presence of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books and so much more. This website is like walking into a bakery with so many wonderful choices it is hard to decide what to try first. It has been around for 15 years and is most certainly more than just a place to find a list of best books. You can discover Indigenous authors and illustrators in the Photo Gallery section, or maybe you’d rather learn tips for creating instructional materials featuring different Native nations. You can even research what books you should NOT be sharing out there. It is really a gem of a resource.


Book Award

AILA Youth Literature Award Medal
AILA Youth Literature Award 
Did you know there is an award specifically for literature featuring Indigenous people? Since 2006, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) biennially considers the finest writing and illustrations by Indigenous peoples of North America for the AILA Youth Literature Award. AILA identifies and honors works that “present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity.” Winners and Honor Books are selected in the categories: Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade Book, and Best Young Adult Book. If you ever need a resource for choosing quality literature, make sure you visit the American Indian Youth Literature Award web page.

For those not familiar with this organization, AILA is an affiliate of the American Library Association and it is devoted to disseminating information about Indigenous cultures and languages to the library community and beyond. 

Check out the video for the 2020 Award winners.



Did you know?

Book Cover: We Are Water Protectors
Caldecott Winner
​
Congratulations to illustrator Michaela Goade (Tlingit) for her 2021 Caldecott Award winning book, We are Water Protectors (2020), authored by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Goade is the very first Indigenous winner of this prestigious award. With Earth Day around the corner, this would be a fabulous book to share.  There is even a We are Water Protectors Activity Kit!

Read Native 2021 Reading Challenge
The “American Indian Library Association invites you to participate in the inaugural reading challenge. With this challenge we support and recognize our Indigenous authors, scientists, legislators, storytellers, and creators throughout the year, not just during the national Native American Heritage month.” Here is a fun reading challenge to engage readers of all ages.
Read Native Logo
Read Native for Kids

Final Words

Throughout the year, find and read books and publications by and about Native Americans; visit tribal websites; search peer reviewed scholarly journals; visit Native-owned bookstores; and check with Native librarians for the best sources for learning more about Native Nations and Indigenous people around the world. 
Donna Sabis-Burns, Ph.D., an enrolled citizen of the Upper Mohawk-Turtle Clan, is a Group Leader in the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education* in Washington, D.C. She is a Board Member (2020-2022) with the Children's Literature Assembly, Co-Chair of the 2021 CLA Breakfast meeting (NCTE), and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee at CLA.
*The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned herein is intended or should be inferred.

Amplifying Voices, Perspectives, and Experiences with USBBY’s 2021 Outstanding International Books List

3/9/2021

 

BY JENNIFER M. GRAFF AND BETTIE PARSONS BARGER

“The stories you read can transform you. They can help you imagine beyond yourself. When you read a great story you leave home. We leave home to find home.” 
(Rochman & McCampbell, 1997, p. vii)
The COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly shifted global travel to “zooming” from digital screen to digital screen and surfing online streaming services. For those fatigued by such excursions, international children’s books can offer exciting and thought-provoking adventures of the heart, mind, spirit, and global consciousness. Readers can enter fantastic worlds, hear previously unheard voices and perspectives, learn more about scientific worlds and cultural communities, and become immersed in emotional episodes that speak to senses of humanity and belonging in books published on multiple continents. The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)’s annual Outstanding International Books (OIB) list is a great go-to guide for such literary experiences.

As mentioned in Wendy Stephens’ overview of youth literature awards and described by USBBY President, Evie Freeman, the OIB list provides readers of all ages--especially educators and readers in grades PreK-12--a collection of 40-42 books originally published outside of the United States (U.S.) that are now available in the U.S. These books, selected by a committee of teachers, librarians, children’s literature and literacy education teacher educators and scholars, connect us to noteworthy international authors and illustrators who seek to entertain, inform, challenge, delight, stimulate, and unite people through story.
​
OIB List
OIB Selection Criteria*
*Not every book will meet every criterion equally.*​​
Books that
  • represent the best of children’s literature from other countries
  • introduce readers in the U.S. to outstanding artists and writers from other countries
  • help children in the U.S. see the world from other points of view
  • provide perspectives or address topics otherwise missing from children’s literature in the U.S.
  • exhibit distinct cultural flavor, help counteract stereotypes, bridge cultural gaps, build connections, and engage and prove accessible to young readers in the U.S.

​See the USBBY website for additional content and presentation considerations.

​Engaging with the 2021 OIB List: A Geographical Map and Themed Text Sets
OIB Map
Even with the grade-level band organization of the OIB list, selecting which books to read might feel daunting. Two ways to help facilitate book selections are the Interactive Google Map and thematic text sets. 

Each OIB list has its own interactive Google Map, illustrating the international communities represented by the selected books. Using the color-coded pins on the world map or the left sidebar, select a book to zoom in on its location. Additional uses of the maps include critical analyses and discussions about dominant/absent voices, cultural representations, and equity on a global scale.  

The 2021 OIB books also fit within text sets conducive to interdisciplinary and socioemotional learning as well as differentiated instruction. The table below includes the 35 OIB titles identified for PreK-8 grades organized into five themes. While each book is mentioned once, many could fit into multiple themes. The variety of genres, formats, and cultural origins reminds us that storytelling and humanity have no borders and amplifies the connections and intersections of self and society. Visit the USBBY OIB website or the February issue of the School Library Journal for all of the book annotations.

Themes

2021 Outstanding International Books (PreK-8)

(Book covers are organized by younger-to-older audience gradation.) ​

Hearing Additional Voices from Conflicts and War

​As access to information increases, so does access to stories that present  multiple voices. These titles include stories of conflict, longing, loss, love, and perseverance. Sharing the experiences of a war-torn country, conflict, or persecution, these texts inform readers on living in refugee internment camps, changing identities to avoid capture, peacefully resisting becoming a soldier, and leaving families behind - never to see them again. Each book enables readers to develop a greater sense of empathy and understanding of the impact war and conflict have on people.
Book Cover: Story Boat
Book Cover: The Lady with the Books
Book Cover: Mexique
Book Cover: War is Over
Book Cover: Catherine's War
Countries represented: Canada, France, Mexico, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Vietnam


Embarking on Explorations with Unexpected Twists ​

​In each of these treasures, readers will be encouraged to explore the story world,  whether drifting along a river, wandering along a vast ocean, traveling through a time of magic, or becoming spellbound by music. In these journeys, readers will delight in the unexpected - a plot twist or character development that makes them pause, evaluate, or wonder. 


​
Book Cover: Little Fox
Book Cover: The Land of Roar
Book CoveR: Gamayun Tales I
Book Cover: The Time of Green Magic
Book Cover: The Wanderer
Book Cover: Music for Tigers
Countries represented: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom


Highlighting Our Everyday Lives 

This collection of fun-filled, whimsical books reminds us of how quickly everyday moments can become joyful adventures no matter where you live! Catching chickens in West Africa, taking an elevator ride in Argentina, peering out from your window in Brazil, learning to make the perfect cannonball splash in New Zealand, contemplating the future in Japan, enjoying a great traditional tale about courage and forgiveness in India--among other stories about life’s ups and downs--remind us of the beauty of living in the moment, especially when you are with people you love. 
Book Cover: A Story About Afiya
Book Cover: Under the Great Plum Tree
Book Cover: There Must Be More Than That!
Book Cover: Cannonball
Book Cover: The Elevator
Book Cover: From My Window
Book Cover: Planet Omar
Countries represented: Argentina, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, West Africa


Developing Empathy, Connection, and Resilience through Loss and Hope

While originating from different circumstances (e.g., divorce, death, birth, long- and short-term separations, dementia, etc.), the partnership of loss and hope in this collection contributes to our ability to empathize, connect, and persevere. These five picturebooks and one novel offer sensitive, realistic, and accessible portraits of love, loss, grief, and everlasting hope, all undergirded by faith.

​
Book Cover: Weekend Dad
Book Cover: All the Dear Little Animals
Book Cover: Letters From Bear
Book Cover: The Magic Doll
Book Cover: Some Days
Book Cover: Small Mercies
Countries represented: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Central African Republic, France, Sweden, South Africa


Piquing Curiosities with STEAM

These books are fantastic for exploring the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Readers will learn about animals, the relationships numbers have with the everyday world, the science of sound, or the invasion of plastic in the world’s oceans. All of these books evoke curiosity and leave readers thinking about their everyday interactions with the topics.
Book Cover: 1,001 Creatures
Book Cover: Everybody Counts
Book Cover: Sound
Book Cover: Plasticus Maritimus
Countries represented: Finland, Norway, Portugal, Ukraine
References
Rochman, H., & McCampbell, D. Z. (1997). Leaving home
. HarperCollins
​
​
Children’s Literature References
The OIB 2021
Bookmark has bibliographic information for the aforementioned books.

Jennifer M. Graff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, is a former CLA President and has been a CLA Member for 15+ years.

Bettie Parsons Barger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Winthrop University and has been a CLA Member for 10+ years.

Midwinter Book Awards Beyond Newbery and Caldecott- Part I: Children's Books

2/9/2021

 

BY WENDY STEPHENS

Editorial Note:
This post is the first in a 2-part series by Wendy Stephens discussing the rich landscape of book awards announced over the winter months. In this first post, Wendy focuses on ALSC awards and awards by ALA affiliates recognizing books for children or books for a wide spectrum of age groups. The second post, which will be published next week, will present awards for YA literature administered by YALSA, as well as several other notable awards.
When we talk about budgeting for materials, I always advise my school librarian candidates to be sure to save some funding for January. No matter how good their ongoing collection development has been throughout the year, there are always some surprises when the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards (YMAs) roll around, and they'll want to be able to share the latest and best in children's literature with their readers. These are the books that will keep their collections up-to-date and relevant. 

From our own childhoods, we always remember the "books with the medals" -- particularly the John Newbery for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature and the Randolph Caldecott for the most distinguished American picture book for children. These books become must-buys and remain touchstones for young readers. In 2021, Newbery is celebrating its one hundredth year. Some past winners and honor books are very much a product of their time, and many of those once held in high esteem lack appeal today. 

For those of us working with children and with children's literature, the new books honored at Midwinter offer opportunities to revisit curriculum, update mentor texts, and build Lesesneian "reading ladders." Each award committee has its own particular award criteria and guidelines for eligibility, and its own process and confidentiality norms.

Every year, the YMAs seems to be peppered with small surprises. Does New Kid winning the Newbery means graphic novels are finally canonical? Is Neil Gaiman an American? What about all the 2015 Caldecott honors, including the controversial That One Summer? Did the Newbery designation of The Last Stop on Market Street mean you can validate using picture books with older students? How does Cozbi A. Cabrera's much-honored art work resonate at this historical moment?

​
In Horn Book and School Library Journal, Newbery, Caldecott and Printz contenders are tracked throughout the year in blogs like Someday My Printz Will Come, Heavy Medal, and Calling Caldecott. Other independent sites like Guessing Geisel, founded by Amy Seto Forrester are equally devoted to award prediction. Among librarians and readers, there are lots of armchair quarterbacks, and conducting mock Newbery and Caldecotts, either among groups of professionals or with children, have become almost a cottage industry. There are numerous how-tos on that subject, from reputable sources like The Nerdy Book Club and BookPage
. But there are numerous other awards announced at ALA Midwinter almost simultaneously that deserve your attention, too.

Among the Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC) awards are: the Robert F. Sibert Medal, the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, the Geisel Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award,  and the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

​Robert F. Sibert Medal
The Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children, ALSC's version of the Orbis Pictus, offers great books to support a wide variety of content areas.
Book Cover: Honeybee
2021 Sibert Medal Winner

Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award  is given to the most outstanding children’s book originating in a language other than English in a country other than the United States and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States, supporting publishers who bring an international perspective to U.S. readers.
Book Cover: Telephone Tales
2021 Batchelder Award Winner

Geisel Award
The Geisel Award recognizes an exceptional text for beginning readers.
Book Cover: See the Cat
2021 Geisel Award Winner

Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award recognizes noteworthy apps, DVDs and streaming media. This year, it went to a podcast. 
The Imagine Neighborhood Podcast Logo
2021 EELDM Award Winner

Children's Literature Legacy Award
The Children's Literature Legacy Award, formerly the Wilder Award, honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made a substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children's lives and experiences. 
Mildred D. Taylor
2021 Children's Literacy Legacy Award Winner: Mildred D. Taylor

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Aside from the award winners, each year annual ALSC Children's Notable Lists are produced in categories for Notable Children's Recordings, Notable Children's Digital Media, and Notable Children's Books. If you want to see the machinations behind the designation, those discussions are open to the public this year via virtual meeting links.

Outside of ALSC, many of ALA’s affiliates have their own honors for children's literature. These include the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) which sponsors the Coretta Scott King Book Awards; the Association of Jewish Libraries which sponsors the Sydney Taylor Book Awards; and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking which sponsors the Pura Belpré awards. In addition to these affiliates, others such as the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association and the American Indian Library Association also present awards. 

The awards are always evolving to reflect the abundance of literature available for young people. Like the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association awards, the American Indian Youth Literature Awards were first added to the televised YMA event in 2018. And this year was the first year for inclusion for a new Young Adult category for the Pura Belpré. 


Two awards of particular significance are the Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language works found to be of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience, and the Schneider Family Book Awards, honoring authors or illustrators for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences, with recipients in three categories: younger children, middle grades, and teens.
Coretta Scott King Awards
The Coretta Scott King Books Awards honor African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults as well as professionals who support that valuable work. Of particular note is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
Book Cover: Legendborn
2021 John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner: Tracy Deonn

Sydney Taylor Book Awards
The Sydney Taylor Book Awards, ​named in memory the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series author. The award recognizes materials for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience, designating Gold and Silver medalists and Notable Books of Jewish Content in categories including Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adults.
Book Cover: Telephone Tales
2021 Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for the Middle Grades Category

Pura Belpré Awards
The Pura Belpré Awards honor Latinx authors and illustrators whose work portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. ​
Book Cover: Furia
2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Award Winner

Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association Awards
The Asian/Pacific Librarian Association's Awards for Literature designates award and honor titles in Young Adult, Children's and Picture Book categories for authors and illustrators whose books promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage.

Book Cover: When You Trap a Tiger
2021 APALA Children's Winner

American Indian Librarian Association Awards
One award we didn't see this year: American Indian Youth Literature Awards. Awarded biennially, this award identifies and honors writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America.
Book Cover: Bowwow Powwow
202o AILA Picturebook Winner

Stonewall Book Award
The Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language works found to be of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.
Book Cover: We Are Little Feminists: Families
2021 Stonewall Book Award Winner

Schneider Family Book Awards
The Schneider Family Book Awards, honoring authors or illustrators for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences, honor recipients in three categories: younger children, middle grades, and teens.
Book Cover: I Talk Like A River
 2021 Schneider Family Younger Children Award Winner 

Odyssey Award
This is an award that considers materials for a wide spectrum age groups in their decision-making. The best audiobook production for children and/or young adults are chosen for the Odyssey Award. The Odyssey alternates administration between ALSC and YALSA.
Kent State audiobook CD
2021 Odyssey Award Audiobook
Wendy Stephens is an Assistant Professor and the Library Media Program Chair at Jacksonville State University. 

Curating Inclusive Bookshelves and Curricula

12/1/2020

 

BY MEGAN VAN DEVENTER

As educators, we recognize the value in providing readers with reading experiences that act as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors (Bishop, 1990) to affirm readers’ identities, build empathy for others, and explore humanity. We understand the importance of curating bookshelves that offer a vast array of experiences that validate readers’ lives, feelings, and identities. At times, it can be challenging to select and teach books that do not ‘mirror’ our own lived experience, and it can feel vulnerable to step outside our own expertise. Fortunately, there are many of us committed to expanding our own readership and curating inclusive bookshelves and curricula that resonate with our students. This blog post champions and supports educators doing this vulnerable work to ensure all students are included and reflected and refracted on their bookshelves and in their curricula. This post shares books, tools, and resources to support educators building their expertise to ensure young readers have access to high quality, validating, and accurate children’s literature.​ 

Tools and Resources for Curating an Inclusive Bookshelf and Curriculum

Educators committed to expanding our bookshelves beyond our own favorite reads must be intentional in selecting and teaching high quality children’s literature that is accurate, validating, and honest. There are several wonderful tools and resources to ensure our bookshelves are inclusive, relevant, and accessible for readers. The four tools and resources below support educators in curating inclusive bookshelves and reading curricula (and help us cull problematic books from our shelves as well).
Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books
Louise Derman-Sparks's Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books  names and specifies the harmful biases we must avoid when curating inclusive, affirming classroom libraries and curricula. This tool supports educators’ analysis of books through a critical lens to ensure they are validating reading experiences that do not perpetuate stereotypes and misconceptions.
Reading Diversity: A Tool for Selecting Diverse Texts
Reading Diversity: A Tool for Selecting Diverse Texts by Teaching Tolerance provides a series of critical questions that help educators evaluate a book in considering its text complexity, diversity and representation, critical literacy, and the reader and task. This text selection tool empowers educators to determine the value of a book for readers in their classroom community.
#DisruptTexts
This resource articulates a pedagogical stance educators should adopt when evaluating texts by #DisruptTexts. Co-developed by Tricia Ebarvia (@triciaebarvia), Lorena Germán (@nenagerman), Dr. Kimberly N. Parker (@TchKimPossible), and Julia E. Torres (@juliaerin80), the #DisruptTexts movement is an online social media community via Twitter that analyzes the merit of canonical and contemporary literature in the classroom. The #DisruptTexts core principles are (1) interrogating our biases to understand how they inform our teaching practices; (2) centering the authentic voices and lived experiences of people of color; (3) applying a critical literacy lens to our teaching practices that is anti-racist, anti-colonial, and anti-bias; and (4) working in community with other educators, particularly Black, Indigenous, and educators of color. Working with others in community to disrupt our bookshelves is critical to ensure we are serving our readers best.
American Indians in Children's Literature
Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog American Indians in Children’s Literature catalogues inaccurate and stereotypical representations in children’s literature, focusing on Indigenous representation. Searching Dr. Reese’s blog for recommendations can help us cull our bookshelves to ensure high quality, accurate, and honest depictions of history and today. 
Oyate
Oyate is a native organization that works towards honest and authentic representations of the lives and histories of native peoples. The Oyate site includes "critical evaluation of books and curricula with Indian themes," workshops and other resources.

Books for Curating Inclusive Bookshelves and Curricula

The tools and resources described above support educators in selecting and teaching high-quality, accurate, and honest children’s literature. Building our expertise through these tools and resources sustains our commitment to curating inclusive bookshelves. Here are four children’s literature books that support educators in holding space that honors young readers’ and teachers’ capacity to engage with complex and authentic picturebooks.
When Sadness is at Your Door written by Eva Eland (2019)

​This picturebook describes how sadness can feel, and how the main character comforts sadness until it moves forward. While it can be tempting to avoid hard emotions, it is important for young readers to see hard emotions—like sadness—experienced so they can build the capacity to manage the range of emotions they will experience throughout their lifetime. This picturebook might initially feel vulnerable because it is not a joyful text, but Eland’s words of courage will support an educator in engaging these hard emotions in ways that validate young readers’ authentic experiences.


Book Cover: When Sadness is at Your Door

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali and illustrated by Hatem Aly (2019)
​
This picturebook is a beautiful story of two sisters on the first day the older sister wears her hijab to school. This text is a vulnerable read because it explores the racism students experience in schools. While we may wish that racism does not exist in schools, we are better for explicitly discussing it with youth through an antiracist pedagogical lens, and this book is hopeful in its depiction of the joyful main characters celebrating their family and culture. 

Book Cover: The Proudest Blue

The Journey written by Francesca Sanna (2016)

This picturebook is a powerful story about a refugee family escaping a devastating war in their country and journeying toward a better future. This book approaches this harrowing reality in an intentional and age-conscious way that invites young readers and educators into conversation.

Book Cover: The Journey

We Are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade (2020)
​
​This picturebook celebrates Indigenous Water Protectors and their efforts to protect Mother Earth. This picturebook may feel like a vulnerable read because it recounts modern conflicts in North America between Indigenous Peoples and oil companies. This lyrical text combined with incredible artwork prompts young readers and educators to reconcile our world today.

Book Cover: We Are Water Protectors

​Bookshelves and curricula that honor young readers in helping them make sense of the world are a key aspect to orchestrating equitable and socially just classrooms. These books, tools, and resources support our work as educators in curating high-quality reading experiences that are inclusive, accurate, and honest.

References

Bishop, R.S. (1990). Windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and using books for the classroom, 6(3), 1-2. ​
Eland, E. (2019). When sadness is at your door. Random House. 
Lindstrom, C. (2020). We are water protectors. Roaring Brook Press. 
Muhammad, I., & Ali, S.K. (2019). The proudest blue: A story of hijab and family. Little, Brown and Company. 
Sanna, F. (2016). The journey. Flying Eye Books. 


Megan Van Deventer is an Assistant Professor of English Education at Weber State University and the current CLA Secretary. ​

20 Biographies for 2020

9/22/2020

 

BY MARY ANN CAPPIELLO on behalf of The Biography Clearinghouse

Book cover: Finish the Fight
As we approach the final quarter of 2020, fires rage along the West Coast. Many regions of the United States face drought conditions. Gulf communities are inundated by Hurricane Sally while a string of storms line up in the Atlantic, waiting their turn. The impact of climate change is evident.  

COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our lives, our health. We bear witness to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minoritized groups, including  Black and Latinx communities, Native Americans, and the elderly. 

Across America, Black Lives Matter protests carry on, demanding that our nation invest in the essential work necessary to achieve a more perfect union through racial justice. 

In 2020, we remember moments of historic change, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. 


Book cover: Patricia's Vision
The intensity of this moment can’t be denied. It’s demanding. It’s exhausting. Whether you are a teacher, librarian, or university faculty member, you are likely teaching in multiple new formats and modalities, facing daily logistical challenges. Caregivers also face new hurdles in supporting young people’s learning. 

How do you meet the needs of students and the needs of this moment in history? How do you find hope in literature? 

Perhaps one way is to turn to the people of the past and the present who are working on the edges of scientific knowledge. Or, to turn to the people of the past and the present who have acted as champions of social justice. Their life stories offer young people models of agency and action, blueprints for change.

To that end, The Biography Clearinghouse shares 20 biographies for 2020, a list of recent picturebook and collected biographies to connect with the challenges of the moment. This list is not comprehensive. It is simply a starting place. We hope these recently published biographies of diverse changemakers can become part of your curriculum or part of your read aloud calendar, in-person or over video conferencing software.



Biographies About Scientists

A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttman Created the Paralympic Games (2020) by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Alan Drummond  

Born Curious: 20 Girls Who Grew Up to be Awesome Scientists (2020) by Martha Freeman, illustrated by Katy Wu 

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner (2019) by Janice Harrington, illustrated by Theodore Taylor 

Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet (2019) by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Teresa Martinez 

Ocean Speaks: How Maria Tharp Revealed the Ocean’s Biggest Secret (2020) by Jess Keating, illustrated by Katie Hickey 

Patricia’s Vision: The Doctor Who Saved Sight (2020) by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Alleana Charris. 

Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (2019) by Teresa Robeson, illustrated by Rebecca Huang 

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver (2020) by Gene Berretta, illustrated by Frank Morrison 

Sharuko: El arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello (2020) by Monica Brown; illus. by Elisa Chavarri; trans. into Spanish by Adriana Domínguez

The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just (2018) by Melina Mangal, illustrated by Luisa Uribe ​

Book cover: Born Curious
Book cover: Sharuko

Biographies About Champions for Change

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything (2020) by Annette Bay Pimental, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali 

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-Footed Girl (2020) by Megan Reid, illustrated by Laura Freeman 

Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote (2020) by Veronica Chambers and the staff of The New York Times, illustrated by Monica Ahanonu, Rachelle Baker, Kristen Buchholz, Alex Cabal, Noa Denmon, Ellen Duda, Shyama Golden, Johnalynn Holland, Hillary Kempenich, Nhung Lê , Ella Trujillo, and Steffi Walthall

I am Not a Label: 34 Disabled Artists, Thinkers, Athletes and Activists from Past and Present (2020) by Cerrie Burnell, illustrated by Lauren Mark Baldo

Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box (2020) by Evette Dion 

Lizzie Demands a Seat! Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights (2020) by Beth Anderson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis 

She was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm (2020) by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Eric Velasquez 

Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and The Great War (2019) by Duncan Tonatiuh

Spotted Tail (2019) by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, illustrated by Jim Yellowhawk and Pat Kinsella 

The Teachers March: How Selma’s Teachers Changed History (2020) by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rick Wallace, illustrated by Charly Palmer 
Book cover: Lifting as we Climb
Book cover: She Was the First
If you have any picture book or chapter-length biographies or collected biographies for young people that you would like to recommend, please email us at thebiographyclearinghouse@gmail.com. We’re also interested in hearing more about how you’re using life stories in the classroom this year.
Mary Ann Cappiello teaches courses in children’s literature and literacy methods at Lesley University, blogs about teaching with children’s literature at The Classroom Bookshelf, a School Library Journal blog, and is a former chair of NCTE’s Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction K-8. 

Ideas for Change with Tonya Bolden’s Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl

9/1/2020

 

By Jennifer Graff and Courtney Shimek on behalf of the Biography Clearinghouse

As shared in our initial Biography Clearinghouse post, we are committed to showcasing how biographies can help connect youths with each other and the world. Offering curricular possibilities that are easily adaptable to grade level, time, and other contexts and providing “behind-the-scenes” content from biography creators are central components of our commitment.
Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl Cover
In the spirit of returning to school and the desire to amplify the historical achievements of Black people in the U.S., we showcase the story of someone committed to justice and equity her entire life. “A child of New York City’s striving class of Blacks in the mid-1800s" (p.5) whose ideals were to “Aim high! Stand tall! Be strong! -- and do!” (p.5); a girl whose mother was “an ace operator for the Underground Railroad” (p.21); and an educator who wrote, “I never forgot that I had to sue for a privilege which any but a colored girl could have without asking” (p.36). Thus, our first featured biography on the Biography Clearinghouse website is Tonya Bolden’s award-winning Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl.

Bolden felt compelled to write about Maritcha after coming across her memoir at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Bolden’s rich, descriptive language and use of primary and secondary sources illuminate the life and experiences of Maritcha Rémond Lyons and her family in New York City during the latter half of the 19th century. Readers discover what life for Blacks was like in New York City, witness the terror and violence of the Draft Riots in 1863, and experience the fight for education and equal treatment. Bolden’s discussion of her research and writing process in the front and back matter as well as Maritcha’s perseverance, determination, and legacy inspired us to interview Bolden and imagine how we could incorporate this powerful biography into our classrooms.


Operating within our Investigate, Explore, and Create model, we designed teaching ideas geared toward literacy and content area learning as well as opportunities for socio-emotional learning and strengthening community connections.
Investigate focuses on authors’ and illustrators’ craft and structure. Suggested mini-lessons, writing opportunities, and talking points invite students to take composition-focused “closer looks” and “tryouts,” accentuating the importance of authors’ and illustrators’ craft from multiple perspectives. Bolden’s use of rich, vivid language and a medley of source material in Maritcha inspired our suggestions that connect the power of word choice and text structure as well as differentiate between facts and informed hypotheses. 

Explore offers resources to connect ideas, historical events, and scientific discoveries and inventions within the featured biographies to our world. These resources are selected to help readers deepen and extend their understandings of and connections between historical events and eras, scientific progress and modern conveniences, and to illustrate the interconnectedness of life across geographical places/spaces and disciplinary perspectives. For Maritcha, we found resources about the Draft Riots of 1863 as well as other education desegregation cases from the United States that happened between a decade and a century prior to Brown v. the Board of Education.   

Create invites readers to apply what they learn and know from the biographies to their current communities and contexts. Acutely aware of time and resources, our suggestions are typically  designed to meet educators where they are and offer additional opportunities.

Investigate, Explore, and Create Model

Diagram of interconnected circles involving Investigate research & writing process craft and structure, Explore content and disciplinary thinking  social and emotional learning, Create new texts and artifacts
Create with texts and artifacts

Create with Maritcha

Featured here is one of the Create ideas inspired by Maritcha. We mirror Bolden’s focus on family, community, and equity by having students think about their individual families, situate themselves within their communities, and then engage in positive action and change. While Bolden’s Maritcha is geared toward upper elementary or intermediate grades, the Create ideas speak to primary and intermediate grade levels, work with varying amounts of time, and stimulate new ideas rather than prescribe curricular engagements.

Getting to Know Your Community Leaders

Community networks were central to Maritcha’s story as well as her and her family’s accomplishments. The importance of community networks is still present today. But how often do we have opportunities to delve deeper into the community networks that help us survive, if not thrive?
If you have 1-2 hours . . .
If you have 1-2 days . . .
If you have 1 week or longer  . . .
Discuss the ways in which Maritcha’s community helped her succeed and who the leaders were in her community.
As a class or in small groups, brainstorm who (people and/or organizations) are part of their communities, who they consider to be leaders in their communities, and why (e.g., leadership qualities, character traits, etc.).


Sample discussion starters:
  • Who does a community look up to/learn from most and why? 
  • What qualities do these individuals have that inspire members of the community?

In small groups, students identify someone from their community network. 


Students generate interview questions and then conduct in-person or virtual interviews with their identified community members about the importance of community, leadership, etc. (connect back to key ideas from Maritcha).

By investigating biographers’ research and writing processes and connecting people and historical events to our modern lives, we hope to motivate change in how readers engage with biographies, each other, and the larger world. To see more classroom possibilities and helpful resources connected to Marticha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl, visit the Biography Clearinghouse. Additionally, we’d love to hear how the interview and these ideas inspired you. Email us at thebiographyclearinghouse@gmail.com with your connections, creations, questions, or comment below if you’re reading this on Twitter or Facebook.
Jennifer M. Graff is an associate professor at the University of Georgia, the current past-president of CLA, and a former committee member of NCTE’s Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. 

Courtney Shimek is an assistant professor at West Virginia University and has been a member of CLA since 2015.

From the 2020 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts

8/25/2020

 

BY JEANNE GILLIAM FAIN

Reflecting on the 2020 NCBLA List, our seven-member committee believes in the influence of each individual book and the power of the books grouped together to offer another layer of meaning. After reviewing over 400 titles with 2019 copyright dates appropriate for readers in K-8th grade, the members of the 2020 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Committee met online to decide upon our final list of 30 titles. We read books multiple times and learned from each other as we carefully considered the craft of each book.
In this post, I am going to highlight two picture book biographies from the 2020 NCBLA List: Soldier for Equality: Jose´de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War (2019) and Feed your mind: A story of August Wilson (2019).

Tonatiuh, D. (2019). Soldier for Equality: Jose´de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers, unpaged.

Soldier for Equality Cover
Jose´de La Luz Sáenz starts his young life by fighting bullies as they call him names for being Mexican despite being born in the United States and his “abuela” arrived in the United States more than “twenty-five years ago.” His war experiences emitted mixed responses in terms of equity from his fellow soldiers as his experiences included challenging injustices with particular officers that were his “countrymen.” This book is impeccably researched and many quotes were used from specific pages of Luz’ diary. Duncan’s original style inspired by Pre-Columbian art conveyed his digital and collage-type illustrations vividly add to the powerful voice in this story.

Bryant, J. (2019). Feed your mind: A story of August Wilson. (C. Chapman, Illus.). New York, NY: Abrams Book for Young Readers, unpaged.

Feed your Mind Cover
Jen Bryant's Website
August Wilson, born Frederick August Kittel Jr., learned to understand the power of language and reading. He grew up with the mantra, “If you can read, you can do anything-you can be anything.” This mantra moved him to overcome racial prejudice and intense bullying. This book is written in two acts and in verse. There is an extensive author’s note about research process and places where the spoken lines were based on what the author thought August might say.

Golden Line Strategy & Flip Grid

Both picturebooks feature high-quality language and there are many golden lines, lines that really resonate with the reader, within these texts. The golden line strategy involves the reader choosing a specific line from the picture book biography that causes the reader to pause, ponder, reflect, and/or question the text.

The line should purposely connect with the reader. Readers can choose the golden line from the text and post responses on Flipgrid.

Using flipgrid, the reader can record the reading of the golden line. The teacher can post invitational questions on the flipgrid. Readers can create their own response or answer one of the invitational questions and post on flipgrid. Readers can listen to their peers' golden line responses and post a response back.


Invitational Questions:
  • Why did you choose this golden line?
  • What did this golden line make you think about?
  • Did you make a personal connection with the line of text?
  • What did you learn from this golden line?
  • What you notice something in particular about the line in terms of the genre of the text?
  • What specific words stood out to you and why did these words stand out?
  • What inspired you in this golden line?
Read picture book, aske students to reflect on sections, readers choose a golden line. readers post on Flipgrid, peers offer responses
Golden Lines & Flip Grid Strategy

References

Bryant, J. (2019). Feed your mind: A story of August Wilson. (C. Chapman, Illus.). New York, NY: Abrams Book for Young Readers, unpaged.

Tonatiuh, D. (2019). Soldier for Equality: Jose´de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers, unpaged.


Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts

You can check out the complete 2020 Notables List (2019 copyright) on our Notables page.

There you can also access the NCBLA lists from previous years.

Meet the Notables Committee

Jeanne Gilliam Fain is a professor in the College of Education at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. She is the current Chair of  the 2020 NCBLA. Her research examines critical visual analysis in global children’s literature, critical literacy and linguistically and culturally diverse children’s and adolescents’ literature. Jeanne can be reached at jgfain@lipscomb.edu
 
Vera Ahiyya is a kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, New York.  She has been teaching for 14 years and in three different states. Vera has a passion for sharing books that feature diverse characters and voices. She shares her passion for children's literature on social media and through presenting to educators nationwide. Vera can be reached at thetututeacher@gmail.com.

Elizabeth M. Bemiss is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL.  Her research examines teacher identity construction, effective literacy teaching practices, and critical literacy practices with young children. She can be reached at ebemiss@uwf.edu.

S. Rebecca Leigh is professor in the Department of Reading and Language Arts at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Her research interests include multiple ways of knowing, writing, and teacher education. Her current research examines how access to art serves as a pathway to literacy learning and development and its impact on students as writers. Leigh can be reached at leigh23@oakland.edu
Janine M. Schall is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Bilingual and Literacy Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She teaches literacy courses and conducts research in the areas of multicultural literature and children’s literature with LGBT characters. Janine can be reached at janineschall@utrgv.edu.
 
Jennifer Summerlin is an Assistant Professor of Reading at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research examines construction of knowledge among preservice teacher candidates, supporting literacy best practices within the P-12 classroom, and reading intervention. She can be reached at jsummerl@uab.edu.

Kathryn Will
is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of Maine Farmington.  Her research interests include clinically based teacher education, new teacher mentoring, and rural education.   Her current research looks at the literacy practices of future teachers and how their engagement with children's and young adult literature impacts their attitudes about reading.  Kathryn may be reached at
kathryn.will@maine.edu.
Jeanne Gilliam Fain is s a professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee and Chair of the 2020 Notables Committee.

Online Resources for Diverse Children’s Literature

6/1/2020

 

BY GRACE ENRIQUEZ & DENISE DÁVILA

Picture
In the emergency shift to remote learning, educators and parents sought and found a plethora of video read-alouds and digital libraries of children’s books. This heartened us, as these resources offered access to reading material that many children wouldn’t be able to obtain otherwise.

Now that the school year is winding down, and the initial rush to cobble together online books has abated, we take a moment to reflect on the range of online books and resources available for children. Specifically, as educators committed to social justice, we wondered where we could turn to (a) continue sharing children’s literature with our students to support our goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and (b) learn more about recently published youth literature created by and for members of minoritized groups.  It wasn’t surprising that what is currently available online reflects the massive gap in books about, for, and by diverse communities and underscores the greater need for more diverse books for children overall. In an attempt to close that gap and promote understanding about why diverse books matter--especially now during this global pandemic and in light of the systemic racism, police brutality, and health disparities that our country is currently facing--we have curated a list of online professional guides, blogs, conversations, and other resources.


WEBSITES,  BLOGS, & PODCASTS - IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

A Diversity & Cultural Literacy Toolkit
"A list of recommended resources, including articles, videos, and other content, used in our various in-person and virtual training sessions and workshops on diversity and cultural literacy for librarians."

American Indians in Children's Literature
"Established in 2006, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society."

Asian/Pacific American Libraries Association
“APALA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing leadership opportunities through informed dialogue that addresses the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve APA communities.”

The Brown Bookshelf
"A group of authors and illustrators who came together to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers."

CBC Diversity Committee
"The CBC Diversity initiative was founded in 2012, as part of the Children’s Book Council’s commitment to promoting diverse voices in literature for young people. We believe that all children deserve to see their world reflected in the books they read. We recognize that diversity takes on many forms, including differences in race, religion, gender, geography, sexual orientation, class, and ability."

De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
"De Colores reviews and critiques children's and young adult books about Raza peoples throughout the Diaspora. "

Disability in Kid Lit
"Disability in Kidlit is dedicated to discussing the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature. We publish articles, reviews, interviews, and discussions examining this topic from various angles—and always from the disabled perspective."

I'm Your Neighbor
"I’m Your Neighbor is a project which promotes the use of children’s literature featuring “new arrival” cultures and groups to engage the entire community in a discussion of commonalities and differences. The project features a recommended list of books and an evolving list of engagement projects for educators, librarians, and community organizations who seek to build bridges."

International Children’s Digital Library
“A Library for the World's Children.”

Las Musas
"The first collective of women and non-binary (identifying on the female spectrum) Latinx middle-grade (MG), picture book (PB), and young adult (YA) authors to come together in an effort to support and amplify each other’s debut or sophomore novels in US children’s literature."

Latinxs in Kid Lit
"Exploring the world of Latinx YA, MG and children's literature."

Minorities in Publishing
"MiP is a podcast discussing diversity (or lack thereof) in the book publishing industry with other professionals working in-house as well as authors and those in the literary scene."

Mirrors Windows Doors
"An online magazine whose aim is to draw attention to the riches of children’s and YA books from across the world that highlight cultural and multi-cultural diversity."

More Diverse
A student-started database which helps readers find "diverse alternatives to standard texts."

The Pirate Tree
"A collective of children’s and young adult writers interested in children’s literature and social justice issues."

Reading While White
"Allies for racial diversity and inclusion in books for children and teens."

Rich in Color
"Rich in Color is dedicated to reading, reviewing, talking about, and otherwise promoting young adult fiction starring people of color or written by people of color."

School Library Journal - Diversity and Cultural Literacy Syllabus
Links to articles and other resources on reading and evaluating diverse literature.

Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project
"The best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators."

We Are Kid Lit Collective
"The We Are Kid Lit Collective works to create materials and opportunities to recognize the humanity of Indigenous and People of Color (IPOC) in youth literature."

We Need Diverse Books
“Our aim is to help produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.”
 
Welcoming Schools 
“HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools is the nation's premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to embrace all families, create LGBTQ and gender inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying, and support transgender and non-binary students.”

Grace Enriquez is a Professor of Language and Literacy at Lesley University and a past recipient of the CLA Research Award.
Denise Dávila is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Studies at the University of Texas, Austin and a CLA member.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Editors' Introduction from the Spring 2020 Issue of the Journal of Children's Literature

5/12/2020

 

BY THOMAS CRISP, MARY NAPOLI, VIVIAN YENIKA-AGBAW, & ANGIE ZAPATA

Changing the Stories We Share: Transforming the Children’s Literature Landscape


Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.
—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009)

Stories summon us to wisdom, strength, and delight and make the richness of imagination available to all of us in order to envision a better world and to take action that makes a difference. Stories have the power to direct and change our lives and world--if we provide the time and space necessary for their role in meaning making, life making, and world making.
—Kathy G. Short (2012, p. 17)

AS PROFESSORS OF EDUCATION, literacy, and children’s and young adult literature, we value the unique position that the Journal of Children’s Literature (JCL) occupies in the field, bridging theory and practice by publishing research-based and theoretical manuscripts that have immediate implications for the ways in which children’s books are shared in elementary and middle-grade classrooms and discussed in communities outside of the classroom.

With the November 2015 approval of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) “Resolution on the Need for Diverse Children’s and Young Adult Books,” JCL is committed to the recognition of diverse voices; to the support of emerging Indigenous, Black, and People of Color (IBPoC) scholars and researchers; and to excellence in interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the field of children’s literature. Therefore, we welcome submissions that center literature studies in relation to issues of social justice and equity, representations of populations that have been historically marginalized or underrepresented in children’s texts and culture, and the intersections between popular culture and identity.

Our team shares a commitment both to children’s literature and the field of education. We understand how children’s texts contribute to learning and the development of critical literacies and also serve as powerful cultural artifacts that inform the ways readers view and understand themselves and the world in which they live. We believe that all of us concerned with children’s texts (e.g., teachers, teacher educators, librarians, researchers) must attend to the content of children’s books as literary, cultural, and political objects.

About Our Team

Generally speaking, our professional work is grounded in theories of reader response, critical multiculturalism, and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and is informed by research and scholarship in education, literary, and cultural studies. Here and elsewhere, the co-editors are listed alphabetically. We are, however, a team of co-editors with shared responsibilities. The order of editors’ names does not indicate any sort of rank.
THOMAS CRISP, PHD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LITERACY,
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Thomas Crisp is an associate professor of literacy and children’s literature in the Department of Early Childhood Education in the College of Education at Georgia State University. His research and scholarship center primarily on topics related to justice and the representation of populations that have been traditionally marginalized and underrepresented in children’s media and culture (with particular concern toward gender and sexual identities). His involvement with the Children’s Literature Assembly (CLA) includes serving as communications co-chair; chair and co-chair of the Master Class; chair and co-chair of the Awards Committee; co-chair of the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and a member of the board of directors. He also coauthored the CLA’s position statement on the importance of critical selection and teaching of diverse children’s literature. In addition to his work with CLA and NCTE, he currently serves as the vice president/president-elect of the Children’s Literature Association
VIVIAN YENIKA-AGBAW, PHD
PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION,
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY PARK

Vivian Yenika-Agbaw is a professor of literature and literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Her research and scholarship center on children’s and young adult literature and are informed by theories of critical multiculturalism, postcolonialism, and reader response. She publishes and presents primarily on topics related to social justice and the representation of populations that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented in children’s texts and culture (with particular concern toward race, class, gender, and disabilities). She has been a member of the CLA since 2009 and a member of NCTE for over 20 years, serving in various capacities. She has reviewed book manuscripts for NCTE; served as a member of the Notable Books for a Global Society committee; chaired the College Luncheon Committee at the NCTE annual conference in Philadelphia; reviewed students’ essays for NCTE’s National Awards; served as the vice president for colleges for the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (PCTELA); served as the Assembly on Adolescent Literature (ALAN) of NCTE state representative for young adult literature; and served on the NCTE Commission on Media. She served recently on the International Research Society for Children’s Literature Board.
MARY NAPOLI, PHD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF READING,
PENN STATE HARRISBURG

Mary Napoli is an associate professor of reading in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate literacy courses, including children’s and adolescent literature. She is currently the professor-in-charge of the master of education in literacy education and K–12 reading specialist certification graduate program. Her research and scholarship are informed by theories of critical multiculturalism and reader response. Mary has been a member of NCTE since 2001 and a member of the CLA since 2003, serving both in various capacities. She has been a member of several professional committees, including the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award committee, Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts committee, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children committee.
ANGIE ZAPATA , PHD
A
SSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LEARNING, TEACHING, AND CURRICULUM,
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

Angie Zapata is an associate professor of language and literacy for social transformation (LLST) in the Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum at the University of Missouri. She is a longtime elementary teacher of bilingual and multilingual children; a teacher educator of undergraduate students preparing to be teachers of language and literacy in diverse, elementary settings; and an advisor to doctoral students in LLST. She teaches undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral courses focused on language, literacy, identity, and literature for children and youth in both online and face-to-face settings. The research methodologies she employs are oriented toward bridging the gap between theories of humanizing pedagogies and ethical classroom practice through collaborative teacher–researcher inquiry in literature-based and transling-ual contexts. She has been a long-standing member of the NCTE and the CLA; served on the Charlotte Huck Children’s Book Award Committee; served as co-chair of the Committee on Equity and Inclusion and as a member of CLA’s board of directors; and coauthored the Interna-tional Literacy Association Statement on Expanding the Literature Canon and the CLA position statement on the importance of critical selection and teaching of diverse children’s literature.

Our Work with JCL

Like so many other readers, our understanding of the field of children’s literature has been shaped and informed by the articles published in JCL, selected, refined, and coordinated by editorial teams including, most recently, Donna Adomat, Karla Möller, and Angela Wiseman; Jonda McNair, Miriam Martinez, and Sharon O’Neal; and Cyndi Giorgis, April Bedford, and Jennifer Fabbi. During our time as editors, we hope to carry on the tradition of excellence cultivated by these and all other editors of the Journal of Children’s Literature.

Our team is committed to building upon the work of previous editors by bringing together master teachers, recognized scholars and researchers, and emerging voices (e.g., new scholars, doctoral students) across disciplines as contributors to JCL. We recognize that under the guidance of previous editorial teams, the theoretical content of JCLhas increased. We view this shift as particularly important for teachers and teacher educators in the current context of high-stakes testing (e.g., the edTPA), educational initiatives (e.g., the Common Core State Standards), and the “deprofessionalization” of teachers and the teaching profession. Through JCL, we want to foreground the attention to reader response, critical literacies, critical multiculturalism, and social justice.

We will continue to center scholarship and research and explore how theory can guide the ways in which researchers, teachers, teacher educators, and librarians view and explore children’s literature. We plan to make JCL relevant to both educators and scholars by publishing practical yet scholarly pieces that allow readers to think deeply about children’s literature (including visual and multimodal texts) and how it can directly influence the lives of children in their classrooms. To this end, during our tenure as editors, JCL will include the following features:
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
Each issue of JCL will feature up to four research-based, scholarly articles that explore contemporary issues in the fields of education and children’s literature. These articles will address topics of interest to elementary and middle-grade teachers, scholars and researchers of children’s literature, teacher educators, and librarians.
TEACHERS’ VOICES
EDITED BY SUZANNE M. KNEZEK AND PAUL RICKS

The Teachers’ Voices column is a space that privileges the research of educators in all their myriad settings, highlighting both the realities of classroom learning situations and the important work that occurs elsewhere (e.g., in libraries, in community centers, in correctional facilities, online, at home).
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
In addition, we will continue featuring reports, articles, and forums relevant to the Children’s Literature Assembly. These will include interviews and commentaries with authors and illustrators, the Notables list, the Master Class article, and more.
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS
WRITTEN/EDITED BY EDITH CAMPBELL
The Critical Conversations column is a space that encourages spirited debates on children’s texts (contemporary and classic). It also affords contributors an opportunity to critically examine texts for biases and to recognize innovations that might expand or complicate the ways educators see, think, and talk about children’s texts in and out of the classroom.
PODCAST
This issue of JCL marks the first time the journal is published in an online-only format. Moving online provides a number of affordances, one of which is our ability to offer a podcast focused on current issues relevant to the field of children’s literature. The podcast will consist primarily of lively conversations between a small group of individuals with a range of perspectives and expertise as scholars or creators of children’s literature.
Finally, as we transition the journal online, our team is committed to making all past issues of JCL available to members of the Children’s Literature Assembly. We are currently scanning all past issues of JCL and its predecessors (e.g., Ripples) and will be making those available in the Members Only section of the Children’s Literature Assembly website. We are grateful to CLA historian Dr. Amy McClure for entrusting us with the assembly’s copies of these archival materials. We are also indebted to Dr. Evie Freeman, who provided us with her personal copies of JCL for use in our scanning.

Additional Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following individuals and institutions for their support of our work with the Journal of Children’s Literature:
  • Donna Adomat, Karla Möller, and Angela Wiseman, who generously and tirelessly answered our questions, provided materials, and met with us as we transitioned into this role
  • Jennifer Graff, Lauren Liang, Ruth Lowery, and the CLA board for entrusting us with this journal‡‡.
  • Xenia Hadjioannou for creating the online format for the journal and working with us as we scanned issues, created calls for manuscripts, and so much more
  • Laura May for her insights and advice on creating a podcast
  • Our editorial assistants, Abigail Snyder (Georgia State University)and Jolynn Sullivan (Penn State Harrisburg)
  • Our university department chairs and deans for their support, including release time, equipment, and student assistants
  • Our editorial review board members for their commit-ment to the journal and insightful feedback on manuscripts

References

Adichie, C. N. (2009, July). Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript

Short, K. G. (2012). Story as world making.
Language Arts, 90(1), 9–17.

Editorial Note to CLA Members

CLA Members can use their CLA online account credentials to access the Spring 2020 JCL issue (VOLUME 46, ISSUE 1) and our growing collection of JCL's past issues.
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