Saturday, January 21, 2017

#DiverseKidLit: Human Rights

Our theme for both linkups in January is Human Rights. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is celebrated in the US in January, think about your favorite books to share with children about the importance and the history of human rights and/or civil rights. (As always, the theme is only a suggestion. Diverse posts on alternate topics are always welcome.)

What Is #DiverseKidLit?


Diverse Children's Books is a book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children's books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of diversity including (and certainly not limited to) diverse, inclusive, multicultural, and global books for children of all backgrounds.

We encourage everyone who shares to support this blogging community by visiting and leaving comments for at least three others. Please also consider following the hosts on at least one of their social media outlets. Spread the word using #diversekidlit and/or adding our button to your site and your diverse posts.

DiverseKidLit

We hope this community will grow into a great resource for parents, teachers, librarians, publishers, and authors! Our next linkup will be Saturday, February 4th and on the first and third Saturdays of every month.

Upcoming Theme


Our theme for the current month is Human Rights. Themes are a suggestion only; all diverse book posts are welcome. If you're interested, you can start planning now for our upcoming themes ...
  • February 4th and 18th linkups: Love. Let's spread our love of diverse books by sharing diverse books about love, families, and relationships. 
  • March 4th and 18th: Changing Seasons. As we eagerly await the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern, let's share favorite books and resources on the seasons.

Most Clicked Post from Last Time



Our most-clicked post from last time was a review by Alex of Randomly Reading of Ashes, book 3 in Laurie Halse Anderson's Seeds of America trilogy.


My DiverseKidLit Shout-Out



Mark your calendars for Multicultural Children's Book Day, Jan. 27, 2017! Multicultural Children's Book Day is an all-day (really, more like all-month) celebration of diverse books. This will be my third year participating in #MCCBD and my first year as a co-host. In addition to the incredible diverse books and resources shared as part of the massive linkup (check back here on the day), you can also win amazing book bundles by participating in our Twitter Party that night. You can find all the details - including the questions and prizes - here!

#DiverseKidLit is Hosted by:


Want to be notified when the next #diversekidlit linkup goes live?

Receive an email reminder for each new #diversekidlit linkup





Interested in joining as a host or an occasional co-host? Contact katie at thelogonauts.com.

(Never participated in a linkup before? Please click here for a more detailed step-by-step.)

Get #DiverseKidLit Recommendations on Pinterest!


Our Pinterest board highlights a wide range of amazing posts and resources for Diverse Children's Books. Please consider following the board for even more great books!





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Friday, January 20, 2017

Great Diverse Books from Scholastic


Multicultural Children's Book Day is an annual event on January 27th where bloggers, teachers, authors, and parents come together to celebrate and promote diverse books for children. As a co-host for the event, I will be helping host the big day-off linkup of diverse book posts, and I also received books to review for the event.


Scholastic is a platinum-level sponsor of the event and provided me with a package of several wonderful books to share here with you. (All thoughts are my own.)

Picture Books: Family Stories



Under the Same Sun (2014) by Sharon Robinson and illustrated by AG Ford. This memoir tells the story of Sharon and her mother's visit to Tanzania to see her brother David and his family. The universal nature of family and togetherness is celebrated as the continents come together. The family goes on a safari and spends a few pages enjoying African animals.

The trip ends on a somber note as the families visit the historic slave port of Bagamoyo and discuss their personal history of enslavement, but they turn it to a positive note by thinking about their freedoms and personal connections. This is a powerful book for presenting one possible outcome of a family history study in an African-American family.


The Granddaughter Necklace (2013) by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline provides another version of an African-American family history story. This one is told from the present moving backwards as it traces the progression of a crystal necklace from daughter to mother to mother (and back and back and back). Inspired by the author's own family history, the necklace turns out to have originated with an Irish woman who immigrated to America and married a free black man in the mid 1800s.

This book has the potential to spark a lot of great conversations with students about their own family histories as well as some of the assumptions they might have when it comes to the ancestors of today's African-Americans. (For older students you could talk about the history of ideas like the "one-drop" rule, terms like mulatto, and what it means to be mixed race or have mixed ancestry.)

Young Fiction



Big News! (Emma on the Air, book 1) (2015) by Ida Siegal. This charming new series features third grader Emma who has decided that a TV reporter is a perfect job for her to become famous! With the help of her dad (a "boring" newspaper reporter), Emma breaks her first story about a mysterious worm-burger, which sets her off on a detective-style search for the truth. Emma's dad is from the Dominican Republic, and there are a variety of Spanish phrases thrown into the story too. I can imagine this series inspiring quite a few citizen journalists. The series currently has four books.

Early Middle Grade



Making Friends with Billy Wong (2016) by Augusta Scattergood. Most books set during the Civil Rights Era focus on discrimination against African-Americans, but in this story, Azalea is shocked to discover there is a "Chinese" boy living near her grandmother's house, where she has been dumped for the summer. Billy's perspective is told through interspersed poetry, and he worries about friendship and starting at the white school in the fall. This is a very gentle introduction to racism geared towards the younger end of middle grade readers.

More about Multicultural Children's Book Day



Multicultural Children’s Book Day (01/27/17) is its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that.

But we couldn't do it without the help of our wonderful sponsors, authors, and co-hosts!

Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press,  Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle, Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books



We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also work tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts here.

MCBD Links to Remember






What are your favorite diverse books for kids from Scholastic? (Check back on Jan. 27th for the huge linkup on Multicultural Children's Book Day!)
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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

New Immigration Books, part 2: picture books and anthologies

Two years ago I wrote a three-part series about teaching kids about the history and impact of US immigration. The first post introduced nonfiction resources for studying immigration; the second post covered historical fiction and memoirs, including novels and picture books; and the third shared books about modern-day immigration. A few months ago I shared a review of the picture books of Rene Colato Laínez, many of which feature immigrants to the US.

Since those posts, several more wonderful books have come out - so many so that I thought it was high time for a follow up. I've broken them down into several categories. The previous post shared books about the Syrian migration to Europe and books about Central American migration through Mexico to the US, while this post will cover other picture books about recent immigrants and anthologies and novels about immigration.

More Picture Books about Recent Immigrants



The Favorite Daughter (2013) by Allen Say. Based on his own daughter, Yuriko is struggling to figure out where she fits, with her divorced parents and the bright blond hair and Japanese name she inherited from each of them. This is a great story about figuring out who you are and where you belong. (My students' favorite parts of this book are the photographs of Allen Say's actual daughter - especially as a chubby toddler in her kimono!)


Here I Am (2014) story by Patti Kim and illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. This wordless picture book is a wonderful way to convey some of the confusion and difficulty of moving to a new place and not being able to immediately communicate. But when the young boy loses something important, it takes great courage for him to reach out and make a new friend. There is much to discuss and discover here. (The story is inspired by the author's own experience moving to the US from Korea at age 4.)


I'm New Here (2015) by Anne Sibley O'Brien. This thought-provoking picture book follows the stories of three recent immigrants as they try to adjust to their new lives in the United States. The story alternates point-of-view from Maria from Guatemala, Jin from Korea, and Fatimah from Somalia. Each child has a unique way of explaining his/her own difficulties during the adjustment process, and each is helped in different ways by classmates.


My Two Blankets (2015) by Irena Kobald and illustrated by Freya Blackwood. This story is narrated by a young girl who flees her home country due to war and ends up with her aunt in an unfamiliar country with new languages and new animals. The two blankets are a metaphor for how she wraps herself in the known and the familiar, and they are also a testament to the power of a smile and of friendship. The book is based on the author's observations of her own Austrian-Australian daughter and her Sudanese-Australian friend.


A Piece of Home (2016) by Jeri Watts and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. This new addition on the theme of immigration is a first-person story narrated by Hee Jun as his family unexpectedly leaves Korea and moves to West Virginia in the United States. Hee Jun also shares the perspectives of his younger sister and his grandmother, as all three of them adjust to their new life in different ways. A fairly straight-forward story and not particularly memorable. (A review copy of the book was provided by the Candlewick Best in Class mailing. All thoughts are my own.)

Anthologies and Novels about Immigration




First Crossing: stories about teen immigrants (2007) edited by Donald Gallo. This is a powerful collection of short stories about the immigrant experience from a teenage point-of-view, though I wish the stories had more details about how many of them are purely fiction vs. autobiographical. I will definitely be using some of these stories with my middle schoolers. (A review copy of the book was provided by the Candlewick Best in Class mailing. All thoughts are my own.)


Open Mic: riffs on life between cultures in ten voices (2013), edited by Mitali Perkins. I really liked this short story collection and am planning on using several as mentor texts for my students. Authors share stories about growing up and navigating their backgrounds, heritages, and family situations. Many seem to be memoirs or at least directly-inspired by personal experiences. (A review copy of the book was provided by the Candlewick Best in Class mailing. All thoughts are my own.)


The Unforgotten Coat (2011) by Frank Cottrell Boyce (winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2012). This powerful and haunting story revolved around the sudden appearance of Chingis and his younger brother, immigrants to England from Mongolia. The book follows classmate Julie as finds herself suddenly their advocate. Told at times from her grown-up perspective, the story quickly becomes more complex as Julie tried to explain the boys' suspicious behavior. An interesting take on modern immigration and refugees, as well as the complexity of governmental responses.

What are your favorite new books about immigration or immigrants?

Read more in the immigration series here: nonfiction resources for studying immigration , historical fiction and memoirs, picture books of Rene Colato Laínez, books on modern immigration, and new books about Syrian and Central American immigration.


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Monday, January 16, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 01/16/17


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.



Last Week's Posts


    Picture Books



    Stepping Stones: a refugee family's journey (2016) by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr (Bilingual in English and Arabic - Arabic translation by Falah Raheem). The artwork in this book blows my mind. Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr created each of these illustrations as a 3D collage of river stones, which were photographed for their incorporation into the story. The text itself is a powerful version of the modern refugee story - the fear, the flight, the dangerous voyage across the water, but it's the emotion of the illustrations that make this book memorable. Added to my new immigration series.


    Radiant Child: the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (2016) by Javaka Steptoe [Mock Caldecott contender]. This biography of street artist turned museum-worthy artist Jean-Michel Basquiat has really grown on me after reading it aloud and discussing it with both of my classes. (Originally I was turned off by the decision not to include any of Jean-Michel Basquiat's original art in the story, so I showed selections from his web site instead.) They really appreciated how Javaka Steptoe took Basquiat's style and colorful palette but rendered it in a way that was more familiar and comprehensible to a younger audience. There are so many hidden details that make the reader keep coming back and back.

    Middle Grade


    I've been busily reading (and rereading) the finalists for the Cybils Middle Fiction category, but I have to wait to share my reviews until after the awards are announced in February. (You can read about the finalists here.)

    Happy Reading!
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    Saturday, January 14, 2017

    New Immigration Books, part 1: Syrian and Central American immigrants

    Two years ago I wrote a three-part series about teaching kids about the history and impact of US immigration. The first post introduced nonfiction resources for studying immigration; the second post covered historical fiction and memoirs, including novels and picture books; and the third shared books about modern-day immigration. A few months ago I shared a review of the picture books of Rene Colato Laínez, many of which feature immigrants to the US.

    Since those posts, several more wonderful books have come out - so many so that I thought it was high time for a follow up. I've broken them down into several categories. This post will share books about the Syrian migration to Europe and books about Central American migration through Mexico to the US, while the second post will cover other picture books about recent immigrants, and anthologies and novels about immigration.

    Books about Syrian Migration to Europe



    Stepping Stones: a refugee family's journey (2016) by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr (Bilingual in English and Arabic - Arabic translation by Falah Raheem). The artwork in this book blows my mind. Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr created each of these illustrations as a 3D collage of river stones, which were photographed for their incorporation into the story. The text itself is a powerful version of the modern refugee story - the fear, the flight, the dangerous voyage across the water, but it's the emotion of the illustrations that make this book memorable.


    The Journey (2016) by Francesco Sanna. This picture book tells an intentionally-generic version of a forced immigration story as the narrator, her brother, and her mother flee their home country after the war and the death of her father. The book was inspired by the author's encounter with refugee girls in Italy. This one doesn't work for me as well as other immigration / migration / refugee books. The generic nature of the story makes it harder to connect with the characters, and I felt like the cartoonish border guards also downplay the seriousness of the issue. I'd love to hear other opinions!


    Books about Central American Migration to Mexico and the US



    Somos como las nubes / We are Like the Clouds (2016) by Jorge Argueta and illustrated by Alfonso Ruano. This collection of bilingual poetry shares powerful insights into the decisions and journeys behind Central American immigration to the US. This is not a single narrative but rather a collection of individual voices. The realistic illustrations and difficult moments depicted make this a powerful picture book for older readers. It is definitely one I will be using with my middle schoolers.


    Migrant: the journey of a Mexican worker (2014) by José Manuel Mateo and illustrated by Javier Martínez Pedro [an Américas Awards: honorable mention]. This book is an incredible work of art. Designed in the style of a codex, the book is one giant illustration that folds down in on itself to become the book. One side has the text in English, the other in Spanish. In the story two children and their mother head north in search of their father who has not returned.


    Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: a migrant's tale (2013) by Duncan Tonatiuh [a Pura Belpré Honor book and [an Américas Awards: honorable mention]. Written in the style of a fable or folktale, Pancho Rabbit deals with the very real-world issue of illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States. When Pancho's father does not return from "El Norte," Pancho sets out to find him and bring him back, with the help of a coyote he meets along the way. Every year when I share this story it leads to powerful conversations - both with my third graders and my middle schoolers! (Click on Part 1 or Part 2 to read more about other books written and/or illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.)


    Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation (2015) written by Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Leslie Staub [a Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Book]. This book shares the story of a young girl whose mother from Haiti is being held in prison because she does not have the right papers. When I shared this book with my third graders, it was clear that they were deeply impacted by the story." We also read the author's note and discussed the fact that many children and many families do not experience a happy ending like the one in the book.


    Mamá the Alien / Mamá la Extraterrestre (2016) by René Colato Laínez and illustrated by Laura Lacámara. Sofia has made a startling discovery - hidden in her Mamá's purse is a card identifying her ... as an alien! When her parents' explanations fail to satisfy her curiosity, Sofia decides to do her own research on aliens, which only adds to her confusion and worries. (Bilingual in English and Spanish.) The author's note provides additional information about terminology and his personal immigration story. (Review copy provided by the publisher. All thoughts are my own.)

    My review: This is a great story that demonstrates the power of words and labels. Kids can relate to Sofia's flights of imagination and her worries about her place in the world. Every year when I taught my third graders about immigration and family histories, I had students react with similar confusion to the term "illegal alien" and "resident alien." I look forward to sharing this book with the new third grade teacher so she can read it aloud and discuss it with them. (Read an interview with the author here or read about his many other books which feature immigration issues.)


    América is Her Name (1997) by Luis J. Rodríguez and illustrated by Carlos Vásquez. (This isn't a new story, but it was new to me.) 9-year old América is dealing with a lot: gangs on the street, an alcoholic father, being called illegal, and the feeling that she has lost her words in switching from Spanish to English. But a school visit from a Puerto Rican poet helps broaden her horizons and set her on a new path.

    What are your favorite new books about immigration or immigrants?

    Read more in the immigration series here: nonfiction resources for studying immigration , historical fiction and memoirs, picture books of Rene Colato Laínez, and more books on modern immigration.


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    Friday, January 13, 2017

    Poetry Friday: One Last Word


    One Last Word: wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance (2017) by Nikki Grimes.

    One Last Word was my first 2017 read, and boy, does it set the bar high for the rest of the year! There are so many incredible things going on with this book.

    1. The Original Poems - the book includes, as the book flap puts it, the "evocative verse of legendary writers from the era" of the Harlem Renaissance. Back matter includes brief biographies of each of the poets as well.

    2. The New Poems - I had never heard of the "Golden Shovel" poetic form before, but it's a doozy. You take a line (or more) from a published poem and those individual words become the last word in each line of your own, original poem. It's a tantalizing jigsaw of a poetry form, and it's incredible the depths and innovations Nikki Grimes has created with it.



    3. The Artwork - each set of historic poem and new "Golden Shovel" poem is accompanied by an illustration from different illustrators, the list of which reads like a Who's Who of diverse kidlit illustrators: Christopher Myers, Sean Qualls (a Logonauts featured illustrator), James E. Ransome, and more.

    I got this book from the library on Wednesday, finished it cover-to-cover that night, and designed my next Poetry Friday lesson around it for my students the next day. (I plan to update this post later in the day with details about how it went over with my students ... stay tuned!)

    One student poem (more to follow):


    I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wadsworth

    I
    Called, he wandered
    Alone in the dripping rain, lonely
    He ran away as
    Quick as a bear, and a
    Wisp gone away, a wisp of a cloud.

    Visit Keri Recommends for more Poetry Friday posts or click the Poetry Friday tag for more of my poetry posts.
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    Wednesday, January 11, 2017

    Top 5 Posts of 2016!

    It's finally here - our Top 5 Most-Read Posts of 2016. If you missed any of the categories of posts leading up, you can catch them all here:


    Top 5 Most-Read Posts of 2016


    #5 Spotlight on Diverse Book Awards



    This post is the first in series exploring diverse book awards. This post provides an overview of all of the awards pictured, as well as links to their web sites and book lists. A powerful resource for finding incredible diverse books! (Later posts shared about the Américas Award, the Stonewall Book Awards, the South Asia Book Award, with more to follow.)

    #4 How to Find High Quality Diverse Literature for Children



    This post accompanied the early launch of the Diverse Children's Books linkup, as I wanted to share some strategies for finding and evaluating books for children.

    #3 Poetry Friday Hosting: Novels in Verse



    I love hosting the Poetry Friday roundup, and I always try to do a more elaborate post when hosting. This year's post provides an overview to a wide-range of middle grade novels in verse.


    #2 Nonfiction Picture Book 10 for 10 #nf10for10



    Another perennial favorite is coming up with my top 10 lists for both #pb10for10 (picture book 10 for 10) and #nf10for10 (nonfiction picture book 10 for 10). This year's nonfiction entries were chosen around the theme of biographies of diverse artists (doing diverse art).

    #1 Picture Book 10 for 10 #pb10for10



    My #pb10for10 shared my Top 10 picture books for middle school. (Since publishing this post, I've gone on to share more than half of these books with my seventh graders already, and we have had some fascinating and amazing discussions around them.)

    Do you have a favorite posts from The Logonauts from the past year? I don't like to pick favorites, myself, but I will say that I was probably most excited about writing my first-ever post for The Nerdy Book Club: Broadening and Deepening Your Reading Life. Enjoy!
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