As we enter Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to honor and celebrate AAPI creators and stories both new and old. Read books by AAPI authors and illustrators, uplift AAPI voices, and support AAPI activists and organizers all year round. Check out the book pages on our website to download teacher’s guides!
Senior Literacy Manager Katie Potter weighs in on how we can meet the needs of Black students and the importance of Black books in these two articles from Word in Black. Word in Black is a groundbreaking collaboration of the nation’s leading Black news publishers, and they strive to be the most trusted news and information source for, about, and by Black people. Discover excerpts of the articles below and click the links to read more!
Continue readingMay is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate we’ve rounded up some of our favorite resources and books for readers and educators alike. Read books by AAPI authors and illustrators, uplift AAPI voices, and support AAPI activists and organizers—not just this month, but all year round.
Continue readingFor Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite resources and books for readers and educators alike. Though this month is dedicated to uplifting Black history, culture, movements, and game changers, we must remember that Black history IS American history and should be celebrated all year round.
Continue readingThank you to all who joined us for our most recent webinar, “The Importance of Reconstruction in Today’s Classrooms and Libraries,” with New Visions Award Honor Michelle Coles (Black Was the Ink) and New Voices Award-winning author Rita Lorraine Hubbard (Hammering for Freedom).
If you missed it live (or just want to watch it again), you can access the webinar below, or here on YouTube. Keep reading for links to resources and booklists shared during the webinar and feel free to reach out for more information and/or a Professional Development certificate.
Join us for a critical webinar on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 at 4:00 PM EST about using children’s books to teach Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a brief period in American history from 1865–1877 when efforts were made to confer citizenship rights on the 4.4 million African Americans emancipated from slavery as well as approximately 500,000 African Americans who were already freed from slavery.
A few years ago, conversations surrounding the importance of joyful books that feature Black characters finally started to pick up steam. Though BIPOC readers, specifically Black readers, have noticed the lack of joyful diverse books for some time, publishing is finally getting to a place of recognition that Black characters are more than just oppression and a teaching moment for outside readers. BIPOC are just like everyone else with varied lived experiences that aren’t always rooted in pain. In this guest blog post, we hear from author Kelly J. Baptist and illustrator Darnell Johnson to discuss the importance of Black joy in children’s books and how that translated into their newest title The Electric Slide and Kai.
Are you looking to add anti-racist books to your library but don’t know where to start? Have you been thinking about how to have meaningful conversations with young people about race, but lack confidence in how to begin? The books in our Anti-Racism Reading List will help you take the first steps or continue the critical discussions about anti-racism work relevant to your setting.
In this blog post, we’ve rounded up books from our anti-racism reading list for grades 6 and up. You can find more of our anti-racism titles in our Anti-Racism Diverse Reading List and the corresponding book collection.
Are you looking to add anti-racist books to your library but don’t know where to start? Have you been thinking about how to have meaningful conversations with young people about race, but lack confidence in how to begin? The books in our Anti-Racism Reading List will help you take the first steps or continue the critical discussions about anti-racism work relevant to your setting.
In this blog post, we’ve rounded up books from our anti-racism reading list for grades 3-5. You can find more of our anti-racism titles in our Anti-Racism Diverse Reading List and the corresponding book collection.
What We Believe: A Black Lives Matter Activity Book is a collaboration between Laleña Garcia and Caryn Davidson, both professional educators and activists with the Black Lives Matter at Schools NYC organizing group. Learn the story behind What We Believe here and how the author and illustrator define activism and allyship in the first two installments.
Today, in the third installment of our conversation, Laleña and Caryn share tips and suggestions for educators who face institutional opposition when bringing learning about BLM, social justice, and activism into their classrooms: Continue reading
