Banned Books Week

It's Banned Book Week!!!!!! What? Huh? That's a thing? Why is that a thing? Did I guess what you were thinking?  Don't feel too bad if you have never heard about Banned Book Week; it isn't common knowledge unless you are a librarian, publisher, author, etc. However, if you are someone who is passionate about reading and access to books Banned Books Week is something you should know and care about.

Let me start with a little bit of history. Banned Books Week was started after the 1982 case Island School Trees District v. Pico. Feel free to click on the link if you want all of the details but to sum up the case, a group of parents asked a school board to ban 9 books from the school library on the basis that the books were anti-Christian, Anti-American, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy". Now you are probably assuming these books must have been Fifty Shades of Gray crossed with The Satanic Bible. Oh no, the books causing such an uproar were the Pulitzer winning Laughing Boy which is about a young Navajo and Indian Boarding schools in America, Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut, which an anti-war novel, Go Ask Alice, which is a great novel warning of the dangers of drug abuse, and Black Boy which is Richard Wright's memoir of growing up black in the segregated south. You may have sensed my sarcasm. Luckily the Supreme Court ruled that libraries and reading are closely tied to our freedoms of speech and press and School Boards cannot ban books just because they disagree with the content. The right to read

Despite the Supreme Court decision in 1982, books are still being challenged and removed from public schools and libraries based on their content. This is why it is so important that librarians, publishers, and book lovers learn continue to promote and educate people about Banned Books Week. 

 Please don't assume that because I am a firm believer in allowing people to read whatever they want that I am going to be handing a 6 year old a copy of the Kamasutra. Of course, books in libraries should be organized by age level and, ultimately, a parent can decide what their own child can or cannot read. I just don't think that parent should get to decide for my child or your child or anyone else's besides theirs.  If you are concerned that something your child is reading is too mature for them there are a number of resources such as common sense media that will tell you exactly what the content of a book, movie, or television show is and whether there is violence, profanity, sex, etc.

If you are genuinely concerned that your child will read a book that will frighten them or encourage them to have sex or become a serial killer or curse like a sailor let me say a couple of things that will maybe put your mind a bit more at ease. 

First off, kids are actually really good at censoring themselves. I say this as a mom of four and a youth librarian who helped kids and teens with books for over a decade. Young readers not into romance will either stop reading books that have too much of it or will skim over the parts they don't like. Same thing with books that are scary or violent. 

Secondly, if your worried about your teens you need to understand that young adult literature is fairly new. I am over forty and there was not a whole lot written for teens when I was one. Basically there was Judy Blume, Lois Duncan, Sweet Valley High, and that was about it. If you weren't into girly drama you were going to be reading adult books. I read everything by Stephen King and Dean Koontz before I was 14. It is awesome that young readers today have so much to choose from, but, honestly, reading an adult book is not going to scar them.

 

It is time to be honest about what banning books is currently all about, though. I don't know if you have heard about the recent hullabaloo in York, Pennsylvania, but basically a school decided to ban a number of books for no other reason than that they represented diverse authors and characters and discussed racism. One person behind the ban actually stated that he did not want his child to read about racism because they might feel guilty for being white. I don't even know how to respond to this lunacy and it seems to be spreading rampantly. Politicians, parents, etc. around the country are throwing hissy fits about critical race theory (even though they don't even know what it is) and are trying to ban  schools from even teaching the actual history of our country. Why? The only answer I can come up with is racism. It's like the whole You might be a redneck... bit by Jeff Foxworthy. Seriously, you might be a racist if learning about racism scares you so much. 

Or we could also say you just might be homophobic if books that show LGBTQ characters as real people who deserve kindness and respect freak you out.  Yes, I have heard I love the person, but not the sin

You may think that I am being a bit harsh or overreacting but all you have to do is look at the lists of most banned books over the past decade to see that fear of equality and anything but a white washed history is behind the majority of book challenges. And like everything right now it has become this huge political divide.

 Let's take a look at the top most challenged books of 2020. Eight out of the ten most banned books deal specifically with racism. The reasons behind their being banned are contains profanity, supports anti-police views, too divisive, contains racial slurs, etc.

Well, let me tell you that the whole profanity excuse is nonsense. I read a lot of young adult literature and there is quite a bit that contains profanity. I get it if you do not want your kids to curse, I would rather mine not also. At the same time, I am not completely naive and I know that teens swear. Some more than others sure, but it is not uncommon. Also, if I am totally honest, I probably heard more curse words coming from my dad than I ever read in books growing up. The point I am trying to make is that there are tons of books with profanity, but the only ones banned for said profanity are written by brown authors with brown characters. 

The anti-police sentiment or too politically divisive are more complicated for most people. There is a massive banner that I drive by every day that says "Support Your Police" and I do support the police. However, I am also astute enough to know that my interactions with police as a white woman in a rural area is probably very different from than those of a person of color living in a large city. Books give us such an amazing opportunity to step into another life and look through their eyes. To deny young people this chance to build understanding and empathy and then create change in our world just leaves me feeling dismal about the future. The majority of police officers are good people who just want to help and serve, but you cannot deny that there is a history of police violence against minorities and based on history those minorities have every reason to be wary. Also, let's be honest, why does it take longer to become a hairdresser than a police officer? We, as a society, cannot create change until we stop interjecting and actually listen to other people's stories and experiences.

It's time to talk about sex. Suddenly I am hearing Barry White singing in the background. Seeing a phenomenal book like Speak on the top ten most banned books just pisses me off.  Why? Because books like Speak  have been banned from school libraries for showing very real depictions of sexual assault that could make so many teen girls realize that they are not alone. As parents we want so desperately to protect our children, but that isn't always possible. Bad things happen and books are a way for people to know that what they feel, what they experience is okay and normal and that they will survive.

Also, I have to question why books like Speak or The Bluest Eyes are banned for "explicit sexual content" yet books by V.C. Andrews have never been on one of the top ten banned lists. V.C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic, Heaven, etc) books are in every high school/public library and teen girls devour them.  If you are a fan of V.C. Andrews more power to you. I am not judging you, but can you deny that her books are sexually explicit and often depict incest, rape, and molestation and attempt to make them strangely sexy.   Now, I do not support banning any books, but why are we okay with creepy, fantasy sex involving super hot white people but not with fiction that shows real teens (white, brown, black, gay, trans) dealing with real issues like sexual attraction, pregnancy, assault, abuse, etc.

 

And for those of you that are terrified of books like George or Tango Makes Three or Two Boys Kissing; LGBTQ people exist. They have always existed and simply ignoring that fact or actively teaching your children that they should be feared or are disgusting in some way is despicable. Claiming to love the person, but the hate the sin is the biggest bullshit excuse for actively discriminating against gay people.

Please take the time to read this amazing interview with Alec Gino, the author of George (Melissa's Story). Maybe it will make you rethink your stance on LGBTQ people.  It is not a lifestyle choice and it cannot be wished or prayed away. 

I know that this post has turned into a rant, but it is something that I feel incredibly passionate about. There has been so much in the news over the last few years about "erasing history". Gasp! We have taken down confederate statues. How will anyone know that Robert E. Lee was a traitor to America instead of a hero. Wait do I have that backwards? The fact is America has erased it's history for generations and we are only just acknowledging a history that is not white, wealthy, and male. This is a good thing. It does not mean that there were never good white people or that we should personally feel responsible for slavery. I go back to the dad who did not want his child to feel guilty for being white. What about the African American, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, etc. parent who has to tell their child that their history cannot even be read about in books or taught in school because it will make white children feel bad. "Cancel Culture" is the hot button term on Fox news right now, but the ruling class of America has been canceling cultures since before the Revolutionary War. 

Ok, now I will really stop ranting, but if you made it this far go check out a banned book to read!

Happy Pride Month

 

In case you have completely missed the rainbows everywhere, June is National Pride Month. Of course, organizations, corporations, and individuals should support people in the LGBTQ community all year long. Maybe someday we will reach a point that there are no marginalized groups fighting to have their rights, history, and basic humanity acknowledged by the rest of the country. Yeah, that came out pretty snarky, but I really have zero patience with people who embrace hate and prejudice.

Anyway, back to books which is what I always love to write about. Here are a few of my personal picks featuring LGBTQ characters. Don't read them just in June, though. Read books written by diverse authors featuring all types of characters all year long. 

Let's start with children's books, because teaching our kids to love and accept others needs to start early. Personally, I have never understood the parents who say that they have no issue with gay people but they don't want their kids to learn about it. We aren't talking about having your kids watch porn. We are saying that seeing a family with two moms or two dads, or a boy who wears a dress is only a huge deal if you make it into one.

Hands down two fantastic picture books for little ones are Julian is a Mermaid and Julian at the Wedding by Jessica Love. Julian is a Mermaid, which was Love's debut picture book, was the recipient of the 2019 Stonewall Award. Not only are these two picture books amazing stories of love, empowerment, and self-expression, they are also just great stories with gorgeous illustrations.

The first story is all about a young boy named Julian who while riding with his Abuela on the subway seems some of the mermaids from the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Julian is instantly entranced and dreams of becoming a mermaid. Once they arrive at home, Julian fashions his own mermaid costume and rather than being told boys aren't mermaids, Julian's Abuela supports and loves his creativity and imagination.

In Love's second Julian story, Julian and his Abuela are on their way to a wedding and Julian is incredibly excited because he is going to be "in" the wedding too. Along with Julian a young girl named Marisol is also going to be in the wedding. The two become fast friends and when Marisol ruins her peach confection of a dress Julian helps her fix it. First of all I love that there are two brides at this wedding and it is just there and beautiful. Also, I think that it is awesome that Julian is the one enamored with the decorations and fanciness of the wedding and Marisol is the one wearing a baseball cap and rolling in the dirt with a dog. It is insane that even in the year 2021 there is so much pressure for boys to be "all boy" and girls to be "girly". Children and adults should never feel like they cannot be who they are and like what they like.

I cannot go on enough about how much I adore both of these books (even though I think I like Julian at the Wedding a bit more). If you have not checked these out before, I hope you do. Jessica Love's artwork is particularly extraordinary. The colors almost seem to glow and against the the neutral brown backgrounds and Abuela's hair and patterned dresses are gorgeous. When Marisol and Julian are playing in the willow tree it is like a magical fairy garden. You can check out Jessica Love's other artwork on her website.

Another book that I adore for littles is Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer. With simple text and vibrant illustrations Beer shows how families can be different, but more importantly, what makes them similar. Families may come in different colors, sizes, configurations, but all families share one thing in common and that is love. Toddlers and preschoolers are just beginning to learn about the world they live in and this is a wonderful story to teach them that different isn't better or worse, it's just different. Love Makes a Family celebrates our beautiful diversity while showing little ones that we are all still just people who love, play, and live together. If you enjoy reading this book, I highly recommend Kindness Makes Us Strong, also written by Sophie Beer.

For older kids reading chapter books I can think of no better story than The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy. Personally, I am a huge fan of all of Levy's books. She is just so good at infusing humor and heart into her stories. Living in a rural and conservative community (i.e. often racist and homophobic) I want to give every child this book so they can learn that even though the Fletcher boys are adopted and have two dads they are still just kids dealing with soccer, school plays, homework, what costume to wear for Halloween, etc. And their dads are amazing parents who love their children and would do anything for them. Trust me, if you read this book you also will fall in love with Frog, Eli, Jax, and Sam.

Levy has written one sequel story about the Fletcher family, which is The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island which is all about the family spending the summer at their favorite vacation spot. I know that I have already said it but these books are so funny, yet also deal with real world issues that affect millions of kids every day.

In recent years there has been an explosion of fantastic teen fiction in a variety of genres featuring LGBTQ characters. I have particularly enjoyed the stories of the Montague siblings by Mackenzi Lee.

Much of the teen fiction featuring LGBTQ characters are realistic dramas about teens struggling with their sexual identity. Of course, these stories are essential, but readers that identify as LGBTQ also deserve books with protagonists that they can relate to in mysteries, fantasies, romances, adventures, etc. I will never forget my niece (who is half black) complaining when she was about nine that the only books in the school library with kids like her were about the underground railroad. Mackenzi Lee gives readers stories that are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants exciting and also just plain fun to read. The first book, A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, follows young Henry (Monty) Montague as he bucks every convention of the 18th century English aristocracy and goes on a wild tour of Europe with his best friend and little sister in tow. Monty's younger sister, Felicity, was one of my favorite characters from Vice and Virtue so I was incredibly excited to see her star in her own story in The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. Don't worry, there are still glimpses of Monty and Percy, but girls (or boys) that don't feel attracted to men or women will definitely identify with the strong-willed and asexual Felicity. The third novel, The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, about the youngest Montague sibling, comes out this November and it is definitely on my TBR list.

Personally, I don't think that adult fiction has come as far as teen fiction when it comes to featuring LGBTQ characters. However, one book that I particularly enjoyed recently was Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth.

Plain Bad Heroines is Danforth's second novel. The first was the hugely popular The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which was made into a movie of the same name (and if you are looking for great LGBTQ reads you should also check out). Plain Bad Heroines flips back and forth between the tragic events that occurred at the Brookhants School for Girls in 1902 to the present time, when three young women are involved in the making of a movie about the supposedly cursed school.  If you love a good ghost story, this book will be right up your alley, but it is also a fantastic view of strong and interesting female characters and lesbian relationships in the past and present.

Crazy About Podcasts

 Let's talk about podcasts. Please say that I am not the only person who has become addicted to podcasts during the pandemic. Seriously, I think I have over a dozen in my queue right now. So, what are your favorites and what are the ones that you can't live without? First off, I need to discuss the fact that pre-pandemic I only listened to audiobooks, but being trapped in my house for a year had me searching for other sources of entertainment. Especially when I exceeded Hoopla's maximum of six checkouts per month ( let me be clear that at least two of these checkouts each month was Pete the Cat's Perfect Pizza Party which my four year old is obsessed with).

As you know (if you have read my bio or any of my other posts) I am a complete nerd and a devout Trekkie. I would be remiss then if I did not mention

Levar Burton Reads in this post. Of course, I don't only know Levar Burton at Geordie LaForge but he was also a significant part of my early childhood as the host of Reading Rainbow on PBS. Think of Levar Burton Reads as storytime for grownups. The podcast is just Burton reading aloud short fiction of all genres and it is fantastic. He has a gift for reading aloud (duh, did you ever watch Reading Rainbow) and he wonderfully brings attention to authors and stories that you would probably never encounter otherwise. It was while listening to Levar Burton Reads that I heard the short story, Skinwalker, Fast-Talker by Darcie Little Badger in early 2020. For those of you who are not into fantasy, Darcie Little Badger's young adult novel, Elatsoe, which was published in August 2020 has been nominated for numerous awards and accolades including Time's best 100 fantasy novels of all time. If you have not heard of it, let me be the first to tell you that it is amazing!  Burton's podcast has introduced me to unfamiliar authors and genres that I don't often read. Not to mention, Burton has an incredibly pleasant reading voice. I am a person that needs to distract their brain in order to fall asleep (let's hear it for my fellow anxious insomniacs) and Levar Burton Reads has been a Godsend. It generally takes me two or three nights to fully listen to a story and there have been some that I love and immediately google the author and others that I am simple "meh", but that is the magic of fiction. There truly is something for everyone with this podcast.

You already know that I am a Trekkie, so it will not surprise you that one of the podcasts that I listen to is Mission Log. Mission Log is a Roddenberry podcast, meaning that it is produced with permission of the Roddenberry estate and his son,  Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry II, is the actual person behind the podcast. Basically, this podcast takes every single episode of Star Trek, from the original series through movies, cartoons, spin offs and all other incarnations, and dissects each episode. The hosts through this long (seriously it may last decades now that Discovery is going and a Spock and Pike series has been approved) journey are John Champion and Ken Ray, two life long geeks with lots of broadcasting experience. If you are not at least a moderate fan of the Star Trek franchise you will probably not understand or enjoy this podcast. I understand that my level of geekdom is not shared by the majority of people. However, if you enjoy sci-fi and particularly Star Trek you will thoroughly enjoy Champion and Ray's analysis of every Star Trek episode in every incarnation. Actually, I cannot attest to that because I am still on Next Generation, but I promise you that the podcast has rocked up to this point and I am excited to keep listening (and continue watching Star Trek over and over and over and over).

I do not just listen to super nerdy, sci-fi podcasts I promise. One that I have really enjoyed over the past year is You're Wrong About, which is hosted by writer, Sarah Marshall, and Michael Hobbes, a reporter for HuffPost. Each week Michael and Sarah select a much-publicized event or person from history and then proceed to tell listeners the real story behind the hype and headlines. 

The subjects Michael and Sarah have delved into are incredibly random from the Iran-Contra Affair to a 14 episode dissection of O.J. Simpson. The format consists of the hosts taking turns being the authority on a subject informing the other about what the real facts are compared to what most people think occurred. 

I always feel like I learn something after listening to an episode of You're Wrong About. There are so many stories I remember being all over the news when I was growing up or in college (the Elian Gonzales story, Monica Lewinsky, etc.) but I never played super close attention. Yeah, I saw the SNL skits and remember seeing the headlines or hearing my parents discuss them, but I didn't ever really follow what was going on. Personally, some, like the whole Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, I didn't really want to know about. It has been incredibly interesting to learn about the details of those events from a multitude of sources, but also discussed in an approachable, humorous, and honest way. Even when the information includes things that I am already informed about, such as some of the more historical episodes, I still really enjoy listening to the conversation. Michael and Sarah come across as two people that I would hang out in a bar with and talk about completely arbitrary subjects for several hours. Maybe I like this podcast because my brain works in the same way. Being obsessed about completely random subjects, reading every interview, book, etc. about said subject, and then forcing my friends to listen to everything I learned.

Being a history buff and also a fan of anything and everything creepy it is probably no surprise that I adore Aaron Mahnke's podcast, Lore.  This engrossing podcast is like sitting around a campfire and listening to someone tell spooky stories and the best part is that the stories told in Lore are true! Like the history of the Stanley Hotel which served as Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining or Robert the Doll, which you can actually still visit in Key West. Not only is Mahnke a brilliant historian and writer, he is also a fantastic narrator (oddly soothing while delivering supernatural tales of horror). Each episode is also enhanced by perfect atmospheric music. Lore has become so popular that it has even published in books and made into a Netflix series, but I still prefer the original format.

True crime is all the rage, especially among women. I actually just finished a book called Savage Appetites:  Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe which delves into the true crime mania that is particularly common amidst women these days. The book was interesting and definitely had some disturbing truth, but perhaps attempts to generalize and postulate a bit too much about individuals' motivations. Anyway, the podcast that I want to talk about is actually produced by The Onion and mocks the enthusiasm we all seem to have for true crime stories. A Very Fatal Murder (a title reminiscent of Murder by Death, one of my all time favorite movies) is

absolutely hilarious. Honestly, you need to be careful while driving and listening because there will be snorting and giggling fits. I don't want to give too much away. The podcast follows a reporter who employs a computer (ETHYL, the Extremely Timely Homicide Locator) to find the perfect murder to to create a podcast about.  Like a lot of things from The Onion, A Very Fatal Murder, will have you laughing hysterically, but also feeling a bit depressed about the state of mankind. I don't know if that is a very good endorsement, but this podcast was a lot of fun to listen to and it will also make you think next time you turn on the ID channel. True crime means real people and real victims who have had their lives destroyed by violence and we should never lose sight of that.

So, those are a few of the podcasts that I have listened to during the pandemic. If you have not listened to any of these I hope that you are at least intrigued.

Children's Book Week 2021

 So earlier this week, May 3rd through May 9th, was Children's Book Week. There are actually going to TWO Children's book weeks in 2021 (the second one will be in November and maybe I will actually post it about it before it happens).  In case you have never heard of Children's Book Week, it was actually started way way way back in 1919 by the Boy Scouts, making it the longest-running national literacy initiative ever!!!! Children's Book Week is all about connecting authors, librarians, teachers, and publishers, and getting more books into the hands of young readers. You may be asking now what actually happens during Children's Book Week. Well, you need to check out all of the awesome resources on the Every Child a Reader website (and, yes, they are still available online). Every year a renowned illustrator is chosen to create original artwork for Children's Book Week. This year the fantastic Caldecott-winning artist, Brian Collier, was selected and you can download a poster and bookmarks featuring his artwork. There are also other free resources like the Superpower Reading Challenge and step-by-step drawing instructions for some of your favorite characters such as Cat Ninja.

In honor of Children's Book Week here are some more recent publications (over the last year or two) that I have particularly enjoyed. 

1. Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

As a children's librarian I am constantly asked for book recommendations based on what a young reader has read before. Renee Watson's new middle grade series about fourth grader, Ryan Hart, is perfect for fans of Junie B. Jones, Ramona Quimby, Clementine, or countless other books and series about elementary-aged girls. Ways to Make Sunshine is modern, realistic, and a positive family story without being overly saccharine. I absolutely adore Ryan and her brother, Ray, who bicker constantly and play tricks on one another, but still love and support one another. Young readers will appreciate that Ryan is not perfect. Like most children, she can be jealous, angry, petty, etc. However, she is also kind, generous, and willing to learn from her mistakes. What more can a parent hope for? I think that it is important that the Harts are not some idealized portrait of familial bliss. They are experiencing financial difficulties and have been forced to move to a smaller home, and Ryan struggles to be happy with all of the changes. The second book in the Ryan Hart series, Ways to Grow Love, was just published in April and I cannot wait to read it. I hope that Watson continues with this wonderful series for an incredibly long time.

As a fun side note, Ryan loves cooking and creating "concoctions" and her dream is to become a chef. The family lives in Portland, Oregon and that happens to be where the current season of Top Chef is located. If you have your own aspiring chef at home reading Ways to Make Sunshine and watching Top Chef may be fun.

3. Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

"Some things are impossible to talk about because they're things no one wants to know about." 

 There is no doubt that Della's story is one most people do not want to know about, because more than anything we wish stories like hers didn't occur at all. Ten year old Della (never call her Delicious) has not had a happy, carefree childhood. Her mother is a meth addict who has been incarcerated for the past five years and during that time she has been forced to live with her mother's abusive boyfriend, Clifton. Now Clifton has been arrested and Della is living in a foster home and going to a new school. At least Della is not alone. Suki, Della's sixteen year old sister, has always been there to love and protect her. Who protected Suki, though? Della worries that it is her fault that her sister has suffered in silence.  

 

There are not enough words to express how important a book like Fighting Words is. Does the story deal with difficult topics such as sexual abuse, drug addiction, suicide, foster care, consent? Yes, and I understand that many parents seeing those words are silently thinking no way am I going to allow my child to read that. I get wanting to be protective or our children's innocence. The horrible truth is that there are countless children in the world right now who will read Fighting Words and know for the first time that they are not alone. Della's story can provide these readers with hope and, perhaps, the courage to seek help. Of course, there are millions of readers who have not suffered trauma like Della and Suki's. Does that mean that they cannot benefit from reading Fighting Words? Of course not. To be able to see ourselves in characters is one of the magical gifts of fiction. Equally impressive is fiction's ability to allow a reader to place themselves in the shoes of someone they have nothing in common with and feel empathy.  May we all, like Della, discover our inner wolf, and learn to defend and cherish one another.

1. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

Well, this is another story about two sisters but this one does not have the same trauma as Fighting Words. I am not going to lie, though, When You Trap a Tiger will still give you the feels and have you reaching for a tissue or two.

With barely more than a week's notice Lily and Sam's mother packs up their life in California so they can move in with Halmoni (Korean for grandmother) in Washington state. It soon becomes apparent that the reason for the hasty move has to do with the declining health of Halmoni. Can Lily cure her grandmother by appeasing the magical tiger from Halmoni's stories? Keller deftly combines fantasy and magic in a beautiful story about loss, growing up, sisterly love, and a family coming together.  As someone unfamiliar with Korean culture or folklore, reading When You Trap a Tiger was a wondrous journey. 

Losing a loved one is never easy, whether you are ten, twenty, or fifty. As Sam tells Lily at the end of When You Trap a Tiger: "The sadness fades, yeah. Eventually. But the missing...I don't know if that ever does."

Now that I have completely bummed you out let's move on to something a bit cheerier: Picture Books!

4. It's So Quiet! written by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Tony Fucile

This new book by the author of the best-selling construction site series and gorgeously illustrated by Tony Fucile has quickly become a favorite for bedtime. I do suggest having a second calmer bedtime story, though, because It's So Quiet actually gets a bit rowdy.  A young mouse in the country is trying to go to sleep, but there are just too many things making noise outside his window. From the whoosh of the wind through the trees to the tip tap of a dog's tail on the floor it is not quiet enough for little mouse to go to sleep. 

I think that I have mentioned before I adore picture books with onomatopoeia (sound words), or perhaps I just really like using the word onomatopoeia. It's So Quiet is sure to have little ones croaking like frogs, chirping like crickets, and snoring like Grandpa on the porch.

 

Books with onomatopoeia, alliteration, and/or rhyming are excellent for helping little ones develop phonological awareness, a skill necessary for reading.  Phonological awareness is a fancy, ten dollar term for being able to able to recognize that words are made up of smaller sounds or phonemes. Sound words are often made from individual phonemes that are in other words and when kids make these sounds they are learning to hear and make these phonemes. So, not only are books like It's So Quiet incredibly fun to read, they will also help little ones develop the skills needed to be a fantastic readers!

 

 5. Julian at the Wedding by Jessica Love

Julian at the Wedding is the spectacular follow up to Julian is a Mermaid, which won the 2019 Stonewall Book Award. . Both of Jessica Love's stories about the oh-so-charming Julian and his fabulous Abuela are tenderly written and gorgeously illustrated. There is so much life and personality in her character's faces, and her colors are luminous.

Julian is very excited to be attending a wedding with his abuela and even prouder that he is going to be "in" the wedding.  Also in the wedding is a boisterous little girl named Marisol and she and Julian quickly become friends.  After sneaking away from the grownups Marisol proceeds to play with a very muddy puppy which destroys her peach confection of a dress. Julian creates a magical new outfit for Marisol out of his blazer and some willow branches.

The inclusivity of Julian at the Wedding (the wedding is of a same sex couple) is important to mention. I am in awe of how Love manages to exemplify the beauty of self-expression, acceptance, respect, and love with sparse language and a mere 32 pages. It is perfectly, wondrously normal that Julian is the one enamored  with clothes, flowers, and the other pageantry associated with a wedding. Marisol arrives wearing the poofiest dress with a backwards baseball camp and she is the one who rolls in the dirt with a puppy while Julian looks on horrified. 

I know that I mentioned how Love manages to show so much expression in the faces of her character. Although the weeding couple is not the focus of the book, you cannot look at the illustrations of them and not feel their love and devotion to one another. As a reader you feel like you are gazing into the hearts of all of Love's characters and seeing their inner beauty and kindness. It is truly magical and, honestly, I cannot think of another illustrator who conveys so much feeling and tenderness in human characters.

Not to mention, the details of the lace tablecloths, the willow branches, the flowers, etc. Love's illustration make me feel like I am walking through a mythical fairy garden. I wanted to be  a guest at that wedding. I could imagine, the texture of the lace tablecloth, the smell of the flower, the music playing and the laughter and pure joy of the event. I suppose it is a little heavy to ascribe so much to a picture book written for young children, but Julian at the Wedding is a breathtaking experience.

6. Saturday written and illustrated by Oge Mora

So the final book I want to talk about is another picture book. Saturday by Oge Mora is what I would call a modern take on Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Ava's mom works very hard six days a week so Saturday is the one day that the mother and daughter spend together. They always have special plans like going to storytime at the library (YAY libraries), getting their hair done, going to the park, etc. On this particular Saturday Ava and her mother even have tickets to a one day only puppet show.  Unfortunately, this Saturday is beset by problems. Story time has been cancelled, their new hairdos are destroyed by a passing car spraying water over them, the park is too crowded, and Ava's mom has even misplaced the puppet show tickets. Now you would think that Ava is the one in tears, bemoaning how the entire day has been ruined, but it is actually her mother. It is Ava who needs to remind her mother that any day that they spend together is a great day.  

First of all, I adore that Saturday features a working, single mom that obviously loves her daughter more than anything. also, Saturday shows everything going wrong but it is the mother who is crying and upset and it is up to the child to reassure her. Parents are not perfect and do not have all the answers. Sometimes parents need their children to remind them that all that matters is being together.

Books About Books

So, April 4-10 was National Library Week and even though I am a little late there is no better way to celebrate libraries than reading books about books. Here are just a few exceptional stories in which libraries, librarians, and books play a significant role. 

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl 

I know that I have already been quite effusive in my love for Roald Dahl, but I can't seem to stop myself from including at least one of his books in every post. Like Matilda, I was a very precocious reader as a young girl; even though I was not quite reading Dickens at at age four. I can relate to Matilda's weekly sojourns to the library and her use of books as an escape mechanism. 

The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went olden-day sailing with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and India with Rudyard Kipling. She traveled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.

 

Now that I am a children's librarian I cannot help but admire the kindly Mrs. Phelps who helps Matilda on her road to becoming a prolific reader. One of my absolute favorite lines from any literary librarian is: "And don't worry about the parts you can't understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music."

2. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Well, I guess it isn't really surprising that a children's book about the most fantastic library ever imagined was written by an actual children's librarian. You already know that I adore Roald Dahl and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is like a zany trip through Wonka's factory if it was filled with books rather than candy. Part mystery, part comedy, part treasure hunt, and all fun. Every kid (and adult) will want Mr. Lemoncello to build a library in their hometown

 

 

3. Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

There are oodles of picture books about libraries, but Bats at the Library really soars above the others. Yep, that was the corniest pun ever! Using brilliantly detailed illustrations and a lively, rhyming text, Brian Lies tells the story of a colony of bats that the library after closing time. Readers young and old will get a kick out of identifying all of the literary references acted out by these bat bibliophiles. I particularly adore the bat as Blind Pew from Treasure Island based on the original illustration painted by N.C. Wyeth.

 

 

 

 

4. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

What reader has not fantasized about a beloved character stepping off the page and into the real world? The Inkheart trilogy, though, proves that fiction coming to life may not be as wondrous as imagined. When Meggie was just a toddler her father, Mo, read aloud from a fantastical book called Inkheart and miraculously brought several of the characters, including the story's diabolical villain and his henchmen, into their living room. Simultaneously, Meggie's mother was sent into the imaginary world of the book. Nearly ten years later, Meggie learns the truth of her mother's disappearance and also that she has inherited her father's magical gift.  Now it is up to Meggie to banish the villainous Capricorn from the real world and rescue her mother from the pages of Inkheart.

5. Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager

Seven-Day Magic is actually part of the Tales of Magic series written by Edward Eager during the 1950s and 60s. In this, the seventh and final book of the classic series,  five children discover that the tattered library book they checked out magically brings to life anything that they imagine.

Obviously, I included Seven-Day Magic in this post because the story revolves around a magical library book. However, I highly encourage everyone, young and old, to read the entire Tales of Magic series. First of all, the books in the series are very much intertwined with recurring characters are references to previous adventures (but they do stand alone too). Most importantly, though, Eager's books are delightful and timeless fantasies that you will want to read again and again.

6. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Most of us have imagined ourselves as the main character in our favorite stories, but young Bastian learns that he actually is the hero in the book that he is reading. Now if you have only seen the film version of The Neverending Story you are cheating yourself. Don't get me wrong, I love the 80s classic and I had a massive crush on Atreyu as a kid, but the movie only tells half of the story. The movie ends with Bastian riding Falkor, the luck dragon, after saving Fantasia from The Nothing. In the book, this is only the beginning of Bastian's adventures in Fantastic (which is what Fantasia is called in the book) as he uses wishes and imagination to restore the magical land.

7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I debated including Fahrenheit 451 in this post because Bradbury's bleak dystopian novel is a librarian's worst nightmare. Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953 as a direct response to the threat of book burning during the McCarthy Era. In the future Bradbury creates society decided to do away with books because they contained too many dissenting ideas. Since books are outlawed anyone caught with one has their home and all of their possession burned by "firemen". Years of banning books has resulted in a society where the people do not read, write, converse, or even think. Rather, their attention spans have shrunk to the point that they do nothing but watch wall-sized television screens or listen to "seashell radios" that attach directly to their ears. 

There is no denying that the message of Fahrenheit 451 is still relevant. Today we have computers, cell phones, video games, televisions, tablets, etc. all vying for our attention and as Bradbury stated "You do not have to burn books to destroy a culture, just get people to stop reading them." Even though people are spending less and less time reading, I choose to be optimistic that books will always hold a place of reverence in our world.

8. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

AAAAHHHH! More book burning! The Book Thief takes place in Germany during World War II when books were harshly censored and, yes, even burned. The story, which is narrated by Death (yeah, you read that right), revolves around a young foster girl name Leisel Meminger who is sent to live with an older couple outside of Munich. Leisel finds herself irresistibly drawn to books, sensing in them a an intrinsic magic that can dispel even the worst of nightmares.

There have been countless books written about World War II and, specifically the Holocaust, but The Book Thief is exceptional. Oh, the story will stomp on your heart harder than a pro wrestler, but don't let that deter you from reading it. There is also hope, beauty, and compassion that will make The Book Thief an enduring classic.

9. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Ok, the library only serves as the location of the corpse, but, who cares, I am a sucker for deviously written whodunnit. Let's be honest, Agatha Christie is the Grand Dame of mystery authors. Personally, I prefer Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple, but The Body in the Library is an ingenious mystery that will have you bamboozled until the big reveal.

 

 

 

10. All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

Sometimes you just need to indulge in guilty pleasure reading. I must confess that I enjoyed every page of this paranormal romance. When history professor and witch, Diana Bishop, discovers an antiquated alchemical text it attracts the attention of other creatures including a very handsome vampire, Matthew Clairmont. The two fall in love despite relationships between vampires and witches being forbidden by an ancient covenant. Yes, there are parts of the story that are pretty hokey (like when Diana and Matthew go to a yoga class together), but there is plenty of action, steamy romance, and intriguing characters. Not only do the two main characters meet in a library, there are oodles of historical and literary references throughout the entire trilogy. In fact, the second book takes place entirely in Elizabethan England and there are appearances by Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Mary Sidney to name just a few.

11. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Another ray Bradbury book. Not really surprising if you know anything about Bradbury and his passion for books and libraries.

"I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries, I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to the library three nights a week. I did this every week for almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I got married, I figured I was done. So, I graduated from the library when I was 27. I discovered that the library is the real school."

"I spent three days a week for ten years in the library educating myself in the library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves-you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of ten years, I had read every book in the library and I'd written a thousand stories."

In Something Wicked This Way Comes best friends, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, take on an evil carnival that ensnares the souls of  its unsuspecting victims. With the help of Will's father, who is the custodian at the public library, the boys manage to resist the lure of the carnival and thwart its demonic proprietor, Mr. Dark. Bradbury's writing is absolutely bewitching and the story brims with stunning imagery of autumn, the carnival, and also the library which plays a pivotal role in the story of the two young protagonists. 

"It was all so good, these blowing quiet October nights and the library waiting inside now with it green-shaded lamps and papyrus dust."

"Out in the world, not much happened. But here in the special night, a land bricked with paper and leather, anything might happen, always did."

"So when they talked again, it was still in whispers. Deep forests, dark caves, dim churches, half-lit libraries were all the same, they tuned you down, they dampened your ardor, they brought you to murmurs and soft cries for fear of raising up phantom twins of your voice which might haunt corridors long after your passage."

 

There you have it. Eleven books about libraries, librarians, books, and/or reading to make you realize how important libraries are. I know that I could add more, but this post is already pretty long-winded. Keep reading and don't forget to support your local library!