By Kara Yorio

Once again books with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes are the most challenged titles across the country.

Office for Intellectual Freedom's Deborah Caldwell-Stone says the list of most challenged books in 2021 illustrates the efforts of organized organizations to exclude LGBTQIA and Black voices from school and public libraries.

In response to new legislation and customer requests, Follett was working on optional features that would allow parents to request to be notified what book their child has checked out of the library and limit their access to materials. They will no longer be creating those options.

The longtime scholar was committed to evidence-based practices and research in school librarianship.

The Stonewall Award and Newbery Honor winner found the effervescent and humorous voice of his Different Kinds of Fruit protagonist in the unlikeliest of places.

Boyd, librarian at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Washington, DC, earned the annual honor for her innovative programming, advocacy, and dedication to her students and community. 

The coauthor of Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3 and other titles was teaching in Ukraine on a Fulbright Scholarship before being relocated to Warsaw, where he now helps resettle Ukrainian refugees.

The National Women's History Museum, National Education Association, Anti-Defamation League, and various federal institutions offer free resources, including lesson plans, for Women's History Month.

The children's publishing world remembers a giant in the industry. Ashley Bryan's legacy includes more than 70 books and a generation of creators he inspired with his work and kindness.