Opinion
Mayhem, schmayhem. If your library's children's room is chaotic, it’s proof that the little ones are learning.
J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" and John Green's "Fault in Our Stars"—the books and films—have me thinking that instead of conceding "Young Adult" to "New Adult, " maybe we should create the category of "New Family"—books that are both truly YA and truly adult.
Five months before the Los Angeles Unified School District board passed a new 6.6 billion budget, literacy expert Stephen Krashen delivered an impassioned speech to the board, urging a bold investment in libraries. See Krashen's speech here.
School Library Journal has introduced “Up for Debate,” a new online series featuring commentary by expert contributors on a particular topic or item in the news.
Addressing the groundswell of support for more diverse children's literature, Lee & Low publisher Jason Low spoke at the ALA Annual Conference about where the movement is now and what still needs to happen.
"We haven’t just lost a great author. We’ve lost a man that filled a very great need in our children’s literary landscape," writes Betsy Bird.
Increasing diversity isn’t simply the responsibility of publishers. While they should make a conscious investment in seeking diverse voices, parents have a major role in nurturing children's desire to tell their own stories.
Today’s youth gravitate to YouTube, computers, and gadgets more than books. We need more diverse audio and visual material, so kids can listen and watch on their desktops and devices.
Diverse books shouldn’t be considered special interest or shelved in a separate area, yet they are by the majority of us. I challenge all parents, caretakers, and educators to take a hard look at themselves for internalized biases that may affect the way they look at children’s books.
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