Two nonfiction titles speak on the power of music.
Pat Schmatz's Lizard Radio comes at a key social moment, with trans identities and gender fluidity gaining increasing mainstream recognition. The YA author spoke with SLJ on the nuances of that well-wrought term dystopia and letting characters speak for themselves, including the work's 15-year-old protagonist, 'bender' Kivali.
Lullabies, nursery rhymes, clapping songs, and lap bounces sung en español are ideal ways to introduce all children to the beauty and sheer joy of song. Tim Wadham recommends titles and songs for bilingual and Spanish-language storytimes.
On June 1, Faythe Arredondo, Sarah Hannah Gómez, Kelly Jensen, and Angie Manfredi, four bloggers, readers, and (mostly) librarians launched the “Size Acceptance in YA” Tumblr examining “fatness, fatphobia, body shaming, body policing, body objectification, and all other things relating to size and body acceptance in YA literature.”
Attendees of the 2015 ALA Annual Conference added their favorite diverse book suggestions to 3M's heart-shaped display made of rainbow-hued Post-it notes.
The Los Angeles County Public Library's extensive LGBT Services were established a year and a half ago by librarians who built staff support with grassroots efforts and "doughnut diplomacy."
Kids can apply for Summer of Creativity Grants by August 10. The International Latino Book Awards honored 246 artists and book creators during the American Library Association’s Annual Conference on June 27. Penguin and Listening Library present LGBTQ audiobook resources; and more industry news.
Libraries have long been central to helping create a culture that, at a minimum, tolerates difference and, at best, embraces and celebrates it. Yet, we must do more to desegregate our schools, our neighborhoods, and our workplaces—including our libraries.
Patterson and the Scholastic Reading Club revealed the names of the first 127 schools to win Pledge to Libraries Grants, bestowed by the author and publisher. Patterson has also increased the pledge amount from $1.5 million to $1.75 million.