Open Minds Open Books

12/06/2024

Looks like a great selection of books!

The Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature is excited to share the Best Books of 2024! We hope you share this list of 90+ titles in your classrooms, libraries, homes, and beyond. Click on this link: https://www.csmcl.org/best-books-2024 Printable list [PDF] is at the top of the page.

09/24/2024

BANNED BOOKS WEEK DAY 1‼ This picture book is perfect for explaining what book bans are and how they can negatively affect the community. Author Aya Khalil shares note about how The Arabic Quilt was briefly banned from the York, Pennsylvania school system.

Here's the publisher's description: Upon learning that the books with kids who look like her have been banned by her school district, Kanzi descends into fear and helplessness. But her classmates support her, and together--with their teacher's help--they hatch a plan to hold a bake sale and use the proceeds to buy diverse books to donate to libraries. The event is a big success; the entire school participates, and the local TV station covers it in the evening news. Prodded by her classmates to read the poem she has written, Kanzi starts softly but finds her voice. "You have banned important books, but you can't ban my words," she reads. "Books are for everyone." The crowd chants, "No banned books! No banned books!" and the next week, the ban is reversed.

Backmatter includes a recipe for baklawa, the Egyptian pastry that Kanzi prepares for the bake sale.

Every child deserves to see themselves positively represented in the books they read. Diverse books help readers learn about communities outside of their own, building empathy, understanding, and acceptance.

Find The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil and Anait Semirdzhyan in our bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/6778/9780884489672

08/14/2024

All kinds of families should be in books! ❤️ Chasten Buttigieg decided to write one about the type of family he and Pete have with their twins.

Chasten Buttigieg will publish his debut children's book, 'Papa's Coming Home,' in 2025. The picture book is inspired by his family, including husband Pete Buttigieg and their twins Penelope and Gus.

07/24/2024

Helping students build their identities as readers and explicitly teaching the mechanics of reading can yield big gains across grade levels.

07/03/2024

Great opportunity!

06/07/2024

5 REASONS TO LOVE LIBRARIES‼️Librarian Mychal Threets recently shared five reasons he loves libraries with School Library Journal. Which of these reasons hits home for you?

1. Everyone belongs. “There are unhoused people, mentally ill people, library kids, library teens, grandparents, autistic people, neurodivergent people who all use a library, and it belongs to all of them.”

2. Library workers. “The people who are there to point you in the right direction of joy as they themselves are pursuing joy day in and day out. They get to take part in the library stories.”

3. More than just books. “We’re so proud that so many libraries have more than just books. We all love books, but there’s musical instruments, there’s board games, there’s video game collections, there are tools, bakeware collections. And there are resources, databases, homework help, programs. [Libraries] really have something for everybody at various stages in their life.”

4. Lifelong learning. “You get to learn about your passion, your niches.”

5. Library stories. “Everybody has a story and, more importantly, everyone has a story to share, whether they’re on their best day, worst day, mediocre day; they all have a story. They’re all there trying to get to a joyful part of their life. They’re all trying to get happy. And they all just happen to be right there at the library.”

05/08/2024

Happy Children’s Book Week!

We’re excited to feature the titles included in the Diverse Books for All Coalition’s inaugural collective purchase. These books reflect the lived experiences of today’s children, through diverse subjects, languages, and authors. Stay tuned throughout Children’s Book Week for more on our work to get books in the hands of kids!

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05/01/2024

Donate here on Palmetto Giving Day May 7th & 8th to help us continue to plant the seeds that last a lifetime! https://www.palmettogivingday.org/organizations/miss-ruby-s-kids

05/01/2024

Join us next week for Palmetto Giving Day! Link in bio.

04/22/2024

04/09/2024

These diverse children's books about libraries serve as a reminder of the valuable resources libraries offer and the importance of supporting these public treasures. These picture books are perfect for sharing during Library Card Sign Up Month, Take Your Child to the Library Day, National Library We...

02/07/2024

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning." - Maya Angelou