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Articles by Alec Chunn
8 Titles of Resilience and Hope for Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 27 is designated as a day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Share these stories of resilience and hope about people of various ages, races, nationalities, and more with young readers today and throughout the year. Picture Books Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer. illus. by Amy June Bates. Abrams. ISBN 9781419750007. Gr 4-6–It’s World War II, and the Nazis have crossed into France to round up Jewish people.
4 Immersive YA Novels Inspired by Folklore & Fairy Tales | Spotlight
These YA novels that draw on folklore and fairy tales feature magic, monsters, adventure, and plots that are sure to keep readers turning pages. These novels that draw on folklore and fairy tales feature magic, monsters, adventure, and plots that are sure to keep readers turning pages. Howard, Hanna. Our Divine Mischief. 384p. HarperCollins/Blink. Oct. 2023. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780310156222.
29 Great New Books, Audiobooks, and Poetry Titles to Start the Year
Welcome 2024 with this selection of starred reviews, including several audiobooks narrated by their authors, such as those by Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson, as well as new poetry collections from Renée Watson and Jane Yolen. No Cats in the Library (Emmons) ©2024 by Lauren Emmons Picture Books Anganuzzi, Clara. The Ocean Gardener.Tiger Tales. Emmons, Lauren. No Cats in the Library. S. & S./Paula Wiseman. Thurman, Brittany J. Forever and Always. illus. by Shamar Knight-Justice. Greenwillow.
The Schneider Award Turns 20
Growing up, Katherine Schneider struggled to find accessible books, not to mention ones with decent disability representation. Blind since birth, Schneider was the first child who was blind to attend Kalamazoo, MI, public schools. A librarian at the Michigan Library for the Blind supplied her with books in braille. Schneider was valedictorian of her high school class in 1967.
SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Books Read in 2023
With all its ups and downs, 2023 was a great year for books. The reviews editors are taking one last look back at the year by sharing a few "favorites" roundups. We've read a lot of books this year. Yet for each of us, one stood out among the others. Here are our favorite books we read this year—and why. Florence Simmons, Associate Editor, Transitional Books, Holidays & Poetry A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat, illus. by Dan Santat. I inhaled this book in one sitting.
Desert Queen
. Oct. 2023. 50p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781646142620. COPY ISBN PreS-Gr 3–Music flows through a child in the Thar Desert—and yet no one sees him dance. His binary “desert world” makes him choose boy or girl, nothing else. A school performance casts the child as Lord Krishna, and the beautiful costume offers a glimpse of freedom. As tragedy eventually strikes the boy and his family, he turns to drag. Dare he continue to be himself when not all accept him (or her)?
Inclusive Imprints: An Update
Revisiting the topic of inclusive imprints, I’m happy not to have to describe such publishing endeavors as a short-lived trend. Smaller-to-mid-size publishers continue to do a lot of this work, including some that have sprung up in recent years. Levine Querido, founded in 2019 in partnership with Dutch publisher Querido and headed by Arthur A.
Reflections on the Pura Belpré Award: An Interview with Sandra Ríos Balderrama
ALICIA K. LONG: Sandra, starting almost forty years ago, you and Oralia Garza de Cortés were hard at work trying to gather support to create an award for children’s books about “the Latino cultural experience.” The award was established in 1996. In 2016, Oralia said: “The Pura Belpré Awards lay the groundwork for the recognition and inclusion of Latino authors and illustrators for children onto today’s literary stage.” How do you see the award today?
Loving Langston & Learning from Literary History
by Dianne Johnson-Feelings Jun 12, 2023 | Filed in Articles & Opinion Looking back to an incident during my middle-school years, I realize I’ve had the sensibilities of a scholar for a very long time. A student submitted a Langston Hughes poem to the school literary magazine as his own; the faculty sponsor did not know enough to recognize the poem; and it was published.
Preview July/August 2023 Horn Book Magazine: Special Issue: ALA Awards
Special Issue: ALA Awards Original cover art by 2023 Caldecott Medal winner Doug Salati. Presentation of “The MVP Award” to Martha V. Parravano as she retires from her position as book review editor. “The Year in Words and Pictures.” The Horn Book editors discuss the children’s book landscape in yet another groundbreaking year. James E. Ransome’s Children's Literature Legacy Award acceptance speech. A profile of James E. Ransome by professor Jonda C. McNair.
Getting There: Taking a Trip Through Queer Kidlit
“What is your critical axe to grind?” That’s the question our professor, without much preamble, asked the two of us in our first children’s literature graduate seminar together. She explained that our “critical axe” was the thing (and we’re paraphrasing here) about youth literature that had us in a chokehold. Several things fit this description for us then — and the list grows even now.
The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand for LGBTQ Rights
Gr 4-7–Stand up to hate alongside activists in this series entry on the 1969 Stonewall Riots. As teenagers Rashad, Jax, and Natalia help Natalia’s grandmother, Carmen, move, they stumble upon a black-and-white photograph. To the teens’ surprise, the photo is of Carmen and her former girlfriend back in 1969. As Carmen outs herself to the young people (themselves coded LGBTQIA+), she talks about the difficulties and dangers of being queer back then.
The Horn Book | Inside Cat
There’s really quite a lot happening within each full-bleed spread in Brendan Wenzel's Inside Cat. Its triumph to me (and maybe the committee, too!) is the sheer dedication to and continuity of the theme, as outlined by the award criteria. Cats, both inside and outside, are admittedly unfamiliar territory to me, a dog person as required by my allergies.
Make Meatballs Sing
Make Meatballs Sing is surprising and wholly unexpected. It is the story of Sister Corita Kent’s eccentric life, and what makes the book unforgettable are Kara Kramer’s illustrations. They’re bold, avant garde, and unconventional. In 1937, C.S. Lewis reviewed J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
The Horn Book | Off-Limits
Helen Yoon's Off-Limits is a beautiful exploration of curiosity through an explosion of shape and color, with a wonderfully satisfying ending. And it is a delight with its sharp lines, detailed expression, great use of perspective, and trippy, mosaic-like spreads. I was a pretty curious child, who liked to poke and peek. I asked a lot of questions (and still do). Helen Yoon's Off-Limits captures this kind of spirit and energy of exploration and curiosity, one that many young children possess.
Why Don't More Holiday Books Win the Caldecott?
Given the abundance of holiday-themed picture books published every year, it makes you wonder why more of them haven't been recognized by the Caldecott. What do you think could be the reasons for that? And do you see anything published this past year that might break through? Today on Calling Caldecott, a conversation between Elisa Gall and Jonathan Hunt about holiday books and the Caldecott Award. (This is an entry in their why-the-hell Calling Caldecott series.
CaldeComics 2022
So far, neither of us has successfullychampioned a graphic novel that has earned so much as an honor. But, this time, we submit two titles that we not only love but think have the potential to earn that coveted Caldecott gold or silver. Two voices are always better than one, so we’re excited to co-author this year’s CaldeComics post (à la Elisa Gall and Jonathan Hunt).
Should the ALA Awards Get Graphic?
If you pay attention to online chatter at all, you know that in recent years there have been debates over whether or not ALA should establish an award specifically for graphic novels and comics. There are strong feelings on both sides. I always look forward to reading here at Calling Caldecott about the graphic novels and comics that could bring home a Caldecott. Just next week we will hear from Alec Chunn and Niki Marion about the 2021 graphic novels that have grabbed their attention.
Pride for Tweens | Great Books
From mysteries to summer adventures to first loves, these 12 titles validate queer youth, and youth in queer families, who are navigating those ever-confusing years before young adulthood. This selection of mostly new, mostly #OwnVoices middle grade celebrates the much needed boom in publishing for this reading group. Per Ritch C. Savin-Williams and Lisa Diamond (2000), the age at which kids realize their LGBTQIA+ identity tends to fall between eight and 10.
Diverse books for young readers? Here are 12 curated lists
This summer, School Library Journal teamed up with Scholastic Book Fairs for the Scholastic Book Fairs Reading Summit in Chicago, IL and Austin, TX. Kiera Parrott, reviews director, and Mahnaz Dar, reference and professional reading editor, presented “Identifying and Evaluating Harmful Stereotypes & Tropes in Children’s Literature,” an abbreviated version of their typically full-day workshop, and also shared their “SLJ Recommends” collection of titles.
CaldeComics, Part One
Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer was (controversially) chosen as a 2015 Caldecott Honor book. A graphic novel hasn’t received recognition since, though Thi Bui and Bao Phi’s 2018 Caldecott Honor book A Different Pond has graphic novel elements. This begs the question: which comic will be the next to get some Caldecott love? Or, to put it more succinctly, which title will be the next “CaldeComic”?
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant | SLJ Review
BRYANT, Jen. Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille. illus. by Boris Kulikov. 40p. further reading. websites. Knopf. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780449813379. Gr 1-4 –This picture book biography of Louis Braille (1809–59) strikes a perfect balance between the seriousness of Braille’s life and the exuberance he projected out into the world. The text highlights Braille’s determination to pursue an education.
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