Freedom to Read Roundtable

Freedom to Read Roundtable

Freedom-to-Read

We were proud to sponsor a Freedom to Read Roundtable event hosted by the Texas Library Association. Voices from every aspect of this ongoing and constantly evolving issue weighed in, including a teacher, librarian, parent, legislator, author, and student, using the recent book bannings in Texas and the response from teachers, librarians, and the community at large as an example of a way forward in protecting the first amendment nationwide. The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom closed out the program and all attendees will receive resources following the event.

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Activity Kit: Rosie the Riveter: The Legacy of an American Icon by Sarah Dvojack

Activity Kit: Rosie the Riveter: The Legacy of an American Icon by Sarah Dvojack

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Rosie the Riveter: The Legacy of an American Icon by Sarah Dvojack
On Sale Now!
Ages 4-8

This gorgeous picture book highlights how an iconic image of a working woman evolved into an inspirational symbol of hope and strength for all girls and women.

Rosie the Riveter was born in 1942, in the middle of the Second World War. Riveting is a way to hold pieces together to make something strong and powerful. In a time when everything was coming apart, America turned to Rosie and American women to hold things together.

Over time, Rosie came to represent so much more. As women pushed back against all the things society suggested they could not do, they used the symbol of Rosie to motivate, represent, and unite them. Today, Rosie isn’t just one woman—she’s every woman. Like a rivet, she holds us all together, reminding us how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.

This inspirational text traces Rosie’s formation and legacy from World War II to today, letting girls know that they are capable and strong—just like Rosie and the long history of strong women who came before and after. Included in the back of the book is additional information on the history of Rosie the Riveter.

Teacher’s Guide: Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy by Dr. Crystal M. Fleming

Teacher’s Guide: Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy by Dr. Crystal M. Fleming

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Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy
Ages 12 to 18
On Sale Now!

This urgent book explores the roots of racism and its legacy in modern day, all while empowering young people with actionable ways they can help foster a better world and become antiracists.

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Why are white supremacists still openly marching in the United States? Why are undocumented children of color separated from their families and housed in cages? Where did racism come from? Why hasn’t it already disappeared? And what can young people do about it?

Rise Up! breaks down the origins of racial injustice and its continued impact today, connecting dots between the past and present. By including contemporary examples ripped from headlines and actionable ways young people can help create a more inclusive world, sociologist Crystal Marie Fleming shares the knowledge and values that unite all antiracists: compassion, solidarity, respect, and courage in the face of adversity. Perfect for fans of Stamped: RemixThis Book is Antiracist, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy, and The Black Friend.

Learn more about RISE UP! here →

Graphic Novel Preview: Surviving the Wild Series

Graphic Novel Preview: Surviving the Wild Series

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Our new Graphic Novel Preview series invites readers to look inside graphic novels. This month, we’re highlighting Surviving the Wild, a new graphic novel series by Remy Lai coming to bookshelves near you in 2022. This heartfelt, funny, and suspenseful young reader graphic novel adventure series stars heroic animals surviving against the odds! Every book includes nonfiction content about wildlife and information on how kids can help protect the environment.

Look inside the Surviving the Wild series here →

Teacher’s Guide: Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers (English and Spanish Editions)

Teacher’s Guide: Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers (English and Spanish Editions)

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Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers by Juliet Menéndez
On Sale Now
Ages 8-12


Dream big with the Latinitas in Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers.

Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! In this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and across the United States, Juliet Menéndez explores the first small steps that set the Latinitas off on their journeys. With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.

From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to singer Selena Quintanilla to NASA’s first virtual reality engineer, Evelyn Miralles, this is a book for aspiring artists, scientists, activists, and more. These women followed their dreams—and just might encourage you to follow yours!

The book features Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Policarpa Salavarrieta, Rosa Peña de González, Teresa Carreño, Zelia Nuttall, Antonia Navarro, Matilde Hidalgo, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou, Pura Belpré, Gumercinda Páez, Frida Kahlo, Julia de Burgos, Chavela Vargas, Alicia Alonso, Victoria Santa Cruz, Claribel Alegría, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, Rita Moreno, Maria Auxiliadora da Silva, Mercedes Sosa, Isabel Allende, Susana Torre, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Sonia Sotomayor, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Mercedes Doretti, Sonia Pierre, Justa Canaviri, Evelyn Miralles, Selena Quintanilla, Berta Cáceres, Serena Auñón, Wanda Díaz-Merced, Marta Vieira da Silva, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Laurie Hernandez.


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Latinitas (Spanish edition): Una celebración de 40 soñadoras audaces by Juliet Menéndez
On sale March 1, 2022
Ages 8-12

Descubre cómo cuarenta latinas influyentes se convirtieron en las mujeres que hoy celebramos. En esta colección de biografías cortas de personajes de toda América Latina y de Estados Unidos, Juliet Menéndez explora los primeros pasitos con los que estas latinitas iniciaron su camino. Con hermosas ilustraciones, hechas a mano, Menéndez pone en relieve el poder que tienen los sueños de la infancia.

Desde la jueza de la Corte Suprema Sonia Sotomayor hasta la cantante Selena Quintanilla y la primera ingeniera de realidad virtual de la NASA, Evelyn Miralles, este libro aborda figuras que servirán de inspiración a futuras artistas, científicas, activistas y más. Ellas hicieron realidad sus sueños ¡y hasta puede que te alienten a alcanzar los tuyos!


Praise for Latinitas:

“This is an engaging and important book that should stimulate young Latinas to become the best they can be—and I am delighted to be in such good company!” —Susana Torre, acclaimed architect featured in Latinitas

“What will pull young people in is that Menéndez depicts these women as children (Latinitas), both visually and anecdotally . . . What will keep these readers engaged is how their soon-to-be heroines bloom into their future selves on the page.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Will inspire young children to follow their own dreams . . . This book belongs in any child’s hands.” —Kirkus Reviewsstarred review


Teacher’s Guide: I Wish You Knew

Teacher’s Guide: I Wish You Knew

Download the bilingual teacher’s guide for the English and Spanish editions of this powerful new picture book!

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I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer; illustrated by Magdalena Mora

When Estrella’s father has to leave because he wasn’t born here, like her,

She misses him.

And she wishes people knew the way it affects her.

At home. At school.

Always.

But a school wrapped around a hundred-year-old oak tree is the perfect place to share and listen.

Some kids miss family,
Some kids are hungry,
Some kids live in shelters.

But nobody is alone.

A story about deportation, divided families, and the importance of community in the midst of uncertainty.


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Ojalá supieras by Jackie Azúa Kramer; illustrated by Magdalena Mora

Un cuento oportuno y conmovedor sobre la incertidumbre que siente una joven cuando deportan a su padrey la empatía que crece cuando compartimos y nos escuchamos unos a los otros.

Cuando el papá de Estrella tiene que irse
porque no nació aquí como ella,
Estrella lo extraña.

Ella desea que la gente supiera como le afecta.
En su casa. En la escuela.
Siempre.

Su escuela rodea un roble centenario,
y ese árbol es el lugar perfecto para compartir.

Algunos niños extrañan a su familia,
algunos niños tienen hambre,
algunos viven en refugios.

Pero nadie está solo si otros están dispuestos a escuchar.

Un cuento sobre la deportación, familias separadas, y la importancia de comunicad en momentos de incertidumbre.

Teacher’s Guide: The Burning (Young Readers Edition): Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921

Teacher’s Guide: The Burning (Young Readers Edition): Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921

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One of the worst acts of racist violence in American history took place in 1921, when a White mob numbering in the thousands decimated the thriving Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Burning recreates Greenwood at the height of its prosperity, explores the currents of hatred, racism, and mistrust between its Black residents and Tulsa’s White population, narrates events leading up to and including Greenwood’s devastation, and documents the subsequent silence that surrounded this tragedy. Delving into history that’s long been pushed aside, this is the true story of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre, with updates that connect the historical significance of the massacre to the ongoing struggle for racial justice in America.

School Library Journal interviewed Hilary Beard and Tim Madigan about how the young readers edition was developed, their different experiences as a Black woman and a white man, and how the book highlights resilience over horror. Read their interview here.