Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Tennessee State Bill to Ban Books and Criminalize Librarians

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Guest post by Andrew Maraniss

Last week, Tennessee school librarians held their annual breakfast reception at the state legislature, setting up tables piled with cinnamon rolls, scones, and coffee.

Only a few legislators dropped by. Instead, they sent over assistants to load up paper plates to bring back to their offices.

That wasn’t surprising. If I were a member of Tennessee’s Republican supermajority, I’d be embarrassed to show my face around school librarians, too.

Drunk on power and buzzed on culture-war adrenaline in a mid-term election year, Tennessee Republicans have introduced bills to ban books in K-12 schools that “address” or “normalize” LGBTQ people or issues, to criminalize school librarians for carrying supposedly “obscene” books, and to ban the discussion of “divisive” concepts such as race even at state universities.

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Picture books featuring diverse moms, dads, and families.  

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Picture books featuring diverse moms, dads, and families.  

Guest post by Carol Gordon Ekster

The story behind Some Daddies is that on 12/17/17 my husband and I were Facetiming with my grandson.  He noticed my husband had shaved, said his daddy shaved but has a beard so he’s going to have a beard when he gets older because he’s going to be a daddy. I said…”Some daddies have beards..” I paused, my writing brain ignited, to write down that title and started working on a draft soon after that.   Exactly one year to the day, I saw on the submittable that Beaming Books was interested. I had put a pitch on Twitter for #pbpitch on 10/25/18 “SOME DADDIES-a concept PB with heart…” Naomi Krueger from Beaming Books hearted my pitch and the rest is history! It is dedicated to my grandson who planted the idea and to my amazing dad, who passed away before he got to see the final book. With a “windows-to-the-world cover” this rollicking showcase of daddies celebrates the incredible diversity of modern fathers. Every daddy is different–and that makes them even more special!  [Read more…]

Neurodiverse and Autistic Voices Are Your Best Autism Resources #MCBDAutismAcceptanceMonth

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{Post written by Jodi Murphy}
Neurodiverse and Autistic Voices Are Your Best Autism Resources

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift when it comes to understanding and learning about autism. It’s happening thanks to the growing numbers of autistic and neurodiverse individuals who are finding their voices, telling the world about their firsthand experiences, and speaking out about: [Read more…]

#OwnVoices Autism book by Adriana White, an Autistic Librarian #MCBDAutismAcceptanceMonth

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15 Books for Kids and Young Adults by Autistic Authors

Guest post by Adriana White

As an autistic librarian, I’m often asked if I can recommend any good books about autism. And I certainly can! I really enjoy sharing book recommendations, because one, I love supporting my favorite authors and their amazing books. And two, I believe that we have to provide kids with a wide variety of books that can serve (as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote) as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors into the diverse world in which we live. [Read more…]

Sky-Diving to Success Through the Sliding Glass Doors of Picture Books

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Women’s History Month is celebrated throughout the whole month and we are thrilled to share with you this guest post by author Vivian Kirkfield.

SKY-DIVING TO SUCCESS

THROUGH THE SLIDING GLASS DOORS OF PICTURE BOOKS

I had a lucky childhood.

I didn’t have to worry about food or shelter or safety. And growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City, I learned early on that people came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I didn’t need books to introduce me to different cultures – I just played with the neighborhood kids – their family backgrounds spanned the globe. [Read more…]