Nonfiction picture books in storytime

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At the MSLA conference in 2021, Melissa Sweet presented her “Tips and Tools for Nonfiction Read-Alouds,” and since then I’ve been mindful of trying to include nonfiction picture books in storytime programs, as well as in displays and readers’ advisory. This week I had so many to choose from that I didn’t even get to them all!

Picture books on the railing

We ended up with a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction around a loose springtime theme. Today’s weather made Rain! by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson a shoo-in for the lead-off book. Next we read  Shake A Leg, Egg! by Kurt Cyrus, which connected to our craft (see photos below). Shake A Leg is fiction, but the illustrations of different types of birds and the pond scenes are realistic and detailed. (I also had Whose Egg Is That? by Darrin Lunde and Kelsey Oseid; we skipped it for today, but I’ve had success reading all of their “Whose __ Is That?” books at storytimes. Preschool, kindergarten, and even first and second graders enjoy making predictions and guesses.)

Next we read Ahoy! by Sophie Blackall (and I’m just now realizing that four out of five of today’s books have exclamation points in their titles). A new Sophie Blackall book is always exciting, and this one features imaginative indoor play – perfect for a rainy day. Next we read Play Like An Animal! by Maria Gianferrari and Mia Powell, which features lots of unusual animals and plenty of active verbs and fun facts. And finally, the kids voted for Raindrops Roll for our final book. April Pulley Sayre’s photography is gorgeous, and every word is carefully chosen and necessary, with nothing extra.

The craft for today was inspired by the egg books, and also by the generous supply of die-cuts in the art room closet. I cut cracked egg shapes from pale gray paper so that kids could draw creatures hatching, and they were so creative! One kid made hers a lift-the-flap by only gluing down part of half of the eggshell; another (with help from Dad, I think) draw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, pizza slice in hand.

Photo collage of egg crafts

What nonfiction read-alouds do you use in storytime?

Book Tasting

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What is a book tasting? In this case, it’s a chance for a group of people (about 12 homeschooled kids from about third through sixth grade) to meet a group of books. They get a chance to browse, then get officially introduced via a book trailer, jacket copy, a brief read-aloud, or a book talk. Then they get to examine the books again, and vote for their top five to be the choice for their first book club meeting. Some spreadsheet-ing occurs, and then the winner is announced, and many books are checked out.

I planned this event with one of the homeschooling parents. I modeled the “menu” of books on past MCBA lists, which is how we ended up with 24 titles to “taste” today. It’s so hard to limit the list once the ideas start flowing – some of the kids in the group had suggestions as well – but 15-20 titles would have been sufficient, still allowing for various genres and formats without being overwhelming. (Although I don’t think the kids were overwhelmed, and those who had suggested titles were pleased to see them!)

HomeschoolBookTasting1HomeschoolBookTasting2

Kids browsed the books while everyone trickled in. Once everyone arrived, we did introductions (name, pronouns, favorite baked good) and considered the question, “How do you choose a book to read?” Kids mentioned the cover, the back or jacket copy, and the “first page test.” Perfect!

To introduce the books, I found some book trailers (links below) so I didn’t have to talk for forty minutes straight, and so kids could hear directly from some of the authors. (I also found one playlist – thank you, Lisa Graff! – which we listened to as people arrived, and an “AWWWW”-worthy photo of M.T. Anderson’s dog.) I wondered if the quality or format of the presentation for each book would sway the votes one way or another – would the top-choice books be the ones with the glossiest production value? – but my guess is this only happened in one case (Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library).

In the end, Gary Paulsen’s classic Hatchet won, with Lemoncello close behind, and Another Kind and The 500 Million Dollar Heist tied for third. I used an English major version of ranked choice voting, assigning 5 points to each person’s first-choice book, 4 points for second choice, 3 for third, and so on. The most votes (not points) any title got was five, and kids cheered or at least accepted the outcome (especially since other titles might be future discussion choices, and they could check out any book they wanted from the table today).

Book Tasting Comment Card - Top Five

Book trailer, articles, photos, and playlists:

We’ll reconvene in about six weeks to discuss the book, and I’ll be looking for a companion picture book for some of the group’s younger siblings to discuss. Maybe something about forests or general outdoorsy-ness, rather than a survival story. What picture book pairs well with Hatchet?

Storytime Top Ten

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Reading Jbrary’s annual roundup of 2023 Favourite Storytime Picture Books made me think back to the list of Great Books for Two- and Three-Year-Olds I prepared back in April 2019. It’s actually still a pretty solid list! I don’t repeat books in storytime that often, because there are always so many good new ones, but there are several books on my 2019 list that are still in my rotation – Grumpy Pants, Huff & Puff, Hooray for Hat!, Where is the Green Sheep?, Carrot and Pea, A Parade of Elephants, and more.

I skimmed back over my storytime titles from September and picked a few to build this new list of storytime success books. Of course, every storytime is different – depending on who shows up, and how many, and what their energy level is, it’s a real YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) situation. And there are some books that the kids connect to, and others the adults love – it isn’t always both. But as I see it, the storytime is for everyone who attends, from babies to grandparents. (I usually make a note when someone checks out one of the storytime books after the program is over; if they liked it enough to take it home, that’s a good sign!)

So, here are ten to try:

  • Are You Big? by Mo Willems
  • The Button Book by Sally Nicholls and Bethan Woollvin
  • Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang
  • Daniel’s Good Day and Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer
  • Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier
  • Mr. Scruff by Simon James
  • Now by Antoinette Portis
  • One of These Is Not Like the Others by Barney Saltzberg
  • Somewhere in the Bayou by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
  • Tumble by Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom

Cover images of Green is a Chile Pepper, Tumble, Lots of Dots, Marta Big and Small, Somewhere in the Bayou, One of these is Not Like the Others, Daniel's Good Day

And here are 10 more that overlap with the Jbrary list:

  • How to Count to One by Caspar Salmon
  • If I Was A Horse by Sophie Blackall
  • I’m Going to Build A Snowman by Jashar Awan
  • Is This the Bus for Us? by Harriet Ziefert and Richard Brown
  • Just One Flake by Travis Jonker
  • Mister Kitty is Lost! and Lucky Duck by Greg Pizzoli
  • The Rainbow Snail by Karin Akesson
  • Roll Little Pea by Cecile Bergame and Magali Attiogbe
  • Superbaby! by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Lincoln Agnew
  • Whose Egg/Footprint/Poop Is That? by Darrin Lunde and Kelsey Oseid

Cover images of If I Was A Horse, Mister Kitty Is Lost, How to Count to One, Whose Egg Is That, Is This the Bus for Us

Over the past half-year, I’ve made an effort to include Spanish/English bilingual books in my storytimes. Some of the ones that have worked well are:

  • Marta! Big and Small by Jen Arena and Angela Dominguez
  • I’m Hungry / Tengo Hambre and How Are You / Como Estas? by Angela Dominguez
  • Round Is A Tortilla / Green Is A Chile Pepper / One Is A Pinata by Roseanne Greenfield Thong and John Parra

What are your storytime favorites?

Book Browse Bear: Serendipitous Suggestions

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Inspired by the “don’t know what to read?” jar up in our teen room, which has suggestions by genre, and by an empty bear-shaped container I found in the closet, Book Browse Bear was born! There are about 40 titles in each of the following categories: picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade graphic novels, and middle grade fiction & nonfiction. (These are color-coded, naturally.) It’s been fun to see people digging into the jar, and fun to help them find the books on the shelves (or another book, if that one is checked out).

Book Browse Bear

If you’d like to make something similar for your library, you can use the link above to make a copy of my lists and adapt them to the collections on your shelves. It’s a great way to promote some favorite titles, especially backlist ones that may not be circulating as well anymore. Happy browsing!

Book Lists for Tough Topics

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In any workplace, there are going to be certain questions you’ll be asked over and over again. (“Where’s the bathroom?” for example.) As a children’s librarian, people ask me lots of questions about library programs and services, and ask for help finding books – in particular, books about animals, books about “things that go” (trucks, construction vehicles, etc.), and books about dinosaurs. I am always happy to hand a kid a book about a backhoe or a brachiosaurus or a bat! But I also get questions from caregivers about weightier topics: starting school or switching schools, moving to a new home, managing big feelings, welcoming a new baby, or dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one.

"I'm looking for a book about" page of the book listsWell, I may not theme my storytimes, but I’ve been keeping a google doc since about 2018 with lists of books by topic; between that and my notes-to-self in LibraryThing, I’m usually prepared with suggestions when these questions come up. This month, I’ve worked to create up-to-date lists for my library, with titles we own so that patrons can have a book in hand right away. I relied on my own lists, consulted some lists the previous librarian had created, and used some of the features in the library catalog to come up with suggestions for books about the first day of school, moving, new siblings, big feelings, and grief/loss, as well as alphabet and counting books and wordless picture books.

In my library travels, I’ve seen themed lists like these displayed in “flippy things” like this desktop reference system, which I was able to get for my library. The lists now live there, and I plan to keep them updated as relevant titles are published each year. If you’d like to see the lists, or adapt them for use in your own school or public library or classroom, the lists are available as a google doc and the visual lists (with book covers) are available as google slides. Feel free to make a copy and make them your own.

Book List open to "Big Feelings"

Next to the “flippy thing” in the photo above, you can kind of see the “Book Browse Bear,” another (more fun/random/spontaneous) readers’ advisory tool I made this month. But that will be another post!

To theme or not to theme?

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Some storytime leaders are committed to themes; some aren’t. I fall into the latter camp, for some of the reasons articulated by Kary Henry on the ALSC blog, and Lindsey Krabbenhoft at Jbrary (“Storytime themes vs. storytime flow”). However, sometimes a theme emerges naturally, which happened this week.

Books on window ledge: Dancing Hands, Song in the City, I Can See Just Fine, and Mel Fell

There was an unusually small group at storytime this week, all regulars, so it was actually nice and cozy. As usual, we started with our “Hello, Friends” song with sign language, and it’s so cool to see the toddlers signing along. We read four books this week, with song cube songs and the Little Mouse flannel board activity in between:

  • Dancing Hands: a story of friendship in Filipino sign language, by Joanna Que and Charina Marquez, illustrated by Fran Alvarez, translated by Karen Llagas (a Schneider Family Honor Book)
  • Song in the City by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Jenin Mohammed
  • I Can See Just Fine by Eric Barclay
  • Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

Cover image of Dancing HandsAll of these books, in their own way, are about ability. Perception and communication also emerge as themes.

Dancing Hands worked well because it has minimal text, but shows readers how to make the signs the girls in the story are making (signs are also illustrated on the endpapers!). Dancing Hands feels a lot like My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, another favorite storytime book.

Cover image of Song in the CitySong in the City is a little bit longer, but the illustrations are super bright – featuring that warm yellow from the cover – the text rhymes, and there are a lot of sound effects. This was definitely the book that the adults in the room loved best. We all paused in the middle to close or cover our eyes, as Emmalene helps Grandma Jean do in the book, to focus on what we could hear.

icanseeI would love I Can See Just Fine based on its title alone, but the execution is just perfect. A little girl named Paige has trouble seeing the board at school, reading her sheet music, and even identifying animals (she picks up a skunk and calls it a kitty). She is not excited to go to the eye doctor, or when they tell her she needs glasses, but when she stands in front of the huge array of frames to choose from on the wall, you can just feel her wonder and awe. She tries on lots of frames and chooses the right ones for her. I showed the group my own glasses, identifying the different parts (frames and lenses). I also shared with the group that the eye doctor is my favorite one to go to – they never give shots!

Cover image of Mel FellWe wrapped up with Mel Fell, which is about confidence and ability in a different way: a baby kingfisher’s first flight/dive. The orientation of this book is unique (in the photo above, the spine is actually on top), and there’s a fun rotation required part of the way through the story. We see community members – other residents of Mel’s tree – attempt to help, but ultimately, Mel was right about their readiness to fly!

After stories, songs, and Little Mouse, we sang and signed “Goodbye, Friends.” Our craft wasn’t connected to the books, though I did mention that peeling and placing stickers is good fine motor practice. And, as a kid, how often do you get to use as many stickers as you want? (I’m lucky in that my predecessor spent years hoarding stickers from various sources, so we have an entire box to choose from.)

Next week, we’ll be hosting a group from The Family Center, reading Hugs from Pearl by Paul Schmid, and making valentines.

Mock Newbery: Heavy Medal 2024

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The Heavy Medal Award Committee (HMAC) is a Mock Newbery committee organized by Emily Mroczek-Bayci and Steven Engelfried (who have both served on the real Newbery committee previously) and including a mix of librarians (and, this year, one high school student) from all across the U.S.

Readers of the Heavy Medal blog nominate Newbery-eligible titles throughout the year, and eventually the nominees are winnowed down to a final fifteen(ish). Then the HMAC is assembled: every committee member reads all fifteen(ish) books, and each of us write an intro to one of the books on the blog, starting in late December and continuing into January. In the blog post, we consider the ways in which the book meets the Newbery criteria. After all the books are introduced and discussed in the comments, we vote on a final five books to discuss in a live webcast before the actual ALA Youth Media Awards (including the Newbery) are announced.

Cover images of HERCULES BEAL, LOST YEAR, FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, MONA LISA VANISHES, THE SKULL

This year, the webcast was Friday, January 19 (you can view the recording here). The ALA YMA are next Monday, January 22, starting at 8 a.m. EST; you can watch the livestream here. (This is like the Oscars for kidlit.)

The real committees do a tremendous amount of reading and engage in carefully considered, thoughtful discussion, and there are always so many worthy books eligible for every award. Just because a book doesn’t wind up with a shiny medal or honor sticker after next week doesn’t mean it isn’t an excellent book. After all, “every book its reader, every reader their book.”

That said…I’m rooting hard for Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow to win the Newbery this year. We’ll find out on Monday!

2023 Reading Wrap-Up

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Every year I summarize a year’s worth of reading here, breaking it down by category and listing some of my favorite titles (not all necessarily published this year). (Also, maybe “summarize” is not the word, as it’s not particularly concise; not only do I not provide a Top Ten overall, I don’t even limit myself to ten per category.) Here’s my mid-year reading round-up from early July, and here’s my 2022 Reading Wrap-Up. Perhaps one of these years I’ll wise up and do it like Betsy Bird does with her #31Days31Lists, but for now, we have this. Without further ado…

Total number of books read: 693

Partially-read/started-didn’t-finish: 27. I browsed through several cookbooks, quilting books, various other how-to nonfiction, books at friends’ houses, poetry, essay collections and collective biographies, and some books I started with the kiddo but she either lost interest in or took off to read by herself. As I tell other readers, it’s okay to put down a book!

Picture Books: 274

  • Telling Stories Wrong by Gianni Rodarisnowhorses
  • Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan and Micha Archer
  • Somewhere in the Bayou by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
  • Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild
  • Night in the City by Julie Downing
  • The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker
  • We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan T. Higgins
  • That Flag by Tameka Brown Fryer
  • Evergreen by Matthew Cordell
  • Dim Sum, Here We Come! by Maple Lamohnoaunts
  • Spicy Spicy Hot! by Lenny Wen
  • A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond
  • Inside the Slidy Diner by Laurel Snyder
  • Oh No, The Aunts Are Here by Adam Rex
  • The World and Everything In It by Kevin Henkes
  • Real to Me by Minh Lê
  • Elisabeth by Claire A. Nivola
  • How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen
  • A Bed of Stars by Jessica Love
  • Big by Vashti Harrison
  • Gotta Go! by Frank Viva
  • Are You Awake? by Sophie Blackall
  • How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney by Barnett/Klassen
  • Molly’s Tuxedo by Vicki Johnsonmollystux
  • Snail Crossing by Corey Tabor
  • With Lots of Love by Jenny Torres Sanchez
  • The World’s Best Class Plant by Vernick/Scanlon
  • King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim
  • In the Night Garden by Carin Berger
  • The Kitten Story by Emily Jenkins
  • Stars of the Night by Caren Stelson
  • I’m Going to Build A Snowman by Jashar Awan
  • The Three Little Mittens by Linda Bailey
  • Silver Linings by Fiona Woodcock
  • Everything Naomi Loved by Katie Yamasaki
  • Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year by Andrea Beaty
  • How to Count to ONE by Caspar Salmonhowtocountto1
  • Good Books for Bad Children by Beth Kephart
  • I Can Open It For You by Shinsuke Yoshitake
  • Ogilvy by Deborah Underwood
  • If I Was A Horse by Sophie Blackall
  • How This Book Was Made by Barnett/Rex
  • I Am Stuck by Julia Mills
  • Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
  • Flower Girl by Amy Bloom
  • Hanukkah Upside Down by Elissa Brent Weissman
  • Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex
  • An American Story by Kwame Alexander/Dare Coulter
  • Just One Flake by Travis Jonker
  • Mister Kitty is Lost by Greg Pizzoli

Early Readers: 19 (overlap with Chapter Books, Graphic Novels)Cover image of Henry Like Always

  • Sir Ladybug by Corey Tabor (GN)
  • Charlie and Mouse Are Magic (#6) by Laurel Snyder
  • Arlo & Pips by Elise Gravel (GN)
  • Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey, illus. Mika Song

Chapter Books: 16 (overlap with Early Readers, Graphic Novels)

  • No More Ear Buns! by Agnes Mathieu-Daudeapthousepoppyhill
  • The Apartment House on Poppy Hill by Nina LaCour
  • The Story of Gumluck the Wizard by Adam Rex
  • The Skull by Jon Klassen
  • The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
  • Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones

Middle Grade: 162 (overlap with GN, nonfiction)

  • The Swifts by Beth Lincolnswifts-lincoln
  • Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
  • The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
  • The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry by Chad Morris
  • Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne
  • Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call to Science by Jeannine Atkins
  • The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
  • Tuesdays at the Castle (series) by Jessica Day GeorgeCover image of Hazel Hill iIs Gonna Win This One
  • Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp
  • Wildoak by C.C. Harrington
  • Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller
  • World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky
  • Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott
  • Bea and the New Deal Horse by L.M. Elliottbeanewdeal
  • Code Red by Joy McCullough
  • Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass
  • The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
  • Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow
  • Alone by Megan Freeman
  • Leeva At Last by Sara Pennypacker
  • Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson
  • Mihi Ever After by Tae Keller
  • Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
  • Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus
  • The Jake Show by Joshua S. Levy
  • Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix
  • The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyderprobabilityofeverything
  • The Lost Library by Stead/Mass
  • You Are Here by Ellen Oh (editor)
  • The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
  • Witches of Brooklyn: Spell of a Time by Sophie Escabesse
  • Greenwild by Pari Thompson

Young Adult (YA): 61Cover image of Enter the Body (overlap with GN)

  • For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome
  • Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
  • Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams
  • If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude
  • Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert
  • A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex
  • Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
  • Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez
  • Burn, Baby, Burn by Meg Medina
  • Be That Way by Hope Larson

Graphic novels: 118 (overlap with most other categories)

  • Killer Underwear Invasion! How to Spot Fake News… by Elise Gravelsquireknight
  • Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
  • Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
  • Arlo & Pips by Elise Gravel
  • Squire and Knight by Scott Chantler
  • Team Trash by Kate Wheeler
  • Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke
  • Hoops by Matt Tavares
  • School Trip by Jerry Craft
  • A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
  • Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
  • The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir
  • Three Thieves (series) by Scott Chantlerthingsbasement
  • Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang
  • Let’s Make Dumplings! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
  • Be That Way by Hope Larson
  • NewsPrints by Xu Ru
  • Maker Comics: Design A Game by Bree Wolf
  • Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook
  • Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable
  • Batcat by Meggie Ramm
  • Nell of Gumbling by Emma Steinkellner
  • Mexikid by Pedro Martinpebblewren
  • Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen
  • Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
  • The Talk by Darrin Bell
  • Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd
  • Pebble and Wren by Chris Hallbeck
  • 83 Days in Mariupol by Don Brown

Adult fiction: 43future-naomi

  • The Future by Naomi Alderman
  • You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
  • Starling House by Alix Harrow
  • The Talk by Darrin Bell
  • Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
  • Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
  • Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Adult nonfiction: 25freaksgleeks

  • Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek by Thea Glassman
  • A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung
  • How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
  • Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O’Reilly
  • Accountable by Dashka Slater
  • You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
  • Growing Up in Public by Devorah Heitner

Children’s nonfiction: 61

  • A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portishowtoeatinspace
  • The Tower of Life by Chana Stiefel
  • Comics: Easy as ABC: The Essential Guide for Kids by Ivan Brunetti
  • The Fire of Stars by Kirsten Larson
  • Emma’s Poem by Linda Glaser
  • the Whose is THAT? series by Darrin Lunde
  • A Storm of Horses by Ruth Sanderson
  • The 500 Million Dollar Heist (Unsolved Case Files) by Tom Sullivan
  • The Hole Story of the Donut by Pat Miller
  • Make Way for Animals! A World of Wildlife Crossings by Meeg Pincus
  • The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas DayCover image of
  • Sew Sister by Elise Matich
  • Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari
  • A Place Called America by Jennifer Thermes
  • How the Cookie Crumbled by Gilbert Ford
  • How to Eat in Space by Helen Taylor
  • The True Story of Zippy Chippy by Artie Bennett

Short stories/essays: 13

  • White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
  • Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede

Audiobooks: 11

Actual number includes re-reads and is higher, due to family car time and at-home audiobook time with the kiddo, as mentioned above. And sometimes I listen to Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! The NPR News Quiz or – less fun – the actual news. Or music. (Especially The Pogues and Sinead O’Connor this fall/winter.) Standout audiobooks include:Cover image of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

  • You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (“not that Maggie Smith”)
  • The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
  • Odder by Katherine Applegate
  • Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus
  • Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (I did warn you I wasn’t going to stop talking about this one)

Five-star ratings: 33

Cover image of Simon Sort of SaysRe-reads: Unknown; I don’t have a good way to keep track. The kiddo listened to all five Mysterious Benedict Society books for what felt like months, and we re-read all of the Dealing with Dragons books by Patricia C. Wrede. I re-read a chunk of Greenglass House by Kate Milford, as I always do toward the end of December, and I certainly revisited favorite picture books at home and at library storytimes. And, after reading Simon Sort of Says in March and refusing to shut up about it since, I re-read it as an audiobook this month and it’s still stunningly good.

WeNeedDiverseBooks: 203, or 33.2%, which is better than last year (again), but still shy of half.

Book reviews: 25+

In my free time (hahaha), I write book reviews for School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. I review picture books, graphic novels, middle grade, and occasionally YA. I enjoy reviewing because, of course, I get to read books before they’ve been published, and before I’ve heard anyone else’s opinions on them; and because writing reviews forces me to stick to a strict word count, and try to balance summary and evaluation. This year I also served on SLJ’s Best Graphic Novels committee, which is part of the reason I read more GN this year than last year.

So, that’s a wrap for 2023. Every year brings ups and downs, but we can always count on good books. Here’s to 2024! There are already several titles I’m excited about…. What were your favorite reads in 2023? What are you looking forward to? Does anything on this list pique your interest?

Tis the season for picture books and graphic novels

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I developed these two presentations for the senior center, but why not share more widely?

“Picture This: Picture-Perfect Gift Books“ for the 2023 holiday season (or whenever! Books are good 365 days a year).

With an older audience in mind, I focused on recent titles from our current golden age of picture books, from wordless wonders like Aaron Becker’s Journey to Caldecott winners like Sophie Blackall and Matthew Cordell, from nonfiction to humor to holidays. Does a kiddo in your life need a new picture book this month? Sure they do!

Humor slide from Picture Books presentation: The Big Cheese, Bathe the Cat, Gotta Go, A Very Cranky Book

“What Are Graphic Novels (and why are they so great)?“ is an attempt to introduce adult readers to a format that might be new for them, and to dispel the harmful idea that graphic novels aren’t “real” books. (Graphic novels ARE real books! If your kids/students are reading graphic novels, they’re reading! And they probably have better visual literacy skills than you do. While I’m up here on my soapbox, audiobooks are real books, too.)

"What is a graphic novel?" slide from GN presentation

Links will take you to Google Slides presentations. For both sets of slides, I used SlidesCarnival (shout-out to my grad school friend Becca for introducing me to this resource).

Readers, I hope you check some of these books out from the library, or buy (local if you can!). School and public librarians, feel free to copy and remix if that’s helpful to you; please give credit. Neither of these presentations is intended to be comprehensive – just some award winners and lots of my own personal favorites. Happy reading!

MLS Annual Meeting 2023

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This year’s Massachusetts Library Association (MLS) Annual Meeting was at Fort Devens, where I have been many times – but only to play in ultimate frisbee tournaments. The meeting involved no cleats, frostbite, or heatstroke, which was an altogether different experience!

After a brief welcome from MLS Executive Director Sarah Sogigian and MLS Executive Board President Anna Bognolo (also the director of the Greenfield Public Library, which has a beautiful new building!), reporter Matt Shearer delivered a morning keynote full of short, funny videos of hyper-local news stories, such as the famous (in internet circles) story of one of the three Market Baskets on Boston Road closing in Billerica, and the sad tale of the Dunkin Donuts-less town of Stow, MA. Matt’s approach to reporting is, “I show up in small towns and try to find something cool.” After much exploring, he has concluded, “It is the people who make these towns special.” He says, “I’m trying to find the things that aren’t getting covered, the people whose voices aren’t getting heard.” And he recommended, when creating content, to have fun with it, and people will find it engaging.

The way that people respond to Matt’s videos – locally and more broadly, as many of his videos have gone viral – makes me think of the decrease in local news coverage over the past few decades, as local and regional papers fold, and people are left to rely on social media (e.g. Facebook, NextDoor) or national papers like The New York Times. This has contributed to a lack of trust in the print media, as there can be such a great distance between the issues that have a real impact on peoples’ day-to-day lives and the issues that national papers cover. Matt’s use of humor helps, too, and his genuine curiosity about people’s lives.

The business meeting was short and sweet, followed by an update from MBLC Director James Lonergan. He urged everyone to continue contacting state representatives to support library budget lines, all of which have seen increases recently. The focus next year will be on continued support for State Aid to libraries, and a bigger increase for the Massachusetts Center for the Book. Lonergan also mentioned MLS’ partnership with Unite Against Book Bans (MLS, MLA, and MSLA are all partners).

UniteAgainstBookBansUniting against book bans tied in nicely to William Adamczyk’s update from the MLA Legislative Committee. There was a hearing on Monday, October 30 that was relevant to several different library interests (you can watch it here), including library access to e-books and digital audiobooks, freedom to read, and protection against book bans. MLA has been working closely with MSLA and with EveryLibrary to have a funded, effective school library program and a licensed school librarian in every school in the commonwealth (see “The Top 5 Reasons for having a Licensed School Library Teacher in Every School“). The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is in full support of this effort. Another goal is for the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to designate a school library point person – someone who understands the importance and value of librarians in schools.

Title page of Evelyn Del Rey, with signatureAfter lunch, it was time for MEG MEDINA! Yes, she’s caps-lock-worthy: she’s the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a faculty member of the Hamline MFA program, and the author of Merci Suárez Changes Gears, which won the Newbery Medal in 2019. She has written two sequels to Merci, as well as picture books Mango, Abuela, and Me; Tía Isa Wants A Car; and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away. Most recently she has contributed to Chelsea Clinton’s She Persisted series of biographies, with entries on Sonia Sotomayor and Pura Belpré.

Medina graciously answered questions from Christi Showman Farrar and Kristi Chadwick from MLS. Some excerpts from their conversation:

  • When did storytelling start for you? When did you decide to become a writer? Medina’s family moved to the U.S. in the 1960s, due to political turmoil in Cuba; she believes that her family “used story to deal with the trauma of loss of homeland.” She did not begin writing fiction until she turned 40.
  • How do you decide whether the story is a novel, a picture book…does the story tell you what it’s going to be or do you make that decision? A little of both. Tía Isa would have made a funny middle grade novel. “When you sit with a story for a second, your heart sort of tells you the piece of it that matters most, and that helps you navigate” what age to write it for. What matters to you the most in that moment about telling that story?Cover image of Merci Suarez, with Newber
  • When books are published simultaneously (or nearly) in English and Spanish, what is the translation process like? “We have all points of language” in Latino families, with some fluent in English, some in Spanish, some in both. Availability of books in both languages allow the family to experience the story together, in the language they’re most comfortable with. “More language is more people you can talk to.”
  • What was your involvement in the graphic novel adaptation of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass? Medina said it takes her a while when she sees visual representations of her work, even book covers, because the artist’s representation is always different from what she sees in her head. “I feel about graphic novels the way I feel about movies….This is a new generation and it’s a different art form….[I’m] glad it’s coming to a new generation of readers.”
  • What was the research process like for Burn Baby Burn? “You think you remember everything accurately…you don’t!” It was fascinating to dig into the research, including the NOW archives at NYU, which covered the Women’s March in much more detail than The New York Times. She asked, “Who’s telling the story? And what was omitted?” and added, “That idea of not being erased is vitally important right now.”
  • Question from a school librarian: How do you help teachers who are attached to classics understand that there is so much new talent? You’re not throwing away the classics, but nothing can become a classic if no one reads it. Medina suggested shelf talkers that pair the classic with the new, like Little House on the Prairie with Linda Sue Park’s Prairie Lotus. “Give people a way to think about those books. Give them a way to preserve both, if they must.”

Other questions and answers covered what it was like to get “the call” (from the Newbery committee), what she does in her role as the National Ambassador (“Book friend to America’s children”), outreach to Latino populations, how to get kids passionate about stories, and challenges to youth materials (she spoke to both the Senate and the House).

Thank you, Meg, for coming to our meeting, and for everything you do for children’s literature!