Quackers Written and Illustrated by Liz Wong Alfred A. Knopf BYR 3/22/2016 978-0-553511543 32 pages Ages 3—6 “Quackers is a duck. Sure, he may have paws and whiskers. And his quacks might sound more like…well, meows, but he lives among ducks, everyone he knows is a duck, and he’s happy. Then Quackers meets …
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Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, acceptance, cats, self esteem, Poetry Books, Debut Author, ducks, fitting in, inclusiveness, Random House Kids, Penguin Random House, Debut Illustrator, Liz Wong, 5-Stars, Alfred A. Knopf BYR, Quackers, Add a tag
Blog: Jen Robinson (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Twitter Links, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, children's books, young adult books, Diversity, gender, LGBTQ, inclusiveness, Add a tag
Normally on Friday I do a post that rounds up article/blog post links that I shared on Twitter over the previous week. But as I was working on my roundup for this week, I discovered that, what with the whole #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign and all, I had shared a LOT of links related to diversity. So I decided to pull those into a separate post. There's a lot here to absorb. I hope you all find things of interest. Also, please note that MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge this year (the 9th annual) will focus on the reading of diverse books.
Links on Diversity + Gender
18 Adorable Reasons #WeNeedDiverseBooks | selected @leeandlow shared @buzzfeed http://ow.ly/wq7Ix via @compelledtoread
A Rambling Rant on Race and Writing | @lisayee1 at Red Room |"Do not presume -- but do dare to imagine." http://ow.ly/wvKNK #diversity
Let the Handsell-Off Begin: Booksellers Take The #GreatGreeneChallenge http://ow.ly/wDQXc @PublishersWkly #kidlit #WeNeedDiverseBooks
A success! ReedPOP Adds diversity BookCon Panel in response to #DiverseNeedDiverseBooks campaign http://ow.ly/wDQtA @PublishersWkly
Good stuff on encouraging girls in math | @Girlstart, STEM, and a Surprise from @varianjohnson http://ow.ly/wDvla #GreatGreenChallenge
Because books are mirrors, some of @RIFWEB favorite images from the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign http://ow.ly/wBgLj
Our kids’ grey matter is neither pink nor blue – when will book publishers realise this? @katyguest36912 @Independent http://ow.ly/wyJZb
YA #LGBTQ Novels Where the Focus Isn't Coming Out - list from @NinaTyndall at Small Avalanches http://ow.ly/wt60B #diversity
Writing as Feminist, Mariko Tamaki @NerdyBookClub I try not to write about chars that are white + straight by default http://ow.ly/wt4tX
squeetus: Thoughts on whether white writers can write non-white characters from @haleshannon (who has) http://ow.ly/wvJ0H
Paying Attention to #Diversity | Recent link roundup @medinger http://ow.ly/wt4no #WeNeedDiverseBooks
Great resource @cybils blog: Diverse Book Recommendations from Cybils titles for #WeNeedDiverseBooks http://ow.ly/wt4Eg
LGBTQ & You: How to Support Your Students as a librarian | @sljournal http://ow.ly/woc5p
Program #Diversity: Do Libraries Serve Kids with Disabilities? | @sljournal http://ow.ly/woc0D
5 Cultures #Kidlit Readers Can Explore for #WeNeedDiverseBooks @jendonn @5M4B http://ow.ly/wqst0
#WeNeedDiverseBooks …and What We Can Do About It, an action plan from Becky Levine http://ow.ly/wqrZl
My most favorite sci fi and fantasy books with diversities of various sorts from @charlotteslib http://ow.ly/wqqOw #WeNeedDiverseBooks
Presenting Lenore creates a #WeNeedDiverseBooks categorized Review Archive http://ow.ly/wqqGM @lenoreva
#WeNeedDiverseBooks diversity campaign goes viral, thoughts + images from @Devas_T at The Brown Bookshelf http://ow.ly/wqqp8
Putting your money where your mouth is at Biblio File: Diverse Book Reading List http://ow.ly/wqpA4 #WeNeedDiverseBooks
© 2014 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
Blog: Jen Robinson (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Reviews, party, friendship, Picture Books, linda sue park, matt phelan, Newsletter, loneliness, pandas, inclusiveness, zoos, Add a tag
Book: Xander's Panda Party
Author: Linda Sue Park (@LindaSuePark)
Illustrator: Matt Phelan (@MattPhelanDraws)
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8
Xander's Panda Party, by Linda Sue Park, is, as you might expect, a picture book about a panda named Xander who wants to throw a party. It's also about inclusiveness and about battling loneliness.
Xander wants to have a rip-roaring panda party. But this turns out to be a bit tricky, as he is the only panda in the zoo. So he expands his idea to invite all of the bears. But it turns out that Koala is actually a marsupial. He doesn't want to leave her out, so Xander has to expand the party to encompass all mammals. But then Rhinoceros wants to bring his bird, and so on, and so on, until everyone at the zoo is invited to the bash. Xander's generosity of spirit is rewarded at the end, when a very special new friend arrives at the zoo.
Park's text is poetic, using lots of rhyme without being sing-songy. Like this:
"But Xander was the only panda. Just one panda at the zoo.
Xander sat and chewed bamboo. He changed his plans and point of view."
Doesn't that just beg to be read aloud? And this:
"Xander's party preparations took great pains and perspiration.
"The menu needs some taste sensations, plus the proper vegetation!""
Delightful! This is a book that parents will be able to read over and over again, because the cadence is so enjoyable. There are also plenty of strong vocabulary words, like "congregating" and "fidgeted."
The message of inclusiveness, while certainly present, is surrounded by the gentle humor of the story, such that it doesn't feel overwhelming. I like that it's not always obvious to Xander that he should keep expanding his party. He really struggles with the decision each time. This having to work to decide to do the right thing will certainly make the book resonate more with young readers.
As rendered in ink and watercolor by Matt Phelan, Xander is adorable. His loneliness at the start of the book is palpable. His joy at the end will bring a smile to any reader's face. The other animals are sketched in, interesting though not quite realistic, but the focus remains on Xander. My favorite page is one filled with small vignettes, as Xander races about the zoo, inviting other creatures to his party, leaving a trail of colored envelopes behind.
It sounds a bit trite to say that a picture book is heart-warming. But what can I say? Xander's Panda Party is heart-warming, entertaining, and eminently read-aloudable. It is not to be missed.
Publisher: Clarion Books (@HMHKids)
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Eventful World, Thanksgiving books, Reading the World, Jacqueline Jules, family traditions, Colorin Colorado, inclusiveness, holiday traditions, Duck for Turkey Day, Kathryn Mitter, Multicultural Meals, Add a tag
As our world gets smaller and people from different cultures find themselves sharing one same country, traditions once thought to belong to a particular group are bound to mix with others and acquire new flavors. Sometimes quite literally, as it happens in Duck for Turkey Day.
Written by Jacqueline Jules and illustrated by Kathryn Mitter, Duck for Turkey Day is about Tuyet, a young girl who wants to celebrate Thanksgiving the “right way.” Her excitement about making turkey crafts and singing turkey songs at school is damped when grandma reminds her that they will be having duck, not turkey, for Thanksgiving because “Our family likes duck better.”
When mealtime comes, the wonderful smells of grandma’s special duck recipe fill the house. At the table they take turns expressing their gratitude: for their home, their food, the country where they live… The main menu? Not duck, but family love.
A good time was had by all, but the idea of “sharing time” at school the following Monday has Tuyet worried. “What will Mrs. Cook say about eating duck on Turkey Day?”. When the day comes and she finally tells her classmates about her Thanksgiving meal, they join in with menus of their own: from enchiladas to lamb to tofu turkey to chicken with noddles. Their non-turkey meals remind Tuyet that, even though Turkey Day revolves around food, it’s having a thankful heart and sharing a meal together with those you love that matter the most.
You can watch the book trailer of Duck for Turkey Day here, and for more books on the various aspects of Thanksgiving, check out Colorin Colorado’s reading list.
PaperTigers wishes a Happy Thanksgiving to all who may be celebrating the day!
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Eventful World, Asking the Kids, inclusive learning environments, inclusiveness, Mix It Up at Lunch Day, Add a tag
Today my daughter’s school is taking part in Mix it Up at Lunch Day, “to build on the momentum of change created by the election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States, and to show our commitment to providing an inclusive learning environment for all students.”
“Mix It Up at Lunch Day” is the flagship event of Mix it Up, a nationwide project that encourages K-12 students to identify, question and cross social boundaries within their schools and communities. “This year, the day has a special significance,” says Mix It Up Director, Samantha Elliott Briggs, “because students across America, inspired by the presidential election’s result, are excited about doing their part to tear down the walls that divide us.”
10,000 schools are expected to participate this year. To know that millions of students across the U.S. are reaching out to others and looking for ways to be more inclusive is not only awe-inspiring, but downright amazing! The beauty and power of “Mix It Up at Lunch Day” is that it highlights the importance of inclusive learning environments with a very simple call to action. A call to action that reminds students of the riches to be gained from stepping out of their comfort zones and reaching out to someone outside their usual social sphere— a simple action that has the potential to build bridges, foster understanding and form friendships that wouldn’t be built, fostered or formed otherwise.
Participating students are encouraged to share stories about their experiences with “Mix It Up Day” and to read the stories of others
‘. And for those interested in submitting essays for a chance to be published, here’s a list of themes.Great things happen when we mix. Please share your story so we can all learn from it!