How to use this Page

We began class by listening to Sylvia Plath and Etheridge Knight read their work—tape recordings from years ago played out loud to a quiet room so that we might understand long lines, short lines, loud inside soft, the daring image inside the purposefully mundane, the right repetition, the empowered list.  We had listened to that, and then we had read out loud.  We had dreamed about our memoirs, closed with lines from Lia Purpura, packed our things; we were almost gone.  Except that B was still there, his laptop open.  You were speaking of poetry, he said.  You should hear this. 

I have watched and listened to this three times now.  I share it with you.  A former Penn student in a scream sing from the very top, as he says, of his fingertips, while President Obama looks admiringly on.

Remarkable.

Thank you, B.

I've never been to a poetry slam. Ever. Which makes me uncool, unhip, and probably unfit to call myself a poet. Oh well. Nothing new there.

It's not that I don't want to go to one. I've just always been a little intimidated. I'm interested in them, and I talk about going to one (kind of in that "someday I'll clean out the basement" way), though, and my husband recently sent me a Washington Post article that begins:

Right off the bat, Lesley Wheeler plays videos of poetry slams, showing her students how intense and powerful she believes poetry can be.

Then she tells them they’re going to have a haiku death match.

She’s not kidding, although she is likely to laugh herself to tears when it takes place.

Read the entire article here.

Don't you wish you had a teacher like that? So now I've really got to go to one. I know Minneapolis/St. Paul has an active poetry slam scene, and I got the scoop on a monthly one. And I've roped my teen daughter into going with me (she's very excited about it, actually). With holidays and travel coming up, and the slam usually being the 4th week of each month, I'm not sure if I'll get there before January. But I will get there. And probably before the basement gets cleaned out.

(Click on event name for more information)

Guadalajara Book Fair~ ongoing until Dec 7, Guadalajara, Mexico

Jewish Book Month~ ongoing until Dec 22, Canada and USA

Artifacts of Childhood: 700 Years of Children’s Books Exhibition~ ongoing until Jan 17, Chicago, IL, USA

Summer Reading Club 2009~ ongoing until Feb 15, Australia

Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children’s Books Exhibition~ ongoing until Mar 8, Amherst, MA, USA

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI Tokyo) Illustrators Exhibition~ Dec 1 - 14, Tokyo, Japan

Australian Poetry Slam 2008 - National Finals~ Dec 4, Sydney, Australia

Dromkeen Annual Literary Luncheon and Presentation of the Dromkeen’s Librarian Award~ Dec 5, Riddells Creek, Australia

University of the Philippine’s Writer’s Day~ Dec 5, Manila, Philippines

Barefoot Books Young Storyteller Competition Winners Announced~ Dec 6, Bath, United Kingdom

5th Annual Frostburg Storybook Holiday: A Community Celebration Through Children’s Literature~ Dec 6, Frostburg, MD, USA

Nordic Festival at Seven Stories, The Centre for Children’s Books~ Dec 6 - 7, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

PJ Lynch “The Champion of Picture Book Illustration in Ireland”~ Dec 8, Dublin, Ireland

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Meet the Author Event~ Dec 10, Paris, France

2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards Presentation~ Dec 10, Ottawa, ON, Canada

1st International Conference on Popular Culture and Education in Asia~ Dec 11 - 13, Hong Kong

American Identity in Children’s Literature Symposium~ Dec 13, Chicago, IL, USA

Exhibit: The Magical Toy Shop -Trade and Enterprise in Children’s Books~ Dec 13 - Mar 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

The Best of the Best in 2008: Distinguished American Picture Books for Children~ Dec 13, Amherst, MA, USA

Mantles of Myth – The Narrative in Indian Textiles~ Dec 13 - 15, Jaipur, India

6th Annual Houston Latino Book & Family Festival~ Dec 13 - 14, Houston, TX, USA

4th Karachi International Book Fair~ Dec 26 - 30, Karachi, Pakistan

A new list has hit the world of children’s literature–the Renaissance Learning Report on What Kids Are Reading. After gathering answers from more than 3 million students in U.S. schools, the report announces that first graders love Dr. Seuss, second graders are reading Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, E.B. White’s classic Charlotte’s Web is the third grade favorite, fourth graders flock to Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and fifth grade’s number one choice is Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is the most popular book among sixth graders.

Then the news becomes dismal. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is universally beloved by seventh and eighth grade readers and for that yawning chasm of ninth through twelfth grade, To Kill a Mockingbird wins hands down as most popular book for people ranging in age from fourteen to seventeen.

Please don’t get me wrong. These are two wonderful books and deservedly popular among every age group, from Generation Not Yet Born to the Baby Boomers. What bothers me immensely is that these two titles are quite evidently being widely read because they are on school reading lists, and that is the kiss of death for any book. There’s nothing like a good, stiff essay test to drain the life and enjoyment from any piece of literature.

Teachers and librarians deserve a hearty round of applause for rescuing students from the required reading of my youth, which was also the required reading for my mother in the days before World War Two. Silas Marner may well be a dazzling piece of English literature, but you’ll never get me to admit it–or, for that matter, my eighty-plus-year-old mother. Both of us, in our different generations, read it thoroughly enough to pass the following test with flying colors but neither of us would claim it as our best-loved book of that particular year.

This latest list does a great job of showing what is being assigned in classrooms across the country. What it doesn’t show is what “kids are reading,” especially when they hit adolescence, and this is something we all need to know, if only to enlarge our own reading horizons.

At the Tiger’s Bookshelf, we’ve asked questions about ways to make children readers. Perhaps one of the easiest ways is by finding out what they truly enjoy reading, picking it up for ourselves, and then talking with them about it, rather than making us talk to them about what we think they should be reading.

This may lead us into the graphic novel arena, or the world of fantasy and science fiction, or other literary roads that for some of us are less traveled. We could end up reading poems written for a poetry slam, or a zine or two. What is certain is that by asking questions and reading and discussing is going to lead us into more interesting territory than any list-making will.

What’s being read for pleasure by our children and why are those choices popular? When they go beyond the snack reading that every age group indulges in, what books do they turn to? What is being devoured, read again and again,and then passed on to friends?

I don’t know and I would certainly like to find out. Is there anyone out there with some answers?

I attended the first Bill Morris Seminar on Book Evaluation organized by ALSC during ALA midwinter in Philadelphia. Background information about the Seminar was provided by KT Horning in a previous post. As a relatively new member of ALSC, this was a career defining moment. I joined 25 other children’s librarians from across the country to learn about book evaluation and service on ALSC awards committees. Our facilitators were some of the most experienced children’s librarians in our association. Almost two months have passed since the seminar and I continue to think about and benefit from the experience. Here’s how:

Expanding my professional network - Being the only librarian in a K-8 school serving approximately 500 students, I quickly realized the benefit of using ALSC-L and other professional list servs to communicate with fellow librarians. The Seminar expanded my professional network to include other relatively new librarians as well as our expert facilitators. Spending an entire day discussing books and getting to know other participants and facilitators provided a depth of familiarity not easily possible on list servs alone. I am staying in touch with my seminar cohort through email, phone calls, and social networking tools like Good Reads. And of course I look forward to seeing them again in person at future ALA annual and midwinter meetings.

Getting to know ALSC - Some of our day was spent learning more about the inner workings of ALSC. Our association has a tremendous staff at the ALA offices and we were able to put faces with the names. We learned about the structure of the awards committees and how people come to serve on these committees - some through appointments by the ASLC president, others through elections by the membership. This combination of elected and appointed positions for the Caldecott and Newbery awards is a way to provide a balanced and informed representation on the committees. Participants also heard from a panel of members who had previously served on the ALSC awards committees. These first hand accounts helped me to better understand and appreciate the enormous amount of time and energy required of anyone serving on these committees - we need to thank people for their service! Emphasis was placed on the central role of the book award criteria in selecting each year’s winners. Amid all of the debates about this year’s winners, I feel more anchored - keeping my focus on the process and the criteria for these awards and not random opinions. For example, initially the announcement of The Invention of Hugo Cabret as the 2008 Caldecott winner seemed to go against the nature of the award. I referred to the criteria and it clearly lives up to the guide provided to the committee.

It’s about the Books (and the discussion): Preceding the seminar, participants read (and re-read) a list of books selected by the facilitators. A portion of our seminar day was spent considering ways to be good committee members and how to take part in group literature discussions. Using KT Horning’s From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books, participants broke up into smaller groups to discuss the readings. The training I received has helped me to look more comprehensively at books. It also gave me a renewed appreciation for the central role of talking with others (both inside and outside our profession) about books. Upon the advice of one facilitator, I have begun meeting with one of our school art teachers to look at picture books. These meetings have already given me a depth of understanding about artistic technique that I lacked before. Our seminar discussions were lively and invigorating. The varied perspectives of group members pointed out elements of the books that I had missed - together we formed a group appreciation and opinion of the books. This is the goal of any book award committee - consensus.

I never had an opportunity to meet Bill Morris, but now I understand the important role he played in ALSC. His enthusiasm for youth literature influenced many of the seminar facilitators. Future Morris seminars will continue his legacy of connecting librarians with one another and the great wealth of materials published for children. Be on the lookout for calls to participate in these seminars and seriously consider applying.

–posted by Ernie Cox

Download the podcast.

Just One More Book!! is one of the ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids, filed under Literature & Languages’ Favorite Children’s Stories category. Advertising- and sponsorship-free, Just One More Book!! (JOMB) is a podcast powered by passion. Mark and Andrea, a husband and wife team, both work full-time jobs and squeeze in a recording session during their morning coffee ritual after dropping their eight-year-old and six-year-old daughters off at school and before heading to work themselves. They publish four shows a week: Mondays being interviews; Wednesdays and Fridays are book chats; Saturday’s content varies.

During their conversation for this approximately 15-minute podcast, Andrea and Mark answer my questions. Mentioned are:

1. Podcasters Across Borders
2. Kidlitosphere Conference
3. Dennis Lee, poet
4. JOMB’s interview with Henry Winkler
5. JOMB’s Interview with Simon James
6. Stuart McLean, storyteller

Episode 2

Just One More Book!!

I promise that this is the final post on the Notable CBC of 2008.

Some quick answers to FAQ’s:

Q: How many books did you receive?
A: I think someone counted to about 1,780 or so.

Q: How long did you have to read all these books?
A: We started really reading intensely about March since that’s when the boxes of finished books arrived. Since we cannot discuss a book unless everyone has access to the finished book (meaning, not galleys, F&G’s or ARCs,) most of us stopped reading galleys really quickly.  So, we basically had about 9 months to read.

Q: Did you read ALL those books personally?
A: No, silly.  That is just not humanly possible.  That is why we have a Committee — so that many different kinds of books are being looked at and then nominated for the other Committee members to consider.  I am so grateful for my colleagues who read lots of nonfiction and picture books so I have an inkling what to look at in those fields that I don’t usually work with.  The colleagues are not just the committee members — my co-workers, friends on goodreads.com, and reviewers are all really helpful resources here.

Q: But when a book got nominated, you had to read it?
A: Indeed.  So, I’d say maybe I read between 400 - 500 books last year.

Q: What is the reading and nominating “schedule” like?
A: We basically read for one month, nominated books that we’d enjoyed and thought noteworthy, and then read everyone’s nominated titles for another month, and then voted to select those we would DISCUSS face-to-face at the Conferences.  So, before Annual, we had one round of nominations and voting.  And between Annual and Midwinter, we had another four rounds (8 months) of nominations and voting.

Q: You mean, if a book did not get “voted” for those rounds, it doesn’t even get discussed?
A: Indeed.

Q: How many votes got a book “on the table” for discussion?
A: It’s a simple majority rule: 6 or more YES votes got a book onto the discussion Table.

Q: How many books did you have to have on the list?
A: It’s not specified.  It depends on many factors: how strongly we feel about including the books that only receive five votes at our final balloting; how many books we have to put on our list automatically (all ALSC award winners and honored titles); how many votes the Chair decided to “give” us, etc.

Q: How many votes did you get this year?
A: We each had to vote for 60 titles.  It’s lower than the previous couple of years, partly because there were a lot of overlapping with the award winners.

Q: How many books did you have on your final list?
A: We have 74 titles — 21 of them are from the ALSC Awards pool and 53 of them were “voted in.”  Many of the 21 automatic titles would have gone on our list if we had to vote for them. They were all strong and strongly supported titles.

Q: Were there surprises?
A: Oh, yes.  We all changed our minds during the process of our discussions.  There were books that I thought were shoot-in’s that didn’t make it, and there were books that really grew on me after listening to others’ opinions.  It’s a highly interesting and energizing process.  I recommend this for anyone seeking to hone their public book discussion skills and wishing to look at books closely and not minding being told to look at a book very differently from time to time.

There is so much more that I can say about being on this incredible Committee, but I’ll keep it brief again. To me, there are always two related but also separate facets that make serving on Media Evaluation Committees so valuable. One is of course the “work” and the stated “goal” of the Committee, compiling a list of titles that will reach libraries and children nationwide (be they Audio Books, Websites, or Books). Through these recommended lists, we are promoting great works and even guiding the industry to a certain extend.

The second facet is the tremendous growth that one gains by serving on these Committees. Days after our concluding meeting and heart-felt goodbyes, the 2008 Notable Children’s Books Committee members have been filling each other’s email inboxes with messages, gushing over how grateful we are to each other’s insights and professionalism, and how much we have all learned and matured, professionally. I personally have learned how to better listen and participate in a group discussion. I definitely got a better sense as to when to speak up and when to keep silent. I learned to be more in tune with the group and see from others’ view points. I also learned to not be afraid to raise concerns as long as I can phrase my concerns in ways that will not offend my colleagues and to back up my comments with specific examples from the materials at hand. (Maybe I didn’t quite learn how not to be afraid, being a very vocal critic all along, but I did learn to phrase my concerns carefully, especially in a public arena such as this!) To listen carefully to my skilled colleagues as they describe parts of a book with such precision and eloquence was probably the most joyful part of the whole “arduous” task.

I said that I’d be brief, so I’m stopping here. There might be more posts coming about this experience, as I get ready for another year of Notables.

I’m floating on clouds… two days after our last Notable Children’s Books Committee meeting and the final balloting and compiling of the 2008 Notable Children’s Books List. This has been my first year serving on this amazing Committee and I just want to say how grateful I am to be able to discuss in-depth about so many really strong books and learn so much from my insightful, knowledgeable, thoughtful, and diligent colleagues. The final list can be found on the ALSC website here. I really would like to hear from those working with children day in and day out how you all think of this list. Do you think it’s balanced? Do you feel that this list can be of use in helping your collection development? Do you think children will enjoy these books? Are there titles that you really wish to be on the list but didn’t make it? Specific comments will be great.

The process is so intense and exhausting (exhilarating, of course) and we are all so eager to make a solid list. I believe that I can speak for everyone on the Committee that we also are always willing to learn from our fellow librarians and educators through your thoughtful suggestions.

by Becki Bishop, co-chair ALSC Great Web Sites Committee

The Great Web Sites for Kids Committee is responsible for maintaining the ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids web page. The committee participates in three periods of web site evaluation for newly suggested sites and updates/reevaluates any sites already listed.

Sites suggested for inclusion are evaluated according to their author/sponsor, purpose, design and stability, and content. The committee seeks quality sites for children ages birth to 14, as well as sites relevant to parents, caregivers, teachers, and others who work with children. The Great Web Sites web page is organized by subject matter.

In 2007, the committee evaluated over 400 sites in the three rounds of voting. Each round consists of a pre-vote, final vote, and annotation writing. In the pre-vote, sites recommended since the previous vote are divided among committee members. These sites are evaluated to determine if they should be presented in the final vote for all members to consider. The final vote consists of all members reviewing the sites forwarded from the pre-vote, as well as at least three sites suggested by each member of the committee (these are automatically included in the final vote). Web sites are added if they receive support from at least 80% of the committee. Then, the new sites are divided up among members so that annotations can be written, and the sites are added to the Great Web Sites page.

It is very important for this committee that all members try to keep on schedule as much as possible. It is difficult to catch up when work gets behind due to the volume of sites that are evaluated. It is very interesting to see the diversity of sites recommended, and you never know what gems may be uncovered in the mine we call the World Wide Web.

Today I participated in the first-ever Bill Morris Seminar, which was recently established to honor the memory of long-time Director of Library Promotion and Marketing at HarperCollins. Bill was the first recipient of ALSC’s Distinguished Service Award back in 1992. Those of us who knew Bill will always remember his great support of youth librarians, and we could think of no better way to honor him than offer training in materials evaluation for new ALSC members and for those with little prior evaluation experience.

The 26 participants were selected by members of the ALSC Executive Committee, based on applications and nominations submitted last fall. These librarians came from all over the U.S., and we found them to be a lively, committed, and enthusiastic group. At the Seminar, they received training from member leaders who had served on ALSC evaluation committees in the past, and each participant read ten assigned children’s books in advance so we could discuss them in small groups in the morning and afternoon.

I sat in on two of the discussion groups and I was impressed by the high level of book evaluation and discussion. Many of these newly active members will soon be appointed to ALSC media evaluation committees, and ALSC will benefit greatly from their future participation. As President-Elect Pat Scales said at the end of the day, “Bill would be in heaven.” I could almost picture him, standing in the doorway, thanking everyone for coming as they left the room.

And, of course, he would already have learned everybody’s name.

– KT Horning

As you may know, ALA’s youth media award winners will be announced at a press conference on Monday morning, January 14 at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting. You can learn about the winners in person, via Web Cast, or directly from your cell phone via text message. Here is where you can go to find out more:

1) The announcement and instructions for the text Message Service around the YMA Award Winners is at http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/january2008/ymatext08.htm

2) The wiki page is also ready, showing off all three ways to learn about the winners:  In Person, by Web Cast, and Directly to Your Cell Phone via Text Message at

http://wikis.ala.org/midwinter2008/index.php/When_and_Where

There’s only one month until the American Library Association names the winner of the first Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. This new award, a joint effort of the Association for Library Service to Children & the Young Adult Library Services Association, will recognize the single best audiobook created for listeners ages birth through age eighteen, along with possible honor titles. The award, on the same tier as the Printz, Newbery, and Caldecott awards, establishes audiobooks as a true literary genre. Find out more here.

Do you have time for a Mock Odyssey in the next month? Poll your patrons to see which 2007 audiobook titles they think deserve the Odyssey Award. Or share your choices here with the other ALSC Blog readers. Then log on to the ALA website Monday, January 14th, from 8-9 a.m. (EST) to watch the award press conference and see the announcement live.

The 2008 Odyssey Committee has evaluated 379 audiobooks which total just short of 2000 hours of listening – an amount of time equal to 50 weeks of full-time employment! We are still under the headphones, entering the final stages of listening to the very best in children’s and young adult audiobooks. Be sure to watch for the final selection, and lend your ears to the sound of great literature!

Mary Burkey
Chair, 2008 Odyssey Award Committee

Many libraries like to include high quality films in children’s programs. But of course, we need a public performance license to do this and it can be hard to find good films that we want to use. I’ve worked with KIDS FIRST! , a non-profit organization, for a couple of years and once again they are offering a great deal (free) for public libraries. The performance license is included with the DVD so it’s all legal. At the end of the program your library can even keep most of the films for the collection (although the public performance license expires).

KIDS FIRST! is offering a FREE screening program for libraries. The program runs from November 15 -January 15, 2008.  The program includes fun selection of titles from studios, including Arthur and the Invisibles, Deck the Halls, Toddworld: Appreciating Differences, Goosebumps, Land Before Time: The Wisdom of Friends, and so many more. There are a limited number of each program, so the quantity that each library receives depends on then total number of libraries requesting titles, however you will receive at least 5 titles if you are among the first 50 libraries to submit an application.

Public performance rights for these titles are available through January 15th at no additional cost, so the library could host a Winter Film Festival or sponsor after school screenings or create a Junior Film Critics Club. If a libray would like to host a Film Festival, please call KIDS FIRST! to arrange programming.

Here is a quick overview of the program.

Is there any cost to the program? None.

How many titles will I receive? We guarantee 5 titles to the first 50 libraries applying for the program.

When will I receive the titles? Within 10 days of application.

How do I get the application. Just email or call Ann Church at KIDS FIRST! [email protected] or 505-989-8076.

Do I get to pick my titles? No, titles will be pre-selected, however, most will be from major studios.

To see a listing of screenings go to http://www.kidsfirst.org/fest/

Do I return these titles? Some titles must be returned and will be clearly marked. Titles must be returned by January 31, 2008.

Do I have public performance rights for these titles? Yes, for the period of November 15 - January 15th, 2008.

Can my library put these titles into circulation? We hope you will!

When and what paper work is required? Complete a survey for each title. The survey will be emailed to you and can be returned via email.

Can I get more information? Please call Ann Church at 505-989-8076 or email [email protected]

by Debbie A. Reese (Nambé Pueblo)

As a professor, it is important that I publish my research in academic journals, but as a Native parent and former schoolteacher, I know that those journals are not readily available to people who work with children on a daily basis. With the growth of the Internet, I thought an Internet blog was the way to reach practitioners. In May of 2006 I launched “American Indians in Children’s Literature.” Using it, I reach parents, teachers, librarians and others who have Internet access. Through the blog, I provide information about American Indians—whether that information is a review of a children’s book, or a new source for teachers, or, an announcement about something like the National Endowment for the Humanities “Artrain” that is currently on tour.

Artrain is precisely what its name suggests: a train filled with art. The work exhibited in this particular Artrain is contemporary art by American Indians. Titled “Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture,” it has been touring the country–on railroad tracks–since 2004. I was especially intrigued by the exhibit because it includes the work of Judith Lowry, a woman who illustrated the outstanding children’s picture book, Home to Medicine Mountain which is about Lowry’s father and uncle. They are of the Mountain Maidu and Hamawi Pit-River tribes in northern California. As boys, they were among the thousands of Native children taken to boarding schools developed in the late 1880s to “kill the Indian, save the man.” Missing home, the boys ran away from the school, getting home by riding atop a box car. These schools had a devastating effect on Native communities across the United States, but it is among the too-many topics that are not taught in our classrooms.

On my blog, I write about books like Home to Medicine Mountain and others by Native authors who write books that provide children with accurate information about American Indians. And, I link to websites maintained by Native writers and illustrators like Sherman Alexie, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and George Littlechild.

Research shows, however, that it is not enough to provide children with better information. Teachers must also actively work towards helping children develop an ability to identify racist, biased, and outdated information about, in this case, American Indians. These depictions—whether they appear in children’s books, television programs, movies, as school mascots, or in products at the grocery store—far outnumber the factual and realistic portrayals of American Indians. For decades, Native scholars have addressed these problematic images. Many have written about the racist, biased, and erroneous presentation of American Indians in Forrest Carter’s The Education of Little Tree and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. Through my blog, teachers can find those critiques.

My blog is listed on websites of the leading teacher and librarian organizations and associations, social justice organizations, and, sites maintained by American Indian tribes and organizations. The content of the website is designed to help people develop a critical stance when evaluating American Indians in children’s books. This means recognizing negative and positive stereotypes, both of which stand in the way of seeing and accepting American Indians as people of the present day.

As I write this blog post, we are entering the month of November. By Presidential Proclamation, November is Native American Month. Ideally, teachers and librarians would be providing children with information about American Indians all year long, but it is often left for this month, partly due to Thanksgiving. It is this holiday during which a lot of “teaching” about American Indians takes place. I placed the word teaching in quotation marks for a reason. Sadly, a lot of what is taught around this time of the year is superficial and laden with error and stereotypes.

Last week, I visited our local library to read the Thanksgiving picture books they have on their shelves. As a teacher, a mother, a Native woman, it is disheartening to see one book after another that uses the words “Pilgrims and Indians.” And, it is troubling to see the illustrations of the Indians. For the most part, they are little more than the stereotype that stands in for all Indians… You’d be able to describe it: fringed buckskin, feathered headdresses, tipis, totem poles, “tom-toms”… That attire and housing is common to a specific group of Native people: the Plains Indians. Totem poles are not made by Plains Indians, and “tom-tom” is not what any Native nation or tribe calls their drum. The word “tom-tom” comes from scouting organizations.

In reality, the clothing, housing, and other cultural artifacts of Native peoples varies with their location. Too often, though, illustrations in picture books clump artifacts together with little regard for the fact that they do not belong together!

The thing is, U.S. schools, from pre-school through college, do a poor job of educating Americans about American Indians. It isn’t a deliberate effort to mis-educate, and there is no point in laying blame on anyone, or feeling guilty if you’re doing something in your classroom or library that is stereotypical. The point is to start doing things differently.

Through my blog, I try to share a lot of information that I think helps my readers understand the diversity that exists across the 500+ federally recognized Native tribes (let alone the 200+ state recognized tribes and the many groups who are completely unrecognized by the state or federal government). I am confident that more and more people are learning how to look critically and let go of problematic books, and instead, select books that present American Indians as we are—not savages and not heroes—but people with good and bad qualities.

I invite you to visit my page. Take time to read and think about the content of my site. In good faith and hard work, we can all effect change in the way today’s society views American Indians. American Indians in Children’s Literature is located at http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com. And, I welcome your feedback and comments.