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I am so very happy to welcome back Sylvia Liu onto Miss Marple’s Musings as part of the blog tour for her debut picture book, A MORNING WITH GRANDPA. This manuscript won the 2013 Lee and Low New Voices Award … Continue reading →

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Linda Boyden was the second (and since there have been many more) person that I had gotten to know in the online kid lit community who invited me to stay before meeting me. It was in October of 2012 and … Continue reading →

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Saturday morning (May 31, 2014) I woke early with a feeling of joy and excitement. Several hundred miles away from me, a group of eight men and women were in New York City, getting ready for their session at Book Con 2014 (BookCon is part of Book Expo America, BEA for short). The weeks, days, and hours prior to their session were--for me--a roller coaster of highs and lows. I cannot imagine what it was like for them. What follows is the story of We Need Diverse Books as I experienced it. It is my thank you and shout out to a group that sparked a moment and movement that may mark the turning point in the all white world of children's books...

In April, two things happened. BEA announced a panel of blockbuster kidlit writers. That panel was composed of four men and a cat. And, BookCon announced its line-up of authors. This "blindingly white" situation prompted indignation amongst a lot of people. A group was formed. That group is We Need Diverse Books. Their goal was/is to promote books that showcase and promote diversity of content, and diversity of authors that create that content. On May 28th, Aisha Saeed wrote about the upcoming trip to NYC.

I followed the campaign when it was launched in late April, offering help as I could behind-the-scenes, but mostly I used social media to promote the We Need Diverse Books campaign. This is the first graphic the WNDB team released:

Gorgeous, isn't it? The energy radiating from the team was inspiring. With twitter driving it, the campaign took off around the world. Media covered it. The result? BookCon invited the team to do a session in NYC on Saturday morning.

On the 29th (Thursday), I made a graphic with the WNDB logo and location info for their session. I started to tweet it:



On Friday morning (May 30), excitement was building. Ilene Wong of the WNDB team sent this tweet:



My excitement grew when I saw tweets of photos of large displays announcing the location of the WNDB session:



That excitement was tamped down a bit as I read tweets from Cheryl Willis Hudson of Just Us Books. She was walking through the exhibit halls at BEA, looking for books within the diverse framework.  She didn't see much, but did take photos and sent them out. Aren't they terrific? Here's her photo of Because They Marched at the Holiday House booth:



And here's a photo she snapped of Jacqueline Woodson signing books. See what Cheryl said? "Long line" --- cool!


 Here's more photos Cheryl sent out:












As I read tweets from Cheryl and those in the We Need Diverse Books hashtag on twitter, I saw that Cinco Punto Press had tweeted a photo of Tim Tingle's House of Purple Cedar. It was there, on their table, at BEA. I retweeted their photo:



There were to be two other sessions at BEA that focused on diversity. I tweeted info on them, too. One was "Multicultural Publishers in Conversation." Here's that flyer. As you can see, Just Us Books and Cinco Punto Press were scheduled for that conversation on Saturday at 12:45.



Here's the flyer for the third session, "Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?":



And Jacqueline Woodson snapped a way-cool photo of Matt de la Pena arriving at her house. They were going to head over to the Javits center together.

As 10:00 AM drew near, the #WeNeedDiverseBooks tweets from the conference were growing in number.




I saw that the WNDB team had created swag!


And panelist Grace Lin had a "cheat sheet" handout with ways that booksellers can hand-sell books to consumers who shy away from books by or about people of color (get the pdf from her blog):



I wondered how big the room was but when the first photos of the room (as it filled up) started to come across twitter, I estimated 200 chairs. This photo was taken by Ilene Wong, as she notes, 35 minutes before the panel started.


And...


And of course, people in the audience were taking/tweeting LOTS of photos of the panelists:


The room itself filled up and people were turned away (media reports later said there were 300 people in the room, with people in the aisles and three-deep along the back wall). Meanwhile, in the room, the panelists received a terrific reception from the audience:



Panelists delivered powerful remarks that were tweeted and retweeted. Again and again I wished I was in that room rather than hundreds of miles away. I was glad to see tweets indicating that Matt de la Pena had a few things to say about the shut down of the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson Unified School district. Over and over, I was glad for twitter. The emotion captured in photos was astounding.

An unedited audio of the session is now available at the We Need Diverse Books tumblr. No doubt the panelists and WNDB team was bursting with joy once the session ended. Marieke Nijkamp's tweet captures some of their emotion:



I was especially moved by Mike Jung's tweets as he left the conference:



It was VERY poor planning on the part of BEA to offer WNDB and the "Where are the People of Color" session at the same time. I assume it and the "Multicultural Publishers in Conversation" session were both in the program. 

A curious thing, though, was the floor announcement, as captured in this photo tweeted by Daniel Jose Older (photo taken by Tiffany D. Jackson). See the title for the session? How small it is in comparison to the titles of other sessions? And doesn't it look like it was pasted on there? Why?!



Of course, Daniel's jab ("Diversity is so awesome!!!!) is directed at conference planners, and not diversity itself. I don't know if he made it to the 12:45 session. Cheryl Willis Hudson was there and tweeted some photos. Here's one:



Today (June 2, 2014), several recaps of BEA were loaded online. I especially liked what Lyn Miller Lachmann said in her piece, and what Allie Bruce said in hers. Both are committed to diversity, and their commitment shows in their writing. I loved hearing the voices of Ellen Oh, Lamar Giles, and Jacqueline Woodson in their interview with NPR. Claire Kirch's recap for Publishers Weekly is here. Among the things you'll read is that WNDB is working with the National Education Association, and that Lee and Low is launching a "New Visions Award." The big news? That a book festival is being planned...

A good many people have been pushing for diversity for a very long time. With respect to Native people objecting, I think back to William Apes, a Pequot man who was raised by a white family for a portion of his childhood. He read the books they gave him, and because of what he read, was afraid of Indians! He wrote about that fear as an adult, in his Son of the Forest, published in 1831.

In June of 2014, it feels like some substantial change will take hold because the demographics in the country are shifting dramatically. I am optimistic. And--I look forward to meeting members of the WNDB team in Washington DC in 2016 at a festival of diversity in children's books! The plans are in the works. Till then, AICL stands with We Need Diverse Books. This is a cheesy closure but I'll use it anyway... STAY TUNED.

A special note of thanks to Cheryl Willis Hudson of Just Us Books for all that she shared from BEA.

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I recently joined a webinar for the purpose of learning about upcoming multicultural titles in children’s literature. Lee and Low, Groundwood, James Lorimer and Co (distributed by Orca) and Tuttle Books all shared information about new or upcoming titles. I have to admit I was quite interested in the picture books although I rarely take the time to read them.

At the same time, I look for titles written by authors of color and for books that have fully developed characters of color, where their culture is part of their identity. This doesn’t mean constantly fighting racism or proclaiming ethnic identity but it does mean paying attention to hair texture, family structure, foods and dialog. Eluding to a character’s skin tone doesn’t quite give a full sense of who that character really is.

I read someone somewhere, probably a white author, stating with regards to writing about characters of color that they felt ‘damned if they do and damned if they don’t’. Yes, I feel you on that. I honestly don’t know if I can clearly articulate how I feel about white authors writing characters of color. Do most of us know what we want and, do we know when our expectations are fair and equitable?

What does ‘do it right’ really mean? I continue to say that if your personal life, your friendships, reading and musical selections, knowledge of history, restaurant and movie choices aren’t diverse then you should avoid trying to write diverse. You can’t get it right if you don’t know it.

But, what if a white author does know it and then chooses to write about Native or Asian characters? How far can they develop the story without being criticized? Imagine if a white author were to write honestly about what goes through a characters mind when they encounter a group of Latino teens speaking Spanish or if they’re trying to figure out a young black person’s natural hairstyle. What if a secondary character who is a person of color also happens to be the antagonist? I think that could happen in real life. Books can guide young white readers ability to navigate this racist and sexist world as well as it can young folk of color.

I suggest that if white authors cannot be honest with characters in these moments, if they are going to be accused of being racists or bigots, then they can’t ‘do it right’. Allow them to be racist? No. But, do allow them to explore honest thoughts and emotions. Authors should be able to work with editors who know how these situations unfold. We should work toward having honest dialogs. Once again, I’m expecting way too much of children’s literature because this just doesn’t happen in American society.

See, this is what happens when you don’t write. All your thoughts merge in unexpected ways in unexpected places and you end up with a huge thought peice when all you wanted to do was announce new and upcoming books. So, here we go!

Lee and Low

Family owned company that focuses on stories that children of color can identify with and that all children can enjoy.

Parrots Over Puerto Rico author Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore Illustrator by Susan L. Roth

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

Summoning the Phoenix: Poems and Prose author Emily Jiang illustrator by April Chu

The Hula Hoopin Queen Written author Thelma Lynne Godin illustrator by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Twenty-Two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank author Paula Yoo and Jamel Akib

Drift author M. K. Hutchins

Rebellion (Conclusion to the Tankborn series) author Karen Sandler

Lee and Low will also be republishing their very popular global Cinderella books this year.

GROUNDWOOD

Canadian publishing company.

spring

Why Are You Doing That? author Elisa Amado illustrator Manuel Monroy

Bravo, Chico Canta Bravo authors Pat Mora, Libby Martinez Illustrated by Amelia Lou Carling

Norman Speaks! author Caroline Adderson Illustrator Qin Leng

Lost Girl Found: Story of the Lost Girls in Sudan author Lean Bassoff and Laura Deluca

The Amazing Travels of ibn Battuta author Ratima Sherafeddne illustrator Intelaq Mohammed Ali

Movi la Mano/I Moved My Hand author Jorge Luján illustrator Mandana Sadat translator Elise Amado

upcoming

Work: An Occupational ABC written and illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka

The Cat in the Wall author Deborah Ellis

LORIMER

Lorimer is a division of Orca Books that maintains a diverse cast of characters throughout their hi/lo Sport, Replay, Podium Sports Academy and Lorimer Side Streets series. Some of the newer titles include the following.

Free Throw by Jacqueline Guest

Hat Trick by Jacqueline Guest

Sidelined author Trevor Kew

Big League Dreams: Baseball Hall of Fame’s first African Canadian, Fergie Jenkins author Richard Brignali

TUTTLE

66 year old company founded in Tokyo.

Jet Black and the Ninja Wind authors Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani

Revenge of the Akuma Clan by Benjamin Martin

In Real Life by Lawrence Tabak

Korean Folk Songs Stars in the Sky and Dreams in Our Hearts written by Robert Choi; illustrated by Sam Ed

Mei Mei’s Lucky Birthday Noodles by Shan Shan Cen and Heidi Goodman

Ming’s Adventure on China’s Great Wall author Li Jian translator Yijin Wert

The Sheep Beauty author Li Jian translator Yijin Wert

In the Forbidden City by Chiu Kwong-Chiu

This is the Greatest Place: The Forbidden City and the World of Small Animals by Brian Lee

 

Filed under: Diversity Issues, publisher Tagged: diversity, Groundwood, Lee and Low, Lorimer, Tuttle

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The bulbs are sprouting, the birds are chirping, and all neighborhood geese and ducks have paired up. It can only mean one thing: it’s spring! Soon the farmer’s market will be back in full swing, the bike paths will be packed with cyclists and moms pushing prams, and the world will transform once again from brown to green. Spring always reminds me of being a kid, perhaps this is because it’s the season for fun things like my birthday, Easter (sometimes both on the same day), poking around in the garden, and finally getting to go around barefoot again.

In case that’s not enough to get excited about, I’m happy to finally be able to share some sweet news: I’ll be working with the great folks at Lee and Low Books to illustrate a new picture book! Woohoo! I can’t divulge too many details at the moment, but I promise to keep you posted on the progress.And now just for fun, a little drawing to celebrate spring.

The post Spring News appeared first on .

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First Book wanted to improve literacy for all young readers so they developed the Stories for All Project. This special initiative recognizes that children need to have books with characters and stories that are relevant to them.

“We are not the first people to complain and worry about this issue. So we knew if we were actually going to make a difference we needed a market-driven solution. In short, we needed to put our money where our mouth is.“

Stories For All would purchase $500,000 worth of books from any one publisher for books featuring characters of color. This is where I falter: First Book says the response was overwhelming. I look at the books currently available and wonder who all these publishers could be. I could name a few companies but “overwhelming?”

First Book actually found two companies that published a noteworthy amount of high quality books featuring characters of color and they decided to commit $1 million to the program.

Congratulations to HarperCollins and Lee & Low Books

And, thank you First Book for taking direct aim at addressing why more children are not readers. I hope others will follow your lead, if not in donating large sums that will make a difference, then in actually doing something.

If you work with children from low-income neighborhoods, or know someone who does, sign up with First Book today.

Related articles:

An Interview with Mary Cash and Jason Low

NY Times article about the Award

The First Book blog

 

 

In purchasing from both of these companies, not only does First Book more firmly establish their dedication to literacy, but the make thousands more books available.

Filed under: Diversity Issues, publisher Tagged: HarperCollins, Lee and Low, publishing

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• Why are names so important? Ask students to interview their parents and find out how their names came to be. 
• Pair Irena's Jars of Secrets with Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto. What information do both books share? What information is provided by one book but not the other? Why might we want to consult multiple sources when conducting research?
• Check out Discussing Historical Fiction and the Definition of Courage with Marcia Vaughan and Ron Mazellan at Lee and Low's website. Both creators discuss how this topic relates to their own experiences, and the processes they underwent to bring this story to life.
• At this same site you'll also find some wonderful discussion questions in Lee and Low's collection of Teacher's Guides. 
• For this particular picture book, as well as any that mentions the Warsaw Ghetto, I'd recommend Children in the Ghetto, an interactive site which describes itself as

  "...A website about children, written for children. It portrays life during the Holocaust from the viewpoint of children who lived in the ghetto, while attempting to make the complex experience of life in the ghetto as accessible as possible to today’s children.
  
  Along with the description of the hardships of ghetto life, it also presents the courage, steadfastness and creativity involved in the children’s lives. One of the most important messages to be learned is that despite the hardships, there were those who struggled to maintain humanitarian and philanthropic values, care for one another, and continue a cultural and spiritual life."

  By examining artifacts, writings, and first hand interviews, students gain an understanding of the "anything-to-survive" mentality which the ghetto created and demanded of its inhabitants. Students can either explore freely, taking advantage of the interactive elements, or additionally respond in writing using the printable handouts. I chose to download the handouts, available in Word format, and tweaked them according to my students' strengths and needs..
  
  Once they've completed this exercise, students will have a mental bank of sites, sounds, stories, and symbols from which to draw upon, greatly increasing their understanding of this period in history.

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When Kirkus gives a star and says, "a promising deeply felt debut," listen! And I did. Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a verse novel of beautiful realism.

Living on he border of the U.S. and Mexico, Lupita navigates high school, her heritage, her homes in Texas and Mexico, and her mother's diagnosis of uterine cancer. As the eldest in her large family, Lupita carries the weight of daily life and anxiety while her father supports her hospitalized mother.

The book skips quickly along through seasons and years as just the most poignant moments are shared, whether they be crisis or quiet. The symbol of the resilient mesquite tree echoes its strength from beginning to end.

At readergirlz we most definitely applaud Lee & Low for adding a brilliant Mexican American voice to young adult literature.  Read Under the Mesquite for the rich culture and shared human experience of pain, loss, and rebirth.

Under the Mesquite
by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Lee & Low, 2011

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The Life of Duke Kahanamoku    by Ellie Crowe  illustrations by Richard Waldrep   Lee and Low  2007     A bit of bait-and-switch on this picture book biography of the father of modern surfing as it focuses more on his accomplishments as a swimmer.   As a kid, "Duke" wasn't much for school, but he loved the water.  He loved swimming and surfing, riding the waves at Waikiki Beach on 100-plus

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Laura E. Williams, illustrated by Craig Orback,
The Can Man
Lee and Low Books, 2010.

Ages 5-10

In Laura E. Williams’ The Can Man, a young boy awakens to compassion. Tim’s bi-racial family remembers when Mr. Peters lived in their building, so they don’t respond to him as the homeless can collector he’s become since he lost his job. Plot tension develops quickly: Tim wants a skateboard for his birthday; his family, not well off themselves, can’t afford it, and Tim’s solution is morally dubious.

Craig Orback’s respectful, sensitive oil paintings depict life in a tree-lined neighborhood of neat three-story apartment buildings. One day Tim gets an idea, and while young readers will identify with his excitement as he begins to collect cans himself to earn money, they’ll also experience an unsettling prick of conscience, for Tim hasn’t realized, as they will have, that he’s taking the cans Mr. Peters relies on for income.

The neighborhood grocer and Tim’s mom both mention that Mr. Peters usually collects those cans, but Tim’s fixation on the skateboard has deafened his conscience. It’s only when he runs into Mr. Peters himself, clutching at his tattered coat on a winter Saturday, his shopping cart nearly empty, that Tim begins to consider the consequences of his greed.

Orback and Williams, who have each won numerous awards for their respective projects, make a fine team for The Can Man. Both Mr. Peters and Tim get what they need by the end of the story. Between the lines and through the images, an unspoken message is that young people develop moral sensitivity through the example of their elders. Tim has wise role models in his mother and the grocer as well as in Mr. Peters, whose humanity shines through despite potentially embittering circumstances. Tim is a fortunate boy, and young readers will likely take in many levels of meaning from this subtle, powerful story.

Charlotte Richardson
March 2011

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As most of you already know

…last week I hosted a symposium at my school: A Conversation About Books, and  for some reason - the more I reflect on it - the more I think about how much it reminded me of a blog.  Meaning…it had EVERYTHING!  

Here are some snippets from Zetta’s speech.

There were questions to ponder; a speaker who shared her story; publishers who shared their new releases. There were books and resources to share, and attendees who shared their feedback.  And while I am on a share ‘tear’,  there was also FOOD…to share!  *smile*

Why did it take me a week to write about my feedback?

Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was well received.  We’re our own worst critics. (((More about that in Part 2.))) 

So it took a week for me to process all of this, and then something out of no where hit me like a bat! POW! Conferences/workshops/panels/speeches – all of these professional development opportunities are rapidly changing and they are NOT at all the way they used to be.  They are no longer static! I guess it’s the nature of the beast when you’re in a world filled with sharing and sharers. 

It’s organic, yet unpredicatable, when entering today’s forums, what will be the expectation. That said, the 21st century conference goers MUST appreciate that just like the rapidfire ways that are changing: books, schools, technology, social networking, teachers, etc., Today’s conferences are changing, too! Are we ready?!

So not to overwhelm you, today, I will the symposium outline and the feedback. That way you will fully grasp my own feedback, as to how I feel it went.  I don’t mean to milk this. I just want it to be crystal clear.

You’ll also notice that I have removed the W.A.R from my headline. I did this because I believe, and as a result of the symposium, next steps are in order. Next steps meaning, YOUR STORY, MY STORY, and why Zetta’s story was an important one for attendees to hear.

(((Part 1 – My thank you letter which was sent last Friday, included the attendees’ feedback. You’ll see, really good stuff emerged!!! Also, if any of you are interested in joining my growing committee, send me an e-mail. We will have another symposium in the fall – fingers crossed.)))

Hi, everyone!

Thank you so much for visiting Hewitt and participating in A Conversation About Books! It was a terrific start to what I am sure will be an ongoing discussion for educators everywhere.

As promised, here are your responses from the symposium questions, which are pretty provocative. And for those who were unable to attend, here is the link to the packet of resources.

In the coming weeks, I will be assembling a small committee to discuss ways to continue the conversation…If you ar

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The Last Days of a Southside Shorty  by G. Neri  illustrated by Randy DuBurke   Lee and Low Books  2010   The tragic account of an act of inner city violence that briefly gripped the nation and put a young face to seriousness of the problem.    In the spring of 1994 there was a shooting in the Roseland area of Chicago, on the city's southside. Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, age 11, out to make a

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11th ANNUAL NEW VOICES AWARD

Lee and Low 

http://www.leeandlow.com/p/new_voices_award.mhtml
NO ENTRY FEE

Given for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color. The Award winner receives a cash grant of $1,000 and our standard publication contract, including our basic advance and royalties for a first time author.

Writers who have published other work in venues such as children’s magazines, young adult, or adult fiction or nonfiction, are eligible.

An Honor Award winner will receive a cash grant of $500. Must be a US resident.

Only unagented submissions will be accepted. Work that has been published in any format is not eligible for this award. Submissions may be FICTION, NONFICTION, or POETRY for children ages 5 to 12.

Folklore and animal stories will not be considered. Manuscripts should be no more than 1,500 words in length.

Deadline:  September 30, 2010.

Good luck,

Kathy

Filed under: Author, awards, Book Contracts, children writing, Competition, Contests, earn money, need to know, opportunity, Picture Book, Places to sumit, poetry, publishers, writing Tagged: Lee and Low, New Voice Award, Publication 6 Comments on No Fee Picture Book Contest and Publication, last added: 9/1/2010