For Parents

Diversity in MG Lit #50 December 2024

By Rosanne Parry on December 18, 2024 / Articles, Diversity, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers

Friends, I started writing these Diversity in MG Lit posts six years ago in the fall of 2018. Today marks my 50th post. I wanted to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we might best spend our energy in support of diverse books in the future.

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center has been carefully and exhaustively compiling data on the racial and cultural composition of children’s book characters and children’s book authors and illustrators. Their data shows broad and consistent advances in the number of children’s books both by diverse creators and about diverse characters. The improvement has been particularly strong for Black, Asian, and Latine creators and characters. Each of those categories include more than 10% of the children’s books studied. Indigenous American, Pacific Islander and Arab titles saw a doubling over the last six years though the overall numbers are lower than 10%.

Equally encouraging is the recognition diverse titles receive. Taking the window of 2018-2024, all the National Book Award winners but one were diverse. And in the ten years before that (2007-2017) six of the ten winners were Black, Indigenous, or Asian.

The American Library Association has many book awards meant to elevate diverse books and their creators. But if we only look at the Newbery Award which does not make race or ethnicity of the author a qualification, all but one of the Newbery medals from 2018 to 2024 went to diverse authors–86%. Each Newbery committee can select as many as 5 honor books in a year. There were 26 honor books and 77% of them went to diverse authors.

This is all very encouraging and has come about due to the efforts of groups like We Need Diverse Books which formed to address this issue in 2014. It’s worth remembering that teachers, librarians, and independent booksellers have been pushing for greater diversity for many decades before social media brought the issue to wider attention.

We have much to celebrate as we complete the circle of another year. And yet there has been a dramatic rise in book banning and virtually all of it targets books for young readers by diverse creators and about the diverse experience. The LGBT+ experience has been a particular target of book banning.

Many anticipate that these bans will increase as the Trump administration takes office. Some states, most recently New Jersey, have passed laws to prevent book bans. Local action does seem to be the most effective deterrent. Book banning is broadly unpopular even among conservatives. And most book banning attempts ultimately fail, though not without causing disruption and heart ache. For my part I plan to pay close attention to my local school board and encourage my state representatives to enact anti-book ban legislation.

I have a far bigger concern than the bans though. Most diverse books are bought by teachers for their in-class collection or by librarians for school and public libraries. The children who need diverse books the most rely almost entirely on these free access opportunities. However, school and library funding has been decreasing for years. The most diverse communities have little or no access to an independent bookstore leaving them only the smaller inventory at big box stores. For example, I work at a medium-sized indy in Portland. Our middle grade section holds hundreds of individual MG titles. By contrast the local Target typically has no more than 30 MG book choices.

In some ways because book bans are emotionally-laden events, they distract from a far more dangerous agenda. Project 2025 would destroy public education as we know it. Among many objectives, it calls for the elimination of Title 1 funding and Head Start programs. Those programs make literacy possible for millions of low income and mostly diverse children. If those children never learn to read, it will not matter how many diverse books we create for them.

So although I will gladly continue to trumpet the arrival of new diverse books for middle grade readers, the lion’s share of my attention will go toward protecting public education and public libraries for all children. Our teachers and librarians and all of our children have never needed our support more.

Creative Ways to Keep Kids Reading During the Holidays

By Karen Reeder on November 11, 2024 / For Parents, For Teachers

The holidays are a busy time of the year, and we often forget to do the things that we love the most–like reading. Here are some fun ways to promote reading during these busy weeks. You can send these suggestions home with your students or do this with your own family. You can start anytime, but I find Thanksgiving break through New Year’s Day always works well.

Embrace The Joy of a Read Aloud

Listen to an audiobook on all those drives while you are out working on your holiday to-do list. Or while baking in the kitchen together or while wrapping presents, crafting, etc. You could also have somone in your family read out loud. Someone could be the designated reader, or you could take turns. All of my kids ages 4-15 love listening to books read out loud! You could also have books that you read every holiday. Many years we take turns reading A Christmas Carol out loud. My husband teases me that I always fall asleep, but its really only sometimes and he does have such a soothing reading voice lol, and most importantly it doesn’t change the memory I have of the moments.

Holiday Count Down

You can choose how many days you are going to count down. Wrap a book for each day, and either take turns opening the packages or have enough books for everyone to open their own each night. Many people do this with holiday picture books, but you can also select a book that is the right reading level for the recipient. And no need to break the bank here. You can get used books or library books (assuming you can check them out for the duration of the countdown). My family has a stack of Christmas books that we pull out each year and we buy one new one every year to add to the pile. The kids enjoy unwrapping one each night and they know certain books are certain sizes so they have fun trying to unwrap a desired book or find the new one. I am of the opinion that you are never too old to enjoy a good picture book. Just like the above suggestion, no one is ever too old to listen to someone read a book out loud.

Read the book/Watch the Movie

Read a book together and then watch the movie together. This is one of my family’s favorites. There is always extra motivation to participate when kids know that they get to do a movie night after you finish the book. I do have to tease one of my reluctant readers that they don’t have to listen to me read, but they don’t get to watch the movie with us if they don’t.

Host a Read-A-Thon

Get everyone together for a read-a-thon. We started this tradition a couple of years ago on my birthday. Everyone gets a new book, and we read and eat, read and eat, read and eat. Everyone in the family loves this! Even my reluctant reader looks forward to these events, although it certainly helps that his new book is always a desired graphic novel.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Remember the words of the song, “there will be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories…” Ask your kids to come up with their own scary story. Then sit around in a cozy setting, maybe with the lights dimmed by the light of a glowing fire (or one on the TV if you don’t have a fireplace). Scary stories are often a great way to appeal to reluctant readers. A couple months ago I was interviewing author M.R. Fournet and she was talking about her experience writing middle grade horror. She talked about how so many kids love a good scary story and that they often invent their own just as scary as anything published authors are coming up with. If they don’t want to write their own there are so many great scary stories out there. I remember sitting around at recess taking turns reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was a kid. There was a similar book released this year called The Haunted States of America.

Give the Gift of a Graphic Novel

As much as kids love receiving and reading graphic novels, they also find joy in writing them as well. Suggest that they create a graphic novel of their own and gift it to a sibling, friend or parent. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. My son has a spiral notebook in which he is always drawing boxes to sketch and write his own graphic novels. You could even print out pages of blank boxes and get a simple inexpensive binding done for them after they create the words and images.

Learn About Other Holidays Through Books

When we think of winter holidays we often think of Christmas and Hanukkah, but there are so many more out there to explore. You could learn about Kwanzaa, Diwali, Chinese New Year, etc. There are fun fiction books, like Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy, and there are nonfiction books, like A Kids Book About Diwal by Chhavi Arya Bhargava. You can find more bookish ideas in From the Mixed Up Files blog post Holidays are For Books

Reading Challenges

Many kids love the joy of a challenge or competition. Make a game out of reading and see who can get the most in each category. You could have a winner for each category or 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for categories done as a large group, like at school. Prizes can be as simple as bragging rights, certificates, little treats, bookmarks, etc.

Holiday Reading Challenge

Revitalizing the Culture of Reading

By Susan Koehler on July 25, 2024 / Articles, children's bookstores, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, kidlit

Picture a 12-year-old. It’s 8 p.m. on a school night. Homework is finished, responsibilities have been fulfilled, and it’s wind-down time. What will they choose to do with this time? According to current surveys and sales records, it’s unlikely that this young person will be picking up a book to read.

“Is There a Reading Recession?” This is the title of a recent article shared on the Scholastic Blog. It echoes the concerns expressed in a previous Mixed-Up Files post about “The Middle Grade Slump.” A documented decrease in middle grade book sales is a symptom. The real issue is the sharp decline in the amount of reading that kids up to the age of 18 engage in for pleasure.

Maybe reading for pleasure is a thing of the past. It’s a hobby. There are other hobbies. Reading is just a skill-set learned in school, right? Wrong. The benefits of reading for pleasure are broad and well-documented. Reading for pleasure builds empathy, social adjustment, and self-esteem. Research has shown that reading for pleasure boosts academic achievement and is associated with overall success in life.

However, according to a National Literacy Trust survey, children’s engagement and enjoyment in reading are the lowest they’ve been in two decades. What can be done to reverse this trend? We need to revitalize the culture of reading, and it’s up to adults to lead the way.

Parents

Parents are the most important stakeholders in creating a culture of reading. From the earliest ages, before children have even developed language, books should be shared. Sharing a book between parent and child enriches children in multiple ways. It builds vocabulary, introduces children to concepts of print, and creates a positive emotional climate around reading. As children age, even if they can’t remember these shared experiences, they are stronger readers who maintain the positive feelings developed in that early emotional context.

Even when children begin to read independently, it’s important to continue to read TO the big kids. When adults read aloud, they model prosody, which is the rhythm and intonation we use to be expressive with language. They model respect for the act of reading and appreciation for books. Children’s vocabulary and comprehension skills are built through listening, and the positive emotional climate around the act of reading is nurtured and sustained.

Visiting libraries and bookstores sends an unspoken message that books have value and that reading is part of your family culture. Parents are the most crucial influences in creating a culture of reading, and by reading to, reading with, and reading alongside children, parents demonstrate a dedication to and appreciation for reading.

Teachers and Schools

As a veteran teacher, I can personally attest to the importance of classroom libraries, shared read-alouds, and a dedicated time for daily individual reading. However, increased demands on instructional time creates overburdened schedules, and current concerns over book challenges have created a culture of fear in many schools.

Most educators understand that teaching reading skills must go hand-in-hand with fostering reading engagement. Literacy-rich environments are necessary in order for students to develop as readers. But teachers can’t do this alone. Parents and administrators must support immersive literary atmospheres in classrooms.

Classroom libraries should be well-stocked with a diverse selection of genres and reading levels so that students can identify their own preferences as readers. Virtual and in-person author visits generate great hype around books and should be scheduled throughout the year. Grants, partnerships with independent bookstores, and relationships with businesses and community organizations can help fund author events.

Finally, teachers who develop a positive climate around books are those who model a love of reading. They read aloud to students daily and build connection and community through literature. They talk about reading, discuss books they love, and provide recommendations based on students’ individual interests and preferences.

Librarians and Booksellers

Let’s create some hype around books! The July 8, 2024 issue of Publisher’s Weekly showcased the activities of some forward-thinking booksellers who have been successful at revitalizing reading among young patrons. Subscription boxes, themed dinners, and author visits have all proven effective in engaging young readers in the pleasure of reading.

Big box stores are now selling kids’ books, and the accessibility of literature at the same place where families might be shopping for clothing, school supplies, hardware, or groceries deserves attention. These stores should be encouraged to provide a wide variety of books for every age and type of reader.

Libraries can (and usually do) engage in programming designed to inspire a love of reading. Book clubs, community reads, and thematic events can draw young readers in and help them connect with literature. Reading aloud to the youngest readers while also providing a safe space for teen readers is a true balancing act. As showcased at the recent ALA conference, librarians are heroes, whether or not they wear capes.

It’s Time for Action

Let’s return to that 12-year-old. Maybe it’s laughable to assume that there’s any downtime. Between extracurricular activities, often-excessive amounts of homework, and the lure of ever-present electronics, even if there is downtime, why would a kid choose to read? Our culture has changed…but it’s not the kids who changed it.

The benefits of reading for pleasure are well-documented, and the trend away from reading for pleasure is not shifting toward the positive. It’s time to reverse the trend. A cultural revitalization that includes an appreciation for books and a habit of reading for pleasure is needed, and it’s up to the adults to make it happen.