Oh MG News

Reading is a Superpower

By on February 7, 2021   /   Oh MG News  
Children's Book Council oversees Children's Book Week

The Children’s Book Council has revealed the slogan for Children’s Book Week: Reading is a Superpower. We also learned who will design the posters for this year’s May 3-9 event: illustrator Bryan Collier. Even better? Parents. teachers, librarians, and booksellers who pledge to participate in the Book Week are eligible to receive free posters.

Children's Book Council oversees Children's Book Week

During Book Week, kids of all ages will be invited to complete activities designed to help them discover their superpower. Materials will include a certificate and badge, some superpower examples from beloved book creators, and themed booklists. Kids who complete activities and decide on their superpower will be added to an interactive map (COPPA compliant).

All materials will be available in March.

Collier will reveal the poster design in March; in the meantime, sign this participation pledge to receive your free posters.

The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading.

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African American Children’s Book Fair

By on February 5, 2021   /   Oh MG News  

This year, like so many other book festivals, the 29th African American Children’s Book Fair will be virtual. It’s a single day event: Saturday, February 6, 2021, from 10:15 am – 5:45 pm EST.

The festival features an amazing lineup of speakers, including Tracey Baptiste, Leah Henderson, illustrator/writer Bryan Collier, and Torrey Maldonado.

african american childrens book festival

The African American Children’s Book Fair is one of the oldest and largest single-day events for African-American children’s books in the country and is hosted by the African American Children’s Book Project (AACBP).  The  AACBP, a non-profit organization, was created in 1992 to promote and preserve children’s literature written by or about African Americans.

Click here to register for the festival

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NonFiction MG in the News

By on January 9, 2021   /   Oh MG News  
STEAM Team Books

A common misperception–middle-graders don’t love nonfiction–has become the center of a high profile (and thankfully, courteous) debate, thanks to the Washington Post and one of our very own contributors and MUF STEM Tuesday curator, Jen Swanson.

STEM Tuesday

It all started with this December opinion piece from Jay Mathews.

A month later, nonfiction authors Jen Swanson, Cynthia Levinson, and Melissa Stewart countered with this article for Publishers Weekly, citing multiple studies illustrating just how much middle-grade readers really do like their nonfiction. They also called out the exciting innovation of the format to include comics and narrative nonfiction, as well as a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

 

Non fiction books from MUF STEM Team

Since there’s no such thing as bad press, nonfiction titles get a boost from this debate on such a visible stage. Moreover, in an age when the old fashioned textbook is slowly going gently into the good night, a healthy conversation about keeping our kids engaged and interested in reading works for us all.

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