March is Women’s History Month where we pay tribute to fearless women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth, Cady Stanton, and Matilda Joslyn Gage. Wait, you’ve never heard of Matilda Joslyn Gage? Well, there’s a reason for that as you will learn while reading Born Criminal – Matilda Joslyn Gage, Radical Suffragist Written by Angelica Shirley […]
Biographies
Multicultural Children’s Book Day Review of First Generation – 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great
It is Multicultural Children’s Book Day and I am thrilled to share an important book which should be on your “must read” list in today’s difficult political and social climate. First Generation 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great By Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace (authors) and Agata Nowicka (illustrator) Little Brown […]
If I Kiss You, Will I Get Diabetes? – a review
From time to time, life throws a new challenge your way. I remember the day that our son was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. A whole new road had to be maneuvered, new vocabulary learned, and meal planning became filled with extra importance. I wish back then that we had the book: If I […]
Under the Sea – mapping an unknown world
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea; Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh (author) Raúl Colón (illustrator) Simon & Schuster (2016) picture book biography grades Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea is a book for anyone interested in maps and map-making. It tells the story of Marie Tharp who,as a girl, loved maps. She […]
B is for Biography – mapping a trip around the world
Welcome to Day 2 of Blogging A to Z where I’m blogging this year about maps found in children’s books. I love to find a biography that includes maps of where the subject lived and traveled. I am fascinated by Nelly Bly and all that she accomplished. She was the ultimate traveler! The Daring Nellie […]
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library – #ReadYourWorld
SCHOMBURG: THE MAN WHO BUILT A LIBRARY by Carol Boston Weatherford (author) and Eric Velasquez (illustrator) Picture book for ages 7 – adult Candlewick Press: 2017 Can you imagine building a library? I can and I’ve found my inspiration. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was an amazing man unfamiliar to most people. But, everyone should know his […]
The Life and Legacy of Pura Belpre lives on in Fresno
Here in the Central Valley of California, we are fortunate to have Artes de Americas , a museum whose mission is to make Central California a flourishing place for Latino arts. For the past few weeks, a number of REFORMA de Fresno* members Josie Bustos, Aideed Medina, Armando “Luie”Garcia, Ivan Calimano, Sandra Rios Balderrama […]
V is for Vigilante
Librarians are not shy and meek characters. They are on the forefront of protecting our rights. They fight against censorship and work to make sure that everybody has access to the books and materials they need. Librarians face challenges here but they are nothing like those faced in some other parts of the world. One […]
Thomas times three #atozblogchallenge
We are heading into the final week of the A to Z Blog Challenge where I’ve returned to my librarian roots and have been sharing Library Love. Today is dedicated to the Letter T and I’d like to share two books and the little guy Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora (author) and […]
J is for Juvenile #atozchallenge
J is for Juvenile Juvenile seems like an outdated term but libraries still catalog books for children as Juvenile fiction or Juvenile nonfiction. Did you know that children were not always welcomed in libraries? Early libraries were not free and open to the public. Usually they consisted of books collected by wealthy individuals who […]
I is for Iraq #atozchallenge
I is for Iraq One of the saddest things imaginable to bibliophiles, is the destruction of a library. Librarians fearlessly defend the right of their patrons to have access to information and they care for the collections entrusted to them so that they will be available for future generations. Alia Muhammad Baker was the chief […]
A to Z Library Love
Welcome to the 2017 edition of the A to Z Blog Challenge where you’ll find posts on just about every subject in A to Z order. I originally intended to write about holidays and celebrations but I kept finding myself reading about libraries so that’s what I’m celebrating this month. Join me as I travel […]
For the Right to Learn – Malala Yousafzai #readyourworld
Multicultural Children’s Book Day is a day set aside to celebrate the importance of diversity in the books written and shared with children. For many years, books with characters from different cultures, ethnic groups, and religions have been difficult to find. That is changing, however, as authors, publishers, librarian, and teachers seek out books that […]
It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season!
Oh, Happy Day! Girl Scout Cookies have arrived! Roxanne and I stopped by Starbucks and met up with these darling business girls. They were well prepared, organized and ready to meet our every cookie wish. We cleaned them out of Thin Mints and purchased several boxes of the other varieties. I have wonderful Girl Scout […]
Counting Counts for the Christmas Bird Count
Today is National Bird Day which is the perfect day to share my latest field trip which was definitely for the birds. I have tried to participate in the Christmas Bird Count for many years but, because of teaching and family obligations, I was never able to find a day that worked. Fortunately, I […]