I am so sad to say that the politicization of WEARING A MASK and the self-indulgence of pretending that COVID19 pandemic is over have led to a resurgence in positive testing, increasing hospitalizations, and the shameful truth that the USA "leads" the world in cases and deaths.
Spring school semester ended in some limping version of what once was, and most schools are planning (frantically) to reopen in fall with some form of in-person and digital hybrid, with unpredictable results.
I've continued to read and celebrate the amazing brilliance and importance of picture books during recent months. Among them are outstanding fiction and nonfiction and poetry and... purely remarkable offerings. Time and obligations restrict my posts here to focus on selected few of those titles, making selections here a difficult choice.
For the sake of my diminishing memory, and for anyone who might be curious about books I'm reading, I post reviews of most things I read (some brief, some longer) on my GOODREADS account. That accumulating list becomes a useful resource me.
In this case, it served me well to crosscheck titles I've read that are now announced as NOTABLE SOCIAL STUDIES TRADE BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE for 2020! That list also reminded of other titles I haven't yet read, making my library hold list grow.
instead of featuring a single book in this post, I want to celebrate some of the books I've read and enjoyed from that list, and provide clicks/links to what I have written about them in the past. My joy at finding such wonderful picture books honored in this prestigious list was magnified when I saw that two are titles written by personal friends, Miranda Paul, Deb Hembrook, and Kathryn Heling. Way to go, ladies!
LITTLE LIBRARIES, BIG HEROES, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by John Parra. (Biography, activism, and inspiration)
CLOTHESLINE CLUES TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, written by Kathryn Heling and Deb Hembrook, illustrated by Andy Robert Davis. (Third in a fantastic series!)
Some of the others include:
THE BOOK RESCUER: HOW A MENSCH FROM MASSACHUSETTS SAVED YIDDISH LITERATURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, written by Sue Macy illustrated by Stacy Innerst.
This is a remarkable depiction of a man dedicated to collecting and preserving the remnants of Yiddish literature that eventually arrived in this country after the Holocaust.
SMILE: HOW YOUNG CHARLIE CHAPLIN TAUGHT THE WORLD TO LAUGH (AND CRY) is written by Gary Golio and illustrated by the incomparable Ed Young.
CARTER READS THE NEWSPAPER, written by Deborah Hopkinson and Illustrated by Don Tate. Early curiosity and a drive to learn is unveiled in this biography of eventually acclaimed Carter G. Woodson, the founder of BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
Another portrait of a young person in history is DANCING HANDS: How Teresa Carreno Played the Piano for President Lincoln, written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael Lopez.
THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS, written by Natascha Biebow and illustrated by Steven Salerno.
JUST LIKE RUBE GOLDBERG: The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines is written by Sarah Aronson and illustrated by Robert Neubecker. The name conjures incredibly complex and seemingly silly sequences, but the actual life story of the man is even more impressive and delightful.
I was thrilled to see the inclusion of one of my favorite books of the year: LET 'ER BUCK: GEORGE FLETCHER, THE PEOPLE's CHAMPION . It is written with invigorating and enticing language with illustrations that will knock your socks off.
TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS: THE TRUE CAVE RESCUE OF THE THAI SOCCER TEAM is written by Susan Hood and illustrated by Pathana Sornhiran.
A book no one should miss at any time, but especially while so many of us are spending "Covid Home Time" in the kitchen, is FRY BREAD: A NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY STORY, written by Kevin Noble Mailliard and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. The stories and traditions are as delightful as the varied settings and family images, with a sample recipe in the back pages.
HOME IN THE WOODS is the creation of author/illustrator Eliza Wheeler. It, too, has poignancy and joy, with satisfying reflections on family, home, and what matters most in your lives, love.
These are not all of the honored picture books, but that's plenty for now. I'll close and encourage you to check out these amazing books, using your trusty library hold lists or making purchases from a local indie-bookstore.
***Anchoring this post in the BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT:
This is mix of good news and bad. Locally and nationally there has been some rapid progress in specific municipal council changes, even overhauls, of policing practices, leadership, and accountability. It is too soon to even call this a first step, but it IS movement.
On the flip side, federal legislation appears to be blocked by party politics, emphasizing the importance of 2020 elections.
We continue to learn about recent and past events in which police actions result in the death of Black humans, most often males, with no apparent need for deadly force to have been used. Finding information about events is easy, but finding the underlying truths about how and why and ... everything... will take much longer. And so, the MOVEMENT continues, and we cannot ignore the legitimacy of and need for it.
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