Jody's LIS 721 Blogorama

 Informational books for kids can be amazing resources for entire families. Aside from introducing children to concepts that are new to them, they can also be a fantastic stepping stone toward a conversation between adults and children. A quality informational book for kids would be one that can be enjoyed by all ages, and can provide information to anyone no matter their age. Who knows, you might even learn some new things as an adult that you never would have realized before. I had such experiences with the below. All of these books do one thing very well: they work as conversation starters. Reynolds, Jason and Kenji, Ibram X, adapted by Cherry-Paul, Sonja.  Stamped (For Kids) . Illustrated by Rachelle Baker. Little, Brown & Co. 164 pages. Tr. $15.99, ISBN 978-0-316-16758-1 A fantastic adaptation of the Pulitzer winning Stamped From the Beginning  by Ibram X. Kenji, this remix of the source material for younger ages by Sonja Cherry-Paul is a fantastic primer on race...

  Poetry has always been difficult for me. I have always felt like I didn’t “get it” because the meanings I would find would never be the “right” meanings that my English teachers would  Paul, Miranda. Thanku: Poems of Gratitude . Illustrated by Marlena Myles. Millbrook Press, 2019. 40 pages. Tr. $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5415-2363-0 This collection of poems centered around the ideals of Thanksgiving provides great examples of many different types of poetry, written by many different authors. The general theme of each poem is about thankfulness, but goes beyond the stereotypical American Thanksgiving ideas. There are poems about family, about nature, about humanity, and about our connections to the universe. Each poem gets its own page and illustration, and each is labeled with the type of poem it is. The end of the book contains reference material for the different types of poems included, providing a paragraph explaining how the poem in question is generally formatted, and some que...

 Folktales are important windows into cultures and histories. We can learn a lot about a culture by examining the folktales and folklore that comes from it: how they compare to others, how they differ. Every culture has their own historical background, and every culture has a different way of looking at the world. Folktales are a fantastic tool for examining commonalities and differences and for exploring beliefs.  Below are two books of collections of folk tales. Tales Our Abuelitas Told , by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada A collection of Hispanic folktales, mainly from Spain and the Iberian peninsula, but also from other Hispanic cultures from around the world. The book begins with an explanation of the areas focused on, of the experiences the peoples and cultures of these lands faced, and of the necessity of folk tales in general. Each individual tale is accompanied by a full-page, full-color illustration, and ends with a brief discussion on the importance of the tale f...

 Picture books are quite possibly my favorite genre of art. The combining of artwork and writing in a way that appeals to all ages and allows for connections between generations is incredibly powerful. All of the books below are strong examples of books that show strength of character in the face of adversity, and finding a purpose. I Am Every Good Thing  by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James This is one of those books where I, as a 40 year old cishet white male, do not seem at all like the target audience. I have to disagree. This book is a perfect example of how universal a picture book can be. Barnes' writing is powerful in its ability to inspire a belief in the self. James' artwork is stunning, and captures the emotions of Barnes' words perfectly. Just an absolutely stunning, moving book that should be read by anyone and everyone who has ever wondered if they were enough. --- I Talk Like a River , by Jordan Scott. Illustrated by Sydney Smith. A beautiful boo...