First of all, thank you to all of you taking the time to look at the library and ask questions. We are starting to spread the word more widely, and I hope to get an Open House Day set soon. Some kind of free reading day, maybe with snacks and adult readers on hand to do some read aloud times. We’ll see how it shapes up.
Second, yes, there is something here for you! I can’t promise a book about your exact life, of course, but we have some books for just about every way people can be diverse. If I can’t find you something, it may not exist yet! Check out the next page for some books featured for June’s Pride and Immigrant Heritage Month. We have been focused mainly on children’s literacy, representation, and diversity, but we do have books for adults. By the time you read this, we may have the young adult/adult bookshelf built and filling. Thanks to donations, we have a great collection of graphic novel/comic books for the 13+ age group. There are some classic works of fiction by authors like Toni Morrison and Colson Whitehead. There are nonfiction books like The Color of Law and Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man that can put experiences in context. Even more, and I cannot stress this enough, picture books are for everyone! Jeopardy! champ James Holzhauer has famously credited children’s books with expanding his knowledge to prepare for his appearance. To fill in some of the gaps in his stores of knowledge, he read books intended to distill knowledge in a readable, memorable way. He lists such things as literature and mythology, and said, “I had a Daily Double about the Denver Mint, which came from some Americana book that I can't remember the name of.” If you’d like to learn about a subject, children’s books are a great place to start! Dave Dettmann recently taught a poetry unit to freshmen in high school. He used one of his favorite poems (The Red Wheelbarrow) and a book from our library, a biography of poet William Carlos Williams. He said the class sat quietly and listened to him read the whole picture book. That seems like quite a feat in a year like this one was. I will wager that they will remember it for a long time, too. I recently had a chance to invite some friends from St. John’s Episcopal Church over for a catch-up meeting, now that we’re all vaccinated! After our tea and chat, we sat together in the hallway for an hour looking at books. In our group of four, we have a 50-ish, a 60-ish, a 70-ish, and an 80-ish representative. The oldest member in particular was struck by the changes that have occurred in children’s publishing since her teaching days. We had a great discussion about books, kids, and how we can bring these two things together in our community. If you haven’t picked up a good children’s book lately, you’re missing out! Come on by and find a new favorite. I’d be happy to chat books almost any time.
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AuthorMichelle Dettmann is the volunteer head librarian for the ABCDLibrary project. Michelle graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, with a degree in Elementary Education and a passion for children's literature and literacy. A lifelong member of the United Church of Christ, she is dedicated to their principles of justice, accessibility, and embrace of diversity. Archives
June 2021
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