A Love Letter to Libraries

 by Fran Hodgkins

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in the Bath Book Bash, a celebration of children's books sponsored by the Patten Memorial Library in Bath, Maine. As I sat at my table (which was right next to Chris Mihaly!), I once again realized how much I love libraries and librarians.

As a kid, I spent hours and hours at our neighborhood library, reading my way through the picture books, novels, and nonfiction. I later went to work at that branch, as a teenage aide or "page."

If you haven't been to a library in a while, you're in for a treat. The whole stereotype of the shushing librarian is falling by the wayside. Libraries provide so much more than books -- computer access, classes, workshops, special-interest groups, story times, and interlibrary loan. My local library has recently introduced access to a streaming platform! What can your library and librarian do for you, as a writer?

First, of course, libraries are great for research. Wait, what? In this day of the internet, why go to a library? Because librarians are the original search engines. If you need to find a certain book, or facts, or even a story that you recall from many years ago, your librarian is the ideal resource. Trained librarians know how to find information and resources that we mere mortals, armed with Google or Bing, struggle to find. And they'll get you the good stuff, too: none of this inaccurate nonsense from "Joe's Big Website of Facts or Are They Opinions?" Librarians have noses like bloodhounds when it comes to accuracy. They also love a challenge. You need a book by an obscure author, which was published in Boston in 1914? On it. (One of my favorite library memes shows a book display of books that all have red covers, and the caption is "I don't remember the title, but it was red." -- even with that meager tidbit of info, your librarian will do their utmost to find that book.

Next, librarians love books. They read all the major review journals to decide what to order for this library. As a result, they can tell you what books are coming out that will be good comps for your manuscript. They can get you a book you need even if it's in California and you're in Massachusetts. They can also be your secret weapon -- because they are well versed in what books are available, they can tell you whether there's a topic that needs to be covered. That can give you ideas for new topics to research and write about.

Another reason to love libraries? They are a bulwark against the storm of book banning. They are our allies, making sure that the works we create get into the hands of the readers who need them. Books don't just inform, they connect us. They make us feel less alone in a world that can feel cold and uncaring. They open our eyes to the possibility of our future. How many kids, I wonder, decided on their career after reading a book? 

I can't say it was one book that influenced me to become a writer, but all of them that Mrs. McLaughlin handed to me over that giant oak circulation desk all those years ago. She's been gone for a long time, and that neighborhood library is gone, too. 

The places and faces have changed, but the librarians are still there, ready to help.  

Thank you all, librarians!

📕📕📕📘📘📘📗📗📗📙📙📙📕📕📕📘📘📘📗📗📗📙📙📙📕📕📕

 

Books and Poems to Engage Kids in Democracy ~Christy Mihaly

Hello GROG readers. Welcome back to another school year ... and another federal election. 

So here's another post about ways to encourage civic engagement in our young people. How can we support kids in understanding the basics about how our government functions (or is designed to function) and in developing the skills they need to engage in the work of democracy?

I have some ideas. And I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Books!

Let's start with books. My first dive into the pond of writing civics books was a picture book about the First Amendment, published in 2020. Since then I've written one about the Supreme Court and several civics-oriented series for the educational market. 

This month, my picture book about Congress comes out. 

I know, I know: "What? A picture book on Congress, are you kidding?" But when publisher Albert Whitman asked if I'd like to write a book about Congress, I said yes (because that's what writers do). Then I started agonizing about how to approach this tricky topic. 

 I came up with an informational tale about Alice, whose mother is newly elected to Congress. Alice is upset that Mom is moving to DC and disrupting the family -- what's so great about Congress, anyway?

Accompanying Mom to work, she meets the legendary ghost cat of the Capitol (who turns out to be a bit snarky), and embarks on a historical tour of the building with guides both spectral and living. Alice learns about Congress's history and functions, and past crises it has weathered. She comes to understand the central importance of Congress and to appreciate the work her mother is doing. Kirkus calls it timely, and "at least in spots, refreshingly frank." And who am I to argue with Kirkus?? 

This year has seen many new children's books on voting and civics. Here are some recommendations: 

The Day Madear Voted, by Wade Hudson, illus. Don Tate. 

An engaging picture book about a Black family going to the polls for the first time in 1969. 

 

Leo's First Vote!! by Christina Soontornvat, illus. Isabel Roxas. 

This fun picture book tells the story of a classroom election along with the exercise of the franchise by Leo's dad, a new U.S. citizen. It includes  solid information about voting. 

Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote, by Dinah Johnson, illus. Jerry Jordan. 

This much-needed picture book biography tells the important story of suffragist Ida B. Wells.

 

I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference, by Mark Shulman, illus. Serge Bloch. 

This creative picture book focuses on the importance of making choices. It includes nonfiction back matter about voting requirements.

Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote, by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau. 

This middle grade nonfiction book provides insights into the history of voting rights (and discrimination) in the United States.

Archived GROG posts also include my roundup of older picture books encouraging civic engagement and a review of a middle grade biography of Pauli Murray. 

Books like these can help kids and adults talk about what the government does, how it sometimes doesn't work the way it should -- and, importantly, what we can do about it.

Getting Engaged

Giving kids books is a great start. Books can facilitate meaningful conversations about important political issues. They can also help inspire kids to engage in civic activism. And we can do more.

This month, for a couple of bookstore events with OUR CONGRESS, I'll not only read from the book, but also talk about who represents us in Congress. We'll provide lists of names and addresses and templates to facilitate the kids writing letters to their members of Congress or state and local representatives. We'll also talk about the elections, and how people are weighing their choices. I'll have "Your Vote, Your Voice" stickers from the Secretary of State's office to hand out. It's a start!

Well-versed in Civics

I also continue to experiment with ways to use poetry to help kids build a democratic community. I wrote about this in my earlier post, Poetry month and civic engagement. I find that introducing young (or older) writers to simple poetic forms helps get the thoughts and words flowing. And that's a good starting point for broader discussions about freedom of expression, and the corresponding responsibility to listen to others. 

In working with fifth-graders in a series of workshops, we started with haiku and moved to Fibonacci poems (one of my favorite forms). We asked students to write from different perspectives. In one session, they paired up to write poems from opposing points of view. Then we wrote poems in two voices, and read them together. Here's the model that the teacher and I read together: 

Writing poems together facilitated self-expression, listening, and empathy. In our final session, we had a lively conversation about an upcoming school board vote on the school budget, with students sharing and listening and considering different sides of the discussion. It was a joy to see the kids modeling the skills we all need for constructive dialog.

As my friend Kathy Halsey put it: 

Creating Poems + Exploring Free Speech = Classroom Engagement.

So in this important election season, let's use our words to engage our youngest community members in civic conversations ... and let's make them proud to participate in their democracy.