Kidding Around

Every year, the American Library Association honors hundreds of the best books for children and young adults. The Pura Belpre Medal recognizes the best books by Latino authors and illustrators. In this video, members of the Pura Belpre Medal committee discuss the winning books and why they were chosen as the best of the year.

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The picture book Django is like a catchy rhythm you just can’t get out of your head, as lyrical phrases and pictures join together to tell the story of jazz legend Django Reinhardt.  The author and illustrator, Bonnie Christensen, explains how Django was born into extreme poverty and had a difficult life, but as a child found music to be a balm for tired souls.

As we march into springtime, lots of wonderful things happen. Snow melts, the temperature warms up, and everyone can have a lot of fun playing outside.

When you’re outside, you’ll come across insects. Or bugs. Or even creepy crawlies.

But even though some bugs look a bit weird, they’re really important to help keep nature in balance. And there’s a web site devoted to bugs and helping you learn about them.

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The moving words of legendary poet Langston Hughes inspired two beautiful books honored by the jury. The first, My People, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, features Charles R. Smith Jr.’s sepia-toned photography showing all hues and ages of African Americans. Hughes’s familiar, beloved words grow in power when juxtaposed with an array of jubilant faces! The Negro Speaks of Rivers was recognized as an honor book for E.B.

Picking the winner of the Newbery Medal takes hundreds of hours of reading, notetaking, discussing, and organizing. After all of that was one of the greatest pleasures of my career: Making the phone call to the winner.

An electric thrill ran through me as I dialed Rebecca Stead’s phone number. I was about to inform a novelist that she created the most distinguished writing for children by an American author in 2009. After she answered the phone and I told her who I was, there was a silence on the line.

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Instead of letting the cold weather keep you cooped up, why not take a trip around the world? You don’t need a passport to travel around the globe. All you need is a library card.

Travel for Free

Learning about different cultures and far-away places can be just as exciting as taking a trip, without any of the hassle or expense.

Christmas is a popular celebration across the world. But did you know that other cultures have their own winter festivals? Some are celebrated for religious reasons, but some simply honor nature’s transition from fall to winter.

Here is a sampling of winter holidays from around the world. Ask your librarian to help you find books, movies or audio books to help you learn more.

Italy’s Epiphany

You probably remember the classic Thanksgiving story of American Indians and Pilgrims sharing a meal of corn, turkey and potatoes. But, did you know that those same American Indians are called Wampanoags, a tribe that lived for thousands of years in what is today coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island?

Today, hundreds of other Native American cultures stretch from coast-to-coast. Each has its own tribal language and dialect that is unique to their people.

Why would you read the book if there’s a movie? "Books have inspired some of the most famous and indelible performances we know, be they on the opera stage, the ballet floor, or the silver screen,” says Thom Barthelmess, president of the Association for Library Service to Children. “But books have a magic all their own. As we read, stories bloom in our imaginations, leaving behind the fruits of wonder, even after the final page is turned."