Welcome to a roundup of book news you need to know and others that might just entertain you:
NPR reports that Dr. Seuss Enterprises will shelve 6 books due to hurtful portrayals.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises will cease publishing some of the author's books — including And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo — saying they "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong." The books have been criticized for how they depict Asian and Black people.
The decision to stop publishing and licensing the books follows a review by a panel of educators and other experts, according to Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that controls the author's books and characters. The other four titles that will be permanently shelved are McElligot's Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat's Quizzer.
The company says the decision was made last year, in an effort to support "all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship."
'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'
The Washington Post reports how Diary of a Wimpy Kid author, Jeff Kinney is continuing with pandemic-era children’s book author events.
"The socially distanced author visit has become a mainstay of Kinney’s schedule, and they are very well-attended, even with his small entrance fee," the media outlet reported. "Early in the pandemic, he would sit in a chair on the sidewalk and put his books into passing cars with a nine-foot grabber. By October, he had upped his game with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End Drive-Thru Pool Party Tour. Families would stay in their cars and drive through an elaborate series of stages, tunnels and tents, complete with an underwater vignette, a tiki hut and a lifeguard dunk tank. Kinney ended the pool party by delivering signed copies of his book with a six-foot pool skimmer. All attendees were required to wear masks and stay in their cars."
Now Kinney is about to kick off an 11-city tour to promote Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Spooky Stories, and the shovel is essential.
“I’m going to be dressed as a gravedigger and hand out books with a shovel,” he said. “It may not be the old days, but it’s going to be awesome.”
Professional Troublemaker
USA Today reports how New York Times bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones recently released a fear-fighter manual Professional Troublemaker.
“Ajayi Jones, whose first book I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual was a USA Today bestseller, has pushed past her own fears and impostor syndrome throughout her life, which has supplied her with authentic insights she thinks others can relate to."
How many times have we let fear make us say "no" to a "yes" opportunity that could transform our lives?
Jones' second book — the big sister to the first, she says — offers an opportunity for people to affirm their lives, dreams and fierceness.
The author, speaker, and podcast host wants the book to be something she could have used when she was contemplating her Ted Talk. Page by page, she grants people permission to fight their fear, speak the truth, live audaciously and take up space — like her Nigerian grandmother did.
The book is dedicated to Jones’ grandmother, Funmilayo Faloyin, whose presence demanded respect and who exuded a “fierceness that was still soft.”
Small and Mighty
1380 News & Talk Radio reports how mother of four and author Cyntelia Abrams was inspired by her children to write an educational children’s book.
"Recently Cyntelia Abrams was a guest on On Point with Juandolyn Stokes where she shared how she developed the idea to write Small and Mighty, a children's book that addresses social issues around the Black Lives Matter movement. As a mother of 4 young children, Abrams decided to be proactive in teaching her children the importance of using their young voices for justice. She shared her experience with taking her children to their first social justice protest last summer so they could learn all about activism first-hand."
Worldreader Book Giveaway
The Today Show reports how the nonprofit Worldreader is giving kids in "book deserts" access to hundreds of books for free.
“Marking National Read Across America Day, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager spotlights the work of the nonprofit Worldreader, which has used tech to get books into the hands of 17 million kids around the world. Now Worldreader is focusing its efforts here at home, launching a BookSmart app to promote reading to kids in underserved 'book deserts' across America.”
Spanish-Language Children's Books
WHYY by PBS reports how Syncretic Press publishing company, founded by Enrique Morás is bringing the world together with Spanish-language children’s books.
"Morás works with local libraries, school districts, and the United Way to get his books into little hands. The company also offers a Spanish book club, similar to the popular Scholastic book fair, for parents to purchase books for their kids at a discount while also earning books to be donated to their classroom."
Finding titles that are relatable is important for Spanish-speaking kids, said Adriana Camacho-Church, a reference librarian for New Castle County, Delaware.
“It introduces readers to authors and illustrators from different countries, especially from Latin America,” she said. “I think this can be inspiring and I think that it kind of opens up the world to other cultures and things like that. We’re not just focusing on authors from the US.”
