MiniBury

Brought to you by the Addison Independent

  • Home
  • About MiniBury
  • Archives
  • The Addison Independent
  • Sign up for the newsletter
  • Events Calendar
  • Summer Camp Guide 2023
  • Playgroups, Storytimes, etc.
  • Stuff To Do

Recommended Reading On Race, Inequality And Activism

06.02.2020 By: Megan James

Recommended Reading On Race, Inequality And Activism

Ilsley Library opened its new outside pickup service today!

Children’s Librarian Tricia Allen reports that “a good portion of the children’s item requests that I pulled from our shelves yesterday for our first day of book pickup were titles having to do with race, inequality, and activism.”

We asked Tricia and her fellow children’s librarian Kathryn Laliberte to recommend their favorite books for young readers that address those issues. Here’s what they said.

Three books that I would put in the hands of every family in Middlebury:

A Normal Pig by K-Fai Steele: Pip is a normal pig, who happens to look a little different than the other pigs in her class. A new student starts to point out all the ways Pip is different, making Pip feel like she doesn’t fit in. Her parents take her on a trip to the city, where Pip sees pigs of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. Pip returns to school knowing that different does not mean bad. The parallels to life in a VT town were striking, and made me want to plan a family trip to NY, Boston, Chicago as soon as travel is possible once again. 

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander: Although this is a picture book in appearance, I would classify this as an illustrated poem. Like any poem, there is much more to this book than the words (or illustrations) on the page. Described as “a love letter to Black life in the United States…It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes.” This is a book that can open any number of conversational doors with kids. There is a great deal of back matter to help parents with facts and background.

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoet: This wordless picture book tells the story of a new girl being bullied and running home alone in tears after her first day of school. Her classmate witnesses this and spends the rest of the day and night thinking about the event. The next day they are up early to arrive at the new girls’ door and walk with her to school, classmates joining their growing group along the way. The question of “What can I do?” is one that is haunting everyone right now. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the problems and events in our world right now. I love that this book demonstrates that even small acts are important and shows children a very real thing that they can do right now: be there for the people in their community. 

Short List of Titles for Young Children:

A is for Activist, written and illustrated by Innosanto Nagara.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman.

Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs ; illustrated by Shane W. Evans.

The colors of Us by Karen Katz.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson ; illustrated by Rafael López.

Freedom Over Me: Eleven slaves, their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan.

Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney ; illustrated by Stephen Alcorn.

Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester ; illustrated by Karen Barbour.

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz, illustrated by AG Ford

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrated by Bryan Collier.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Skin Again written by Bell Hooks ; illustrated by Chris Raschka.

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

The Youngest Marcher: the Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist  written by Cynthia Levinson ; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.

Related Posts

  • a bit of light reading

    YES, we have another secret to share; we're featured in KidsVT this month! Ok, not so…

  • Want To Be A Reading Mentor?

    The literacy mentoring program Everybody Wins! Vermont was on pause last school year because of…

  • Summer Reading!

    Summer reading programs are a great way to get kids to read during summer vacation. …

Megan James

Upcoming Events

Dec
8
Fri
8:30 am Mary Hogan Playgroup @ Mary Hogan Pre-K Classroom
Mary Hogan Playgroup @ Mary Hogan Pre-K Classroom
Dec 8 @ 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Playgroup is open for all children ages birth-5 and their families on Fridays (following the ACSD school calendar). A light snack will be provided. Please call or email Deb for more information.   
10:30 am Bixby Storytime @ Bixby Library
Bixby Storytime @ Bixby Library
Dec 8 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Little ones and their caregivers get together for stories, songs and play.
10:30 am Lincoln Storytime @ Lincoln Library
Lincoln Storytime @ Lincoln Library
Dec 8 @ 10:30 am
Little ones and their caregivers get together for stories and songs.
3:30 pm Chess Club @ Ilsley @ Ilsley Library
Chess Club @ Ilsley @ Ilsley Library
Dec 8 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Join Mary Jane and Alexis in the Jessica Swift Community Room. Chess players of all ages are invited to bring a board and play chess.  This program runs Fridays during the school year, but don’t [...]
5:00 pm Snowflake Stroll @ Downtown Bristol
Snowflake Stroll @ Downtown Bristol
Dec 8 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Stroll through your favorite shops while searching for secret snowflakes. It’s like a whimsical treasure hunt, where the snowflakes hold the key to winning Bristol Bucks, which can be used to explore more of what [...]
5:30 pm Salisbury Spaghetti & BINGO @ Salisbury Community School
Salisbury Spaghetti & BINGO @ Salisbury Community School
Dec 8 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Come join Salisbury Community School for our first spaghetti dinner and BINGO Night to help support Salisbury Community School Student Activities, such as field trips, new supplies and equipment, and student enrichment programs. We will [...]
5:30 pm SD Ireland Holiday Truck & Candy... @ Bristol Town Green
SD Ireland Holiday Truck & Candy... @ Bristol Town Green
Dec 8 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Bundle up and help Santa find his lost Candy Canes!  Santa will be arriving at the Town Green with his friends from SD Ireland at 6 p.m.  Candy Cane Hunt at 5:30 p.m. Prizes will [...]
6:00 pm Ceasefire Shabbat — Chanukah Edi... @ McCullough Center, Middlebury College
Ceasefire Shabbat — Chanukah Edi... @ McCullough Center, Middlebury College
Dec 8 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Showing Up for Racial Justice and If Not Now invite you to join them in demanding a thriving future for all Israelis and Palestinians. Light candles and welcome Shabbos with prayers, candle lighting, and singing. [...]
6:00 pm Teen & Parent Winter Craft Night @ Ilsley Library
Teen & Parent Winter Craft Night @ Ilsley Library
Dec 8 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Teens in grades 6 and up are invited to bring a parent for a night of gingerbread house making, cookie decorating, D&D, Warcraft, miniatures and more.
7:00 pm ‘A Christmas Carol’ @ Town Hall Theater
‘A Christmas Carol’ @ Town Hall Theater
Dec 8 @ 7:00 pm
We all know and love Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol.  MACo proudly presents our original adaptation, true to the novella, which deftly integrates Dickens’ witty, pointed, and socially conscious narrative with the heartwarming and familiar [...]
View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Helpful Websites

  • Addison Central School District
  • Addison County Pre-K
  • Addison County Readers
  • Addison County WIC page
  • Addison Independent
  • Addison Northwest School District
  • Bristol Recreation Department
  • Building Bright Futures
  • Experience Middlebury
  • Find and Go Seek
  • Ilsley Public Library
  • Junebug
  • Kids VT
  • Let's Grow Kids
  • Mary Johnson Children's Center
  • Memorial Sports Center (Ice Rink)
  • Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT)
  • Middlebury College Events
  • Middlebury Community Music Center
  • Middlebury Parks and Recreation
  • Middlebury Weather
  • Mount Abraham Unified School District
  • National Association of Education of Young Children
  • Rikert Nordic Center
  • Simon Says
  • Snow Bowl
  • VT Dept. of Health
  • WIC Health

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Blogger Pro Theme By, Pretty Darn Cute Design