Kids & Families
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Twenty Children’s Books We Loved in 2018
What a wonderful year for children’s books this was! Children’s Librarians from Seattle Public Library selected Ten Amazing Picture Books and Ten Wonderful Novels and Comics that were published in 2018. Each list is rich with stories that reflect a range of different experiences and perspectives. Here is just a sample of what you can… Continue reading
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Cultivating Gratitude with Picture Books
“What I have come to believe is that joy is the twin sister of gratitude. I am most joyful when I am most grateful.”* –Katherine Paterson, Newbery Medal-winning author Thankfulness doesn’t end with Thanksgiving. Enjoy these wonderful picture books celebrating gratitude! Gracias, Thanks by Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra A… Continue reading
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November Literary Holidays
November marks twelve months of literary holidays! So to finish it off, here are three November literary holidays. The entire month is Picture Book Month, an international initiative to support literacy and encourage the use of picture books. There are blogs dedicated to championing the importance of picture books throughout the month. So in honor… Continue reading
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Rick Riordan Presents
In early 2017, acclaimed author Rick Riordan, of Percy Jackson fame, announced he would be leading an imprint from Disney, with the goal of publishing “great books by middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage.” He had… Continue reading
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Nightstand Reads: Trudi Trueit recommends middle-grade novels to read now
Seattle author Trudi Trueit’s newest book, The Nebula Secret, is part of the Explorer Academy series of novels from National Geographic. We asked Trudi to tell us about some other middle-grade books she’s been reading and loving. Here are five she recommends: Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed When Amal, a young Pakistani girl,… Continue reading
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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Books for Children and Teens by Latinx Authors
Hispanic Heritage month, running from September 15 to October 15, is an annual celebration of the rich cultures and traditions of people living in the United States who trace their ancestry to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. There has been a very welcome increase in books written by and for the Latinx… Continue reading
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September Literary Holidays
September means school’s starting. What better way to get warmed up for school than with a few literary holidays? National Read a Book Day has been celebrated on September 6th since the early 2000s. To celebrate, I’d like to give you this word: tsundoku. This is a Japanese word for collecting reading material but not reading… Continue reading
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#BookBingoNW: Suggested by a Young Person
We asked our young patrons at the Central Library Children’s Center to suggest books for our adult Book Bingo players and they delivered! These young people know their kid lit – they suggested classics both modern and older, video game tie-ins, realistic fiction, fantasy, adventure – there’s something for every reader of any age. Find… Continue reading
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Eisner Awards for Comics 2018
The nominations for the 2018 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced on April 26th, with the awards to be presented July 20th at Comic-Con International in San Diego. The awards, presented annually since 1988, after the discontinuation of the Jack Kirby Award, are the most well-known honor in American comics. The nominations span 31… Continue reading
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Nightstand Reads: Author Will Taylor Shares Some Favorite Middle Grade Books
We’re delighted to have Seattle author Will Taylor, whose debut middle grade novel Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort came out last month, here to share with young readers and parents five novels he can’t wait for you all to read. But first, let us tell you a bit more about his novel: Maggie &… Continue reading
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Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: In Our Own Image(s)
At the Capitol Hill Library, we wondered how to create an Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month display that recognizes the many peoples who are categorized as “Asian” and “Pacific Islander” — each unique and with their own histories, languages, religions, cultural values, and experiences. Is it possible to represent such broad and diverse communities… Continue reading
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Bird Week: Birds in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
The Seattle Public Library is partnering with the Seward Park Audubon Center for Bird Week, April 23-30, in celebration of the center’s 10th anniversary and the National Audubon Society’s 2018 Year of the Bird. In honor of Bird Week, I’ve selected three titles written for young people with appeal to bird lovers of all ages: a… Continue reading
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April Literary Holidays
April is a hard month for literary holidays because there are so many! Without further ado, here they are: Since 1967, International Children’s Book Day has been celebrated on April 2nd, which was selected in honor of Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday. This day gets a different international sponsor each year and they get to choose the theme. This year… Continue reading
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March Literary Holidays
Aside from calendar noted holidays in March like Purim and Saint Patrick’s day, there are a few literary days of note that might peak your interest. On March 2nd there is Read Across America day, which also happens to be Dr. Seuss’ birthday. It was created by the National Education Association as a day to… Continue reading
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February Literary Holidays
February is the month for Library Lovers! At least that is one of the lesser known celebrations of February. This month long holiday started as just one day on February 14th (Library Lovers Day) but has since expanded to encompass the entire month. Feel free to show your love for the library by visiting a branch or exploring our online resources. Here’s a handy… Continue reading
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January Literary Celebrations
January comes with a break from the holidays, but if you enjoy celebrating and love books, here are some ideas for literary celebrations for January. We’ll start off with Tolkien day on January 3. It’s his birthday and a day celebrated by the Tolkien Society. They recommend a very simple celebration: find somewhere to have a drink, and at 9 PM make a toast with… Continue reading
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Our Top 10 Children’s Chapter Books, Poetry, and Graphic Novels of 2017
Yesterday, Children’s Services Librarians from The Seattle Public Library shared our favorite picture books of the year – and today, we want to share our ten favorites for children, in the “everything else” category!: chapter books, poetry, and graphic novels. Enjoy! Refugee by Alan Gratz A gripping, timely novel that follows three children – from… Continue reading
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Our Top 10 Children’s Picture Books of 2017
Children’s Services Librarians from The Seattle Public Library have selected our ten favorite picture books of the year. Though it’s a challenge to limit ourselves to ten titles (check out our longer list of favorite 2017 picture books), we all responded to the joy in these ten books – each is a celebration: of home… Continue reading