Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
After our Jul/Aug special literacy focus, we now make way for Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 – Oct 15), a celebration of the cultures and traditions of US residents who trace their roots back to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The theme this year is “Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation.”
There will be all sorts of events happening throughout the country, and here’s what you’ll find on our website: interviews with author Pam Muñoz Ryan and youth services librarian Rose Zertuche-Treviño; gallery features showcasing the work of David Diaz and Susan Guevara; original heritage-related essays by Yuyi Morales and Juan Felipe Herrera, and plenty more. So dive in, and have fun – and check back here, too, as we continue the fiesta of Hispanic Heritage Month by blogging about it through Oct 15. There’s plenty of pride, information and fun to be gained from going deeper into this celebration!
Posted by: Aline | 3 Comments » | Tags: Children's Books, David Diaz, Hispanic Heritage Month 2008, Illustrators, Juan Felipe Herrera, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Rose Zertuche-Treviño, Susan Guevara, Yuyi Morales
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
Yesterday was Peace Day – thousands of people around the world stopped to stand together for a world without conflict, for a world united:
PEACE is more than the absence of war.
It is about transforming our societies and
uniting our global community
to work together for a more peaceful, just
and sustainable world for ALL. (Peace Day)
There is an ever-increasing number of children’s books being written by people who have experienced conflict first hand and whose stories give rise to discussion that may not be able to answer the question, “Why?” but at least allows history to become known and hopefully learnt from.
For younger children, such books as A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai and illustrated by Felicia Hoshino; Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi; and The Orphans of Normandy by Nancy Amis all 
focus on children who are the innocent victims of conflict. We came across The Orphans of Normandy last summer. I was looking for something to read with my boys on holiday, when we were visiting some of the Normandy World War II sites. It is an extraordinary book: a diary written by the head of an orphanage in Caen and illustrated by the girls themselves as they made a journey of 150 miles to flee the coast. Some of the images are very sobering, being an accurate depiction of war by such young witnesses. It worked well as an introduction to the effects of conflict, without being unnecessarily traumatic.
The story of Sadako Sasaki, (more…)
Posted by: Marjorie | 5 Comments » | Tags: A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, Amy Lee-Tai, Children's Books, Demi, Dennis Brindell Fradin, Ed Young, Eleanor Coerr, Felicia Hoshino, Fradin, Gandhi, Haemi Balgassi, Jane Addams Book Award, Jane Addams: Champion of Democracy, Judith Bloom Fradin, Nancy Amis, One Thousand Paper Cranes, Pat Mora, Peace Day, Peacebound Trains, reading to children, Sadako Sasaki, Second World War, Susan Guevara, Takayuki Ishii, The Orphans of Normandy, Uma Krishnaswami, war & peace in children's books
Friday, September 21st, 2007
It’s time to hop over to the PaperTigers website to find out how we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Gary Soto, Amada Irma Perez, F. Isabel Campoy, Susan Guevara, Yuyi Morales, Robert Casilla… they are all there, gracing our pages and sharing their pride, wise words and inspiring images. Check out their great contributions, and please help us spread the word.
Posted by: Aline | No Comments » | Tags: Amada Irma Perez, F. Isabel Campoy, Gary Soto, Hispanic Heritage Month, Robert Casilla, Susan Guevara, Yuyi Morales
After our Jul/Aug special literacy focus, we now make way for Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 – Oct 15), a celebration of the cultures and traditions of US residents who trace their roots back to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The theme this year is “Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation.”
