Blog
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CBC Diversity Presents “Strategies for Selling Diverse Books” at BEA 2016
The discussion was moderated by Betsy Bird, Collection Development Manager at the Evanston Public Library. Panelists included Shauntee Burns, Outreach Librarian at the New York Public Library; Elizabeth Bluemle, Co-owner of The Flying Pig …
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Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Now Accepting Applications for 2016-2017 School Year
Kids ages 10-14 with a “nose for news” encouraged to apply New York, NY – May 17, 2016 – The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps, a team of Kid Reporters …
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BEA 2016 Children’s Book Author Breakfast
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and acclaimed graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang discussed his latest series, Secret Coders, and his commitment to diverse books. Through his platform, “Reading Without …
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National Readathon Day Campaign Now Includes Facebook Donate Option And Profile Picture Frame
NEW YORK, NY — Penguin Random House, which is partnering with the American Library Association (ALA) for this year’s National Readathon Day, announced today that readers everywhere will be able to …
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#DrawingDiversity: ‘The Journey’ by Francesca Sanna
The Journey by Francesca Sanna (Flying Eye Books/Nobrow Press, 2016). All rights reserved. @nobrowpress
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15 Student Heroes Honored For Remarkable Reading and Math Gains
BOSTON, MA – Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced the 15 winners of the national 2016 180 Student Awards, which recognize students who have made tremendous gains in …
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Children’s Books in the Classroom
Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) ushered in a golden age of children’s literature, one that captured the playful joy of children. But it wasn’t until the mid-20th century …
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YALSA Releases Position Paper, Adopting a Summer Learning Approach for Increased Impact
CHICAGO, IL — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) has released a new position paper titled, “Adopting a Summer Learning Approach …
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National Ambassador Gene Luen Yang Celebrates Children’s Book Week with Raina Telgemeier
Yang and Telgemeier addressed roughly 250 attendees on their work and the diverse books that continue to resonate with them. The discussion was followed by a reception and signing. Watch the complete …
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Winners of the 2016 Comstock-Gág Read Aloud Books Awards Announced
For the twelfth year, children have chosen the best books when read out loud to them in the Minnesota State University Moorhead’s (MSUM) Comstock-Gág Read Aloud Book Awards program. The …
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Library of Congress and Mid-Atlantic Public Libraries Kick Off Summer Essay Contest
Washington, D.C. — The Library of Congress today launched its annual summer 12essay contest, in conjunction with public libraries in the Mid-Atlantic region, to encourage rising 5th- and 6th-grade students to …
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Can you name a single, lovable Middle Eastern character in a middle grade novel? Now you can!
Contributed by Firoozeh Dumas, Author
People often me ask why I waited so long to start writing. I always thought that in order to be a writer, one had to be English and dead. I started writing when I was thirty-six years old so I could tell my stories to my children. I wanted them to know what I have known since I was seven years old; that our commonalities far outweigh our differences. I learned this when my family moved from Abadan, Iran to Whittier, California. From a young age, I did not fear those who are different from me, and what an asset that has been in my life! As an adult, I discovered that many people never learn this simple truth. They live in fear of “the other”, and there are many “others.”
After my first book, Funny in Farsi, was published, I started giving lectures around the country. Readers in every nook and cranny that I visited said the same two things to me, “I never thought a writer from the Middle East could make me laugh out loud” and “Your family is just like my family!” I soon realized that most people learn about other cultures from the evening news. The problem is that only bad news is news. Most people never expect a female Iranian writer to be relatable; they expect me to be oppressed and sad. That is what they have seen on the news. I am neither.
When I visit schools, I always ask if it is anyone’s birthday. It always is, so I sing “Happy birthday” in Persian. A stunned silence descends upon the room. I can see from the looks on their faces that some of the students had never thought that children in the Middle East also celebrate birthdays and sing a special song. The only images of the Middle East that many students have seen are of war. Some cannot fathom any images of joy with the Middle East. I don’t blame them.
People often ask me why diversity in literature is important. The news does not teach us that there is a universality to the human experience. We don’t learn that in every culture, mothers worry about their children, that children love to play, and that we all have a weird uncle. Not everyone has a chance to travel to other cultures and to learn about our shared humanity, as I did. In the absence of travel, books are the next best thing. In fact, they’re even better since books allow us to time travel as well.
I regularly get emails from readers who tell me that whenever they see Iran on the evening news, they now think of my family. For them, Iran is no longer the face of bearded mullahs and angry men. It is the country where regular families, like mine, are from. My tween novel, It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel, features one of the few Iranian character for younger readers. I am thrilled that readers will laugh and cry with her, root for her, and most importantly, relate to her. There is no downside to learning about all kinds of people. Every time we read about a diverse character, we open a window into our hearts and minds. And who doesn’t want more windows?
Firoozeh Dumas was born in Abadan, Iran, and grew up in California and her birth country. She is the New York Times best-selling author of Funny in Farsi and Laughing Without an Accent. It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel is her first novel for young readers. Firoozeh lives in Munich, Germany with her husband and three children. Visit her website at www.firoozehdumas.com.
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#DrawingDiversity: ‘Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus’ illustrated by Lauren Tobia
Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia (Kane Miller, September 2015). All rights reserved.
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Hachette Book Group and KADOKAWA Form Joint Venture
New York, NY — Hachette Book Group and KADOKAWA Corporation announced today that they have entered into an agreement to create a new venture, joining HBG’s Yen Press imprint, a …
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Lion Forge Comics Announces Slate of Fan-Focused Events and Giveaways at BookExpo America
May 6, 2016 – Chicago, IL — When BookExpo America, North America’s largest publishing event, rolls into McCormick Place next week, bibliophiles won’t be the only fans with a long list …
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Gene Luen Yang to Publish Nonfiction Graphic Novel
Dragon Hoops will tell the true story of the 2015 Bishop O’Dowd High School boys’ basketball team and their journey to the California state championship. The book is scheduled for publication by …
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Duke Energy and Reading Is Fundamental Partner to Boost Childhood Reading Skills
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke Energy and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s 10largest children’s literacy organization, are partnering to minimize the summer slide and improve the reading proficiency of more than 3,000 …
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Announces First Quarter 2016 Results
BOSTON, MA — Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (“HMH” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: HMHC) today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016. First Quarter …
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Ninth Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards Winners Announced During the 97th Annual Children’s Book Week
New York, NY — May 6, 2016 – The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader today announced the winners of the ninth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards (CCBA). …
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The Rise of the Wordless Picture Book
Led by moderator Allyn Johnston, v-p and publisher of Beach Lane Books, author-illustrators Henry Cole, Raúl Colón, Marla Frazee, Stephen Savage, and David Wiesner discussed the liberation that comes with purely visual storytelling — …
