The Question(s) of Banned Books in 2025

This past week has been The American Library Association’s Banned Books Week as well as the 7th anniversary of opening the lending collection of the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library, a free community lending library, now with nearly 2,500 books in the collection, all connecting with one or more of fourteen primary dimensions of diversity and justice.

We began this library, because we knew that all people – including children – deserve to see themselves, their families, people they love and their life experiences reflected in literature.  They also deserve to learn how to understand and be respectful of people, identities, cultures and ideas that differ from their own.  And we wanted to make it easier for them to have access to the books that do these things and tell these stories. We also believe that difference is beautiful, necessary and worthy of being  celebrated and that being exposed to ideas that they or their families don’t share is life-affirming, life-nurturing and even life-saving. This is how we become good neighbors, kind humans and learn to critically evaluate information and identify authenticity; essential skills for life as citizens of a democracy.  

In the seven years since the CDJL began lending diversity and justice themed books, we have seen a tragically ironic co-occurring phenomenon in which there has simultaneously been greater publication of, and demand for, diverse children’s literature, but also a vicious backlash against diverse voices and stories in especially children’s and teens books in public and school libraries resulting in record breaking numbers of books bans and challenges across our country. This makes free community lending libraries like the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library all the more important and now fulfilling roles we never imagined.

As we approached these dual events, the ALA’s Banned Books Week 2025, and our own anniversary, we took some time to evaluate our collection which has grown five fold in seven years and now includes the beginnings of a mobile collection that will allow us to more easily get to where our readers are with the books they want and deserve.  

197 books from the CDJL collection, listed by title below, are found on PEN America’s list of 6,870 instances of book bans in the 2024 - 2025 school year.  These bans represent nearly 4,000 separate titles.  This unique and diverse collection increasingly becomes an island as we face the fact that 119 and 335 titles respectively have been banned from the schools in each of two surrounding counties. The majority of banned titles on the PEN America list are Teen books – 100 of those both banned somewhere in the country and held in our collection.  But quite a few middle grades and juvenile books are included too, as well as 36 picture books and 5 board books with titles that include “An ABC of Equality,” and “Yes! No! A First Conversation About Consent.” 

Keep in mind, all these books are specifically targeted by name for removal or restriction from access.  But an even bigger issue is a kind of “shadow ban” — books that will never be shelved in the first place, are having access restricted even if they are still in library collections, or are being quietly removed because of new legal restrictions or worry about backlash or reprisal.  Picture books in particular are threatened in this way.  Many many more of the books in the CDJL will never be found in public or school libraries, or can only be found in special segregated collections with names like “the parenting collection.” Readers may never discover these titles because if they are shelved at all, they have been relegated to separate shelves where they can’t easily be encountered by the average casual shelf browser.

We know why this is happening.  Books are being banned in schools across the country, or segregated in our public library collections, or not made available for loan in the first place because some people believe that if kids aren’t introduced to diversity, aren’t told honest stories about justice and the painful parts of history, aren’t exposed to ideas that they or their families don’t agree with, then they will never be affected or influenced by them. We know that isn’t true. In fact, what we don’t know CAN hurt us because what we don’t know keeps us ignorant and doesn’t allow us to learn and grow and do better.  What we don’t know can also make us feel alone, like we might be the only one to have a certain kind of experience or feeling or family or belief.  And when we believe we are alone, we are less powerful.  

But, we can push back against the silencing and hiding of ideas and identities by continuing to provide free access to diverse and justice oriented books and by READING BANNED BOOKS!

Children’s Diversity & Justice Library Holdings Found on the PEN America 2024 - 2025 Index of Book Bans

Board Books

1. An ABC of Equlity by Ewing, Chana Ginelle

2. Antiracist Baby by Kendi, Ibram X.

3. Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race by Madison, Megan

4. Yes! No! A First Conversation about Consent by Madison, Megan

5. A is for Activist by Nagara, Innosanto

Picture Books

1. What Riley Wore by Arnold, Elana K.

2. Something Happened in Our Town by Celano, Marianne

3. Bodies are Cool by Feder, Tyler

4. Calvin by Ford, J. R.

5. Calling the Doves: El canto de las palomas by Herrera, Juan Felipe

6. Jacob's New Dress by Hoffman, Sarah

7. The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Hot Mess, Lil Miss

8. I am Jazz by Herthel, Jessica

9. IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Johnson, Chelsea

10. My Princess Boy by Kilodavis, Cheryl

11. Families, Families, Families! by Lang, Suzanne

12. Julián at the Wedding by Love, Jessica

13. Julián Is a Mermaid by Love, Jessica

14. Call Me Max by Lukoff, Kyle

15. When Aidan Became a Brother by Lukoff, Kyle

16. Téo's Tutu by Macias, Maryann Jacob

17. Twas the Night Before Pride by McClintick, Joanna

18. My Rainbow by Neal, DeShanna

19. Sparkle Boy by Newman, Lesléa

20. The Family Book by Parr, Todd

21. My Footprints by Phi, Bao

22. This Day in June by Pitman, Gayle E.

23. My Maddy by Pitman, Gayle E.

24. Marley's Pride by Retener, Joelle

25. And Tango Makes Three by Richardson, Justin

26. She's My Dad!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative by Savage, Sarah

27. Jack (Not Jackie) by Silverman, Erica

28. From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Thom, Kai Cheng

29. It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Thorn, Theresa

30. Introducing Teddy by Walton, Jess

31. Grandad's Pride by Woodgate, Harry

32. Sharice's Big Voice by Davids, Sharice

33. When a Bully is President by Gonzalez. Maya

34. Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Higginbotham, Anastasia

35. Be Amazing: A History of Pride by Napoles, Desmond

36. Were I Not a Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry by Robinson, Lisa

JUVENILE

1. A Boy Called Bat by Arnold, Elana K.

2. You Be You!: A Kid's Guide to Gender, Sexuality, and Family by Branfman, Jonathan

3. Who Are You? The Kid's Guide to Gender Identity by Pessin-Wedbee, Brook

4. In Our Mothers' House by Polacco, Patricia

5. A Child's Introduction to Pride: The Inspirational History and Culture of the LGBTQIA+ Community by Prager, Sarah

6. Too Bright to See by Lukoff, Kyle

7. Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Prager, Sarah

middle grades

1. A High Five for Glenn Burke by Bildner, Phil

2. Ban This Book by Gratz, Alan

3. Brown Girl Dreaming by Woodson, Jacqueline

4. Ciel in All Directions by Labelle, Sophie

5. Different Kinds of Fruit by Lukoff, Kyle

6. Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by De Leon, Jennifer

7. Ghost Boys by Rhodes, Jewel Parker

8. Gracefully Grayson by Polonsky, Ami

9. Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Blake, Ashley Herring

10. Lily and Dunkin by Gephart, Donna

11. Little Rock Girl: How A Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration by Tougas, Shelley Marie

12. Melissa by Gino, Alex

13. Mosque by Macauley, David

14. One Half From the East by Hashimi, Nadia

15. One True Way by Hitchcock, Shannon

16. Out of My Mind by Draper, Sharon M.

17. Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Community by Caldwell, Stella

18. Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Reynolds, Jason

19. The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism by Jewell, Tiffany

20. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Cartaya, Pablo

21. The List of Things That Will Not Change by Stead, Rebecca

22. The Moon Within by Salazar, Aida

23. The Pants Project by Clarke, Cat

24. The Serpent's Secret by DasGupta, Sayantani

25. The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Arlow, Jake Maia

26. This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by Locke, Katherine

27. This Would Make a Good Story Someday by Levy, Dana Alison

28. What Was Stonewall? by Medina, Nico

29. Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice by Browne, Mahogany L.

30. You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P by Gino, Alex

31. Zenobia July by Bunker, Lisa

32. This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Jewell, Tiffany

Teen

1. 19 Love Songs by Levithan, David

2. A Queer History of the United States For Young People by Chevat, Richie

3. A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by G., Mady

4. A Scatter of Light by Lo, Malinda

5. Alex as Well by Brugman, Alyssa

6. All American Boys by Reynolds, Jason

7. All Eyes on Us by Frick, Kit

8. All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages by Mitchell, Saundra

9. Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again by Bourne, Shakirah

10. Almost Perfect by Katcher, Brian

11. American Street by Zoboi, Ibi

12. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Folman, Ari

13. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Sáenz, Benjamin Alire

14. Autoboyography by Lauren, Christina

15. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Cronn-Mills, Kirstin

16. Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jennings, Jazz

17. Between the World and Me by Coates, Ta-Nehisi

18. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Kuklin, Susan

19. Beyond the Gender Binary by Vaid-Menon, Alok

20. Brave Face: A Memoir by Hutchinson, Shaun David

21. Children of Blook and Bone by Adeyemi, Tomi

22. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Adeyemi, Tomi

23. Chlorine Sky by Browne, Mahogany L.

24. Copper Sun by Draper, Sharon M.

25. Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Khorram, Adib

26. Dear Martin by Stone, Nic

27. Flamer by Curato, Mike

28. Forever is Now by Lockington, Mariama J.

29. Frankly in Love by Yoon, David

30. Full Disclosure by Garrett, Camryn

31. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Kobabe, Maia

32. Girl Mans Up by Girard, M-E

33. Gravity by Deming, Sarah

34. Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Krosoczka, Jarrett J.

35. History Is All You Left Me by Silvera, Adam

36. How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Kendi, Ibram X.

37. I am J by Beam, Cris

38. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Sánchez, Erika L.

39. I Wish You All the Best by Deaver, Mason

40. Keeping You a Secret by Peters, Julie Anne

41. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Lo, Malinda

42. Lawn Boy by Evison, Jonathan

43. Let's Talk About Love by Kann, Claire

44. Light It Up by Magoon, Kekla

45. Lighter Than My Shadow by Green, Katie

46. Little and Lion by Colbert, Brandy

47. Long Way Down by Reynolds, Jason

48. Maus 1: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Spiegelman, Art

49. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Andrews, Jesse

50. Michigan vs. the Boys by Allen, Carrie S.

51. Modern HERstory by Imani, Blair

52. Needlework by Watts, Julia

53. Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage by In This Together Media

54. Night by Wiesel, Elie

55. Odd One Out by Stone, Nic

56. Parachutes by Yang, Kelly

57. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Satrapi, Marjane

58. Pet by Emezi, Akwaeke

59. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Knisley, Lucy

60. Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Hill, Katie Rain

61. Shatter the Sky by Wells, Rebecca Kim

62. Shout by Anderson, Laurie Halse

63. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Albertalli, Becky

64. Some Assembly Required by Andrews, Arin

65. Something Like Gravity by Smith, Amber

66. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Reynolds, Jason

67. Starfish by Bowman, Akemi Dawn

68. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Slater, Dashka

69. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie, Sherman

70. The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Joseph, Frederick

71. The Book Thief by Zusak, Markus

72. The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Spiegelman, Art

73. The Downstairs Girl by Lee, Stacey

74. The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities by Levithan, David

75. The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World by Wind, Lee

76. The Gender Quest Workbook: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity by Testa, Rylan Jay

77. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Lee, Mackenzi

78. The Hate U Give by Thomas, Angie

79. The House on Mango Street by Cisneros, Sandra

80. The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Reyes, Sonora

81. The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Khan, Sabina

82. The Mirror Season by McLemore, Anna-Marie

83. The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Kiely, Brendan

84. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky, Stephen

85. The Poet X by Acevedo, Elizabeth

86. The Running Dream by Van Draanen, Wendelin

87. They Both Die at the End by Silvera, Adam

88. They Called Themselves The K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Bartoletti, Susan Campbell

89. This Book is Gay by Dawson, Juno

90. This Is My America by Johnson, Kim

91. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Prince, Liz

92. Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You by Gonzales, Kathryn

93. We Are Not Yet Equal by Anderson, Carol

94. When the Moon Was Ours by McLemore, Anna-Marie

95. When We Make It by Velasquez, Elisabet

96. With the Fire on High by Acevedo, Elizabeth

97. All Boys Aren't Blue by Johnson, George M.

98. Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Nehanda, Walela

99. Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives MatterChambers, VeronicaJuliet Takes a Breath by Rivera, Gabby

adult

1. A Queer History of the United States by Bronski, Michael

2. A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Bongiovanni, Archie

3. An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Ortiz, Paul

4. Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family by Nutt, Amy Ellis

5. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Noah, Trevor

6. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Wilkerson, Isabel

7. Fun Home by Bechdel, Alison

8. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness by Brown, Austin Channing

9. Raising the Transgender Child by Angello, Michele

10. So You Want to Talk About Race by Oluo, Ijeoma

11. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Kendi, Ibram X.

12. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot, Rebecca

13. The Transgender Child: Revised & Updated Edition: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-binary Children by Brill, Stephanie A.

14. The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-binary Teens by Brill, Stephanie A.

15. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Khan-Cullors, Patrisse

16. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About RaceTatum, Beverly Daniel

Saturday Storytimes Start This Week! Save all the dates!

Storytime in the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library is back starting this Saturday September 6 @10:30am!  Join us monthly as we share some of the very best books in our collection celebrating diversity, justice and inclusion for all friends little and big.  Mark your calendars now for each of our Saturday storytime dates - all are welcome!  Each event is held at the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library in Room H of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN. Join us!

Celebrating & Demonstrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 50+ Books for All Ages

Despite recent, increasing and widespread attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, these three concepts remain central to the CDJL mission.  We firmly believe that, not only are diversity, equity and inclusion not bad words, they are essential for a thriving and successful society.  

We start with books. Books addressing diversity, equity and inclusion fight division, exclusion and intimidation. By continuing to provide and share books that demonstrate and celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion we show that everyone’s story is worthy of being told and shared and everyone’s story has something to teach and something from which to learn.  

This list includes three books each featuring diversity, equity and/or inclusion for each age range we serve from board books for babies through educational books for parents, educators and other adults.  Over 50 titles in total!  These books all also include at least one of the fourteen primary dimensions of diversity in our collection.  These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to library patrons of our free community lending library. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how you can bring these and other books home.  If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for diversity, equity and inclusion books.  To learn how to support our efforts to provide these and other critical books for fighting division, exclusion and intimidation please visit Get Involved at www.cdjlibrary.org.  

DIVERSITY

Board Books:

• American Babies by The Global Fund for Children

• Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

• Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan-Petrolino

Picture Books:

• We're Different, We're the Same by Bobbi Kates & Joe Mathieu

• Thank You, World by Alice B McGinty

• Little Humans by Brandon Stanton

Juvenile:

• Home, Sweet Home by Moira Butterfield & Clair Rossiter

• Color Me Purple by Ellie Schatz & Donna Parker

• I'm an American by Darshana Khiani & Laura Freeman

Middle Grades:

• This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by Katherine Locke & Nicole Melleby

• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman & Judy Pedersen

• The Moon Within by Aida Salazar

Teen:

• American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera

• The Collectors: Stories by M.T. Anderson

• The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram

Adult:

• Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens by Melissa Hart & Sharon M. Draper

• Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, Loretta J Ross, & Mai'a Williams

• Brown White Black: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion by Nishta J. Mehra

EQUITY

Board Books:

• We Care: A First Conversation About Justice by Megan Madison, Sharee Miller, & Jessica Ralli

• An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing & Paulina Morgan

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

Picture Books:

• Fair is Fair, Isn't It? by Dr. Lindsey L. Wilson & Shiela Alejandro

• We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, & Eduardo Trejos

• Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championship by Doreen Rappaport and E. B. Lewis

Juvenile:

• Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

• I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley

• We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson

Middle Grades:

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce & Debbie Levy

• Every Human Has Rights: A Photographic Declaration for Kids by National Geographic & Mary Robinson

• Together We March: 25 Protest Movements That Marched into History by Leah Henderson & Tyler Feder

Teen:

• How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

• Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History by Blair Imani, Tegan & Sara, & Monique Le

• The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Brenden Kiely & Jason Reynolds

Adult:

• Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks

• The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

• Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau

INCLUSION

Board Books:

• The More We are Together by Children's Press

• Together by Mona Damluji & Innosanto Nagara

• Together: A First Conversation About Love by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, & Anne/Andy Passchier

Picture Books:

• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman

• Everyone Belongs by Heather Avis & Sarah Mensinga

• I Want To Be Like Poppin' Joe: A True Story Promoting Inclusion and Self-Determination by Jo Meserve Mach & Mary Birdsell

Juvenile:

• Old Enough to Make a Difference: Be inspired by real-life children building a more sustainable future by Rebecca Hui & Anneli Bray

• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell & Frane Lessac

• Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference by Chelsea Clinton

Middle Grades:

• Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles

• Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera

• Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote by Alice Faye Duncan & Charly Palmer

Teen:

• Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen

• Black Internet Effect by Shavone Charles & Ashley Lukashevsky

• We are Inevitable by Gayle Forman

Adult:

• Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms by Mara Sapon-Shevin

• Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

• Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World by Ben Mattlin

Celebrating the Lights of Diversity: Holiday Storytime

We truly kindled the lights of joy this holiday season during our Celebrating the Lights of Diversity holiday stortyime.

We shared three of our favorite holiday books and lit all the lights we could find while learning about each one. We included a tiny Christmas tree, a Menorah, a Kinara, an Advent wreath, a flaming chalice, a Yule log and a Havdallah candle. All were featured in our stories. We were only missing the St. Lucia crown.

Winter Candle by Jeron Ashford in which a single candle unites a building of neighbors by being shared from tradition to tradition as needed.

An Anishinaabe Christmas by Wab Kinew in which an Anishinaabe family visits "the Rez" on the winter solstice and Baby learns all about an Anishinaabe Christmas and the weaving together of traditions on the long drive home.

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl. Neighbors help a family who's just moved in find all they need to celebrate Hanukkah when their box of supplies hasn't arrived, and in turn, on the ninth night, a new traditional of thanks and gathering is created.

March 2024 Storytime: Music Makes Room for Everyone

Please join us at 1pm in the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library on Sunday March 24 for stories in which music takes the stage. We plan to be joined by musicians to accompany our stories and may even have the chance to make some music ourselves.

Music is found in all cultures and all people. Books featuring music and musicians can be found in all 14 of the primary dimensions of diversity around which the CDJL is organized. And music has long been joined with and used by social justice movements to share messages of resistance and hope. Come hear stories in which music is the thread that unites and calls to action across all races, religions, colors, genders, sexes, classes, ages, educational levels, levels of wealth, abilities, relationship status, famly makeup and any other dimension of diversity.

What kind of music is your favorite?

February 2024 Storytime: A Birthday for Everyone

Please join us at 1pm in the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library on Sunday February 4 for stories featuring birthdays as well as games and activities that celebrate everyone’s birthday.

Every day, all around the world, in all kinds of settings, people celebrate birthdays. Sometimes they’re able to celebrate together, sometimes they’re not. Sometimes the gathering includes chosen family, sometimes birth families, sometimes friends or community, and sometimes all of them together. All birthdays that are celebrated include cultural rituals, but they may not be the same as the ones your culture observes. Some birthdays include presents we wish for, some include presents we didn’t know we needed and all include the present of being alive!

This month, the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church that hosts the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library is celebrating its 75th birthday! A birthday that includes having witnessed many important aspects of diversity and justice in our community including being the first predominantly white church to integrate in Knoxville, TN, the first church in Knox County, Tennessee to perform a federally recognized same gender marriage, and the church of Jack LaFlore who participated in sit-ins that helped end segregation in Knoxville among many others.

Did you ever realize birthdays could be so diverse, or could celebrate events of justice?! Join us on Sunday February 4th to learn and celebrate together with A Bithday for Everyone!

January 2024 Storytime: What's New?

Please join us at the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library on Sunday January 7 at 1pm for stories of newness.

The Gregorian calendar, the calendar we in the United States, and most of the world, use begins a new year on January 1. Happy New Year!

What other kinds of newness can we discover in our CDJL collection? New ideas. New family members. New schools. New places to go or live. New feelings. New skills. New friends. New names. New jobs. New homes. New books. We have all experienced being new, or something new, at some point. Come discover newness with us, and tell us — what’s new with you?

Programs for Thoughtfully Engaging with Thanksgiving: November 5

Please join us at the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library on Sunday November 5 for three opportunities to thoughtfully engage with Thanksgiving.

At 1pm in the CDJL we will share at least three stories written by Native authors and / or centering the voices of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to help us rethink what we’ve been told and taught about Thanksgiving.

Storytime starts at 1:00pm and runs for approximately 30 minutes. After storytime you will have the chance to participate in some activities such as exploring the  Native Land Digital interactive online map to learn about who's land we are inhabiting, decorating land acknowledgement table tents for your Thanksgiving table and creating thank you notes for anyone who has helped you. Additional activities to work on or take home may include coloring pages from one of our books and a Spirit Plate activity described in Keepunumuk. Following the activities, childcare will be available until 3pm.

Starting at 2pm, adults may participate in a forum “Parenting & Educating for Justice at Thanksgiving”. How can we help children understand the real history and harm that undergirds the “traditional” celebration of Thanksgiving, while also holding onto meaningful family rituals of giving thanks? What do we do to counter misinformation about the history of the United States and the lived experience of Native Americans that our kids learn at school and from others? How do we figure out how and when to have these conversations with our kids? Join us as we ask big questions, do some learning, share some resources, and offer a space to discuss the challenges of parenting for justice at Thanksgiving (and throughout the year). Facilitated by Catherine Farmer Loya in the Lizzie Crozier Room at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2pm.

Storytime Returns with Fall 2023 Series

We are thrilled to bring back our live storytime events with a four date fall series starting Sunday September 10!

Each month we will share at least three stories from our diversity and justice collection of over 1900 titles. Often, we will have time for activities that pair with our stories such as crafts, physical movement, service, cooking, etc.

For our kickoff event we’ll be sharing three fall favorite stories and practicing one of our favorite fall activities - voting! Attendees will have the chance to vote on the next three books to add to the CDJL collection.

September is also National Library Card Sign-Up month and we will be happy to create library cards for anyone who doesn’t have one. We look forward to seeing you there!

New Books for Pride Month and More!

In honor of Pride Month, we have made a commitment to increase our LGBTQIA and GENDER resources.

With assistance from a generous donor, and after thoroughly reviewing our current wishlist of LGBTQIA and/or GENDER books, we selected and ordered 18 new titles prioritizing those not currently available in local lending collections, including the public libraries, as well as those with the best reviews.  They will be on our shelves as soon as we can catalog them!

In addition, the first six months of 2023 have seen 255 titles added to our collection with one quarter of those added just this past month alone!  These new books also included some titles in the LGBTQIA and GENDER diversity dimensions.  *If you haven’t been to visit us in a while - what are you waiting for?!  

An amazing number of additions this year have been through donations from readers and supporters just like you!  THANK YOU!  

By working together, YOU make it possible for us to help readers access the books they want to read regardless of the current political and cultural climate.  Many people who aren’t local, and can’t check out our books, still use our catalog and blog posts to guide their reading.  *For additional and local Pride themed book lending check out the Knoxville Rainbow Library as well as our Pride Book Recommendations list from earlier this month here https://tinyurl.com/fol-cdjl-pride.

If you haven’t had the chance to donate to the little library that love built yet, there is always time! Our general wishlist is available here https://tinyurl.com/wishlistCDJL. Our LGBTQIA wishlist subset is available here https://tinyurl.com/CDJL-lgbtqiawish and our GENDER wishlist subset herehttps://tinyurl.com/CDJL-genderwish\

*During June and July, we are open 10am - 3pm Monday - Thursday and 9:30am - 12:30pm on Sundays.  Expanded hours will begin again this fall. 

Pride additions June 2023:

Board Books:

• Together: A First Conversation About Love written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli with illustrations by Anne/Andy Passchier

•  Bye Bye, Binary words by Eric Geron, illustrations by Charlene Chua

• Clive and His Bags by Jessica Spanyol 

Picture Books

• The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess; illustrated by Olga De Dios

•  When Langston Dances words by Kaija Langley; illustrations by Keith Mallett

• Girl Running written by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Micha Archer

• Two Grooms on a Cake author, Rob Sanders; illustrator Robbie Cathro 

• Ho’onani: Hula Warrior written by Heather Gale; illustrated by Mika Song

• Calvin written by J. R. Ford & Vanessa Ford; illustrated by Kayla Harren

• Twas the Night Before Pride written by Joanna McClintick; illustrated by Juana Medina 

Juvenile

• Different Kinds of Fruit author Kyle Lukoff

Middle Grades

• This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, Us edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby

• The List of Things that Will Not Change written by Rebecca Stead

• The Pants Project, Cat Clarke

Teen

• Girl Mans Up written by M - E Girard

• Boys Don’t Knit (in public), T. S. Easton

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo

Adult

• The Educator’s Guide to LGBT* Inclusion, Kryss Shane

• Rethinking Sexism, Gender and Sexuality, Editors and Authors Rethinking Schools, Kim Cosier, Rachel Harper, Jeff Sapp, Jody Sokolower, Melissa Bollow Tempel, Annika Butler-Wall

• The Stonewall Reader by The New York Public Library edited by Jason Baumann

Welcoming Light: Celebrating Winter Holiday Traditions

In the northern hemisphere, where the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library lives, it is winter. In only a few weeks, we will experience this year’s longest night and shortest day. Many cultures and religions recognize this time of year as a time to Welcome Light whether in the form of history, myth or legend, of evergreen trees or of sun, of candles or bulbs, or of stories and songs. Warmth and community are also celebrated through food, time with loved ones, acts of service and gestures of care and love.

As we move into a time when so many faiths, traditions, families and communities celebrate light, commemorate important events and gather together we wanted to share many of our favorite winter holiday themed books. These books all also include at least one of the fourteen primary dimensions of diversity in our collection, and/or are written by people whose identities or communities have historically been under published and under represented in literature. These, and hundreds more, are available for loan, at no cost, to library patrons. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how you can bring these and other books home. If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for winter holidy books. May this list help you and yours welcome light and celebrate the season.

BOARD BOOKS

• Hanukkah Lights written by David Martin, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

• My First Kwanzaa (My First Holiday) by Karen Katz

• Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper

PICTURE BOOKS

• Winter Candle written by Jeron Ashford, illustrated by Stacey Schuett

• The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober

• A Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal, Amish Karanjit, Margarita Engle, Ruth Jeyaveeran and Nicole Karanjit

• The Shortest Day, Susan Cooper author, Carson Ellis illustrator 

• The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco 

• Too Many Tamales - Gary Soto author, Ed Martinez illustrator

• *The Real Santa - written by Nancy Redd and illustrated by Charnell Pinkney Barlow

• Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen 

• Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon, Mark Siegel illustrator

• Rachel’s Christmas Boat by Sophie Labelle

• Shante Keys and the New Year’s Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport (author) and Marion Eldridge (illustrator)

• Lights of Winter: Winter Celebrations Around the World by Heather Conrad

• Snowflake Kisses and Gingerbread Smiles - Toni Trend Parker, author. Earl Anderson, illustrator.

• *Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas by Pamela Ehrenberg, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar

• *Twelve Dinging Doorbells: An Every-holiday Carol with words by Tameka Fryer Brown and pictures by Ebony Glenn

• Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford

• Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko

• I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison

• A Solstice Tree for Jenny by Karen Shragg

• *Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! written by Alexandra Alessandri, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda

• Santa’s Husband, written by Daniel Kibblesmith

• Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story story by Fran Manushkin, art by Robin Spowart

• *Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story - Angela Shelf Medaris, author; Daniel Minter, illustrations

• *A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World written by M. E. Furman, with illustrations from Susan Gal

PICTURE / juvenile BOOKS

• The People Remember written by Ibi Zoboi, illustrated by Loveis Wise

• Angela and the Baby Jesus written by Frank McCourt with illustrations by Raul Colon

JUVENILE BOOKS

• The Power of Light: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Isaac Bashevis Singer 

• Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa

JUVENILE / MIDDLE GRADES BOOKS

• Kwanzaa Karamu: Cooking and Crafts for a Kwanzaa Feast written by April A. Brady, illustrations by Barabara Knutson

MIDDLE GRADES

• The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards

• Aisha’s Moonlight Walk: Stories and Celebrations for the Pagan Year by Anika Stafford

• *Tru & Nelle: A Christmas Tale written by G. Neri

ADULT

• *Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions - written by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne HIll, with illustrations by Sara Ceres Boore

Outdoor Storytime Returns!

We are excited to bring back our outdoor storytime events this fall!

Join us outdoors on the lawn at 2931 Kingston PIke, Knoxville for storytime from 3 - 3:30pm. This month we'll be sharing some of our favorite stories about Welcoming New Beginnings.

If you picked up a summer reading log you can bring it back, we will add your reading efforts to our wall sized community tracker and you can pick up your prize pack!

If you didn't get a reading log yet, there's no time like today (or September 18) to start! Logs are available for everyone. Add 15 stars for 15 books, or 15 twenty minute reading sessions, and bring back your log for a prize. How diversely can you read?!

The library will also be open for browsing and check out after the event. Assistance is available to set up accounts, check books out, and select and pack up books If you prefer not to be inside with other people, at this time.

Come join us!

Our 2022 Summer Reading Program is in full swing & you can still Join Us!

New features:  

• Since our last summer reading challenge, we’ve added two new primary diversity elements to track,

1) Asian Asian-American and Pacific Islander, and 

2) Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples.

• Together we’ll be creating a giant community tracker displayed in the CDJL so we can see how many books in how many categories we can all read together. 

By using our reading tracker and placing a sticker or check mark or smiley face or whatever you like on the colored bar that matches the diversity elements in the books you read, you’ll get a sense of how broadly, deeply and diversely you’re reading!  Use one sticker or check mark for each book read, or every twenty minutes of reading independently or together.  

• What goal will you set for yourself?  

• How deeply and broadly can you read?  

• Can you read at least one book in every diversity element?

• What new tales and truths will you discover?

Need a tracker?  Get a tracker! Two ways:

• Pick one up at the CDJ Library:  

  • We are located inside the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church at 2931 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919 Room H.  

  • The CDJ Library is open during TVUUC office hours.  Weekdays typically 9:30am - 4:30pm Monday - Thursday.  Sundays 10:00am - 12:30pm.  Check the TVUUC website calendar for updates at www.tvuuc.org/calendar.  

• Download the 8.5 x 11 inch full color reading tracker pictured above by clicking here or navigating to this link https://tinyurl.com/CDJLSummer2022.   

Find books:

• Read and track books from the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library by following the steps to Borrow A Book from our menu above or navigate to this link to learn how https://cdjlibrary.org/borrowcdjl

• Read and track books that match our 14 primary diversity elements from the libraries and bookstores of your choice.  You can use our online library catalog to give you great ideas for what to look for (https://www.librarycat.org/lib/CDJLibrary/).  Maybe you’ll find something new to us too!

Create a community tracker & get prizes starting as early as August 15:

• Bring in your tracker starting as early as August 15, and anytime afterwards, and together we’ll create a giant community tracker in the library (you can keep your tracker too, just bring it in so we can add you to the collective tracker).  

• How many books can we collectively read in each category?!  What’s your guess?  100?  1000?  A million kazillion trillion?  

• The first 24 trackers that come in can also receive a prize pack filled with fun diversity, community & justice themed activities and keepsakes.

We hope you’ll have a great time reading the rainbow this summer!  Any questions contact cdjlib@gmail.com

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Book List and Diversity Element Announcement

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are integral members of our American cultural mosaic.  

AAPI communities are diverse, consisting of approximately 50 ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages with connections to 30 - 50 countries depending on the geographic scheme followed.  Over 24 million Americans, or 7.3% of the U.S. population, identify as AAPI and by some accounts they are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States.

Despite having been integral members of our country since colonization, the US has a history of racism towards, and oppression of, Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and peoples.  Examples include the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Incarceration (Internment) camps, the 2012 Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting and the Atlanta spa and massage shooting just over one year ago.  Between March 2020 and September 2021, more than 10,300 incidents of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop Asian Hate website. This must stop.  

The mission of the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library is to empower young people to celebrate diversity and seek justice in their lives and communities.  We do that by providing a curated free lending community library of books all written by or about under-published communities and people who identify with communities that are under-represented in literature, particularly children’s literature.  We also offer programs and resources such as this booklist that help people find diverse justice related literature.  

In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, and as further action in realizing our mission, we are pleased to announce we have catalogued the over 150 AAPI books in our collection in a newly identified primary diversity element ASIAN ASIAN-AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER.

From now on, searching or browsing this keyword tag in our collection will bring forward all resources reflective of these communities.  All AAPI books in our physical collection can be identified by a lime green dot on their spine.  We will continue to catalogue our books with more specifically descriptive tags as well, such as specific languages, cultures and countries within the diverse AAPI category such that more specific searches can be conducted and the diversity within this broad diversity element is not lost.  In addition, after reviewing several resources defining and describing AAPI geography and cultures, and considering reader needs and desires in searching and identifying literature, for the purposes of our collection, and recognizing that we will change our practices as we learn more and as needs develop, we have decided to include the Central Asia, Eastern Asia, South-eastern Asia, and Southern Asia subregions in the United Nations geoscheme for Asia as Asian Asian-American and Pacific Islander.  For now, Western Asia, a geographical region commonly referred to as the Middle East including for example Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Qatar will not be labeled AAPI.  

As one way to lift up, celebrate and recognize the contributions, successes and struggles of AAPI communities, our May booklist consists of some of our favorite titles from our AAPI collection, board book through adult, all written by or about people and communities that identify as Asian, Asian-American, and/or Pacific Islander.  

For additional resources about AAPI communities, AAPI social justice, AAPI Heritage Month and for additional booklists, we recommended the following:

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

• Stop AAPI Hate

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice

• Asian / Pacific American Librarians Association Literature Award Winners

• Social Justice Books: Asian Americans and Asia book list

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May 2022 CDJL Asian, Asian-American & Pacific Islander Booklist

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Board Books

• Holi Colors by Rina Singh 

• Diwali (Celebrate the World) - words from Hannah Eliot; illustrations from Archana Sreenivasan

• Will You Wear a Blue Hat? By Children’s Press 

Picture Books

• Binny’s Diwali - author Thity Umrigar and illustrator Nidhi Chanani

• A Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal - authors, Amish Karanjit, Margarita Engle and Nicole Karanjit; illustrator, Ruth Jeyaveeran

• Beautifully Me written by Nabela Noor, illustrations from Nabi H. Ali

• The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama - written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, illustrated by Bao Luu

• Is Nothing Something?: Kids' Questions and Zen Answers About Life, Death, Family, Friendship, and Everything in Between - by Thich Nhat Hanh, illusrated by Jessica McClure

• A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

• Watercress written by Andrea Wang, illustrations by Jason Chin

• Just Add One Chinese Sister: An Adoption Story written by Patricia McMahon and illustrated by Karen Jerome

• Colors of Aloha written by Kau-Arteaga, illustrations by J. R. Keaolani Bogac-Moore

• When Lola Visits written by Michele Sterling, pictures by Aaron Asis

• Golden Threads written by Suzanne Del Rizzo and illustrated by Miki Sato

• Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home words and illustrations by Youme Landowne

• My Name is Yoon written by Helen Recorvits, with illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska

• The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

• A Different Pond by Bao Phi

• It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way written by Kyo Maclear with illustrations by Julie Morstad

• Bilal Cooks Daal written by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Anoosha Syed

• Drawn Together written by Minh Le with illustration by Dan Santat

Juvenile and up

• Front Desk by Kelly Yang 

• Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes 

• Rickshaw Girl written by Mitali Perkins, with pictures by Jamie Hogan

• Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen and _______ from the Jasmine Toguchi series written by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vikovic

• Dia’s Story Cloth written by Dia Cha with illustrations by Chiie Thao Cha and Nhia Thao Cha

• Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo

Middle Grades and up

• The Breadwinner Trilogy written by Deborah Ellis

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Series by Grace Lin

  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (vol 1)

  • Starry River of the Sky (vol 2)

  • When the Sea Turned to Silver (vol 3)

• Pie in the Sky a graphic novel by Remy Lai

• Aru Shah and the End of Time, Book 1 in the Pandava Series - written by Rokshani Chokshii

• Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

• Takedown by Laura Shovan

• Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling

• When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller

• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

• American Born Chinese a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang

• Stories for South Asian Supergirls by Raj Kaur Khaira

Teen

• The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

• The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee 

• Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

• Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen

• Picture Us In The Light  by Kelly Loy Gilbert 

• The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian

• They Called Us Enemy a graphic novel written by George Takei, Justin Eissinger and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker

• Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Adult

• Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, Jose Antonio Varga author

• Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, Mira Jacob author

• The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir a graphic novel by Thi Bui

• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

Renewal: Books for March 2022

Life is full of both joy and sorrow, opportunity and challenge, dark and light.  Sometimes it’s all so good we feel we might burst!  Other times, trying to hold it all is so difficult it can be hard to remain hopeful.  

At times when everything feels like it’s falling apart - the climate, racism, the pandemic, book banning, political divides we need to believe that goodness is real.  We need to know that more is possible.  We need to renew our awareness of all that is good in and around us, all the possibilities that already exist.  

Where can we find renewal?   How do we keep hope alive?  In what can we place our faith that everything is going to be OK?  

“Once a reporter asked A.J. Muste, "Do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night in front of the White House with a candle?"

Muste replied softly: "Oh I don't do this to change the country. I do this so the country won't change me.” 

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Your mileage may vary.  The answers are different for different individuals, and different communities.  But faith may be more of an action than a thing upon which we can place hope.  Maybe its practice can bring about renewal.  Maybe it’s more about remembering what we love, who we want to be, and how we want the world to be, than about trust that things will work out.  

Renewal comes in many forms, and varies from person to person.  For some, it’s laughing and joining in a group that makes us feel joyful and alive.  For others, its moments of stillness, meditation, or long walks in fresh air.  It might be watching movies, exercising, knitting, or reading, or maybe even reading or sharing some of the books on this list.  It might come from commitment or rededication to promises, it might come from sunsets. This month, we share books about finding Renewal in places available to us all: 

• Ourselves - the practice of trusting our gifts

• Promises - the practice of making and honoring agreements

• Each Other - the practice of joining together 

• Simple Things - the practice of noticing the richness we already, and always, possess

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under-published and under-represented in literature, each draw upon these themes.  These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to our library patrons.  Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home.  If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books.  May this list help you and yours to find renewal. 

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Finding Renewal in Ourselves - the practice of trusting our gifts

Board Books

• I Can Do it Too! - Karen Baicker, author; Ken Wilson-Max, illustrator

• Hands Can - Cheryl Willis Hudson, author; John-Fracis Bourke, photographer

Picture Books

• Uniquely Wired:A Story About Autism and its Gifts - Julia Cook, author; Anita DuFalla, illustrator

• Rae’s First Day written by Danny Jordan and illustrated by Agustina Perciante

• Red: A Crayon’s Story, written and illustrated by Michael Hall

• Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration - written by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

• The Girl and the Wolf written by Katherena Vermette, pictures by Julie Flett

• Aaron Slater, Illustrator (The Questioneers) written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

Juvenile

• The Boy Who Grew Flowers - Jen Wojtowicz, author; Steve Adams, illustrator

• My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, with a foreword by Robert Battle

Middle Grades

• The Real Boy - Anne Ursu, author; Erin McGuire illustrator

Adult

• Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself, written by S. Bear Bergman with illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson

Finding Renewal in Promises and Commitments - the practice of making and honoring agreements

Board Books

• Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Books

• I Have the Right to be a Child written by Alain Serres, illustrated by Aurelia Fronty, translated by Helen Mixter

• The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist - Cynthia Levinson, author; Vanessa Brantley-Newton

• Vote for Our Future! - Margaret McNamara, author; Micah Player, illustrator

• All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything - Annette Bay Pimentel, author; Nabi Ali, illustrator.

• V is for Voting - written by Kate Farrell; illustrations by Caitlin Kuhwald

Juvenile

• The Promise written by Nicola Davies, with illustrations from Laura Carlin

• The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come; writing by Sue Macy, artwork by Stacy Innerst

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

Juvenile & Middle Grades

• What’s the Big Deal About Elections; writing by Ruby Shamir, illustrations by Matt Faulkner

Middle Grades

• Every Human Has Rights: A Photographic Declaration for Kids by National Geographic with foreword written by Mary Robinson

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

Teen

• Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (adapated for young adults) - Bryan Stevenson

Adult

• Basic Facts about the United Nations, edited by the United Nations Publications

• Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All; Elisa Camahort Page, author.

• Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books - Aaron Lansky

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson

• Raising the Race: Black Career Women Redefine Marriage, Motherhood, and Community (Families in Focus) - Riché J. Daniel Barnes

Finding Renewal in Each Other - the practice of joining together

Board Books

• Together - author, Mona Damluji; illustrator, Innosanto Nagara

• Daddy, Papa, and Me written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson

• Mommy, Mama, and Me written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson

• The More We Are Together by Children’s Press

PIcture Books

• Love is Powerful written by Heather Dean Brewer, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham

• 47,000 Beads, written by Koja Adeyoha and Angel Adeyoha

• Because written by Mo Willems, illustrated by Amber Ren

• My Family Plays Music - Judy Cox, author; Elbrite Brown, illustrator

• Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen

• Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue Lagarrigue

• Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can! Janitor Strike in L.A. by Diana Cohn 

Juvenile

• IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson

Middle Grades

• Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles

• The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle  

Middle Grades & Teen

• A Dream of Freedom: the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968 by Diane McWhorter

• Together We March: 25 Protest Movements that Marched into History by Leah Henderson, illustrated by Tyler Feder

Teen

• March, Book One; March, Book Two; March, Book Three - John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, authors; Nate Powell, illustrator

Adult

• The Interfaith Family Journal - Suan Katz Miller

Finding Renewal in Simple Things - the practice of noticing the richness we already, and always, possess

Board Book

• My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith

• Hands Can - Cheryl Willis Hudson, author; John-Fracis Bourke, photographer

• Little You - Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett

Picture Book

• Layla’s Happiness by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, with illustrations by Ashleigh Corrin

• Lily Brown’s Paintings, written by Angela Johnson, with illustrations by E. B. Lewis

• All We Need written by Kathy Wolff, illustrated by Margaux Meganick

• Here and Now by Julia Denos

• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

• You Matter by Christian Robinson

Juvenile

• Love Your Body, Jessica Sanders

• Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World - Anabel Kindersley with Unicef

• Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

Middle Grades

• Lucky Broken Girl - Ruth Behar, writer

Middle Grades & Teen

• Hope in the Holler - Lisa Lewis Tyre, author

• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - Jaqueline Kelly, author 

• The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate - Jaqueline Kelly, author

• Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World, Rachel Ignotofsky author

Widening Our Circles: Books for February 2022

As Grandpa says in one of our favorite books, “All Around Us” written by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M Garcia, “Circles are all around us.  We just have to look for them.”  And it’s true, circles are all around us, even within us, and we within them, from the tiny circles of cells and atoms to the circle of the water cycle with rain falling from the clouds, filling up reservoirs, travelling through rivers, evaporating up again, and coming back down.  

One thing that all circles have in common is that they form a boundary between what is inside and what is outside.  And that boundary marks a distinction: everything inside the circle shares something in common that is not shared by what is outside the circle.  Socially, this can look like belonging to a group with a common interest like cycling or knitting where everyone in the group participates in that activity and has a sense of belonging to that group.  People outside the group may, or may not, also enjoy that activity, but for many possible reasons, they do not share a sense of belonging to that particular group.  They are not part of that circle.  

However, it can be hard to reconcile the tension between enjoying the belonging and comfort found within a group, and the growth and excitement that comes from widening our circles and letting the outside in.  How do you attend to your own growth and development, and participate in and nurture your circles, while also cultivating the curiosity and openness that allows you and your groups to grow and evolve?  How do groups foster the trust within that allows them to grow, while simultaneously welcoming newcomers?  

It’s also important to be aware of the difference between firm and porous boundaries, and to question who is involved in forming and maintaining a circle or group.  Who is in, who is out, and why?  Firm boundaries can become overly insulating as well as exclusionary, making it difficult to recognize and honor all people as worthy of being held within a circle of love and worth.  In addition, many people have been, and still are, excluded from circles, not because of lack of affinity, but because of discrimination and prejudice.  Remembering to consider who is, and who isn’t, forming, maintaining, joining and participating in a circle, and whether the group’s boundaries are fixed or movable, helps create circles that can be widened and maintain a society that is welcoming, inviting, inclusive and just.   

This month, we make our way together towards wider circles by sharing books that offer tools and inspiration for:

• widening our self acceptance,

• widening our love,

• widening our understanding of history, and

• widening our commitment to community free from racism and oppression.  

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under-published and under-represented in literature, each draw upon these themes.  These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to our library patrons.  Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home.  If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books.  May this list help you and yours widen your circles. 

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Widening Our Self Acceptance

Picture Books

• Sulwe written by Nyong’o Lupita, illustrations by Vashti Harrison

• Big Hair, Don’t Care - Crystal Swain-Bates author; Megan Bair, illustrator

• Tough Guys Have Feelings Too written and illustrated by Keith Negley

• Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, author, and Luisa Uribe, illustrator

• Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder

• Beautifully Me by Nabela Noor

• You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator

Juvenile & Up

• Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders

• Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

Middle Grades

• Unsettled written by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Soumbal Qureshi

• Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

• Other Boys written and illustrated by Damian Alexander

Teen & Up

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Girls Write Now: Two Decades of True Stories from Young Female Writers - Girls Write Now contributors

• I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

• Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Widening Our Love

Board Book

• Love Makes A Family by Sophie Beer

• Good Night Families (Good Night Our World) - Adam Gamble, author; Kelly Cooper, illustrator

• Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman

• Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me by Dr. Stacey Bromberg

• And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, authors; Henry Cole, illustrator

• Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Book

• Grandma Comes to Stay (First Experiences) by Ifeoma Onyefulu

• A Friend for Henry - Jenn Bailey, author; Mika Song, illustrator 

• I Am Love: A Book of Compassion - Susan Verde, author; Peter H. Reynolds, illustrator

• You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator

• A Manual for Marco: Living, Learning and Laughing with an Autistic Sibling by Shaila Abdullah, author, and Iman Tejpar, illustrator

Juvenile & Up

• Why Are You Looking At Me?  I Just Have Down Syndrome written by Lisa Tompkins and illustrated by Ryan Eubanks

Middle Grades

• Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Teen and Up

• Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

• The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes - Diane Ehrensaft, author.

• Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

Widening Our History by Expanding What We Tell & How We Tell It

Board Book

• This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Daniel Roode

• Cradle Me (Navajo and English Edition) by Debby Slier

Picture Book

• The People Remember with words by Ibi Zoboi and pictures by Loveis Wise

• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water words by Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson, pictures by Nikkolas Smith’

• All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez

• When We Were Alone written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett

• Enough: 20 Protesters Who Changed America - Emily Easton, author; Ziyue Chen, illustrator 

Juvenile & Up

• I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis

• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell

• Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator

• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Middle Grades

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz

• Show Me A Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

• 1621: A New look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace 

Teen

• Freedom’s A-Callin Me - Ntozange Shange, author; Rod Brown, illustrator 

• Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History - Blair Imani, author; Monique Le, illustrator; Tegan and Sara, Foreword.

• Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers Edition: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong by James W. Loewen, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff 

Adult

• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

• The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Widening Our Commitment to Building the Beloved Community, Free from Racism and Oppression

Boardbooks

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

Picture Book

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator

• Sofia Valdez, Future Prez written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

• She’s My Dad!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative written by Sarah Savage, illustrated by Joules Garcia

• V is for Voting - Kate Farrell, author; Caitlin Kuhwald, illustrator

• All Because You Matter - author, Tamil Charles; illustrator Bryan Collier

• Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan and Kelly Tudor

Juvenile

• We Shall Overcome - Bryan Collier, illustrator

• Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester

• Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham

• When A Bully is President: Truth and Creativity for Oppressive TImes by Maya Gonzalez

Middle Grades & Up

• Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah  

• This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewel 

Teen

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Wake, Rise, Resist: The Progressive Teen’s Guide to Fighting Tyrants and A*holes - Joanna Spathis and Kerri Kennedy, authors.

adult

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Antiracist Baby - words by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrations by Ashley Lukashevsky

• Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in our Lives - Davey Shlasko, author; Kai Hofius, illustrator

• Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

• Raising Antiracist Kids by Nicole C. Lee, Esq.

• Brown: The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez

• 3 Keys to Defeating Unconscious Bias: Watch, Think, Act by Sondra Thienderman

• How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance by Akiba Solomon

• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Announcing Spring 2022 Monthly CDJL Book Pack Loans

We are excited to announce the Spring 2022 dates for our monthly book pack loans!

You tell us the age level and diversity elements you’re interested in, and we choose 3 - 5 books we think you and/or the readers in your life will love, check them out to you, and pack them up. You pick them up at the designated time for a one month loan! Just bring them back at the next month’s pick-up / return opportunity.

It’s the easiest (and safest) way to get a steady stream of great diversity & justice reads when you’re not able to come in in person to browse our collection, and don’t have the time to browse our online collection.

Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/CDJLBookPack

All sign ups need to be in by midnight of the sign up date. All pickups are between 3pm and 4:30pm at 2931 Kingston Pike (contactless curbside pickup available). If you cannot come at the designated time, that does not mean you can't participate - let us know on your signup and we'll work with you to find an alternate time to get your book pack.

Sign up by Wednesday February 2, 2022 ---------> Pick Up on Sunday February 6, 2022

Sign up by Wednesday March 2, 2022 ---------> Pick Up on Sunday March 6, 2022

Sign up by Wednesday March 30, 2022 ---------> Pick Up on Sunday April 3, 2022

Sign up by Wednesday April 27, 2022 ---------> Pick Up on Sunday May 1, 2022

Pick-ups are made at the doors closest to the Kingston Pike parking lot entrance, across from the Little Free Pantry. Books are loaned for four weeks and can be returned at the next pick-up / drop-off event or during regular the current regular office hours of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in which we are housed: Mondays 10 - 4pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 - 3pm.

Lending is available to all CDJL patrons. If you're not a patron yet, we'll create an account for you once we receive your sign up. A small one-time donation of $15, suggested when becoming a library patron, helps the library continue to put and keep the best diversity and justice titles on the shelves for everyone to enjoy. To make that donation, visit https://onrealm.org/tvuuc/give, enter the amount you want to give and select Diversity Library Gift from the "Fund" drop down and click Continue to move through the prompts. Donation is NOT required to participate.

*RETURNS: If you can't make the next pick-up / drop-off date to return your books, books can be returned to the office of the church which houses the library - open Mondays 10 - 4pm and Tuesdays 10 - 3pm. The CDJLibrary office is also open Wednesdays 8am - 3pm. If those times don't work, just contact us at cdjlib@gmail.com and we'll work something out so you can return your books.

Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/CDJLBookPack

For all the details on your CDJLibrary patron account, borrowing books, book recommendations, events and more, visit www.cdjlibrary.org

Questions? Contact us at cdjlib@gmail.org

Opening to Joy and Celebrating Light - Books for December 2021

On the surface, December may seem to be one of the most, if not the most, joyful months of the year.  In fact, if you live in North America, you can hardly avoid the frequent reminders that it is in fact “the most wonderful time of the year” (sorry for the ear worm).  No matter where you live, you likely encounter frequent reminders that this is a time of celebration, of family and social gathering, of connection, of plentiful and decadent food, and of warmth.  

Yet, for many people, finding joy at this time of year, or any time of year, takes work.  In fact, we might even consider that opening to joy is the work -- not just of this season, but of all our seasons; those on the calendar, and those we experience internally and as societies.

If opening to joy can be viewed as work, our collective work to keep ourselves whole and vibrant, then creating joy, sharing joy, finding joy in tough times and celebrating light are the means by which we accomplish this.  

This month we share books that explore Opening to Joy and Celebrating Light through creating, sharing, and finding joy, even amidst challenges, and by celebrating light wherever we find it whether that be in the sun, in evergreen plants and trees, in candle flames or in metaphor.  

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under published and under represented in literature, each draw upon these themes.  These, and hundreds more, are all available for loan to our library patrons as well as TVUUC members and families. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home.  If you’re not able to check books out, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books exploring how we can open to joy and celebrate light.  May they help you and yours open to joy and celebrate light.

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Creating Joy

Picture Books and up

• Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown

• What If . . . , Samantha Berger author with Mike Curato illustrator

• My Family Plays Music, Judy Cox author, Elbrite Brown illustrator

• White Flour, David LaMotte author and Jenn Hales illustrator

Middle Grades

• The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell

Sharing Joy

Board Books

• Little You by Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett

Picture Books, Juvenile, and up

• Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness Into Light written by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Karen Clarkson

• Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein

• Saturday by Oge Mora

• The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature written by Sue Macy, illustrated by Stacy Innerst

• When we Love Someone We Sing to Them: Cuando Amamos Cantamos by Ernesto Javier Martinez author, Maya Christina Gonzalez illustrator and Jorge Gabriel Martinez Feliciano translator

Middle Grades & up

• Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, Aisha Saeed Editor, Sara Alfageeh illustrator

Adult

• Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books, Aaron Lansky

Opening to the Joy In and Around Us 

Boardbooks

• My Heart Fills With Happiness, Monique Gray Smith

Picture Books &  Up

• Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration, Samara Cole Doyon author, Kaylani Juanita illustrator

• I Am Perfectly Designed written by Karamo and Jason Brown, illustrated by Anoosha Syed

• Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein

• Layla’s Happiness, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie author, Ashleigh Corrin illustrator

Finding Joy Amidst Challenge

Picture Books, Juvenile &  up

• We Shall Overcome, Bryan Collier illustrator

• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones author, Renee Watson author and Nikkolas Smith illustrator 

• Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown

• Saturday by Oge Mora

Middle Grades & up

• Stella by Starlight, Sharon M. Draper

• Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood by James Baldwin with illustrations by Cazac

• Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido

adult

• Raising my Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son by Lori Duron

• The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me, Keah Brown

Opening to Joy and Celebrating Light

Board Books

• Diwali (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Eliot and Archana Sreenivasan

• Hanukkah Lights written by David Martin, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

• My First Kwanzaa (My First Holiday) by Karen Katz

• Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper

picture books

• Winter Candle written by Jeron Ashford, illustrated by Stacey Schuett

• The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober

• A Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal, Amish Karanjit, Margarita Engle, Ruth Jeyaveeran and Nicole Karanjit

• The Shortest Day, Susan Cooper author, Carson Ellis illustrator 

• The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco 

• Elijah’s Angell: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen 

• Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon, Mark Siegel illustrator

• Shante Keys and the New Year’s Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport (author) and Marion Eldridge (illustrator)

• Lights of Winter: Winter Celebrations Around the World by Heather Conrad

• Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko

• I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison

• A Solstice Tree for Jenny by Karen Shragg

Juvenile Fiction

• The Power of Light: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Isaac Bashevis Singer 

• Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa

Middle Grades

• The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards

• Aisha’s Moonlight Walk: Stories and Celebrations for the Pagan Year by Anika Stafford

Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples - New Primary Diversity Element Added

We are happy to share the news that the CDJL now includes a 13th primary diversity element - Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples!

Since our inception, we have catalogued and lent dozens of books written by and about native and indigenous people.  Adding this diversity element as a standard tag in our online catalogue and on the spine of included books means finding these books will be that much easier for browsers and borrowers.  

The Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples tag includes all our books written by and about Native Americans, First Nations, Aboriginal, Native, and Indigenous peoples worldwide.  Each book within this diversity element is also tagged with additional attributions to allow more specific searches such as Native American, First Nations, tribe and nation specific names such as Choctaw, Mohawk, Cherokee, etc., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Taino, etc. For example, while there are 77 books currently catalogued as Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, there are 67 related to Native Americans.    

The CDJL’s 13 main diversity elements are used as primary means by which the collection can be searched online, and, thanks to our color-coded dot system on the spine of each book, easily identified on our shelves.  

To browse the collection online by the new Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples diversity element, head to our online catalogue home page and select the Browse By highlighted text for “Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples” or click this link https://tinyurl.com/cdjlNNIP.

Our wishlist includes many more Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples books, including many “own voices” and lesser-known titles, that we’d love to add to our collection.  To browse our wishlist for this diversity element see https://tinyurl.com/cdjlwishNNIP.  To browse our entire wishlist see https://tinyurl.com/wishlistCDJL. 

Library work is never finished.  Next on our list to include as a primary diversity element is Asian American and Pacific Islander.  We’ll begin working on sorting and properly tagging all our titles in that area after the beginning of 2022 and hope to announce our 14th primary diversity element soon!  Then, you’ll be able to more easily identify all the books in our collection written by and about people who identify as Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders. 

Cultivating Relationship: Books for October 2021

This month, we share books that demonstrate the many ways in which we cultivate relationships, and the skills and tools we use to do so.

We humans are a social species.  Even the most introverted among us needs others to engage with, to feel recognized, seen and heard.  Our relationships are fundamental to our health; as individuals, as families, as communities, and as one global community.  It is often only from within relationships, whether with self, others or the universe, that we are able to grow and change.   Furthermore, pandemic time has revealed, possibly to an even greater extent than we may have realized before, cultivating relationships is important. But how do we do that?  What does it take to nurture and sustain relationships?  How do we ensure our relationships are vibrant, healthy and just?  What tools and skills do we need for success?

As we explore this theme, we examine how we cultivate relationships

• with ourselves,

• with our family and friends; ,

• with the communities of which we are a part, 

• and with our global community (human and non-human);  

and some of the skills we can use to ensure our relationships are vibrant, just and healthy:

• making and living up to agreements, promises and covenants, 

• listening, communicating and truth telling, 

• atoning, forgiving, repairing and rebuilding,

• practicing empathy and being true to yourself.

This month’s book list includes books that focus both on who we cultivate relationships with, as well as how we cultivate them. Some books naturally fall into both multiple categories.

Who we cultivate relationships with:

With self:

picture books

• Listening with My Heart: A story of kindness and self-compassion by Gabi Garcia and Ying Hui Tan (Illustrator)

• It’s Okay To Be Different, Todd Parr

• Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration written by Samara Coyle Doyon and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

  I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids written by Gabi Garcia, illustrated by Charity Russell

With family and friends:

Board Book

• Love Makes a Family, Sophie Beer 

• Cradle Me (Navajo/English) by Debby Slier and various photographers

• Mommy, Mama, and Me / Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman

• Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me / Hugs of Three: My Mommies and Me by Stacey Bromberg and Joe Taravella

• The More We Are Together by Tanya Roitman

• Good Night Families by Adam Gamble

• Welcome, Precious by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Picture book

• Yo! Yes?, Chris Raschka

• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, Nikole Hannah-Jones (author) and Renee Watson (illustrator)

Juvenile

• Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

Middle Grades

• How I Became a Ghost - A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Book 1 in the How I Became a Ghost Series) by Tim Tingle

• When a Ghost Talks, Listen (Book 2 in the How I Became A Ghost series) by Tim Tingle

• The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Verra Hiranandani

Teen

• Darius the Great is Not Okay, Adib Khorram

• Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp

With community/ies:

Board book

• Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara

• One Love by Cedella Marley and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

picture book

• Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy

• The Cot in the Living Room by Hilda Eunice Burgos and illustrated by Gaby D’Alessandro

Picture Book / Juvenile

• Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

• When You Look Out the Window: How Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Built A Community by Gayle E. Pitman

Juvenile

• When a Bully is President: Truth and Creativity for Oppressive Times by Maya Gonzalez

• The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Middle Grades

• Sharing our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trish Marx and illustrator Cindy Karp

• Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles

Middle Grades / Teen

• Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Adult

• Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky

With the world (human and non-human):

Board Book

• Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Book

• Birrarung Wilam: A Story from Aboriginal Australia by Aunty Joy Murphy

• Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long

• Because Amelia Smiled, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

• Outside In by Deborah Underwood

Teen

• When They Call You A Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by asha bandele and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, adapted by Benee Knauer

Adult

• Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All by Elisa Camahort Page

How we cultivate relationships:

Making and living up to agreements, promises, covenants:

Picture Books

• You Hold Me Up / Ki Kihceyimin Mana by Monique Gray Smith

Juvenile

• The Promise, author Nicola Davies  and illustrator Laura Carlin

Middle Grades

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

Teen

• When They Call You A Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by asha bandele and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, adapted by Benee Knauer

Adult

• Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

Listening, communicating and truth telling:

Picture Books

• 47,000 Beads by Koja Adeyoha

• Yo! Yes? By Chris Raschka

• Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano 

Juvenile

• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac (illustrator)

Juvenile & Middle Grades

• I Can Make this Promise by Christine Day

• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Middle Grades

• Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

• How I Became a Ghost - A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Book 1 in the How I Became a Ghost Series) by Tim Tingle

• When a Ghost Talks, Listen (Book 2 in the How I Became A Ghost series) by Tim Tingle

Teen

• Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation, Monique Gray Smith

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, illustrated by Harmony Becker

Practicing empathy and being true to yourself:

Board Book

• Calm-Down Time written by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen

• Clive and His Babies (All About Clive) by Jessica Spanyol

Picture Book

• The Boy & the Bindi written by Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Rajni Perera

• Bunnybear by Andrea J. Loney, illustrated by Carmen Saldana

• When We Were Alone, written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett

Juvenile

• Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit (author) and Arthur Rackham (illustrator)

Teen

• Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Susan Kuklin

Adult

• Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family, written by Amy Ellis Nutt

• A Clown in Cobwebs by Walt Nelson

Atoning, forgiving, repairing and rebuilding:

Picture Book / Juvenile

• Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

• Golden Threads by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Middle Grades

• Sunshine by Marion Dane Bauer

Teen

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers’ Edition: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Lowewen, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff

• Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Adapted for Young Adults), by Bryan Stevenson

• We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, edited by Wade Hudson

Adult

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

• The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools (Justice and Peacebuilding) by Katherine Evans