How to connect with your local library to help your children read more. Children's Library joins us with her recommendations we want to hear from you join the conversation. Right after the. Live from n.p.r. News I'm Jack Speer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is absolutely willing to delay or forgo the August recess to get back to work on the next coronavirus will leave measure N.P.R.'s wonder Johnson reports close he's urging lawmakers to reach a bipartisan compromise as unemployment claims and continue to skyrocket. Democrats and Republicans are still at odds over numerous provisions of the next relief package including jobless benefits state and local government relief direct payments to individuals and a liability protections for doctors and businesses in the meantime millions of Americans are on track to lose a $600.00 federal unemployment benefit that's scheduled to expire at the end of the month N.P.R.'s Winsor Johnston countries in the Americas now account for about half of all cases and deaths from covert 19 globally so N.P.R.'s Pam long reports those numbers continue to claw according to the World Health Organization countries in North and South America including the u.s. Have reported their highest ever daily case counts in the past week Pan-American regional director Curry said says deaths in the region are also rising particularly in Brazil Mexico and the United States of America reporting some 77 percent of the deaths over the last week I'm currently experience in some of the deadliest brigs in the womb a chance as restricting travel and closing schools has helped flatten the curve in recent month she says countries must continue to use public health measures that are proven to work to slow the viruses spread and limit its death toll Ping-Pong n.p.r. News New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is adding 4 more states to the quarantine list as he seeks to prevent the spread of covert 19 almost today announcing residents of Minnesota New Mexico Ohio and Wisconsin will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering New York state that takes the total number of so-called quarantine states to $22.00 a number that's been growing weekly a potent greenhouse gas known as methane is on the rise according to a new study scientists warn that could dramatically increase climate change N.P.R.'s Lawrence Summers more the atmosphere is warmed by both carbon dioxide and methane but you can think of methane as a thicker blanket it's about $28.00. Times better at trapping heat and humans are adding more of it to the atmosphere according to the Global Carbon Project that comes from leaks from oil and gas wells and pipelines it also comes from farmland and from the digestive systems of cows and livestock methane emissions are growing from many countries Europe has been able to cut its emissions by using less fossil fuel and eating less meat Lauren Sommer n.p.r. News on Wall Street that I was up 556 points the Nasdaq rose 97 points today you're listening to n.p.r. . A federal judge is rejecting a proposed $1000000.00 settlement between Harvey Weinstein and some of his accusers u.s. District court judge saying that the accusers in the proposed class action settlement were too varied to be grouped together lawyers for several women who opposed the dia were happy with the swift rejection a spokeswoman for the former producer declined comment the deal would have provided figures ranging from 757150000 dollars to someone new cues one state of misconduct ranging from harassment to assault some of the nation's big banks are warning the recession will be longer and deeper than 1st thought N.P.R.'s germs are only reports the banks took a hit to their bottom line because of the pandemic Wells Fargo lost money during the 2nd quarter of the year for the 1st time since the 2008 financial crisis both Citi Group and j.p. Morgan Chase made money but their profits were a lot lower than this time last year all of the banks say they're having to set aside more money to cover loan losses the number of businesses and consumers asking to defer loan payments has risen sharply since April j.p. Morgan Chase c.e.o. Jamie Dimon told investors that the recessions impact has been delayed because of government stimulus payments the real impact he said is coming down the road Jim n.p.r. News New York Virgin Atlantic has come up with a lifeline in the form of a $1800000000.00 cash infusion raise from private sources including founder Richard Branson to keep the carrier aloft Branson Virgin Group abroad a big chunk of the money while Delta which owns 49 percent of version is a grade to defer some payments that are due I'm Jack Speer n.p.r. News support for n.p.r. Comes from the Public Welfare Foundation committed to advancing a transformative approach to justice that is community led restorative and a racially just learn more at Public Welfare dot org And the John d. And Catherine t. MacArthur Foundation at mac bounded dot org. No pizza dough no problem we've got lightning fast fun ways to make pizza on the grill with a baguette tortilla or refrigerator biscuits in a true we have a great recipe on wine and our new experiment beer ice cubes That's from the faith Middleton moves here on n.p.r. . Thursday afternoon at 3. This is where we live on Connecticut Public Radio I'm loosing all but broadcasting remotely it's the perfect time to lose yourself in a good book especially in a pandemic when so many days have been spent inside over the last few months today where we live we bring back our pandemic book club to hear how families are staying engaged with reading this summer coming up we hear from local authors about what they're reading and writing these days we'll talk with the children's librarian and get her recommendations and we also want to hear from you here's the number to join us 888-720-9677 that's 888720 w. N.p.r. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter at where we live tell us what you're reading today I want to welcome back to the show on Zoom Kate Capshaw she's past president of children's literature Association It's a nonprofit dedicated to the study of literature for children she's also a professor at the University of Connecticut welcome back to the show. I'm so happy to be here I mentioned the pandemic that we're in and I have 2 children I know you have children as well it's been pretty exhausting to deal with online learning and working and keeping kids motivated now it's the summer so how do you recommend parents can courage their children to to read a book. Oh that's a great question I really think actually that soom and Skype have an opportunity for young people to hear their relatives from around the country read books to them I know many people aunties and and grandparents and other members of their family who have favorite picture books and to quarantine and it's difficult to connect and I really feel like I see a lot of families out there using zoom to create these kind of beautiful reading situations it's really interesting that we haven't tried that but that might be good to try with Grandma next time I mention that you have a family so we're going to ask what your kids are reading Kate oh my kids are really into graphic novels these days they are reading a new kid by Jerry craft which just won the 2020 Newberry Award it's a really fantastic middle grade graphic novel about being an outsider and training middle school and to go shooting friend groups and the main character is an African-American always name is Jordan and he starts in a school that's predominantly white and very affluent and the cool thing about this book is that you can see kind of. Comics roll out explanations in ways that words alone don't mean so when Jordan is carefully thinking about inclusion and exclusion the comic form really helps kind of make these moments concrete it's really really a wonderful book on the Newbery and it's funny and smart and also celebrates drawing and my children drawing so that's a book that's very popular right now in my house when we think about graphic novels I do think about young adults but I often tend to gravitate toward graphic novels as well is that something that you find that more adults are also interested in Oh absolutely I mean it's a medium that that really connects with all readerships. I have to I have to mention another graphic novel series that my children have really loved and it's the lumber Chines series and it's authored by a collective appointment it's about girls at a summer camp and the girls go on kind of like adventures they are akin to Girl Scouts but they need all these kinds of fantastical creatures like 3 I axes and yet the and the series does this Derrick Lee funny and I think that comic kind of medium allows children to get excited about reading in a way. That's really Invitational and you said that was called the lumber Jane series it's the number of serious and I just I can't endorse a more highly it's just so much fun. I love that it focuses on a group of girls you know the Babysitters Club is getting there revisit a lot of people are interested in that again with the Netflix series but it's nice to hear about this graphic novel series that you mentioned the last time we had you on Kate we talked about the importance of why diversity in books especially for children in tweens and young adults when we think about the moment that our country is in right now some see this as the 2nd phase of the civil rights movement can I talk to you about some of the books that you would recommend that children and teenagers can read today that put focus on social justice and civil rights in a way that's in gauging Absolutely I mean you're right this is such a key moment for young people who are really at the front lines both of protests and really thinking through the structural legacies that they're encountering in schools and communities is just really important moment and children are and young people are at the forefront of it and so in terms of different categories of books we have even picture books for the very youngest readers that are engaged in social justice so I think Hands up I Brianna McDaniel and woke baby by mahogany brown and both of these books kind of take the physical movements that children infants and young people make with hands in the air or fists in the air or stretching baby and talk about how these children will develop into a political. Thinking active contributors are social Just so there's a really cool books very young. We also have text like. We rise we resist we raise our voices which is edited by Wade Hudson and Sheryl Willis Hudson and this is a collection of I think the best writers of color right now and they're all talking about social justice to young people and some are using poetry summaries and short stories prose but they directly engage the reader and they say to the reader this is a quote from one of the writers you come from people who have never stopped finding a way we knew you would be coming and we're your life Matt in truth and spirit and memory you are here and we're here with you it's a really inspirational collection it's a collection that really fortifies like children especially but all children of color sense of agency in the world and then in terms of grappling with police violence you may everyone knows I think the hate you give me and Thomas which is really wonderful There are a number of other really fantastic books one graphic novel to go back to that that is quite moving and I think important is I am Alfonso Jones attorney Medina which depicts the death of a teenager at the hands of an off duty police officer but then that that teenager goes onto a ghost train. And on that those train are individuals who have been the victims of police violence in real life so it's the director of the train is Amadou Diallo and they sort of go through a New York landscape and they think about the life of Hans or Jones and the meaning of His existence and it's just it's such a moving moving book and then finally I would suggest also that there's an explosion of nonfiction books about social justice that are really important right now so even Candy who's very popular adult book I mean anti-racist and then stamp from the beginning has a young adult version of stamps which is coauthored with a really important writer Jason Reynolds you know Dog writer and it's called stamps and it talks about the origin of brace. It's an idea and moved across history in a really kind of conversational playful sometimes knowing jokes way of drawing readers and young people into the history of racism in the United States and then it has a really moving call for action of the and how young. And reshaping society Thank you Kate for those titles will try to list those on our website at w npr dot org slash where we live I'm wondering when we talk about a summer reading I mean definitely you want your children to be engaged with reading but when we talk about books such as these you know how would you recommend that families come together and talk about these books or you know get their children to talk about some of the themes that they're reading about and the ideas that they're thinking about because it's it's it's not easy reading that times when children connect things that they've experienced in life and one when they're reading stories on a page so loosely I mean you're right I think parents and guardians should be in close contact with their children no matter what they're reading and ask them questions about it but you're right that these social justice books really are family reading they are occasions for the child or the adults to excavate some of the questions that are being pursued in the books I think this is why turn it in as focused on court and also because as a graphic novel a child can more easily locate something that they want to talk about in an image that sticks with them and then bring that to their family just say Hey let's talk about those and of course I encourage all parents also to read these books they're fantastic literature period regardless of the audience you're hearing Kate Capshaw ganja the professor at the University of Connecticut also past president of children's literature Association as we focus on reading today especially getting families to engage with their children to read book. During the summer it's a great time to do so we want to hear what you're reading maybe reading together as a family the number to join 887209677 are find us on Facebook and Twitter at where we live the last time we did our pin Demick book club Kate we talked about how some people might want to pick up books where they can escape from the realities of today living in a pandemic and dealing with having to social distancing a lot of heavy things happening in our world sometimes it's nice to just escape in a book what are some of the favorite books that you have whether it's growing up or ones that you recommend your kids where it is taking a break from the day to day events in our lives. I think there's a really terrific new young adult text that is absolutely different than everything I've read before and it's called Head quack a messy it's a fantasy story in which a girl who lives in the city that has proportionably eliminated all monsters. Accidentally brings a painting to life her brother is an artist and this painting is of this avenging angel is almost demonic like Angel who says to the main character Jem we're going to go hunt monsters and then they go on to the into the town and they find that the monsters are not necessarily spectacular but more hidden and the thing that really strikes me about this book is that the author uses language to disorient you and Dee familiarise the landscape in ways that makes it really fresh and exciting I love that make me think a bit about language and it mean I don't see the world differently and I have to say pet him as a book and in terms of coded in the context of coded this is going to seem like. Perhaps a strain suggestion but I think this picture book bear came along is the book for Cope Ok it's about a bear who decides they're not going to go on it sure but then gets sucked into the water onto a log and then eventually all kinds of animals also kind of get you know swept onto the log onto the log and they all go over a waterfall together and in that moment they grasp each other's hands and oh my gosh I was moved to tears over this picture book because the idea is that we are all in this together we're all going on this waterfall together we need each other and so I would hardly bear came along by Richard Morris. I was thinking back to some of the picture books that we read time and time again in our household then I'm wondering for tweens then and young adult that there's some other. Classics that might be a good time to pick up this summer Kate Oh I think there are so many classic books that really stand the test of time you think of Charlotte's Web and we're going to time and things like that but I would I would suggest talk everlasting by Natalie it would be a great summer read because it grapples with the same kind of philosophical questions really that Charlotte's Web grapples with which is how does the how or why is what shapes a life's worth and meaning and would you take immortality if it were offered you. And it's just a beautifully written book it's fairly brief and the language is immersive and I think it really does stand the test of time so Tuck Everlasting right Natalie got it. We're going to be again be speaking to you in the speak to Kate Capshaw about some great read for families this summer you can also just call in and tell us what you are reading at 87209677 whether you're reading together as a family or you have a book that you are enjoying on your own when the kids finally go to bed this is where we live I'm listing all the things we did hear from some listeners on social media Stephen writes on Facebook the 2021 nutmeg Award nominee dread nation Reconstruction Era mystery novel blended with an ever constant zombie virus threat Kate have you heard that well I'm not I'm going to check that out immediately zombies I'm there to read nation that was one of the nominee yet again that mega Award nominee and of course a lot of people looking forward to reading the upcoming forthcoming married trumps a book so that's a listener saying that they're looking forward to reading that you can join us 287209677 it's our pandemic book club coming up after the break we're going to speak to some Connecticut authors about that what they're writing and reading and again we want to hear for. Join us on Facebook and Twitter at. Local news that Connecticut Public Radio is made possible by award winning reporters who rely on your support donate today at w. Npr dot org Thank you. Coming up on the next point San Diego and l.a. Will be online only New York will go hybrid there's a sense of panic about whether kids should go back to school this fall we'll push past simplistic debate and take a close look at how families and educators across the country are working through the challenges that's coming up on the next point from n.p.r. . Suggests Republicans are likely to lose control of the Senate in November I'm genuine look at Crow and we're going to happen going on joining. Us and tomorrow morning at 11. If you rely on Connecticut Public Radio's award winning journalism now you can listen to us no matter where you go just download the Connecticut Public Mobile App the free way to enjoy Connecticut Public Radio anytime anywhere it's also great way to enjoy your favorite Todd pass t.v. T.v. Spirited create. A good show down low they're going to get a public mobile app today I don't have the App Store and Google Play. You're listening to a broadcast of a previously recorded program this is where we live on Connecticut Public Radio I'm loosing up at the 2nd installment of our Penn Demick book club What are you reading this summer the number to call 887209677 that's 88720 w n.p.r. You know also find us on Facebook and Twitter where we live today we're also focusing on how families can get excited to read together and we're getting recommendations from my guests from children's books to tween books to young adult collections again you can join us 872096771 Zoom is Kate Capshaw she is past president of children's literature Association also a professor at the University of Connecticut Kate I'm wondering we talked about some old favorites right before the break are there some other new books that you're excited about maybe we start with the the elementary level. Sure one middle grade novel that's really exciting is Tristen strong punches a hole in the sky. It is part of recruiting it already and saris very difficult for me to speak of morning. The author of the procedure actually a series he's kind of initiated this series in which. Cultural stories from other myths from other locations put into fantasy and Tristen strong is just a fantastic book where the main character punches a hole through a tree and enters into a fantasy space populated by. Myths from African-American culture and he goes on a task with a non-citizen it's a wonderful book it's perfect for those who love the person Jackson series. And we want to bring in some local authors to find out some of the what they're writing about but also what they're reading $920.00 s now on Zoom is a car O'Brien she's a young adult author based here in Connecticut She's best known for the birthmark trilogy car Welcome to our show. Thanks for having me so tell us a little bit about the birthmark trilogy and what are you working on these days. Well the Earth marked trilogy is 300 years in the future after climate change and it takes place on the north shore of an Lake Superior after that has been drained of water and the main character guy Stone is a young midways and it is for a responsibility to deliver a baby the 1st baby that she delivers alone is supposed to go to authorities on the other side of a war she lives in a split society where people inside the well have privileges and electricity and education and those close well people who live out their warring centrally in a wasteland and age append on resources from inside the wall in order to survive it is where they have to exchange children or babies to go and or because the people and so on are having problems with reproduction so the situation is pretty dire and in the 1st chapter when delivers the baby she has to decide whether or not she's going to a the law or to turn over the baby when the mother objects and at the end of the 1st chapter she makes a ton men discovers that her parents have been arrested so she spends the rest of the book trying to save and it gets really really complicated. It sounds really interested in engaging it must be interesting to be in this Toby and writer during this time current Yeah you know find I sometimes feel like I'm living in a dystopian. I mean you look around and and there's this summit and rest and there's so much suffering in there so much uncertainty so I definitely feel that. It's a strange experience it definitely is but I also feel like when we were writing we kept into sort of as a ghost of what everybody is feeling or what they're thinking about and sometimes So even though I wrote that Earth March trilogy started that you know 10 years ago even then I was thinking about things like the world. And injustice and who has things and does not have things. And in a way I was tapping into stuff that was early there and it's strange that what has emerged you know what we're dealing with now is actually based on what we were dealing with 10 years ago or 20 years ago or a generation ago. It's just even when you think you're thinking up something new you're actually tapped into something that's been there for a long. So what are you writing about these days like car given where our country is in our world actually during this pandemic. I have a couple things going on there's a book that I just finished that I've been working on for a couple of years that actually takes place on a planet far away and it also deals with injustice and survival. And so fortunately it was in the final revisions that is when the pandemic struck so I was able to sort of all that gather and. But since then I've been of course trying to write something new and it seems like every time I start something new I think oh I'll write some kind of weight on and then the next thing I know it's getting really miserable and people are I can't write this anymore so I set it aside and start something else again and I'll try something later this time and the next thing I know people are dying are so it's very hard for me to see the inner voices of whatever's happening in my head so I'm not really but it's around going to go but I have to keep trying and can't stop writing so I keep starting things and then abandoning them and then starting something else I'm sure something will stick eventually and what drew you to this topia fiction you know I just thought I was writing a great book I don't even think of it as dystopian as I wrote it and I wasn't I wasn't thinking of it specifically as young adult either I had a 16 year old character I wrote the 1st book I possibly could and then I sent it out agents and. Said oh yeah you've written a young adult is don't be a novel so I really wasn't you know I wasn't thinking about it as dystopian I was thinking of a girl dealing with a difficult. Difficult lots. And you know what hunger games came out and everyone was looking around for more dystopian gargles and fortunately a lot of my trilogy so. Yeah that's what happened personally I've always been drawn to the Hopi and in front of my house we have a Little Free Library someone dropped off the Lois Lowry book The Giver which I never read when I was in school and I just ate that book up and then my son picked it up and we were camping we not only read the big giver but also. There's also several books in that quartet just as interesting that of all the top things to bring along with us during our camping trip or to reading these to Toby in books. Yeah I know giver it really early and I mean I think of all the time and in some ways you think about a concept where you just you can't see color minutes so striking just start with and. Yeah it's just. I think are all it's. Like a caption I wanted to bring you into the conversation we spoke earlier about the importance of having diverse characters and I'm wondering if you could talk about this both the giver this idea of people living in a society that's been converted to sameness but when we think about how we're talking about race today and some of the questions that come up. Yeah I mean that is a really perceptive observation Right I mean the idea of being an outsider and being different and expectations of conformity. I would suggest that there are really also wonderful. Sort of dystopian attacks coming from writers of color children I think of the Merrow thieves. Which is a Native American while it's in the digits Canadian story in which the main characters sort of post-apocalyptic and they're being sort of chased for their blood as if it meant for white people and it is all it's a breathtaking book The pacing of it the characterization I think it's a really wonderful text it's interesting because just Toby ends but as Carl is saying you know we feel like we're in a dystopian society a lot of what is happening in just a fiction for people of color sometimes feels even more present. So I just wanted to bring up the Merrifield's in that context thank you for that suggestion we also want to hear from our listeners to find out what your reading whether it's on your own are together as a family 87209677 you can find us on Facebook and Twitter and where we live Sheryl is calling from married then Sheryl what do you read these days. Good morning I am really couple of. One it is called Love in the time. I gave Rio Garcia Marquez my book club and I reading it and. It went to a Nobel Prize. Final Nobel Prize but be a bit found but I'm really enjoying this book. And in the very beginning. But it is full or wonderful language your book had been in. And I like it. To find it for. That I'm reading. Linked in the path of power and their series of by. The very 1st. Show you mentioned that you're reading love in the time of color of with your book club in this pandemic are you meeting through zoom or Google Chat the mysterious I what you're doing. Originally we were meeting through those. Then you and now we're going to try a lawn meeting where everybody did this from me that they're. Hopeful we can. Talk about wonderful Well thank you for calling in and tell us what you're reading that you can 287209677 that's 88720 w. N.p.r. We've heard from Priscilla on Facebook she has grand kids ages 9 through 16 they were hoping to see each other this summer but unfortunately with the pandemic their trip got cancelled so they've been meeting online with their 5 grand kids and still is guiding them through writing a collaborative adventure novel they've developed character 3 to cousin the novel writing is off and running and then when the books done Priscilla writes We're going to do a reading which will be recorded her grandkids are also interested in illustrating it and someone's also thinking about writing and recording the soundtrack This sounds like a great family project Kate Oh absolutely I love it I totally love it I think that I mean this is a terrible situation that we're all in but at the same time it really makes us recognize the value of relationships and we are sometimes connecting with people who we kind of would you know in the background or always assume that they're This is a great example of families across the country really building something together and love it we also heard from Evelyn on Facebook she writes that she has a 6 year old. Sun and they've been reading together Molly Molly eats fried grasshoppers you know that one Kate. I do know that's a really fun book that's perfect for that age show again you can join us 887209677 Catherine tweets the city we became is a fabulous I 5 fantasy novel telling the story of 6 people who come to embody the city and boroughs of New York City but the newly born city is in danger and these 6 individuals who are very different have to work together again that the city we became sounds really interesting and you can join us 887209677 we were just speaking again with Kate Capshaw who's a u. Conn professor and also with us is Carr O'Brien who's a young adult author based in Connecticut I wanted to bring in another perspective . On this show a few years ago Chunder Welcome back oh thanks so much happy to be here so we spoke at the I guess it was a couple years ago we were talking about damsel fly which was a young adult novel tell me what you're working on these days John for. Sure I am working on another young adult novel this one is a thriller and it follows a secret society present day high school girls discover that they can access the long dead people in the carriage which are in old. So the book we've seen the president where the girls have you know a very close friends share and then what's happening when together is mates are made. Hundreds exploring everything from living separate shocks the abolition of slavery that's really interesting substandard tell me when you're writing this book we know what are some of the things that you're drawing from in terms of what's happening these days how you're feeling. I think like your other callers this is such a strange scary time and much as the writers trying to block that all out it definitely permeates into our world so it's definitely hard to break later heard of things that is time but for me I have always focused on identity and being someone that mixed race race has always played an important role in my books so this particular time in history actually lends itself to you know what I've been writing about anyway the narrator for both damsel fly and my forthcoming book Mercury boys both those barriers are racial and I've been very focused on including significant multiracial characters in my books because they are very under represented in children's literature even though one out of every 7 in kids right now is multiracial or Esmay less than one percent of children's books ensures a significant bi racial or. Cultural character so it's really important to add more books out there for kids seeing characters that let yourself in a book when you're a kid definitely makes you feel more visible and understood empowered so I'm hoping you know to add those numbers into a multiracial character of a boys out there and that's the flame Porton something I guess Kate Capshaw had brought up earlier Chandra before we take some calls what are some of the books that you're reading that maybe are focused on from in the the themes that you just discussed I answered ways there are a. Ages $9.13 so we've been doing a lot of reading since the pandemic and some of them have been focused on race and some have been not just on race be on the it's a version from that your older son and I have been reading all American ways and she said all of which focuses on 2 tiers one African-American and one white and the way they both react to violence moment in time adds a great book in terms of racial understanding and social justice. As that's appropriate for teens as well as adults I've also been reading a really lovely picture book called At the same home and around the world I could tell parent Perrin in that show is what different children from around the world are doing in their normal daily lives over the course of one day and while this book does in screen diversity with a capital d. It definitely contextualizes and normalizes what different kids are doing across the world and it offers this lens. In which to view not only what is different about kids' lives across the world but also what is very similar so that's a nice kind of quiet books for kids to read that will give them a sense of what you know different kids are doing and give them kind of a stylish sense of racial understanding and I also just wanted to plug a book that really has not much to do with race but it's just such an. Great great book for both kids and adults and it's called Heart of a samurai I argee proof and if ever there was a book about perseverance. The better for all right what we're doing now part of a samurai is it it's about a 14 year old boy named man 0 who is stranded on a small island after his fishing vessel saying and he has to serve by I'm very little for a long time and eventually he's picked up by an American fishing vessel and becomes . Probably the 1st Japanese person to be in America and it's about the navigation. Experiences between 2 cultures and a many many adventures he has and it's a real life story so I would definitely recommend it well I love all of those recommendations Chandra and our producer tests is going to make sure that we can list them all on our website for our listeners who may not be able to scribble as fans to again that's Chandra precise that I was speaking with I wanted to hear from some listeners about what they're reading or a righty now will ease calling in from new Preston Willie can hear me yes I can can you hear me yes I cannot tell us what you're reading or writing these days well recently haven't really talked 8 Rock. To name it let's go our coats about our hockey who are blocking the windows of human and the bear action. When they are out of the action there from like we can be and we can hurt animals and we can yell and scream at each other but on the inside we teach our children how to be calm and collected if in each day and are only for whatever it is it's an excellent . Article 8 in what I am writing is. Once again we go back to fail my grandma because that's where I was born and raised and that's where a lot of. Things that we're going through right now happen. I'm almost done with a good book and what it does is it touches on not so much the bridge and why we went over the bridge but actually what was happening in the lives of certain people that I knew when I was growing up how were they talking about social justice or injustice the segregation the defect rate Katie those schools how was a forming themselves to be together and talk we didn't have cell phones in the air we didn't have. You know. All of this technology that we had have today so we learned to be quiet and we learned to be secretive because we didn't know where Hoover was and of course he couldn't be hired that you know like we are today but there were people of our own timing who would. Talk so we were quiet people we did everything in the gawked practically the next place we talked to certain people that we could trust and then sometimes that was not enough so I say that to say. Media is it's an excellent tool but it also can be. Very bad when it comes to things that we need to keep between ourselves to give people. Well clearly I would love to follow up with you willing to hear about more about this book that you're writing again about the experience of the civil rights movement and what it was like to grow up in Selma can we can we talk with you give the future really oh yes you certainly can talk with me in the future but I want to say. Geez mention that we're having now. They are anything like that. You know read about them whenever. Well Willie thank you for calling in today to talk about what you're reading and writing and I want to sit in one more call before we had to break I believe it's a rainy day from Avon I'm sorry if I pronounced your name wrong lady can you tell us what your what you're reading now thanks so much for having me I just wanted to share you know you mentioned the book stamps which was written with Candy and Jim and Reynolds and it's just been outstanding in terms of I actually have a son go into 5th grade and while the material is above him reading it together and out loud has been an awesome way for us to discuss both current events and historical perspective especially as history is still taught to small children in terms of the programs are Thomas Jefferson another founding fathers I think a great way to really present and more complete picture of history to kids and there's an excellent online resource reading guide that goes with that but I also wanted to and additionally mention another book we're reading it's called dressed coded by Carrie Firestone she's actually a Connecticut author it's a middle grade novel and it talks about a young woman who decides to start a pot and basically it becomes a movement at her school because one girl who was shamed around what she was wearing and then it and it brings up other girls that were shamed for different reasons and it's not just a book for girls it's also a book for young boys because I think that we have to teach them how to be allies and that especially when you have dress codes that they things like you know or or administrators who say things like well the way you're dressing is distracting the boys from their education it's another you know avenue into teaching them how to be allies how to be up standers how to be part of the conversation as young people and also without being preachy at all it really is almost like a mini manual for when you see something and you want to do something about it when you see an injustice that you want to correct how do you do that when you're quote unquote only a kid and so it. Dress quoted by Carrie Firestone and I would also mention because you mention I think novel The Borg even know there are a few years old the March theory John Lewis out the graphic novel and theory and a great way for kids who maybe are reluctant readers to be able to act as very important serial both historically and for the times that we're living in now those are just my few suggestions for that are looking for additional reading this summer well thank you for those great suggestions we're going to head to break but I want to thank the Connecticut authors who joined us again Chandra Perseid who is based in Connecticut a writer of the young adult novel damsel fly and again as she has an upcoming book coming out in 2021 Shonda thank you so much for joining us we appreciate it. Ok on your program and thank you and Carra O'Brien a young adult author also based in Connecticut known for her birthmark trilogy I love dystopian novels Carr thank you for your time today thank you Lucy this is where we live I'm loosing all of them chill Kate Capshaw will stay with us as we talk to a local librarian after the break we want to hear her recommendations again to get a family's engaged reading together this summer you can join us to find us on Facebook and Twitter and where we live. Thanks for supporting Connecticut Public Radio. On the next fresh air. Head writer for Saturday Night Live and co-anchor of Weekend Update has written a new memoir called a very pleasurable face talk about everything from his childhood when he was unable to put into words to be intentionally tasteless jokes that has forced him to read. A conversation with the. Electronic. Been a mirror. Many years. Very much emotional story. That's next time. He was a cowboy. A con man. Dictator . And a killer I never saw him. Every. Hour serial investigation. Continues on the next. Saturday afternoon at 3. You're listening to our broadcast of a previously recorded program. This is where we live on Connecticut Public Radio and we've seen all of them show we've been talking and doing about books and doing our 2nd installment of the pandemic book club we know libraries have been doing curbside pick up some libraries have reopened we want to find out how libraries are still encouraging children and teens to read this summer so joining us now on the phone is Carol Waxman she's a children's services librarian at the West Hartford libraries Cara Welcome to the show Good morning Lucy thank you so much for having me we know there is such a partnership between schools and local libraries during the summer this is a different kind of summer just wondered if you could talk about how you are still connecting with local children to get them to read of course it's so different because normally we do everything that we can before school ends to encourage them to come we create a video to show them what we're going to do this summer we have programs and reading lists and online presence and the 1st day after school and we see them running through the door not the case so what we've done is we've tried to reach them in every possible way through our website through Facebook we have a book Buddies program starting in August where teens and children grades k. Through 3 can meet and assume square to read books and play games and sing songs that teens have a book ranting club where they share their favorite books and vote for the most interesting one mentioned in that book receive the trophy we have story times and cooking classes and craft classes on Facebook many teen programs we're doing everything we can to reach out. I mentioned curbside pick up is that something that with her for labyrinth has been doing absolutely for maybe 5 weeks now it is absolutely incredibly well used every every day books are flying out the door patrons can put holds on books or will help them to do that as. They set an appointment to pick them up curbside we have them out on a table it is running beautifully Monday through Friday and also Saturday at the Main Library in our 2 branches and it's very well used we've heard so many great recommendations from our guests and listeners that today even people on social with their recommendations sometimes I struggle with when I when I have been able to take my kids to the library a before the pandemic of a how to help them select books and what are some suggestions that you would have. Of course so 1 we deal with children of all ages from babies through the tween age and then teens are in another department so one picture book that I think has been outstanding is called Thank you oh moved by Ogie Morag and this book touches all the bases of being kind and sharing diversity is completely present it's about an older woman who cooks a pot of thick red stew and neighbors and community workers all smell this the realm of the stew knock on her door she gives them to everybody which results and none for herself but when she opens the door after that is discovered everybody in the community is there with the makings of a dinner and they all stayed together and eat and enjoy with her with almost everything you also have a service called Book match and that's something that parents can access online to help get a book that their children may enjoy absolutely So one of the most favorite things our patrons will have to do is to browse through our vast collection of books that not being the case right now although we do hope to open later this summer is book match it's a form that parents can fill out telling us what the children are interested in their names and ages their grade level some of the books that they've previously read and we take that and think of books that would match their interest we send them the titles then they put them on hold and pick them up curbside it's being very well used. That sounds like a great service to have again we've been speaking with Carol Waxman has the children's services library and the West Hartford libraries before you run a time Suzanne is calling in from Branford Zen I understand that you're part of the read to grow organization I was familiar with this organization when I had my children and they got a book at the hospital as newborns and tell me what you've been doing during the pandemic we've got about a few minutes so I thank you Lacey and we're so glad to hear that your children got the book in the hospital and we continued to get that the kids even during this time so when coated started we went into action mode and in partnership with r.j. Julia booksellers and Senator Chris Murphy we and a lot of individual donors we raised money to buy new books to go to the mail distribution sites around the state so as of this month we have distributed over $40000.00 books in New Haven Bridgeport our walk with them County Waterbury and Middletown and we keep adding cities to that roster it's just incredible the outpouring of support and what I want to focus on is the books some of the books that we've been giving out so one book for the Kate sort of kindergarten through 2nd grade range that I would recommend is by a local author Abdul Razzaq psycho riot it's called The night is yours and he wrote it for his younger sister that's a wonderfully affirmative book about identity but also about the wonderful world of children's play. And Abdool actually helped us distribute books in New Haven he was present to hand out books for a number of weeks there and another book for the older crowd sort of the. Let's say 6 through 8th grade range is a graphic novel called When stars are scattered by Victoria Jamison and Omar Mohammed it's a graphic novel about the experience of 2 young Somali refugees who live in a Kenyan refugee camp and eventually make their way. To safety. And there are so many other they're wonderful but one of your callers was recommending books that sort of go beyond. Focusing just on hardship with black lives matter and going beyond to imagine what's possible and there's a wonderful graphic novel called The Path Finder society the mystery of the moon tower by Francisco city to and Prescott said that I and I believe I'm pronouncing his name correctly and it's a book about a group of friends who come together to solve a mystery so when we start talking about sort of escapist literature that graphic novel is a wonderful book to give to your sort of middle grade students and then in a month or so we're almost out of time but for listeners who want to learn more about read to grow where can they go online. W.w.w. Dot read to grow dot org perfect easy to remember Thank you Suzanne it's been great to hear that you've been able to get books out to communities during the pandemic go again with meals as well it's so important and we thank you for calling in today before we let our guests go again we want to thank your Waxman from the West Hartford libraries Kate Capshaw so many great titles for our listeners that to pick up and read together is families I feel like that will be a good month a month and a half before school however that shapes up Kate Capshaw can you. And you know you Ok We want to hear you but I want to you hear me at this point I can hear you now we're at a time but I do want to thank you for joining us. It's been so much fun past president of the children's literature. Professor at the University of Connecticut . Thanks for. Richmond Virginia. Confederates What about monuments honoring America's founding fathers. That many of these men. And we should also be able to judge each individually we question a descendant of Thomas Jefferson tomorrow on Morning Edition from n.p.r. News. Richard Turlington. Kentucky has one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country Democrat in the. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. That's next. This is. N.p.r. . Or the.