Ahead of the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the civil rights leader, here are materials to help educate all ages about the fight for racial justice.
The 2020 Caldecott Medal, for outstanding illustration
This year’s Caldecott Medal goes to
The Undefeated (Amazon) illustrated by the incredible Kadir Nelson, and written by Kwame Alexander. It’s on nearly every best children’s books of 2020 list, and has won numerous awards for its depiction of the strength of the Black contribution to American society. Start here for a must-have book for your collection at home, no matter how old your kids.
The 2020 Newbery Medal, for outstanding writing
I’m fascinated to see a graphic novel win the Newbery Medal this year, but the numerous awards that
New Kid (Amazon) by Jerry Craft received, make it clear that this book is something special. It’s about a middle school boy who loves to draw, but struggles to fit in at his new prestigious high school where he’s one of the few children of color in his grade.
For parents of school-aged children, it’s finally sinking in: This will be a long COVID winter. We’re already eleven months into isolation, which feels like the previous winter never really ended. We simply went from bundling up our kids before they played in the yard to slathering them with sunscreen (for the same yard) to bundling up again. And our hearts sink every time they wander back indoors. What to do
next?
In both our families, the answer is always books. Not only does an author reside in each household; in addition, Erin runs an elementary school library, and Sarah helps plan literary conferences. Plus, both of us are preliminary judges for the annual CT Book Awards: Erin in the Children and Youth category, Sarah for Fiction. We unabashedly consider writers to be essential workers.
Petaluma readers help pick a winner petaluma360.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from petaluma360.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jasmine Sanders on the Black Romantic
Aaron Hicks,
Daniel in the Lion’s Den, 2000, lacquer and acrylic on canvas, 30 × 36 .
I WAS RAISED BY MY GRANDMOTHER in the Robert Taylor Homes, a housing project on Chicago’s South Side, but frequently stayed at the home of my aunt Rosemary Jarrett, my grandmother’s oldest daughter. When my adoption was finalized, my birth certificate and other documents indelibly amended, my aunt became, legally, my sister, a novel relation that would be indispensable, steadying.
My aunt had back then a marvelously filthy mouth, supplemented by a full and ribald laugh. She inherited from her mother a talent for entertaining, as well as an exuberant, maximalist approach to the adornment of self and home. These impulses converged in the art parties she hosted when I was younger.