The Book Fair's Back! #mybookfair

As those of you that follow my blog know, I enjoy having book fairs! There's nothing like seeing eyes light up like fire-crackers at the presentation of so many wonderfully colorful and diverse books! In fact, this fair is the first that I've been able showcase over thirty books with Black Americans on the cover:

@diversebooks Never have I been able to showcase 30 books w/faces like mine in the #library! #ReflectionsInBooks This is why #WeNeedDivLibs! pic.twitter.com/3hA7bpmgaL

— AwakenLibrarian (@awakenlibrarian) October 11, 2016

Bit by bit, we'll erase tweets like these...

Dear #kidlit Writers of Color: The odds are not in your favor. #amwriting #amediting #diversity #YA #WritersLifehttps://t.co/cv7ydsskzn pic.twitter.com/0LdXfIChQD

— MayraCuevas (@MayraECuevas) September 30, 2016

because it's all too important for children to see faces like theirs on the cover and in the content of books. #WeNeedDiverseBooks

As Walter Dean Myers wrote in his New York Times article, Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books? "As I discovered who I was, a black teenager in a white-dominated world, I saw that these characters, these lives, were not mine. I didn’t want to become the 'black' representative, or some shining example of diversity. What I wanted, needed really, was to become an integral and valued part of the mosaic that I saw around me."

Please read it, especially, no matter if your library serves a homogeneous or heterogeneous population, children need perspective and empathy among their character building reads! And please see these additional resources: Statistics on Children's Books about People of Color and 6 Reasons Why We Need Diverse Books!

Now to the BOOK FAIR!

Here are the kiddos getting uber, excited about the book, Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins:

Scholastic Book Fair Promotional Video from AwakenLibrarian on Vimeo.

This young lady loved her bestfriend's copy of RollerGirl by Victoria Jamieson, but couldn't purchase it at the fair! Boy did she shout for joy when I told her that I had a library copy for her to check-out! She even wrote her own book review:

She answered the following two questions (really 4): (1) Who would you tell about this book? Why? and (2) What's your favorite scene? Why?
I would tell my friend, Lohrii about this book because she loves to read just like me and she loves to read graphic novels...just like me! My favorite scene in this book is when Astrid confronted Rachel and Nicole at the amusement park. It's my favorite part because I LOVE how Astrid showed her inner side and really let out her feelings. I also think it was really mean for Nicole to agree with Rachel about not talking to Astrid so that Nicole and Rachel kinda deserved it. Thank you, Alexia, for being a BRAVO library star reader!

P.S. I couldn't help but share this last tweet about the importance of librarians supporting diversity in their book-fairs, this wonderful man is supporting diversity IN BARBERSHOP!

🙌🏿Barber cuts prices for kids who read aloud during appointment https://t.co/quv6wqgkcc #SmallBizWorks via @goodnews

— BCBA (@BCBooksAuthors) October 13, 2016

Here's another bonus...artwork by Christopher Myers, son of Walter Dean, and author of article-"The Apartheid of Children's Literature."