As an Early Literacy Librarian, I hear a lot of adults talk and ask about what books are age appropriate for their children. There are those parents of kids with advanced reading skills who closely monitor the content of what their children read for fear that the subject matter is too graphic or mature. There are also the parents who couldn't care less about what their child is reading, because really – how bad can a kid be if they want to spend their free time with a book? The later sentiment is one that resonates with me, but it is absolutely up to each parent to decide what is right for their child. 

And then of course there are those archaic rules imposed by some schools or  teachers that kids can only read books that correspond with their particular reading level. I understand the thinking behind this notion, but I cannot help but think it is absolutely crazy. Sure, reading levels are a good way to narrow down the field to match readers with potential books they might like – but it should absolutely not be the determining factor of whether or not they read it. If it's too hard, adults can read along with them to help when needed. If it's too easy, you can let them fly through it and try to steer them in the direction of something a little more challenging when they're done. In my opinion, if a kid wants to read it – let them!  Helping readers discover what they like to read does not always align with their reading level, and it doesn't have to.
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One thing is for sure – it's never too early to introduce books into a child's life. From the time a child is in the womb to the moment they take their first breath – books can make a profound impact. Below is a beautiful infographic courtesy of MomLovesBest.com about some of the benefits reading has on young minds, and how to encourage your little one to stick their nose in a book. With the holidays quickly approaching, remember that a book is a gift that keeps on giving – especially if it's the right book for the reader. In the words of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, the father of Library Science, "Every book its reader, and every reader their book."
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I love March. It starts to get warmer, the dreariness and the grey begin to seep out of the world and color returns once again. Red robins, blue skies, green grass – and then it's officially spring! But March gets even better, because it means one of my favorite times of the year is here . . .
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​One of my favorite things about being a librarian is getting to do book displays – which not only help match every book with its reader; they also give librarians a chance to boost circulation and highlight important parts of their collection that might otherwise get lost in the stacks. So naturally, March yields some wonderful Girl Power book displays.

I must point out, of course, that March shouldn't be the only time of the year strong girls and women are highlighted in your library – this should be happening every month, just as books about people of color and/or different cultures should be found in book displays year-round, not just during the months designated to honor them.

Whether you're a librarian or not, March can serve as an annual reminder for all of us about *just how important* it is to see ALL girls (and boys and others – but largely, girls) of ALL kinds represented in the media we consume and willingly and/or otherwise allow the future generation to consume!

So without any further ado, here are some of the titles I've been paying extra attention to displaying this month! Broken down into five categories, these are a few of my favorite picture books that promote women's history, feminism, bravery, strength and independence to our youngest library patrons – male, female or anything beyond and in-between!

Here are some of my favorite picture books that inspire girls to be bold, smart and strong, in addition to helping them find/embrace self-love and the true, inner beauty of themselves and others.
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Here are a few of my favorites that emphasize taking the power to the streets (and polls!), and will surely inspire future generations to be politically active, stand up and be heard, and whenever possible – lend a literal or metaphorical mic to someone else's voice that isn't otherwise being heard, perhaps maybe even because of the sound of your own.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics – they're all important fields that no child should be dissuaded from pursuing on the grounds of their identifying gender. Here are a few STEAM books that show young girls that female success in male-dominated fields is possible and important!
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There's nothing inherently wrong with girls liking pink or wanting to be a princess when they grow up. But when the vast majority of mass media and popular culture teaches girls that this is what they are SUPPOSED to like or that girls are the only one's who can like it . . . that's where I take issue. Here are a few not-so-pink and perfect stories to show just how bad ass princesses can be.

Girls are so often told to be nice, quiet and obedient while growing up. But thanks to a few noisy and persistent women banging the drum and demanding to be heard throughout history, we now are in a position where we are having mainstream conversations about equality and representation. Without these brave women paving the way for us, I don't know that we would be able to say the same.

​. . . But Tessa, today's the first day of February – you're a little behind –
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As my crazy, hectic and totally insane 2017 came to a close, one of my intentions I set for the New Year was to blog more regularly – at least once a month. As we've just mentioned, I have already failed that goal now that we've entered the second month of the year and I am just making my first post of 2018. But I figured if I used not posting in January as an excuse to abandon something I really wanted to do, than that would be pretty stupid. So here we are – February 1st, 2018. 

I've made a million excuses about how and why I've only had one post in 2017 – and that was the first in almost a year before that . . . Yikes! Life happened! After some reflection I realized the scope of my blog was just too broad to try and dial it in for consistently good and varied posts each week (which, to my credit, I had been doing for about two years before I started working full-time). I was burned out, so I let the blog slide – and there's nothing wrong with that. After all, you got to put your own well-being first!

As I was gearing up for 2018 I realized that if I really wanted to stick to my intention of working more mindfully and consistently with my blog, I would need to become more inspired and motivated to regularly carve out some time to do so.

That being said, there's one topic within the realm of public libraries, within the deeper realm of youth services, within the still deeper realm of youth materials that I never shut up about – and that is the diversity, authenticity and intersectionality of children's books. I mean, really this is true of all books and media, but picture books are the best and one of the biggest reasons I became a youth librarian . . . so that will likely be the majority of what I'm talking about.

1) Diversity: Who is being represented in these books? Why does a person of color, or varied abilities tend to be a sub-character, instead of the main protagonist? Are librarians including books about LGBTQ history as part of their "Celebrating American's History" book displays, or only during PRIDE week? Is HERstory included in your HIStory collection?

2) Authenticity: Who is the one telling those stories, and how are they telling them? It's not enough for an author/illustrator to simply give a few characters darker skin – the characters need to be written like they have darker skin and have lived the lives of someone with dark skin (This on top of avoiding stereotypes). As much as race is a socially constructed concept, it provides different worldviews and how the world views you. Those real experiences need to be taken into account by authors and illustrators – especially if they are coming from a culture different than the one they are working with. Coloring a character's skin a few shades darker as an after thought or a half-hearted attempt to be diverse is not enough! #WeNeedDiverseBooks!

3) Intersectionality: Life is complicated. Characters should be too! People are not just about one thing or the other. There can be a character who is muslim and gay, someone who is bi-racial and deaf, someone who checks more than one box – because, guess what? That's real life.

These three components of representation are essential to keep in mind while evaluating, consuming and purchasing media – whether its selecting a library book or anything else in your everyday life. So from now own, I'll be using this platform to dig into these topics a little deeper for myself, other library professionals, and anyone else who feels like reading! 

From providing multicultural book lists to tips on how to make storytimes more inclusive, my goal for this blog is for it to help keep the conversation going, to get people thinking more critically about representation, and to ensure that everyone feels they can see themselves represented on their library's bookshelves!

​Write soon (I promise – for real this time!),
​-Tessa

I'm thrilled to announce that earlier this week I accepted my first full-time job offer as the new youth librarian at the Community Library in Salem and Twin Lakes! That means going from two part-time library jobs down to just one – essentially cutting my commute time in half! Did I mention I'll be getting a substantial raise in addition to the fact that now I'll be getting paid to do what I love for 40 hours a week? It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

So I realized I only posted one blog entry in June and now  July is almost over and I still have yet to publish anything new! This summer is flying by, and I'll be honest —​ I've been spending my time enjoying it rather than blogging ... not that blogging isn't enjoyable, haha.

One of the latest crazes to surface during my blogging hiatus is the Pokémon Go phenomenon. And while I personally don't want to waste my time, data or phone battery playing the game, I can already tell you that I love it. Why? Because it is a perfect match for public libraries.

Perhaps the best way to familiarize people with the library's resources and services is to get them in the door. Once you get someone inside, it's almost impossible for them to not find something of interest. And Pokémon Go is definitely bringing people into the library — particularly millennials who might not regularly step foot inside a brick-and-mortar library branch.

Halloween is almost here! With less just a few days left until my favorite holiday, I thought I'd share some literary inspiration with the procrastinators out there who still haven't chosen a costume. Already know what you're dressing up as? Here are some ideas for next year! They're fun, easy and great conversation starters for all your All Hallow's Eve extravaganzas. Like most people, I did not come up with the majority of these ideas but used this fancy thing called the World Wide Web to find some pretty neat costumes!.
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A great couple's costume for the super sleuths out there!

Endless pasta as a costume accessory? Sign me up!

Perfect for couples with a young child (or two - one can be the crayon)!

Who doesn't love this YA duo?

A good excuse to bust out that wedding dress in the back of your closet!

I wish I could take the credit for coming up with this punny one.

Bonus: You can be Ponyboy Curtis this year, and Danny Zuko the next!

My alter ego as a child and a very practical costume if rain is in your Halloween forecast!

Whether or not you have 12 little girls in two straight lines, this Madeline ​is adorable!

Ten points will be rewarded to the house of your choosing if you can recite all of Rowling's spells.

The smallest amount of effort is required for this one. 

From Thing 1 to Thing 2, the Cat in the Hat to Sam I Am - you're sure to start a heated debate about the best Dr. Seuss book at your Halloween celebration with one of these costumes!

Purrfect for the cat AND children's book lovers out there!

This one takes a little bit more effort. I think I'll save it until I have more costume prep time and
maybe a little wild thing of my own to take Trick-or-Treating!

"Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card!"

Who wouldn't want to walk around in next to nothing besides giant underwear and a cape? 

Choose a hobbit, Gandalf, Legolas or Gollum if you're looking to find "your precious" on All Hallow's Eve. This makes for a great group costume in Middle Earth and beyond!

Bookworms are great at all ages - but this costume is particularly cute for the bookish babies out there.

This one would take a little bit more effort, but it's so adorable it just might be worth it.

"Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high!"

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Hello dear reader, and happy Monday! I have some pretty exciting news: You're reading the words of the South Milwaukee Public Library's new youth services intern! After three different interviews for entry-level youth services positions at public libraries across southeastern Wisconsin, I've finally managed to land a position that will serve as a giant stepping stone toward working as a youth services librarian full-time after finishing graduate school.

I will still be working as a library assistant at the Community Library locations in Salem, Twin Lakes and Silver Lake; however, I am extremely excited to be able to start working more directly with children and their parents at the South Milwaukee Public Library. I am especially looking forward to leading storytime programs for kids of all ages. Now all I have to do is find a way to juggle these two library positions on top of going to grad school full-time and attempting to keep up with this blog on a regular basis . . . Good thing I'm going on vacation next week – I have a feeling it's going to be the last of my relaxation time for quite a while! 

It's somehow already August (!?!) and that means the summer is going to be over before we know it! But don't break out the back to school supplies just yet – there's still plenty of time for trips to the beach, weekend getaways and, of course, summer visits to your local library!

It's no secret that summertime is when public libraries shine most. Ask any youth services librarian and they will tell you it's hands down their busiest time of year. Not only do summer reading programs like those offered by libraries decrease the effects of summer slide, they also are a great opportunity for kids (and adults) to foster their love of literacy and win some cool prizes in the process!

Of course, libraries aren't the only ones with some awesome summer reading programs – and there is still time to take advantage of many of them before those trees change from green to brown. Here are a few other neat summer reading programs going on across the nation.

Gabriel Roth recently published a Slate article called, Why So Poky? The Scourge of Terrible Canonical Children’s Books, in which he shares his experiences reading with his young daughter. In the hilarious article, Roth unabashedly states:

In his article, Roth is referring particularly to The Poky Little Puppy, one of history's best-selling children's books. And while kids may enjoy the story of the cute little canine, adults oftentimes see the book as being pointless, boring and lacking any real moral. As one of the original 12 Little Golden Books first published in 1942, this story has been passed down from generation to generation – but not because it is a captivating story. As Roth explains, the book's popularity and sales persist solely because of nostalgia. He goes on to write:

This "inter-generational cycle of crap," as Roth so aptly calls it, is what makes a lot of popular children's books be read over and over again (maybe to the chagrin of their parents and librarians). So what can we do to break the cycle? Replace those books with better suggestions!

A FlavorWire.com article written by Emily Temple picked up where Roth left off and recommends some great alternatives to those canonical classics adults dread and children love. Instead of The Poky Little Puppy, Temple suggests The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg – "A highly satisfying story in which a mean dentist gets his due AND there’s a cute dog to look at AND there are Van Allsburg’s typical hazy-wondrous illustrations," writes Temple.

As the article suggests, maybe it's time to retire Robert Munsch's Love You Forever in exchange for Wild by Emily Hughes, an adorable picture book about a little girl who has known nothing but nature from birth. Perhaps one should swap out Hans Christian Andersen's The Princess and the Pea for The Princess Who Saved Herself by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, a book inspiring girls to be their own heroes. After all, shouldn't storytime be enjoyable for everyone involved?

To view all of Temple's suggestions to replace those lovable but lackluster titles, click here.

Superheroes are sweeping public libraries across the country with this year's summer reading program! With separate categories for kids, teens and adults, summer reading programs are a great way to beat the heat and get the whole family reading. Not only will you meet new heroes and heroines through books, but you just might discover some new superpowers of your own (and win a few prizes too)!

Below are the details for the summer reading program at the Community Library, where I work. The kids and teen summer reading programs run from June 8-August 7, and the adult program runs from June 8-July 13. Similar programs can be found at your local library.

As the Community Library explains in its program brochure, this year's summer reading program theme aims to, "celebrate heroes of all ages who walk through the doors of the library each day; the heroes who have made their marks on history; the heroes who keep our communities safe, clean, and productive; and high-profile superheroes. From the youngest child to the strongest, mightiest crusader, each and every hero has his or her own story to tell."

What are you reading this summer? Tweet me @TessaFoxReads or use #TessaFoxReads.