Well here we are again – the end of the year! This was another great and constantly improving year for picture books as they continue to impress with their ability to address complex subjects, and embrace diverse faces, voices and intersectionality (well, at least the best ones do!). Without any further ado ... here are my favorite picture books of the year! Click on the covers for more book details.
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There were a lot of great additions to picture books this year, so many that I couldn't limit it down to just 20 like last year! Many of my top contenders in 2019 celebrated black children, including titles like I Am Perfectly Designed (Karamo Brown), M is for Melanin (Tiffany Rose), and Hair Love (Matthew A. Cherry). I also picked some books that really highlighted and embraced intersectionality and celebrating our differences, like When Aidan Became a Brother (Kyle Lukoff) and IntersectionAllies: We Make Room For All​ (Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council & Carolyn Choi).

It was hard not to pick books that so beautifully captured the love of family, culture, and familial traditions, including Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao (Kat Zhang), Grandpa's Stories: A Book of Remembering (Joseph Coelho), Bilal Cooks Daal​ (Aisha Saeed), Where Are You From? (Jamie Kim) and You Made Me a Dad (Laurenne Sala,) ... WARNING: Tissues needed for that last one.

I also, of course, chose books that also (age-appropriately) tackled contemporary issues like immigration with Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story From the Border (Mitali Perkins); Islamophilia with Under my Hijab (Hena Khan); toxic masculinity with Big Boys Cry (Jonty Howley); feminism with I Will Be Fierce! (Bea Birdsong) and Mary Wears What She Wants (Keith Negley); and confronting personal biases in What If Everybody Thought That? (Ellen Javernick). The ability picture books have to introduce complex issues like these to young children is one of my many favorite things about them!

Wow, I can't believe 2018 is already almost over! It's true what they say: that each year passes a little more quickly than the one before it. Luckily, each trip around the sun also seems to bring us more beautiful and diverse picture books written by, illustrated by and featuring all sorts of different people.

If you're still looking for some gift ideas for the children in your life, consider these my suggestions! And if you don't feel like spending the money, I encourage you to visit your local public library and check some of these beauties out. Without any further ado – here are my favorite picture books of the year:
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This year there were some great (and seriously needed) books focused on breaking gender norms (Pink is For Boys, Julián Is a Mermaid​ and Teddy's Favorite Toy) and some very touching stories about serious issues that can be difficult for children to understand, like a grandparent's memory loss (The Remember Balloons [good luck not crying through that one]) and the refugee crisis (Marwan's Journey). 

There was also some very strong books promoting acceptance and understanding (All of Us and All Are Welcome), books about feeling like you might not fit in (Neon Leon and Neither) and adorable confidence boosters (I Am Enough and The Day You Begin). Of course, there were also some books with show-stealing illustrations (Yellow Kayak and Ocean Meets Sky) and heartfelt plots (Run Wild and Dad By My Side).

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.

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.

Earlier this month, Scholastic announced that 500,000 books were successfully distributed to young children wellness checkup sites across the country. This donation was made through work of the Scholastic Possible Fund and Reach Out and Read, a program focused on educating parents and caregivers about the importance of reading aloud to children from birth. 

This generous donation of books is essential for even the earliest of learners, with research showing the massive amount of brain development that takes place in a child's first three years of life. These early years of development are primed for parents and caretakers to help their babies' brain develop by doing things like reading aloud, talking, singing and rhyming (Remember, your child will not receive the same benefits by watching T.V. or listening to a CD about rhyming – they need your human contact)!

What better way to educate parents about the importance of promoting early literacy skills than to encourage parents to read to children at the doctor's office?

According to Scholastic's blog On Our Minds, "The book donation and distribution are part of a national partnership announced by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the fourth annual Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting (CGI America) in June, 2014. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Reach Out and Read, Scholastic and Too Small to Fail are using a multi-pronged approach to ensure that medical caregivers have the information, tools and books they need to help families make reading aloud with their infants a daily practice."

Massive book distributions like this are one of the many reasons I absolutely love Scholastic and miss being able to say that I work there (even if it was only a summer internship). The organization's belief that literacy is the birthright of every child is something that I could not agree with more. The right book at the right time can change a child's life! And the benefits of reading go far beyond the actual skill of literacy. The beauty of building strong readers is watching their young minds flourish and their confidence grow. 

Scholastic prides itself on striving to “Open a World of Possible” for every child around the world, and for that to be possible, access to the books kids want to read is key. 

To view the distribution details of the first shipment by state, click here. According to Scholastic, the second shipment is scheduled for early summer.

The previously mentioned authors are of course most popular for their more "grown-up" material, but their lesser-known children's books are nothing to be glanced over. I recently discovered some of these literary gems, and can't wait to get my hands on the rest of them! To view all seven authors' children's books, click here. Otherwise, here's a look at my top three favorites!

In 1865, the man behind Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn did something totally unexpected – he wrote a children's book. Written in a scaled-back version of the trademark satire Twain is known for in his adult work, Advice to Little Girls serves as a sort of manual for what to do (or not do) in normal situations that everyday girls might find themselves in. As if the words themselves weren't comical enough, Vladimir Radunsky's illustrations elevate the book's humor even higher.

With the first week of grad school under my belt, I'm already feeling even more connected to the library and information science field, particularly to public libraries. For the first week of my Library Services for Children and Young Adults class, we were instructed to observe a children's storytime at our local library. So, last Monday, I went to the Northside Public Library in Kenosha to observe its weekly toddler storytime and the only way I think I could have enjoyed it more is if I was the librarian interacting with the kids. 

Here's a look at what the storytime looked like from my perspective:

At just before 10:30 a.m., approximately 25 children and their parents, relatives and caretakers gather in the small, colorful storytime room in the southeast corner of the library. The excited hum of the children spikes every so often with a shrill shriek until the librarian enters the room and starts preparing the kids for storytime with the welcome song.

Some of the kids answer enthusiastically in mumbled toddler talk, others simply nod or shake their head; one girl continues to twirl her mother's hair, completely unfazed by the activity around her.

"Great listening!" the librarian exclaims as she closes the now finished book. "I'm feeling sort of happy, how about you?" She begins to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands," and the kids soon begin to chime in.

After the song ends, the librarian picks up a brown, potato-shaped fabric cut-out and places it on a felt board.

"Who do you think this is?" she asks.

A few youngsters pick up on it immediately.

"Mr. Potato Head!" they giggle.

"He looks a little different ... I think he's missing a few things. What does Mr. Potato Head need to be able to see you?"

"EYES!" yell a few kids, as others nearly poke themselves in the pupils, pointing to their own peepers.

The activity goes on as the librarian asks them to identify the body parts used to do things like smell, taste, hear, run and clap. The kids are almost all smiling by now, fully attentive to what their beloved librarian will have them do next. She picks up another book, this one called Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won.

The book is about a group on animal friends who cheer one another up by giving each other fun hats to wear. Every few pages big, colorful letters encourage the children to shout aloud with the librarian, "HOORAY FOR HAT!" as they throw their little arms up toward the sky.

"Good reading! Give yourselves a hand!" the librarian says. "Now let's get up and moving!"

She leads the children in a rousing group rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," repeating the song three times – faster and faster with each repetition.

After the story, we pick up another hat-themed activity. This time, the librarian uses a felt board to put up different types of hats, such as a red firefighter helmet, a blue policeman's hat, a puffy white chef's hat, a sparkly crown, a purple sombrero and more. After identifying all the hats, the librarian brings out a small felt cut-out of a sleeping gray cat, who she explains likes to sleep underneath hats.

As the children close their eyes and count to ten, the librarian hides the cat under one of the hats. When the kids open their eyes, she has them attempt to find the cat by identifying the color of the hats.

"Little cat, little cat, are you under the green hat?" the children croon along with the librarian. "NOOO!? Little cat, little cat, are you under the black hat?"

They eventually find the cat sleeping under the orange construction hat and all rejoice excitedly.

With the sleeping cat now safe and sound, the group jumps along to a counting CD and uses their fingers to get all the way up to ten before sitting back into their seats.

"Look at the time!" the librarian says. "It looks like storytime is over! But not before we sing the thank you song!"

The children sing along, clapping their hands and stomping their feet before they roll their hands in small circles in front of their tummies and wave goodbye.

To watch the group of diverse children all so eager to listen and learn was really special. As you can see, storytimes aren't just for reading to children; they're also to work on age-appropriate developmental skills! If not for free services like this offered at public libraries, I wonder how many of these kids would still be getting similar mental and physical stimulation at home, daycare, or even school?

Watching this tender and invaluable interaction between the librarian, the kids and their caretakers made me incredibly excited for my upcoming class assignment to propose with my own storytime program. Getting a first-hand look at some examples of intellectually stimulating (and fun!) storytime ideas reinforced a lot of the information I've been reading about for my class and gave me some new ideas for future literacy programs of my own!

To learn more about the Kenosha Public Library's weekly storytimes, click here. They're fun – and free!

Earlier this week, Scholastic released the results of the fifth edition of its national survey on the state of kids and reading known as the Kids & Family Reading Report, and some of the conclusions are a bit hard to swallow. 

According to Scholastic, key findings from the report include:

• Half of all children ages 6–17 (51%) are currently reading a book for fun and another one in five (20%) just finished one.
• Both parents of children ages 6–17 (71%) and kids (54%) rank strong reading skills as the most important skill a child should have. Yet while 86% of parents say reading books for fun is extremely or very important, only 46% of kids say the same.
• Three-quarters of parents with children ages 6–17 (75%) agree “I wish my child would read more books for fun,” and 71% agree “I wish my child would do more things that did not involve screen time."

The report also shows that something needs to be done to sustain children's reading interest beyond age 8, after which it sharply declines. Another pressing issue raised by the report is the fact that boys aren't reading for fun as much as girls. In 2014, 56% of girls said reading was very important, whereas only 36% of boys agreed. Children's overall perception of reading importance even decreased by 5% between 2012 and 2014 – from 51% saying it is very important down to just 46%.

The fact that more than half of children surveyed are reading for fun is amazing, that is, if you're looking at the glass half-full. But to think that almost just as many kids aren't reading for fun is heart wrenching. And yes, it's great that most parents want to see their children doing things that don't involve a screen, but how on Earth has it gotten to the point that 71% of them are compelled to feel this way? How can parents get their children spending less time in front of a screen and more time reading for fun? 

We've all heard the expression "Monkey see, monkey do," and when it comes to reading, it's no different.

As someone who was raised as a bookworm, I will tell you from experience that my parents' reading habits served as the foundation for my own. I can still remember laying in the bed I shared with my sister, our mom sandwiched between us reading aloud while my dad laid at the end of the bed and listened along. I didn't know it then, but those countless nights spent reading with all four of us cramped on a tiny double bed would become some of my most cherished memories of us all together as a family. 

When it comes down to it, all it really takes to be a reading role model is a little effort. Here's a couple steps I would recommend to help get the children in your life reading.

Be seen: It's no secret that kids mimic the things they see others do, and this is particularly true for parents. Instead of coming home to plop down in front of a television or laptop, pick up a book and get reading. If you enjoy using eReaders, make sure you tell your kids that you're reading a book, not playing a game. The more kids see you interested in books, the more they will become interested too.

Read aloud: Even better than reading a book in the presence of your children is reading to them. Once your child is old enough, switch roles and have them read aloud to you! This is a great way to spend time with your children while having fun and improving their literacy skills.

Ask questions: When you read a book with your children, be sure to ask them questions to gauge their comprehension and interest in the book. Do you like this book? Who's your favorite character and why? What do you think will happen next? What is one thing you could ask the author if you could talk to him or her? Do you think this book would be a good movie?

The power of choice: According to Scholastic, 91% of kids say that their favorite books are the ones that the pick out themselves. What better way to do that than by bringing the children in your life to local libraries and book stores? 

Take a look at some of the graphs Scholastic generated showing what affects children's reading habits:

To see the full results from the State of Kids & Reading report, click here. To view the Kids & Family Reading Report in it's entirety, visit scholastic.com/readingreport.

I invite you to share your experience of being a reading mentor with me on Facebook or Twitter, using #TessaFoxReads. Tomorrow is National Readathon Day and a great time to get your little ones (and yourself) reading!

Whether you're looking for some last-minute gifts or brainstorming activities to do with your relatives while they are in town for the holidays, this blog post is for you! 

Everyone loves a good story, especially the heart-warming tales you can share over and over again with the special people in your life. Why not take some time during your holiday celebration to step away from the latest family drama or the tray of assorted cheese and crackers to share a story with the children (or anyone, really) in your life. 

This time of year is all about traditions, so why not start a new one? Here are a few seasonal stories that I loved reading as a kid, and love re-reading even more as an adult.

Have another Christmas classic or holiday tale you want to share with me? Tweet me @TessaFoxReads.

By now, you obviously know I have a thing for books, but what you might not know about me is that I'm a complete and utter francophile. 

I've always had a strange obsession with France and its beautiful language, which prompted me to take French all four years of high school and host three French exchange students for a couple summers during my teenage years. In college, I minored in French and had the incredibly opportunity to make my second trip to France, this time as an international student in Paris for six months.

One of the first books I read entirely in French is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince, or "The Little Prince." And now, that story is being turned into a new CGI/stop-motion movie, set to release next fall.

The story involves a pilot who crash-lands in a desert where he finds a curious little prince who has fallen to Earth from a small asteroid. On the surface, the plot sounds like just another strange children's book, but it is actually quite philosophical in nature. The two characters discuss questions about life and the oddities of the adult world throughout the story. 

"Though it's often described as a children's book, one of the many beautiful things about the story is its universal relevance; adults can appreciate it, too, often differently than they did as children,'" states this Mic.com article about the upcoming film. And I couldn't agree more.

There is apparently two versions of the film planned, one in English and one in French. Here is the first trailer for the film, in French. I've included a translation below.

Old Man: "Oh, oh! I'm here! Up here! Good evening!"

Girl: "Once upon a time, [there was] a little prince who needed a friend."

Old Man: "I've flown almost everywhere in the world, until something miraculous happened."

Little Prince: "Please, draw me a sheep."

Old Man: "I've always wanted to find someone to share my story with, but I think this world has become too adult. It's only the beginning of the story!"

This movie is going to be a must-see, just as the book is a must-read – for kids and adults alike. All there is left to do is re-read the book and wait until the film's release next fall!