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Stories from Asian America: Picturebooks of Lived Experiences
By Joanne Yi
At the tail end of 2020, I completed my dissertation, a large-scale study of Asian American children's literature. In total, I immersed myself in over 350 Asian American picturebooks, published across the last 25 years. This number surprises many, in part, because it is admittedly a large number to study, but also because few Asian American, bicultural stories are popularly known beyond perennial classroom favorites such as The Name Jar (Choi, 2001) and My Name is Yoon (Recorvits, 2003). Below, I share an adapted excerpt of this work and suggest titles for teachers, librarians, and parents to read and learn about beautiful and resilient Asian American identities and experiences:
The last few years have brought to light the increasing importance of the #OwnVoices movement in publishing, which highlights and buoys stories that authentically reflect their authors. In my analysis of Asian American picturebooks, it was evident the stories written by Asian American authors were often tomes of lived experience. They included family histories in prison camps, refugee journeys, memories of grandparents, difficult immigration experiences, and much more.
As I read Love As Strong As Ginger (Look, 1999), Hannah is My Name (Yang, 2004), A Different Pond (Phi, 2017), and Drawn Together (Le, 2017), I felt pangs of recognition as I recalled my childhood. These picturebooks were Asian American counterstories (Delgado, 1989), narratives that were different in content, perspective, and ideology from those reflecting the mainstream. The latter often racializes Asian American characters, stereotyping them as a monolith, as perpetual foreigners, and as model minorities. In contrast, the power of counterstories is, as Couzelis (2014) wrote, their "potential to destabilize dominant national myths that act as 'universal' histories" (p. 16).
It is important to realize that many of these stories were intentionally created to provide Asian American representation. Many stories were inspired by the authors' own childhoods in the United States and were often tied to specific memories, such as playing with cousins while the adults played mahjong or fishing for that evening's supper, rather than general experiences, such as moving or acclimating to a new school.
Several of the texts that disrupted stereotypical tropes did so because the illustrators figuratively drew themselves into stories not originally written with Asian American characters in mind. It's no small matter that illustrator Louie Chin depicted Asian American siblings in a silly story about dinosaurs crashing a birthday party (Don't Ask a Dinosaur, 2018), for example, or that Yumi Heo perceived Bombaloo, an imagined manifestation of anger and petulance, as a little Korean American girl (Sometimes I'm Bombaloo, 2002). These stories are meaningful, not because the starring role in a "White" story was filled by an Asian American, but because the stories finally aligned with the imaginations and realities of Asian American children themselves.
The difference lies in stories from Asian Americans and storying about Asian Americans. Myths of the model minority are laid bare with authors' own stories and family histories of poverty, post-immigration traumas, language barriers, and cultural clashes. They are in stark contrast to those more commonly heard tales of joyous overseas adoptions, racially ambiguous people, fearsome ninjas, and fragile origami, and the myths that come with them. Such stories do not produce connections or reflections for readers. Rather, the defining characteristic of the most notable picturebooks was their commitment to authenticity and the telling of lived experiences.
Recommendations for Picture Books
I encourage educators and families to explore the diverse richness of Asian America and share these stories with the children in their care.
Drawn Together (2018) written by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat
In this familiar story about intergenerational language barriers, a young boy who speaks only in English, struggles to communicate with his grandfather, who speaks only in Thai. They find commonality in their love of drawing and learn to bridge understandings and connect in new ways.
Where's Halmoni? (2017) written and illustrated by Julie Kim
Two Korean American siblings, Joon and Noona [older sister], arrive at their grandmother's house to find her missing. As they call out for their halmoni [grandmother], they stumble upon a hidden world straight out of a Korean folktale and meet a chatty rabbit, hungry dokkebis [goblins], a fierce tiger, and more. Guaranteed to bring a smile to kids' faces, this lighthearted and adventurous tale explores Korean folklore, language, and culture in a way that never feels didactic, just pure fun.
Amira's Picture Day (2021) written by Reem Faruqi and illustrated by Fahmida Azim
Amira, a young Pakistani American girl, may burst from delight over Eid al-Fitr and the celebrations, treats, and fun it brings. However, her excitement over skipping school to celebrate is dampened when she realizes it is also Picture Day. This gentle story casts a spotlight on the importance of events and special days for children and how home and school lives may conflict, particularly for those who do not identify as part of the majority.
Watercress (2021) written by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
This autobiographical story centers on a Chinese American family who, on a long drive through rural Ohio, spots wild watercress growing on the side of a road in a muddy ditch. They stop and forage the plants, which are later cooked for dinner. The young protagonist is at first embarrassed by her parents' actions but as she learns more about her Chinese heritage, she begins to feel cultural and familial pride.
When Everything Was Everything (2018) written by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, illustrated by Cori Nakamura Lin
This story is based on the author's own memories but will be intimately familiar to many other Southeast Asian American immigrants and refugees who grew up in working class Minneapolis. The poetic text, which reflects the author's spoken word roots, describes everyday, ordinary bits of life, from food stamps to ESL classes to public housing, from the perspective of a Lao American child.
Dissertation excerpt adapted from
Yi, J. H. (2020). Representations, Racialization, and Resistance: Exploring Asian American Picturebooks, 1993–2018 (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University).
Couzelis, M .J. (2014). Counter-storytelling and ethnicity in twenty-first-century American adolescent historical fiction (UMI No. 3620806) [Doctoral Dissertation, Texas A&M University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Delgado, R. (1989). Storytelling for oppositionists and others: A plea for narrative. Michigan Law Review, 87(8), 2411–2441.
Joanne Yi earned her PhD in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education from Indiana University. A proud MotherScholar and former elementary teacher from Philadelphia, her research interests include critical literacies, textual analysis of diverse children's literature, issues of inclusion and belonging in elementary and early childhood contexts, and reading education.
2021 CLA Master Class: "Reading Queerness at the Intersections: Using LGBTQ-Inclusive Literature to Move toward Equity, Justice, and Antiracist Teaching"
By S. Adam Crawley, Craig A. Young, and Lisa Patrick on behalf of the CLA Master Class Committee
Starting in 1994, the Children's Literature Assembly (CLA) has sponsored a Master Class at the annual NCTE Convention. This session provides K-12 teachers and teacher educators, as well as other members of the organization, the opportunity to gain insight about the use of diverse children's literature through interactions with leading scholars, authors, and illustrators in the field.
The 28th annual Master Class is titled "Reading Queerness at the Intersections: Using LGBTQ-Inclusive Literature to Move Toward Equity, Justice, and Antiracist Teaching." This year's session will take place on Saturday, November 20th from 5:15-6:30 p.m. (Eastern) in the virtual platform of NCTE's annual meeting (1).
The 2021 Master Class will include a presentation, panel, and discussion with the following esteemed teacher-educators, authors, and illustrators of children's literature:
2021 CLA Master Class Contributors
Dr. Jill M. Hermann-Wilmarth (Professor, Western Michigan University) and Dr. Caitlin Ryan (Associate Professor, University of North Carolina - Wilmington) are the co-authors of Reading the Rainbow: LGBTQ-Inclusive Literacy Instruction in the Elementary Classroom (Teachers College Press and GLSEN, 2018) for which they were awarded the Literacy Research Association's Edward B. Fry Book Award. In addition, Ryan was the recipient of the 2020 CLA Research Award - on behalf of Hermann-Wilmarth and their fellow collaborators - for the project "Reading the K-8 Rainbow: A Virtual, LGBTQ-Inclusive Children's Literature Book Club for Elementary and Middle School Teachers." Hermann-Wilmarth and Ryan co-edited a special issue of Theory Into Practice focused on LGBTQ-inclusive teaching and their scholarship is published in Language Arts, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, and Journal of Literacy Research among other journals and edited books.
Kyle Lukoff is a former elementary school librarian and the author of picturebooks and middle grade chapter books. Lukoff's titles - among others - include the Max and Friends series (Reycraft Books, 2019) and When Aidan Became a Brother (Lee & Low, 2019), winner of the American Library Association's Stonewall Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Published this year, Lukoff's Too Bright to See (Penguin Young Readers, 2021) is on the 2021 shortlist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Earlier this year, Lukoff's picturebook Call Me Max (Reycraft Books, 2019) gained national attention in response to various school districts' support or censorship of its use in elementary schools.
Leah Johnson earned an MFA in fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and is a professor of creative writing and composition. Her debut young adult novel You Should See Me in a Crown (Scholastic, 2020) received a Stonewall Honor by the American Library Association and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Johnson's new and forthcoming publications include her sophomore YA Rise to the Sun (Scholastic, 2021); a short story in the YA edited anthology Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed (Feiwel & Friends, 2022); and middle grade series Ellie Engle Saves Herself (Disney-Hyperion, 2023). In addition to these books and honors, Johnson has published essays and cultural criticism in various outlets including Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan. Recently, USA Today named Johnson in the list of "50 Must-Read Black YA Authors"
Maya Gonzalez is an artist, author, educator, and activist. She has written and/or illustrated more than thirty books for youth including picturebooks, poetry anthologies, and more. Sample titles include Cuando Amamos Cantamos: When We Love Someone We Sing to Them (written by Ernesto Javier Martínez, Reflection Press, 2018), Call Me Tree: Llamame Arbol (Lee & Low, 2014), and The Gender Wheel: A Story About Bodies and Gender for Everybody (Reflection Press, 2018). Gonzalez is the co-founder of Reflection Press; co-creator of School of the Free Mind, an online learning environment; and recipient of numerous accolades including a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor for My Colors, My World: Mis Colores, Mi Mundo (Children's Book Press, 2007) and Tomas Rivera Book Award for My Very Own Room: Mi Propio Cuartito (written by Amada Irma Perez, Children's Book Press, 2000).
Dr. Laura Jiménez will be the discussant for the 2021 Master Class. Jiménez is a Lecturer of children's and YA literature courses and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development at Boston University. In addition to her scholarship in The Reading Teacher, Journal of Literacy Research, Journal of Lesbian Studies, and Teaching and Teacher Education among other outlets, Jiménez is a founding advisory board member of the open-access journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature and the author of the blog "Booktoss" in which she writes critical response to children's and young adult literature. This year, Jiménez was awarded the Divergent Award for Excellence in Literacy Advocacy given by the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age.
The 2021 Master Class
The 2021 Master Class will focus on how children's literature can provide vital depictions of – and be used to facilitate important conversations about - intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991), specifically where race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender expression and identity meet and further marginalize. In this session, we bring together scholars, authors, and illustrators of books for young readers whose knowledge, experiences, and published works provide avenues for considering literature's nuanced portrayal of individuals' myriad identities. Moreover, both in viewing the presentation and participating in the synchronous dialogue, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in and reflect on conversations that allow them to create paths toward equity, justice, and antiracist teaching in their professional lives.
Participating in the 2021 Master Class will help attendees gauge their knowledge of and comfort with using LGBTQ-inclusive literature in classrooms. Additionally, attendees will learn about the affordances of children's literature that presents stories showing the intersections of diverse identities, especially the voices of individuals whose race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity or expression has been – and continues to be – used to censor or erase them. The Master Class speakers and co-chairs hope attendees leave the session with a reaffirmed and deeper understanding 1) of the need for inclusive representations of marginalized communities and 2) that any move toward equity, justice, and antiracist teaching requires being more inclusive of - and attentive to - intersectional identities.
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299.
(1) The 2021 Master Class is designated by NCTE to be a "pre-recorded/scheduled" format. The recording will be shown in the conference platform at the scheduled time. Following the recording, there will be opportunities for live discussion between presenters and attendees.
S. Adam Crawley (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. His current roles with CLA include serving as a Board Member (2021-2023) and Master Class Co-Chair (2020-2022). In addition, he is the secretary of NCTE's Genders and Sexualities Equalities Alliance (GSEA).
Craig A. Young (he/him) is a Professor of Teaching & Learning at Bloomsburg University of PA. He is currently serving on the CLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee, as well as co-chairing the 2021 CLA Master Class.
Lisa Patrick (she/her) is the Marie Clay Endowed Chair in Reading Recovery and Early Literacy at The Ohio State University. She is a CLA Board Member and Master Class Co-Chair.
FOR CLA MEMBERS
CLA Board of Directors Elections
It's time for CLA members to vote for three members of the CLA Board of Directors. Board terms are for three years, beginning January 1, 2022.
Candidate statements and a link to the election ballot can be found in our Election Page. To access the ballot and submit your vote, you will be prompted to log in to your CLA account. Voting begins on Tuesday, October 5th at 9 am EST.
Please submit your ballot by Friday October 22nd at 5 pm EST
Spotlight on Recent Middle-Grade Portrayals of Deafness
By Jared S. Crossley
Although the fight for increased diversity in children's literature has been going on for decades, there has been a recent surge in attention to this need since 2014 and the creation of the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) campaign. The website for WNDB states that they advocate for "essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people" (We Need Diverse Books, n.d.), and their definition of diversity extends beyond diversity in sexual orientation, gender, and race, but also includes disability.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2019) there were 7 Million students in 2017-2018 who received special education services, accounting for 14 percent of all public school students. The amount of time these students spend inside a general education classroom has been gradually increasing over the last twenty years. This contributes to the growing need for educators to use texts with positive and accurate disability portrayals as part of their reading instruction in the general education classroom (Collins, Wagner & Meadows, 2018). Children with disabilities need to be able to see themselves in the books they read, and their classmates can also benefit, gaining empathy and understanding, by reading about children with similar disabilities.
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop (1990) wrote about how books can serve as windows, "offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange" (p. 1). They can also serve as mirrors, which reflect our own experiences, and "in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience" (p. 1). It is very important that all children see themselves reflected in the books they read. However, many children who have disabilities or are racial minorities often don't see themselves in the books that are available to them. Bishop stated:
"When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors"
-Rudine Sims Bishop
Educators should make it a priority to provide all of the children in their classrooms books that serve as mirrors, as well as books that are windows into cultures that are not familiar to their students' lived experiences.
For the past four years, I have been privileged to serve on USBBY's Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities committee. During that time I have gained new perspectives and learned more information about various disabilities and differences. One type of book that often gets grouped into the disability category is books that contain a portrayal of deafness. It has been debated if deafness should be considered a disability (Harvey, 2008; Lane, 2002) with varying opinions for and against the consideration of deafness as a disability. However, regardless of whether or not it is a disability, we need positive portrayals of deafness in children's literature that can serve as mirrors for children who are deaf, and windows for children who are hearing. Over the past few years there have been a number of excellent middle-grade books that center a child who is deaf. In this post, I want to highlight three titles that I thought were exceptional portrayals.
Song for a Whale
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly (2019) is the story of twelve-year-old Iris who was born deaf. In science class she learns about a whale named Blue 55 who cannot communicate with other whales. Iris, who has had trouble fitting in at her school due to communication barriers, connects with this whale and decides to create a song that Blue 55 would be able to hear in an effort to let him know that he is not alone. Even when the whole world seems to be against her, Iris is determined to meet Blue 55 and speak to him in a way they both can understand.
Show Me a Sign
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte (2020) tells the story of Mary, a young girl growing up deaf in the early 1800's on the island of Martha's Vineyard. As part of a Deaf colony on the island, Mary has always felt safe and protected. However, all of this is threatened by the appearance of a young scientist who is bound and determined to find the cause of the island's deafness so he can cure this "infirmity". Soon Mary finds herself in harm's way as this scientist takes her as a "live specimen" in order to more closely study her deafness. The sequel, Set Me Free, is set to be released September 21, 2021.
All He Knew
All He Knew by Helen Frost (2020) is a novel in verse set during World War II. Henry loses his hearing at an early age, and when it is time for him to start school, his deafness mixed with social anxiety, are mistaken for unintelligence. Henry is sent to live at an institution where he is mistreated, but must rely on his intelligence and inner strength to survive his hardships. All He Knew is inspired by actual events that happened to Frost's husband's uncle.
Bishop, R.S. (1990). Windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6, ix-xi.
Collins, K. M., Wagner, M. O., & Meadows, J. (2018). Every story matters: Disability studies in the literacy classroom. Language Arts, 96(2), 13.
Harvey, E. R. (2008). Deafness: A disability or a difference. Health L. & Pol'y, 2, 42.
Lane, H. (2002). Do deaf people have a disability?. Sign language studies, 2(4), 356-379.
U.S. Department of Education. (2019). Children and youth with disabilities. Retrieved from
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp
We Need Diverse Books. (n.d.). About Us. WNDB.
Frost, H. (2020). All He Knew. New York, NY: Farrar Straus and Giroux.
Kelly, L. (2019). Song for a Whale. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
LeZotte, A.C. (2020). Show Me a Sign. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Jared S. Crossley is a Ph.D. student at The Ohio State University studying Literature for Children and Young Adults. He is a former 4th- and 5th-grade teacher, and currently teaches children's literature courses at Ohio State. He is the 2020-2021 chair of the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities committee (USBBY).
Breaking Barriers - Discovering Connections
By Patricia E. Bandré
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does."
For approximately four weeks this spring, fourth-grade students at Oakdale Elementary in Salina, Kansas read and discussed, We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Nelson, 2008) as part of a language arts unit. Students found the book highly engaging and the art extraordinary. Numerous discussions occurred as students read, wondered, and conducted research in order to learn more about Negro League players and team owners. Ideas in the book sparked a variety of emotions and prompted numerous conversations about how people treated one another then, how they treat one another today, and what it means to break barriers. When the unit concluded, teachers Joy Fox-Jensen and Mary Plott desired to capitalize on students' enthusiasm for the book and their interest in sports. They wanted to introduce students to other African American athletes who had broken barriers and pursued their dreams.
In my role as the district reading instructional specialist, I worked with the teachers to plan and conduct a six-day mini-unit. We chose four books for our study: Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball (Bryant, 2020), Playing to Win: The Story of Althea Gibson (Deans, 2007), A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (de la Peña, 2011), and Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman (Krull, 1996). We intentionally chose to introduce African American men and women who excelled in sports other than baseball and faced barriers in addition to those posed by race; poverty, illness, and physical disabilities provided further challenges for the athletes we selected. We also wanted students to experience a variety of writing styles and different types of illustrations. Finally, we wished to select athletes to whom the students could connect. We wanted them to see how these barrier-breaking athletes valued determination and perseverance, realized the importance of compassion, and understood how seemingly simple actions spoke louder than words. Our goal was to help the fourth graders begin to see how they could become barrier-breakers, too.
Because students demonstrated such a high level of interest in Kadir Nelson's paintings when reading We are the Ship, we elected to begin the study with a short exploration of book design. I used information from the article Picturebooks as Aesthetic Objects (Sipe, 2001) to help frame our conversations. We are the Ship (Nelson, 2008), along with two classic picturebooks, Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak, 1963) and The Little House (Burton, 1942), served as models. After reading the two picturebooks aloud, we took a focused look at all three books. As part of our discussion, I prompted students to consider how the size and shape of a book might add to its meaning. Students contemplated the image on the dust jacket and cover of each book – were these images the same or different? Why? They looked closely at the endpapers and wondered about the significance of the colors and the images, if there were any. We considered the color palette each artist used and discussed how those colors suited the text and made them feel. Students noticed the different points of view Nelson employed in We are the Ship; individual players appeared to be larger than life, but in the team paintings, each member seemed equally significant. Students greatly admired Nelson's full-bleed art, but also found the way Sendak (1963) placed frames around his illustrations in Where the Wild Things Are to be intriguing. Students were quick to notice how the size of the frames changed, disappeared, and reappeared as we watched the main character, Max, journey in and out of his imaginary world. Ultimately, this exploration created a heightened sense of awareness and resulted in careful observations, thoughtful questions, and insightful responses about the other books we read.
Over the next four sessions, students interacted with a new book each day. Each initial reading was conducted as a read-aloud or a combination of listening and partner reading. I purposely did not stop to talk about the book during its first reading. Rather, I wanted students to take in the language and art on their own in order to develop a first draft understanding (Barnhouse and Vinton, 2012). Following this process allowed them to come to their own conclusions about the athletes and the barriers faced without the influence of their peers. Instead of talking, students took two sticky notes and recorded one thing they noticed about the book and one fact they learned during the first read. Students shared their "Notice and Learn" notes with a shoulder partner and posted them for others to read. Next, we dove back into each book and revisited specific passages in order to explore the way the authors used language to provide clues as to the personality of each athlete. An organizer modeled after the Reading with Attitude protocol (Buehl, 2014) assisted to facilitate our conversations. As students reread certain passages from each book, they contemplated the athlete's and author's emotions and shared how the text made them feel as the reader. Discussions ensued about the language in the text and how it prompted them to infer the presence of these emotions. Additionally, students made specific references to the art in each book and how it affected their response. As students met each new athlete, the comments they shared made it clear that they realized the athletes were different from one another, but connected by common threads
Collaborative Art Display
Closing conversations, written reflections, and a collaborative art display revealed the connections students saw between the four athletes they had met. Most importantly, students saw their own lives reflected in those of the athletes. "Barrier breakers are courageous and daring," wrote one student. "They had to stand up for their rights and not only for their rights, but they stood up for the rights of others." Another student noted, "They broke barriers that people were afraid to do. A barrier I want to break is people judging other people in a rude way." Like Elgin, Althea, Joe, and Wilma, students realized they had the ability to demonstrate the characteristics needed in life to break barriers of their own
Barnhouse, D., & Vinton, V. (2012). What readers really do: Teaching the process of meaning making. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning, (4th ed.). International Reading
Association: Newark, DE.
Sipe, L. R. (2001). Picturebooks as aesthetic objects. Literacy Teaching and Learning, 6(1), 23-42.
Bryant, J. (2020). Above the rim: How Elgin Baylor changed basketball. Illus. by F. Morrison. Abrams
Books for Young Readers: New York, NY.
Burton, V. L. (1942). The little house. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Deans, K. (2007). Playing to win: The story of Althea Gibson. Illus. by E. Brown. Holiday House:
New York, NY.
de la Peña, M. (2011). A nation's hope: The story of boxing legend Joe Louis. Illus. by K. Nelson. Dial Books for Young Readers: New York, NY.
Krull, K. (1996). Wilma unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph became the world's fastest woman. Illus. by D. Diaz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Boston, MA.
Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY.
Patricia E. Bandré, Ph.D., is the reading instructional specialist for USD 305 Public Schools, Salina, KS and serves as treasurer for CLA.
Joy Fox-Jensen and Mary Plott are fourth grade teachers at Oakdale Elementary School, USD 305 Public Schools, Salina, KS.
We wish to thank the Salina Education Foundation for funding this project.
Imagining a Linguistically Inclusive Classroom with YAL for Emergent Bilingual Adolescents
BY EUN YOUNG YEOM
Using YAL to include emergent bilinguals' voices
Reading young adult literature (YAL) can be very beneficial for secondary-level students and can operate as a powerful context for discussing complex social issues relevant to students' lives and current society. Reading and discussing YAL can expand students' horizons and their conceptions of themselves. The benefits of reading and discussing YAL could also be applied to English learning emergent bilingual adolescents. Recent studies show that leveraging emergent bilinguals' heritage languages as a scaffold can support English development. However, few educators and researchers discuss how secondary-level emergent bilinguals make sense of the world through reading and discussing YAL written in English, how responding to YAL can be a medium to amplify their voices, and how their heritage languages could be a steppingstone for them to immerse themselves into YAL texts.
In many U.S. classrooms that are often dominated by standard English, emergent bilingual adolescents' perspectives toward YAL and their conceptions of the world can easily be dismissed. One core reason could be that emergent bilinguals' written and oral utterances, often expressed through developing English mixed with their heritage languages, might look different from standard English expression. However, emergent bilinguals make sense of the world through intermingling their heritage languages and English, a process called translanguaging. Using heritage languages can serve as a bridge for emergent bilinguals to make meaning of YAL texts written in English because translanguaging is a natural way in which bilinguals engage with the world. Through this lens, emergent bilinguals are seen as capable meaning makers with diverse cultural and linguistic repertoires, not as English learners with limited English proficiency who cannot form proper English sentences.
Classroom language policy matters
Taking advantage of their heritage languages for discussing YAL can open doors for emergent bilingual students to express their opinions easily, and to access their lived experiences and cultural values in relation to the YAL texts they are reading and discussing. For secondary ELA classrooms where many YAL texts are incorporated, allowing emergent bilingual students use of their heritage languages could be a first step toward including more of their voices in discussions. For written responses, opening translanguaging spaces for intermixing heritage languages and English could be another way to honor bilingual students' cultural and linguistic resources and expand their expression options. Ultimately, teachers' efforts to create a more linguistically inclusive classroom environment can support emergent bilingual students' active involvement in YAL reading and discussions and can enrich the breadth of ideas and interpretations made available to the classroom community. Teachers' modeling of blending two languages to make meaning could also reap benefits.
Integrating culturally relevant YAL also matters
In addition to efforts toward linguistic inclusiveness through translanguaging practices, incorporating culturally relevant YAL is equally important. If emergent bilingual students have to sit in a classroom reading a novel written in a second language they have started learning, text analysis will take tremendous energy. If they also have to discuss the novel in the foreign language, they may not be able to fully express their thoughts and feelings, even when formulating insightful ideas in their heads. To make matters worse, if the novel is irrelevant to their lives and cultures, the hardship comes in a combo plate. Incorporating YAL texts that are relevant to emergent bilinguals' lives is one of the choices teachers can make for emergent bilinguals to feel more included by seeing themselves in the stories they are reading.
Emergent bilingual adolescents, who may feel marginalized due to languages, race, and their status as immigrants or refugees, need school to be a space where they feel valued and validated. They are an important part of the colorful fabric of U.S. classrooms, which have increasingly become linguistically diverse. By respecting emergent bilingual adolescents' bilingual repertoires and honoring their cultural identities through culturally relevant YAL, ELA classrooms can become a welcoming, empowering space for emergent bilingual adolescents to express their feelings, thoughts, and perspectives.
Translanguaging guide for teachers:
Translanguaging Guides | CUNY-NYSIEB
Recommended sites for finding culturally relevant YAL for emergent bilingual adolescents
Immigration and refugee experiences:
In a New World: The Immigrant and Refugee Experience in YA literature | Saint Paul Public Library | BiblioCommons
Ten Contemporary Novels on the Immigrant Experience in America. | Greenwich Library | BiblioCom
Asian immigrant experiences:
Graphic Novels by Asian American and Pacific Islander Authors & Illustrators | Wild Rumpus (wildrumpusbooks.com)
11 Books Featuring South Asian Characters to Read in 2021 | Teen Vogue
Latinx immigrant experiences
10 Best Young Adult books by Latina authors to read now — The Mujerista
African immigrant experiences:
7 Books That Document the African Immigrant Experience | AfriPop! - What's New and Whats Next in Global African Culture (afripopmag.com)
YAL about immigrants from the Middle East or Middle Eastern characters:
The best YA books: 10 Middle East authors worth reading | Middle East Eye
Eun Young Yeom was an in-service middle/high school English teacher in South Korea for 12 years, and is a doctoral student in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Her research revolves around transnational emergent bilinguals' language practices and their responses to young adult literature.
First image by Pexels from Pixabay
A Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award Update (Part II)
Conducting a Writing Cohort with the Support of the Bonnie Campbell Hill Award
BY KATIE SCHRODT
One cold Thursday evening after a long day of virtual teaching, 20 literacy coaches from Metro Nashville Public schools and 4 University professors from Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State University, and Lipscomb University eagerly logged on to their writing cohort meeting. This group has been meeting once a month for over a year, writing and learning together. But this time, it was something special, something different. We were going to meet award winning author and illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal. Each of us had our brand-new Juana books in hand, purchased by the Bonnie Campbell Hill award money. Together we listened in awe as Juana took us back to her very first drawings and through the beautiful journey of how she became the author and illustrator she is today. We chatted about writing process, about not giving up on your dreams, and about how teachers across America are using Juana's books. It was inspiring-- and it was all because of the Bonnie Campbell Hill award.
This was a special event, but each month our group is committed to meeting together as a cohort to write and study. We are currently reading through The Revision Toolbox by Georgia Heard (also purchased with the BCH award money). We have challenged each other to write with a revision lens, sharing our revisions each month rather than just our final products. Everything we do in the writing cohort centers around our Call to Action--A call to facilitate an authentic writing process with student choice, to nurture students to live literate lives--to be authentic readers and writers. This big idea is larger than our schedules, the scope and sequence, and curricular resources. We are leaning on each other as a writing community in pursuit of these goals.
Recent Books by Juana Martinez-Neal
CLA Blog: Knowledge is Power: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors
BY MELISSA ANTINOFF
I was honored to be named one of the 2020 Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award recipients. My project was to continue my equity work as a literacy leader. It is imperative that every classroom in every school district has books with BIPOC characters by BIPOC authors. Students need to see themselves in books (like a mirror) and see the rest of the world as well (like looking out a window). Books are the perfect gateway for this (like a sliding glass door that automatically opens and invites you in).
While I have learned so much from the conferences I have attended so far this year, the most important piece of knowledge I've gained is that my equity work has spread from my school to my community. I now have language to teach my friends and family how to advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Recently, the fervor over Dr. Seuss Enterprises no longer publishing 6 books with racist imagery was all over my social media feeds. I was shocked and disappointed by friends that thought the company was "going overboard." One friend even said, "If you don't like it, don't buy it."
I replied with pictures of the offensive illustrations by Seuss, explaining why those 6 books were no longer going to be published. I used the analogy of windows. mirrors, and sliding glass doors to explain how none of those pictures have a place in our society. As librarian Leslie Edwards said, "A book published in 1937 with images that are considered racist by the group publishing the book...doesn't have a place in an elementary classroom or school library in 2021. Nostalgia isn't a reason for keeping a book. In schools and school libraries, the collection should reflect diverse viewpoints in an age- and developmentally appropriate manner. These diverse viewpoints should not demean or diminish others."
Some of my colleagues refuse to even touch the subject of racism and prejudice with their students, much less have diverse books in their classroom libraries. Last year, when I used our language arts budget for diverse books for each of my grade level's classroom libraries, a colleague told me that the money was better spent on other materials. After attending my workshop on Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Diverse Literature, she changed her mind. She now could now understand the importance of a diverse library and how it will help her reach all of her students.
I recently read aloud Lailah's Luncbox, by Reem Faruqi. It's a book about a girl fasting for Ramadan. I have a Muslim student in my third grade class that fasts. The other students now have an appreciation for her culture and she was so happy to share her knowledge with her classmates. Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.
With all of this professional and personal development, I now have the language and knowledge to change people's minds. My students, colleagues, and community do, too.
Katie Schrodt is a professor of literacy at Middle Tennessee State University where she works with pre-service and serving teachers. Katie's research interests include reading and writing motivation with young children. She is one of the 2020 Bonnie Campbell Hill Award recipients.
Melissa Antinoff is the 2019 Burlington County Teacher of the Year. She has been an elementary educator since 1992. Melissa specializes in developing a love of reading in her students.
A Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award Update (Part I)
Planting Seeds for Professional Involvement with Bonnie Campbell Hill
BY KATHRYN WILL
2018 NCTE Annual Convention, Houston
Winning the 2018 Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award for my clinical work with preservice teachers in our local schools allowed me to support the attendance of two university students, Emily and Allicia, at the 2018 NCTE conference in Houston. They were astounded by the warm welcome they received at the CLA breakfast that year, the sessions they attended, and of course the free books signed by authors. To say they were gobsmacked would be accurate. Upon our return from the conference, they shared their experience in a student gathering on campus with others where it was well received and created a buzz in the teacher education program for quite a time afterwards. They graduated in the Spring of 2019, accepting their first teaching positions in nearby schools. Because of the positive experience they had at the 2018 conference, they attended NCTE 2019 in Baltimore as seasoned conference attendees, focusing in on their current classroom needs and of course gathering books for their classroom libraries.
After starting a YA book club in the summer of 2019, we continued to meet together virtually throughout the pandemic--sometimes for our book club that grew out of the initial NCTE experience, and other times to navigate classroom or learner challenges. When we met a few weeks ago, I asked them about the initial experience of attending NCTE with me. Emily commented that the experience opened her eyes to the importance of making connections within the profession at a national level. Allicia added that she never would have considered going to something like NCTE if she had not gone with me. It made her dream bigger as a teacher and as a person. They both agreed they will attend again. I am so grateful that winning this award allowed me to plant and nurture the seeds of professional involvement for these teachers in the early stages of their careers. I hope there are opportunities for me to continue this in the future with other preservice teachers.
2019 NCTE Annual Convention, Baltimore
2020-2021 Zoom gatherings for book club and talks about teaching and learning
Catching Up with Quintin: A Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award Update
BY QUINTIN BOSTIC
Kathryn Will (left) & Quintin Bostic (right)
When he won the award in 2018, Quintin was preparing to teach his first course in elementary writing instruction for undergraduate preservice teachers. Although his time in the Ph.D. program is coming to an end, the doors to opportunities are just beginning to open. Shortly after receiving the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award, Quintin began to implement his PLC series. The 3-day series supported teacher trainers and teachers in using various strategies to have critical conversations with students through picture books in their classrooms. The professional development program addressed topics like #BlackLivesMatter, LGBTQIA+ families, multilingualism, varying abilities, and more. Attendees of the professional development supported students from preschool to third grade in an inner-city school district in Atlanta, Georgia. A major highlight from the project was that because it was so well received, the project was further funded through a local agency for the continued support of teachers in the local area. Through the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award, not only was Quintin able to implement the PLC series, but he was also able to attend the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in Houston, Texas in 2018, attend the Children's Literature Assembly's breakfast, and attend the all-attendee event that featured author Sharon Draper. Because of the award, Quintin has gained a platform that has helped him to continue to advance in his academic career.
Quintin Bostic
Quintin is currently wrapping up his Ph.D. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University. His research focuses on how race, racism, and power are communicated through the text and visual imagery in children's picturebooks. Additionally, in 2020, Quintin was named co-chair of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Anti-Racism Committee. The association – which provides professional development, advocacy, and support for school-university partnerships – first established the Anti-Racism Committee in response to racial violence in 2020. As co-chair, Bostic will work to foster a culture of equity and inclusion within the association, and in the communities it supports; create and implement anti-racist policies, practices, and systems; and recommend and implement tools and approaches for continued reflection and progress. "Our goal is to address racism by providing teachers and community partners with the necessary resources to do so," Bostic said. "These resources vary, ranging from trainings to resources, that can help challenge and overcome racist ideologies that are embedded throughout society." He also just started a new career with Teaching Lab, in which is serves as a Partnerships Manager.
Quintin is beyond thankful to Bonnie Campbell Hill, her family, the Children's Literature Assembly, and everyone who makes this award possible. "There are so many people, like me, who would have never had the opportunity to have so many experiences without the support, love and care of people like the Bonnie Campbell Hill Award family. I am so appreciative, and I look forward to seeing what amazing things will come out of this award in the future."
Kathryn Will is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of Maine Farmington (@KWsLitCrew). She is passionate about sharing the power of children's literature with her students. She is one of the 2018 Bonnie Campbell Hill Award recipients, a member of the 2019 Notables Committee, and current chair of the Notables Committee.
Quintin Bostic is a Ph.D. Candidate at Georgia State University. He is also Partnerships Manager at Teaching Lab and co-Chair of the NAPDS Antiracism Committee. His personal website is https://drquintinbostic.com.
Editorial Note:
Check out our April 6 Post about the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader award and look out for another award recipient update post next week. If you are interested in applying for this year's award, visit the Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Leader Award page for the application details.
Resources for Indigenous Representation in Children's Literature
BY DONNA SABIS-BURNS
We are obligated to educate our youth with a clear lens and to teach the richness of realistic, authentic, and contemporary literature for children and young adults. We need to promote books where Indigenous characters are up front and visible, not hidden or pushed aside. We want to highlight in a bold, distinguishable manner characters and stories that unveil and promote the beauty of diverse literature written/illustrated by and for Native Nations (also called Indigenous people and used interchangeably here when the specific Nation is not known), and all other marginalized groups.
The movements of #OwnVoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks have elevated the bar by offering a deeper focus and expanded landscape for celebrating the intricacies that Native storytelling brings to the table. Much too often, books featuring Indigenous people are only pulled off the shelf in October (Columbus) and November (Thanksgiving/Native Heritage Month). Well, it is March/April and I am pleased to share with you some resources you may want to check out and bookmark this spring to break that cycle. This blog post features a few rich and informative web pages, the American Indian Literature Awards (AILA), a shout out to an award-winning #OwnVoices book, and other informative and fun resources that highlight the resilience, authenticity, and beauty in literature through a kaleidoscope of traditions representative of the vast diversity across Indian Country.
Native Cultural Links
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is a fun and informative resource offered through HarperCollins Publishers, which provides a range of genuine, innovative, and perhaps unforeseen stories by Indigenous creators for any age. Author-curated by the New York Times Best-Selling Author, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Heartdrum highlights contemporary, near histories and/or futuristic works, including realistic fiction and genre fiction.
What is impressive about this site is its refreshing approach to much-needed stories about Indigenous, contemporary young heroes and heroines. These heartfelt accounts are reflective of the many different Nations of a modern United States and Canada. This is a breath of fresh air because it does not perpetuate the notion that Indigenous peoples are not around anymore. Do not get me wrong, there is a definite need for authentic, truthful history stories of Native Nations, but it is truly wonderful to be able to share a good story about real time people in real time situations in a modern setting. This is a new resource that is just getting off the ground and it already has some exquisite stories to share with you.
Oyate
Oyate.org is a small but mighty Indigenous organization working to share the life and histories of Indigenous people with the utmost level of honesty and integrity. This is a resource that serves as a portal into the past and is reflective of today's society where diverse, #ownvoices books are most necessary. Oyate, appropriately named after the Dakota word for "people," believes that the world is a healthier place when there is a better understanding and respect for one another and when history is truthfully acknowledged. They aim to distribute literature and learning materials by Indigenous authors and illustrators, provide critical evaluation of books and curricula with Indigenous themes, and offer workshops "Teaching Respect for Native Peoples." They also have a small resource center and reference library that can be very useful for any educator or parent (or youth for that matter). Since the pandemic, the store portion of the site is temporarily not working at full capacity, but there are many other fine choices for you to peruse and enjoy.
American Indians in Children's Literature
We cannot mention websites about literature featuring Indigenous people without showcasing the American Indians in Literature (AICL) website. Established by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, and later joined by Dr. Jean Mendoza as co-editor, the AICL website provides a critical analysis of the presence of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books and so much more. This website is like walking into a bakery with so many wonderful choices it is hard to decide what to try first. It has been around for 15 years and is most certainly more than just a place to find a list of best books. You can discover Indigenous authors and illustrators in the Photo Gallery section, or maybe you'd rather learn tips for creating instructional materials featuring different Native nations. You can even research what books you should NOT be sharing out there. It is really a gem of a resource.
AILA Youth Literature Award
Did you know there is an award specifically for literature featuring Indigenous people? Since 2006, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) biennially considers the finest writing and illustrations by Indigenous peoples of North America for the AILA Youth Literature Award. AILA identifies and honors works that "present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity." Winners and Honor Books are selected in the categories: Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade Book, and Best Young Adult Book. If you ever need a resource for choosing quality literature, make sure you visit the American Indian Youth Literature Award web page.
For those not familiar with this organization, AILA is an affiliate of the American Library Association and it is devoted to disseminating information about Indigenous cultures and languages to the library community and beyond.
Check out the video for the 2020 Award winners.
Caldecott Winner
Congratulations to illustrator Michaela Goade (Tlingit) for her 2021 Caldecott Award winning book, We are Water Protectors (2020), authored by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Goade is the very first Indigenous winner of this prestigious award. With Earth Day around the corner, this would be a fabulous book to share. There is even a We are Water Protectors Activity Kit!
Read Native 2021 Reading Challenge
The "American Indian Library Association invites you to participate in the inaugural reading challenge. With this challenge we support and recognize our Indigenous authors, scientists, legislators, storytellers, and creators throughout the year, not just during the national Native American Heritage month." Here is a fun reading challenge to engage readers of all ages.
Throughout the year, find and read books and publications by and about Native Americans; visit tribal websites; search peer reviewed scholarly journals; visit Native-owned bookstores; and check with Native librarians for the best sources for learning more about Native Nations and Indigenous people around the world.
Donna Sabis-Burns, Ph.D., an enrolled citizen of the Upper Mohawk-Turtle Clan, is a Group Leader in the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education* in Washington, D.C. She is a Board Member (2020-2022) with the Children's Literature Assembly, Co-Chair of the 2021 CLA Breakfast meeting (NCTE), and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee at CLA.
*The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned herein is intended or should be inferred.
Amplifying Voices, Perspectives, and Experiences with USBBY's 2021 Outstanding International Books List
BY JENNIFER M. GRAFF AND BETTIE PARSONS BARGER
"The stories you read can transform you. They can help you imagine beyond yourself. When you read a great story you leave home. We leave home to find home."
(Rochman & McCampbell, 1997, p. vii)
The COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly shifted global travel to "zooming" from digital screen to digital screen and surfing online streaming services. For those fatigued by such excursions, international children's books can offer exciting and thought-provoking adventures of the heart, mind, spirit, and global consciousness. Readers can enter fantastic worlds, hear previously unheard voices and perspectives, learn more about scientific worlds and cultural communities, and become immersed in emotional episodes that speak to senses of humanity and belonging in books published on multiple continents. The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)'s annual Outstanding International Books (OIB) list is a great go-to guide for such literary experiences.
As mentioned in Wendy Stephens' overview of youth literature awards and described by USBBY President, Evie Freeman, the OIB list provides readers of all ages--especially educators and readers in grades PreK-12--a collection of 40-42 books originally published outside of the United States (U.S.) that are now available in the U.S. These books, selected by a committee of teachers, librarians, children's literature and literacy education teacher educators and scholars, connect us to noteworthy international authors and illustrators who seek to entertain, inform, challenge, delight, stimulate, and unite people through story.
OIB Selection Criteria*
*Not every book will meet every criterion equally.*
Books that
represent the best of children's literature from other countries
introduce readers in the U.S. to outstanding artists and writers from other countries
help children in the U.S. see the world from other points of view
provide perspectives or address topics otherwise missing from children's literature in the U.S.
exhibit distinct cultural flavor, help counteract stereotypes, bridge cultural gaps, build connections, and engage and prove accessible to young readers in the U.S.
See the USBBY website for additional content and presentation considerations.
Engaging with the 2021 OIB List: A Geographical Map and Themed Text Sets
Even with the grade-level band organization of the OIB list, selecting which books to read might feel daunting. Two ways to help facilitate book selections are the Interactive Google Map and thematic text sets.
Each OIB list has its own interactive Google Map, illustrating the international communities represented by the selected books. Using the color-coded pins on the world map or the left sidebar, select a book to zoom in on its location. Additional uses of the maps include critical analyses and discussions about dominant/absent voices, cultural representations, and equity on a global scale.
The 2021 OIB books also fit within text sets conducive to interdisciplinary and socioemotional learning as well as differentiated instruction. The table below includes the 35 OIB titles identified for PreK-8 grades organized into five themes. While each book is mentioned once, many could fit into multiple themes. The variety of genres, formats, and cultural origins reminds us that storytelling and humanity have no borders and amplifies the connections and intersections of self and society. Visit the USBBY OIB website or the February issue of the School Library Journal for all of the book annotations.
2021 Outstanding International Books (PreK-8)
(Book covers are organized by younger-to-older audience gradation.)
Hearing Additional Voices from Conflicts and War
As access to information increases, so does access to stories that present multiple voices. These titles include stories of conflict, longing, loss, love, and perseverance. Sharing the experiences of a war-torn country, conflict, or persecution, these texts inform readers on living in refugee internment camps, changing identities to avoid capture, peacefully resisting becoming a soldier, and leaving families behind - never to see them again. Each book enables readers to develop a greater sense of empathy and understanding of the impact war and conflict have on people.
Countries represented: Canada, France, Mexico, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Vietnam
Embarking on Explorations with Unexpected Twists
In each of these treasures, readers will be encouraged to explore the story world, whether drifting along a river, wandering along a vast ocean, traveling through a time of magic, or becoming spellbound by music. In these journeys, readers will delight in the unexpected - a plot twist or character development that makes them pause, evaluate, or wonder.
Countries represented: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom
Highlighting Our Everyday Lives
This collection of fun-filled, whimsical books reminds us of how quickly everyday moments can become joyful adventures no matter where you live! Catching chickens in West Africa, taking an elevator ride in Argentina, peering out from your window in Brazil, learning to make the perfect cannonball splash in New Zealand, contemplating the future in Japan, enjoying a great traditional tale about courage and forgiveness in India--among other stories about life's ups and downs--remind us of the beauty of living in the moment, especially when you are with people you love.
Countries represented: Argentina, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, West Africa
Developing Empathy, Connection, and Resilience through Loss and Hope
While originating from different circumstances (e.g., divorce, death, birth, long- and short-term separations, dementia, etc.), the partnership of loss and hope in this collection contributes to our ability to empathize, connect, and persevere. These five picturebooks and one novel offer sensitive, realistic, and accessible portraits of love, loss, grief, and everlasting hope, all undergirded by faith.
Countries represented: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Central African Republic, France, Sweden, South Africa
Piquing Curiosities with STEAM
These books are fantastic for exploring the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Readers will learn about animals, the relationships numbers have with the everyday world, the science of sound, or the invasion of plastic in the world's oceans. All of these books evoke curiosity and leave readers thinking about their everyday interactions with the topics.
Countries represented: Finland, Norway, Portugal, Ukraine
Rochman, H., & McCampbell, D. Z. (1997). Leaving home. HarperCollins
Children's Literature References
The OIB 2021 Bookmark has bibliographic information for the aforementioned books.
Jennifer M. Graff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, is a former CLA President and has been a CLA Member for 15+ years.
Bettie Parsons Barger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Winthrop University and has been a CLA Member for 10+ years.
Midwinter Book Awards Beyond Newbery and Caldecott- Part I: Children's Books
BY WENDY STEPHENS
This post is the first in a 2-part series by Wendy Stephens discussing the rich landscape of book awards announced over the winter months. In this first post, Wendy focuses on ALSC awards and awards by ALA affiliates recognizing books for children or books for a wide spectrum of age groups. The second post, which will be published next week, will present awards for YA literature administered by YALSA, as well as several other notable awards.
When we talk about budgeting for materials, I always advise my school librarian candidates to be sure to save some funding for January. No matter how good their ongoing collection development has been throughout the year, there are always some surprises when the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards (YMAs) roll around, and they'll want to be able to share the latest and best in children's literature with their readers. These are the books that will keep their collections up-to-date and relevant.
From our own childhoods, we always remember the "books with the medals" -- particularly the John Newbery for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature and the Randolph Caldecott for the most distinguished American picture book for children. These books become must-buys and remain touchstones for young readers. In 2021, Newbery is celebrating its one hundredth year. Some past winners and honor books are very much a product of their time, and many of those once held in high esteem lack appeal today.
For those of us working with children and with children's literature, the new books honored at Midwinter offer opportunities to revisit curriculum, update mentor texts, and build Lesesneian "reading ladders." Each award committee has its own particular award criteria and guidelines for eligibility, and its own process and confidentiality norms.
Every year, the YMAs seems to be peppered with small surprises. Does New Kid winning the Newbery means graphic novels are finally canonical? Is Neil Gaiman an American? What about all the 2015 Caldecott honors, including the controversial That One Summer? Did the Newbery designation of The Last Stop on Market Street mean you can validate using picture books with older students? How does Cozbi A. Cabrera's much-honored art work resonate at this historical moment?
In Horn Book and School Library Journal, Newbery, Caldecott and Printz contenders are tracked throughout the year in blogs like Someday My Printz Will Come, Heavy Medal, and Calling Caldecott. Other independent sites like Guessing Geisel, founded by Amy Seto Forrester are equally devoted to award prediction. Among librarians and readers, there are lots of armchair quarterbacks, and conducting mock Newbery and Caldecotts, either among groups of professionals or with children, have become almost a cottage industry. There are numerous how-tos on that subject, from reputable sources like The Nerdy Book Club and BookPage. But there are numerous other awards announced at ALA Midwinter almost simultaneously that deserve your attention, too.
Among the Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC) awards are: the Robert F. Sibert Medal, the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, the Geisel Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, and the Children's Literature Legacy Award.
Robert F. Sibert Medal
The Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children, ALSC's version of the Orbis Pictus, offers great books to support a wide variety of content areas.
2021 Sibert Medal Winner
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children's book originating in a language other than English in a country other than the United States and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States, supporting publishers who bring an international perspective to U.S. readers.
2021 Batchelder Award Winner
Geisel Award
The Geisel Award recognizes an exceptional text for beginning readers.
2021 Geisel Award Winner
Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award recognizes noteworthy apps, DVDs and streaming media. This year, it went to a podcast.
2021 EELDM Award Winner
Children's Literature Legacy Award
The Children's Literature Legacy Award, formerly the Wilder Award, honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made a substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children's lives and experiences.
2021 Children's Literacy Legacy Award Winner: Mildred D. Taylor
Aside from the award winners, each year annual ALSC Children's Notable Lists are produced in categories for Notable Children's Recordings, Notable Children's Digital Media, and Notable Children's Books. If you want to see the machinations behind the designation, those discussions are open to the public this year via virtual meeting links.
Outside of ALSC, many of ALA's affiliates have their own honors for children's literature. These include the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) which sponsors the Coretta Scott King Book Awards; the Association of Jewish Libraries which sponsors the Sydney Taylor Book Awards; and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking which sponsors the Pura Belpré awards. In addition to these affiliates, others such as the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association and the American Indian Library Association also present awards.
The awards are always evolving to reflect the abundance of literature available for young people. Like the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association awards, the American Indian Youth Literature Awards were first added to the televised YMA event in 2018. And this year was the first year for inclusion for a new Young Adult category for the Pura Belpré.
Two awards of particular significance are the Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language works found to be of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience, and the Schneider Family Book Awards, honoring authors or illustrators for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences, with recipients in three categories: younger children, middle grades, and teens.
Coretta Scott King Awards
The Coretta Scott King Books Awards honor African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults as well as professionals who support that valuable work. Of particular note is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
2021 John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner: Tracy Deonn
Sydney Taylor Book Awards
The Sydney Taylor Book Awards, named in memory the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series author. The award recognizes materials for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience, designating Gold and Silver medalists and Notable Books of Jewish Content in categories including Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adults.
2021 Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for the Middle Grades Category
Pura Belpré Awards
The Pura Belpré Awards honor Latinx authors and illustrators whose work portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience.
2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Award Winner
Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association Awards
The Asian/Pacific Librarian Association's Awards for Literature designates award and honor titles in Young Adult, Children's and Picture Book categories for authors and illustrators whose books promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage.
2021 APALA Children's Winner
American Indian Librarian Association Awards
One award we didn't see this year: American Indian Youth Literature Awards. Awarded biennially, this award identifies and honors writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America.
202o AILA Picturebook Winner
Stonewall Book Award
The Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language works found to be of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.
2021 Stonewall Book Award Winner
Schneider Family Book Awards
The Schneider Family Book Awards, honoring authors or illustrators for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences, honor recipients in three categories: younger children, middle grades, and teens.
2021 Schneider Family Younger Children Award Winner
Odyssey Award
This is an award that considers materials for a wide spectrum age groups in their decision-making. The best audiobook production for children and/or young adults are chosen for the Odyssey Award. The Odyssey alternates administration between ALSC and YALSA.
2021 Odyssey Award Audiobook
Wendy Stephens is an Assistant Professor and the Library Media Program Chair at Jacksonville State University.


#IWSG | Is writer's block seasonal?
Writer's block is not the question posed by the Insecure Writers Support Group this month.
Our cohosts are Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!
Please follow them and make them feel it's all worth while!
I realised the other day that ideas for flash fiction have been few and far between for most of this year. I have stirred myself to produce some 'specials'. I've even worked hard on them, and they've mostly been well received – several 'reached the shortlist', in fact. I should be feeling encouraged. But I'm not.
It could be that I'm doing too much.
Writing the last two Princelings books: I have reached the stage where I think I need to write the last one then go back and make sure all the developments that need to go in book 9 are there. That's a bit complicated, and I need time to think about these things. I need time to concentrate on writing.
Revising Curved Space to Corsair: I have developed a positive outcome from my editor's notes, and I've mentally rewritten the start. I just haven't had time to physically write it.
Why do I have time to read the books for blogged book reviews, and to write blog posts, but I haven't got time to devote to revising my book? Well it could be that time comes in short spurts, and there are timetables to keep to.
Why haven't I time? I'm busy doing other things, of course… things in the real world with real people, instead of online. Most of the time I prefer doing online things, but then you know I'm an introvert.
Who puts me under these pressures?
I do, of course. Nobody cares much whether I'm producing flash fiction, revising my books or finishing the Princelings series except me. The timetable is my own. I can change it.
Is my writer's block seasonal?
It's a funny thing, but this occurred to me as I realised it was the September IWSG post. A few years back I wrote about my depression, and things that set me off. I've been working hard at not letting myself be set off into depression by these writer's block factors. It's all pressure I heap on myself.
Does it build up at the end of each summer simply because it's the end of summer? Back to school? Only a few months till Christmas, and then the start of a new year and what have I got to show for it?
I think the answer to all those is 'yes' and then, when I really think of it, I have to admit that all these pressures are entirely self-inflicted. It is only me who has these expectations of myself.
There. I've admitted it. I can stop. I can allow myself not to write things. I can even stop posting blog posts unless I really want to.
Let's see how I manage that.
Do you suffer from seasonal writer's block, and is yours all self-inflicted? Tell all!
I sympathize with the struggle to handle self-imposed goals. You have a lot on your writing plate right now, and I think I would have to slow down and deal with one book at a time! Of course I'm a fine one to talk since I haven't written but about 3 pieces of flash in months.
I think half the trouble is I set my writing goals without any attention to my life activities. I'm under a lot of pressure outside the house at present, and I wonder how writers with families ever have the time and lack of stress to write!
I'm not sure that my ongoing problem is seasonal writer's block, more like a form of burnout or boredom. My writing comes in fits and starts, so I abandon writing when I get distracted by other things or lose interest in a project. Maybe that is why I have so many unfinished stories.
Chuck Wendig's post is well worth reading (and I've heard worse at work). So, I can see that 'temporary' stops can be good IF I return to my writing one day. Thanks, Jemima.
I too have the same issue. I make time for all sorts of things but fail to finish the rewrite I've been working on for almost six months now. Who knows how long it'll take. I've decided not to let it be a burden. It'll be done when it's done. Until then, I keep working on other things.
You are right. You can write or not, blog or not, and read as much as you want. Take care of you.
I definitely could see Writer's Block being seasonal. Our bodies have natural rhythms that change with the season (for whatever the reason), it only makes sense that creativity could be affected as well. I don't usually get writer's block per se, but my mood and productivity definitely goes through cycles throughout the calendar.
Self-inflicted writer's block – I strangely like the sound of that phrase. Sometimes it's liberating to recognize when we have control of our own timetable and are choosing other things. That happened to me last month until I carved out some time and just sat in front of my WIP. Suddenly, the muse lit up and I was able to finish the revision pass.


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DJ / Producer
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At 23, Sam Jones is already one of the most in-demand new talents in Trance, with releases on Kearnage Recordings, Damaged Records, Mental Asylum, Black Hole, Armada & More, Sam's studio output is very high.
Having many plays on Armin van Buuren's 'A State Of Trance' radio show, and also received support from many other big names on his productions such as Ferry Corsten, Aly & Fila, John O'Callaghan, Simon Patterson, Eddie Halliwell, Jordan Suckley, Bryan Kearney, Sneijder & many more.
2014 saw an impressive roll of releases from this Welsh Wizard, many of which had brilliant support from major DJ's, but the one track that turned heads last year for Sam was 'Buckle Up', released on Kearnage in June 2014. It reached #6 in the Beatport Trance top 10 and was hammered throughout the rest of the year.
Now in 2015 Sam has already had five productions released, 3 of which have broken into the Beatport Trance top 10. 'Let Loose' which was Sam's follow up to Buckle Up reached the #3 spot, 'Oversight' a collaboration with good friend Will Rees hit #5, and 'No Angel' was in at #10.
But if you thought that Sam was only good for production then you would be mistaken. He got into the technical side of DJing before producing tracks. Always very much enjoyed 3 deck mixing, cutting, live editing, scratching and quick mixing. Mr Jones was picked up by none other than the legendary Inside Out at The Arches when he was only 17 years old by the Scottish hero that is Simon Foy. This gave Sam a big head start on learning how to work a crowd in one of the best clubs in the U.K.
2015 see's Sam debut in Sweden, Australia, return to Argentina & Ireland + UK Debuts for major club brands Goodgreef & Colours for their EH1 festival in Edinburgh.
Expect Sam Jones to be a name on everyone's lips by the end of the year as a new star emerges.
'Night Owl Radio' 231 ft. Walker & Royce and Eagles & Butterflies
Tuesday Breakdown: January 14, 2020
EDC Korea 2020 Announcement
'Night Owl Radio' 230 ft. Holy Ship! Wrecked 2020 Mega-Mix

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Paul Eugène Parmentier (15 February 1854, Brussels - 22 August 1902, Knokke) was a Belgian painter; known for his landscapes, seascapes and scenes with animals.

Biography
He came from a wealthy family. His father, , owned a cotton factory and, from 1884 to 1892, was a member of the Chamber of Representatives.

He began painting as a hobby. In the 1880s, he began visiting the small fishing village of Knokke; a popular gathering place for artists and writers. There, he came to know the animal painter, Alfred Verwee, from whom he took several lessons. In 1890, he settled there with his wife and five children; four sons and one daughter, , who became a well known author.

He rarely exhibited his works, and attracted little attention from the art world. It was many years after World War II before his paintings were shown to the general public. Most are still privately owned. A few are in the possession of the municipality of Knokke. He was also a fairly competent photographer. Some of his photographs, of people and places around Knokke, served as inspiration for his friend, Verwee.

For a time, he was involved in local politics; serving as a municipal councilor in 1890, and an alderman in 1891. That same year, he formed a partnership with Verwee, called "Knokke-Attractions", to promote tourism.

He designed the Knokke coat-of-arms, which was used until Knokke merged with Heist-aan-Zee in 1971. A major street there is named after him.

Sources
 Norbert Hostyn, "Paul Parmentier", in: Lexicon van Westvlaamse Beeldende Kunstenaars, Vol.1, Vereniging van Westvlaamse Schrijvers, 1992
 Patrick Berko, Viviane Berko, Norbert Hostyn, Marines van Belgische Schilders geboren tussen 1750 en 1875, Laconti, 1984
 Danny Lanoy, Frieda Devinck, Thérèse Thomas, Impressionisten in Knokke & Heyst (1870-1914), Stichting Kunstboek 2007,

External links

1854 births
1902 deaths
Belgian painters
Belgian landscape painters
Animal painters
Artists from Brussels

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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News Our Progress So Far
Our Progress So Far
by Scott McMillan - Published 2nd April 2021
I shared a major progress update at the start of this year where I committed to making 2021 the year we build Method into the organisation the community deserves. Now that three months have passed, I'm back to say the team and I are working harder than ever to make Method an organisation the community, our staff, and our players can be proud of.
Since the start of 2021, we've grown our staff team to 20 strong, recognising excellence within our ranks with the promotion of Darren aka Bookmark to Events Director and bringing on incredible new talent like Joel Holmes-Darby, co-founder of Excel Esports, as our General Manager. Joel, who has a Masters in HR, has been pivotal in strengthening Method's HR and Operations teams. In partnership with our external HR consultant, Joel ensures the community is at the heart of everything we do while promoting a safe and welcoming environment for our staff, teams, and content creators.
We are looking forward to putting on the epic live, large scale events again as soon as it's safe to do so. Throughout 2021, you can expect to see exciting competitions and entertaining shows in each of the MMO & RPG communities we serve.
That's why I am excited to share that our production team is fully operational and hard at work preparing great events for the community. To further our goal of celebrating incredible feats within the community and creating opportunities for MMO and RPG players and creators, we've also expanded our Events & Production team by bringing on Kennie and Yannik, both veterans of past Method events. Prior to joining Method, Yannik was the Head of Production at our friends TakeTV and a core part of making the past Method RWFs among the most exciting Twitch events in the scene.
More content will always mean more compelling opportunities for talent, content creators, and players to celebrate individual and team triumphs through memorable community-focused entertainment.
While you may have caught the latest OSRS Method Mayhem recently, we've also launched a series of community events, inviting community members to join Method guildmates on shows like 30 classes versus Castle Nathria, or teaching you everything our players know about PvP and pushing M+ keys, but we have even more coming soon.
We're also getting ready for the next Race for World First. I'm proud to report that after a strong finish, we've doubled down on our efforts to strengthen the guild. Working with the Officer Team to develop and execute on a rigorous player development and recruitment programme, we have now added 14 new players to the Guild since the end of the last tier, including some of the greatest players from Method's history like Viklund and Drjay. With the Road to World First project fully underway, our next ambitious goal is to make it into the top 3 for the upcoming Chains of Domination raid. From there we'll look to compete for Method's 13th World First.
On the PvP side of World of Warcraft we've welcomed back Whaazz and Chas, 2019 Blizzcon AWC World Champions, to lead our 2021 AWC EU team and also signed the number one team in North America, Brain, Ceralium, Drake and Prev to Method NA. We're also preparing to bring more Classic/TBC WoW content to your screens with the addition of Jokerd, Bean, Nohitjerome and Laty to the Method stream team.
Outside of WoW, we've recently expanded into Path of Exile, bringing on a community champion and signing Cutedog, EmpyrianGaming, Alkaizerx, and DS_Lily. We are working on plans to deliver great experiences for fans of Path of Exile through 2021. On the topic of ARPGs, we've also signed the legendary Diablo II content creator, MrllamaSC, who moderated the Diablo II Resurrected panel at this year's BlizzConline, in preparation to do big things later this year when Diablo 2: Resurrected is released.
We've also made extensive efforts to bring community-driven esports events to Old School RuneScape (OSRS), and just completed our first Method Mayhem PvP Tournament which was broadcast to over 25,000 peak viewers on Twitch during the grand finals. Method is supporting 14 content creators in OSRS now and we look forward to creating more exciting events and content for the OSRS community.
The Method Community Team will always be a place to make friends, gain exclusive access to content, maximise opportunities, and earn cool rewards. I'm excited to report that the Method Community Team has now grown to 3,000 members. I truly believe the Method Community team is one of the core ways we can give back to the community which is why we want to do as much as we can to create the best possible experience for our members.
Giving back to the community also means seeking ways to get involved with and promote great causes. That's why we recently partnered with Gamers Outreach to raise funds and awareness that helps give kids in pediatric hospitals, treatment centers and long-term care facilities access to video games (big thanks to Bean, Magnus, Lake, and Cutedog and their communities for joining me and raising $15,573 together). Over the last few years, Method has raised over $200,000 for charity and we are committed to using our platform, and our events, to continue to generate funds for great causes around the world.
It has been a momentous start to 2021 at Method but none of this would be possible without the support and positive momentum of the community.
Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for helping drive Method forward. Method exists because we believe MMOs and RPGs have some of the best communities in gaming, and we want to honour and celebrate them.
We are thrilled to now support over 75 content creators in the MMO & RPG genres, providing a platform and opportunities for talented players and creators to grow their audiences and, in some cases, help players turn their craft into their full time profession for the first time. We will always be on the lookout for new opportunities to celebrate the achievements and passion for the games we all care so deeply about as a champion for these genres.
I can't wait to share all that we've been working on and all there is to come. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Method in the near future! Thank you. #methodway


It's testament to an eatery's excellence when the place can stay open only five or so hours a day, yet hold a place among a city's most-loved nosh spots. Such is the case at the family-run Adriana's, where loyalists lunch on Sicilian specialties like eggplant caponata, mostaccioli and salsiccia sandwiches. Those sandwiches are oversize, so plan to pack up half a lunch for the next day, or take advantage of the half-sandwich combos (with soup or salad). Some folks call Adriana's a no-frills joint because there's no table service, the tablecloths are vinyl, and the prices are low. But really, the frills are in the food, abundant and delicious.


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APCO International Awards Leaders in Public Safety Policy
APCO International May 6, 2015 APCO, Government
Winners honored at APCO's Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, DC
Last night the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International honored the recipients of its prestigious Public Safety Leadership in Policy Awards during APCO's Annual Public Safety Communications Leadership Dinner in Washington, DC.
Before an audience of representatives from the public safety community, government agencies, and other industry stakeholders, APCO presented awards to the following outstanding advocates for public safety communications:
Leadership in Advocacy Award
Bill Schrier
Senior Policy Advisor
In addition to his position with the state of Washington, Bill Schrier chairs the Washington State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC), serves as Washington State's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for FirstNet, and chairs APCO's Broadband Committee. He also writes a blog on information technology and government that frequently addresses important public safety issues, and is widely recognized as a thought leader in applying new technologies and thinking to public safety purposes.
Leadership in Regulatory Service Award
David Goldman
Chief Counsel for Communications and Technology, Minority Staff
Energy and Commerce Committee
Before joining the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Goldman served as the Senior Legal Advisor for FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel and as a legal advisor to former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski where he specialized in public safety and wireless issues. Mr. Goldman also was previously detailed as a Communications Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In all of these high-profile roles, Mr. Goldman has been a strong proponent of effective measures to improve public safety communications.
Leadership in Legislative Service Award
The Honorable John Shimkus
Congressman Shimkus was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and currently represents the 15th District of Illinois. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he has spearheaded legislative initiatives such as designating 9-1-1 as the universal emergency number in the United States, expanding federal grants for equipment used to locate wireless 9-1-1 callers, and facilitating the advancement of Next Generation 9-1-1. Congressman Shimkus is also a co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, a joint initiative formed in 2003 to elevate the visibility of E9-1-1 at the federal level.
Leadership in Advancing Communications Policy Award
Susan Swenson
Chairwoman, First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)
Sue Swenson was an inaugural member of the FirstNet board and was appointed to serve as the second chair of the FirstNet board in May 2014. During her tenure as chairwoman, FirstNet has made significant progress toward establishing a nationwide public safety broadband network. FirstNet grew a team of talented and committed professionals with a startup-like culture, conducted outreach with stakeholders across the country, and issued two Public Notices seeking comment on proposed legal interpretations and a Request for Information for comprehensive network solutions designed to guide its Request for Proposals.
"Last night we honored a deserving group of individuals for their dedication to the advancement of public safety communications," said APCO President John Wright. "We are thankful for their service and look forward to their future contributions as we work together to improve public safety communications throughout the United States."
For information about the Awards Dinner, visit leadersdinner.apcointl.org. A portion of the proceeds from this event goes to the Public Safety Foundation of America, which provides support to agencies and individuals in the public safety community.
APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world's oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole.
Tags APCO InternationalAwards
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