Entries by Christina Matekel-Gibson

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson and Standing in the Need of Prayer by Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison

Awards season is here — not the Grammys or the Oscars, but the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. Every January, the ALA announces the most esteemed books of the previous year published for young readers: • The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children. • […]

Back to School Picture Books

For most area kids, school starts this week. In light of that, I would like to share a few of my favorite back-to-school picture books. My first two titles feature the unofficial symbol of going back to school: the school bus. Grant Snider’s One Boy Watching takes a quiet approach, following the first bus rider […]

Ocean Books for Summer Reading

It’s June, which means Summer Reading 2022 is in full effect at the Joplin Public Library. This year’s theme is “Oceans of Possibilities,” and we have planned a summer’s worth of fun ocean events and activities for families. Although we live far from any ocean, books featuring the sea and marine animals abound and are […]

Donna Barba Higuera’s THE LAST CUENTISTA

I recently finished the Newbery Medal title, Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista. This medal is awarded to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. At some point, I suppose I will stop being surprised at how excellent award winners are, but today is not that day. The book follows Petra Peña and […]

Watercress by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin

Happy book awards season! Every January, the American Library Association announces award winners and honorees in a whole host of categories. The most well-known awards include the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, though there are over 30 awards for young adult and children’s books. The Caldecott Medal is awarded […]

Reading for Change: Books by Black Authors

All of these titles can be found via the JPL catalog Picture Books M is for Melanin Concepts ABC Rose That is my dream! : A picture book of Langston Hughes’s “Dream variation” People Diversity Hughes What’s the Difference?: Being Different is Amazing     People Diversity Richards Saturday     People Mom Mora Crown: An Ode […]