unaccompanied minors update; may 2021original post; april, 2021Dear Members and friends of USBBY,
The REFORMA Children in Crisis project has been addressing the needs of asylum seeking children arriving at the southern U.S. border since 2014 when long-time USBBY member Oralia Garza de Cortes and Lucia Gonzalez founded the group. Several years ago, the USBBY Executive Director had the experience of traveling to the Brownsville area with several others from REFORMA and IBBY to witness the plight of these children and to deliver books in Spanish so they would have something to bring them some comfort and joy. Our visit was both enlightening and heartbreaking! Over these years there has been an ebb and flow of activity as the arrival of children has fluctuated and as the U.S. national policy has changed. Today, the situation is dire as more refugee children arrive at our border every day to seek asylum and a better life from natural disasters and life-threatening conditions in their home countries. They need your help! Please make a donation today! REFORMA now faces an extreme challenge as it attempts to send books to both sides of the border for the rapidly rising number of arriving children and families. USBBY/IBBY, along with REFORMA, is seeking donations to the IBBY/REFORMA Project so that Spanish and bilingual Spanish/English books can be purchased for the children. These books will be shipped to the various shelters, and transportation points where the children are passing through and anywhere else where children are arriving. Donations may be in the form of money or books! To donate funds, please visit the USBBY donation page and select IBBY/REFORMA Project from the Select Donation Fund menu. To donate books directly, or if you are a distributor/publisher/bookstore, please email cic@reforma.org to coordinate this option. Each day the situation at the border for the Central American children worsens. The goal of Children in Crisis is to make this situation a little more bearable by providing books to as many children as possible. Thanks for your past support. We hope you will help give our current asylum-seeking youth the gift of books in their home language that can provide solace and comfort in this time of crisis and fear. Sincerely, V. Ellis Vance, USBBY Executive Director Evelyn B. Freeman, USBBY President Dear Reading Enthusiasts,
The USBBY Committee for the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award is soliciting names of programs to be considered for USBBY’s nomination for the 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award. The Award is given biennially to a group or institution, which by their outstanding activities are judged by an international Jury to be making a lasting contribution to book promotion programs for children and young people. The prize-winning organization will receive a diploma and a sum of $10,000, which is generously given by the Asahi Shimbun Newspaper Company of Japan. Each National Section of IBBY is invited to nominate 1 or 2 programs for the Award. If you know of a program worthy of consideration for this prestigious Award, or if you would like further information, please email: Dr. Elizabeth Poe, Chair of the USBBY IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award Committee, at eapoe1@gmail.com. Along with the name of the organization, please include its website, a brief justification for the program’s worthiness for consideration, and your contact information. Due date for all program suggestions is April 1, 2021. Thanks for helping recognize deserving reading promotion programs, Elizabeth Poe The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) and TeachingBooks are pleased to announce a new partnership. Nick Glass, founder of TeachingBooks and a longtime USBBY member, is sharing a complimentary personal license with each USBBY member. TeachingBooks will display annotations of international children’s and young adult books on its website, written by USBBY members.
USBBY President, Evelyn B. Freeman, said, “A personal license to TeachingBooks is an amazing benefit for USBBY members that has a monetary value of $125. We are very grateful to Nick Glass for his generosity.” “We all love children’s and young adult books, so it is satisfying to give access to this digital library of meaningful book and author connections to all USBBY members,” shared Nick Glass. “USBBY has created an easy system for each member to get access, and once it is set up, just look up a favorite book and enjoy interviews, performances, discussion questions, and so much more. And to include USBBY’s marvelously crafted annotations on TeachingBooks is a fabulous addition.” About USBBY: The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) is one of the 81 national sections of the International Board on Books for Young People, based in Basel, Switzerland. The organization’s mission is to promote international peace and understanding through children’s and young adult books. To learn more about USBBY: http://www.usbby.org About TeachingBooks: TeachingBooks is a “one-stop-shop” of 230,000+ vetted digital materials that bring to life children’s and young adult books. USBBY members will find resources for all Outstanding International Books, as well as special collections including a Diverse Books Toolkit, Library Programming and Collection Analysis Tools, Hands-Free Book Browsing, Virtual Teaching Ideas, and more. For more information, see: http://www.TeachingBooks.net/About We hope you and your families are doing well and finding ways to stay safe and healthy. IBBY was founded after the devastation of World War II with a vision of hope for the world’s children. During this time of global crisis we cherish the spirit of hope and continue to share the joy of books with children. We stand in solidarity with all our IBBY friends around the world.
The Spanish Language Affiliate of the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education is pleased to announce its annual Best Spanish Language Picture Books 2020 List. This compendium of materials is for works published or translated in 2019.
Reviewers for the list included Spanish speaking members of the Children's Book Committee as well as Bank Street College professors and alumni. Each book was given the same rigorous review for cultural authenticity, language, translation and appeal to children that the committee gives its English language and bilingual recommendations. The Center for Children's Literature at Bank Street College of Education announces with great delight that Mi papi tiene una moto/My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero; Illustrated by Zeke Peña; Translated by Andrea Montejo (Kokila, Penguin/Random House) has received the gold medal for its first ever Best Spanish Language Picture Book Award. Silver medals were awarded to: ¿De Dónde Eres?/ Where Are You From by Yamile Saied Méndez; Illustrated by Jaime Kim (HarperCollins) Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré: bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos/Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré; by Anika Aldamuy Denise; Illustrated by Paola Escobar; Translated by Omayra Ortiz (HarperCollins) Mario y el agujero en el cielo: Cómo un químico salvó nuestro planeta/ Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet by Elizabeth Rusch; Illustrated by Teresa Martínez; Translated by Carlos E. Calvo (Charlesbridge) These two books received honorable mention: Soñadores/Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (Holiday House) Alma y como obtuvo su nombre/Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez Neal (Candlewick)  Did you know that this April will mark the 24th anniversary of Children's Day, Book Day?
Catch up on all the bookjoy news here and join USBBY in supporting this wonderful initiative. The American Library Association (ALA) recently passed the “Resolution on Library Service for Children in Detention at Migrant Detention Centers.” The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) supports this resolution. We agree with ALA in denouncing
Bindy FLeischmanDigital Newsletter and Blog Editor Welcome to the new, digital version of the USBBY newsletter. Already a member? You'll receive the newsletter via email. Considering membership? Read on to find out what kinds of items our newsletter contains and the kinds of activities and experiences a USBBY membership affords, and feel free to follow this link to join today!
With this shift from paper to a digital format, we aim to update, inform and inspire our members and readers more frequently throughout the year. The digital platform allows us to put out calls for participation on committees, share activities from members and partners, provide conference and session reminders, and more - all in real time! Moreover, the digital platform, through blog posts, makes our news more immediately accessible to potential members who visit our website. It will show viewers, new to or lapsed from USBBY, the ongoing efforts and unique value of our organization. In this inaugural digital newsletter, we feature information about our New Retail Partnerships, Highlights from International Children’s Book Day, Reflections from Bologna, a wonderful guest post, and information about our biennial Regional conference. In future issues and intermittent blog posts you will find updates on awards, committee activities, news from organizational partners, invitations to serve, and guest posts from authors, illustrators, translators, and editors. Look for the next issue on August 1. Happy reading! |
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