African American History Month and Upcoming Programs
February is African American History Month. To celebrate I've created two book lists, J Fiction by and about African Americans, and biographies of important African Americans, and written a little bit about the importance of diverse books.
Our weekly programming schedule continues: Building Club this Wednesday afternoon; Frozen next Wednesday; paper weaving on March 6; and decorating treasure boxes on March 13.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions, requests, or anything else you would like to share.
Best,
Erin
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AFTERNOON MOVIE: Frozen (2013, PG, 1hr 42min)
Wednesday, February 27, Edgewater Room
3:00 p.m.
In Frozen (2013, 1hr 42 min, PG), the newly-crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to curse her home to infinite winter. Her sister Anna teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition and save the kingdom. Frozen©Walt Disney Pictures
Children and their caretakers are welcome to join us. We'll have lots of popcorn to share!
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Art Studio: Paper Weaving
Wednesday, March 6, Edgewater Room
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
We're going to start weaving! Weaving can be done with many different materials (yarn, twigs, paper, pipe cleaners, ribbon...you get the idea), and it is a useful technique and fun process! Our first project will be weaving colorful paper rainbows.
Perfect for kids 4+, but all children and their caretakers are welcome.
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Treasure Boxes
Wednesday, March 13, Edgewater Room
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Everyone has treasures to protect and keep. Come decorate a treasure box of your own! We'll provide the boxes and supplies.
Perfect for kids 4+, but all children and their caretakers are welcome.
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BUILDING CLUB: Legos & Magna-Tiles
Wednesday, March 20, Edgewater Room
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
We have a huge collection of LEGOs and Magna-Tiles. There are Duplos in the Children’s Room for kids under 3. Children and their caretakers are welcome.
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Story Time with Molly
Mondays, Edgewater Room
10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Join us for stories, finger plays, and songs. For children 3 and under and their caregivers.
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Story Time with Eliya
Wednesdays, Edgewater Room
9:40 a.m. and 10:40 a.m.
Join us for stories, finger plays, and songs! For children 3 and under and their caregivers.
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Stay and Play
Wednesdays, Edgewater Room
10:00 - 10:40 a.m.
Toddlers and their caregivers are invited to 'stay and play' after the Sausalito Library's 9:40 a.m. story time. Preschool teacher Eliya will be there with blocks, stuffed animals, shaky eggs, and more. Join us!
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Middle School Book Club: Divergent by Veronica Roth
** The Middle School Book Club is currently full except for kids who are already members. If you have questions or would like to be added to the wait list, please contact Erin.**
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African American History Month
In 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote the influential essay, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” The essay proposed that books can be mirrors that reflect the reader, or windows that allow them into someone else's world, or sliding glass doors to enter that other world.
I think about this metaphor a lot as I choose which books to purchase and recommend.
Dr. Bishop wrote, "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."
The San Francisco Chronicle revealed a few weeks ago that Sausalito is 84.9% white and one of the least diverse cities in the Bay Area. For white children, the challenge is not finding books that act as appropriate mirrors, but rather finding books that act as appropriate windows.
In her original essay, Dr. Bishop wrote, "Children from dominant social groups have always found their mirrors in books, but they too have suffered from the lack of availability of books about others. They need the books as windows onto reality, not just on imaginary worlds. They need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in, and their places as a member of just one group, as well as their connections to all other humans."
I buy diverse books for our collection, and all my booklists feature diverse titles, but even here in Sausalito, books about children of color are checked out less frequently than other books -- which means that kids aren’t looking through those ‘windows’ and they’re missing a lot of great books.
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