Posts by Jeff B. (28)
Blog Articles
A perfect ten of terrific titles to accompany your celebrations during this Pride Month, this set of middle-grade tales tells us stories of discovery, decisions, determination, coping, and caring.… continue reading 10 Middle-Grade Titles for Pride Month
By written by Jeff B. June 22, 2023
All holidays have a story, a history, and a message. Juneteenth is no different. The name comes from combining "June" and "nineteenth" and is celebrated on the… continue reading 9 Middle-Grade Titles for Juneteenth
By written by Jeff B. June 14, 2023
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name… continue reading Books to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
By written by Jeff B. November 15, 2022
Reading Promise Week, where Philly celebrates reading, is this week! You can join in the all ages fun at book block parties celebrating young readers at events citywide during the week of October… continue reading Celebrating Reading Promise Week With Books That Promise A Good Read
By written by Jeff B. October 12, 2022
Whether poetry, biographies, sci-fi, historical fiction or more, these middle grade titles are just some of what’s available, highlighted for celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month… continue reading Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month/Celebrando El Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana
By written by Jeff B. September 15, 2022
Discovery is an essential component of growth. Discovering aspects of the self and the world all around enables learning, understanding…growth. June is Pride Month and the Pride Movement… continue reading Page After Page of Pride: 6 Middle Grade Titles for Pride Month
By written by Jeff B. June 10, 2022
Do the longer days, warmer weather, end of the school year stir your sense of adventure? I know I’m thinking more about trying new activities, visiting places in Philadelphia and beyond that… continue reading Mapping Adventure - Three Thrilling Titles for Middle Grades
By written by Jeff B. May 31, 2022
You’ve most likely noticed when you visit your neighborhood library, all the books intended for school age children have a “j” label placed on the spine (sometimes… continue reading Four Young Ladies Show Courage
By written by Jeff B. April 26, 2022
Ah, Spring, that magical season when a young person's mind turns to thoughts of friendship, feelings, and free verse. No wonder April is Poetry Month! Here in Philadelphia, the days are… continue reading Novels-In-Verse Recommendations for Poetry Month
By written by Jeff B. April 5, 2022
![Ashley Bryan, [Untitled Collage from <em>Beautiful Blackbird</em>]](https://libwww.freelibrary.org/images/blog/FLPBlog/orig/bryan-blackbird.jpg)
For an artist renowned for his use of color, my first exposure to Ashley Bryan (1923-2022) was the pen and ink drawings in The Dancing Granny . In the 1977 edition published by Atheneum, Mr.… continue reading The Vibrancy and Colors of a Great American Artist: Praising Ashley Bryan
By written by Jeff B. March 22, 2022
Do you enjoy creating things with your hands, be it simple origami shapes, drawing, painting, baking, or even learning and creating code? There are few better ways to explore your creativity… continue reading National Children's Craft Day
By written by Jeff B. March 14, 2022
The bitter cold, short days, and gloomy forecasts of wintertime have got me thinking... how does a person take heart, find courage, and call up the energy to keep going forward? Here are three… continue reading Book Recommendations for Social and Emotional Learning
By written by Jeff B. March 4, 2022 1
The John Newbery Award is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022! Commonly referred to as "The Newbery", the literary award is given each year by the American Library Association… continue reading Award-Winning Black Authors and The Newbery’s 100th Anniversary
By written by Jeff B. February 28, 2022
January 28 is National LEGO Day! LEGO books are almost as numerous as LEGO blocks. You may have even seen some on your neighborhood library shelves – the books, I mean! Guides on How-To?… continue reading Happy National LEGO Day!
By written by Jeff B. January 28, 2022
Jólabókaflóðið , or the Christmas Book Flood in English, is an Icelandic holiday tradition started in 1944 and enjoyed every year since then. Around 2015, this… continue reading Jólabókaflóðið: Iceland’s Holiday Book Tradition
By written by Jeff B. December 7, 2021
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Jacqueline Woodson grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York, graduating from college with a B.A. in English. She is the author of dozens of… continue reading Celebrating Jacqueline Woodson
By written by Jeff B. November 2, 2021
What does summer time make you think of? There are as many responses to that question as there are fireflies on a drowsy summer evening, but one of the first things I think of when it comes to… continue reading Pie High Summer!
By written by Jeff B. July 29, 2021
Here are five ebook and audiobook titles about identity, acceptance, love, and loss to consider this month as we celebrate those journeys with our friends, families, and ourselves. King and… continue reading LGBTQ+ Middle Grade and YA ebooks and Audiobooks
By written by Jeff B. June 16, 2021
May 31 of this year marks an awful anniversary in our country and one we are still coming to terms with— The Tulsa Race Riots , which have been called "the single worst incident of… continue reading Unspeakable: Taking Time for Tulsa
By written by Jeff B. May 27, 2021
We're sharing with you another batch of #ownvoices titles by diverse authors writing from their own experience! Like our previous post , all of these titles can be found in multiple formats… continue reading Own More: 19 Voices and Five Books for Middle Grade Readers
By written by Jeff B. May 24, 2021