Punschi blossomed out
of a 400 year old European puppetry tradition and is a 55 minute action packed
good time performed under a big sun umbrella that features a hand puppet show,
a flea circus, musical interludes and clowning. Dynamic sister team Jana and
Shoshana inherited this show from their mother and have been delighting
audiences across the United States for the past four years, playing at
theaters, fairs, libraries, schools and museums.
A new project is actively using picture books to build bridges. The Welcoming Library is a pop-up community conversation about immigration. That conversation is driven by a collection of acclaimed immigration-themed picture books and their embedded discussion questions.
Here’s some examples of the discussion questions affixed to the books’ endpapers:
From the first generation Vietnamese American Picture Book A DIFFERENT POND: The kids at school say that the father’s English sounds like a “thick, dirty river.” The boy thinks his father’s English sounds like “gentle rain.” Why do the boy and his fellow students see the father differently?
From GOLDEN DOMES & SILVER LANTERNS: A MUSLIM BOOK OF COLORS: The girl and her mother read the Quran. Are there books that you read with your family that offer lessons on being a better person?
FROM TIA ISA WANTS A CAR: The girl says, “soon is when our family will join us, so I know soon is a very long time.” What do you think she means? Have you wanted something to happen “soon,” but it felt like a long time?
From MY TWO BLANKETS: The first time the girl in the park smiles and waves at Cartwheel [Cartwheel is a “new arrival” Somali girl], Cartwheel does not smile or wave back. Imagine that you waved at someone new and they didn’t wave back. What are some reasons they might not wave back? Would you try again
The picture book collection, its pop-up display unit (with celebratory flags and banners), and programming and educational tools, packs into a crate and travels between schools, libraries, and community centers in a given region.
The Welcoming Library invites readers of all ages to explore literature as a means to celebrate our commonalities and differences and to create an environment of welcoming. Is it working? Here are the reader survey results so far:
67% inspired by the book or project to be actively welcoming in their communities.
100% saw similarities between the book’s family and their own.
100% learned something new about a featured culture or community.
100% want to read more books like these.
You will find this quote from poet Amit Majmudar, everywhere on the website:
“The true meeting takes place when the book opens, and a stranger reads about — and comprehends — a stranger.”
The Welcoming Library comes in two red totes. One contains 29 books with discussion questions. The second the Ambassador’s notebook, banner and easily assembled bookshelf. This special collection is available to be hosted at your library (schools included) or organization). To borrow, contact Deborah Dutcher, Youth and Adult Services Consultant. The New Hampshire State Library Welcoming Library was made possible with support from the Hesed Foundation.
I
have put together a closed Facebook group named Granite Reflections. This is a
virtual book and article discussion group for NH librarians. The purpose of the
discussion is to explore and discover personal and professional meanings in
various text through interaction with others in the group. It is Not to win an
argument or to amuse others in the group.
I have posted an article as a post in the group (and attached) that is available on Ebsco from April 1, 2019 The Library Journal The Book Club Experience by Barbara Hoffert.
If you would like to join this closed Facebook group (sorry non-Facebook users) friend my work page https://www.facebook.com/deborah.dutcher.92 and I will add you to the closed group.
Articles
and books we will discuss should be generally library themed. I am hoping for
some good and hopefully helpful in someway discussions in a safe place.
From Chair Janet Ingraham Dwyer, CSLP’s Child and Community
Well-Being Committee:
The CSLP’s Child and Community Well-Being Committee (CCWB)
has created two resources to support and facilitate public library
participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and other ways to help
connect kids and teens with healthy food when school is out.
One is an online Libraries and Summer Food how-to guide
now available on the CSLP website. The other is a two-sided Summer Meals
factsheet for libraries, featuring key statistics about child hunger and
SFSP, brief talking points for library involvement, and a brief step-by-step
guide to determining SFSP eligibility and getting started.
Thanks to the CCWB Committee for these resources. State reps
and SLA staff on this committee include chair Janet Ingraham Dwyer,
Rebecca Antill, Chris Farrar, Lisa Hechesky, Danielle
Margarida, April Mazza, Sharon Rawlins, and Carrie Sanders. Big shout-out to
Danielle who researched, compiled, and designed the Summer Meals factsheet.
The Libraries and Summer Food how-to guide link and description and fact sheet are below. Please share both widely. As the factsheet notes, only a small fraction of children and teens who receive free school meals also participate in summer meal programs. There is so much unrealized potential, and so many kids needlessly going without in the summer. Thank you for everything you do to encourage libraries to participate in SFSP or other activities that support child well-being.
A how-to guide to help libraries connect kids and teens with
healthy food when school is out.
The guide begins with an overview of the Summer Food Service
Program (SFSP), a federally funded, state-administered program.
Next is a checklist for libraries to determine their
eligibility and take the first steps toward becoming an SFSP site.
For libraries not in geographic areas that are eligible for
SFSP, or for whom SFSP is not a good fit, there’s a section on alternatives to
SFSP and other ways to help. This section is also for those who don’t plan to
serve food at the library, but still want to support summer feeding.
Next is a collection of tips, checklists, best practices,
and innovative ideas to plan for a successful summer, from space
considerations, to programming, to staffing, and more, including basic talking
points and additional advocacy and awareness materials to build support.
Finally, a resource list gathers links to essential and
supplemental sources to help librarians connect children and teens in their
communities to healthy food throughout the summer.
*****
Summer Food Service Program for New Hampshire Website
