ladylibr0

[ladylibr0]

Yes, another post about The Babysitter’s Club series on Netflix, but not focused on the amazing Claudia Kishi this time. Instead, this article discusses the way the new Netflix series stays true to the book and is updated for a 2020 audience. There were both a movie and television series in the past that The show has a decidedly more feminist slant and tackles issues not usually covered in a show for kids: racism, LGBTQ+ rights, a more inclusive cast (Mary Ann and Dawn!), mixed-race characters, gender dynamics, politics, immigration, illness, and socio-economic inequality. I think the show has kept the spirit of the books and characters, but added in much needed depth in plot. If you haven’t watched the series yet, you’re in for a treat. Stacey and Claudia’s wardrobes are (chef’s kiss)!

[ladylibr0]

The Babysitter’s Club book series by Ann M. Martin was a big part of a lot of 90s kids’ childhoods. For me, Claudia Kishi was the most relatable character. I identified with Claudia because she and I share a lot of similarities: Asian American, not a great student, creative, addicted to junk food, not quiet or shy, and boy-crazy. Unlike me, Claudia was unapologetic about who she was. She defied all the model minority stereotypes assigned to Asians. Claudia also experienced discrimination. In the book Keep Out Claudia, she faces racism when a white family she is supposed to babysit for won’t allow her into the house because she isn’t white. It is true that Ann M. Martin problematically always harped on about Claudia’s almond shaped eyes and et black hair, but I’ll let it slide because Claudia’s character was basically awesome in every other way--her kooky hairstyles, eccentric fashion, love of Nancy Drew books, and secret hiding spots for junk food. When you don’t see mirrors of yourself in the media, it makes you feel other, broken, or as if you are invisible. It was almost unheard of to see Asian characters in movies and television in the 80s-90s who didn’t have heavy accents, weren’t disposable side characters, or seen as foreign (looking at you, Long Duck Dong). As a biracial Asian American, I was and still get asked, “Where are you from? (California), “No, where are you REALLY from? (you obviously aren’t white, and I need you to satisfy my need to categorize you)” I admired Claudia’s strong sense of personal identity and how she showed a generation of Asian Americans how to forge their own paths, that there isn’t just one way to be Asian. As a kid with ADHD and bad grades, I wasn’t like the other Asians in my school who pretty much fit the Asian American stereotype. I wasn’t in the National Honor Society or amazing at math, or valedictorian. It was pretty hard to blend in when the white kids thought you were too Asian and the Asian kids thought you were too white. Claudia Kishi helped me and countless other Asian Americans feel seen and valued because she was obviously the cool one and SHE WASN’T WHITE!!! Thank you, Claudia for letting me see someone who looked like me living an amazing life and being their cool self while also being Asian American.   

[ladylibr0]

Speaking of books that need to be weeded out (or pulped or given as white elephant gifts) . . . Awful Library Books is a blog by Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, public librarians in Michigan. They showcase truly awful library books that are outdated, sexist, in poor condition, or otherwise problematic. There are some delightfully inappropriate books on the blog, definitely check it out if you need a laugh or proof that weeding books from your collection is a necessary task for librarians.

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Weeding out materials that no longer fit your audience or filled with misinformation can be really challenging. I hate throwing out books. To a librarian it seem sacrilege. This article by Ian Chant has some logical guidelines to help librarians make those hard choices when weeding. When I worked at a public library, we would use weeded books to make displays or use them as craft materials for our maker space. Here are some great ideas from handyman, Bob Vila, for making new things with old books. https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/9-smart-uses-for-dusty-old-books-51884

[ladylibr0]

So here's an amazing mask pattern made by Adult Advocacy Center Volunteer Susan Rosigno. She based the pattern on a design by college student, Ashley Lawrence. The mask has a clear panel in it which makes it easier for deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate. Here's the original article featuring Ashley Lawrence's innovative design. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marleycoyne/2020/04/04/this-see-through-mask-lets-the-deaf-communicate-while-staying-safe/#2c26e9475257

[ladylibr0]

While this librarian makes some good points about the risks involved with curbside pick up for library books, the CDC points out that the MAIN way the virus is spread is through droplets (& less commonly by touching surfaces). Some workarounds could be using a chute like some food trucks are doing, a clothesline, or a long pole (with everyone wearing masks too). See a donut truck using a chute to deliver food while maintaining social distance. https://www.wfxrtv.com/health/coronavirus/donut-chute-gives-customers-a-fun-way-to-limit-contact/

[ladylibr0]

I believe this. So many books helped me get through a traumatic childhood. Some of them were written by Judy Blume: Forever; Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.; Blubber; Then Again, Maybe I Won't; and more . . .

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A post shared by Union County Library System (@uclspa) on Nov 7, 2017 at 1:07pm PST

A Tea Bag Greeting Card is an easy, low-budget makerspace or make & take activity library patrons can enjoy. Simply cut cardstock into sizes that fit your envelopes, cut slits for the tea bag corners to slide into (make some landscape & some portrait orientation), provide tea bags in a variety of flavors & colors, & provide drawing materials. Some tea puns: Your Jokes are Koala-Tea, Can't We All Just Get Oolong?, You're Tea-rrific!, & I Like You, But I'm a Little Chai.

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A post shared by Union County Library System (@uclspa) on Oct 3, 2017 at 1:07pm PDT

Here's a fun & fairly easy book display for spooky stories: select ghost story theme books, wrap each book in white paper, write the titles with authors on the spines, arrange in the shape of a ghost, cut out ghost eyes & mouth from black paper & attach to the front of ghost book display.

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A post shared by Union County Library System (@uclspa) on Feb 3, 2017 at 7:27am PST

Blind Date with a Book is a really fun display & way to engage your patrons. Cover books with brown paper, number them, and write a short description similar to a personal ad. Rubberband the books to make sure patrons don't peek inside. Patrons can select & check out books according to the description rather than the title & cover.

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A post shared by Union County Library System (@uclspa) on Sep 22, 2017 at 4:39pm PDT

I used a LilyPad Sewable Electronics Kit to make a mask that lights up with basic cicuits using conductive thread. Check out the kit here: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13927

[ladylibr0]

Immigration is a current topic that can be hard for children to understand. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales takes readers on an autobiographical journey relating when she moved to the United States from Mexico and how she learned to read and speak English. The story also shows libraries and reading as ways to get help, relate to other people, and learn. Dreamers won the 2019 Pura Belpré Award for Illustration, New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of 2018, was a New York Times best seller with seven starred reviews, Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018, and many more awards. The author also includes her true story of immigration at the end of the book as well as a list of books that have inspired her.

[ladylibr0]

Book Review by ladylibr0: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

What do a Chinese-American boy, an All-American athlete, and a Monkey King have in common? Find out in Gene Luen Yang’s multinarrative graphic novel, American Born Chinese. Let’s get to know the main characters.

Jin moves from San Francisco’s Chinatown to an all-white community. He has to put up with microaggressions and ignorance on a daily basis. All Jin wants is to be seen as an American and date the beautiful Amelia. Popular Greg (who Jin thought was his friend) tells Jin to stop dating her. Why? Because she needs to be careful about whom she hangs out with since they are going to be in high school soon. This coded language means Amelia’s reputation will be damaged if she is seen cozying up to an Asian guy. As if that’s not bad enough, a new student from Taiwan transfers to Jin’s school. Jin wants nothing to do with Wei-Chen, an embarrassing fresh off the boat nerd.

Let’s talk about popular athlete, Danny. When his cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit from China, Danny wants him to disappear. Chin-Kee has buckteeth, virulent yellow skin, and wears his hair in a long queue. He speaks broken English using ‘L’s’ instead of ‘R’s, is a whiz at math, and eats cat gizzards in the school cafeteria. Danny keeps trying to hide Chin-Kee away, but his embarrassing cousin continues disgust everyone, especially Danny’s love interest, Melanie.

The Monkey King, a figure in Chinese mythology, is chucked out of heaven and ridiculed when he tries to crash a party for the gods. The Monkey King is a god, but he is not allowed to go to the party because he is also monkey. He goes on a rampage and wrecks the party. The Monkey King learns Kung Fu to turn his monkey form into a man’s body and beats up the gods who rejected him. They tell the head god, Tze-Yo-Tzuh, who encourages the Monkey King to accept his primate state. The Monkey King rebuffs Tze-Yo-Tzuh who traps him under a stone mountain for five hundred years.

This graphic novel really captures what it is like to be a person of color in a predominantly white environment. Teachers mispronouncing your name and assuming you are foreign born, pungent ethnic lunches causing a scene in the cafeteria and wanting to distance yourself from other brown kids.

Yang forces the reader to confront uncomfortable stereotypes in Danny’s story with his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee—a personification of the racist insults about Asian men. Chin-Kee wants to bind Danny’s girlfriend’s feet and pees in Danny’s coke. Danny hates Chin-Kee so much that when all his attempts to hide him fail, he beats Chin-Kee up.

The author chose the name Chin-Kee because it sounds like “chinky,” a derogatory word used to make fun of mono-lidded Asian eyes.

The theme of self-hatred is a recurring one in the Monkey King’s narrative. He doesn’t know there is anything wrong with being a monkey until he is barred from the deities’ party. His cave suddenly reeks of monkey fur. Something he has never noticed before. All three of the characters self-loathing stems from the fear of being seen as other and is exacerbated by outright racist comments and the little digs their peers see as harmless jokes but actually cause lasting damage.

Does Jin become friends with Wei-Chin or go out with Amelia again? Can Danny get rid of Chin-Kee? How does the Monkey King escape from under the mountain?

American Born Chinese is action-packed and wonderfully illustrated. It combines coming of age and desiring acceptance—themes anyone can relate to, no matter your ethnic background. The blend of realistic fiction in Jin’s storyline, laugh track-filled sitcom in Danny and Chin-Kee’s story, and the mystical legend of the Monkey King all appear as separate, unrelated narratives, but come together in an unexpected way.

Author: Gene Yang is an author, comic book and graphic novel artist. His graphic novel, American Born Chinese, won the Printz Award and Eisner Award and was also a finalist for the National Book Award. Learn more about him here https://geneyang.com/

[ladylibr0]

Recipient Dr. Ahmad Gamaluddin Scholarship 20-21 (excerpt from application letter)

multiculturallibrarianship windowsanddoors representationmatters itspersonal

[ladylibr0]

This has to be my favorite Halloween costume as a substitute teacher of all time--and I subbed for the librarian! I read Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard to kids in my library class and they still addressed me as Ms. Viola Swamp later on in the school year.

[ladylibr0]

Dress up as the grim reaper to collect overdue library books--an amazing, hilarious idea I plan to copy when I am a school media specialist.

[ladylibr0]

Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.

Anonymous