Juvenile Nonfiction On Important Topics

Juvenile Nonfiction On Important Topics

When I was a child for those of us who were born white there
were very few real world topics we were considered in need of learning
about. For girls there was how not to get pregnant. For all of us
there was the say no to drugs spiel. For middle class and above there
was getting into college. The three books I am reviewing today are
very important for kids to be aware of that were not on anyone's radar
when I attended Abraham Edwards elementary school.

What Does It Mean To Defund The Police?
The concepts of defunding or disbanding the police can be
confusing to white children, especially since many are being taught at
school or at home that the police are their friends. They often have
no reason to fear law enforcement. Some are taught that the police
are the ones under seige.
Jessica S. Henry's What Does It Mean To Defund The Police?, part
of the Racial Justice In America series, clarifies the concept in age
appropriate language and well chosen pictures. It discusses the
unequal treatment of Blacks by police and why steps like education may
not be enough. It introduces some promising alternatives.
It's an excellent acquisition for school and public libraries.

Surviving Social Media
When I was a kid social media was not even a gleam in the eyes
of its probably unborn creators. Computers were huge, housed in
places like MIT, and accessible only to holders of advanced technology
knowledge. Hardly user friendly. Phones were attached to walls.
Nobody had thought to put the words smart and phone together.
Bullying was up close and personal and inflicted by the mean kids in
one's school and neighborhood. Trolls lurked under bridges in fairy
tales.
Once all this started to change it really snowballed. Kids
these days are in a very different space than my offspring who came
along in the 90s. So it's very good that therelare books like Eric
Braun's Surviving Social Media: Shut Down The Haters.
Braun centers the book on the concept that social media is a
decidedly mixed blessing. It has many benefits for savvy users. It
can help kids keep in touch with far away friends and family members
and locate others who share their interests and identities. This can
be crucial for kids whose families and communities don't accept them
for themselves. It can spread knowledge about and facilitate
involvement with important justice movements like Black Lives Matter.
But the social media apple has quite a few ugly worms. Perhaps
the most obvious are the cyberbullies and trolls. It can also create
anxiety, insecurity, and depression from self comparison to others'
carefully curated content. Overconsumption can lead to poor physical
health and in person communication skills.
Braun believes that mindfulness is the key to exercising
positive agency in regard to social media. He provides a number of
questions geared to self insight and useful tips in addition to
further off and online resources.
Another really useful addition to school and public libraries.

Muslim In America
Without a doubt my favorite of the trio is Leanne Currie-
McGhee's Muslim In America. I think we're more aware than before 9/11
that anti Muslim prejudices and acts have been getting way out of
hand, especially enabled by the Trump presidency. We need to know how
much harm we are doing to practitioners of Islam by lumping them in
with the most extreme and violent ones. And many of us have no clue
what this religions beliefs and practices even are. The book covers
all those bases nicely for juvenile readers.
Backstory is neatly balanced with individual narratives.
Readers will meet Saeda who was bullied when in seventh grade she
began wearing a hijab, Sara who didn't know what to say when a
classmate told her she was going to Hell, Ali who was called a
terrorist by a teacher, Ahmed who was taken out of school after
bringing in a homemade alarm clock to show his teachers, and so many
others. And some of those stories are those of triumph over bias.
When Samantha went to court after Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire
her, claiming that her hijab violated their dress code, she
prevailed. After sisters Sarah and Leyla were verbally harassed in a
WalMart parking lot they were able to explain their culture to their
harasser and cultivate understanding.
"...While in this case one person learned tolerance and shed
some bias, the hope of Muslim Americans is that all Americans can work
together to root out bias and end such discrimination."
Muslim In America is an excellent contribution toward this very
important goal. It and the other volumes in the Bias In America
series are worthwhile acquisitions for school and public libraries.

On a purrrsonal note, the long weekend was quiet. Eugene mostly
stayed to home except for grocery shopping. Tobago and I attended
zoom church. I can't believe spring semester starts in just two
weeks. There's so much I want to do. Back in October I was dreading
winter break. Only I ended up really enjoying it. (Jules)
Winter break is good times. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to the little kids and their teachers
who are already back in school under constantly changing guidelines.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway








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