WEBVTT 00:00:21.749 --> 00:00:25.629 Hello, I'm Patrick Adams and I'm Caroline Legere 00:00:25.629 --> 00:00:29.760 and this is Librarians of Littles, a podcast 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:33.140 where we discuss books, give makerspace ideas, 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:37.079 and give tips and tricks for working with our 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:40.740 youngest learners in the library setting. In 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:45.100 this episode, we are getting closer to Thanksgiving. 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:47.659 By the time this posts, it'll be the beginning 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:52.140 of November. And so we are going to explore two 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:56.000 books about being thankful and Thanksgiving. 00:00:56.179 --> 00:00:59.340 And so we've got some really great books to discuss 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.739 this week. The first of which is The Great Thanksgiving 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:10.560 Escape, written by Mark Fearing. It was published 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:16.450 in 2020 by Candlewick Press. This book does not 00:01:16.450 --> 00:01:19.530 have any awards and did not appear on any lists, 00:01:19.549 --> 00:01:23.829 but it's still a really good story. Our author 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:26.730 history. Mark grew up in Minnesota, earned a 00:01:26.730 --> 00:01:30.629 BFA from the University of Wisconsin. He continued 00:01:30.629 --> 00:01:33.829 his studies at the Graduate School of Film at 00:01:33.829 --> 00:01:38.790 UCLA in the MFA in Animation program. taking 00:01:38.790 --> 00:01:41.689 additional classes at Art Center College of Design 00:01:41.689 --> 00:01:45.230 in Pasadena and the Los Angeles Animation Institute. 00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:50.230 He has worked as a manager at Walt Disney Television 00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:54.730 Animation, the art director of Sony Online Entertainment, 00:01:54.829 --> 00:01:58.549 and a creative director at Pearson Television. 00:01:58.950 --> 00:02:02.709 Just to make this even stranger, he worked on 00:02:02.709 --> 00:02:05.209 versions of game shows including Wheel of Fortune 00:02:05.209 --> 00:02:08.449 Jeopardy and The Price is Right. He now spends 00:02:08.449 --> 00:02:10.490 his time writing and drawing picture books and 00:02:10.490 --> 00:02:13.830 graphic novels. His writing and illustrations 00:02:13.830 --> 00:02:16.669 have been published by Penguin Books for Young 00:02:16.669 --> 00:02:19.509 Readers, Candlewick Press, Hyperion, Chronicle 00:02:19.509 --> 00:02:23.069 Books, Knopf, and a few others that he can't 00:02:23.069 --> 00:02:25.370 think of at the moment. And he lives outside 00:02:25.370 --> 00:02:30.789 of Portland, Oregon with his family. And some 00:02:30.789 --> 00:02:33.710 of his other books are, he wrote and illustrated 00:02:33.710 --> 00:02:39.439 Giant Pants, Dilly Dally Daisy, Castle Gesundheit, 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:43.840 and he has illustrated How Martha Saved Her Parents 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.460 from Green Beans by David La Rochelle, Three 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:52.740 Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara, 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:56.599 Great! Now we have Barbarians by Jason Carter 00:02:56.599 --> 00:03:00.439 Eaton, Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:04.860 Machine by Seth Fishman, Chicken Storytime by 00:03:04.860 --> 00:03:09.560 Sandy Asher, Middle School Bites series by Stephen 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:14.340 Banks and Glory on Ice, a vampire hockey story 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:19.780 by Maureen Fergus. And so the summary for this 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:22.659 book is that a boy and his family are visiting 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:26.159 his grandmother's home for Thanksgiving. And 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:29.219 when left in the kids' room with slobbering cousins 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:33.620 in diapers, Gavin and his similarly aged cousin 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:38.620 Rhonda try to escape the boring and get together. 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:43.539 I'm sorry, they try to escape the boring and... 00:03:43.610 --> 00:03:47.870 Along the way, they find that their path is blocked 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:51.349 by perilous obstacles including vicious attack 00:03:51.349 --> 00:03:53.990 dogs, which are actually just wiener dogs in 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:57.590 sweaters, the wall of butts, which are all the 00:03:57.590 --> 00:04:00.150 adults standing around watching the football 00:04:00.150 --> 00:04:04.629 game, and the dreaded hall of aunts where they 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:08.370 will surely be pinched and smothered. In the 00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:11.370 end, the two cousins realize that they just need 00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:16.180 to make their own fun. And so I love this story. 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:18.500 I think it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of tongue 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:21.019 in cheek kind of humor, but there's a lot of 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:26.040 like the kid humor that goes with it. It's super 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:30.500 creative. It's just a really fun story. I connect 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:34.459 to it personally because I remember all of those 00:04:34.459 --> 00:04:37.019 Christmases and Thanksgivings of getting together 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:40.829 with the entire like. side of a family and all 00:04:40.829 --> 00:04:43.350 the cousins being together and all the aunts 00:04:43.350 --> 00:04:45.689 and uncles being in the house together and that 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:50.149 kind of thing. And so this brings back a lot 00:04:50.149 --> 00:04:52.189 of memories for me personally, but it's a lot 00:04:52.189 --> 00:04:57.110 of fun that it's really cute. The kids definitely 00:04:57.110 --> 00:04:58.509 get into it because they're like, oh, what are 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:00.810 they going to get into next? And when you talk 00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:02.509 about like the vicious dogs and they're just 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:05.209 like, but it's just like the dogs on its back 00:05:05.209 --> 00:05:06.910 with its feet up in the air and it's wearing 00:05:06.910 --> 00:05:10.399 a sweater and like It's just the funny reactions 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:14.699 that you get out of the kids for it. I think 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:17.480 it's a wonderful book. I love reading this every 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:19.680 year at Thanksgiving with my students because 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:22.379 it's just so much fun. I would definitely give 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:25.860 it a five out of five. Yeah, I love this one 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:28.720 to this one. I think relatable is definitely 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.899 the word for this one Especially for kids. I 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:35.339 think that's probably how most kids feel about 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:40.899 most family gatherings is just like it's long 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:44.569 and it's boring and You get to see your family, 00:05:44.649 --> 00:05:46.529 but it's people you don't see all that often. 00:05:46.529 --> 00:05:49.290 I don't know. Maybe that's how I felt about it. 00:05:49.490 --> 00:05:51.649 About all those family gatherings as a child 00:05:51.649 --> 00:05:55.569 as a super introverted person. I was like, really? 00:05:55.970 --> 00:05:59.610 I have to. OK, OK, I can do that. OK. And I know 00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:01.870 I'm supposed to like it all, but I really don't. 00:06:02.290 --> 00:06:07.189 And I don't know. This was just a really I think 00:06:07.189 --> 00:06:12.839 it was a refreshing, very childlike take on Thanksgiving, 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:15.939 I think, I think all the kids would love this 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:19.939 one. Really all the adults too. Yeah, it was 00:06:19.939 --> 00:06:23.319 a good it was great. I loved it. Yeah. And like 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:26.600 it's Yeah, it's just so many fun things. And 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:29.699 like I love to stop at each of the obstacles 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:32.000 that the kids come across and kind of have those 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.000 conversations with my students because they can 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.480 all be like, oh, yeah, like, when they get to 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.879 the wall of butts, first off, hearing me say 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:43.920 butts makes all of them laugh. Which I'm right 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:45.819 there with them. I get it. But like, then I'm 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:49.339 like, but how many of you have seen your whole 00:06:49.339 --> 00:06:51.160 family standing around watching the football 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:52.680 game on Thanksgiving? And they're like, yeah, 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:55.339 and I was like, and what would happen if you 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:57.259 tried to walk in front of that? And they're like, 00:06:57.300 --> 00:06:59.680 Oh, no, no, you can't do that. Like MCC, this 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.500 is what they're dealing and relate to it. And 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:04.680 it's a lot of fun. And like, when we get to the 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:06.459 Hall of aunts, and I'm like, Okay, how many of 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:09.160 you have that one aunt that wants to pinch your 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.839 cheeks and give you kisses and you hate it, but 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.600 you know that it's going to happen. And most 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:16.279 of them will raise their hand, you know, like, 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:19.300 just relatable stuff. And like, between that 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:22.649 and just like, the illustrations just being so 00:07:22.649 --> 00:07:25.829 on point, so colorful, and engaging. It's just 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:28.629 an all around great story. Yeah, it was really 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:33.410 good. Good call. Yes. And so, a makerspace activity 00:07:33.410 --> 00:07:37.329 that I enjoy doing with this is we need some 00:07:37.329 --> 00:07:41.910 kiva planks, just the wooden planks, and some 00:07:41.910 --> 00:07:44.649 ping pong balls. And I get the kids to work in 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:47.269 groups of two or three, and they use the kiva 00:07:47.269 --> 00:07:50.660 planks to build the walls to a maze. because 00:07:50.660 --> 00:07:53.060 trying to escape the house is kind of like trying 00:07:53.060 --> 00:07:55.540 to get through that maze. And so they use the 00:07:55.540 --> 00:07:57.899 keep of planks to make the walls of a maze and 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:00.459 they set up their maze. And I explained to them 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:03.899 a maze needs to have an entrance and an exit 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:06.639 that are separate from each other. And like, 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:08.120 there's gonna be dead ends. There's gonna be 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:10.040 ways where if you go that way, it's not gonna 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.959 work. And so. They can start trying to build 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:16.240 that themselves and then they use the ping pong 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.339 ball as the person trying to get through the 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:20.680 maze so they can roll the ball through to see 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.019 how their maze works, test it out, make sure 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:25.720 that there is a way to get to the end on the 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:29.579 other side. It's a lot of fun and it promotes 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:32.620 teamwork and communication for sure with the 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:35.659 kids because being that they're younger, like 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:38.639 they've got an idea in their head, making an 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:42.210 idea that's functional. it's not gonna happen 00:08:42.210 --> 00:08:45.149 on the first try. And so like having them have 00:08:45.149 --> 00:08:47.009 to talk to each other and be like, why didn't 00:08:47.009 --> 00:08:50.549 this work? What can we fix? And like, I spent 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:52.429 a lot of time jumping from group to group on 00:08:52.429 --> 00:08:55.330 this, having that, like saying those words out 00:08:55.330 --> 00:08:58.809 loud, okay, it didn't work. What can we change? 00:08:59.309 --> 00:09:02.539 Because a lot of times, They know it didn't work, 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:04.700 but they don't know how to verbalize that there's 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:07.100 a problem And so like helping them by giving 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:09.860 them some of those phrases so that they can continue 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:12.759 to communicate with their team Instead of just 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:14.759 getting frustrated definitely helps, but it's 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:17.100 a it's a it's a lot of me moving around seeing 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:20.080 how they're doing and Monitoring but it's worth 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.620 it if the end results are pretty cool and they 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.259 feel really proud of themselves once they've 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:26.779 made one that works That sounds really cool. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:31.730 Yeah, that's very unique. I love that Yeah, it's 00:09:31.730 --> 00:09:34.149 a lot of fun. I think the kids really enjoy it 00:09:34.149 --> 00:09:36.870 because they then I would like that Yeah, yeah, 00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:40.850 and then once it's done and it works then like 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:43.409 we let them kind of look at other people's and 00:09:43.409 --> 00:09:45.230 try out other people's Mesa's to see if they 00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:47.529 can get to the end points and stuff like that 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:49.990 So that's a great extension activity. I love 00:09:49.990 --> 00:09:59.340 that. That's cool So this week for our library 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:02.139 of littles management tip, we're actually going 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:05.779 to discuss our experiences and our thoughts, 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:08.460 because in the last episode that we recorded, 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:11.799 we mentioned the fact that the librarians film 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:15.700 is slowly rolling out across the country. And 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:20.139 we were able this past week to go and see the 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:24.039 film in Dallas. And afterwards, they did a Q 00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:27.500 &A. And so I saw the film back at TLA. So this 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:29.759 is my second viewing of it. This was your first 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.799 viewing of it. It was. What do you what did you 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:36.600 think about it? Let us know. Oh, man. That was 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:41.320 so many feelings associated with it. It was so 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.919 the librarians film kind of follows librarians 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:49.860 throughout the country is, you know, all the 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:55.779 censorship. kind of crazy has slowly been expanding 00:10:55.779 --> 00:10:59.779 in the country, right? And it really does an 00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:02.419 excellent job of chronicling some of those librarians 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:07.299 experiences and it captures all of the crazy 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:11.759 really associated with it. I think seeing it 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:18.159 all condensed into one place was really exceptionally 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:22.179 impactful. Everything that we saw in the film, 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:26.419 I remember seeing news articles and hearing about 00:11:26.419 --> 00:11:28.580 all the things and watching it all unfold on 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:32.419 social media at the time, because it all started 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:37.879 in the fall of 2021. I was following it all as 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:41.279 it was unfolding and it's still going on now. 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:48.269 It continues to this day. Like experiencing it 00:11:48.269 --> 00:11:52.210 at the time. I kind of felt crazy a little bit 00:11:52.210 --> 00:11:55.490 because it felt so dystopian It still does really 00:11:55.490 --> 00:12:00.809 But it just felt really still does feel very 00:12:00.809 --> 00:12:05.429 unreal and like why are people? Trying to censor 00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:08.590 all these books. Why are we pulling, you know 00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:11.960 books like Um, like Pinkalicious has been banned 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:14.659 now and somewhere in South Texas, like what, 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:16.820 what is happening? I don't understand. Like, 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:19.220 why are we trying to ban all these books? It 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:21.100 doesn't make any sense. And we're threatening 00:12:21.100 --> 00:12:24.940 librarians. And like as a librarian myself, like 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:27.539 living through all that, it like, I would try 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:30.519 and explain to other people what's going on. 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:35.350 And I would either get like, I would either get 00:12:35.350 --> 00:12:38.629 one of two reactions were like i felt crazy because 00:12:38.629 --> 00:12:40.990 i'm trying to like i felt like i was peddling 00:12:40.990 --> 00:12:43.690 conspiracy theories even though i'm not in like. 00:12:44.509 --> 00:12:46.889 Like it just it felt like when i was talking 00:12:46.889 --> 00:12:50.259 to people that they would be like. So like what 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:52.860 is it really happening i'm not sure i don't think 00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:56.220 that's it can't it can't be as bad as what you're 00:12:56.220 --> 00:12:59.299 saying but like no no it is like there's legit 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:02.419 death threats like. Happening on librarians like 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:04.720 there's people trying to get librarians arrested 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.500 and like seeing it all in one place compiled 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:11.580 like that was really really emotional was that 00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:14.440 was the my biggest take away was like it was. 00:13:14.700 --> 00:13:17.100 It was just so much more impactful seeing it 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:22.519 all in one place. Just like all at once. Like, 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:26.440 I don't know, lots of feelings watching that 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:30.679 movie. It was very validating as well, like getting 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.960 to see it all because like I said, I felt I have 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:37.019 been feeling crazy every time I talked about 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:39.019 it, every time I still talk about it. It's a 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:41.639 little bit like if. I'm talking to somebody about 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:44.399 it. That's like not that doesn't deal with books 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:47.620 Directly in their job or whatever even sometimes 00:13:47.620 --> 00:13:49.559 when I talk to other teachers like they don't 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:55.360 understand the depths of that some of these crazy 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.740 people will kind of sink to to try and get librarians 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:02.580 arrested or like to harm like Librarians like 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:04.679 really like when they were doing the Q &A at 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:06.419 the theory and they were saying that part of 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:09.700 their budget is still like security for them 00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:13.379 because they're still very much in danger because 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:17.820 they're speaking out about all this. So I don't 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:20.340 know, getting to see it all in one place was 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:23.519 just it was just very emotional, validating because 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:25.960 I'm less crazy now that it's out in the in the 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:31.039 world, I guess. And it also gave me a little 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.240 bit of hope at the end, because like if if this 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:37.899 story is being told, then I hope that more people 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:41.659 will see it and recognize it and that will kind 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:44.860 of spark change. And maybe we can go back the 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:49.259 other way and maybe realize that librarians are 00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:53.259 not trying to indoctrinate children or groom 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:56.879 children or whatever people are saying. Oh, my 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:01.559 goodness. Anyway, yeah, it was it was wonderful. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:06.029 I absolutely loved it. Yes. Exactly. Yeah, it 00:15:06.029 --> 00:15:08.529 was, I mean, there were parts where you're laughing 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:11.970 because of how ridiculous it is. And then the 00:15:11.970 --> 00:15:14.990 next scene you're in tears because you've been 00:15:14.990 --> 00:15:18.990 dealing with the same thing. It's just, it was 00:15:18.990 --> 00:15:25.789 really good to see all of it in one place. Because 00:15:25.789 --> 00:15:28.629 like you said, yeah, like there've been so many 00:15:28.629 --> 00:15:30.779 times where I'm like, this is happening and people 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:34.620 are like ah I don't know are you sure that's 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.720 it's to that extent kind of thing and like to 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:40.240 for them to have collected it all and chronicled 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:44.179 it the way they did it's it's validating to know 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:47.779 that we're not going insane and we're not making 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:51.899 this up it is really happening and it's not that 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:56.080 I would much rather a different way to get to 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:00.769 this but like It's nice to know that there's 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:04.009 some solidarity that we're not alone in this 00:16:04.009 --> 00:16:06.490 there like like there's other people that have 00:16:06.490 --> 00:16:10.850 been experiencing the same thing and Going through 00:16:10.850 --> 00:16:14.090 the same things because it has been it's their 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:17.090 days when like you're feeling you feel so depressed 00:16:17.090 --> 00:16:21.029 and so beaten down just trying to do a job that 00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:25.029 at one point in time was held in such high regard 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:29.450 and now to be by some people to be considered 00:16:29.450 --> 00:16:33.950 like enemy number one. To know that there are 00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:37.409 other people out there doing this job and fighting 00:16:37.409 --> 00:16:41.590 to make sure that these things are not getting 00:16:41.590 --> 00:16:45.309 out of hand. And it's just, it was enlightening 00:16:45.309 --> 00:16:48.870 and uplifting to know that we're not the only 00:16:48.870 --> 00:16:51.149 ones dealing with this. We're not those islands. 00:16:51.509 --> 00:16:53.169 Like there are other librarians out there doing 00:16:53.169 --> 00:16:58.090 this work too. And so I think they did a really 00:16:58.090 --> 00:17:00.070 good job of highlighting some of those amazing 00:17:00.070 --> 00:17:02.049 librarians that are taking that stand and saying, 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:06.430 no, this is not okay. And so that's inspiring 00:17:06.430 --> 00:17:10.839 as well. It's it's a lot. I definitely I've already 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:13.259 like this in the last week I've told so many 00:17:13.259 --> 00:17:16.059 people like this is coming out You need to be 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:19.160 looking for it and you need to see what's happening 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:23.460 Because here in Texas we're still dealing with 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.299 some of these things like SB 13 Which is now 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:29.019 impacting the books that can be available in 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:31.220 classrooms and stuff like that. I'm helping teachers 00:17:31.679 --> 00:17:33.920 decide whether the books can stay in their classroom 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.859 or not. And at this point, none of the books 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:38.720 that the teachers have are inappropriate. It's 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:41.019 just that we have to go through a process to 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:42.839 verify and validate them. And they're like, but 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:46.099 this is so ridiculous. Like, why would anyone 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:49.400 be upset with this book? And I just keep saying, 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:52.740 yeah, welcome to the last four years of my life. 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:55.140 This is like what we've been dealing with as 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:59.099 librarians. This is the kind of thing. And you're 00:17:59.099 --> 00:18:04.420 right. If the people haven't dealt with books, 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:07.920 if that wasn't a big part of their lives, then 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:09.759 they don't realize all of this that's coming 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:12.059 out. So this is a really great book to spread 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:14.819 the awareness, or a great film to spread the 00:18:14.819 --> 00:18:19.059 awareness of this about books because yeah, it's 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:21.960 happening. And I've already told a bunch of people, 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:24.720 hey, you need to see this. They did announce 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:28.950 that it's going to be... available for streaming 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:34.970 on PBS starting in February. So if our listeners 00:18:34.970 --> 00:18:37.349 are interested in seeing it, but they've already 00:18:37.349 --> 00:18:40.210 missed the showing in their area, or if they 00:18:40.210 --> 00:18:41.869 can't make it to the showings in their area, 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:45.990 we'll be streaming on PBS in the spring, sometime 00:18:45.990 --> 00:18:49.170 in February, that'll be out. You can check out 00:18:49.170 --> 00:18:53.680 their website. the librariansfilm .com to see 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:56.940 if there is a showing that's going to be in your 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:00.420 area in the near future. Definitely worth checking 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:02.880 it out. They've said they've already won a bunch 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:07.619 of awards. For the Q &A, the director was supposed 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:10.519 to be there, but unfortunately wasn't able to 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:13.480 make it because they had to go to Paris because 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:18.440 it's being shown at a film festival there. It's 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:22.079 doing well. that it continues to spread the message 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:26.019 because it's important, for sure. And it was 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:29.859 I know like you and I loved it, obviously, for 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:33.140 a lot of reasons that we've already said. And 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:36.319 of course, we're going to be like naturally want 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:37.880 to watch a movie like that because it's about 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:42.599 our profession. But in my very biased opinion, 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:46.119 I think it was objectively a good movie. Like, 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.789 even if you're not a librarian, I still think 00:19:50.789 --> 00:19:53.930 that pretty much anyone would just like genuinely 00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:57.230 enjoy watching this movie. Like I think it was 00:19:57.230 --> 00:20:00.809 genuinely good, even though I do have obviously 00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:03.990 a big stake in it and it is going to make me 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:06.309 in particular more emotional. I think it was 00:20:06.309 --> 00:20:08.970 just it was like you said, it was like it was 00:20:08.970 --> 00:20:11.990 genuinely funny at parts and it was genuinely 00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:16.890 like sad. Like it showed you the wide impact 00:20:16.890 --> 00:20:19.900 that these are all happening. that it's having 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:23.460 all over the country. It was just an objectively 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:29.980 good movie in addition to being my job. It was 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:31.839 genuinely good, even if you're not a librarian. 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:37.200 So I do recommend it for everyone. Absolutely, 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:41.019 so definitely. take a look we'll have the link 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:44.500 to the film's website in the resources for this 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:47.559 episode also so that you can go and check out 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:50.900 if maybe hopefully you'll be able to see it at 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:54.299 one of the local showings if not check it out 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:58.859 on pbs this spring yeah it's really good highly 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:03.480 recommend yes all right so the other book that 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:06.339 we're going to talk about today for thanksgiving 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:09.660 i cheated a little bit It's not really a Thanksgiving 00:21:09.660 --> 00:21:13.279 book, but it is about saying thank you. And it 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.559 does have a feast at the end. And I do actually 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:20.259 like to read this book a lot around Thanksgiving 00:21:20.259 --> 00:21:23.420 because it is about being thankful, connecting 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:26.140 with your community and coming together with 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:28.720 a group of people to have a feast and just generally 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:31.079 be grateful for the things you have in your life. 00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:33.599 So the other book that we're going to talk about 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:37.130 is Thank You Amu. It's published by Little Brown 00:21:37.130 --> 00:21:40.349 and Company in 2018, and the author and illustrator 00:21:40.349 --> 00:21:45.549 is Oge Mora. This book won quite a few awards. 00:21:45.910 --> 00:21:48.589 It got the Anna Doudney Read Together Award, 00:21:49.250 --> 00:21:52.289 Charlotte Zolotow Award. It's a junior library 00:21:52.289 --> 00:21:55.049 guild selection. It got the Caldecott Honor, 00:21:55.730 --> 00:21:58.910 Coretta Scott King New Talent Award, Ezra Jack 00:21:58.910 --> 00:22:04.680 Keats Award, CCBC Choice. It's an ALSC Notable 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:08.740 Children's Book, Publisher Weekly Best Book, 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:12.640 and School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:17.539 Selection. It was on a few state lists as well. 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:22.200 It got the California CDE recommended for 2022, 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:27.240 Illinois Monarch Award in 2021, Indiana Read 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:30.819 Aloud Award for 2020, Kentucky Blue. Bluegrass 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:36.039 Award for 2020, Nebraska Golden Sour Award 2020, 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:39.839 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Roadrunner of 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:44.420 Reading List in 2020. So after that long list 00:22:44.420 --> 00:22:47.940 for our author history, we've got Oge Mora is 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:50.920 a collage artist and storyteller. Her books have 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:54.039 won numerous awards that we just listed, and 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:59.440 she is a 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Lister. She 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.059 grew up in Columbus, Ohio and currently lives 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.579 in Providence, Rhode Island. She loves all things 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:08.140 colorful, patterned or collaged and enjoys creating 00:23:08.140 --> 00:23:11.339 warm stories that celebrate people coming together. 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:17.799 And some of the other books that she has illustrated 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:23.900 include The Oldest Student by Rita Hubbard. I'm 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:30.039 from by Gary Gray. Everybody in the Red Brick 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:35.140 Building by Anne Winter and more or less by Alison 00:23:35.140 --> 00:23:39.059 Hughes. And then she also wrote and illustrated 00:23:39.059 --> 00:23:44.160 Saturday. And in this book, it's about this little 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:46.920 old lady named Amu and she's at home one day 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:50.279 and decides to make a big pot of thick red stew 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:53.339 for her nice evening meal. And while she's at 00:23:53.339 --> 00:23:56.809 home waiting for her dinner to finish cooking. 00:23:59.009 --> 00:24:03.670 The smell of her stew wafts out into the hallway 00:24:03.670 --> 00:24:06.150 of her building and a little boy comes over to 00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:09.009 ask what the delicious smell is. When he learns 00:24:09.009 --> 00:24:12.410 it's the thick red stew, he asks to have a bowl. 00:24:13.369 --> 00:24:16.400 So Amu naturally shares it. And then he goes 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:19.099 on his way. And then throughout the day, that 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:21.579 smell of that stew continues wafting throughout 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:24.099 the city. So various members of the community 00:24:24.099 --> 00:24:26.940 continue stopping by. And every time they come, 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:30.500 Amu continues to share all of her stew with them. 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:33.990 And then by the end of the day... when it is 00:24:33.990 --> 00:24:36.150 time for her to have her nice evening meal she 00:24:36.150 --> 00:24:38.569 has nothing left for herself and she's alone 00:24:38.569 --> 00:24:41.549 and sad and she limits the loss of her delicious 00:24:41.549 --> 00:24:44.150 stew until she hears a knock at the door and 00:24:44.150 --> 00:24:46.730 when she opens it she finds everyone from the 00:24:46.730 --> 00:24:50.859 community has come together to bring her um some 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:53.980 kind of food and they all share a feast together 00:24:53.980 --> 00:24:56.160 and the little boy from the very beginning writes 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.440 her a thank you note that says thank you Amu 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:02.180 on it. And like I said, like I know it's not 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:04.660 a traditional Thanksgiving book and there are 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:06.720 a lot of really great traditional Thanksgiving 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:11.180 books, but I really like this one because I do 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:14.440 love the collage illustrations in it. It's a 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:17.690 very unique, it's a nice way to kind of. talk 00:25:17.690 --> 00:25:21.650 about that art form because there's not a ton 00:25:21.650 --> 00:25:23.789 of books that are made like that. And you can 00:25:23.789 --> 00:25:25.609 really, like, when you look at the illustrations, 00:25:25.690 --> 00:25:29.650 like, you can very much tell it's collage, like, 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:32.109 okay, Maura has a lovely way of like, I don't 00:25:32.109 --> 00:25:35.829 know if she just uses scraps or what, but like, 00:25:36.390 --> 00:25:38.750 the patterns are really, really interesting. 00:25:39.049 --> 00:25:40.950 And the different pieces of collage that she 00:25:40.950 --> 00:25:44.130 uses, you can very much tell that it's all cut 00:25:44.130 --> 00:25:46.990 up and put back together in that collage style. 00:25:47.049 --> 00:25:49.170 So I really like looking at those illustrations. 00:25:49.210 --> 00:25:52.309 It's very, very unique. Love that about them. 00:25:52.430 --> 00:25:56.269 And then this one in particular, like she uses 00:25:56.269 --> 00:25:59.990 a lot of really, really great vocabulary words. 00:26:00.430 --> 00:26:05.029 It's like it's repetitive enough that the kids 00:26:05.029 --> 00:26:09.309 can kind of figure out what all those bonus vocabulary 00:26:09.309 --> 00:26:12.250 words are. Like, I don't remember the exact phrasing, 00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:16.819 but it's like, Like every time somebody will 00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:19.420 come up to her building, like they say almost 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:21.319 the same sentence, but they just change like 00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:23.920 one word. So it'll be like the police officer 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:26.559 will come and say, what's that delicious smell? 00:26:26.579 --> 00:26:28.640 And then the next person will say, what's that 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:31.579 decadent smell? And what's that delectable smell? 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:35.220 And they keep using like these, the same kind 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:38.400 of phrasing. So the kids can figure out that 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:43.259 they're still kind of using the same they can 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:45.579 kind of figure out what those bonus vocabulary 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:47.619 words are. And it's just like a whole lot of 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:50.240 them. So it's like it's simple enough for the 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:53.440 kids to understand. It's all about sharing and 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:56.759 coming together. And, you know, they all I love 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:59.700 that they all pay back more or less at the end. 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:03.799 And and I love that little boy writes a thank 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:07.630 you note. That's actually the. The lesson extension 00:27:07.630 --> 00:27:09.690 that I usually do at the end is having kids write 00:27:09.690 --> 00:27:11.769 their own. Thank you notes I just love this book. 00:27:11.769 --> 00:27:14.650 I love it a lot. It has a really great novel 00:27:14.650 --> 00:27:18.650 effect That novel effect app has a really great 00:27:18.650 --> 00:27:21.130 soundscape that goes with it And this is one 00:27:21.130 --> 00:27:24.930 that kids will after I read this one They'll 00:27:24.930 --> 00:27:28.329 usually ask for it like a few weeks later because 00:27:28.329 --> 00:27:31.130 they just love it so much It's not particularly 00:27:31.130 --> 00:27:33.630 funny or anything, but I don't know something 00:27:33.630 --> 00:27:36.440 about it like really hooks the kids in and brings 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:39.880 them together. And it has an explanation for 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:44.759 why Amu is named Amu. It's, I don't remember 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:49.180 which language it is. It's from an African language 00:27:49.180 --> 00:27:52.180 and it means queen. So that's really cool too. 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:54.960 I don't know, I just love it. For me, it's one 00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.279 of my favorite books that I read all year long. 00:27:57.720 --> 00:27:59.660 It's a great one, even though it's not Thanksgiving 00:27:59.660 --> 00:28:04.339 and I'm a cheater, but that's okay. No, I I do 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:07.599 love this book also it's amazing and I think 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:11.720 it fits for being thankful and you know that 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:15.799 sharing of community and of Food is that's the 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:17.960 idea behind Thanksgiving. So absolutely I think 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:20.599 While it might not be a Thanksgiving book, I 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:23.859 think it hits on all of those topics, absolutely. 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:28.140 I love the artwork in this. I was mesmerized. 00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:31.339 Every time I look at this book, the artwork is 00:28:31.339 --> 00:28:34.180 always captivating to me. I know the students 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:40.059 love it as well. And yeah, it's just a very sweet 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:45.670 and... and loving story. You're right. It's not 00:28:45.670 --> 00:28:49.609 like super silly or funny, but it's got a lot 00:28:49.609 --> 00:28:52.450 of heart to it for sure. And I think the kids 00:28:52.450 --> 00:28:54.390 can recognize that and that's why they really 00:28:54.390 --> 00:28:57.690 enjoy the story a lot. Yeah, absolutely. I love 00:28:57.690 --> 00:29:01.970 this book, a five out of five for sure. Yeah, 00:29:01.970 --> 00:29:04.710 it's a great one. And then I do usually at the 00:29:04.710 --> 00:29:08.170 end of it, I usually encourage the kids to write 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:11.500 a thank you note or draw a thank you picture 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:13.380 and like think of somebody in their lives that 00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:18.799 they're just thankful for and they're that they 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:22.400 really want to say thank you to and we talked 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:27.079 about you know how Amu felt like you know so 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:29.500 grateful that everybody came back to her at the 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:32.099 end and gave her that thank you note gave her 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:36.420 you know shared their feast with her so just 00:29:36.430 --> 00:29:39.089 I just encourage those kids to write their own 00:29:39.089 --> 00:29:42.769 thank you note and say thank you to the people 00:29:42.769 --> 00:29:47.309 in their lives. And if they can't write enough 00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:50.710 letters or know how to write those words just 00:29:50.710 --> 00:29:53.250 yet, I can either have them dictate it to me 00:29:53.250 --> 00:29:55.769 or just have them draw a picture and give it 00:29:55.769 --> 00:29:59.230 to somebody that they love. So. Absolutely. I 00:29:59.230 --> 00:30:04.599 love that too, because I agree that. making sure 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:06.680 that the kids know that it's important to say 00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:09.160 that thank you, you know, like a lot of stuff 00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:13.740 is done for us. And, you know, those two simple 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:16.920 words can have a great impact for sure. And so, 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:20.220 yeah, just saying thank you, making, like writing 00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:23.079 a little card, drawing a little picture can have 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:26.200 a big impact on the people that we care about. 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:29.779 And so I love that idea. And it's a good extension 00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:34.640 for Thanksgiving in general because I know that 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.960 there is a component of being grateful for everything 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:41.599 in our lives on Thanksgiving, but I think the 00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:45.279 holidays kind of sweep it up sometimes, and we 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:47.920 get busy, and we forget about it. So this is 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:50.859 a good time to kind of connect with that and 00:30:50.859 --> 00:30:54.859 share that with our kiddos. Absolutely. Yeah, 00:30:54.859 --> 00:30:57.220 and this is a great book to do that with, and 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:02.000 I love that activity. Perfect. Yeah. Well, thank 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:05.500 you. Thank all of you for joining us today on 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:07.880 this episode of Librarians of Littles. We hope 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:10.059 you found some fresh ideas for inspiring our 00:31:10.059 --> 00:31:12.019 young readers and please be sure to subscribe 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:15.119 and connect with us on social media. Happy reading! 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:20.660 Thank you for listening to this episode of Librarians 00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:23.500 of Littles. We hope that you've enjoyed it. Check 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:27.900 back each Wednesday for a new episode. Librarians 00:31:27.900 --> 00:31:30.660 of Littles is a podcast produced and hosted by 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:34.339 Patrick Adams and Caroline Legier. Editor, Patrick 00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:38.099 Adams. Our theme song is performed by JD Adams. 00:31:38.539 --> 00:31:41.200 You can follow us on Instagram at Librarians 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:46.319 of Littles. You can follow us on BlueSky at littleslibrarian 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:50.940 .bsky .social. And you can send us your emails 00:31:50.940 --> 00:31:55.339 at librarianoflittlespod .gmail .com.