I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings This picture book, perfect for young children and families, features a simplified life story of real trans woman and co-author, Jazz Jennings. It features a young Jazz as she works to recognize herself and explain to her family who she really is. Jennings has gone on… View more
Cool Cuts and Happy Hair by Mechal Renee Roe These two picture books from Roe celebrate many different haircuts and styles for Black children with full page illustrations. Each beautiful, confidence-boosting style highlighting variations in hair texture from person to person is paired with affirmations to charge up self-esteem. Cool Cuts is intended for masculine-presenting… View more
Historian and author Ibram X. Kendi has published five books and countless articles on the construction of an anti-racist movement including the 2016 National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and the New York Times bestseller How to Be an Anti-Racist. His 2016 work was adapted with author Jason Reynolds… View more
Beloved actor, author, and activist George Takei is many things to many people; Sulu, helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise on Star Trek, Broadway performer, groundbreaking activist for LGBTQIA+ people as well as Asian and Asian Americans, and author of the bestselling They Called Us Enemy, a graphic memoir of his childhood in the American concentration camps during… View more
With our community working hard to stay home and healthy, it might be difficult to figure out what to read next! Check out this Childrens Fiction Series List and start a new series for yourself or as a family read aloud. This list includes the series name as well as the first title in the series to… View more
What’s All the Hoopla?- Elementary Edition Hoopla is an online resource you can use from the comfort of your couch. To use it, simply go to the Cedar Rapids Public Library website (crlibrary.org), click on Resources and Services and select Hoopla. Once there you’ll be prompted for your library card. Log in as a Cedar… View more
Picture book biographies are a growing trend in publishing. They are narrative nonfiction books which are written like a story making them appealing to children. They tend to be beautifully illustrated and easy to read, and offer young learners an excellent introduction to some of the most important people in our history. Some examples of… View more
I fell in love with the wonders of Mythology in college. It was the similarities between mythologies that grabbed me at first, like the reoccurring stories of younger gods defeating older gods. But as I delved deeper into it, I became equally fascinated with how different cultures in different landscapes view the world with fascinating originality. There… View more
Families come in all shapes and sizes and can experience so many changes from divorce to a new baby. This fall even the Library welcomed a new addition – the Family section – in the Downtown children’s library. This section is full of picture books featuring predominately human characters with different family structures. These families… View more
Since my daughter was a very little girl we’ve read books together. In the early days this was easily accomplished. Bedtime stories and cuddling on the couch with picture books brought smiles all around. As she has gotten older this has become more of a challenge. We compete with schoolwork, screen time, and activities of… View more
