The author asks some of the top kids' book creators to choose their favorite children's book about the black experience. The title could be for kids of any age--from a picture book or graphic novel to a chapter book or collection of poems. It could be new or old, fiction or nonfiction. This article presents some of "School Library Journal"'s…

This paper presents the Fort Washakie School/Community Library and Technology Center, cowinner of this year's SLJ/Thomson Gale Giant Step Award. Nearly four years old, this combination school-and-public library is located in the town of Fort Washakie, on the Wind River Indian Reservation, a vast 2.8-million-acre tract about a three-hour drive…

Discusses improving student test scores based on an interview with Bob Berkowitz, co-developer of the Big6 approach to problem solving. Highlights include experiences at Wayne Central High School (Ontario Center, NY); cooperation between library media specialists and classroom teachers; viewing instruction as a series of information problems; and…

Ever since Katniss Everdeen, the arrow-slinging heroine of Suzanne Collins's "Hunger Games" trilogy, was snatched from the cruel clutches of a ruthless government, one can't stop thinking about the feisty 16-year-old from District 12. What sort of flesh-devouring, mutant killing machine awaits her next? How can she possibly lead a successful…

The publishing gods must be crazy. How else can one explain the cruel fate of so many deserving children's books? While mediocre works abound among annual best sellers, scores of perfectly wonderful kids' books have vanished faster than Tony Soprano's henchmen. To address this injustice, a select group of librarian reviewers, booksellers, and…

This article presents an interview with poet Helen Frost. Frost talked about how poetry can help at-risk children. She also related the challenges she faced when she wrote her latest book titled "The Braid."