By Raena Hunter Doty Arts & Features Editor Sam Westall, Henry Whittemore curriculum librarian, and Laura Hudock, professor of Education, hosted a talk called “What’s new in children’s literature?” as part of the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival Nov. 7. They started by explaining their reasoning for how they choose which books to highlight, namely that they want all the books to be high quality, “culturally specific and authentic,” enjoyable, relevant to teachers and librarians looking to develop curriculum, and representative of trends in children’s literature. Hudock said, “And these are also books that we just get really eager to share with you. Our text messages will just blow up between the two of us when we find a book that we want to add, and that could be all the way dating back to February. We start this process early.” She added there’s also a significant amount of narrowing down the number of books, and that this year they had about 180, much more than the 100 they highlighted during the event. They started with a few choice books about “Libraries & Access,” such as “The Night Librarian” by Christopher Lincoln. “I’m hoping this might awaken a new generation of book lovers,” Hudock said, and added in this graphic novel “the magic of storytelling shifts from figurative to literal, literary puns and references to familiar characters abound.” In the section on “Linguistic Diversity,” Westall introduced “My Mother’s Tongue” by Uma Menon. She said, “This story celebrates the magic of multilingualism and reminds us that every voice with its unique accent and rhythm is essential.” In “Familiar Settings,” Hudock said “L is for Love” by Atinuke “exudes joy. Spare pattern yet alliterative text will surely tickle the ears of the youngest of readers when shared aloud.” Westall introduced “Built to Last” by Minh Lê, which she said is about two boys whose friendship is tested when their joint creation is destroyed - but “they remember that friendship is about picking up the pieces and starting over.” “They Call Me Teach” by Lesa Cline-Ransome tells the true story of an enslaved Black man nicknamed “Teach” after his commitment to spreading literacy among enslaved people, according to Hudock. “The emotional weight of this first-person slave resistance narrative opens a door to classroom conversations about U.S. history and education,” she said. During the section on “Civic Activism,” Westall introduced J. Albert Mann’s “Shift Happens.” Westall explained the rather non-traditional nonfiction book discusses the history of labor in the U.S. “I appreciate Mann’s commitment to continuing the story of labor issues into the present day, showing readers that history is all around us, and sometimes all you have to do is take action,” she said. In the section on “Social Justice,” Hudock quoted the opening of “What Makes Us Human” by Victor D. O. Santos when introducing the book, posing a riddle asking the room to figure out what makes us human - to which the answer is “language.” She said the book “celebrates how language in its many forms has shaped human thought, values, storytelling, and raises awareness about endangered languages.” In the section about “Cultural Awareness,” Westall said “This Book Won’t Burn” by Samira Ahmed is particularly relevant in the current political landscape. “[The book’s] timely theme of combatting censorship brings a message of resilience and activism to readers, especially those facing similar issues,” Westall said. “This Land” by Ashley Fairbanks is a child-appropriate introduction to the way much of the land in the U.S. was and still is sacred to many Indigenous Americans, according to Hudock. She added the book “invites readers to explore their communities and lean into our history - that all presently occupied spaces, wherein we live, work, play, and learn, are Indigenous lands.” In the section on “Celebrating #OwnVoices” books - which is a movement dedicated to uplifting books written by marginalized people representing their own voices - Westall recommended “Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice” by Anna Lapera. She said the book follows 12-year-old Mani, who has to navigate sexism, social isolation, and the general woes of puberty as a young person of color. “Empowered by discovering letters from her aunt who was banished while fighting against femicide in Guatemala, Mani finds her own Quetzal voice,” Westall said. Hudock introduced “I Am La Chiva!” by Karol Hernández, and said, “Told from the perspective of this iconic bus [La Chiva] used widely for transport in rural Colombia,” readers are introduced to a number of quirky passengers in this picture book. “Growing Up Under a Red Flag” by Ying Chang Compestine is a picture-book memoir “about growing up during the Chinese cultural revolution,” according to Westall. “[It] doesn’t pull any punches,” she said. “Compestine recounts the harsh realities of censorship, scarcity, and conformity. … The striking illustrations invoke vintage propaganda, all while capturing fear, hope, and resilience.” In the section “Traveling through Time & Space,” Hudock introduced “It Happened in Salem” by Jonah Winter. She said in this picture book with surrealist illustrations “readers are encouraged to reflect on how false accusations can easily spin out of control.” Section “Cracking the Code” explored books encouraging interest in mystery and puzzles. During this portion, Westall introduced “The Enigma Girls” by Candace Fleming, which tells the true story of 10 teenage girls who helped turn the tide against the Nazis in World War II. “Fleming’s fast-paced narrative combines personal stories with insights into cryptography, complete with puzzles for the readers to decode themselves,” she said. Hudock introduced “Only for a Little While” by Gabriela Orozco Belt in the section “Finding Home,” which she said tells the story of a young girl who must adjust to an upheaval in her life after her father loses his job. “Resilience prevails, and the final double spread reveals a home para siempre” - for forever, Hudock said. In the section “Perseverance & Perspective,” Westall said the graphic novel “Plain Jane and the Mermaid” by Vera Brosgol is a “vibrant, funny, empowering story of finding value beyond one’s appearance.” Still working in the same section, Hudock asked, “Have you ever noticed in the ‘Marvel’ universe that just when all hope is lost, ‘Boom!’ The hero lands back on their feet?” She said this is the moment Joe is waiting for in “And Then, Boom!” by Lisa Fipps. Joe lives in “adjunct poverty” and the middle-grade novel “delivers a pragmatic yet authentic character study about existing in the margins.” Westall said, “We’re all familiar with it - that feeling of frustration slowly building until you feel like you’re a volcano about to erupt.” For the section “Socio-Emotional Learning,” she introduced “Sometimes I Am Hot Lava” by Jody Jensen Shaffer, which follows Buddy, who has these “hot lava feelings. “When he learns to take deep breaths” - at this point, Westall took a breath herself - “and uses words and cools down, Buddy shows us it’s OK to get mad, as long as you know how to handle it.” In the section “Being a Good Neighbor,” Hudock introduced “Between Two Windows” by Keisha Morris, which documents the friendship between two boys who live in apartments that have windows facing each other, connected by an old pulley clothesline. She said they share pictures back and forth using the clothesline for a long time, but when the clothesline is taken down, they “have to relocate their storytelling IRL.” Hudock said the book is “poised to be a favorite in early-childhood classrooms, especially if it is followed with an excursion outside with sidewalk chalk.” The section “Scientific Inquiry” included the book “The Iguanodon’s Horn” by Sean Rubin, which shows the history of scientific renderings of the dinosaur the Iguanodon, Westall said. “This book is an engaging tribute to the wonderful and ongoing scientific process and discovery that children will go back to again and again,” she added. The “Living Harmoniously” section included three different books about wolves - among them “This Wolf Was Different” by Katie Slivensky. Hudock said this book, written from the point-of-view of the first wolf to be domesticated by humans, has “soft charcoal and pencil illustrations” that “have an ethereal quality, underscoring the speculative nature of this account.” Westall said “The Gale” by Yan Mo in the section “Our Natural World” follows a child on an annual trip with his grandfather in rural China. “This tale captures resilience and acceptance in the face of life’s uncontrollable events,” she said. Finally, the authors highlighted books by the two featured speakers at the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival: “¡Felicidades!” by Duncan Tonatiuh and “(S)Kin” by Ibi Zoboi.