Archives for Good Trouble

Good Trouble: Be a Creative Changemaker

Good Trouble: Be a Creative Changemaker

Good Trouble: Be a Creative Changemaker This installment of Good Trouble features books that provide crafts and activities that can help in making positive changes in the world. Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids: 30+ Creative Projects that Celebrate Diversity and Inspire Change by Abigail Birhanu, Khadesia Latimer, Paula Liz, Lori Santos, Tamara Slade and Anjali Wells Library Catalog Art in Action: Make a Statement, Change Your World by Matthew “Levee” Chavez Library Catalog Art of Protest: Creating, Discovering, and Activating Art for Your Revolution by De Nichols, art by Diana Dagadita, Molly Mendoza, Olivia Twist, Saddo, and Diego Becas Library
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November 7, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Little Activists

Good Trouble: Little Activists

This installment of Good Trouble features books (many of which are board books!) for our youngest activists because it is never too early to start learning about making the world a better place. A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara Library Catalog Ally Baby Can series by Nyasha Williams, art by Jade Orlando Library Catalog Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, art by Ashley Lukashevsky Library Catalog Change Starts With Us by Sophie Beer Library Catalog Citizen Baby: My Vote by Megan E. Bryant and Daniel Prosterman, art by Micah Player Library Catalog Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara Library
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October 10, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Peaceful Protest

Good Trouble: Peaceful Protest

This installment of Good Trouble shares two books about peaceful protest movements and another about iconic “People of Peace.” Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights by Rob Sanders, art by Jared Andrew Schorr A picture book that demonstrates the many ways regular people can take part in peaceful protest, with a brief introduction to the concept of nonviolent protest. People Power: Peaceful Protests That Changed the World by Rebecca June,  art by Ximo Abadia Covering incidents of peaceful protests from around the world dating from 1902’s The Mud March in the UK to global protests in 2020 for Black Lives Matter,
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September 12, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Music – Protest and Activism, Part 3

Good Trouble: Music – Protest and Activism, Part 3

This installment of Good Trouble continues a look at the strong connections between music and activism, as well as individual artists who have made an impact.  In this post, find books related to two powerful songs:  “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”  For earlier Good Trouble: Music – Protest and Activism posts, click here: Part 1 and Part 2. “We Shall Overcome” We Shall Overcome: the Story of a Song by Debbie Levy, art by Vanessa Brantley-Newton A bright and colorful introduction to the Civil Rights movement, the history of the song, and its place in history
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August 5, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Good Trouble, music, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Make a Difference

Good Trouble: Make a Difference

This installment of Good Trouble features three books for older kids about ways they can make a positive difference in the world. Make Your Mark, Make a Difference: A Kid’s Guide to Standing Up for People, Animals, and the Planet by Joan Marie Galat Library Catalog Broken into four parts – Examine Your World, Animal and Earth Issues, People Issues, and Change is Everywhere – Galat’s work first encourages kids to learn about activism, then work towards choosing a cause that means something to them by introducing them to various issues Earth-wide, before finally giving some interesting out-of-the-box suggestions for
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July 11, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, climate activism, climate change, Good Trouble, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: LGBTQ Icons

Good Trouble: LGBTQ Icons

This installment of Good Trouble features a few books about the activists and icons of the fight for LGBTQ rights. The first six titles in this month’s Good Trouble are collections of short biographies of LGBTQ activists and icons.  While there is some overlap, these six books do a wonderful job of introducing a wide variety of more and less well-known, historical and contemporary, individuals – such as Ian McKellan, Krsiten Stewart, Freddy McConnell, Laverne Cox, Bayard Rustin, Jonathan Van Ness, Jazz Jennings, Francisco Manicongo, We’Wha, Alla Nazimova, George Michael, Leonard Bernstein, James Baldwin, Virginia Woolf, Alvin Ailey, Larry Kramer,
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June 12, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Alla Nazimova, Alvin Ailey, Bayard Rustin, Francisco Manicongo, Freddy McConnell, George Michael, Good Trouble, James Baldwin, Jazz Jennings, John Lewis, Jonathan Van Ness, Krsiten Stewart, Larry Kramer, Laverne Cox, Leonard Bernstein, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Pride, LGBTQIA+, McKellan, Pride Month, staff picks, staff recommendations, Virginia Woolf, and We’Wha.

Good Trouble: Music and Protest

Good Trouble: Music and Protest

This installment of Good Trouble continues a look at the strong connections between music and activism. Part 1 can be found here. Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio, art by Charlotte Riley-Webb Library Catalog Discover some of Billie Holiday’s music Billie Holiday was no stranger to racism and prejudice, and when she was given Abel Meeropol’s song “Strange Fruit” – a song about lynchings and violence in the South – she embued it with her own pain. She did not know how the song would be received. She knew, as her mother
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May 12, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, civil rights, Good Trouble, Jean Ritchie, John Lewis, music and protest, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Environmental Activism

Good Trouble: Environmental Activism

Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.  We’ve created many Earth Day related blog posts, reading lists and activities over the past several years and I urge you to look through them for some great ideas and great reads. Below find some reads related to the formation of Earth Day and climate and environmental activism.   The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein, art by Jessie Hartland Library Catalog A shockingly true story about how on a day in the summer of 1969 the Cuyahoga River
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April 12, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, climate activism, environmental activism, environmentalism, Good Trouble, greta thunberg, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Amanda Gorman

Good Trouble: Amanda Gorman

On January 20, 2021, I watched Joe Biden’s inauguration. Perhaps, like me, you were feeling hopeful and optimistic, that democracy was working, that positive change was taking place – the country had survived January 6, we had a new President, and for the first time a female Vice President. Perhaps, also like me, all of that became secondary as you were transfixed by the young woman who took the podium – Amanda Gorman, only the sixth poet to read at an inauguration, and by far the youngest. As she stood there reading, Amanda Gorman seemed far older than her 22
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March 12, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Amanda Gorman, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Music and Protest

Good Trouble: Music and Protest

This installment of Good Trouble features a few books about the strong connections between music and activism, as well as individual artists who have made an impact. Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd, art by Christian Robinson Library Catalog Discover some of Nina Simone’s music  Born Eunice Kathlyn Wayman, the artist who would become known as Nina Simone was a musical prodigy whose dreams were smashed against the walls of racism and prejudice. As her career finally began to flourish, not in the music halls where her classical piano training would have taken her otherwise, but
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February 5, 2024 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Clothing and Activism

Good Trouble: Clothing and Activism

From the uniforms of the Black Panther Party, to slogan t-shirts, to the audacity of women wearing pants, clothing and fashion are frequently connected to activism. Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter by Aida Salazar, art by Molly Mendoza Library Catalog Perhaps you’ve heard of the legendary Chinese folk hero Mulan, who dressed as a man and goes to battle, however Jovita Valdovinos was a real person who disguised herself so she could take part in the battle for religious freedom in Mexico, and came to be known as “Mexico’s Joan of Arc.”  Filled with beautiful
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January 17, 2024 4:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice

Good Trouble: The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice

Taking part in activism and fighting for social justice and change takes courage, commitment and is often sparked by strong emotions, such as anger, fear, or love. It also takes a lot of information. Being informed allows you to back up your opinions and beliefs with facts: knowledge is power. The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice by Ryse Tottingham, illustrated by Andy Passchier Library Catalog This is the fourth installment in the Good Trouble series, and while I have mentioned activism and being an activist several times, I’ve taken for granted that those terms are understood. These definitions are taken from
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November 10, 2023 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Being the Change

Good Trouble: Being the Change

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (although not actually said by him), this quote is nonetheless a fantastic statement of purpose and a call to activism.  This installment of Good Trouble features a few books which include words of inspiration from civil rights leaders and young activists, a “how to” guide for kids to be change makers, and more. We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders by Chronicle Books Library Catalog A gorgeously illustrated collection of inspirational quotes from famous, as well as not so well known, individuals
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October 19, 2023 3:17 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Greta Thunberg

Good Trouble: Greta Thunberg

This installment of Good Trouble features a few books about, and by, Greta Thunberg to inspire environmental activism. From the time she was 11, Greta Thunberg has been taking on climate change, politics, governments and corporations. Greta is a role model for young people to be activists and changemakers. As Greta says, “No one is too small to make a difference.” Little People, Big Dreams: Greta Thunberg by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustrated by Anke Weckmann Library Catalog This biography in the popular and well-made Little People, Big Dreams series provides an introduction to the young activist’s life. Greta Thunberg
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September 8, 2023 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, climate activism, environmental activism, environmentalism, Good Trouble, greta thunberg, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids

Good Trouble: Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids

Among many important things, civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis was famous for using the term “good trouble” when speaking on fighting against injustice in this country. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” “What can you do to get into good trouble? There is a light inside of you that will turn on when you get into good trouble. You will feel emboldened and freed. You will realize that unjust laws cannot stop you. These laws cannot stop the truth that is in your
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August 11, 2023 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.