West Palm Beach Library Winter Reading Program Aims To Support Positive Mental Health For Youth

West Palm Beach FL

06 January, 2021

3:53 PM

Description

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach: January 5, 2021 The goals of the Winter Reading program for kids and teens are threefold: reaching youth through literature authored by diverse creators and featuring characters who look like them as the heroes of their own stories, building the habit of reading during the holidays outside of school, and supporting positive mental health for youth. The FRIENDS of the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach is supporting two group sessions with Stephanie De La Cruz, Clinical Director of Clinical Services at the Center for Child Counseling, where kids and teens will have a place to explore strategies for positive mental health. Self-care practices address and respond to the physical and mental health stressors that research has shown are consequences of racism in the United States experienced by racial/ethnic socially stigmatized and often overlooked populations. The Black Voices Beanstack Minigrant is helping to provide gift books to participants so that they may start or bolster their home libraries with quality, diverse children's and YA titles. Children and teens can earn up to 7 books by tracking their reading and by attending Healthy You! Mental Health for Children and their Caregivers from 1:00 – 2:00 PM or Healthy You! Mental Health for Teens and their Caregiversfrom 2:00 – 3:00 PM on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Here is a sample of gift books that children can earn by participating in the Winter Reading program. Class Act by Jerry Craft "Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying 'You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.' His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn't afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted? To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together. As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?" – From the publisher Violet's Music by Angela Johnson and Laura Huliska-Beith "There's nothing Violet loves more than music, and she plays or sings every chance she gets. But where are the other kids like her-kids who think and dream music all day long? As a baby, in kindergarten, at the beach and the zoo, she never gives up looking for companions. And then one summer day... Bright, lively, and lyrical, this is a book for kids who march to a different drummer. Violet's Music sings to us that the right friend is always out there-as long as we keep looking and hoping, and above all, staying true to ourselves." – From the publisher Sing a Song by Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett "In Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers, one of them the principal of a segregated, all-black school, wrote the song 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' so his students could sing it for a tribute to Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1900. From that moment on, the song has provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Mothers and fathers passed it on to their children who sang it to their children and grandchildren. Known as the Black National Anthem, it has been sung during major moments of the Civil Rights Movement and at family gatherings and college graduations. Inspired by this song's enduring significance, Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett tell a story about the generations of families who gained hope and strength from the song's inspiring words." – From the publisher Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney "On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. Told through Andrea Davis Pinkney's poetic prose and Brian Pinkney's evocative illustration, the stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side -- as they would one day walk -- following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical event when they united as one and inspiring kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right." – From the publisher Ghost by Jason Reynolds "Running. That's all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?" – From the publisher Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds "Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life." – From the publisher Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes "Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in a sea of whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the 'Black Brother,' Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient. When an incident with 'King' Alan leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep's fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way. Powerful and emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy's fight against racism and his empowering path to find his voice." – From the publisher President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston "When Brianna Justice's hero, the famous celebrity chef Miss Delicious, speaks at her school and traces her own success back to being president of her fifth grade class, Brianna determines she must do the same. She just knows that becoming president of her class is the first step toward her own cupcake-baking empire! But when new student Jasmine Moon announces she is also running for president, Brianna learns that she may have more competition than she expected. Will Brianna be able to stick to her plan of working with her friends to win the election fairly? Or will she jump at the opportunity to steal votes from Jasmine by revealing an embarrassing secret? This hilarious, heartfelt novel will appeal to any reader with big dreams, and the determination to achieve them." – From the publisher Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson "Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become."– From the publisher My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi "Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, Jeremiah has nurtured Ebony-Grace's love for all things outer space and science fiction—especially Star Wars and Star Trek. But in the summer of 1984, when trouble arises with Jeremiah, it's decided she'll spend a few weeks with her father in Harlem. Harlem is an exciting and terrifying place for a sheltered girl from Hunstville, and Ebony-Grace's first instinct is to retreat into her imagination. But soon 126th Street begins to reveal that it has more in common with her beloved sci-fi adventures than she ever thought possible, and by summer's end, Ebony-Grace discovers that Harlem has a place for a girl whose eyes are always on the stars." – From the publisher To read these books and to discover other diverse titles hand-selected by youth services librarians, check out the Children's and Teen's Winter Reading lists in cloudLibrary. This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.