Must Monsters (in Children's Books) Always Be Male?
Male characters are twice as likely to take leading roles in children’s picture books and are given far more speaking parts than females, according to research published in
The Guardian. In-depth analysis of the 100 most popular children’s picture books of 2017, carried out by the paper with the market research company Nielsen, reveals the majority are dominated by male characters, often in stereotypically masculine roles (like monsters), while female characters are missing from a fifth of the books ranked. That's a wow! The article can be found
here.
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Hutchison Elementary School's Book Distribution: "Gifts"
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Hutchison Elementary School in Herndon held its RIF of NOVA book distribution in December with the theme: "Gifts." Liaison Marci Hoyt read
Rabbit's Gift by George Shannon and Laura Dronzek for the primary grades. "Have you read this book?" Marci wrote. "It is one of my favorites!" In this Chinese fable, Rabbit shares his winter turnip and starts a wave of generosity that spreads among all his forest friends.
Older children read and heard books commensurate with their ages. One was
Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortensen and Susan Roth about the gift of a new school for children in a remote Himalayan village. The day was a gift for all, for sure!
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We love our new RIF of NOVA books!
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Yep! What a cool gift to keep, enjoy, and share!
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Speaking of Gifts...There's Still Time!!!
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CFC Deadline Extended to February 22 Due to Government Shutdown
If you are a federal government employee, retiree, or contractor, you still have time to give to the 2018 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The campaign was extended to February 22 because of the recent government shutdown. So, if you'd like to contribute via the CFC, you CAN!!! Go to:
https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/offerings and type in our name or our
CFC #
18818. Thank you so much!
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In the Spotlight: Lizzy Mason and
The Art of Losing
"One of the The 11 Best Young Adult Books You'll Be Obsessed With in 2019"
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Lizzy Mason is the daughter of RIF of NOVA advisory board member Mia Mason. She is also the author of
The Art of Losing
, a young adult (YA) book inspired by Lizzy's own experience of going to rehab at the age of sixteen. Originally from Northern Virginia, the author has spent the last twenty years in New York City, working in publishing and writing. When not reading or writing, Lizzy loves to travel; she has visited 40 states and 11 countries. She has a bad habit of reading while walking and of taking too many pictures of her cat, Moxie. (Photo: Meredith Rich)
RIF of NOVA is so happy for you, Lizzy!
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And the book is getting noticed...by none other than
Cosmopolitan Magazine, which called it one of the 11 best young adult books for 2019. Cosmo's Hannah Chambers wrote: "Young adult books are literally the future. First, they explore some of the most important themes we'll face in our lives: love, loss, mental health, activism, and sexuality to name a few. Second, they sometimes get turned into movies, and if you read the book first, you'll be able to be THAT person who is like, 'you know, the movie was good, but there's this scene that was just done SO MUCH BETTER in the book.' So, do your future self a favor, and read these YA books." Read the Cosmo article
here.
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Other Events Worth Celebrating!
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Helen Coplan Turns 100!!!
Long-time RIF of NOVA board member Sheila Jonas recently celebrated a special birthday with her mother, Helen Coplan. "My mother’s birthdate is January 26, 1919," Sheila wrote. "Women couldn’t vote when she was born. She was the only member of her family who went to college, and she graduated with a major in French." Helen is shown here with her great-grandson Coplan, or Cope, for short. Congratulations, Helen, for becoming a centenarian!
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The MOMS Club...
The
MOMS Club of Arlington-Fairlington recently donated new board and picture books to RIF, helping expand service to the youngest children in RIF’s programs. The MOMS Club's goal is to provide a supportive and friendly network for moms living in the Fairlington neighborhood. In addition to offering a variety of activities for young families, the group also has a strong service component, and it has raised more than $4,000 in goods and services for local charities in the last three years.
RIF of NOVA kids will be utterly delighted with these new books...and so are we! Thank you, MOMS!
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In case you missed it...
The 2019 winners of the John
Newbery and Randolph
Caldecott Medals have been named. The most prestigious awards in children’s literature, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the United States during the previous year. The award winners, pictured below, were announced January 28 by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The other ALA Youth Media Awards, including the 2019
Coretta Scott King Book Awards, may be found
here. By the way, The Coretta Scott King Book Awards celebrate a 50th anniversary later in 2019!
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Merci Suárez Changes Gears, written by Meg Medina, earned the Newbery Medal. Using humor and grace, this novel tackles the complexity of navigating a multicultural identity amidst changing family dynamics.
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Hello Lighthouse won the Caldecott Medal. In this picture book from Sophie Blackall (who also won the Caldecott in 2016), masterful ink and watercolor illustrations illuminate the story of a lighthouse and the family inside.
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A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 won the Coretta Scott King Author Award. The book by Claire Hartfield is a meticulously researched exposition of the socio-economic landscape and racial tensions that led to the death of a black teen who wanted to swim -- and the violent clash that resulted.
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Children in the RIF of NOVA community are so grateful for your donations!
In addition to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) noted above, here are other ways to give books to deserving children...
1) You can give at any time via PayPal on the RIF of NOVA website
www.rifnova.org.
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2) You can send a check to our mailbox: P.O. Box 7012, Arlington, VA 22207-0012.
3) You can register with
smile.amazon.com. Type in Reading Is Fundamental of Northern Virginia, Inc. to select us as the charity you want to support. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to RIF of NOVA.
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Please share the RAP! Forward our newsletter to your friends and anyone interested in providing books to children who need them! Subscribe
here
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