Rockinlibrarian Everywhere!

This feels like I need to tell about the time Mr. McFeely came to the Children's Museum to launch a sweater drive, and I got out a bin to collect the coats of a visiting school group, and he said, "Is that where we'll put the sweaters?" and I said, "No."

This is an important point.

Empathy—in and of itself—is anti-fascist.

The arts—and the project of higher education as a whole—teach empathy, enabling you to put yourself in other people’s shoes.

So to a fascist, they must be destroyed.

Oh! That's definitely one of those "written by" reveals that make you go "oh YEAH I hear it now!"

Communion There's no bread. The bakers have gone into hiding. The seats at the table are empty. The Twelve are out marching with the thousands. The streets are filled with a new song. Only Judas sits at Target Plaza, counting his silver, while Pontius Pilate issues a carefully-worded statement. Meanwhile, the centurions have quotas to fill. But out on the streets there's a Communion. Jesus takes the city in his hands and says, "This is my body, broken for you." Rob Hardy February 2, 2026

Making the rounds this week among Christian progressives: new poem by Rob Hardy, poet laureate, Northfield, MN. Yes, the protests and all the work being done to throw sand in the gears and provide aid to those at home and being released from Whipple are a kind of liturgy — “work of the people.” ⚓️

All your mock caldecott suggestions for Kate made it!

I feel satisfied with those awards. My awareness of new releases sucked enough last year that I didn't have too many pre-opinions but it looks like a nice spread of books on the whole.

The 2026 Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to Cátia Chien for her illustrations for ‘Fireworks,’ written by Matthew Burgess! #ALAyma

Renée Watson wins the Newbery! She is a treasure and so is this book. I just gifted it to a young reader friend. It's a book in verse, so accessible, about grief.

Mabel I enjoy as a read aloud but I didn't think the art was all that special. Stalactite and Stalagmite I love the art but found it a little confusing as a story. Our Lake is lovely but not memorable. Fireworks is great but is it GREAT?
You see, very nitpicky. But I'm happy for them anyway.

Sundust is the Caldecott I haven't seen yet. But I really like all the others. Admittedly I wasn't sure I would have called them the most award-worthy picture books I've seen but I was being very nitpicky.

I just said "Aww" out loud again. Yeah I haven't read it but I like Renee Watson in general so go her!

Unless a picture book gets one.

I definitely haven't read any of these though.

Ooo lots of Newbery honors too

4 out of 5 on Caldecotts! That's better than I did last year when I HADN'T had burnout for the past year!

Yay 4 honors!

Caldecotts might though! Only bc I did a mock caldecott!

They make me smile, but no I haven't actually read any of them.

Geisels are my favorites but I don't even think I'll have read any of THEM this year either.

Whoa Candace Fleming sweeping the legacy-type awards!

How does the sign language interpreter sign all these names so fast?

(To be perfectly honest, I think the first was part of our JLG shipment so I didn't really pick that one either. As I said, I was having a bad year last year!)

Ooo, BOTH libraries I worked at last year have 'Go Tell It,' so THAT'S a yay for me! Although it wasn't me who bought the second.

Oh I'm looking forward to reading the Yoshitake, their previous books always make me laugh.

I've heard buzz for Popo the Xolo but haven't seen it yet. And that's about as involved as I've been with any of the winners so far!

Yay Cynthia Leitich Smith got double-awarded!

I followed her on Twitter but I have no idea if she's on BlueSky

I love the enthusiasm of the YALSA lady.

Yay Candace Fleming!

See I didn't even know Derrick Barnes wrote a novel, I'm sobout of it.

Obligatory annual mention of that one time I was two people behind Virginia Hamilton in line for the bathroom.