A reminder from James Baldwin

The Feb. 20, 2026 episode of Vibe Check with @theferocity.bsky.social has an amazing discussion of Serpell's book, too!

Join us for #CivicLearningWeek!💫 Plus a chance for a copy of Tim Smyth's @historycomics.bsky.social book "Teaching w/ Comics & Graphic Novels" ---> in this case, the Constitution!!📜 RSVP: bit.ly/PBS-CivicLearningWeek | #apgov #apush #civics

Two Documentaries That Explain This Moment in Libraries and Book Censorship The Librarians and An American Pastoral together are a robust, if imperfect, means of understanding this censorship moment. Can't emphasize enough if The Librarians resonated, see the other. buttondown.com/wellsourced/...

Okay now this fund to help North Minneapolis school kids needs $5000 more to hit its goal. How close can we get them? givebutter.com/beyondthebell

In a syllabus quiz, a student described my plagiarism policy as "c'mon, man," and...I mean, they're not WRONG.

Very excited by the thoughtful book choices!: 2025-2026 Read Across America Calendar www.nea.org/professional...

We are proud to partner with @splc.org for #StudentPressFreedom Day. Join PEN America today in celebrating student journalists’ resilience in action and standing up for their First Amendment rights: studentpressfreedom.org

BREAKING NEWS! Stand Up for Science is excited to welcome The Natural Resources Defense Council @nrdc.org as an endorser of our National Day of Action on March 7th! Together we're fighting to protect the earth and its people by saving science, protecting health and defending democracy.

Thank you to @authorsabb.bsky.social heroes @beccacoffindaffer.bsky.social and Ed Underhill, we have some slides that can be shared by anyone about this, with particular reps to target. Let's kill this bill in committee.

librarians! take note!!

W H A T (but also thank you, as ever, to @heykellyjensen.bsky.social for her amazing, years-long work in providing news and resources for action):

Nine days to go for the Take Back our Science Rally in Washington DC and across the country! Join us at your local rally or start your own pop-rup ally! Details at standupforscience.net/march7

Jason Low, publisher of Lee & Low Books, issues a call to action to fellow members of the industry to focus their efforts on fighting book bans buff.ly/Jc7UGNu

Hoose's book was on the 2014 "Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners" list from @yalsa.bsky.social, from which my students chose their final project books; I book-talked a lot of the books on this list, and her story always made a big impact on my students:

From literary fiction to children’s books, Latin American entrepreneurs are working to make offerings for Spanish-language readers more varied and visible in the U.S. buff.ly/oyroyiw

Check out this helpful resource (and @lernerbooks.bsky.social does really beautiful activism in addition to their lovely books):

It seems @cbcbooks.bsky.social isn't active here, but their site has updated info!: "We are now expanding our resources to include a comprehensive visual list of books, both front and backlist, that highlight the Black experience": cbcbooks.org/readers/read...

Roses are redde Noble are the manatees For a bettir future Teach artes and humanityes

Book Mail: 20 New and Forthcoming Books Monsters, pet rocks, an environmental club, a lost dog, a forest-dwelling boy, an Ojibwe skater, and more! teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/02/19/b... @tltkaren.bsky.social

It ys a moost terrible tyme. My greatest wisshe ys that you may fynde sum unpredicted moment of peace, delight, mirthe, pleasure, discoverye, connectioun, or fascinacioun that doth make yower day just a litel bettir, that doth helpe you thrugh. Ich wisshe thys for thee wyth all of myne hearte.

YA author Carolina Ixta talks about the power of books that explore justice, activism, and hope–and she shares six titles that will move and inspire teen readers: bookriot.com/carolina-ixt...

One of the things that personally drives me crazy in the U.S. is how youth sports/athletic activities went from a part of the public good (municipal leagues and fields! rec centers! public parks!) to a privatized, expensive, highly competitive, highly structured pursuit for wealthy kids’ résumés

Hey, everyone. North Minneapolis schools need your help. They've each raised tens of thousands for their families in January, and have to do it all over again now. This one school still needs thirty thousand dollars to keep families housed and fed. Can you help?

Nothing but love for the avid narrative non-fiction reader who is always desperately trying to get their friends to read it as the friends only care about fiction. Kid is constantly out there hand-selling narrative NF. Spent all lunch booktalking this one. Keep at it, kid. "Just try this one."

“The film documents a shift that many library professionals describe as unprecedented in scale. It also examines how libraries, once considered neutral and largely uncontroversial, have become contested ground in broader conversations about race, identity, and the role of public education.”

February #NotesfromtheHornBook with #5Qs for Chanel Miller about THE MOON WITHOUT STARS (Philomel/ @penguinkids.bsky.social ): "To me books are valuable because they’re confirmation that someone out there has gone through something similar." www.hbook.com/story/five-q... [📸: Maria Tiffany]

“Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” debuted nationally on February 19, 1968. Created by Fred Rogers, the children's show premiered on NET (National Educational Television, which later became PBS).

Sprinkling kindness around the library—hope this makes your day too 💌

"Picture books introduce a child to art, storytelling, and the world outside their experience. Picture books provide a foundation for everything that comes after." —Caldecott Honor Artist @jashar.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2026/02/cald...

Black History Month turns 100 🎉Black influence is everywhere, but credit is still uneven. This blog challenges educators to help students connect culture, economics, media literacy and civic responsibility 👀📖 Read more: https://sharemylesson.com/blog/teaching-black-history-at-100 @aft.org

@sharemylesson.bsky.social has launched a new Community Awareness, Readiness, and Education (CARE) community as a space to find tools, examples, and reference materials to help members and communities confront the challenges of immigration enforcement. Learn more here ⤵️ sharemylesson.com/care

Happy Year of the Horse!

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

Just like journalists rarely talk to experts in English ed or children's lit about censorship and book banning, they aren't talking to high school English teachers, college writing program adminstrators, or anyone in rhetcomp about ChatGPT and generative AI. We hate to see it.

My mental health has been bad, so I’m catching up with two poems today! To the Young Who Want to Die & Sorrow is Not My Name. Thinking a friend and his light while reading these. Hoping these poems remind us that “green’s your color. You are Spring.” 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth days 11 & 12

On March 7th, we are rallying nationwide and NEED YOU 🫵 to rally with us! Visit standupforscience.net/march7 to find a rally near you and volunteer or to host your own rally! #March7 #standupforscience #rally #ImpeachRFKJr #RFKJr

Join us TODAY for the Education Programs Info Session Come for the $500 scholarship, stay for the awesome programs! Sign up at buff.ly/usBkH2h The scholarship is automatically applied upon enrollment. Education Programs Info Session | AU February 17 @ 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm PST #Edusky

Aryssa Damron shares five things she's doing differently in her school library in 2026 to better serve her students and make her work easier. Read on...

The Learning for Justice site has SO. MANY. EXCELLENT. resources for all teachers (and librarians, caregivers, and readers):

Pura Belpré Award–winning author Carolina Ixta's latest novel, FEW BLUE SKIES, is out today! ☁️ Click here for a free educator guide: bit.ly/4t1wDiB

With new books from Erin Entrada Kelly, Katherine Applegate, Corey R. Tabor, Joanna Ho, Elana K. Arnold, and Byron Graves, we have lots to look forward to in the upcoming months! 🌻 Here are 19 of our most anticipated spring and summer reads: bit.ly/4r8gS8k

Now available! HERE COME THE AUNTIES! by Cynthia Leitich Smith & @aphelandraw.bsky.social (Heartdrum, 2026). #KidLit #aunties @harperkids.bsky.social @harperstacks.bsky.social @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social

The beloved national park ranger and civil rights pioneer died in December at her Richmond home. She will be honored at Oakland's Kaiser Center for the Arts.

It’s going to sound quaint, but the best way to resist an AI takeover of the humanities is to assign physical books, sit around, read them, and argue about ideas. Academic has become such a competitive arena, that we ourselves are trained to look for the winning angle, instead of the best education.

41 Outstanding International Books for Young People from the USBBY www.slj.com/story/usbby-...

After receiving many requests from teachers, NCTE is extending the nomination deadline for two 2026 Student Writing Awards programs for middle and high school students. Teachers can revisit the writing prompts and encourage their students to participate by March 1: https://bit.ly/4kIodJ5

Happy Year of the Fire Horse 🔥🐎! #kidlitart #lny #LunarNewYear #cny #YearOfTheHorse

From BookRiot!: "In this list, you’ll find two books that provide an introduction to multiple pioneers in their fields, as well as two picture books": bookriot.com/books-about-...

As some of you may know, I’m writing a book on the history of high school English in the United States, and I’m excited to share a new article from that project—“High School English and the Making of American Readers”—out today in American Literary History! 🧵 academic.oup.com/alh/article/...