"Celebrate Kindness"

Thanks to one of the amazing school media specialists in our district, we learned several weeks ago that the schools in our town would be celebrating "No Name-Calling Week 2014". We love supporting our schools in whatever way possible and equally love celebrating kindness, so we were excited to create a display to highlight all of the books that we own that tackle the issues of bullying and name-calling, and the importance of networks, support, friendships, and kindness. 

If you aren't familiar with this national week-long event, you should check out the No Name-Calling Week 2014 website for more information. Originally inspired by the book The Misfits by James Howe, the No Name-Calling Week Coalition was created by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) and Simon & Schuster Children's publishing and now consists of over 40 national partner organizations. The website is chock-full of resources and planning tools for elementary, middle, and high schools including lesson plans, posters, pledges for students, booklists, information for families and schools, and much more. 

I had recently purchased the new Anti-Bullying Basics set from World Book and we used the booklist on the GLSEN website to fill any gaps and to round out the collection for parents and kids of all ages. Thanks to my talented coworker Sue, I walked into the library this morning to find this beautiful display ready and waiting for No Name Calling Week. It's just so sweet I can hardly wait for families to start browsing our selections.

 

Bee Kind: Celebrate Kindness

I would love to collaborate with schools next year to booktalk great books or to provide family programming for No Name-Calling Week, but I am pleased with this year's efforts. 

No Name-Calling Week 2014 isn't until the week of January 20-24, so you still have time to evaluate your collection. How will you celebrate kindness this year?