Stars of the Night: An Interview with Author Caren Stelson

On the eve of World War II, the Czech Kindertransport rescued 669 children from Nazi persecution. The new nonfiction picture book Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson and illustrated by Selina Alko sensitively tells the powerful true story of the children’s journey to safety from their collective perspective.

Read on to learn about author Caren Stelson’s research, creative decisions for the voice of the book, and her special trip to meet Nick Winton, son of Nicholas Winton.

Today’s guest post comes to us from Lee Wind, author of No Way, They Were Gay? His book, a fascinating look at the hidden lives and secret loves of twelve well-known historical figures, came out in April 2021. Since then, it has been challenged or banned in a number of school districts despite meeting Social Studies curriculum standards and receiving critical recognition and praise. Read on to learn about Lee’s first-hand experience, and find out more about how you can fight censorship.

Assess Your Collection with the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction

Since so many of you take time over the summer to evaluate and update your collections to make sure they will best serve your students, we wanted to remind you of the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction classification system, created by author Melissa Stewart.

The 5 Kinds of Nonfiction system helps librarians expand and balance their nonfiction collection to provide a broad array of titles that appeal to different types of readers. It also helps students select books they like, predict the type of information they will find in a book, and use the books for specific purposes. All Lerner nonfiction is classified according to this system, including upcoming fall releases!

Even in the most difficult circumstances there is joy and love. From the Tops of the Trees is a powerful true story of a young girl who has never known life outside the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. For Kalia and her cousins, life isn’t always easy, but they still find ways to play, racing with chickens and riding a beloved pet dog. When she asks her father if all of the world is a refugee camp, he climbs with her to the top of a tree so she can see the world beyond the fences that confine them. With sensitive prose and evocative illustrations, this beautiful picture book encourages young readers of all ages and circumstances to believe in their dreams.

Award-winning author Kao Kalia Yang joins us today to discuss her inspiration for this story, the special relationship between fathers and daughters, and much more.

As the new school year kicks off in person and virtually, we are releasing new Lerner Digital products that are sure to fit your needs at home, school, and in-between. The latest additions to our Audisee and Audiobook programs cover a wide range of curricular and high-interest topics, with a special offering of author-narrated books to add authenticity to the reading and listening experience.