Weed Out Hate Day

According to Chase's Calendar of Events, August 28 is Weed Out Hate Day. This holiday was created in memory of Ross Daniels, a gardener who saw the connection between weeding to improve the health of nature and weeding our own prejudices to improve the health of our lives.  

The Macomb Public Library is celebrating this occasion by offering some reading suggestions for all age levels.  Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages tomorrow for more suggestions!

First, let's take a look about how to start a conversation with our children about hate and what they might be seeing on the news.  Children are naturally loving and compassionate, but cultivating and growing that compassion takes effort.  

 

Child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts writes The World Around Us series which addresses prejudice, tragedy, and other topics.  These books offer definitions, talking points, photos, and real life lessons regarding some of society's toughest issues.  This series is recommended for children ages 5 to 9, plus a caring adult to answer questions.

The What's the Issue series is for a slightly older audience, and can be read independently by children ages 8 to 11, although an adult might want to be on hand for additional discussion.  Each book follows a similar format of defining terms, examining history, looking at current examples, and giving the reader ways to help.  This series offers young readers a way to explore their own opinions on these issues, and have the possibility of leading to some great discussion.

 

 

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers takes an in-depth look at one very small detail of the Statue of Liberty and what it means about America's attitudes toward immigrants.  Lady Liberty is a lady on the move, and Eggers argues that she is so anxious to welcome immigrants to America that she is ready to run off her pedestal and leap into the sea.  Her Right Foot is a powerful reminder to readers of all ages about the origins of our country and the meaning of freedom.

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices is an anthology of hope for tomorrow from some of children's literature's brightest stars like Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, Pat Cummings, Hena Khan, Ellen Oh, and Sharon Draper.  Lively illustrations or photographs accompany essays, poems, advice, and songs for children to learn about coming together for good.  Since this is an anthology, it works for a wide ranges of ages and doesn't need to be taken in all at once.  Like a good meal, it is meant to be savored.

Finally, picture books that show compassion can be a good way to start a conversation about kindness with the youngest readers.  Plus they remind adults of what children already know:  Kindness Counts!!  Check out A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham, Me and My Fear by Francesca Sana, Come with Me by Holly McGhee, and I am Love by Susan Verde for a light take on a heavy subject.  

 

To place holds on any of these books, please click the link to be taken to our web catalog.  You may also contact the library to place holds on these, or other books about compassion, kindness, and diversity.

 

May we all grow in compassion and love this year!

 

Happy Reading!