KidLit in Yankee-Land

Greetings from Boston!

 Proof.

We're here visiting family and enjoying all of the touristy things -- like walking about 8.6 miles yesterday (and that's a conservative estimate).  I had wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, but no car = no road trips.  I'll get there one day, so it's OK.

However, we were able to walk down to the Children's Book Shop in Brookline!

Founded in 1977, it's the oldest independent children's bookstore in the greater Boston area, and it's adorable and cozy.

I scoured the place to see what kinds of books they had, and I was pleased to see that they had a good selection of bilingual (Spanish, French, Italian, and Chinese!) and multicultural books.  Of course, I wish they'd had more, but there wasn't enough room for a vast amount.  Still the books they had on display were very diverse, which is great considering how many different cultural communities there are in Boston.

Not books ABOUT India -- books FROM India :)

What really pleased me, though, was their prominent display of Parrots over Puerto Rico -- recent winner of the Silbert and Américas Awards -- in the natural science section.  How wonderful to see diverse kidlit dispersed throughout the store and not confined to the multicultural section!

(Update: I've been wondering about the merits of having a separate multicultural section at all.  Yes, it makes diverse books easier to find, but isn't it a form of segregation?)

Check it out -- it's amazing!

Overall, I'll give the Children's Book Shop 4 out of 5 stars.  They lose a star because some of the books on display were iffy (Tintin comics), and their Native American selection wasn't ideal (Arrow to the Sun).  However, they're free to sell whatever they want, and I don't condone banning books, so I'm not mad at them.  

So next time you're in Boston, make a trip to this shop and support a local business that's doing its part to promote diverse children's literature!

P.S. A picture of a Little Free Library on Harvard's

campus because I CANNOT ESCAPE THEM NOW.