New Children and Young Adult Books

Posted on by Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman
image of three stacked books - Drama, George, and one other, whose title is not readable)
Some of UW Tacoma’s Children’s and Young Adult Books

We are excited to announce a UW Libraries Children’s Literature Open House, on October 25th, 2018, a tri-campus collaboration. Go check out some of the amazing books our three campuses have collected!

How do we get these books? Librarians are selectors in certain areas, and use their expertise (and conversations with faculty, book reviews, and more) to pick and purchase books for the library.

While the main area that I currently buy for is Education, the UW Tacoma Library also has a really neat, browseable collection of  Children’s and Young Adult (CYA) books.  CYA books are my favorite to read — and I get to select and purchase those for you all to enjoy!

In 2006, the Belinda Y. Louie Children’s and Young Adult Literature Endowed Collection was established, to “leave a legacy of the love of books”.  Through this fund, we are able to purchase diverse CYA books that address contemporary issues.

So what have I purchased recently? Here are a few of the CYA books that will be arriving in the library:

  • Hey, Kiddo, by Jarrett. J. Krosoczka.  A graphic novel that discusses addiction, family relationships, and promises broken, it nevertheless radiates warmth.
  • Martin Rising: Requiem for a King, by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.  Addressing the assassination of Dr. King in a children’s book is a hard task, but Davis Pinkney and Pinkney do so through poems that have the feeling of song, and gentle painting, underscoring the tragedy of loss.
  • Julián is a Mermaid, written and illustrated by Jessica Love. Celebrating individuality, this book explores the way in which Julián chooses to express himself after a subway encounter with three beautiful mermaids in brilliant colors.

As always, you can let us know if you would like to see a book in our collection. The UW Tacoma Library welcomes purchase requests and suggestions from UW Tacoma faculty, students, and staff for materials which support the campus mission and curriculum.  Requests are considered within the scope of the Tacoma Library Collection Development Policy.