Good Night Loon

Good Night Loon is my new favorite board book. What I love about it is that it managed to strike the perfect balance between honoring the original, Good Night Moon, and infusing it with Minnesota. I also like that this book is a result of a successful indiegogo campaign (indiegogo is an online funding platform).

— Jen

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

I recommend this novel both for young adults and for adults. Eleanor & Park is a love story set in the ‘80s. Both characters are outcasts—Eleanor because she is big, poor, and dresses funny; Park because he is half Korean, wears eyeliner, and likes comic books and alternative music. Their story is tender, touching, and important for us to read. It’s also gritty. A number of scenes are set on a school bus, and I don’t like the language, although I know that it’s authentic. And that brings up another important reason to read this book. A large school district in our state was recently asked to ban it from its libraries. Should such a book be banned? What a good question for parents and young adults to discuss together.

— Sally