Tips and Info from DPI's March 5, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

 Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the March 5, 2026 edition:

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  CSLP Theme and Slogan Wordsmithing Sessions  Do you adore wordsmithing words and phrases? Do you love word play? Staff from Wisconsin libraries are welcome to join the Theme & Slogan Committee for a deep dive into developing the short list of slogan options for 2029's Nature theme. Join us and share your thoughts.  We're offering two Zoom sessions to try and get input from as many libraries as possible:  Register for Tuesday, March 24 at 1pm PST/2pm MST/3pm CST/4pm EST  Register for Wednesday, April 8 at 10am PST/11 am MST/12pm CST/1pm EST   CLEL Bell Awards  The CLEL Bell Awards recognize the top book in each early literacy practice category: READ, WRITE, TALK, SING, and PLAY. Winners are the top in each category from the final shortlist. The award-winning titles for 2026 are:  READ Winner: Let's Be Bees by Shawn Harris  WRITE Winner: Don't Draw in this Book by Bill Cotter  TALK Winner: I Can Say Moo! by Stephanie Cohen, illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott  SING Winner: Abuelita’s Song by Gloria Amescua, illustrated by Mariyah Rahman  PLAY Winner: Catch! By Trish Cooke, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max  Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Explore all PBS Wisconsin Education has to offer!

Did you know PBS Wisconsin Education has a digital newsletter? Stay up to date on all the resources they offer and see what ideas you can incorporate into your programming!

This is their most recent edition:

Infuse More Perspectives Dear educators, When you include diverse historical perspectives in what you're teaching, you open students' minds to new ideas and help them connect learning to their lives. Enrich your curriculum with standards-aligned resources like:  A new episode of The Look Back on Indigenous copperworking traditions A lesson about the experiences of Black patriots during the Revolutionary War Activities to explore the impacts of historical Black Americans Then, celebrate Wisconsin students competing in the Madison Symphony Orchestra's Bolz Young Artist Competition. Finally, don't forget to register for the America at 250 Educator Summit. Spaces are filling up! Happy exploring!   Your partner in education, Tawny Morrison, Education Marketing Specialist     Indigenous copper The western Great Lakes are home to one of the world's oldest copperworking traditions! Join Taylor and Kacie as they learn from experts around the state about why copper was used starting thousands of years ago and what it can tell us about the lifestyles and traditions of the area's cultures. (Grades 4-9)     Black Americans and the Patriot cause Explore the life and legacy of James Forten to better understand why he (and other Black Americans) chose to support the Patriot cause during the American Revolution with this lesson and media clips from Ken Burns in the Classroom. (Grades 6-12)     Learn about Black leaders Introduce learners to historical figures like Zora Neale Hurston and James Washington Carver with this collection of mini biographies and activities from Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. Available in English and Spanish. (Grades 1-2)     Wisconsin-made music Watch four musicians perform with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte at 7 p.m. March 17 on PBS Wisconsin. Then, bring the spirit of the symphony to your classroom with performances from musicians like SistaStrings in Re/Sound: Songs of Wisconsin. (Grades 4-8)     Behind the scenes with PBS Wisconsin Education Garden & Green Living Expo Producer Kylie Compe and Executive Producer Ryan Hendricks joined Field Notes on Climate host Ami Eckard-Lee and entomology professors Claudio Gratton and James Crall at the PBS Wisconsin Garden and Green Living Expo to share a sneak peek of the new series and share tips for making pollinator-friendly spaces at home.         Visit Our Events Page   Subscribe to This Newsletter   PBS Wisconsin Education creates and curates free-to-use, standards-aligned, Wisconsin-focused educational media for grades PreK-12, including videos, games, interactive content, and educator guides.

CCBC Choices 2026

 

CCBC Choices 2026, recommending 231 books published in 2025 for children and teens from birth through high school age, is now available!

CCBC Choices 2026 is a digital publication. Entries for each book include full bibliographic citation, annotation, age recommendation and cover image, and a link to the book’s entry in the CCBC-Recommended Book Search database, where custom lists can be created. The publication also includes an introductory essay and name/title index. A citation list (bibliographic information only) of CCBC Choices 2026 is also available on the CCBC website.   If you’re interested in hearing about some of these titles, the CCBC librarians will present two webinars hosted by South Central Library System this spring highlighting selections from CCBC Choices 2026. The first is Great New Books for Children (Birth – Grade 5) on March 18, 2026, from 9-10am and the second is Great New Books for Older Children and Teens (Grades 6-12) on April 22, 2026 from 9-10am. See the CCBC events calendar for details about these online opportunities, as well as other outreach events around the state.

 

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt 

Director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) | she/her