Series Made Simple cover below and illustration above by Jacqueline Alcántara

The world as we know it has changed. We are all adjusting to the idea of a “new normal,” wherein the simplest gestures of physical communication and intimacy are kept at a mandatory distance. This spring, students and teachers had to learn how to adapt to the challenges of remote education. Parents were forced to find a way to juggle their professional lives with the demands of childcare. Librarians were asked to go above and beyond the duties of their profession, sometimes at the expense of their own health. We are all recalibrating our notions of what it means to live in a society that is dictated by the unforeseen whims of a global pandemic.

Additionally, our country is experiencing a racial and social reckoning. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers acted as an overdue powder keg. America’s legacy of white supremacy is an open secret, an inherited wound. It is a formidable history of blood and violence that pulses through our cultural fabric like generational trauma. After all, all lives can’t matter until Black lives matter.

This season’s Series Made Simple offerings cover familiar territory, including fascinating animals, compelling biographies, amazing science discoveries, stunning landmarks and attractions, and invaluable Spanish texts. However, educators and librarians would do well to pay extra attention to the titles that deal with social justice and social issues and government and civics. There are also plentiful options for those looking to revamp or update their computer science and coding collections.

We hope that these selections serve as helpful and insightful resources. And above all, stay healthy and stay safe.

Vanessa Willoughby
Editor, Series Made Simple
vwilloughby@mediasourceinc.com

 

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