Top Shelf Tales

Welcome to Top Shelf Tales! This blog is all about crafting and sharing fun, educational activities inspired by books that have been recognized by the American Library Association award committees. Before we get started, I’d love to share the inspiration behind creating this blog with you.

What are the ALA awards? Click each award to learn more!

American Indian Youth Literature Award

The American Indian Youth Literature Award honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native American and Indigenous peoples of North America.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature recognize literary and artistic merit in books about the Asian/Pacific American experience.

Coretta Scott King Award

The Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizes outstanding books for children by African American writers and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

Pura Belpré Award

The Pura Belpré Award recognizes outstanding Latinx writer and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience.

Randolph Caldecott Medal

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture book for children

Schneider Family Award

The Schneider Family Book Award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience.

Sibert Informational Book Medal

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award is awarded to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American informational book for children.

Sydney Taylor Book Award

The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes books that authentically portray the Jewish Experience.

All of these awards celebrate and highlight the rich and diverse stories that children are hungry to read and experience.

Why write a blog about these specific books?

Picture books that are selected by ALA award committees are considered the cream of the crop. The stories portrayed in these books have rich narratives to accompany their illustrations, which easily captivate and engage young readers.

Additionally, these books are reliable choices for introducing children to diverse themes and cultures. Students from every dimension of diversity deserve to see themselves in the books they read, so it’s my hope that the activities I post here will be a resource to teachers, librarians, and caregivers who are influencing the next generation of readers.

What are my qualifications, and what kind of educational activities can you expect to see?

As I mentioned earlier, I spent many years as a teacher. Although I’m no longer in the classroom, I still hold my teacher’s license, including a Reading endorsement. I plan to draw from my familiarity with national English/Language Arts standards to create the following:

Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
Hands-on Activities
Social Emotional Learning or SEL (where applicable)

How can you contact me?

Feel free to connect with me on Instagram (@top_shelf_tales) or via email at bekka.topshelftales@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how you’re using these activities in your libraries, classrooms, or homes. If there’s a specific book you’d like me to feature, please let me know, and I’ll add it to my list!

I’m excited to share ways to make books fun and meaningful for early readers. I can’t wait to embark on this literary adventure with you and your kiddos!