Dec. 10, 2020

   Middle- and high-school teachers and librarians are invited to attend Mr. Henry’s Books Educator Workshop, Saturday, Feb. 27 from 9:30-11 a.m. on Tulsa City-County Library’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/tulsalibrary. This virtual continuing-education workshop will focus on the works of famed author Jason Reynolds, winner of the 2021 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature.

   This year, participants will receive copies of the Newbery Award-winning book “Long Way Down” by Reynolds for each student in their class and an accompanying curriculum. Teachers also will learn about online education-based library services and other youth-based programs and services hosted through the library in an effort to further engage their students in literacy, learning and the library.

   Every participant will receive their student copies of “Long Way Down” after the workshop by picking them up at their neighborhood TCCL location. Participants also will receive an official continuing-education certificate via email after the workshop.

   A drawing will be held among workshop participants for four classroom sets of the newly released graphic novel version of “Long Way Down.” Participants must be employed by a school district within Tulsa County to qualify for this drawing.

   Named the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Reynolds has written over a dozen fiction, nonfiction and poetry books for middle-grade and young adult readers. Inspired by rap as he grew up in Maryland, Reynolds began writing poetry when he was just 9. It’s through this form that he broke into the publishing industry, starting with the nonfiction poetry and visual art memoir “My Name is Jason,” co-written with Jason Griffin. A self-proclaimed nonreader, Reynolds didn’t read a book in full until he was 18. Now he writes the books he wishes he could have read as a young adult and discourages others from staying or becoming nonreaders.

   Other works by Reynolds include “For Every One”; the Track series; the Marvel Comics novel “Miles Morales: Spider-Man”; the youth nonfiction collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You”; “The Boy in the Black Suit”; “All American Boys”; “As Brave as You”; and National Book Award finalist “Look Both Ways.” Copies are available through the library’s catalog at www.tulsalibrary.org.

   Mr. Henry’s Books is a program of the Tulsa City-County Library, sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust, and made possible by a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. This year, the educator workshop is co-sponsored by TulsaKids Magazine.

   Registration is required by Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, and can be completed online at https://www.tulsalibrary.org/mr-henrys-books-registration. Learn more about this and past Mr. Henry’s Books Educator Workshops at https://www.tulsalibrary.org/mr-henrys-books-educator-workshop-jason-reynolds or by calling the AskUs hotline at 918-549-7323.

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