#Reading the Rainbow
Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. Originally established in the early 1990s by The Publishing Triangle as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, it is an opportunity for book lovers and libraries to highlight the very best in LGBTQIA+ literature.
Rainbow Book Month™ is now an initiative of the American Library Association and is coordinated through its Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table.
Jacksonville Public Library has an AMAZING collection of books featuring stories and information written by and about people from varied backgrounds, races, ethnicities, life experiences, and viewpoints. Throughout the month, the Library will highlight books in our collection by and about LGBTQIA+ people and their families including here on our blog, through book displays in your local library, and via reading challenges for all ages on Beanstack.
Jax Stacks: A Year-Round Reading Challenge for Adults
Have you completed the 2024 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge? Now may be a great time to find "A book with an LGBTQIA+ protagonist" to read and check off your list! Remember, you just have to read 12 books by December 31, 2024, to win the challenge (and collect a prize)! Of course, there are 16 challenge categories to choose from. Which 12 categories and 12 books you pick are up to you! Need ideas? Check out our "Book Recommendations to Get You Started," Jax Stacks Staff Picks blogs or register for our Jax Stacks Book Club!
Annual "Rainbow Family Storytime"
On Saturday, June 29, at the Willow Branch Library, celebrate the rainbow of families that make up our wonderful community with fun songs and stories! There will be two Rainbow Family Storytimes with the same book (to accommodate more families), one starting at 10:15 and the second at 11 a.m.
Note: Registration opens on Saturday, June 22, and attendance is limited. Please arrive early for check-in. When the program begins, unfilled registered spots will be made available to customers on a first-come, first-served basis.
# Rainbow Book Recommendations
We love to share selections that demonstrate the range of our collection all year and we encourage you to explore these books with us this month!
Little Learners (ages 0-5)
Early Elementary (ages 6 - 10)
Middle Grades (ages 11 - 14)
Teens (ages 15 - 18)
Adults
Let's get DUUUVAL reading!
Are you participating in Mayor Deegan's River City Readers challenge? Through the Beanstack app, children and their caregivers will be able to log their reading minutes with an individual goal of reading at least 20 minutes per day, and a citywide goal of reading one million minutes in 2024. At the end of the year, the city’s top young readers will be given prizes!
Join the Challenge
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download and open the Beanstack Tracker app.
- You can also register and log your reading minutes on the Beanstack website at https://jaxpl.beanstack.com.
- Using the Find a Site search bar, type Jax Library or River City Readers
