What's a publisher to do?

Librarians and teachers often complain about the range of books from which they make their choices, but it's not often we see someone directly address the publisher about what's wrong with their products. The July School Library Journal has a straightforward article listing ten strong suggestions for publishers. These run from the practical perennial plea for stronger bindings on books to a more novel complaint about the emphasis on books about World War II. It's odd how authors and publishers in recent years have focused on the ten year period of that war, neglecting both earlier and later wars fought by the United States and other countries. We urge our children to think globally, but rarely supply them with exciting stories about the lives and history of Asian, African and South American countries. Unlike the world they live in, most children's libraries are heavily slanted toward books about Europe and North America. It's time for a change.