February was a month for middle-grade books about amazing girls that do amazing things! They save their families! They go to bat for their friends! They fight for survival! Let’s take a look at some stories your young patrons will love. A witch has come to Brye and she has kidnapped Hans, Greta’s little brother. Greta has to travel to the perilous city of Belladonna to rescue him. It’s going to be a difficult journey, but she’ll stop at nothing to get her brother back. Mabel’s baby sister is plucked from her crib Mabel must brave the jungles of The Forbidden City to get her back! Real and imaginary worlds are colliding in the world of Story. Tuesday sets off with her friends at the request of the Librarian to find the Gardener: the only person who can stop this catastrophe. BONUS MARCH GIRL: Soledad and her sister Ming moved…
Month: February 2016
Breakfast for Bill at #alsc16 Announced
ALSC announced a very special Breakfast for Bill at the 2016 ALSC National Institute. This keynote celebration will include authors and illustrators Phil and Erin Stead, Laura Dronzek and Kevin Henkes. The National Institute takes place September 15-17, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This star-studded panel includes two husband and wife pairs – Phil and Erin Stead, and Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek – who have two Caldecott Medals between them. They will discuss their latest collaborations, and give insights as to how the process of working creatively with a spouse differs from the process of creating individually. This event is sponsored by HarperCollins Children’s Books and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. The breakfast will honor the memory of William C. Morris, former vice-president and director of library promotion at HarperCollins Children’s Books by bringing librarians together with children’s book creators. Morris was a long time ALSC member and friend, recipient…
Digital Reading Platforms & School-Age Children
Ways in which digital reading services offer the opportunity to direct the eagerness and energy of kids in a way that is helpful and productive to the development of young people and the skills they need to function.
Past the Cape: Quirky Graphic Novels
I began reading comic books in elementary school, checking out issues of Spider-Man along with my stacks of Goosebumps books. I eventually broadened my horizons past the amazing web slinger and onto the X-men, Batman and the rest of the Marvel and DC Universes. I mostly read this way until my late high school and early college years, during which I discovered Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics and all the interesting stories Vertigo was publishing that didn’t involve characters in spandex. Now I will occasionally pick up a superhero book but typically gravitate towards stories outside of the caped universe. The amount of interesting, quality graphic novels and comic books that are published for young readers today is impressive and exciting to see. I often think of how young readers can be exposed to the world of comics without feeling their only choice is a caped crusader. Of course, there is…
They Say It’s Your Birthday!
Are your thoughts turning to spring weather and activities? If you’re a youth services librarian, your brain is probably already churning ideas and plans for summer reading programs! We’re planning a “birthdays” program to include in our summer activities, so I’ve been searching high and low for great read aloud stories about birthdays. If you’re in need of stories for a birthday program (or a birthday party!), here are some great stories to share: (image taken from Macmillan) Anne Rockwell’s books are positive and bright looks at everyday activities in children’s lives; although the sizes of the books might be a bit small to share with large story time groups, most are ideal for medium-sized groups or one-on-one sharing. At the Supermarket follows a young boy and his mother as they gather groceries throughout the store for a very special occasion! (image taken from Candlewick) Shirley Parenteau’s bears have joined…
Storytime at the Library
Attendance at a library’s storytime increases children’s interest in books and encourages preschool teachers and family members to ramp-up their literacy practices.
Taking picture books to teachers
Over the past few months, I’ve been part of a Professional Development day for teachers throughout our local school board. They spend the day working on using picture books for reading and writing lessons, and then I come in for an hour and show them how to look at picture books as art objects. My experience on the Caldecott committee really comes in useful here– I have been sharing the books from our 2015 list, because I know those so well. I’ve been able to find something new in the books, to find a different way of looking at the books. That’s what surprises me most– to find a new way to look at picture books. I have spent so many years as a librarian looking at the art and storytime potential. Now I also look at the teaching potential. For instance: I just learned about “thought tracking”. Basically, it…
Everyday Advocacy Challenge: Meet the Spring 2016 Cohort!
Who’s ready to take the Spring 2016 Everyday Advocacy Challenge (EAC)? Our next cohort of bold and daring Everyday Advocates is—and we hope you are, too! From March 1-22, our cohort of intrepid volunteers will do the following: Commit to completing four consecutive Take Action Tuesday challenges on advocacy topics/themes of their choosing; Collaborate with their EAC cohort members over the four-week period, sharing successes and troubleshooting issues via ALA Connect; Write a post for the ALSC blog about their EAC experiences; and Contribute a reflection for the April 2016 issue of the Everyday Advocacy Matters e-newsletter. Before the Spring 2016 EAC gets underway next week, we’d like to introduce some of our cohort members and their reasons for taking the four-week challenge. Watch for their sure-to-inspire ALSC blog posts beginning Tuesday, March 1! Keturah Cappadonia, Librarian, David A. Howe Public Library (N.Y.) “I want to take the Everyday Advocacy Challenge to help develop my skills in…