A recent kidlit adaptation completely skipped past me until I discovered it streaming on Netflix a few weeks ago. The 2016 adaptation of Katherine Paterson’s book The Great Gilly Hopkins was released in theaters on October 7, 2016, where it had a limited run, and then released to streaming and DVD that same December. The Great Gilly Hopkins tells the story of Galadriel “Gilly” Hopkins, an 11-year-old foster child with a mean streak. When we first meet Gilly, she’s headed to a new foster home with a woman called Trotter, whom Gilly immediately detests because of her weight. In fact, she calls her a “fat hippo.” Gilly seems like the unlikeliest and most unlovable of protagonists for a children’s book. Katherine Paterson’s tremendous writing allows readers find commonality with Gilly’s hurt despite her prickly outsides. The book is considered a classic – it ranked 63 in a 2012 SLJ poll of the 100…
Month: August 2017
Spicing Up Story Time: Grown Up Music Style
Singing during story time (or any time for that matter) has never been my strong point. I’ve been known to have coughing fits in the middle of songs, make up random words to “the ants go marching one by one,” and to receive compliments from customers about my “lack of rhythm but high enthusiasm.” That is all fine with me though, I’ve learned long ago that every person has different strengths and weaknesses and I need to embrace those strengths and weaknesses. However I’m a children’s librarian. I cannot deny that sing is one of the key early literacy components and that music and dance is critical in children’s development. So sing and dance, I do! However, that obviously doesn’t mean I magically received Ariel’s singing voice (Ursula beat me to that), or that I’m Jim Gill’s number one fan (though he is great). I’ve tried to embrace the fact…
The Tougaloo Nine
The past few weeks have been violent and frightening. I’ve been trying to think about what I can do as a youth worker in the political and social context of our country, and ALSC has been providing some great resources as has SLJ. It can be helpful to look back in our history as a profession and think about how our profession is not neutral and we need to be active about where we are now. This American Libraries article, Desegregating Libraries in the American South, deserves a second look. Below is an image of the Tougaloo Nine, who sat-in at the all-white Jackson (Miss.) Public Library. When they were marched to the courthouse, a crowd of 100 black supporters were pistol-whipped and bitten by dogs, helping to galvanize desegregation in Mississippi. While purchasing diverse books and finding ways to put them into children’s hands is an important aspect of…
Late Summer Library Reflection
Libraries, and writing, and stories. Safe buildings with books full of words and kind adults who pay attention. I’m not sure which of these are the blood, bone and muscle; sinew, skin, and fragile fascia; but they are fibrously integrated. All were essential for my survival into adulthood. All are part of what I, a librarian, have the pleasure and privilege of paying forward. As I child reader I needed comfort, something to depend on. My local public library fit the bill. A short walk from a difficult home; the library, librarians, and books provided physical and emotional shelter and sustenance. I wasn’t quite the feral child raised by librarians (as Neil Gaiman considers himself) but I needed the same sanctuary. Late August is the public library season when we recover from frenetic and fabulous summer program festivities, and prepare for the beginning of the school year and fall programming….
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (For Fighting Fake News)
The kids are going back to school! Whether you’re a public librarian, catching your breath after a crazy summer, or a school librarian, gearing up for a busy school year, the Public Awareness Committee is here to help you help the kids you serve!
Autism Welcome Here: Grant Opportunity
If your library is looking to fund a new project or service that welcomes people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at your library, consider the Autism Welcome Here Grant. The “Autism Welcome Here: Library Programs, Services and More” grant honors the groundbreaking work of Libraries and Autism: We’re Connected co-founder, Meg Kolaya, for her contributions in promoting inclusion, connecting libraries with the autism community, and bringing awareness of the needs of individuals with ASD and their families to the library community. It is sponsored by Libraries and Autism: We’re Connected. All types of libraries, either in the U.S. or Canada, are encouraged to apply. Proposals can fund projects or services directed at any age group. Applicants may propose to initiate a new, creative program or service, bring an established, successful program or service to their library for the first time, or enhance…
Cheap and Easy STEM Programs
It’s no secret that I love doing STEM programs. They’re educational, a bit chaotic, and fun. If you fear facilitating STEM programs, consider this: remember when science was awesome? Before it got all difficult and filled with math that still gives you (read: me) panic attacks? When you’re a kid, everything is new and super cool because you’re learning how the world works. Frankly, sometimes science seems like magic–only better because it’s real. So, you can take that natural curiosity of theirs and use it to explore science alongside them. You don’t need to be an expert; just admit you don’t know something and learn with them as you go. Ahem. Pardon my science-y soap boxing. This month, I’m sharing my Top 5 Inexpensive STEM Programs: Catapults. In my program, 4th-6th graders learned a bit about physics, watched educational videos about how medieval “siege engines” worked, and built two types…
Growing a Partnership – Public Libraries and Public Transportation
Most successful partnerships don’t happen overnight. They can take time, sometimes even years, to develop. Partnerships that begin simply can grow into something wonderful when they are cultivated and given time to blossom. I’d like to share a success story from my library in Knoxville, TN. As two government agencies that serve many of the same community members, the Knox County Public Library (KCPL) and Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), have worked together casually for many years. The central library and many library branches are located along KAT bus and trolley routes. As a resource to our patrons, KCPL provides space for KAT to display brochures and maps of these routes, and public transportation makes it possible for many of our patrons to travel to the library. Source: Knoxville Area Transit A couple of years ago, the partnership between KCPL and KAT began to really grow into something special. When making…