It's Time for School! Tales for Sharing Aloud

It's Time for School! Tales for Sharing Aloud

The School Library Journal has compiled an annotated collection of some new Back to School books. Click to read the article and I'm sure, make a wish list.

Children's Authors and Illustrators against Bullying

There is a movement called It Gets Better Project in the stand against bullying. This is just one video created by Children's authors and illustrators.

New Dr. Seuss!

Random House to Publish Lost Dr. Seuss Stories

Although not lost in the true sense of the words, these stories were printed in magazines, but never published in book form.

"Cohen, who notes that there are some 30 stories from Geisel’s “magazine period,” explains that the selections in The Bippolo Seed mark a pivotal transitional point in the author’s career. “This is Dr. Seuss exactly when he was becoming Dr. Seuss,” he says. “From a chance encounter with a three-year-old who couldn’t yet read but had memorized his Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, Geisel had realized the importance of using rhyme as a read-aloud, auditory experience. He’d observed German and Japanese children reared on propaganda during World War II and began to realize that, instead of that negative influence, he had a skill that could make a positive difference. He started writing with the rhythm and rhyme for which he’s now known, and it tickles me to see the way that style and his expertise develop in this story collection, and to know that others will now be able to appreciate and enjoy it, too.”"  quote from the article (to read the rest) Publisher's Weekly

Book Anniversaries

Librarians and readers; publishers, too, of course, will be excited to learn that several classics/series are reaching milestones. Babar is turning 80, The Phantom Tollbooth has spent five decades in print, and the Magic School Bus has been zipping along for a quarter-century.  Some we enjoyed as children, some we remember introducing to children.  For the complete article from Publisher's Weekly Celebrating a Flock of Children's Book Anniversaries.

Pleasure Reading Leads to Professional Careers, Study Says

This is a fairly interesting article.  Of course, as library personnel we already knew the benefits of reading. Now there is a study that proves it.

Zombies and learning library skills

Zombie Attack at the Library!


"Clever staffers at McPherson College's Miller Library, KS, are using the public's current penchant for everything zombie to teach information literacy by creating a 23-page library guide in graphic novel format called Library of the Living Dead. " [LJXpress, Library Journal online e-letter, April 5, 2011]

Not real gory and not a great story line (it's zombies in the library, afterall), but it takes the reader through various parts of the library - any library, really- but of course, the areas are specific to McPherson College's Miller Library - Reference is upstairs, etc....

Website

I was searching for library skills and came across this webpage for Bennett Elementary School (in Boiceville, NY).  http://www.onteora.k12.ny.us/bennett/site/default.asp  If you check out the Library Media Center under Our School, you can see how bright and full of graphics the links are.  Even better are wonderful links on the left hand side, including one on Library Skills and Activities.  This takes you to a page full of links to little games and online activities that reinforce basic library skills.  For a treat, or in reward of good behavior, or to finish off an area of learning this is an excellent way for the students to have fun and learn.

We Give Books

Off to the side on something I was reading was this link to We Give Books.  It sounded interesting enough to check out. Wow!  You need to sign up, but it looks well worth it. It was created by The Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation and offers free online books to read. In return, for every book read online, a book will be donated to the various site designated charity partner.  There are charities like books for Haiti, some that are low-income schools or libraries in the US, and others are in various parts of the world.  You can also change which charity you are reading on behalf of.

 The website, http://www.wegivebooks.org/, says "All of the books available for online reading are children’s picture books appropriate for children through age ten. There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, a range of authors, and an equal balance between read-alouds and books for independent readers. We’ll be adding news books every month, together with special seasonal offerings."

Book Summaries

Have you ever wondered how that concise book summary was written and by whom?
Well wonder no longer - read about how fiction, especially children's fiction summaries are written at the Library of Congress
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=3107

Eleanor Coerr dies

Did you know that Eleanor Coerr (author of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes) was born in Kamsack?
Follow this link to read about her career...
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newslettersnewsletterbucketextrahelping2/888243-477/eleanor_coerr_author_of_sadako.html.csp