I have a new project at work that I'm actually super-excited about: I get to re-do my library's webliography of awesome sites on the Web for kids. So basically I'm getting paid to play on the Internet for hours and spend time surfing the sites with the most awesome graphics, most fun games, and with the funkiest themes.
In all seriousness, this is an important job. After all, where's the first place many students today think to turn to when they want to know something? It's not often books anymore - it's the Internet. With trillions and trillions of websites out there, it good to have a few really awesome ones right at your fingertips. And just like with books, librarians really should be one of the first ones to go to when you're having trouble navigating the web and finding the information you're looking for.
To celebrate one of the most awesome side duties a librarian could have, I thought I'd share a few of the cool websites that I've stumbled upon. This week's theme: Animals!
Animal Planet
This is the website for the popular TV station Animal Planet. The link will take you directly to the portal for the site's Wild Animals section, with all sorts of pictures and information about the cool animals we share our world with. Check out the Animals A-Z list, as well as the Endangered Animals Guide. If you explore the website, you'll also find games, videos, and even some information on pet care.
ASPCA Animaland
The ASPCA (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has a really great website for kids who want to learn more about how to properly care for a pet. Definitely a great resource for families who are considering acquiring a new pet, this site also spotlights real pets and careers working with animals, and also answers kids' questions about pet behavior.
Creature Feature
Part of the National Geographic for Kids website, the Creature Feature not only gives you fun facts about different animals, but also photos, videos, and maps indicating where in the world these animals live.
Oakland Zoo - Animals
The website for the Oakland Zoo not only has information about the zoo's hours and location, but also a great database of information on animals. Just find the kind of animal you're interested in (mammal, bird, reptile, etc.) and then select the specific species from the appropriate drop-down menu. Voila!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me
Tamara is having a rough summer. Her unaffectionate parents are at odds with her older brother and the house is full of tension. Worst of all, her best friend Kebsie recently left her foster home on Ramble Street without a word to live with her mother. Then Muscle Man McGinty arrives and begins telling outrageous lies - He's training for the 1972 Olympics, he has sung on Broadway, and the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong (who is about to take mankind's first steps on the moon) is really his uncle. Worst of all, no one but Tamara seems to be able to see through the lies. She dreams of the day that she can finally reveal Muscle Man for the two-faced fraud he is. Finally, opportunity knocks when Muscle Man challenges the entire street to a game of kickball. Tamara sees her opportunity - here's no way he can weasel out of this one!Set in 1969, this brilliant book by debut author Nan Marino take nostalgic look at friendship during this year of change. Readers interested in the book's historical aspects will get to see the historical moon landing in action, as well as a glimpse of the Vietnam War on the home front. But most of all, this is a stunning portrait of grief. Tamara is a girl who is clearly hurting because of her family's gruffness and Kesbie's sudden disappearance, and Douglas McGinty (Muscle Man) is clearly a good target for all of her frustrations. Muscle Man has grief of his own, but Tamara fails to see anyone's problems but her own, making her a brilliantly flawed antagonistic protagonist.
A certain book that you may recall me reviewing awhile back (When You Reach Me) has been getting a lot of Newbery talk this year. Everyone I know who has read this book has loved it. If you enjoyed When You Reach Me, then you will likely also enjoy Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle. Heck, I come out and say that I think it's got its own reasonable shot at some Newbery recognition, and for many of the same reasons. They feature similar styles of writing - straightforward, efficient, and elegant without any wasted words. Both have an interesting historical setting, and both give us examples of the surprisingly complicated world of childhood friendships. I'd definitely recommend reading both books, but I have to honestly say that I have a bit of a personal preference for Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle. Where When You Reach Me is very complex in plot, Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle has a more straightforward plot that is instead complex in emotion. Besides, there's just something incredibly endearing about waiting to see a kid get his comeuppance during a game of kickball - and not being sure which kid you're hoping will get it.
Overall Grade: A+
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Owly
I have yet another confession: I'm a sucker for adorable animals. Anything small and fuzzy or fluffy with big eyes will do.
And yet another confession: I'm a huge sucker for owls.
So you can only imagine my delight when I discovered Owly!
One of my favorite graphic novel series, created by Andy Runton, features an adorable little owl named Owly. Owly is incredibly sweet and generous and loves helping everyone around him in the forest. Unfortunately, Owly is also rather lonely living alone in his treehouse. One day he rescues a little worm and nurses him back to health. Wormy is very nervous at first - after all, owls usually eat little guys like him! But soon Wormy begins to realize that Owly is a good friend. Throughout the series Owly and Wormy have many adventures together, making new friends along the way and learning that friendship takes on many forms.
There's no denying that the artwork in these graphic novels is adorable. It's all done in black and white line drawings, and all of the characters are round and sweet and expressive. The characters' expressiveness is especially important when you consider the coolest thing about these books - they're practically wordless. Owly, Wormy, and their friends have lots of dialogue, but when you look inside the speech bubbles you'll see picture symbols instead of words. Why is that so cool? Because anyone can read it! You don't need to have an incredible vocabulary or be able to sound out words to appreciate this story since you just have to be able to interpret the pictures. That means that a child in Kindergarten who can't read yet, a 4th grader, a kid who grew up speaking another language, and these kids' parents will all be able to read and enjoy Owly together.
Just as an example, let's take a look at a page from Owly and Friends, which was created to celebrate Free Comic Book Day in 2008:
In the top panel, we see Owly standing amongst some potted plants and a greenhouse. Look at Owly's hands and the symbols in the speech bubble. By putting the two together, we can guess that Owly is calling for Wormy, who seems to be missing form this picture.
In the next panel, Wormy appears. He's made himself known, and the question mark in the speech bubble indicates that he has a question. Perhaps he's asking Owly what he wants.
Next, Owly tucks a scarf around Wormy's neck. The picture of the thermometer and the arrow, along with the scarf, indicate that Owly is explaining that the weather is getting colder.
In the bottom-left panel, Wormy's face is concerned. There's another question mark in his speech bubble, so he has a question. Look at the picture before the question mark - the plants all have their own scarves. Wormy seems to be asking if they'll give the plants their own scarves to protect them from the cold.
Owly answers Wormy's question in the last panel. There's a slash through the picture that Wormy had used to ask his question, so we can assume that Owly has said that they will not be giving the plants scarves. The next speech bubble illustrates a solution - they will put the plants inside the greenhouse during the winter.
See, that wasn't too hard at all! To read Owly, we just need to take clues from the illustrations and combine them with the symbols in the speech bubbles to understand their meaning.
So if you're looking for a comic with adorable characters, strong messages about friendship and generosity, and something accessible to a wide range of children, Owly is for you! The very first book in the series is Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer but each graphic novel stands strongly on its own and they can be read in any order.
Overall Grade: A+
And yet another confession: I'm a huge sucker for owls.
So you can only imagine my delight when I discovered Owly!
One of my favorite graphic novel series, created by Andy Runton, features an adorable little owl named Owly. Owly is incredibly sweet and generous and loves helping everyone around him in the forest. Unfortunately, Owly is also rather lonely living alone in his treehouse. One day he rescues a little worm and nurses him back to health. Wormy is very nervous at first - after all, owls usually eat little guys like him! But soon Wormy begins to realize that Owly is a good friend. Throughout the series Owly and Wormy have many adventures together, making new friends along the way and learning that friendship takes on many forms.There's no denying that the artwork in these graphic novels is adorable. It's all done in black and white line drawings, and all of the characters are round and sweet and expressive. The characters' expressiveness is especially important when you consider the coolest thing about these books - they're practically wordless. Owly, Wormy, and their friends have lots of dialogue, but when you look inside the speech bubbles you'll see picture symbols instead of words. Why is that so cool? Because anyone can read it! You don't need to have an incredible vocabulary or be able to sound out words to appreciate this story since you just have to be able to interpret the pictures. That means that a child in Kindergarten who can't read yet, a 4th grader, a kid who grew up speaking another language, and these kids' parents will all be able to read and enjoy Owly together.
Just as an example, let's take a look at a page from Owly and Friends, which was created to celebrate Free Comic Book Day in 2008:
In the top panel, we see Owly standing amongst some potted plants and a greenhouse. Look at Owly's hands and the symbols in the speech bubble. By putting the two together, we can guess that Owly is calling for Wormy, who seems to be missing form this picture.In the next panel, Wormy appears. He's made himself known, and the question mark in the speech bubble indicates that he has a question. Perhaps he's asking Owly what he wants.
Next, Owly tucks a scarf around Wormy's neck. The picture of the thermometer and the arrow, along with the scarf, indicate that Owly is explaining that the weather is getting colder.
In the bottom-left panel, Wormy's face is concerned. There's another question mark in his speech bubble, so he has a question. Look at the picture before the question mark - the plants all have their own scarves. Wormy seems to be asking if they'll give the plants their own scarves to protect them from the cold.
Owly answers Wormy's question in the last panel. There's a slash through the picture that Wormy had used to ask his question, so we can assume that Owly has said that they will not be giving the plants scarves. The next speech bubble illustrates a solution - they will put the plants inside the greenhouse during the winter.
See, that wasn't too hard at all! To read Owly, we just need to take clues from the illustrations and combine them with the symbols in the speech bubbles to understand their meaning.
So if you're looking for a comic with adorable characters, strong messages about friendship and generosity, and something accessible to a wide range of children, Owly is for you! The very first book in the series is Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer but each graphic novel stands strongly on its own and they can be read in any order.
Overall Grade: A+
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Catching Fire
I'll admit it: Sequels make me very nervous, especially when the first book was amazing. Will the second installment meet my expectations? Will my predictions come true? Will the sequel be too predictable? Or will it feel cheap and rushed, like it was just a half-hearted attempt to capitalize on something that's already popular? I'm happy to report, however, the the (arguably) most highly-anticipated sequel of this year was a complete success!
Picking up only a few months after the conclusion of The Hunger Games, Katniss finds that despite the wealth that comes with being a victor in the Capitol's barbaric games, her life has become more complicated than it ever was. By defying the Capitol during the Hunger Games, she has created a spark that just might ignite the impoverished districts of Panem to revolt. The last thing that Katniss wants is to see her loved ones suffer because of her actions, but on her and Peeta's victory tour of the districts it becomes clear that there is nothing she can do to appease the Capitol or prevent the districts from being inspired by her defiance. Small fires of discontent have begun burning, and soon they will cause an explosion that will rock Panem off its axis. Is there anything Kaniss can do to stop things from spiraling out of control? And does she even want to? Is the threat to herself and to her family worth the risk?
Author Suzanne Collins has taken the world that she created in The Hunger Games and given it even greater depth. Character development is crucial in this book as new characters are introduced and old ones are expanded upon. Much of the book's initial action actually doesn't happen to Katniss - it happens around her and she reacts to it, reminding readers that the impending rebellion in Panem is clearly bigger than any one person. Despite all of the political problems Katniss faces, those who enjoyed the direct action in this trilogy's first installment will not be disappointed either, and those craving romance will find the love triangle between Katniss, fellow Hunger Games victor Peeta, and longtime friend Gale to be perfectly executed.
The only problem - the book's cliffhanger ending will keep readers on the edge of their seats, desperately waiting for the trilogy's final installment to come out in 2010.
Overall Grade: A+
Picking up only a few months after the conclusion of The Hunger Games, Katniss finds that despite the wealth that comes with being a victor in the Capitol's barbaric games, her life has become more complicated than it ever was. By defying the Capitol during the Hunger Games, she has created a spark that just might ignite the impoverished districts of Panem to revolt. The last thing that Katniss wants is to see her loved ones suffer because of her actions, but on her and Peeta's victory tour of the districts it becomes clear that there is nothing she can do to appease the Capitol or prevent the districts from being inspired by her defiance. Small fires of discontent have begun burning, and soon they will cause an explosion that will rock Panem off its axis. Is there anything Kaniss can do to stop things from spiraling out of control? And does she even want to? Is the threat to herself and to her family worth the risk?Author Suzanne Collins has taken the world that she created in The Hunger Games and given it even greater depth. Character development is crucial in this book as new characters are introduced and old ones are expanded upon. Much of the book's initial action actually doesn't happen to Katniss - it happens around her and she reacts to it, reminding readers that the impending rebellion in Panem is clearly bigger than any one person. Despite all of the political problems Katniss faces, those who enjoyed the direct action in this trilogy's first installment will not be disappointed either, and those craving romance will find the love triangle between Katniss, fellow Hunger Games victor Peeta, and longtime friend Gale to be perfectly executed.
The only problem - the book's cliffhanger ending will keep readers on the edge of their seats, desperately waiting for the trilogy's final installment to come out in 2010.
Overall Grade: A+
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