Sledding Invitation

A little girl comes in to the library every afternoon with her grandfather. Grandpa usually has holds to pick up, and the girl almost always picks out a movie. Since it has been snowing here in Wisconsin, the girl was very excited about playing outside. Barely able to contain her enthusiasm and looking like she might jump out of her skin she asked me:

"Sometime, when you're not working, do you want to go sledding with me and Grandpa?"

Too cute!

Ironically, Wisconsin's blizzard conditions just happened to coincide with my storytime all about playing in the snow. Hmmm. More on that storytime to come in a future post.

Because of Mr. Terupt

The fifth graders at Snow Hill School know that they're in for a treat when they learn that they will have Mr. Terupt, a brand new teacher, as their instructor this year. Mr. Terupt is like no other teacher they have ever had and touches each of his students in different ways. He helps Jessica to feel welcome in her new school. He helps Anna crawl out of her shell and make some new friends. He lets his students make their own mistakes, even when it means that Luke's concoction in science class sets off the smoke alarm. And even though he encourages his students to solve their own problems, he's not afraid to tell them when they've crossed the line. But when something bad happens to Mr. Terrupt, his devoted class must use what they learned from him to cope with their own feelings of guilt and grief.

This book, written by Rob Buyea, is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. The story is narrated in a grand total of seven (!) different voices, each a different student in Mr. Terupt's class. While the style of writing does not change dramatically for the different voices it is still very easy to keep the narrators straight since Buyea does a brilliant job of developing the characters and investing the reader emotionally in each kid's situation. I'll admit that I teared up frequently while reading this story, which testifies to the amount of raw emotional power the writing has. The ending was perhaps just a little too tidy and perfect, but after such a journey the happy ending was welcome. Without question, this book will make you want to track down your favorite teacher ever and give him/her a big thank-you hug.

Overall Grade: A

The E-Book - Wave of the Future

Ever since the Kindle made its grand appearance on Amazon.com back in 2007 much has been said about the future of the book. Some have speculated that books will eventually be completely replaced by electronic media. It's still a bit too early to tell if the book will go the way of the dodo (and I personally don't believe that this will happen within my lifetime), but no one can deny that e-books are a hot commodity right now. The viewing screens on e-readers are surprisingly easy on the eyes and there's something to be said about having a dozen books loaded onto a device the size of an easy reader.

I've played briefly with the Kindle and I-Pad, though admittedly not enough to properly critique them. And I've long said that as a general rule, I'd much rather have a physical book in my hands than a computer. But then something happened: I received an e-reader - a Cruz tablet, specifically - for Christmas.

I'll freely admit that I actually put the tablet on my Christmas list of my own accord. There was a very specific reason for this that had nothing to do with books: I wanted to be able to upload PDF files containing knitting patterns onto the tablet. Once I had the tablet in hand and downloaded my first knitting pattern I was thrilled. Mission accomplished! But of course, it was only a matter of time before I used the tablet as an e-reader. Wisconsin libraries (and many other libraries across the country, for that matter!) all have access to Overdrive, a database of downloadable e-books and digital audiobooks, so I got out my handy dandy library card and downloaded my first e-book.

Reading an e-book is definitely a different experience than reading a physical book. It's much more trouble than it's worth to flip ahead more than a few pages(great if you're the type of person who spoils a mystery by reading the last chapter first), but it can also be problematic if you need to page back for any reason to re-read or double check something. And even though the reader tells me how much I have read and how much is left to go, there's something nice about being able to physically see how close to the end of a book you are, or to flip ahead to see how long the next chapter is so you know if you have time to squeeze it in before the end of your lunch break. But if all you need to do is read a novel from start to finish, reading the electronic version should not pose any significant problems. E-books also have the great benefit of not taking up much physical space (great for bringing multiple books on vacation) and giving you the freedom to increase the size of the type to make it easy on the eyes.

I still don't think that we'll be saying good-bye to the physical book anytime soon. But if you're like the millions of other readers who are curious about this up and coming format, don't be afraid to give it a shot. You can download e-books onto your PC for a test run, and if your library has access to resources like Overdrive or NetLibrary (and it probably does!) you should be able to try your first e-book risk free at no charge. Even those like myself who prefer the feel of a book in their hands to the feel of a small computer can't deny that that are some benefits to the electronic format, or the fact that the e-book is here to stay.

I Like Big Books

This video is too funny.

ALA Youth Media Awards

It's that time of year again! On January 10, the eyes of readers, teachers, librarians, and the publishing world were turned toward the American Library Association (ALA) as they announced the winners of their coveted awards. Nineteen awards were given including the Coretta Scott King Awards (given to African-American authors and illustrators), the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award (given to the most distinguished books for early readers), and the Robert F. Siebert Medal (given to the most distinguished informational books for children). Congratulations to this year's award winners! For a full listing of the awards given and their recipients, click here.

But of course everyone especially wants to hear about the two oldest and most prestigious awards, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. Let's take a moment to recognize the winners of these awards:

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal is given every year to, "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature." This year's winner was Moon over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool. Set in 1936, Abilene feels somewhat abandoned as her father puts her on a train to his boyhood home of Manifest, Kansas while he goes off to work a railroad job. She quickly makes friends and the trio uncovers a mystery surrounding a spy named Rattler. Through they are warned to leave well enough alone, Abilene and her friends keep digging, hoping to uncover exactly what Abilene's father's role in the historic mystery is. Moon over Manifest was a bit of surprise to many. Published somewhat late in the year, the book had yet to be recognized by many Newbery predictors. Still, the book has been touted by reviewers for its colorful characters, historic details, and believable dialogue.

Four other books were recognized as Newbery Honor books:
-Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
-Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
-Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
-One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded each year to, "the most distinguished American picture book for children." This year's winner is A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. In this quiet tale, zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time for his five animal friends the elephant, tortoise, penguin, rhinoceros, and owl. But when he is sick and unable to come to work, the animals decide to visit their friend, taking the bus trip that distinctly mirrors Amos' daily ride. Amos is delighted when the animals arrive, and together the friends share a delightful day. This is a beautiful tale of kindness returned and the bond between Amos and his animal friends is simply lovely. Illustrations have been created using soft colors and woodblocking prints, which along with the story's themes give this book a timeless quality.

Two other books were recognized as Caldecott Honor books:
-Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier
-Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

My Thoughts

This year's award winners include a number of lovely selections. Given the amount of hype that had surrounded One Crazy Summer I, like many other children's literature geeks, had expected this book to walk away with the top Newbery prize. I'm curious to see how the surprise Moon Over Manifest measures up. Dark Emperor's exciting Newbery Honor is also worth noting. The poetry in this book is lovely, and it isn't often that you see a picture book-style work given a Newbery award of any kind.

If you haven't checked out A Sick Day for Amos McGee, do yourself a favor and track it down. This is a picture book that is, I hope, destined to stay with us for quite some time. Some also complain about a lack of humor to be found in award-winning books, and it was very nice to see this rule overthrown with Interrupting Chicken's award.

I also think it's worth noting that one book from each of these two big awards was also recognized with a Coretta Scott King award. Such cross-overs have happened in the past, and it's nice to see so many high-quality multicultural books garnering the extra attention that comes from the Newbery and Caldecott Medals.

Zombies! Evacuate the School!

School can be rough. Classes can be hard, the bus ride is bumpy, and somehow teachers always have the magical ability to hear every little sound in their classrooms. But there are also a lot of good things that come with school, like trying out for a sports team. In a new collection of poems, author Sara Holbrook captures all aspects of a normal school year: the good, the bad, and everything inbetween. Along the way Holbrook offers readers a few sidebars in which she talks about her writing process, giving you a good look and where she gets her ideas and how she goes about turning these ideas into poetry.

I have to say that about three pages into this book, I was a bit disappointed. Where were the zombies? The title is a bit decieving, as the undead do not appear at all until the final poem in the book. But I quickly got over this disappointment and saw this book the gem it is: One of the best books I've seen in recent memory (dare I say ever?) teaching poetry writing and appreciation. The sidebars offer great notations that encourage readers to really think about how a poem is constructed. Why did Holbrook choose the words that she did? Where did she get her ideas? How does she narrow down her words to keep the poem brief? Without even seeming to try, Holbrook gets her readers to think critically about her poetry while also encouraging readers to write their own poems through tips and writing prompts. For kids interested in learning more about poetry or who perhaps are looking to write their own, this book can be a fun tool to get them started. There is almost no discussion here about rhyme scheme or literary terms, but in this case I think that's a good thing. Keeps the poetry fun instead of oppressive.

Oh yeah, and the poems themselves are quite a lot of fun too. The sidebars can be a bit distracting if you're just looking for fun school poems, but if you can get past this then you're in for a real treat.

Overall Grade: B+/A-