MIA - Picture Books

One of the hardest, yet one of the most fun things about starting a new job at a new library is getting to know the library's collection. Libraries can't buy every single book that's out there, so you really have to get to know what is available to patrons on your own shelves. Yes, we can place holds. But when a kid needs a book at the last minute for a school project, or a family is leaving that afternoon on vacation, or if the kid is just that darn impatient you don't have time to wait for a request to come in.

Since I'm still getting to know my collection, it has occasionally happened that I search for an old favorite only to discover that my library does not own a copy of the book. Remember my lament over the lack of Sandra Boynton books? Since then I've uncovered a few more gaps in the collection that have given me reason to pause and wonder what happened. Here are a few of the awesome picture books that I was shocked to see missing from the shelves:

I Am Number Four

Fifteen-year-old John Smith isn't who you think he is. He is one of nine alien children from the planet Lorien who came to Earth as refugees. They have been hiding among normal humans, waiting for the day when they would be ready to fight back against the Mogadorians who destroyed their home planet. Before they left for earth, the children were protected by a special charm that would keep them safe by ensuring that they could only be killed in order. Unfortunately, three of the Loriens have already been tracked down. John Smith is Number Four - he is next. Fortunately, his legacies - super-powered special abilities unique to his people - have begun to develop. Maybe he has a fighting chance...if he can avoid becoming overly attached to his human friends.

While the book was only published last October, I Am Number Four has received quite a bit of hype due to the quick release of the upcoming movie (set to open tomorrow, February 18). It's not a brilliant piece of writing, but it does have everything that fans of the emerging YA sci-fi genre will love - lots of action, a bit of romance, mysterious worlds that are connected to our own, super powers, and a solid cast of interesting secondary characters. I Am Number Four is not nearly as stunning or thought-provoking as Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, but it will still satisfy those who have been drawn to the genre and are eager for more. The stage has been set for the expected six-book series, and I anticipate that the journey will be a wild ride.

Overall Grade: B+

Valentine's Day!

Hooray for Valentine's Day! This is a holiday all about telling the people you care about that you love them - what could be better than that? To show my appreciation to my storytime kids, I made valentines for each of them to take home.



What to show the children in your life that you love them? Read them a story! If you're looking for some holiday inspiration, try one of these Valentine's Day stories:

Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman
Ruby Valentine's favorite holiday is - you guessed it - Valentine's Day, and she can't wait for the day to arrive so that she can tell everyone just how much they mean to her. But when her planning leaves Ruby exhausted she accidentally sleeps through the big day. Uh oh! Fortunately, Ruby learns that you don't need a special holiday to tell someone that you love them.

The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
Hearts start falling from the sky just before Valentine's Day, and Cornelia Augusta decides that these hearts will make the perfect valentines to send. She decorates each heart differently and knows exactly who each special valentine will go to. This is the perfect story to include with a valentine-making activity as kids make their own special valentines to share.

Arthur's Valentine by Marc Brown
Everyone's favorite aardvark has a secret admirer! Who could it be?

Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson
Marylou and Herbie, two slugs, leave each other sweet love poems every day, but the two have never met. How will these star-crossed lovers find each other? OK, this book isn't exactly a Valentine's Day story, but every day is a good day for love, right?

Audience Participation

During preschool storytimes, I like to select stories that invite some participation from the audience. I like to ask questions, or ask the kids to make animal noises, or leave the last word in a couplet hanging so the kids can fill it in. Inviting this kind of participation took a little bit of practice for me when I first started doing storytimes, but it really can make the time a lot more interesting when you have some generated feedback from your audience.

Sometimes books make generating this interaction very, very easy by asking questions themselves. Take a book I read this week during my dinosaur storytime: the much-beloved How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Mark Teague. Each page asks a question about how a dinosaur acts at bedtime: "Does a dinosaur slam his tail and pout? Does he throw his teddy bear all about?" As you read this story out loud it practically demands that that the kids answer the question with a firm "no!" as they pull together with Papa and Mama for very good dinosaur behavior.

But I have to admit that there is one story that has never gotten an audience to be excited about participating in all the times I have read it. What is this elusive book? Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems. A modern classic, and one that has been touted by reviewers and librarians for the very thing I cannot get it to do: get kids to participate. I don't know what it is, but I just cannot get the kids to work with me when I read this story. In this book a bus driver must step away from his vehicle and asks readers to keep the bus safe from the pigeon. Pigeon then spends the rest of the book begging the reader to please, please, please let me drive the bus anyway. Despite the fact that so many grown-ups who are supposedly very good at this sort of thing insist that kids will naturally want to say "no" to Pigeon, I just can't get my kids to do it. Most of the time they are silent, and occasionally they think it would be a great idea to disregard the bus driver and hand over the keys to Pigeon. I've tried this story with different audiences, I've tried adding some additional prompting as I read - nothing works!

What is the moral of this story? Not every book works for every librarian/teacher/parent, and not every trick works with every child. As a librarian I can't just take other people's word for it when I plan storytimes - I have to find books and activities that I'm comfortable with and make them my own. That, not books with great reviews, will make storytime special.

Winter Fun Storytime

In my last post, I mentioned that Wisconsin has been dealing with quite a bit of winter weather lately. Schools, libraries, and many other businesses closed their doors as snow and heavy winds made doing much of anything outside miserable. It was a good day to stay home with a good book and some cocoa. Unfortunately, the bad weather also meant the my preschool storytimes for the week were also canceled.

Ironically enough, my planned storytime was all about Winter Fun - dressing warmly, building snowmen, sledding, etc. Even though I did not get to hold this storytime as planned at the library, I still think it's worth celebrating some great books about all of the good things winter brings! We planned to start off by looking at hats, mittens, boots, scarves, and jackets and I get dressed for some winter fun. Then we would move on to some stories:

Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin
A young girl shows off the many different layers and accessories that she must wear if she wants to go outside during the winter. In the end she reveals that with so many layers she must be careful not to fall, "because / I can't get up at all."

The Mitten: A Ukranian Folktale by Jan Brett
A boy looses his white knit mitten in the snow, where it is found by a mole who decides that the mitten would be a cozy place to rest. Soon he is joined by a host of other animals who all squeeze in together as the mitten stretches out.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
When snow falls, Peter goes outside and has a fun day playing in the snow. This beautiful book won the Caldecott Medal in 1963.

Red Sled by Patricia Thomas
A boy and his dad race through the winter snow on a red sled. This book is told in short two-word descriptions, with each of the paired words rhyming. A sweet story that would be perfect to share with both preschoolers and younger toddlers.

A number of other activities were also planned, including a song to the tune of "Frere Jacques" about falling snow and an action rhyme about building a snowman. My favorite activity, however, is The Winter Pokey! Just like the Hokey Pokey, but with the words customized for a dance full of winter fun:

You put your left mitten in, you put your left mitten out,
You put your left mitten in and you shake it all about.
You do the Winter Pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

You put your right mitten in...
You put your left boot in...
You put your right boot in...
You put your hat in...
You put your snowsuit in...

With any luck the snow will hold out for a couple more weeks so that I'll have the chance to share this fun storytime with my preschoolers anyway. Wait, did I just wish for more winter?