School Library Journal has a great article: Stir It Up that has a list of things you should NEVER do with teenagers at your library.
Because it is written so bluntly, you can immediately see why you shouldn’t do something. But check yourself, are you doing some of these things? When I worked in a larger library with other staff who had issues with teens and their behavior, this would have been a very handy way to start a conversation about why they were having problems with the teen patrons we had.
Month: February 2006
Hip Librarians
HipLibrariansBookBlog is a great blog that was also featured in SLJ’s list of recommended book review blogs. Click here to get the full list.
Reading Is Genetic
News in Science – Bookworms born not made has interesting information for parents and teachers. A study shows that genetics play a larger role than environment in deciding children’s reading ability. The article is quick to say that this does not mean that children do not need to be read to, and in addition it does mean that children with reading issues need to be very fully supported to overcome them.
School Library Journal
Imagine my surprise as I was happily paging through my new volume of School Library Journal and found my KidsLit blog featured as part of the “Blograrian” Book Reviews column! The kind words said about my blog literally made me do a happy dance around my office. What a wonderful way to perk up a Wednesday lunch hour. I am still grinning ear to ear and probably will be all day long.
So welcome to any of you who visiting because of the SLJ article. Hope you find lots of love of children’s literature and the children themselves.
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney is a book with an old-fashioned, folk-tale feel. Eben is fascinated by the seven wonders of the world, and his father challenges him to find seven wonders right in his small, rural home town of Sassafras Springs. Eben doubts that it is possible, but his father says that he can travel to Colorado if he manages to find all seven wonders in seven days. The reader is carried along with Eben and his faithful dog as they search the entire town for wonders, meeting all sorts of characters along the way.
The writing and subject are perfectly matched. The writing is as unadorned as Sassafras Springs but leads to the same sort of joy as the wonders. Unfortunately, the brown cover of the book will not draw children to reading it. This one will take some hand selling or direct sharing to find its audience.
This is a perfect book to read aloud to third or fourth graders, especially those living in small towns. It will inspire children to see their own communities in a different way, celebrating the small things that make us all unique and learning about the tale tales and ghost stories that may be right under their own noses.
Student Blogs
USATODAY.com – Schools grapple with policing students’ online journals is an article from The Christian Science Monitor. It nicely covers the problems schools are facing with students doing inappropriate and questionable things on their personal blogs. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to the problems, but the article does give some insight into what other schools are doing and where the legality gets shaky.
School Librarian Blog
School Librarian in Action is a very active blog from a school librarian in Manila, Philippines. She wirtes essays from her own perspective as a Filipino librarian, but many of them translate well to school librarianship world wide.
YALit
Tana Hoban Dies
Tana Hoban has died at age 88. Her obituary is in the New York Times. She has written, designed and illustrated over 100 books for children, and she did it with photographs that were vivid even when black and white. Her books are marvelous for sharing with very young children, because they get kids talking and involved in books. Consider them especially for children who don’t want to sit through stories, because they are concept books of the finest quality.
Waking Brain Cells 