Month: May 2008

Guardian Children's Fiction Longlist

| Tasha

 

The longlist for the 2008 Guardian Children’s Fiction award has been announced (thanks to Big A little a for the news!)  Here are the contenders:

  

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (I’ve adored all of his books so far, so I’ve eagerly added this to my reading list.  Releasing in the U.S. on July 30th.)

The Goldsmith’s Daughter by Tanya Landman (Not yet released in U.S.)

Bad Blood by Rhiannon Lassiter

 

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (Coming to the U.S. in September 2008)

Before I Die by Jenny Downham (This has been on my list for awhile.  Gotta move it closer to the top!)

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife That Killed Me by Anthony McGowan (Not yet released in U.S.)

Graphic Twilight Zone

| Tasha

NPR’s Bryan Park Project has a blog entry about the upcoming Twilight Zone graphic novel series.  Even better, they have an audio slideshow that takes audio from the TV series and marries it to images from the graphic novels.  Gets you all in the mood to watch old Twilight Zone episodes again.

Jin Jin the Dragon

| Tasha

Jin Jin the Dragon by Grace Chang; illustrated by Chong Chang.

Children enter the world of the Chinese dragon here, very different from the European dragon tradition that many may already be aware of.  Jin Jin hatches from an egg and is not sure what type of creature he is.  As he meets different animals, he finds he has much in common with them.  He has the scales of a fish, the claws of an eagle, the body of a snake.  In order to find out what he really is, he journeys to see Old Turtle and Crane who should be able to help him.  On the way readers get a taste of Chinese lettering as well as Chinese culture.  Finally, when he reaches his destination, Jin Jin fully understands what being a dragon is all about.

Lovingly written and illustrated by siblings, this book is a glimpse into another culture where dragons are kind, curious and enchanting.  Both the text of the novel and the illustrations are more personal than most books, something that contributes to its authenticity.  The book has the feel of a traditional picture book while still being modern and accessible. 

Recommended for children to understand a different type of dragon and learn about another culture.  This is perfect to use for Chinese New Year, but should not be limited to that.  Appropriate for younger elementary children ages 6-8.

Emily's Tiger

| Tasha

Emily’s Tiger by Miriam Latimer

Emily doesn’t want her hair cut, doesn’t want to eat her carrots and is really angry when she doesn’t get to be the clown’s assistant at a birthday party.  And when Emily gets angry, she turns into a real tiger.  Roar, teeth and all.  It takes her wise grandmother who also has a temper of her own to teach Emily how to tame her inner tiger. 

The strength of this book is in the analogy of anger with being a tiger and being out of control.  Any of us with bad tempers (and I am definitely included in that group) completely understand that tempers not only flare but sometimes go beyond that and we turn into something entirely different.  Children will really relate to this comparison and will see that they are not alone.  I also appreciated the fact that Emily does not give up her tiger side.  Instead she tames it and learns to control it.

The art in the book fully supports the analogy as well, as the tiger Emily bounds across the pages, roars directly at the reader, and generally behaves badly.  Equally as powerful are the images where Emily is controlling herself but still enjoying being a tiger. 

Recommended for all children, not only those who roar.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Portland Kidlit

| Tasha

Join the Kidlit bloggers at their second annual conference, this time in Portland Oregon.  The conference is Saturday, September 27th and details are available on a blog (what else?!)  Portland Kidlit.

I won’t be able to make it this year, but I hope it is a wonderful conference.  It is a thrill to meet people who you have only read online before. 

Literacy Starts at Home

| Tasha

286796_reading_a_story

In the LA Times, there is a fantastic article about the importance of reading to children at home.  It is important that we realize that it is not economic status that impacts children’s literacy but the number of books they are read to at home. 

The best part of the article is its call to action.  How do we as caring adults, involved citizens and librarians get our communities investing in literacy, educating parents and really addressing this monumental issue?  Well, it can’t be to sit in our comfortable offices and work cubicles and moan about it.  We have to be out working with Headstart children, WIC families, and visiting those areas of our community where we worry about safety.  If children live there, then we can venture there. 

This doesn’t speak to the larger issue of parents modeling reading to their children.  It’s not enough to read books to children at bedtime and spend the rest of the evening in front of the TV.  What are you telling children is important then?  What are you saying about reading as an adult?  As parents, we need to model the joy of reading, especially fathers.

Perhaps literacy starts at home, but action starts with us.  We need to broadcast our message, model what needs to be done, and embrace those in need in our community.  What else are we here for as libraries?

Strange Happenings on the RSS Feed

| Tasha

Some of you may notice that you haven’t gotten updates on your RSS feed lately.  Others may have seen updates and posts that no longer appear on my site.  Well, so goes updating to the newest version of MoveableType.  Everything should be fine now and you can expect the feed you get to perfectly match the site once again. 

Fingers crossed…

The Best Story

| Tasha

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli, illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf.

The Red Brick Library was having a contest for writing the best story.  So the main character heads home and asks her various family members what makes a story the best.  She incorporates each idea, including lots of action, humor, and romance.  She ends up with a jumbled story, until her mother tells her the the best story is the one that comes from the author’s heart.  She sits down and writes a completely new story about the things she loves, and no longer worries about whether she will win the contest or not because she is so proud of her story.

Spinelli has created a book that really talks to children about how books are written and how stories are created.  She accomplishes this without being didactic at all, instead using humor to make her point.  Wilsdorf’s cartoony illustrations also help set the tone of lightness in the book, filled with manic action and bright colors.  The final point that writers must write what they know and love is powerfully done, but not too much so.  The end nicely balances with the rest of the book.

Recommended for writing units in elementary school and for sharing in story times.  It might also be an interesting book to pair with an author visit and lead children to ask questions about the process of writing. 

Michael Rosen vs Harry Potter (or what?)

| Tasha

You have probably all read the Telegraph article which quotes the British Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen as saying Harry Potter Books Are Boring.  The piece has several quotes from Rosen that state that Rowling is really a writer for adults rather than children. 

Well now there is a piece in the Guardian by Rosen himself trying to set the record straight about what he really said.  Rosen says it is all a result of "a series of misquotations and extrapolations."  This piece is wonderful, speaking to the power of literature for children and the role of literature in education. 

Personally, I am thrilled that Rosen corrected the Telegraph’s errors, not only because we don’t need more strife over Harry Potter but also because such a strong article came out of the situation.  It may not make big news the way a battle between prominent authors might, but the message here is much more powerful.