Author: Tasha

More Video Games in Schools?

| Tasha

CNet has an interesting article about the possibility of schools using video games in classroom instruction.  I hate the title of the piece, “More Video Games, Fewer Books at Schools?” because I see it pitting one form of communication against another.  While I will always side with the power of books for education, I wouldn’t want to blindly and blithely assume that video games could not be used to reach children who shun books.  This is certainly something that we as librarians as well as educators need to keep our eye on.  Perhaps this is a way for more truly educational games to be created, especially for older children that we could then offer at public libraries?  Sounds exciting to me!

Destiny's Book Reviews

| Tasha

Destiny’s Book Reviews is a book review site written by a ten year old!  She reads the type of books that kids take out of the library by the armload, rather than the more literary works that the rest of us are discussing.  She has a refreshing voice, a great writing style, and her blog is a joy.  Nice to know that there are kids like Destiny out there reading, loving and sharing books.

A Good Day

| Tasha

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes.

Why even bother to review a Henkes book?  Don’t I know by now just to expect greatness?  Well, yes I do.  That is why I simply must read each one! 

With his latest book, Henkes continues to demonstrate his knowledge of children and what appeals to them.  His bold, colorful illustrations combined with exactly the right amount of text make this a fabulous read.  Add to that the exact right amount of tension and you have a real winner.  This book is designed not for the readers of his magnificent mouse books about Lily and Chester and Wemberly, but for younger children, even toddlers.  The illustrations will project wonderfully even to a crowd and beg to be shared.

I don’t think you will have trouble finding a storytime theme to fit this in.  The problem will be trying not to use it again and again and again.  I would also recommend this as a birth gift for a new baby.  It is a book that will entice infants with the colors but will grow with them to be a beloved tattered book.

Tween Program

| Tasha

I love, love, love hearing about libraries that are successfully reaching teens. Tween, teen girls find literary haven tells about the Forest Park Library’s program for tween girls. Obviously it is a success due to the skill and devotion of Emma Peterson:
“She’s always happy and brings fun things for us to do,” Martha said.
Exactly! She’s not frowning and waiting for trouble. She’s happy, energetic and thrilled to be working with teens. Every library needs an Emma!

Top Shelf Middle Grade Books

| Tasha

VOYA has a list of the Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers. The criteria for inclusion on the list were that the book be of particular interest to 11 to 13 year olds or kids in grades 6-8 and that it be published between October 2005 and September 2006.
I must say that I haven’t read a lot of the titles, but those I have I completely agree are top of the line books. My personal favorites are Rash by Pete Hautman, Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle, Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, and Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos.
I have happily added the others onto my future reads list and will share the list with my newly tween niece who will love it.

Using Mentor Texts…

| Tasha

Using Mentor Texts to Lift the Level of Writing in My Classroom is a fascinating blog. An anonymous NYC teacher uses mentoring texts to help her students write better. I enjoy her enthusiasm as she talks about each of her students, her reactions to her student teacher, and her recommendations for books. This is a unique look at using books to inspire, educate and teach the teacher.

Live Science

| Tasha

LiveScience.com offers news about innovative and interesting science. There are sections on animals, health, nature, the environment, technology, and history. Make sure you scroll down to check out their video collection, reader favorites, view photo galleries, and take part in their polls.

Pip & Squeak

| Tasha

Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr.

Pip and Squeak are two mice who are off to a party for Gus.  But distracted by the snow, they forget Gus’ present.  They travel over a frozen landscape, trying to find another gift for their friend.  When they discover the snowman’s carrot nose, they think the orange color means that it is cheese.  Since they found nothing better, they haul the carrot to Gus’ party where they find it was the perfect present after all.

If you are looking for good toddler books, this is certainly one.  Very brief words on each page, friendly animals, and oversized illustrations combine to form the perfect toddler or early preschool book.  Children will recognize familiar objects that are foreign to the mice and will immediately know that the present is perfect for Gus the second they see him.  Nicely designed, the book is great to share with a group for a wintry story time. 

Thunder Bunny

| Tasha

Thunder Bunny by Barbara Berger.

I’m slowly realizing that I might have a thing for bunny books, but I’m going to tell you about this one anyway!  I think it may come from my love of Watership Down, read to me at the breakfast table as a child. 

Thunder Bunny is a bunny who arrived out of the blue, and her fur is the bright blue that you see on the cover image.  When she looks up into the sky, she sees that the blue is always there even if it is hidden by clouds or darkness.  And she decides that she has come from the sky.  The other bunnies scoff at her, but she knows she is right.  When a gust of wind startles the other rabbits back to their hole, Thunder runs right into the wind and rides it into the sky.  She tunnels into a dark part of the clouds and gets scared, until she reminds herself that she is “the blue.”  Then she lives up to her name and returns to earth to dazzle the other bunnies.

This book is so fabulous.  Talk about girl power!  And a wide embrace for the power of being different!  The illustrations are bright and will work well with a group.  My five-year-old was lost at the ending, but older children will understand that magic and power are at work and accept the ending without argument. 

I always appreciate books that take risks and end strangely.  This is one of them.  No neat tying of ends, no explanation, just amazement.  Share this interesting book with children first grade and older.  Much more than a nice spring title, this one will resonate with certain children who also feel different from the crowd.