Lincoln books

With the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birthday approaching, the number of books available on the topic is staggering. I have been carefully picking and choosing (aka practicing responsible collection development) for several months now trying to get a mix of fiction and non-fiction juvenile titles that will be useful for the collection and the classroom. Here are a few recent selections:

• Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln
• Lincoln Shot! A Presidents Life Remembered
• Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life
• Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin, Tale

This morning the December edition of Booklist was in my mailbox and I selected general titles for the circulating collection that will be of use to education majors student teaching in high school history and social studies, as well as students taking history courses at the college.

• Mrs. Lincoln: A Life
• Best American History: Assays on Lincoln

I have not finished juvenile selections, but there may be one or two to enhance what has already been added. So far, my personal favorites of the group are Lincoln Shot! A Presidents Life Remembered, it has a unique presentation, and Lincoln Through the Lens. As a result of casual book-talking in the library, both are currently checked out through the end of the term

Early lunch blogging: Collection development

Instructors at the university take advantage of the opportunity presented with library reserves, both electronic and book. One of the children's literature professors routinely places juvenile award book winners on reserve for class projects; included are Caldecott (10 years), Coretta Scott King, and in years past Children's Choice and Teacher's Choice from the International Reading Association. Each year in November, The Reading Teacher publishes an annotated list of these selections. This means each year in December I work with the reserves person, I search and pull the new titles and order additional selections as needed, she pulls the old titles and prepares the new titles for reserves. I also print out and bind hard copies of the award lists for the reserves student workers (saving wear and tear on our hard copy of the journal).

• Teacher's Choices 2007
• Children's Choices 2007
• Young Adults' Choices 2007

Though part of the IRA Choices booklist, the annotated copy of Young Adults' Choices is made available in the November issue of Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

What I need to accomplish this afternoon is note what we have, do not have, and/or need to add to the juvenile collection from these booklists. While not traditional collection development, this is a quick way to make sure the juvenile section has books that will definitely be used by students this spring (2008) and next fall (2008). Before I hit the ground running with this project, ordering titles, I have contacted the professor who teaches the children's literature class to verify she is indeed going to use these books for her course.

Lunch is early today, so I am multi-tasking making good use of time left before Christmas break begins tomorrow at noon!

Artist to Artist

Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children about Their Art is a beautiful, readable, and browseable anthology of picture book artists compiled and produced to benefit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Twenty three artists are represented; each artist wrote a personal letter to children about their art, included samples of works and photographs of their art studios.

Written to and for children by the artists, the text is simple, eloquent, easy to read (in size and vocabulary) and includes a picture of the artist as a child. Sections open to reveal old, new, and in one instance pop-up art, providing readers opportunity to view an interesting variety of the work produced by each artist. The best part of this book is hands-down the self portrait created by each artist. In need of a smile? Be sure to check out Mordicai Gerstein's self portrait on page 41, it is simply joyous. Maurice Sendaks portrait on p. 77 depicts him sitting down with a few "wild things" and Paul O. Zelinsky's self portrait is done in what he terms "old master's style." Enjoyable to read and view, this one is a keeper.

Tags: Artist to Artist, Juvenile, Picture book art

Banned Books Week

It is the beginning of Banned Books Week, and while I plan to do a post or two during the course of this week, I can not think of a better way to start off than referring to the most recent Unshelved comic strip and blog entry Read Irresponsibly.

"Celebrate it yourself by reading something
appalling and offensive."

Visit Unshelved to view the strip, September 29, 2007.

Unshelved c. Overdue Media, LLC.


Tags: Banned Books Week, Unshelved

Mock Caldecott, part two

This afternoon I had opportunity to finish out my Mock Caldecott choices; one whole week (give or take) before the planned session. In addition to the previously selected titles posted in Mock Caldecott ... early choices, here is a quick look at the remainder of the list, book and illustrator:

• Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me, Jerry Pinkney
• Anne Hutchinson’s Way, Michael Dooling
• The Bravest Knight, Mercer Mayer
• Catching the Moon, Chris Sheban
• Heat Wave, Betsy Lewin
• How Many Mice, Michael Garland
• The Liberty Bell, Matthew Skeens
• My Life as a Chicken, Michael Slack
• Pocahontas: Princess of the New World, David Diaz
• Stick, Steve Breen
• The Top Job, Robert Neubecker

Two of these titles caught my interest. The first, Catching the Moon, is a charming tale of a Fisherwoman who is trying to stop high tide from completely eroding neighborhood shacks and piers. She and her mouse have concocted an ingenious plan to catch the Man in the Moon; "With my trusty mouse and his nose for cheese, I'm sure to hook the Man in the Moon. And once I do, I won't throw him back until he's agreed to keep high tide away!" The Fisherwoman catches the attention of the Moon, a mysterious monthly guest in her shack, who resolves her problem with an ingenious gift of moonbeam paint. Sheban's art work, bold watercolor paints and Prismacolor pencils, is suitably framed and placed along side the text of the book. Use of light, in the form of Moonbeams, is a purveying theme. From the grimacing mouse struggling to pull in a teakettle from the sea, to the thoughtful Moon in his many disguises, each illustration is delightfully complete.

Stick, according to the cover, is the debut picture book of "Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Steve Breen." In this nearly wordless picture book, Breen chronicles the adventures of a young frog named Stick who likes to do things "all by himself." One day his overzealous lunch selection, a large mosquito, results in a wild ride through towns and cities, by car and by plane, and even by seagull, before finding his way back home. From ground level to a birds-eye view, the graphic illustrations cleverly portray Stick's journey. Breen's watercolor artwork is presented in comic book format, as well as full double-paged spreads that move the story along at a fast pace. Readers will be pleased at the end papers rendering of Stick's entire journey in map format.

The Mock Caldecott session is tentatively scheduled for September. Time will tell what title is the favored by the students this year.


Tags: Mock Caldecott, Juvenile literature, Picture books, Catching the Moon, Chris Sheban, Stick, Steve Breen

More collection development

Yesterday’s Collection Development post just begs for a follow-up, here are a few titles I selected for purchase using Booklist, School Library Journal, and PW Children’s Bookshelf as main review resources. Additionally, there were a few key books purchased from Horn Book Magazine’s listing of Bilingual Books and one title we did not have from the 2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (it was 365 Penguins). I am going to link the titles to Amazon, but since two of the three issues I perused were the recent there is going to be lag time (yes, the dreaded embargo period) until they add the book reviews. This list is a sampling from the three carts of titles with notation of review resource when applicable and/or a brief reason why purchased:

• 365 Penguins
  SLJ, Booklist, Horn Book Award
• The Ghost of Mary Prairie
  Historical fiction, Booklist, children’s literature course requirement
• Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why You Can’t Manage Without Apostrophes!
  Great for language arts coursework, have Eats, Shoots, & Leaves in the collection
• Cowboy and Octopus
  Because I can! Love Scieszka and Smith collaborations
• Frequently Asked Questions About My Pyramid
  Phys ed and health curriculum, units on nutrition
• Re-gifters
  Graphic novel collection, Booklist & SLJ
• Our Liberty Bell
  Social studies curriculum, picture book
• How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
  Halloween without jack-o-lanterns, fall, seasons, G. Brian Karas
• The Wishing Club: A Story About Fractions
  Math picture book, math curriculum, fills need for specific math assignment
• The Secret of the Painted House
  Chapter book, easy reader, Booklist
• Trolls Go Home!
  Booklist, middle grade reader, folktales
• Ginger and Petunia
  Booklist, Mock Caldecott class visit, Patricia Polacco!
• Heat Wave
  PW, Booklist, Betsy Lewin & Eileen Spinelli
• Holocaust: The Events and Their Impact on Real People
  Course assignment (2), Holocaust literature, PW
• Into the Woods
  Booklist, fairy tale & folk tale courses, children’s literature coursework
• Wizard
  Jack Prelutsky, PW, visual elements
• Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel
  SLJ, middle grade readers, format interest
• Color
  SLJ, Art, children’s literature assignment
• Hooray Jose
  SLJ, phys ed picture books, sportsmanship
• Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark
  Fractured fairy tale, stories in rhyme, repetitive phrases
• Don’t Say That Word!
  Because I can, love Catrow’s illustrations, Booklist
  

It will be several weeks until these titles arrive. Luckily I will not have to wait until they are shelf ready before having the chance to browse. Collection development is an art, not a science, so I will cross my fingers that research, reviews, and common sense have resulted in good selections.

Tags: Collection development, Juvenile Collection, Juvenile review resources

Collection development: Juvenile books

As previously posted, I have been working with a backlog of review journals preparing to select and process juvenile, education, and general title orders for the library and resource center. Even with journal selections whittled down to three basic publications, Booklist, School Library Journal, and PW Children's Bookshelf, the amount of reading time required to make quality selections is astounding. Quite simply the titles seem to blend together; both figuratively and realistically as there are a finite number of titles reviewed during any period of time and in some cases all three publications reviewed a given book. To that point, I honestly found the number of duplicate books I chose from three different resources slightly unnerving. Luckily, we use B & T Link Online for juvenile purchases and it has a duplicate check option enabling librarians verify if a title was previously ordered. After three days of scouring reviews three carts of primarily juvenile books (picture book, easy readers, graphic novels, and young adult), currently totaling 151 titles, are pending processing by the acquisitions librarian.

An editorial by Brian Kenney, editor-in-chief of School Library Journal, Sex, Drugs, and Reading Levels, discusses the significance of book reviewing and SLJ's stand on what is included in their reviews:

"What we do at SLJ is review literature for children and young adults. What we can't do is keep you safe by imagining how any number of adults, with any number of agendas, might construe a novel. Our reviewers consider the elements of good literature: pacing, plot, character development, mood, language, and style. We ask "is this a good book?" and "who is the likely reader?" (Kenney, SLJ, 6/1/07)

Kenney presents a valid point, especially with his article subtitle/talking points: "It's your collection, your community. You make the call." Minutes prior to reading this editorial I was discussing this topic with another librarian, specifically how we tend to read book reviews.

It is not possible to read every single review in a journal. There, I said it out loud. Shortcuts are taken; I read the first sentence and last two sentences in each review considered. Generally speaking that provides basic information regarding both book topic and the reviewer's final recommendation. If those elements are of interest, they contain specific topics I need for my collection (and make no mistake, right now it is my collection), I read the full review and make note of the ISBN for my list. Additionally, there are general things I look for when reading reviews. Broad topics include sport sciences and health, math, language arts, children's and young adult literature, and possibility to be used as a read-aloud. I look for topics specific to current course assignments requiring students to find picture books and children's literature for math, special education, music and art appreciation; juvenile and young adult titles featuring historical fiction; and growing genre of graphic novels. I will also be brave and admit sometimes the book just sounds fun - or has been written or illustrated by one of my personal favorites. Yes, I said that out loud as well.

Journals and their reviewers have specific readers, or audiences. Librarians have differing purposes for their selection agenda's, more appropriately termed collection development policy, when making juvenile selections for their collections. When those things successfully meld together, I get a great book for the library. And while no selection process is without an occasional poor choice, even these books serve purpose as teaching tools for the children's literature classes. Each time I fill a cart full of books I take the chance; with choices in hand I try to enhance the collection

Tags: Collection development, Juvenile collection, Book reviews, School Library Journal

The ARC's, part two

Here is the last group of ARC's from conference vendors/exhibitors. This group is mostly picture books, with a graphic novel and YA novel starting out the list. Technically speaking Satchel Paige and The Book Fair from the Black Lagoon are not ARC's, but they were freebies handed out at the conference, the first in a YA author session and the second while roaming the exhibit hall.

I have a sister who teaches third grade in a school that does Scholastic Book fairs on a regular basis (don't they all?). I will be sending along my paperback copy of Black Lagoon for her classroom and hoping to find a hardback or library bound copy of the same for the library. It would be a great addition for student teachers.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabrielle Zevin

“If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn’t have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn’t have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn’t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her “Chief.” She’d know about her mom’s new family. She’d know about her dad’s fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn’t have wanted to kiss him back.”

“But Naomi picked heads.” (Amazon, book description)

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, James Sturm & Rich Tommaso

“Baseball Hall-of-Famer Leroy “Stachel” Paige (1905?-1982) changed the face of the game in a career that spanned five decades. Much has been written about this larger-than-life pitcher, but when it comes to Paige, fact does not easily separate from fiction. He made a point of writing his own history… and then rewriting it. Told from the point of view of a fictional sharecropper, this compelling narrative follows Paige from his earliest days on the mound through the pinnacle of his career. A tall, lanky fireballer, he was arguably the Negro Leagues’ hardest thrower, most entertaining storyteller, and greatest gate attraction. Playing for dozens of teams, Paige vanquished thousands of batters; but his part in helping strike out Jim Crow may be his most lasting legacy.” (Satchel Paige, Book cover)

The Book Fair from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler

“Look out! The Book Fair is coming to your school. Do they really lock you in a closet until you buy some books? Yikes! You better start saving your money!” (Book Fair from the Black Lagoon, Book Cover)

The Lonely Moose, John Segal

“Moose spends his quiet days alone - and he likes it that way. But when he rescues a bird that cannot fly, Moose finds his solitary life turned upside down. Bird sings in the mornings, talks all day long - and he likes to eat worms!”

“As the days become weeks, Moose and Bird form a special friendship. They eat pond weeds for breakfast, swim every afternoon, and sometimes climb to the very top of the mountain just to enjoy the view. So when a forest fire separates the two friends, Moose is distraught. Alone again, his fondest wish is to be reunited with his noisy companion …” (The Lonely Moose, Book flap)

Grump Groan Growl, Bell Hooks & Chris Raschka

“Bad mood on the prowl.”

“In this fresh look at a fun and positive way to face our bad, grumpy, and wild moods, Bell Hooks brings a vision of calm with soothing rhythmic text while Chris Raschka’s vibrant art adds compassion and humor, reminding readers that sometimes you just have to let is slide.” (Grump Groan Growl, Book flap)

Nothing, Jon Agee

“What’s for sale?” asks Suzie Gump as she enters Otis’s empty antiques shop.”
“Uh, nothing,” says Otis.”
“I’ll take it,” she replies.”

“This makes sense. Suzie has everything. But she’s never had nothing! And, by the way, she can afford it. When her eccentric shopping habits are witnessed by others, it kicks off a buying spree of epic proportions for - you guessed it - nothing at all. Otis bucks the trend, and is left sulking in his shop full of things. But not for long! Ah, the fickle world of fashion.” (Nothing, Book flap)

Tags: ALA, 2007 ALA Conference, ALA exhibitors booths, ARC's, Advance Readers Copy

The ARC's

With my book greed on a tight leash and one eye focused on my luggage weight (50 pound limit at the airport before extra baggage costs), I walked through the ALA conference exhibit area perusing freely available ARC's in children's literature, young adult literature, and books just for fun. I managed an eclectic mix of titles this year, three of which I read before leaving D.C. yesterday and a fourth I started on the plane during the storm cell delay. Here's the list with accompanying book description information from Amazon and/or the book jacket. I will be posting reviews and comments on the books as I finish.

The Chicago Way, Michael Harvey

"Chicago private investigator Michael Kelly is hired by his former partner, John Gibbons, to help solve an eight-year-old rape and battery case, a case it turns out his old friend was once ordered to forget. When Gibbons turns up dead on Navy Pier, Kelly enlists a team of his savviest colleagues to connect the dots between the recent murder and the cold case it revived: Diane Lindsay, a television reporter whose relationship with Kelly is not strictly professional; his best friend from childhood, Nicole Andrews, a forensic DNA expert; Nicole’s boyfriend, Vince Rodriguez, a detective with a special interest in rape cases; and Bennett Davis from the DA’s office, a friend since Kelly’s days on the force. To close the case, Kelly will have to face the mob, a serial killer, his own double-crossing friends, and the mean streets of the city he loves." (Book cover and Amazon)

The World Made Straight, Ron Rash

"Travis Shelton is seventeen the summer he wanders into the woods near his home, discovers a grove of marijuana large enough to make him some serious money, and steps into the jaws of a bear trap. After hours on the forest floor, he's released from the trap by the shrewd, vicious farmer who set it - but his confrontation with the subtle evils that underlie the life of his small Appalachian community has begun." (Book Jacket)

Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, Wendy Mass

"Written in witty, accessible verse, Wendy Mass's novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Tessa and what happens in the moments after a shocking gym class accident. Tessa finds herself in heaven, which bears a striking resemblence to her hometown mall, and in the tradation of It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, she starts reliving her life up until that moment. Tessa sees some things she'd rather forget, learns some things about herself she'd rather not know, and ultimately she must find the answer to one burning question - if she only knew what the question was." (Book jacket)

Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse, Judith Rossell

"A swashbuckling adventure full of sword fights, sea shanties, and persistent pirate!Jack Jones is a very ordinary boy until the day his great uncle passes away and he inherits a terrible, horrible pirate curse from, the famed pirate Blackstrap Morgan, his great-great-many-times-great grandfather. Chased by a merciless band of pirates who can temporarily take over the bodies of anyone close to Jack—his teacher, his friends, and even his parents—he must find the courage to confront the curse and outsmart the pirates or spend the rest of his life running. An edge-of-your-seat thriller, this book is full of adventuresome pirates and hilarious escapades!" (Amazon and Book Jacket)

I am Not Joey Pigza, Jack Gantos

"Just when Joey Pigza’s wired world finally seems to be under control, his good-for-nothing dad pops back into his life. This time, though, Carter Pigza is a new man – literally. After a lucky lotto win, Carter Pigza has a crazy new outlook on life, and he’s even changed his name to Charles Heinz. He thinks Joey and his mom should become new people, too. Soon Joey finds himself bombarded with changes: a new name, a new home, and a new family business – running the beat-up Beehive Diner. He knows he should forgive his dad as his mom wants him to, and get with the new family program. But Joey is afraid that in changing names and going with the flow he will lose sight of who he really is. In this rocket-paced new chapter in Joey Pigza’s life, a favorite hero discovers what identity and forgiveness really mean, and how to cook a delicious turkey burger." (Amazon book description)

Project 17, Laurie Faria Stolasrz

"High atop Hathorne Hill, just outside of Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, and of cold winds felt throughout its underground tunnels. And then there are the treasures found inside, eerie remnants of its former tenants: journals, hair combs, bars of soap, even old medical records, all left behind for trespassers to view.”

“On the eve of the hospital’s demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it’s an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents’ diner. For the others, it’s a chance to be on TV, or for a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls and down every dark passageway, these high schoolers will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and of the spirits who still might.” (Book Jacket)

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, Eoin Colfer

"Ten thousand years ago, humans and fairies fought a great battle for the magical island of Ireland. When it became clear to the fairy families that they could never win, they decided to move their civilization underground and keep themselves hidden from the humans. All the fairy families agreed on this, except the eighth family, the demons. The demons planned to lift their small island out of time until they had regrouped and were ready to wage war on the humans once more. However, the time spell went wrong, and the island of Hybras was catapulted into Limbo, where it has remained for ten thousand years. Now the tainted time spell is deteriorating and demons are being sucked back into the present space and time. The fairy council is concerned about this and is monitoring any materializations. But when the spells deterioration accelerates, the materializations become unpredictable. Even the fairy scientists cannot figure out where the next demon will pop up. But someone can. Artemis Fowl, teenage criminal mastermind, has solved temporal equations that no normal human should be intelligent enough to understand. So when a confused and frightened demon pops up in a Sicilian theater, Artemis Fowl is there to meet him. Unfortunately, he is not the only one. A second, mysterious party has also solved the temporal equations, and has managed to abduct the demon before Artemis can secure him. Once again, Artemis will have to pair up with his old comrade, Captain Holly Short, to track down the missing demon and rescue him, before the time spell dissolves completely and the lost demon colony returns violently to Earth." (Book Description, Amazon)

I have a few other titles to add here, but Blogger is giving me publishing fits and I have lost patience with the continuous "could not contact Blogger.com" message I am receiving when attempting to save and publish this post.

Tags: ALA, 2007 ALA Conference, ALA exhibitors booths, ARC's, Advance Readers Copy

Mock Caldecott ... early choices

I am currently collecting books, and by "collect" I mean check out to me for the next three months, for September's Mock Caldecott session. I endeavor to find books not only new to our collection and possibly the participating students, but also visually appealing and meeting Caldecott medal standards. Picking from new books is slim right now with one fiscal year ending and another yet to begin, although luckily there are a few titles filtering into the library that were ordered in late April and May. At this point I have seven contenders, almost half way to the fifteen plus necessary; five have been in captivity for several weeks and two I took from the new book cart this afternoon.

The first five and their illustrators (in no particular order) are:

• The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County, Shelley Jackson
• Lucky Jake, Wade Zaharaes
• Wolf's Coming, Joe Kulka
• Sweet Land of Liberty, Leonard Jenkins
• Lily Brown's Paintings, E.B. Lewis

Today's jewels are:

• When I met the Wolf Girls, August Hall
• My America, Ashley Bryan and Jan Spivey Gilchrist
  

My America is a beautiful piece of artistic poetry. Bryan and Gilchrist's illustrations perfectly compliment the book's poetry and each other in a way that should not be possible given the distinctly different style of each artist; case in point, bright colored water creatures flow into two youngsters enjoying a swim in the ocean and a stunning watercolor rendering of American children is enhanced by people dressed in traditional garb on the next page. This book begs to be read and enjoyed a second and third time.

When I Met the Wolf Girls, illustrated by August Hall, is a fictional account of two young girls discovered by missionaries in the 1920's who had been raised by wolves. Hall's art is a perfect accompaniment to this story as it ranges from lushly drawn forest and animals (the double page jungle spread towards the end is a visual treat) to the townspeople missionaries having a more somber amber toned palette. This book has an intriguing textural feel; it reminded me in some ways of a plastic placemat that the technical services assistant did not cover so as not to inhibit student's enjoyment of holding the book as well as reading it.

Time will tell if the students enjoy any of these selections, or the other eight or ten I have yet to select. They always find something unique in each of the books we discuss when making their choices.

Tags: Mock Caldecott, Picture books, Picture book art, August Hall, Ashley Bryan, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, My America, When I Met the Wolf Girls

Read Roger ... again

Read Roger, the Horn Book editors blog, is always a great informational tool, as well as an intriguing children's literature resource. Case in point, today Roger pointed readers to the Horn Book's Summer Reading recommendations:

"Every few summers, and this promises to be one, the whole world goes wild about Harry. But no wizard has a lock on enchantment. Our editors have hand-picked some favorite new titles, all published within the last year, that are ideal for the season. There is plenty of magic here, too." (Summer Reading, Horn Book, 6/11/07)

I scanned through the list and noted a few titles I have already read (and blogged about), one I am in the process of reading, and several I would like to read. Also posted recently was an announcement about the 2007 Boston Globe Horn Book Awards. I was slightly smug to learn we had all winning titles and all but one of the honor books already in our collection. The book I missed was 365 Penguins and we'll order it when funds are released for the next fiscal year.

As to that summer reading list, here are the books I have read and/or blogged about:

• Babymouse
• The Green Glass Sea
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret
• Rex Zero and the End of the World
• Dairy Queen
• Notes from the Midnight Driver
• How it Happened on Peach Hill
• One Whole and Perfect Day

Currently Reading:

• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing - This is not an average young adult novel. Written in what could be loosely termed a journal format, Octavian Nothing is a disturbing account of historical fiction written in the dialogue of the times, 18th century America. In it Octavian discusses slavery, his own, and the academic experiment that was the bedrock and downfall of his childhood. Readers are provided insights to the barbaric whims of slavery and slave owners during the Revolutionary War era, as opposed to the more widely known Civil War notations. I have not yet finished this book, but it is disurbing on many levels as the first person narrative intersperced throughout the novel is at times both matter-of-fact and cynical.

Would like to read:

• Street Love, Walter Dean Myers

Tags: Read Roger, Horn Book Magazine, Juvenile summer reading

More on graphic novels

After posting about Oddly Normal, Volume 1, I went down to pick up Monday's mail and found a new Booklist journal in my mailbox. The March 15th Booklist, volume 103 number 14, includes a Spotlight on Graphic Novels. Sign up for a trial version of Booklist Online and browse this issue at your leisure. I have not had time to read the issue, but a quick overview reveals it is loaded with great graphic novel information:

• New Graphic Novels (p. 35-41): Reviews
• He Reads ... Graphic Novels (p. 38)
• She Reads ... Graphic Novels (p. 39)
• You Go, Graphic: A Carte Blanche article by Michael Cart (p. 43)
• New Graphic Novels for Youth (p. 56)
• Core Collection: Japanese Manga for Teens (p. 60)
• Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth (p. 62)
• Starred Review: UXL Graphic Novelists: Profiles of Cutting Edge Authors and Illustrators (p. 77)
• RA Corner review of Graphic Novels: A genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga, and More (p. 79)

I already purchased the Pawuk book, Graphic Novels, reviewed in the RA corner and am interested in the UXL title given a starred review in the reference book bulletin section of the journal. It is not enough to simply own graphic novels, I need reference and research titles with information to support the genre as well. Due to the limited number of available reference books currently available for the graphic novels, most of the books recently purchased about this genre have been cataloged for the resource center reference collection.

Booklist image c. ALA, used here for education purposes only

Tags: Booklist, Graphic novels, Graphic novel reviews

Fickle and juvenile

It might be kinder to say I currently have the attention span of an average five-year old ...

In the last week I have begun to read, and later returned to the circulating collection, no less than four different juvenile novels. I started the books with an open mind, moving outside my interest "zone" to broaden my reader horizons. However in each instance there was not enough in the book to entice me to finish. I took one to lunch three days thinking I could power through to the end; nope, nada, not going to happen. After struggling through two of the four I discussed them with the cataloging librarian who is a fantasy aficionado. She agreed that while they were perfectly acceptable books, neither was a stellar example of an exceptional fantasy novel.

Instead of thinking I am simply literature lazy and do not want to read something critically that is not to my taste, I prefer to say I am exercising my rights as a discriminating reader and choose not to finish. There are so many books to read (and so little quality reading time) that it seems foolish to force the issue. They are two very different things, reading for enjoyment and reading for work. That is why I rely on professional children's literature reviewers when selecting books for the library collection. An entire juvenile section full of only what I enjoy reading, no matter how eclectic my tastes, would be a poor example of collection development policy.

Also a contributing factor to the fickle-ness of my reading patterns is the humble realization that my brain is fried from several consecutive eight hour days of web page re-designs and is close to exploding (always messy) with the knowledge I have a long way to go before declaring the job finished. And for heaven's sake, don't even get me started on the short conversation I had with my boss regarding the soon to begin torture of the library web page re-design.

I could wax poetical about having only two days until spring break, but that's another post. Or, I could provide the information regarding how many days between the end of spring break and Easter break. Maybe I should describe in detail the number of days between Easter break and the last day of classes for this spring 2007 term. But, to do that I would have to admit a student worker supplied me with the information (I had no idea!) earlier today.

Then again, I could reveal it has taken me four tries to correct this post and it remains only boderline grammatically acceptable, possibly even less readable than those four books in question earlier.

Instead, I will pick a favorite book from my collection and just relax. As Scarlett says, "Tomorrow is another day."


Tags: No tags here today.

Small cart, new books

It is a lovely new book morning complete with a small cart of arrivals for the juvenile collection. Naturally I was able to peruse and mark several for my greedy self, and have first crack at a small cart of books I missed (the horrors) when they arrived a week ago.

Here are a few new titles I tagged to read after processing:

• Time Bomb, Nigel Hinton
• The Miner's Daughter, Gretchen Moran Laskas
• Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil, Wiley Miller
• Lily Brown's Paintings, Angela Johnson
• The Dumpster Diver, Janet S. Wong
• Shout!: Little Poems that Roar, Brod Bagert
• Little Rooster's Diamond Button, Margaret Read MacDonald
• Henry's Freedom Box, Ellen Levine
  (The cover art on this picture book is wonderful!)

The two added to my overflowing book shelf are:

• Oddly Normal Volume 1, Otis Frampton
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick

Tags: Collection development, Juvenile books, Picture books, Juvenile literature

More on the higher power

In all fairness, this post could be labeled a cheating post. Earlier today I placed this information on the collaborative blog I author with another academic librarian. Since very little has been heard from Susan Patron during the firestorm of controversy I was interested in reading what she had to say about the situation. What I have posted is a very small part of the article, not interview, she wrote for the LA Times. Even though you have to create an account to read the article, it is worth the few minutes required to complete the process.

The AASL blog posted an addendum to their ALA post linking to a Los Angeles Times article by Susan Patron, author of The Higher Power of Lucky. The article, 'Scrotum' as a children's literary tool, is a response to the ongoing controversy.

"Books that offer hope to tender and impressionable readers (by which I mean all children) armor them against the confusing, frightening, numbing realities of life. My protagonist, Lucky, terrified that she'll be abandoned by her guardian, makes a desperate plan to run away with her beloved dog. I wanted to write an honest story that would fill readers with hope and let them see that even in a gravely flawed world, there are adults who will nurture them, adults — no matter how scruffy and unlikely — who have compassion and integrity. I wanted to give readers a book in which they, like Lucky, would find courage, love and empowerment.

And parents who worry about having to explain the meaning of "scrotum" can relax. Children who read the entire book will discover exactly what it means, in a context that is straightforward, reassuring and truthful. " (Patron, LA Times, 2/28/07)

Please note, when following the article link you will be required to create an account with LA Times.com to read the article.


Tags: ALA, Higher Power of Lucky, Newbery Award

New books, new books, new books

Let's face it, I am a bit of a book geek. For the last several weeks there was been a nice steady flow of carts in juvenile literature, and it makes me happy. Today's batch includes books I ordered, along with selections made by another librarian in charge of a small annual budget given to the library to purchase juvenile literature. From a collection development standpoint, it is nice to have a second librarian making a contribution to the juvenile section of the library. Every librarian thinks he/she is building a well-rounded and unbiased collection. Generally speaking, this is the case. But, no matter how hard you try, some aspects a collection will begin to take on the personal choices of the librarian in charge of the purchasing.

After working as a children's librarian in a public library and teaching first grade, I tend to gravitate towards books reviewed as good for story time and group settings. The other librarian ordering has an interest in fantasy literature. Since she purchases that particular genre, I do not buy much fantasy. Today's cart has many very interesting titles, including Young Adult choices, graphic novels, picture books, and juvenile non-fiction:

• Alosha


• The Book of One Hundred Truths


• Babymouse Heartbreaker


• Games: A Tale of Two Bullies


• The Cartoon History of the Modern World


• Rubber Houses


• An Unlikely Friendship


• Flat Stanley


• Birdsongs


• Champions on the Bench


• A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime


• Max Counts his Chickens


• Not a Box


• Our 50 States


• The End

The hardest part is looking over the cart and balancing what I want to read with what I will have time to read.

Tags: Collection development, Juvenile collection, Juvenile books, New books

Eats, Shoots & Leaves - and - Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Another day, another two books reviewed on the children's blog at work. I've been whittling down my shelf of books to read and/or review before spending a lot of time on the web page redo. Between time sheets, updates, hours updates, and meetings, pretty much all I did accomplish today were the book reviews and a quick addition to my personal library page. The two today not only interesting, but just plain fun. The first, Eats, Shoots & Leaves may have somewhat limited use, but it is so cleverly done the book itself is amusing and worth reading regardless of the language arts lesson applied. Additionally, I am a bit of a comma queen (in case no one has noticed) and it would behoove me to take a few of these lessons to heart!

“Commas can create havoc when they are left out or are put in the wrong spot, and the results of misuse can be hilarious.” This smart picture book takes a unique look at commas and the important function they provide in English language sentence structure. Each set of pages displays the same sentence with and without commas, or with commas placed in strategically different positions. Cartoon illustrations accompany the text, providing witty representations of both sentences and aptly displaying the different meanings resulting from comma placement. In one set of pages sure to get a laugh, you see people outside of a gas station filling up their cars, “Eat here, and get gas.” The corresponding page depicts a restaurant serving beans, “Eat here and get gas.” Truss provides an introduction to the text, as well as explanations at the end regarding all the sentence structures used.

The second book today, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road, is just brilliant. Each of the fourteen artists have answered the question in their own way. I spent several days pouring over the different pages and still haven't found my favorite. Since I'm a David Catrow fan, obviously his is at the top of the list. However, the lush beauty of Mary Grandpre's chicken crossing the road and the sweet picnic from Jerry Pinkney, just add to the well rounded collection. Each illustrator has a style of their own and that, combined with their wit, makes this a great book for anyone who loves children's literature to read and enjoy.

Fourteen children’s book artists answer the age old question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and embellish greatly concerning what is on the other side. Each artist has a double page spread, illustrating his or her artistic interpretation on the query with spectacular results. Though not a wordless picture book, text is sparse and well placed. From John Agee’s chicken and possum to Chris Sheban’s baseball game gone awry, from the chicken eating in David Catrow’s “Diner Across the Road” to Christopher Raschka’s chicken questioning the sphinx, each illustration is unique to the artist, rich, colorful, and humorous. The book ends with a “Scoop from the Coop” where a question of a different kind is asked of each artist: “Why did the artist cross the road?” Students would enjoy using their own artistic talents to answer the same question.

Tags: Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss, Bonnie Timmons,Children's literature, Juvenile book reviews