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book reviews and other news

picture books for everybody

11/13/2017

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November is Picture Book Month!

Two recent professional articles (one from Children and Libraries and one from a teen librarian blog, The Hub) sing the praises of picture books for everyone, and I thought that would be a great message to pass along here, too. At Madison, we are fortunate to have a library budget to buy new books every year. (Some schools have NO budget, and some schools don’t have libraries, either, but that’s a whole different post…) There are hundreds of fantastic picture books in our collection, so choosing a few to feature here is difficult. I’ll zero in on examples of picture book biographies (pb bios) that can be utilized for a variety of instructional purposes, as well as for pure enjoyment.

Picture book biographies are amazing because they highlight a person’s achievements without going into boring details that longer books sometimes do. They can also introduce readers to people they might never otherwise know about because the books’ artwork and format are so appealing. One example is Miss Mary Reporting by Sue Macy. Many Madison students play or watch sports, so this story of a tiny woman sportswriter in the 1940s (when such a thing was unheard of) should perk their interest. The cover is perfect – Miss Mary standing proudly in the midst of athletes, particularly a ginormous linebacker. The story of her life and career is just as interesting and entertaining as the cover promises. 

I can’t write about picture book biographies without mentioning three authors who specialize in this area: Don Brown, Jeanette Winter and Jonah Winter. Look for ANY of their pb bios and you and your students will be hooked.

One of Don Brown’s most recent titles is Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History. With the popularity of the musical Hamilton, and the obvious US History curriculum connection, this book can inform students (and adults) about this famous rivalry. A Madison Junior High social studies teacher saw this book arrive and was excited to immediately read it and share it with his students.

Jeanette Winter, like Don Brown, has written numerous pb bio titles. A unique one is a dual biography of Malala Yousafzai and Iqbal Masih, two Pakistani child heroes. The content is fascinating and the kids will like that you flip the book over to read the other biography. Malala/Iqbal can be used in a class to show that children and teens can make a real difference in our world.

Jonah Winter is Jeanette Winter’s son. He has his own books, and sometimes they collaborate. A favorite of mine is his biography of Frida Kahlo, illustrated by Ana Juan. The artwork is staggering – both Frida’s and Ana’s. Pb bios of artists are useful for all ages because for the youngest readers, they are an accessible introduction to an artist’s work, and for older students, the book is one artist’s interpretation of another artist’s creations requiring deeper consideration of the information.

Let me know if you enjoyed this pb bio feature and if you have any requests/suggestions for future topics.
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reading in the country

8/21/2017

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Check out this Nerdy Book Club blog post about rural settings in middle grade and teen books:

One of the people who commented on the post was author Jen Bryant. Her biography of the poet William Carlos Williams, A River of Words, is a particular favorite of mine. She commented on the post and also sent an email about her own middle grade books that are set in small towns or rural areas.  She’s going to send us signed copies of her books! How cool is that?! 

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authors are my heroes

5/12/2017

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On Monday, May 8, I met Newbery award-winning author Adam Gidwitz (author of the Grimm series which we own in ebook format – find the books in your library catalog). He was a fantastic storyteller and a really nice guy. One of my favorite moments was when a student asked him if he’d rather die by dragon-fart attack or by drowning in quicksand (read his book The Inquisitor’s Tale (click for book info) to understand this seemingly weird question). He was inspiring to the readers, librarians, and educators in the room, for sure. And on Thursday, May 11, I heard the authors in Miss Maiden’s class read from their new book (see photos below). It’s always exciting to hear authors read their own words.  What an amazing week of books and authors!
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Summer reading raves

5/8/2017

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I recently presented a webinar for INFOhio (recording here) and suggested some great books to read over the summer. Not my best presentation, surely (I need a LIVE audience with FACES), but some really really great reading ideas for everyone.
​Click on the image above for a list of titles.

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fun library facts for natl library week

4/7/2017

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​• The largest library in the U.S. has over 35 million books---The Library of Congress.

• In ancient Egypt, all ships visiting the city of Alexandria were required to surrender any books they had to the library so they could be copied. The original would be kept and the copy would be given back to the owner.

• There are more public libraries in the U.S. than McDonald’s.

• Odd things that can be checked out of a library: humans as a living book with stories to share in Great Britain and in Toronto; art and sculptures in some German public “art libraries” (it may involve a fee such as renting it for a certain length of time); rubber stamps in Canann Town Library in NH; toys in a library in New Zealand; a Kill a Watt energy measuring device in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries, NM; tools in Berkeley, CA; art prints in Northern Virginia; a therapy dog for 30 min. intervals at Yale Law Library. 
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• At the age of 9, Ron McNair refused to leave the segregated Lake City Public Library without being allowed to check out his books. After the police and his mother were called, he was allowed to borrow books from the library. That library is now named after him---he became an astronaut and was one of the ones killed in the 1986 Challenger explosion.

• The Guinness Book of World Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries.
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Just added

3/23/2017

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​All of the award-contenders have been cleared from my house and are joining the Madison library collections.  A few noteworthy titles to consider:  Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan, Ruby Lee & Me by Shannon Hitchcock and Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern.  In Save Me a Seat two very different boys are hoping for a place to belong at their school. This story has a very friendly Andrew Clements-esque vibe, and readers will find both Joe and Ravi super-relatable.  Ruby Lee & Me is a story of family, integration and friendship in 1969 North Carolina.  Both Ruby Lee & Me and Just My Luck have challenging siblings as part of their stories. In Just My Luck, Benny’s brother is autistic. His family is also dealing with Dad’s hospitalization. Benny’s mom looks to the bright side while Benny turns to his homemade stop-action animation Lego movies. These movies are my favorite part of the book – so wonderful and hilarious. 
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We have diversity.

12/20/2016

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Diversity has always been a hot topic in libraries that aim to serve everyone.  When Marley Dias’s story hit the news earlier this year, it provided inspiration.  Here are some recent additions to our elementary collection that can offer all of our students a nice picture window open to the world.  (This image makes me think of a warm breeze on a warm June day, a welcome thought on this 9 degree December Tuesday – brrrr.)
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booktalking

11/9/2016

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We’re surrounded by technology, but there’s nothing like good old talkin’ about books.  Teachers, keep asking me to share great reads with your classes.  Students, ask for one-on-one help.  Matching a book with its reader is my favorite thing to do.
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Out with the old in with the new

8/14/2016

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Scroll down for the post about weeding the elementary nonfiction "garden."   It posted as  November, rather than August, news because of some weirdness on my part.  (Imagine.)
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Summer reading and summer screening

6/1/2016

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It's June 1 which means SUMMER READING @ the MidPointe Library.  Sign up today.
And here is a VIDEO about the importance of summer learning (ironic, I know, but watch it and then go to the library).

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    Elaine Fultz, SLMS/mls

    I love being a school librarian.  My profession is a perfect blend of encouraging curiosity and learning with both educators and students.

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