Maybe it’s just at my library, but many of our kids head straight for the new shelves.  They just can’t help themselves.  They like the shining covers.  The crisp pages.  They are drawn to the snappy cover art.  Plus, they want to check out the latest and greatest new book–you know, the one all their friends are reading.  Even now, Wonder by R.J. Palacio is one of those books for us.  While it was published in February of 2012, popularity of it still hasn’t let up–and rightly so.

Okay. But what if all your copies are checked out? What do you give them?  Sometimes be hard for us as librarians to bring attention to older–albeit sometimes dusty–titles that may not have yet been read by kids these days.  It sure doesn’t hurt to try.  If you are looking for some suggestions of good books with characters that are special in their own way, try these.

A Cool Moonlight by Angela Johnson

Nine-year-old Lila, born with xeroderma pigmentosum, a skin disease that make her sensitive to sunlight, makes secret plans to feel the sun’s rays on her tenth birthday.

Quit It by Marcia Byalick

Diagnosed with a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics, such as coughing and head jerking, sixth-grader Carrie must cope with the embarrassment and strain of various reactions from family, friends, and strangers.

The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous by Suzanne Crowely

In the small town of Jumbo, Texas, thirteen-year-old Merilee, who has Asperger’s syndrome, tries to live a “Very Ordered Existence,” but disruptions begin when a boy and his father arrive in town and the youngster makes himself a part of the family.

Nobody’s Perfect by Marlee Matlin

Megan, a popular and outgoing fourth-grader, is sure that the “perfect” new girl dislikes her because she is deaf, but persistence and a joint science fair project help Megan see that the two girls have something in common after all.

Singing Hands by Delia Ray

In the late 1940s, twelve-year-old Gussie, a minister’s daughter, learns the definition of integrity while helping with a celebration at the Alabama School for the Deaf–her punishment for misdeeds against her deaf parents and their boarders.

95 Pounds of Hope by Anna Galvada

From his first day, school had been torture for Gregory because of his ADD.  Things got progressively worse, until he was expelled in eighth grade, but through all his difficulties, Gregory could count on support from his grandfather, until his grandfather became ill and needed support from Gregory.

The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry

Katy Thatcher was the bright and curious daughter of the town doctor. Perhaps it was her insatiable curiosity that fueled their friendship with Jacob.  Although Jacob never spoke to her or even looked at her directly, Katy grew to understand him from the moments they spent together quietly singing to the horses.  But when events took an unexpected and tragic turn, it was Katy alone who could unravel the mystery of what had occurred, and why.

The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood

When thirteen-year-old Delrita’s parents are killed in an car accident, she begins to hide from the world.  Things change for her when she starts to develop a friendship with her Uncle Punky, an adult with Down’s syndrome.

You might remember that I blogged about The Risk and Reward Conference back in September and I called it “one of the best conferences I have attended”. Now, four months after returning from that conference, I would say it again, but I would add this: I have used what I learned there again and again and my career, my library and my community are reaping the rewards. Really. You can’t make this stuff up.

The great thing is: now you can experience a little of R Squared from the comfort of your home or office. The speaker videos are now available. I would highly recommend taking a little time to watch Josh Linkner’s keynote address on creativity. Follow up by reading Disciplined Dreaming. Better yet, buy a copy of the book to keep in your office. I refer to this book constantly.

Then watch Tamara Kleinberg’s Idea Jam keynote. So maybe right now you are thinking: why in the world would I invest three hours of my life to watch these videos? Here is why: if you approach this with an open mind and a desire to make change and innovate in your library, in those three hours of video you will find the tools that you need to make a difference.

If you watch these videos and can’t stop yourself from learning more, visit this page of resources for videos from across the four conference experiences: culture, abundant community, customer curiosity and creative spaces.

So how have I used this stuff? We recently rewrote our Strategic Plan, Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Core Values. Since I attended the Culture experience at R Squared, I brought back a lot of exciting information about how to build and maintain a workplace culture. We conducted a survey of all library staff and used that information to build a core values document that lays out exactly what we are excited about. Soon we will be using some of the creativity techniques from the conference to brainstorm ideas for how to nurture that culture.

Quite often (at least once a month, but usually more), we have had a “Creativity Challenge” with various groups of staff to solve problems or challenges we are experiencing. Just a few days ago I got together with a fabulous group of people to brainstorm themes for our lovely Art Room. A few months ago we met to figure out the best way to provide early literacy outreach in a targeted area and were awarded a $20K grant for our efforts!

We left R Squared with a lot of ideas and concrete tools for creating more ideas. We also left with a challenge: a competition for $5k which would be awarded to the library that came up with an innovative marketing campaign. So, in 24 hours (no joke!) we wrote, filmed and edited a short clip of a game show: The Shouty Librarian. While we didn’t win the $5k we had a ton of fun and exercised our creativity.

Overall R Squared changed the way I think about my work and changed what I believe is possible. I find myself asking “why?” a lot more and I am constantly pushing myself to think beyond common constraints. Don’t let the lack of money, staff or time prevent you from doing something fantastic. There are creative ways to solve common problems and provide stellar services to your customers. I promise. Give three hours to R Squared. You can thank me in four months.

The 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle kicks off on Friday and ALSC has a full schedule of activities. Whether you’re there to meet new people, to serve on a committee or to experience the exciting Youth Media Awards, ALSC has plenty to offer. Remember, even if you’re not going to Seattle, you can follow along with ALSC here on the blog (we’ll be live-blogging) or on Twitter (follow #alamw13). Here are a few events that you might want to attend:

Friday
9:00am-5:00pm – 2013 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, REN-Marion
1:30-4:30pm – 2013 Notable Children’s Books Committee, WSCC-Room 2AB
1:30-10:00pm – 2013 Carnegie Medal/Notable Children’s Videos Committee, LION-Pioneer
7:00-8:30pm – ALSC Speed Networking, LION-Seattle Ballroom I

Saturday
8:30-11:30am – Leadership and ALSC (formerly Division Leadership), GRAND-Leonesa II & III
9:00am-5:30pm – Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, REN-Marion
1:00-5:30pm – Board of Directors, WSCC-Room 212
1:30-4:30pm – Notable Children’s Books Committee, WSCC-Room 2AB

Sunday
8:30-11:30am – ALSC All Committee I, GRAND-Leonesa II & III
8:30-11:30am – ALSC All Committee II, GRAND-Princessa Ballroom
10:30-11:30am – Summer Reading Update (ALSC/PLA/YALSA), WSCC 602-603
1:30-4:30pm – Notable Children’s Books Committee, WSCC-Room 2AB
1:30-9:00pm – Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, REN-Marion
4:30-5:30pm – All Discussion Groups Meeting (ALSC), WSCC 303
4:30-5:30pm – Collection Management Discussion Group, WSCC 305

Monday
8:00-9:00am – Youth Media Awards, WSCC-Ballroom 6B
1:30-4:30pm – Notable Children’s Books Committee, WSCC-Room 2AB
1:30-5:30pm – Board of Directors, WSCC-Room 306
6:00-7:30pm – ALSC & YALSA Joint Member Reception, SHER-Cirrus Room
8:00-10:00pm – Storytelling Discussion Group, SHER-Jefferson

Tuesday
8:00am-12:00pm – Notable Children’s Books Committee, WSCC-Room 2AB

There is also a complete list of ALSC events at Midwinter on the ALSC website. Also, do not forget that everyone can watch the Youth Media Awards webcast live!

CBC Diversity, a committee-run initiative of the Children’s Book Council, will be making an appearance at ALA Midwinter 2013. The informational session will provide details about the initiative and all of the resources it offers librarians, one being the constantly updated CBC Diversity Goodreads Bookshelf which utilizes the bookshelf tags to organize the collection based on the different types of diversity that can be found in children’s literature.

Not only will the session showcase valuable information about the initiative and how the publishing industry is handling the current state of diversity in children’s books but, it will also allow the librarian-filled audience to ask questions and give advice to the representatives about the future of CBC Diversity.

Visit the CBC Diversity blog for more information about the initiative (and to sneak a peek at the other valuable resources before the panel) and check out the CBC Diversity ALA Midwinter flyer below for all of the details.

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Our guest blog post today is from the Children’s Book Council. The Children’s Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

The ALSC Blog is looking for people interested in microblogging during the upcoming ALA Midwinter Conference.Are you attending the ALA Midwinter Conference? Are you willing to share with Blog readers what is happening at the Conference? Readers want to hear about YOUR experiences at:

• the Notable Children’s Books discussions
• the Notable Children’s Recordings discussions
• the Notable Children’s Videos discussions
• Leadership and ALSC (formerly known as ALSC Division Leadership)
• the Youth Media Awards
• the Exhibits
• the wide variety of ALSC and ALA activities

If you are attending ALA Midwinter and are interested in lending your thoughts about the Conference to the blog,  please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.  We’d love to have your contributions!

The Office for Intellectual Freedom is sponsoring “Sweater Vest Sunday” on Sunday, January 27, 2013, to promote the freedom to read and the importance of reporting challenges to library materials.

We’re all familiar with the OIF’s work with Banned Books Week, but did you know:

·The Office for Intellectual Freedom has a database on challenged materials going back to 1990?

·All challenges reported to OIF are confidential?

·Reporting your challenge gives the OIF a better understanding of what is being challenged, where, by whom, and why, allowing the OIF to better support you?

·The OIF only publishes specific information about a challenge if that information is available through the media?

·In spite of all of this, it looks as though less than 25% of challenges are reported to the OIF?

·You can find out more about what OIF does in this video?

Now that you’ve got the facts straight, it’s time to show your support for reporting challenges!

Wear your sweater vest on Sunday, January 27 and if you’ll be at Midwinter, join us at the Intellectual Freedom Discussion Group session from 1-2:30 pm in room 616 of the Washington State Convention Center.

For all of the details on how to participate whether you’ll be at Midwinter or not, check out the official press release.

Amanda Goldson, ALSC Intellectual Freedom committee member

I’ve been sick in bed the past few days, and as always when I’m ill, I reach for things from my childhood to bring me comfort. Yesterday I found myself re-watching one of the worst adaptations I have ever adored, the 1995 Baby-Sitters Club movie.

Anne M. Martin began writing the Baby-Sitters Club books in the mid-1980′s, and they were the beloved companions of many children until they ceased publishing in 2000. Ms. Martin wrote between 60-80 books herself, with the rest being ghost written. Scholastic is in the process of re-releasing the series with updated in-text references and new covers, making this the perfect time to revisit the entire series, and its terribly awesome movie.

The books followed the exploits of four (and later 10) extremely business-minded, level-headed, 13 year-old girls. Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey run their own baby-sitting club. Customers can call one number and reach 4 experienced babysitters at once. Claudia, who has the advantage of having her own phone line (a massive perk in the 80′s!) hosts club meetings in her bedroom. When I read The Baby-Sitters Club I was determined to start my own successful business with my friends, and I longed to start babysitting and making my own money like the hard working ladies in these books.

I can imagine that children in the 21st century are also thrilled by the independence of the girls (and boys) found within these pages. They run their own business. They are trusted with children far younger than themselves at the mere age of 13. They live a life that seems rather impossible in the modern age. The girls in our library have been snapping the re-released series off the shelves, a phenomenon that has only increased as the Rania Telgemeier-illustrated graphic novels have grown more popular with our readers.

Which brings us to the film. Released in 1995, the film has little to do with the books it is based on. It features teen girls named Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey, and those girls do run a babysitting club, but that is basically where the similarities end. In the movie, the girls run a summer camp, take over a cabin in the woods, and partake in various family dramas to drive the plot along. Still, as unfaithful to the source as it is, the movie is a delightful throwback. It’s compulsively watchable despite its rather tenuous connection to the series. The female leads were huge in the 90′s – the film starred Rachel Lee Cook and Schuyler Fisk, among others, and the acting was decent for a teen drama. It’s available to watch instantly on Amazon, among other places, and it is definitely worth two hours of your time. Even the trailer brings a smile to my face!

The 2013 Notable Children’s Books Committee, chaired by Wendy Woodfill,  has been hard at work all year reading, re-reading, & evaluating books published in the 2012 calendar year to arrive at a list of nominated titles.

Notable Children’s Books 2013 – Nominated Titles
(Some titles  were discussed in June at the Annual Conference and will be briefly reviewed after Midwinter discussions are complete.)

FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS AND FICTION VERSE NOVELS)

Abirached, Zeina. A Game For Swallows: to die, to leave, to return. Illus. by the author. Lerner/Graphic Universe

Applegate, Katherine.  The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao.  HarperCollins Children’s Books

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone. Henry Holt and Company

Bauer, Joan. Almost Home. Viking Children’s Books

Bauer, Marion Dane. Little Dog, Lost. Illus. by Jennifer Bell.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Bell, Juliet.   Kepler’s Dream.  G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Burg, Shana. Laugh With the Moon. Delacorte Press

Carlson-Voiles, Polly. Summer of the Wolves. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Clifton, Lutricia.  Freaky Fast Frankie Joe.  Holiday House

Curtis, Christopher Paul.  The Mighty Miss Malone.  Random House / Wendy Lamb Books

DiCamillo, Kate and Alison McGhee.  Bink and Gollie: two for one.  Illus. by Tony Fucile.  Candlewick Press

Doyle, Roddy.  A Greyhound of a Girl.  Abrams Books /Amulet Books

Ellis, Deborah. My Name is Parvana.  Groundwood Books

Else, Barbara. The Traveling Restaurant: Jasper’s voyage in three parts: a novel for children. Gecko Press

Evans, Lissa. Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms: magic, mystery & a very strange adventure. Sterling Children’s Books

Fitzmaurice, Kathryn.  A Diamond in the Desert.  Viking Children’s Books

Fleming, Candace. On the Day I Died: stories from the grave. Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Gidwitz, Adam.  In a Glass Grimmly.  Dutton Children’s Books

Hartman, Rachel.  Seraphina.  Random House Children’s Books

Hartnett, Sonya.  Sadie and Ratz. Illus. by Ann James. Candlewick Press

Horvath, Polly.  Mr. and Mrs. Bunny– detectives extraordinaire! Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Horvath, Polly. One Year in Coal Harbor. Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly. One For the Murphys.  Penguin / Nancy Paulsen Books

Ibbotson, Eva. One Dog and His Boy.  Scholastic Press

Johnson, R. Kikuo. The Shark King : a Toon book. Illus. by the author. TOON Books

Jones, Diana Wynne. Earwig and the Witch. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky.  Greenwillow Books

Key, Watt. Fourmile. Farrar Straus & Giroux

Knowles, Johanna. See You at Harry’s. Candlewick Press

Larson, Hope. Madeleine L’Engle’s: a Wrinkle in Time: the graphic novel.   Farrar Straus & Giroux  / Margaret Ferguson Books

Leeds, Constance. The Unfortunate Son. Viking Children’s Books

Levine, Kristin.  The Lions of Little Rock.   G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Lin, Grace. Starry River of the Sky. Little, Brown

Lorenzi, Natalie Dias. Flying the Dragon. Charlesbridge

Lowry, Lois.  Son. Houghton Mifflin

MacLachlan, Patricia.  Kindred Souls.  HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books

Marsh, Katherine.   Jepp, Who Defied the Stars. Hyperion

Martínez, Andrés Vera and Na Liu. Little White Duck: a childhood in China. Illus. by Andrés Vera Martínez.  Lerner Publishing Group/Graphic Universe

McKay, Hilary. Caddy’s World.  Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books

McKay, Hilary. Lulu and the Duck in the Park. Illus. by Priscilla Lamont.  Albert Whitman

Mobley, Jeannie. Katerina’s Wish.  Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books

Morpurgo, Michael. Shadow.  Macmillan / Feiwel and Friends

Nelson, Vaunda  Micheaux.   No Crystal Stair: a documentary novel of the life of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller.  Illus. by R. Gregory Christie.  Carolrhoda Lab

Nielsen, Jennifer A.  The False Prince.  Scholastic Press

Obed, Ellen Bryan. Twelve Kinds of Ice.  Illus. by Barbara McClintock. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Palacio, R.J.  Wonder.   Alfred A. Knopf

Pennypacker, Sara. The Summer of the Gypsy Moths.  HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

Pitcher, Annabel. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece: a novel. Little, Brown

Preus, Margi. Shadow on the Mountain. Abrams / Amulet Books

Pyron, Bobbie. The Dogs of Winter.  Scholastic / Arthur A. Levine Books

Rose, Caroline Starr.  May B.   Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Rupp, Rebecca. After Eli.  Candlewick Press

Schlitz, Laura Amy.  Splendors and Glooms. Candlewick Press

Schmidt, Gary D. What Came From the Stars. Clarion Books

Stead, Rebecca. Liar  &  Spy. Random House / Wendy Lamb Books

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. Scholastic Press

Telgemeier, Raina. Drama. Illus. by the author.  Scholastic / Graphix

Thomas, Shelley Moore. The Seven Tales of Trinket.  Farrar Straus and Giroux

Turnage, Sheila.   Three Times Lucky.  Dial Books for Young Readers

Valentine, Jenny. Double. Hyperion

Wright, Barbara.  Crow.  Random House

PICTURE BOOKS

Banks, Kate. The Bear in the Book. Illus. by Georg Hallensleben. Farrar Straus & Giroux  / Frances Foster Books

Barnett, Mac.  Extra Yarn.  Illus. by Jon Klassen.  HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

Barnett, Mac.  Chloe and the Lion. Illus. by Adam Rex.  Disney/Hyperion Books

Berk, Ari. Nightsong.  Illus. by Loren Long.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Bingham, Kelly.  Z is For Moose. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky.  Greenwillow

Buzzeo, Toni.  One Cool Friend.   Illus. by David Small. Dial Books for Young Readers

Catchpool, Michael. The Cloud Spinner.  Illus. by Alison Jay. Alfred A. Knopf

Coat, Janik.  Hippopposites.  Abrams  / Appleseed Books

Cole, Henry. Unspoken: a story from the Underground Railroad. Illus. by the author.   Scholastic Press

DaCosta, Barbara. Nighttime Ninja. Illus. by Ed Young. Little, Brown

Daly, Niki. The Herd Boy.  Illus. by the author. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Davies, Nicola.  Just Ducks.  Illus. by Salvatore  Rubbino.  Candlewick Press

Elya, Susan Middleton. Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave bomberos. Illus. by Dan Santat. Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Evans, Shane W.  We March.  Illus. by the author.  Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Book

Fleming, Candace. Oh, No!  Illus. by Eric Rohmann. Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Fleming, Denise.  underGround.  Illus. by the author.   Simon & Schuster / Beach Lane Books

Fogliano, Julie.  And Then it’s Spring.  Illus. by Erin E.  Stead. Roaring Brook Press

Frazee, Marla.  Boot & Shoe. Illus. by the author.  Simon & Schuster / Beach Lane Books

Graham, Bob.  A Bus Called Heaven.  Illus. by the author.  Candlewick Press

Gravett, Emily. Wolf Won’t Bite!  Illus. by the author.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Hall, Michael. Cat Tale.  Illus. by the author.  Greenwillow Books

Haughton, Chris .  Oh, No George! Illus. by the author.  Candlewick Press

Henkes, Kevin.  Penny and Her Doll. Illus. by the author.  Greenwillow Books

Hest, Amy.  Charley’s First Night. Illus. by Helen Oxenbury.          Candlewick Press

Hosford, Kate. Infinity and Me. Illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska.            Lerner/ Carolrhoda Books

Jeffers, Oliver.  This Moose Belongs to Me.  Philomel Books

Johnson, D. B.  Magritte’s Marvelous Hat : a picture book.  Illus. by the author. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Joyce, William.  The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Illus. by the author and Joe Bluhm.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Khan, Hena.  Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: a Muslim book of colors.  Illus. by Mehrdokht Amini.  Chronicle Books

Klassen, Jon.  This is Not My Hat.  Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press

LaRochelle, David. It’s a Tiger!  Illus. by Jeremy Tankard. Chronicle Books

Lo, Ginnie.  Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic. Illus. by Beth Lo.  Lee & Low Books

Logue, Mary.  Sleep Like a Tiger.  Illus. by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Mack, Jeff.  Good News, Bad News. Illus. by the author.  Chronicle Books

Manning, Maurie J.  Laundry Day. Illus. by the author.  Clarion Books

McCarty, Peter.  Chloe.  Illus. by the author.  HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

McPhail, David.  Pig Pig Meets the Lion.  Illus. by the author.  Charlesbridge

Na, Il Sung.  Hide & Seek.  Illus. by the author.  Alfred A. Knopf

O’Brien, Anne Sibley.  A Path of Stars.  Illus. by the author.  Charlesbridge  / Maine Humanities Council

Pinfold, Levi.  Black Dog.  Candlewick/Templar Books

Reynolds, Aaron.  Creepy Carrots!  Illus. by Peter Brown.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Reynolds, Peter H.  Sky Color.  Illus. by the author.  Candlewick Press

Rogers, Gregory.  The Hero of Little Street.  Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Book

Salas, Laura Purdie.  A Leaf Can Be… Illus. by Violeta Dabija. Millbrook Press

Savage, Stephen. Little Tug.   Illus. by the author.  Roaring Brook Press  / Neal Porter Book

Schaefer, Lola M. One Special Day. Illus. by Jessica Meserve.  Disney/Hyperion Books

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro.  Green.  Illus. by the author.   Roaring Brook Press

Siegel, Randy.  My Snake Blake. Illus. by Serge Bloch.  Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Book

Springman, I. C.  More.  Illus. by Brian Lies.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Stead, Philip Christian.  A Home For Bird. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Book

Stead, Philip Christian. Bear Has a Story to Tell.  Illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press

Stewart, Sarah. The Quiet Place.  Illus. by David Small.  Farrar Straus & Giroux / Margaret Ferguson Books

Stoeke, Janet Morgan.  Pip’s Trip.  Illus. by the author.  Dial Books for Young Readers

Sutton, Sally.  Demolition.   Illus. by Brian  Lovelock.  Candlewick Press

Willems, Mo.  Duckling Gets a Cookie!?  Illus. by the author.  Hyperion Books for Children

Willems, Mo.  Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.  Illus. by the author.   HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

Wolff, Ashley.  Baby Bear Sees Blue.  Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster / Beach Lane Books

Woodson, Jacqueline. Each Kindness. Illus. by E.B. Lewis. Penguin / Nancy Paulsen Books

Zullo, Germano. Little Bird. Illus. by Albertine. Enchanted Lion Books

INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOKS

Carbone, Elisa Lynn. Heroes of the Surf.  Illus. by Nancy Carpenter.  Viking Children’s Books

Chin, Jason.  Island: a story of the Galapagos. Illus. by the author.  Roaring Brook Press /Neal Porter Book

Greenwood, Mark.  Drummer Boy of John John. Illus. by Frané Lessac.  Lee & Low Books

Hale, Christy. Dreaming Up: a celebration of building. Illus. by the author.  Lee & Low Books

Judge, Lita.  Bird Talk: what birds are saying and why. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook Press

King, Martin Luther, Jr.  I Have a Dream.  Illus. by Kadir Nelson.  Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Lang, Heather.  Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman: Olympic high-jump champion. Illus. by Floyd Cooper.  Boyds Mills Press

Lewin, Ted.  Puffling Patrol.  Illus. by the author and Betsy Lewin.  Lee & Low Books

Low, William.  Machines Go to Work in the City.  Illus. by the author.  Henry Holt and Company

Muntean, Michaela.   Stay: the true story of ten dogs.  Illus. by K.C. Bailey and Stephen Kazmierski.  Scholastic Press

Potter, Alicia.  Mrs. Harkness and the Panda. Illus. by Melissa Sweet.  Alfred A. Knopf

Rosenstock, Barb.  The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and our National Parks.  Illus. by Mordicai Gerstein. Dial Books for Young Readers

Winter, Jonah.  Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! Illus. by Kevin Hawkes.  Scholastic / Arthur A. Levine Books

Zoehfeld, Kathleen Weidner.  Secrets of the Garden : food chains and the food web in our backyard.  Illus. by Priscilla Lamont.   Alfred A. Knopf

NONFICTION POETRY

Coombs, Kate.  Water Sings Blue: ocean poems.  Illus. by Meilo So.  Chronicle Books

Davies, Nicola.  Outside Your Window: a first book of nature.  Illus. by Mark Hearld. Candlewick Press

Elliott, David.  In the Sea.  Illus. by Holly Meade.  Candlewick Press

Farrar, Sid.  The Year Comes Round: haiku through the seasons. Illus. by Ilse Plume. Albert Whitman & Co.

Frost, Helen.  Step Gently Out. Illus. by Rick Lieder. Candlewick Press

Grady, Cynthia.  I Lay My Stitches Down: poems of American slavery.  Illus. by Michele Wood. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Hoberman, Mary Ann, selector.  Forget-Me-Nots: poems to learn by heart.  Illus. by Michael Emberley.  Little, Brown / Megan Tingley Books

Hughes, Langston. I, Too, Am America. Illus. by Bryan Collier.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Lewis, J. Patrick and Jane Yolen.  Last Laughs: animal epitaphs.  Illus. by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins.  Charlesbridge

Lewis, J. Patrick (editor).  National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 poems with photographs that squeak, soar, and roar!   National Geographic

Shange, Ntozake.  Freedom’s A-calling Me.  Illus. by Rod Brown. HarperCollins / Amistad

Singer, Marilyn.  A Stick is an Excellent Thing: poems celebrating outdoor play.  Clarion Books

NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY

Allegra, Mike.  Sarah Gives Thanks. Illus. by David Gardner.         Albert Whitman & Company

Blumenthal, Karen.  Steve Jobs: the man who thought different.  Macmillan / Feiwel and Friends

Borden, Louise.  His Name was Raoul Wallenberg: courage, rescue, and mystery during World War II.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Burleigh, Robert. George Bellows: painter with a punch!  Illus. by the author and George Bellows.  Abrams Books for Young Readers / National Gallery of Art

Byrd, Robert. Electric Ben: the amazing life and times of Benjamin Franklin. Illus. by the author.  Dial Books for Young Readers

Close, Chuck.  Chuck Close: face book.  Abrams Books for Young Readers

Fern, Tracey E.  Barnum’s Bones: how Barnum Brown discovered the most famous dinosaur in the world.  Illus. by Boris Kulikov.  Farrar Straus & Giroux  / Margaret Ferguson Books

Ferris, Jeri Chase.  Noah Webster  &  His Words.  Illus. by Vincent X. Kirsch. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hopkinson, Deborah. Annie and Helen.  Illus. by Raul Colón.  Random House / Schwartz & Wade Books

Kamkwamba, William and Bryan Mealer.  The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  Illus. by Elizabeth Zunon.  Dial Books for Young Readers

Malaspina, Ann. Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic high jumper.  Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Albert Whitman & Company

Markel, Michelle. The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Illus. by Amanda Hall.  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

McKissack, Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. Best Shot in the West: the adventures of Nat Love.  Illus. by Randy DuBurke.  Chronicle Books

Montgomery, Sy.  Temple Grandin: how the girl who loved cows embraced autism and changed the world.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Rappaport, Doreen. Helen’s Big World: the life of Helen Keller.  Illus. by Matt Tavares. Disney/Hyperion Books

Ray, Deborah Kogan.  Paiute Princess: the story of Sarah Winnemucca.  Illus. by the author.  Farrar Straus & Giroux / Frances Foster Books

Reef, Catherine.  The Brontë Sisters:  the brief lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.  Clarion Books

Rumford, James. From the Good Mountain: how Gutenberg changed the world.  Illus. by the author.  Roaring Brook Press / Flash Point

Tate, Don. It Jes’ Happened: when Bill Traylor started to draw. Illus.by R. Gregory Christie.   Lee & Low Books

Wadsworth, Ginger.  First Girl Scout: the life of Juliette Gordon Low.  Clarion Books

NONFICTION              

Bausum, Ann.  Marching to the Mountaintop: how poverty, labor fights, and civil rights set the stage for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final hours.  National Geographic

Burns, Loree Griffin.  Citizen Scientists: be a part of scientific discovery from your own backyard.  Henry Holt

DeCristofano, Carolyn Cinami.  A Black Hole Is Not a Hole. Illus. by Michael Carroll. Charlesbridge

Deem, James M. Faces From the Past: forgotten people of North America.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Ellis, Deborah. Kids of Kabul: living bravely through a never-ending war.  Groundwood Books

Freedman, Russell.  Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: the story behind an American friendship. Clarion Books

Hale, Nathan.  Big Bad Ironclad! : a Civil War steamship showdown.  Abrams / Amulet Books

Hoose, Phillip M.  Moonbird: a year on the wind with the great survivor B95. Farrar Straus & Giroux

Hopkinson, Deborah.  Titanic: voices from the disaster.  Scholastic Press

Jarrow, Gail.  The Amazing Harry Kellar: great American magician.  Boyds Mill / Calkins Creek

Jenkins, Steve. The Beetle Book.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Johnson, Rebecca L. Zombie Makers: true stories of nature’s undead. Lerner / Millbrook Press

Levinson, Cynthia.  We’ve Got a Job: the 1963 Birmingham children’s march.  Peachtree Publishers

McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino.   Iceberg Right Ahead!: the tragedy of the Titanic. Lerner  / Twenty- First Century Books

Murphy, Jim and Alison Blank.  Invincible Microbe: tuberculosis and the never-ending search for a cure. Clarion Books

Nelson, S.D. Buffalo Bird Girl: a Hidatsa story.  Illus. by the author.  Abrams Books for Young Readers

Newquist, Harvey P. The Book of Blood: from legends and leeches to vampires and veins. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Osborne, Linda Barrett. Miles to Go For Freedom: segregation and civil rights in the Jim Crow years. Abrams Books for Young Readers

Patent, Dorothy H. The Horse and the Plains Indians: a powerful partnership. Clarion Books

Patent, Dorothy H.  Dogs on Duty: soldiers’ best friends on the battlefield and beyond. Walker & Co.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Hand in Hand: ten black men who changed America.  Disney/Jump at the Sun

Rappaport, Doreen.     Beyond Courage: the untold story of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.  Candlewick Press

Rusch, Elizabeth. Mighty Mars Rovers: the incredible adventures of spirit and opportunity. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Sandler, Martin W.  The Impossible Rescue: the true story of an amazing Arctic adventure. Candlewick Press

Scott, Elaine. Buried Alive!: how 33 miners survived 69 days deep under the Chilean desert. Clarion Books

Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: the race to build and steal the world’s most dangerous weapon. Roaring Brook Press

Swain, Gwenyth.  Hope and Tears: Ellis Island voices.  Boyds Mill / Calkins Creek

Vernick ,  Audrey.  Brothers at Bat: the true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team. Illus. by Steven Salerno.  Clarion Books

Ward, Helen. Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: an Aesop fable. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press / Templar Books

Werner, Sharon. Alphasaurs and other prehistoric types.Illus. by the author and Sarah Nelson Forss.   Random House / Blue Apple Books

The NCB committee will be meeting Friday through Monday during the Midwinter Conference,  from 1:30 to 4:30 each day.   The meeting room is Convention Center (WSCC) 2AB.

The Notable Children’s Recordings committee invites you to listen in on our discussions at Midwinter. We will be meeting in the Marion Room of the Seattle Renaissance Hotel Friday, January 25 9:00 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, January 26 9:00 am – 5:30 pm, and Sunday, January 27 1:00pm – 9:00pm. Our discussion list is below.

Lynda Salem-Poling
NCR Chair

The 13th Warning, 56 min. 58 sec., CD, $29.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781469241722

The Adventures of Shrinkman, 1 hrs. 59 min, CD, $29.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781469241784

Ballet for Martha, 45 min 35 sec, CD, $29.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781455877317

Ballpark Mysteries Collection, 6 hrs 15 min, CD, $34.00 , Listening Library, 9780449010778

The Bell Bandit (Lemonade #3), 2 hrs. 59 min, CD, $30.75 , Recorded Books, 9781456132811

Bink and Gollie, 27 min. 13 sec., book and CD, $29.95 , Weston Woods, 9780545447577

Blue Clouds, 38 min 52 sec, music CD, $12.99 , Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,

Blues in All Flavors, 39 min 45 sec, music CD, $14.98 , Hot Toddy Music, 614325741021

Bubble Ride, 47 min 23 sec, music, $14.98 , VeeTree Records , 700261360850

Can You Canoe?, 38 min. 29 sec., music CD + DVD, $14.99 , The Okee Dokee Brothers,

Carnival of Animals, 1 hr 9 min, music CD, $16.98 , Maestro Classics

The Case of the Poisoned Pig (The Milo and Jazz Mysteries #2), 53 min 42 sec, CD, $15.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430112020

Catchin‘ Some Peazzz, 44 min 33 sec, music CD, $15.00 , Hot Peas ‘N Butter

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty, 5, book and CD, , HarperAudio

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, 4 hrs 14 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780449010280

The Colored Pencil Factory, 48 min 50 sec, music CD, $14.95 , Smoggy Borough Records

A Confusion Of Princes, 9 hrs 30 min, CD, $48.00 , Listening Library, 9780739368282

The Creatures from Beyond Beyond, 2 hrs. 11 min, CD, $29.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781469241753

A Dog’s Way Home, 6 hrs 57 min, CD, $39.00 , Listening Library, 9780449013885

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, 13 min 49 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Weston Woods

Escalator, 29 min 37 sec, music CD, $12.00 , Elsewhere Records

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont, 43 min 8 sec, book and CD, $15.75 , Recorded Books, 9781464033803

The Fairy Ring, 2 hrs 26 min, CD, $49.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781455851942

The False Prince, 8 hrs 14 min, CD, $34.99 , Scholastic Audio, 9780545391665

Fenway Fever, 6 hrs 10 min, CD, $46.75 , Recorded Books, 9781464045745

The Fire Chronicle, 12 hrs, 22 min, CD, $37.00 , Listening Library, 9780307879820

The Five Lives Of Our Cat Zook, 4 hrs. 58 min, CD, $38.00 , Listening Library, 9780307968692

The Forgiveness Garden, 19 min 59 sec, book and CD, $15.75 , Recorded Books, 9781470303853

From Seed to Plant, 12 min 34 sec, book and CD, $18.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430110798

Good Morning My Love, 29 min 52 sec, music CD, $12.99 , Vered Music, 884501642040

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, 15 min 37 sec, book and CD, $12.95 , Weston Woods, 9780545502221

The Great Cake Mystery, 55 min, CD, $15.00 , Listening Library, 9780449011423

The Hero in You, 47 min 19 sec, Music CD, $15.00 , Black Wolf Records

Hi! Fly Guy, 14 min 27 sec, book and CD, $12.95 , Weston Woods, 9780545523288

The Incorrigible Children Of Ashton Place, Book 3, 6 hrs, 46 min, CD, $50.00 , Listening Library, 9780307968487

Instrumental Dreamland, 27 min, music CD, $14.98 , Putumayo World Music, 9781587593000

Ivy and Bean Make the Rules, 1 hr 19 min, book and CD, $15.75 , Recorded Books, 9781470320621

Jump into the Sky, 8 hrs, 24 min, CD, $40.00 , Listening Library, 9780449014042

Kizzy Ann Stamps, 3 hrs, 49 min, CD, $54.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781469206356

Knuffle Bunny Free, 18 min 59 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Weston Woods

Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead (Last Apprentice #10), 7 hrs 16 min, CD, $66.75 , Recorded Books , 9781470320232

The Library Dragon, 21 min 4 sec, book and CD, $19.95 , Peachtree Publishers, 9781561456406

Little Pig Joins the Band, 13 min 02 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430111399

Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie, 29 min 55 sec, music CD, $12.99 , Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Locomotion, 1 hrs 20 min, CD, $39.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781455842445

Love, Mouserella, 11 min 14 sec, book and CD, $15.75 , Recorded Books, 9781464040337

Malcolm at Midnight, 5 hrs 46 min, CD, $51.75 , Recorded Books

Merry Christmas, Splat!, 14 min 27 sec, book and CD, $12.95 , Weston Woods , 9780545523288

Middle of Nowhere, 26 min 56 sec, music CD, $14.98 , Winter Bear Records

The Mighty Miss Malone, 7 hrs, 55 min, CD, $44.00 , Listening Library, 9780307968241

The Mighty Sky, 31 min, 29 sec, music CD, $14.98 , BNC Records, 898161001116

Minnie McClary Speaks Her Mind, 4 hrs, 30 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780449010365

Mr. And Mrs. Bunny–Detectives Extraordinaire!, 4 hrs, 20 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780307942654

Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie, 65 min 4 sec, music CD, $10.98 , myKaZoo Music

Music in Motion, 45 min 20 sec, music CD, $15.98 , Groove Kid Nation

My Alien Parents, 41 min 36 sec, CD, $29.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781469241777

My Farm Friends, 16 min 45 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430110965

My Hands Sing the Blues, 23 min 11 sec, book and CD, $15.75 , Recorded Books, 9781464002069

Neversink, 7 hrs, 11 min, CD, $40.00 , Listening Library, 9780449014813

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic, 22 min, 23 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430110842

The Notorious Benedict Arnold, 6 hrs, 51 min, CD, $45.00 , Listening Library, 9780449014981

On the Day I Died, 5 hrs 34 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780307991102

One year in Coal Harbor, 5 hrs, 42 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780449014141

The Other Side, 20 min 32 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Weston Woods

Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project, 1 hr 43 min, music, $14.99 , Entertainment One

Ozomatli Presents OzoKidz, 37 min 9 sec, music CD, $15.00 , Hornblow Recordings/Megaforce Records

Penny and her Song, 7, book and CD, HarperAudio

A Potluck, 29 min. 42 sec., music CD, $12.98 , Rainy Dimes Music

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), 11 hrs 9 min, CD, $39.99 , Scholastic Audio, 9780545465939

The Red Hen, 12 min 12 sec, book and CD, $29.95 , Weston Woods

Roller Coaster, 11 min 46 sec, book and CD, $18.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430110187

Same Sun Here, 5 hrs 49 min, CD, $49.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781455822317

Satchel Paige, 42 min 14 sec, book and CD, $18.95 , Live Oak Media, 9781430110873

Secrets at Sea, 3 hrs, 45 min, CD, $27.00 , Listening Library, 9780307968289

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, 25 min 34 sec, book and CD, $12.95 , Weston Woods, 9780545447560

Sing Loud!, 34, music CD, $12.99 , Green Circle Music, 884501742863

Skinny, 7 hrs 14 min, CD, $24.99 , Scholastic Audio, 9780545466288

The Snow Queen, 53 min 28 sec, music CD, $14.95 , Storycrafters, 9781616580612

Someone Else’s Shoes, 47 min 51 sec, music CD, $12.99 , Big Round Records, 713757523912

Songs in the Shade of the Olive Tree: Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from the Maghreb , 39 min 16 sec, book and CD, $16.95 , The Secret Mountain, 102923163842

Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree: French Creole Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes, 42 min 50 sec, book and CD, $15.00 , The Secret Mountain, 2923163826

The Spindlers, 4 hrs, 50 min, CD, $45.00 , Listening Library, 9780449015001

Splendors and Glooms, 12 hrs, 2 min, CD, $108.75 , Recorded Books, 9781449835729

Tall Story, 5 hrs, 53 min, CD, $45.00 , Listening Library, 9780307968753

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World, 2 hrs 48 min, CD, $39.95 , AudioGO, 9781935430827

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, 4 hrs, 55 min, CD, $30.00 , Listening Library, 9780449015056

Ungifted, 6 hrs 14 min, CD, $55.75 , Recorded Books

The Winter Pony, 7 hrs. 11 min., CD, $66.75 , Recorded Books, 9781461830757

Winterling: Book 1 of the Winterling Series, 6 hrs. 17 min, CD, $51.75 , Recorded Books, 9781464010309

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, 4 hrs, 49 min, CD, $25.00 , Listening Library, 9780307991287

Women in Blue or Gray: True Stories from Both Sides of the Civil War, 1 hrs. 13 min, music CD, $14.95 , Greathall Productions, Inc, 1882513635

Wonder, 8 hrs 12 min, CD, $64.97 , Brilliance Audio, 9781455844203

Words in the Dust, 8 hrs 28 min, CD, $29.99 , Scholastic Audio, 9780545472821

World of Wonder, 32 min 23 sec, music CD, $12.97 , Mystery Lawn Music

A Wrinkle In Time, 6 hrs, 3 min, CD, $25.00 , Listening Library, 9780307916594

You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum, 1 hr. 15 min, CD, $21.95 , AudioGO, 9781445873282

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Did you catch yesterday’s post when we listed the Notable Videos discussion list?  Check back tomorrow when we plan to post the Notable Children’s Books discussion list.

At the upcoming ALA Midwinter Conference in Seattle, the Notable Children’s Video committee, chaired by Maeve Visser Knoth, will be meeting to discuss nominated titles and create their final list.

Here is the current list – subject to change – of titles under discussion; if “view” is listed next to a title, discussions will start on Friday with viewing part or all of these films. Throughout the discussions, the committee may also watch snippets of videos.

ALA attendees are invited to observe the committee’s open meetings on Friday, January 25th beginning at 1:30. On Saturday, January 26, the meeting begins at 8:00 am and will be open to observers until all titles are discussed. All discussions will be held in the Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue.

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Check back tomorrow when we plan to post the Notable Sound Recordings discussion list and on Thursday when we plan to post the discussion list for this year’s Notable Children’s Books.

In my experience, children love things that go. The train set in my branch’s picture book area is always surrounded by choo-chooing kids; our race car books are perennially popular; and I’ve had to stop more than one pair of young friends from racing through the stacks to prove their speed. Thus it was a no-brainer for me to develop a Speed Racer Science program for school-age children at my library. Here’s what we did–I highly encourage you to take it and make it your own.

First, we talked about the science. The major scientific concept we discussed with regard to speeding vehicles was Newton’s First Law of Motion: an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force. I used a handy graphic from How Stuff Works to show this concept in a Prezi I projected onto our program wall. While we looked at some of the images in the Prezi, we talked about what “outside forces” cause various vehicles to go fast.

Next came the hands-on STEM work. Our opening discussion informed us that a key component to building a speedy vehicle is accommodating that “outside force” that will make it move. We built cars with sails; the force that would propel our vehicles was air, or the driver’s breath as he/she blew into the sail. We used a handful of basic materials to build our racers:

• toilet paper tubes (I punched holes for the wheel axles and the mast)
• small dowels cut to 3″ (use 1/4″ or 3/8″ dowels, depending on your hole punch size)
• washers (four per vehicle, to serve as wheels)
• modeling clay (to keep wheels on their axels)
• bendy straws (the masts)
• cardstock (for the sails)
• tape (to affix sails to the masts)
• scissors (for cutting the sails)
• markers (for decorating the vehicles)

We ended with the science in action. In our case, we set each speed racer at one end of a table and timed how long in took for the driver to blow it down the length of the table. Some children adjusted the shapes and sizes of their cars’ sails after a laborious first race; others hit upon a steady racing rhythm from the beginning. I deliberately had the children race one at a time; while it took a bit longer, a child was only ever in competition with him/herself. Our STEM activity was about grasping a science concept, not beating other kids in a race. All of my program attendees were really into it–they actively wanted to best their own records.

Kids checked out books on motion, speed, and racing. I like for everyone to leave my STEM programs with something in hand, be it a book, an activity, or something we made in the program (in this case, the racers). I find that taking something home helps reinforce the impact of the STEM concepts. I had a few kids come back to see me the week after the program to say they had raced their vehicles at home with their dads or had tried using a hair dryer for force. That’s what I call STEM programming success: a good time at the library that translates to fun and knowledge outside of the library.

Have you ever held races in your library? I’d love to hear details in the comments.

ALSC is now accepting applications for mini-grants intended to prepare libraries to incorporate Día into their existing programs, throughout the year. Libraries will use these mini-grants to initiate a Día Family Book Club Program. These mini-grants are part of ALSC’s Everyone Reads @ your library grant, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Intended as an expansion of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), the mini-grants will be awarded to libraries that demonstrate a need to better address the diverse backgrounds within their communities. Up to 12 mini-grants will be awarded at $5,000 each. In addition to these mini-grants, funding from this grant will also allow ALSC to create a Día Family Book Club Toolkit that will be accessible to all. The deadline to accept mini-grant applications is Friday, February 1, 2013.

New month, new displays in the Children’s Room! My librarian A put up an awesome bulletin board after Summer Reading Club wound down and I just changed out our book displays, so I wanted to show y’all what we’ve done.

First, the bulletin board:

A does amazing bulletin board for us, getting lots of inspiration from Pinterest and from the programs and activities we have going on in the Children’s Room. With the election coming up, she wanted to feature related books in our collection. The release of Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) was a great excuse to feature Bad Kitty, already a popular character with our kids. We’ve been stocking up on election books because it’s sure to be a popular topic as we get closer to November’s Presidential election. Consider featuring some of the following:

• The Election Book: The People Pick a President (Revised Edition) by Carolyn Jackson (Scholastic, 2012)
• The Election Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Random House, 2008)
• Nikki & Deja: Election Madness by Karen English (Clarion Books, 2011)
• President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010)
• See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House  (Revised Edition)by Susan E. Goodman (Bloomsbury, 2012)
• Today on Election Day by Catherine Stier (Albert Whitman & Co., 2012)
• Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton (Kids Can Press, 2012)

In addition to our new bulletin board, I changed our book displays out last week.

I put up Guys Read, one of my favorite displays because I think it can be tricky for boys (and parents) to find books that interest them (especially if they don’t think they like to read). Of course, there’s nothing saying that girls can’t be interested in these books, too, but I hope a bold GUYS READ sign will attract boys to browse there:

Some of my favorite books to include in a Guys Read display include:

• Face to Face with Sharks by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2009)
• Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker (Chronicle Books, 2011)
• Guy Write: What Every Guy Writer Needs to Know by Ralph Fletcher (Henry Holt, 2012)
• Hi, Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic, 2005)
• How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Vordak the Incomprehensible (written by Scott Seegert, Egmont USA, 2011)
• The Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka
• The Truth About Poop by Susan E. Goodman (Penguin, 2004)

And I happen to have three staff members (in a team of six!) who have birthdays in September (and the son of one of my librarians in late August), so I had to do a birthday display!

Consider displaying some of the following:

• 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass (Scholastic, 2009)
• The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick, 2007)
• Epossumondas Saves the Day by Colleen Salley (Harcourt, 2006)
• Happy Birthday, Hamster by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic, 2011)
• I am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2007)
• Moira’s Birthday by Robert Munsch (Annick Press, 1989)
• Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson (Margaret K. McElderry, 2007)

Those are our September book displays in the Children’s Room! What book displays do you have up right now? Any unique display themes to share?

– Abby Johnson, Children’s Manager
New Albany-Floyd County Public Library
New Albany, IN
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com

While attending my state library association’s annual conference this past year, I met a fascinating children’s librarian who spoke very passionately… about her ukulele. She told me I could pick one up and immediately make music. I was skeptical. I’ve always wanted to be musical, but have always sort of failed. I do not have a lovely singing voice (despite many dramatic years in high school show choir). I’ve dabbled in playing instruments –cello, guitar, clarinet, accordion – without mastering a single one. But this lady was convinced, and almost had me convinced, that I could be a ukulele superstar.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I went home, bought myself a ukulele, and haven’t put it down since! I believe that making music can be one of the most empowering of all human experiences. If you can learn even 2 or 3 chords on a ukulele, you can play a literal multitude of recognizable tunes. And if you’ve spent a lifetime telling yourself you’re not musical, only to be easily proven wrong by a little piece of wood with strings? Well, what else have you been wrong about? What else can you do or be, that you’ve been telling yourself you just “can’t” or “aren’t?” You could fly a plane! Or get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do! You could do anything! Or you could at least try. That is the lesson the little ukulele taught me.

I began quietly proselytizing to my friends about the power of the ukulele, and soon I’d converted 2 more librarians to playing the uke. We recently started meeting regularly to play music, drink tea, and talk shop, which has got me thinking a lot about libraries and music, and why they make sense together. I’m not a scientist, but I have read extensively about music and its effect on the brain. I’d like to speak now, in general terms, about how (and why) I think we can (and should) be using music in our libraries today:

1. To teach

Most of us probably do this already. We use songs in story times and programs. Music has been proven to boost cognitive behavior. It can help us learn. This is why there are songs to teach children the names of the 50 states, the days of the week, and, most famously, the alphabet. Concepts are often easier to remember when set to a rhythm or melody. Some scientists speculate humans evolved the ability to sing, and the neural capacity to recognize beats, for this reason! We librarians have known for years that singing is a key component of early literacy, so sing proudly at your library, and offer a healthy collection of recordings for your customers to check out. Some of my favorite artists making high quality music for children are Laurie Berkner, Jim Gill, and Dan Zanes. What are some of yours?

2. Setting the mood

Music is emotional. It can bring us pleasure. It can make us remember specific times in our lives. Companies use music in their advertisements to try to excite us about whatever product they’re selling. Why couldn’t a library use music to try to “set the mood” for our customers? The branch I work at uses ambient music in our children’s room for this purpose. If we’re having a craft program, we might play some energetic music to get the creative juices flowing. If things are getting rowdy, we’ll play some mellow music, to try to soothe youngsters’ souls. Is your library utilizing music to help inspire or relax your library customers?

3. Build community

Music can play an important role in social bonding. Why do soldiers march in time? Why do we dance at significant occasions, like weddings? Music can get us moving together, fostering an environment of cooperation. Studies have shown that people can have universal reactions to music, and thus music becomes a shared experience that brings people together. What opportunities can the library create to build community through music? We can host musical programs. Or offer a place for musical groups to practice together. Does your library engage in any fruitful musical partnerships?

4. Hand people instruments

Let’s set aside the idea that learning music is too difficult. I’ve personally disproven it. Learning to play music is just like learning a language. You need to practice. To properly appreciate music, you should immerse yourself in it. What if we could offer our customers a chance to handle an instrument, to physically make music? This idea is a lot of things: It’s expensive. It’s noisy. It’s not “industry standard” library procedure (although there are libraries that have instruments available to use or check out). But it’s also empowering. It’s inspiring. It’s happy! I challenge you to tell your customers “Yes, you can check out a ukulele with your library card” and not see them smile!

Hopefully this blog has made you think about how you incorporate music in your library, or how you can, if you don’t already. Please sound off in the comments section with anything you have to add to this important discussion! (And feel free to contact me directly to talk about ukuleles!)

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Our guest blogger today is Tess Goldwasser. Tess is a Library Associate at St. Mary’s County Library in Lexington Park, Maryland. You can reach her at tgoldwasser@stmalib.org

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

This fall, ALSC is proud to be offering five great online courses – including two courses that are eliglibe for CEUs, continuing education units.

The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). CEUs cannot be given in retrospect; if you’ve already taken one of these ALSC courses you are not eligible to receive CEUs. Additional courses may become CEU-certified in the future.

ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. Courses start October 1, 2012. Registration is now open.

Online Courses – Fall 2012

ALSC Core Competencies: Serving Children with Distinction and Commitment
6 weeks, October 1 – November 9
Instructor: Thom Barthelmess, Curator of the Butler Children’s Literature Center, Dominican University

The Caldecott Medal: Understanding Distinguished Art in Picture Books
6 weeks, October 1 – November 9
Instructor: Kathleen T. Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Connecting with ‘Tween Readers
4 weeks, October 1 – October 26
Instructor: Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian/Writer

Out of this World Youth Programming*
6 weeks, October 1 – November 9
Instructor: Angela Young, MSLS, Youth Services Librarian, Lorain Public Library System

Series Programming for the Elementary School Age*
4 weeks, October 1 – October 26
Instructor: Lisa M. Shaia, Children’s Librarian, Oliver Wolcott Library

* Indicates CEU eligible course

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Education website. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer Jenny Najduch at 1 (800) 545-2433 ext. 4026.

Taken from the ALSC Community Forum – August 2012

It has been sixteen years since the last ALSC dues increase….

At the 2012 ALA Annual Conference, the ALSC Board of Directors discussed a proposal by the Budget Committee to implement a dues adjustment. There was a discussion on the proposed dues adjustment that took place during the ALSC Membership meeting in Anaheim.

To address the Budget Committee’s proposal, the Board held ALSC Community Forums on August 8th and 9th. During the second half of these open meetings, we opened the discussion to members to give us their input on a possible change in the ALSC dues structure.

In early August, the ALSC Budget Committee released the Dues Structure Change FAQ (log-in required) to introduce our members to the proposed dues increases and the new proposed member categories. To better understand the dues adjustment…please take time to read the thoughtfully prepared FAQ which includes considerations and cost thoughts provided by the Budget Committee.*

Some background information on the dues adjustment. One of the ALSC Budget Committee’s charges is “to review for the ALSC Board, on a regular basis, the dues structure.” The Budget Committee recently reviewed the structure and has recommended adjustments to the ALSC Board. If the Board agrees with the recommendation, they will vote to have the recommendation placed on the 2013 ALSC ballot for the entire ALSC membership to review and to vote on the recommended changes.

ALSC currently has only two personal membership categories:

• Regular $45
• Student $18

The proposal provides for four new personal member categories: Support Staff; Non-Salaried; Retired; Advocate. These new category areas carry the same definitions as ALA membership category areas.

The proposal would slightly increase the two current categories and expand the personal categories:

• Regular $50;
• Support Staff $35;
• Non-Salaried $35;
• Retired $35;
• Advocate $25 (authors, teachers, parents, etc.);
• Student $20

Even though the August Community Forum has concluded, the conversation can continue on ALA Connect. Whether or not you are able to join a live Forum, you can always add your thoughts by leaving a comment. The ALSC Budget Committee will post questions on ALA Connect regarding the ALSC dues adjustment proposal. For information about ALSC Community Forums or if you need help logging in please visit the ALSC Community Forum site. The August transcripts are posted.

We hope that you’ll come to the Community Forums to give us your thoughts. Through your participation, we can gather more input into how this proposed dues change will affect members and how it will shape the future of ALSC membership.

In closing, one of the questions asked of our members during the dues adjustment proposal discussion on the August Community Forums was “What aspects of your ALSC membership do you value most?” Some of the member replies are displayed in the word cloud at the top of this blog. Please feel free to add the aspects of membership that you value the most as a comment below.

Thank you for your dedicated service to ALSC and for creating a better future for children through libraries—every day!

*Please keep in mind this is a current proposal as of the annual conference, the ALSC Board has asked the Budget Committee to reexamine the student proposed rate and the existing organizations and corporate rates. A recommendation from the Budget Committee is due to the ALSC Board no later than ALA Midwinter 2013.

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Our post today is from ALSC President Carolyn Brodie. Carolyn is a regular blogger with ALSC.

This year the ALSC committee, Library Services to Special Populations and Their Caregivers, received several applications for the ALSC/Candlewick “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved” Grant for programs aimed at serving teen parents. The committee wanted to bring attention to this patron population and find out more about how libraries can meet their dual (teen and parent) needs.

I recently interviewed Sarah Nordhausen, co-author of Serving Teen Parents: From Literacy to Life Skills (ISBN 1598846930), about her experiences working with teen parents. In part two, I speak with Sarah’s co-author, Ellin Klor.

How did you start working with teen parents?

Sarah: Prior to working in libraries, I worked with a family literacy program with youth in the foster care system. When I worked at San Mateo County Library, the library received a grant for youth literacy and decided to focus on teen parents. For the grant we partnered with two organizations in the highest need areas of the community and my work with teen parents developed from there.

Did your library offer services or programs to the teen parents that are different from services offered to teens who aren’t parents?

Sarah: Absolutely, but the needs of parent and non-parent teens are similar and different. They may be interested in regular teen programming but can’t participate due to child care or other issues like transportation. The best way is to go to them in their facility and talk to them about integrating literacy with everyday activities with their child. For example, I talked with them about the importance of play, things like making Play-doh with your child, and all that comes from spending time with child. Since they’re also teens I did job search and resume building workshops, as well as fun stuff like self-care and make-your-own-facial workshops, spa days, and relaxation and stress reduction techniques. The needs of the teen are to be independent but the needs of the parents are to care for the child; it’s harder for them to do self-exploration and develop who they are when they have a child. I tried to do programming that met both needs.

How do you balance serving the literacy needs of the parent and those of the child?

Sarah: Some moms were reading below their grade level and I was lucky to have an adult literacy program in the county to recommend to moms. It’s hard to meet the literacy needs of your children when you can’t read, so we explored other literacy opportunities like storytelling and other techniques that they can still participate in with their child. Some moms became better readers because they wanted to read to their child.

What would you say is a growing need for teen parents?

Sarah: The library is in a unique position. Libraries can offer services that meet their needs as parents and as teens: regular teen workshops related to life skills such as resume building, job search, and fun stuff like connecting with other teens; and helping them to be the best teacher to their child by providing services on the importance of reading to their children. On a bigger scope, having library staff understand teen parents’ needs and their circumstances and being more flexible. For example, with story time staff needs to understand that the parent is still young and their child management skills are still growing, give them an alternative to participating. Teen parents may have had negatives experiences with libraries and the library staff needs training on the developmental needs of this group.

Tell us about any partnerships or collaborations you have with other organizations? What advice do you have for setting up these partnerships?

Sarah: Partnerships are the way to go because it’s a tough population to identify; they are not always library users. Find an agency that already serves the population. I previously worked with a mental health clinic in Half Moon Bay that already had teen parent group and I approached them to work with their teen parents. Once a month I attended their regular programs doing literacy-based work with parents and children together. Story time with a craft was an opportunity for moms to spend quality time with their children and a good opportunity to model activities to do at home. Another partnership came together after attending a collaborative meeting with various organizations. Afterwards I was invited to help a faith-based organization that also had a transitional housing facility for young mothers. This group had child care so I worked with mothers only. This allowed for more in-depth conversations with mothers around their needs. Someone from library also came in to do early literacy with the children while in child care. My advice is to partner with agencies, schools, community groups, and find them by attending community meetings.

In what ways can libraries and staff support teen parents?

Sarah: Let teens know about other community resources. Teen parents’ needs are diverse and the library can’t meet them all; serving as community connection is a simple way to make impact with moms.

Have you heard from other libraries since publishing your book? What has been the response?

Sarah: We’ve received lots of feedback. We continue to promote services to teen parents through different programming ideas at conferences. I’ve had calls from librarians around the country asking further questions.

What do you like most about working with teen parents?

Sarah: I am amazed by their resiliency and their strength and all that they do. I enjoy seeing them grow. If they show up (at library programs) they want to be there. They want to learn and be the best parents they can be.

Thanks, Sarah, for sharing your experiences of working with teen parents at the library. Sarah Nordhausen recently moved to Seattle, WA and looks forward to making new connections. You can reach Sarah at sarahnordhausen@gmail.com. Stay tuned for my interview with Ellin Klor.

If your library is working with teen parents, please tell us about your work in the comments.

Interviewed by Africa Hands, Library Services to Special Populations and Their Caregivers Committee Member

Krista Welz’ entry “ALSC Cloud,” was selected by voters

Welz is the winner of a Nook and a Book from the Friends of ALSC. Her design will be featured for ALSC members to display on their blogs or email signature lines. Rick Samuelson (“I Empower Kids”), Youth Services Librarian, Washington County (Ore.) Cooperative Library Services and Margaret Stawowy (“Growing Minds”), Children’s Librarian, San Rafael (Calif.) Public Library were the two runners-up. Both will receive ALSC gift bags.

The Friends of ALSC and the ALSC Membership Committee hosted this contest to help display the creativity of ALSC members. With over 260 voters, ALSC thanks all the participants and everyone who voted.

Friends of ALSC was created to ensure excellence in the Association’s traditional programs and services and to support growth in new directions as our profession meets the exciting challenges of the 21st century. For more information and to learn how to become a Friend of ALSC, please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/donate.

Vote for your favorite ALSC eBadge idea!

ALSC is asking for you to vote for one of five entries in the eBadge Contest. To see all of the entries and to vote, please visit the contest page.

ALSC is looking for an idea that captures our spirit, who we are, what we do, or what we stand for. What is fresh, appealing and expresses the spirit of ALSC?

The voting is part of ALSC’s eBadge Contest. The member with the top vote-getting submission will win a Nook and a Book from the Friends of ALSC. Two runners-up will receive an ALSC gift bag with ALSC swag. Voting is open to anyone.

Hurry! Voting ends Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 11:59pm Central.

The members of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee were delighted to be invited to contribute monthly to the ALSC Blog. Starting in September, you will see a post from committee members on the third Saturday of every month.

 A little bit about us. The ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee serves as a liaison between the division and the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and all other groups within ALA concerned with intellectual freedom; we advise the division on matters before the Office of Intellectual Freedom and their implication for library service to children; we make recommendations to the ALA IF Committee for changes to policies regarding library service to children; and we promote in-service and continuing education. That is a lot to do! But what fun!

AND I am pleased to announce that we will be hosting a dynamic program with Susan Linn at ALA Annual in Chicago, so this year’s committee is busy, busy, busy.

Speaking of busy, what kind of plans do you have for Banned Books Week this year? It is coming up quickly. I just had my photo taken with My Mom’s Having a Baby! by Dori Hillestad Butler, which will be made into a poster and bookmarks. The READ posters are a lot of fun and they get people talking.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns for the ALSC IF Committee. We would love to hear from you!

Heather Acerro, ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee Chair

Are you looking for something fun to do with your kids? I have just the idea!

This summer, after the Free Lunch Program, we did a series of activities based on the Magic Tree House book series by Mary Pope Osborne. One week, the book of the week was “Twister on Tuesday”. That means that everything was weather related. We did crafts and weather journals and had all kinds of fun, but we were looking for something else to spice it up.

Then we came up with a Weather Relay game.

The kids were broken into 2 groups, playground pick style; each group had 1 child on one end and the rest of the group on the other end of the room. Each child in line had to take a piece of clothing to the one person on the other end. That person had to put the clothing on before another piece could be brought to them. The child who brought the clothing to them could help them if they needed it. They ended with an umbrella that they had to deploy to finish the relay. We had rain jackets, hats, and rubber boots/shoes. The one thing I would recommend is that you use the kind of umbrella where you push the button to deploy it rather than the kind you have to open manually. The kids found the push button easier to use.

We ended up having a wide age range of kids. However, the older kids helped the younger kids and they all made it work. The best part was that the kids LOVED it and it didn’t matter who won or lost. They had so much fun doing the relay game that we did it twice that week. Every child had the opportunity to be the “it” person and put on the clothing. If there weren’t enough kids, we had staff that filled in. It was extremely fun and I think we are going to try it again sometime.

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Our guest blogger today is Kate Vinz. Kate is the Children’s Librarian at the Little Turtle branch of the Allen County Public Library system.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

In 2008,  I was producing a radio program on youth obesity when a guest,  Dr. Ben Danielson of Seattle Children’s Hospital,  said,  ”You can’t teach an unhealthy child, and you can’t keep an uneducated child healthy.” Another guest,  a nutritionist,  pointed out that the “achievement gap” does not reflect a learning problem among children,  but a public health problem with obesity,  hunger and cheap foods.

I had been a children’s book publisher for nearly 20 years but never made the connection between learning and eating until then. How can children learn if they’re on a sugar rush from breakfast or hungry from skipping it? A key problem is that many children and families lack a basic knowledge about what and how we eat. In other words, they don’t have food literacy.Many children don’t know where their food comes from or what it looks like outside its packaging. Families are eating on the run, with 19% of meals consumed in the car and 45% of eating taking place alone. This is why my wife and I started READERS to EATERS in 2009 to promote a better understanding of our eating habits by connecting good eats and good reads. READERS to EATERS started as a popup bookstore, selling books about food at farmers markets, educational conferences, and community food events. We also partnered with King County Library System to create educational programs and community food events such as One-City Read programs.

This year, we launched our own publishing program with Our School Garden!, written by Seattle school librarian Rick Swann and illustrated by Christy Hale, about a boy who experiences the garden across different seasons and curriculum. In September we’ll publish Feeding the Young Athlete, a food shopping and cooking guide for middle and high school players, parents and coaches. In November, we’ll have Sylvia’s Spinach, a picture book about a picky eater and how growing food at school changes what she eats.

Next year we will publish Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, who wrote the Caldecott winning Snowflake Bentley, about the Milwaukee urban farmer, former basketball star, and MacArthur “genius.” These books allow children to understand and experience food in ways that are fun and relevant to their everyday lives.

It’s exciting to see libraries taking a role in promoting food literacy. Public libraries such as San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley lend out seeds and gardening tools. Libraries in Madison, Alabama and Grand Fork, North Dakota have children’s gardens. The Northern Onondaga Public Library in Upstate New York is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pickup spot. Davis Bilingual Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona uses aquaponics to raise fish in its library. There was a “What’s Cooking @ ALA Cooking Stage” at the convention this year to connect good eats and good reads.

More and more, public institutions such as libraries, schools and parks are taking a greater role in growing a food community by creating gardens, partnering with food banks and farmers markets. The Baltimore Reads Literacy Garden addresses the needs of food deserts as well as literacy deserts by offering free books AND fresh seasonal produce and/or herbs.

The harvest season is coming up. September is Food Literacy Month and October is National Farm to School Month. October 24th is Food Day. It’s a perfect time to use books to engage young readers to learn about good food and stories behind where it comes. As author and librarian Rick Swann wrote in Our School Garden!, “Being in a garden is like reading a good book: You’re never sure what is on the next page, but you can’t wait to get there and find out. So what are you waiting for?”

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Our guest blogger today is Philip Lee. Philip is the co-founder of READERS to EATERS, based in Bellevue, Washington, and the co-founder and former publisher of Lee & Low Books. He was also a host and producer of the radio program, Voices of Diversity, on KBCS in the Seattle area. More about READERS to EATERS is at www.readerstoeaters.com.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was recently ranked one of the Top 100 Chapter Books of all time in an SLJ poll–it was voted in at #31. This perennial classic has withstood the tests of time, and readers in every generation are drawn to its adventure, its nonsense, its silly poetry, and its instantly-recognizable characters. When a story is this beloved, I think that leaves just one thing for a librarian to do: structure a program around it!

Almost any room can easily be transformed into its own sort of Wonderland. Brightly colored tablecloths set the scene for the tea party, and images of funny hats stuck to the walls or hung from the ceiling add a bit of thematic whimsy. I encouraged all program-goers to wear silly hats if they so desired. The result was a roomful of preschool and elementary children wearing everything from baseball caps and cowboy hats to felt Cat in the Hat hats and wide-brimmed straw beach hats. One girl even went all out and decorated her hat with Alice-themed accoutrements.

The program itself was split into three twenty-minute portions: the tea party, the games, and the craft. For the tea party, I set out finger foods on our mismatched garage sale china–a variety of cookies as well as chunks of watermelon. Volunteers helped pour the children’s drinks, usually juice but occasionally water or iced tea. While everyone snacked, they chatted with their neighbors and made new friends (said “How do you do?” and shook hands, as it were…). About halfway through the snack time, I chimed in to read aloud some funny excerpts from Alice–there are plenty of nonsense poems and rhymes to share with a young audience. The favorite was “How doth the little crocodile,” for which I used the library’s croc puppet for heightened drama.

After our tea snacks and drinks, we moved to the games portion of the program. I had two games planned: The Queen of Hearts Says and a Caucus Race. The Queen of Hearts Says is the same as Simon Says with some nods to Alice; when I was the Queen, I added silly instructions like standing on one’s own hands and making fish faces. A few of the older program participants took turns as the Queen, too, bringing some fresh creativity to the game. Our Caucus Race was a modification of musical chairs–instead of rushing to sit on chairs, children rushed to stand on floor cushions (carpet squares would also work). I used a library copy of the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack to supply the game music, and the children had a fun time trying to end up the Caucus Race winner. Those who found themselves out of both games enjoyed the excitement and anticipation of seeing who would win, so everyone was engaged throughout our games.

We finished up with our craft–I always like to end party programs with the craft so that children who finish more quickly can skedaddle when they’re done without rushing slower crafters. We made Mome Raths adapted from a craft I found online. To streamline the craft, we used colored craft sticks, glue dots, googly eyes, and chenille sticks (the chenille sticks were much easier to handle than feathers in my test run). I had lots of supplies on hand so that each child could make multiple Mome Raths, and by the end of the program the library had a Mome Rath army threatening to overtake the stacks. I’m happy to say that all of these creatures found their ways out of the library with their makers, who also excitedly checked out a variety of Alice materials–books, CDs, DVDs; you name it, they wanted it. If these children’s enthusiasm for all things Alice is any indication, Mr. Carroll’s classic will continue to enchant for at least another few generations.

After years of illustrating picture books, I decided to give writing a try. It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw marked my debut as an author. It’s a biography of outsider artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who started drawing pictures at the age of 85, based on his memories and on observations of his early life.

When an author friend first mailed a newspaper article about Bill Traylor to me, suggesting I write a book about him, I rejected the idea. I was a visual artist, not a writer. But Bill Traylor inspired me. At 85, he had lived beyond the years of most men, yet he didn’t wind down. Instead, he found a new calling. That was a story I wanted to tell.

I began the process of recreating Bill’s life by creating a timeline. I plotted Bill’s birth date and his death date. As I researched, I filled in the dates and events of his life. An easy task, I thought. But there were challenges.

Bill Traylor was born a slave. Slaves weren’t considered people; they were registered as the property of their masters, the same as a horse, barn, or carriage. Most slaves didn’t even know their birth dates. Even reliable sources disagreed on Bill’s birth date, with one listing his birth year as 1853, another listing it as 1854, and yet another stating it was 1856. Even his death date was in question. While some say Bill died in 1947, a photograph of him is dated 1948, and a family member says he died in 1949.

At first I didn’t worry about varying dates. I was happy to find any information at all. As I researched, I added information to the timeline, noting sources regardless of where they came from. I used everything at first – Wikipedia, folk art websites, online encyclopedias – I just needed a place to start. I followed up with more credible and scholarly books and magazine articles.

The events of Bill’s life were mostly consistent from source to source. It was the dates and other little inconsistencies that tripped me up. In the end, I relied on sources like the book Deep Blues: Bill Traylor, Self Taught Artist, written by Mary E. Lyons, and DEEP BLUES, BILL TRAYLOR 1854 To 1949, edited by Josef Helfenstein and Roman Kurzmeyer. Both books were well sourced, relied on census records, and used many of the same sources I used. I even found a copy of Collier’s Magazine from 1946, which featured an article about Bill Traylor and a wonderful photograph, “He Lost 10,000 Years,” by Allen Rankin (who is said to have questioned Bill at one time about the inspiration behind his drawings).

The biggest problem with my timeline was that it had an 85-year hole. Much was written about Bill after the age of 85. But not much was available about his life before that. I considered focusing the story around the four years Bill spent as a homeless street artist, avoiding dealing with his past. But I wanted more. I needed more. What led up to the day when Bill Traylor began to draw? What about his life influenced his art?

By studying Bill’s art, I found some of the answers I was looking for. Animals played a huge role in Bill’s life. So much so that he often portrayed them larger than the humans in his drawings. Images of animated animals in humorous situations were common in his art. Another common image was of men behind mules plowing. Obviously Bill Traylor had spent many days with a mule and a plow. I laughed out loud when I came across a statement he’d made about a stubborn mule: “Minute he sees a plow he start swinging back . . . Git’s dat pride from his mama.” That quote really captured Bill’s personality, and I knew it had to include it in the story.

While Bill’s art doesn’t reveal much about his own religious beliefs, worship services show up in his art. Drawings of top-hat-wearing preachers with outstretched hands, encircled by worshippers were the subject of a few pieces of Bill’s art.

Exciting events were another common theme in Bill’s art. He often portrayed lively and rowdy play between human figures and animals in and around homes or other structures. The scenes were animated, complex, mysterious, and symbolic. It was fascinating to study and provided a glimpse into Bill’s life on the farm.

Dialog was a major issue, but finding words linked to a reliable source wasn’t too much of a challenge. Charles Shannon, the painter and photographer who discovered Bill’s talent, often sat alongside him, observing and listening to comments as Bill created his art. In fact, it was Charles who later titled many of Bill’s works based upon those comments. One of my favorite quotes was when Bill said, “I wanted to be plowing so badly today, I draw’d me a man plowing.” Makes sense! It speaks to how much Bill missed his life on the farm.”

Telling the story of Bill Traylor was a challenge. It was like assembling a puzzle with missing pieces. Some of those pieces would never be found. But thankfully through the use of Bill Traylor’s own art, I was able to reconstruct an accurate picture of the life of an incredible man.

(Artwork from the book, It Jes’ Happened, copyright R. Gregory Christi.)

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Our guest blogger today is Don Tate. Don is  the illustrator of numerous picture books. He is also a debut author for the book It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw, the story of a slave turned outsider artist. You can connect with Don Tate at http://dontate.com/contact/

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

Have you seen the eBadge entries? Now’s your opportunity to vote for your favorite ALSC eBadge idea!

ALSC is looking for an idea that captures our spirit, who we are, what we do, and what we stand for. What is fresh, appealing and expresses the spirit of ALSC? To see all four entries and to vote, please visit the contest page.

The voting is part of ALSC’s eBadge Contest. The member with the top vote-getting submission will win a Nook and a book from the Friends of ALSC. Two runners-up will each receive an ALSC gift bag with ALSC swag. Voting is open to anyone.

Hurry! Voting ends Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 11:59pm Central.