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"Why My Dad?" offers a warm military story paralleled with a situation they can relate to, the bully.

Have you ever presented a program and learned something unexpected about your library users? At Williamsburg Regional Library in Virginia we ran a storytime focusing on military families and two nonagenarians saw the event listed in the local paper and attended, complete with walkers! They decided not to stay for picture books and songs, but first they regaled us with tales of traveling with their soldier husbands to ravaged, post-World War II Germany.

What did we learn? Firstly that “All Ages” in the local paper may be interpreted literally. Secondly, that there is plenty of community interest in military family lifestyles.

You may think services to military families are not relevant to your library, but consider that over two million American children have had a parent deployed since 9/11, and current military families total over five million people. If you include veterans, military retirees, Department of Defense civilians, grown military children, and parents of military members, interested people can live anywhere and be served by any library, including yours.

Military families lead varied lives, but are likely to experience the stressors of constant relocations and school or job changes, prolonged military member absence, knowledge of family member’s danger, distance from extended family, and living on a military base or overseas. Other children may experience these stressors, for example, the child of a long distance truck driver will experience prolonged parental absence, but the combined stressors add up to a definite military lifestyle.

Over two thirds of children with an Active Duty military parent are under 11 so the first program we offered was our all-ages storytime that focused on 3-7 year olds. Book selection is challenging because the books often touch on war which may be controversial. On the other hand songs involving marching are always fun! Our Saturday morning program was well attended and several parents said that they were pleased and touched to see military families featured at the library. They were also enthusiastic about displays, especially of picture books. You can see from the photos that real camouflage is effective, and if you don’t know someone in the military for old clothes, then try a thrift store.

For people who can’t come into our library I used a military family theme for several posts in our two widely-read review blogs, Blogging for a Good Book and Pied Pipers Pics The posts didn’t get a huge number of ‘likes” but received many comments and we heard from two of the authors.

These successful programs confirmed that military family life is a topic that doesn’t affect everyone, but the people who are affected are appreciative, so we are planning more storytimes, displays, reviews and I will keep adding to my long-term project of an annotated list of books featuring children with parents in the U.S. military Books for Military Children. If you have never considered featuring programs for military families in your library I urge you to reach out to this often overlooked group.

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Our guest blogger today is Jan Marry. In her twenty-one years as an Active Duty military spouse, she raised four children while living in six countries and four states. She works at the Williamsburg Regional Library where you can contact her at [email protected].

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

By the end of next week, most of the schools are out for summer. My stepson has his last day TODAY! One of my best friends and her kids are already on their way to Disney World. So what are you doing this summer?

I’m hoping, especially if you are a teacher/parent reading this blog, that your plans include reading. I was just thinking today about what we are going to get my stepson to read this summer. He is a bit of a reluctant reader, and I may just grab graphic novels at the local library. This way, he can read, and we can still discuss story elements–but it won’t be a battle each time. How many of you are doing a summer reading program? For your kids? For yourself?

One REALLY cool program that actually doesn’t have to do with books, but I think it is super cool AND EDUCATIONAL, so I am sharing it here anyway is. . .Blue Star Museums. From the website about BSM: “What is Blue Star Museums?”

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,500 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 28, through Labor Day, September 3, 2012.

Yes, you read that correctly–if you are currently active duty, you can go to any of these museums and pay NO ADMISSION for up to 6 people (military and five family members–including grandparents, aunts, uncles). That is amazing and quite a savings. This means children’s museums, fine arts museums, history and science museums, zoos, and more. For more information, go to the website: Blue Star Families. You do need a military ID to take advantage of the discount.Please pass the word on to any military family you know!

Even if you are not military, consider taking your children or summer school class to these types of places a few times this summer. GO ONLINE before you go–to the website or do a Google search–and find discounts. Often, children’s museums, zoos, science centers, etc will have certain days or hours with free admission or even coupons for special exhibits/parking and so on.

I’d love for you to come back and share with us here anything you do, any opportunity you find, and so on–anywhere in the US. I have readers across the country!

So, this summer–happy reading and happy museum-going!

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By Ron Avi Astor

Imagine attending nine schools before graduating from high school. Dealing with the emotional strain of having to end and restart friendships every year. Never establishing a lasting relationship with a favorite teacher. Being barred from participating in a favorite sport because you don’t meet residency requirements.

Further imagine the frustration of falling academically behind because completed courses in one state aren’t credited in another. And all this is happening while mom or dad is on his or her fourth tour of military duty overseas.

For the 1.3 million children of military families currently enrolled in public schools, this world is not imaginary. It’s a cost of national security that doesn’t show up on spreadsheets. Yet many struggle through public schools that are unaware of — and unprepared for — the special challenges of the military lifestyle.

In January, President Obama took an important step in addressing the generations-long neglect of military children by issuing a directive, “Strengthening Our Military Families,” that proposed ways to help these children get the best public education possible. Congress, meanwhile, can make an important difference now as America continues its longest war in Afghanistan and remains engaged in Iraq and Libya.

Since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 2 million children in military families have attended public schools. Most of these schools are near military bases. But because both campaigns relied heavily on the Reserves and National Guard, many military students also enroll in schools far from a base.

How are they faring academically? A Rand Corp. study released in April shows how a parent’s deployment can affect their children’s work in school. Researchers looked at the achievement test scores of more than 44,000 Army children in North Carolina and Washington state whose parents were deployed 19 months and longer between 2002 and 2008. They found that the students’ reading and math scores were significantly lower than their civilian peers, and that falling achievement was greater the younger the student.

Problem is that teachers, principals and staff in public schools are ill prepared to provide support for military students with falling grades. Only a handful of university schools of education currently offer any program or course on the special challenges of the military lifestyle — frequent mobility, prolonged deployment and sudden death. In addition, educational research literature doesn’t coherently provide guidance for teachers on how to handle the classroom challenges surrounding this lifestyle.

No wonder a 2010 Blue Star Family survey found that one of the main reasons why military families believe that the general public does not appreciate the sacrifices they make was the absence of support for their children in the public schools.

Not all schools are unwelcoming. With the help of the U.S. Navy, some in San Diego and Hawaii, both hosts of major military bases, offer a one-stop shop on the first day of school where entering military students and their parents can survey potential classes, check out available tutors, learn about extracurricular activities and meet new classmates. Other schools celebrate military culture by setting aside days – the Marines’ birthday, for example — to recognize important events in military history.

The upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers several opportunities to help military students.

For starters, Congress should fund an electronic system that would send the acade

While You Are Away by Eileen Spinelli

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Eileen Spinelli is the author of many beloved books for children. When Eileen was one year old, her father was stationed in the army in California. She and her mother missed him so much, they took the train all the way from Philadelphia for a special visit. Eileen now lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with her husband and fellow writer, Jerry Spinelli.

About the book:

At times a loved one may be far, far away, but that special person is never far from mind and heart. Whether you share thoughts, memories, photographs, or favorite songs, there are many ways to find comfort when you miss someone you love. Eileen Spinelli’s lyrical, supportive text and Renee Graef’s tender, uplifting illustrations combine to create a reassuring book about separation and reunion.

My take on the book:

This is a very touching and emotional read. Although I can’t relate so much to this, I can certainly empathize with kids and families who are separated due to military deployment. The illustrations are soothing and warm which goes along well in conjunction with Spinelli’s reassuring and upbeat poetry. In addition, the three vignettes serve to portray fathers, mothers and their children as various races and nationalities which in turn, gives the book a broader appeal. I would definitely recommend this as a resource for military families with children.

This post is in support of Reach Out and Read’s virtual book drive in support of military families.

To participate in the virtual book drive, please click here.

For more information on Reach Out and Read, visit, www.reachoutandread.org