9
May
Every Day is Storytime
Exciting news! The best!!
I’m happy to share that my mentor, recently retired children’s librarian Jane Johnston, has started a blog: Every Day is Storytime.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Jane Johnston in person, she is magical. While we worked together, I made it a point to try and absorb every ounce of wisdom she possesses when it comes to early literacy devices and tools, children’s books, and programming. After she retired, I often wondered how all the knowledge she possessed would live on, especially her philosophies, the songs, fingerplays, and stories she created entirely on her own. I was only able to take in a teeny sliver of it during the time I worked with her, which is why I’m beyond thrilled that she has decided to start blogging. Every Day is Storytime is “dedicated to exploring the fun of finding and appreciating the words and stories tucked into the corners of your family time together”. Her blog is written with the caregiver audience in mind, but I feel it will also be a rich resource for librarians and early childhood educators.
As her devoted pupil, I hang onto her every word. She is a storyteller, a poet, a children’s literature enthusiast, an advocate for discovery and play, a musician, a wizard, and so, so, so much more. Please join Jane in celebrating storytime every day HERE.
5
May
Review: This One Summer
This One Summer
by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
Find it at: Your Local Library | Your Local Bookstore
Published: First Second Books (May 6, 2014)
Recommended Reading Age: 12 & up
In a nutshell: I read this book in one sitting. This One Summer is funny and honest and heartbreaking and beautiful. Every summer, Rose vacations on Awago beach with her parents, as does her spunky summer bud, Windy, with her mother. The two have been palling around each summer since they were little kids, but this summer growing pains start kicking in. Rose’s mother seems to be in a strange funk, and both Windy and Rose become fascinated with a summer romance between two teenage townies.
The Tamaki sisters have captured life as a preteen girl like no other book I’ve ever read…. The unknowns, first crushes, friendship, the endless days. I have a strong inkling it’ll be a very popular pick among the older middle school and high school kids this summer, but really it’s the perfect read for grown up types too. Rose and Windy are unforgettable and the artwork is…
Sublime.
Add it to your must-read list. Ideally, read on a warm summer evening. Lemonade and gummy candies optional.
Extras: Visit Jillian Tamaki’s website and Mariko Tamaki’s blog.
Source of book reviewed: Review copy sent by the lovely people over at First Second Books!
2
May
Milk Painting
I’m over at Library as Incubator Project today with the latest Pages to Projects: Milk Painting! It features this nifty milk painting art (and science!) project paired with the classic picture book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Also, there are quite a few tips for how to do projects that are a bit on the messy side in the library.
Please be sure to check it out!
1
May
Using Storybird as a Storytelling Prompt in Libraries
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Storybird is a new social media platform that prompts writing by allowing users to sift through a catalogue of illustrations (both amateur and professional) to select and pair with their stories. Here is the rundown from the Storybird website:
“Storybird lets anyone make visual stories in seconds. We curate artwork from illustrators and animators around the world and inspire writers of any age to turn those images into fresh stories. It’s a simple idea that has attracted millions of writers, readers, and artists to our platform. Families and friends, teachers and students, and amateurs and professionals have created more than 5 million stories—making Storybird one of the world’s largest storytelling communities.”
Pretty neat, right? Essentially, it’s an online community that promotes reading and writing in an online environment popular among the tween-agers.
I first heard about Storybird from my friend, illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley, who you might remember from a few weeks ago. She contributes her work to Storybird and is one of the featured illustrator for Storybird’s new longform format, which was announced last week (see this announcement in Publisher’s Weekly). I had to check it out for myself.
Even though Storybird is becoming a popular tool to use in the classroom, I think it would also be a treasure trove of learning and fun for young people that visit public libraries. If you’re a youth services librarian, here are a few ideas I came up with off the top of my head to encourage storytelling using this versatile site:
- The simplest way to utilize this service for FREE in the library is to introduce it to your you patrons and their caregivers. They can either create their own accounts or you can create an “educator account”, which would give you access to their account if you decide to develop a program using this site (and would also make managing login information handy).
- Make up your own digital picture book for storytime! Storybird is handy if you’re looking for a way to visually add to a song or rhyme or something of your own creation. Relay to audience members before or after reading the story that you created this book on your own using Storybird. If they have older children at home, Storybird is a good way to promote reading and writing there as well.
- Although most Summer Reading/Learning logs have already gone to print in preparation for the busy summer months at the library, think about using Storybird as a passive summertime program option. Kids can email their stories with the option of having them shared on the library’s blog. And/Or they can be printed and shared with the families who visit the library.
- Another programming idea is to have kids sign up to participate in creating a community book. After one child writes a chapter, another picks up where the last one left off. Print and add the book to the library’s collection for all to read!
Are you familiar with Storybird? Do you use Storybird in a library setting?
image source: Elizabeth Baddeley
22
Apr
Reading Together: April 2014
Heyo! Welcome to this month’s Reading Together shenanigans. Reading Together is a regular series of posts about books I’m sharing with my 3-year-old, Lorelei, and her baby sister, Mira. Below is a video highlighting our favorite recent reads and there is also an extended booklist below. We’d love to hear about what books you’re reading together with your kids, whether they are your own little hooligans, grandkids, a classroom, or storytime group! Please share in the comments!
What We’re Reading Together…
List of books highlighted in this video in order of appearance:
The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell
Thingy Things series: Cowy Cow, Crabby Crab, Lamby Lamb, & Whaley Whale by Chris Raschka
Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Grendan Wenzel
Moo! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell
You Are My Sunshine song by Jimmie Davis, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
BABYBUG Magazine (I forgot to mention that there is a caregiver guide in the back of these little magazines that include extension activities! Great resource for kids 6 months-3 years old!)
More books we’re reading together:
Lorelei
Dibble and Dabble by Dave and Julie Saunders
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Jane Champman
I Wish I Could Fly by Ron Maris
Mouse House Tales by Susan Pearson, illustrated by Amanda Shepherd
The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb
The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
Baby Mira
Mira is usually around when I’m reading with her sister, but here are a few we read when older sister is at school that are great for her age.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes… illustrated by Annie Kubler
Humpty Dumpty illustrated by Annie Kubler
Bouncy Baby by Begin Smart Books
AWESOMENESS: Big thank you to Kids Can Press for The Mermaid and the Shoe. And thanks to Abrams Appleseed for the Thingy Thing books!
All other books reviewed or listed came from our local library!
