Category Archives: book talk

Dec
05
2011

It’s Book Week!

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Book Week is probably the librarians’ favorite week of the school year.  Authors and illustrators visit every classroom.  Watch this blog for announcements of who is appearing each day!

Monday December 5

Lisa Graff – author of Umbrella Summer is visiting Kate and Steve’s 4th grade classroom.

P.D. Eastman – author of Go Dog Go! is visiting Beth and Clare’s 4’s classroom.

Gina Goldmann – contributor to Hands Off Harry is visiting Vonick’s 3rd grade classroom.

Judith Inglese and Dedie King – author and illustrator of I See the Sun in Afghanistan is coming to Rebecca and Nicole’s 1st grade classroom.

 

                                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun
06
2011

Statistics

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One of the super cool things about our library software is the ability to run statistics.  The end of the year inventory has all of the librarians considering our collection and the changes that need to be made.  Just for a hoot, I ran a snapshot stat on the top 10 titles that circulated during the 2010/2011 school year in the Sixth Avenue library.

The results may surprise some of you.

Every single one is a graphic novel.

Ok…so let’s branch it out and run the top 50 titles for the school year.  46 of them are graphic novels.

Our graphic novel collection is a small subset of our overall collection but is obviously the go-to section for self selected reading.  It’s hard to imagine, but many libraries are still trying to justify purchasing and keeping graphic novels.  At LREI we are lucky not only to have a great, growing collection of graphic novels, but we are also lucky to have Jesse Karp on our faculty.  In case you are unaware, Jesse is an expert in the graphic novel field.  If you have any questions about the format, or need help finding appropriate graphic novels for your child, please stop on by and ask!

Without further ado, here are the top ten circulating books of the 2010/2011 school year!

10) BABYMOUSE: OUR HERO, by Jennifer and Matt Holm

9) ROBOT DREAMS, by Sara Varon

8 ) BABYMOUSE: SKATER GIRL, by Jennifer and Matt Holm

7) STONE RABBIT: BC MAMBO, by Erik Craddock

6) BABYMOUSE: DRAGONSLAYER, by Jennifer and Matt Holm

5) STONE RABBIT: DEEP SPACE DISCO, by Erik Craddock

4) GRAMPA AND JULIE: SHARK HUNTERS, by Jef Czekaj

3) STONE RABBIT: PIRATE PALOOZA, by Erik Craddock

2) BABYMOUSE: BEACH BABE, by Jennifer and Matt Holm

1) BABYMOUSE: CAMP BABYMOUSE, by Jennifer and Matt Holm

Feb
12
2010

Highlighted Titles for Black History Month

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The library has just received a shipment of new books!  Here are a few picture books that gives some insight into some interesting people and events in Black History.

images-2 Bad News for Outlaws, by  Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

An illustrated biography of Bass Reeves, a former slave who was recruited as a deputy United States marshal, based on his ability to communicate with the Native Americans in the area that was to become Oklahoma. (CIP)


images-1Back of the Bus, by Aaron Reynolds

From the back of the bus, an African American child watches the arrest of Rosa Parks. (CIP)



imagesThe Hallelujah Flight, by Phil Bildner

In 1932, James Banning, along with his co-pilot Thomas Allen, make history by becoming the first African Americans to fly across the United States, relying on the generosity of people they meet in the towns along the way who help keep their “flying jalopy” going. (CIP)

Dec
02
2009

A Note on Book Choices

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Sometimes parents wonder at the choices that their children make during library.  Why does a student choose a book that is beyond his/her reading abilities?  Why does a student choose the same title over and over again?  How are students being guided during library choice time?

There are many different types of literacy, and here in the LREI library, we are striving to equip your children with library literacy.  This entails the very basics of how to treat a book, all the way to the understanding that the library is organized by systems (as well as an understanding of how these systems work).  In first grade, children are checking out books “on their own” for the first time.  The areas of the library are being opened up bit bit by bit with fiction (picture books and early readers) being first, and the non-fiction Dewey Decimal sections being opened up one section at a time.  What I am looking for as I help the children during this time is whether or not they can negotiate the space.  Is there an understanding that the fiction and non-fiction are housed separately?  Are children looking for books to read, books to browse, or books to share with a grown-up at a later date?  These are all steps in negotiating the library, and making good book choices in the future.

So why are children choosing books that are beyond their level?  There are many reasons for this, especially regarding non-fiction titles.  Generally speaking, children are drawn to subject matter that they are interested in.  With non-fiction, students can “read” the pictures, work on decoding and understanding captions, while getting a sense of the larger subject at hand.  Topics that first graders have been drawn to this year include volcanoes, the ocean, and spiders!  While children are exploring books like these, they are getting to know the standard format of the non-fiction book (table of contents, index, captions) and are able to share quick facts about the subject matter with their peers.  Generally speaking, 3-5 children will end up gathering around books like these and exclaiming over the content (“What month were you born?  Every month has a birthstone!”, “Can you believe how big this spider is?  Look! I can count its’ eyes!”).

On the other side of things, why do some children choose the same book again and again?  In a word, familiarity.  While our library does not seem that large to us, there are over 10,000 titles here!  Some children are simply overwhelmed by the myriad of choices available to them.  There is comfort in knowing where a favorite book is housed, in being successful in finding it on the shelf, and being able to share it with a friend.  Over time, this will change and the children who tend to check out the same title again and again will find a new favorite, then another, then another until their personal library has grown enough that the task of choosing something new will no longer seem overwhelming.

As for guidance, the librarians get to know your children as readers slowly but surely.  Some reveal themselves to us quickly and others take a little more time.  We take pride in matching children with books and there is nothing more exciting than when a child comes running into the library to share their enthusiasm about a book with us.  There are also times when we do not let children select certain titles because they are well beyond their level, or the content is not developmentally appropriate.  We have many conversations about why certain books are for older students.  When a child wants to check out a book that is for older children, we ask questions to determine why the child wants to read it.  Was the cover enticing?  Is there a movie currently out that is based on the book?  Is the book about a subject that the child is interested in?  We always offer up choices of alternate titles that would serve the student better.  The librarians at LREI are constantly reading and trying to keep up with the dynamic world of children’s literature, so that we can offer our students the best selection of books that we can.

If you have any questions about how library is working for your child, please stop by the library.  You can email me at sdillon@lrei.org to set up a time if a longer conversation is necessary.

Mar
09
2009

4th Grade Angel Island Experiment

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Angel IslandAs part of the Fourth Grade immigration study, we read the book
The Dragon’s Child

, by Laurence and Kathleen Yep during the past few weeks in library. The students noticed the differences between the journey through Ellis Island and Angel Island. They were amazed that American citizens who were of Chinese ethnicity had to face questioning each and every time that they came into the country.

In an effort to have the children feel what it is like to be questioned, I took some of the actual tasks of people facing immigration through Angel Island, and administered them to the Fourth Grade.

The were first asked to draw a map of their block. Then they had to label all of the buildings/apartments/stores and list who lived inside, as well as the tenent’s jobs and whether or not they were pet owners. Next they had to list all family members going back three generations and provide birth, death, and marriage dates for all where applicable. Then they were asked to arrange all of the living relatives into households, and describe where they live…including the number of windows and exits in each dwelling.

The students reactions? They were stressed. They felt like they don’t know much about their neighborhoods. “We don’t know what we should know….this doesn’t feel good.”

I think the students were left with a lasting impression. They were asked to go home and talk to their grown-ups about the test. Think about it. Could you pass?

Oct
14
2008

The Reluctant Reader

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tunnel_reading_011.jpgAs librarians, we tend to bandy about terms related to reading and readers. Chances are you have heard the term “reluctant reader” before, and chances are you have some idea as to what that means. A few years ago, I worked on a committee for the American Library Association called “Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers”, and this work really opened my eyes up to the different types of reluctant readers that exist.

The readers that most readily come to mind when we hear the term “reluctant” are the children for whom reading is truly a difficult task. Working on fluency, and getting outside help may be successful in bringing these readers out of the reluctant realm.

But there is another type of reluctant reader. These are the children who may be high- level readers, who simply cannot find anything that they want to read. They are the readers that need to be hooked in the first chapter, and in some cases the first few paragraphs, or they will simply give up on the book. This is a tricky situation, because as parents you want to encourage reading, but it is also very easy to get frustrated when every suggestion given is met with a sneer.

So what do you do?

Something that I have found successful is what I call the “book tease”. During library, third and fourth graders are treated to several book teases a year. I take a title that students have not been talking about or checking out and dramatically read the first few chapters aloud. I make sure that the book has the type of chapters that leave of with cliff- hangers, and snap the book shut at the key moment. 100% of the time that book will get checked out of the library after it may have been sitting on the shelf for a couple of months. Remember, your children are never too old for a read aloud!

Another angle is to look to non-fiction. Sometimes adults forget that non-fiction is perfectly acceptable reading. The title certainly doesn’t need to be enriching a current social studies curriculum point. In fact, chances are, the more far-out the facts found in the pages, the more likely a child is to stick with it. Winners in the past have been the Guinness Book of World Records, as well as anything in the 133 (Dewey Decimal number for the “unexplained”), and the 932 (Ancient Egypt) section of the non-fiction shelves.

Remember, reading is a life-time activity. Your child’s taste in reading material need not match your own. In fact, when you and your children have markedly different tastes in books, the conversations around reading may indeed be more rich and varied. And know that reading tastes change as your children change. It won’t be Captain Underpants forever…I promise!

Sep
22
2008

Lower School Library

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Hi everyone! Jesse has already introduced himself, so I thought I would follow his lead.

I am Stacy Dillon and I am the librarian for First through Fourth grade. Library is a special where students enjoy read alouds, learn library etiquette, dip their toes into research methods, and meet our old friend Melvil Dewey. The hopes of the librarians at LREI is that our students develop a love of reading and become life long learners.

We take pride in getting to know the reading tastes of our students, and we also look to them to let us know about exciting titles to add to our collection. So, if your child is in need of a book recommendation, please stop on by the library. Jesse and I, along with Middle School librarian Jennifer Hubert Swan, are bibliophiles ourselves, and chances are we can put an exciting book in the hands of your child!

Happy Reading!

Jan
18
2008

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

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Hugo lives in the train station in Paris, and is the time-keeper. The only thing is, nobody knows. After his own clockmaker father died in a tragic fire, Hugo’s gruff Uncle pulled him out of school, and made Hugo his own time-keeper apprentice. Hugo’s uncle starts disappearing for longer and longer stretches of time, until one day, he doesn’t come home at all.

What can Hugo do, but continue setting the clocks, and living in Uncle’s tiny apartment in the station? He collects Uncle’s paycheques so that the Station Inspector is none-the-wiser to the situation.

Everything changes for Hugo when one day, while stealing a wind-up mouse from the toy booth, he is caught. The man who runs the toy booth threatens to call the Station Inspector and takes from Hugo the one thing that he has left from his father – his notebook with the illustrations of the automaton that his father found in the museum attic. The man who runs the toy booth, and Hugo, are connected in a way that neither could fathom. With twists and turns too intricate to describe, Selznik takes readers on a journey about history, cinema, and the meaning of family.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret looks like a daunting book. It is as thick as J.K Rowling’s works. The pages of Hugo, however, are filled with Selznick’s amazing illustrations that call to mind the work of Chris Van Allsburg. Part of the story is actually told through the illustrations, quickening the pace of reading considerably. A beautiful and enchanting story that is destined to become a classic.

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We were so pleased to see this title win the Caldecott award this year.  This book is an example of how authors and illustrators are pushing the envelope regarding categorizing books!  If you see your child reading this book, do yourself a favor and give it a read. 

(Review copied from “Welcome to my Tweendom“)