First graders have been exploring the differences between fiction and non-fiction.  They know that one is true and one is a story, but it is easy to get confused as to which is which.  After a visit to the NYPL, students have learned to look for clues such as the dewey decimal number on the spine of the book, tools like an index or a table of contents as well as pictures with captions to lead them to non-fiction status.

In library we have been pairing fiction with non-fiction and discovering that many times fictional accounts of animal or insect characters may indeed contain some facts.

For example, Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly, by Alan Madison includes such facts as monarch butterfly migration patterns, the number of butterfly species as well as some tidbits about metamorphosis as well.  Eyewitness Juniors Amazing Butterflies & Moths, by Still revealed facts about the senses, shapes and sizes, and color patterns of the insects.   Other topics explored were worms, dancers and spiders.

Next time you visit the library, why not check out a fiction/non-fiction pairing?  If you need some help, simply ask a librarian (or your first grader) to give you a hand!

The second graders have just completed a several month study of Tall Tales. We read a variety of American Tall Tales ranging from Paul Bunyan and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, to Mose, John Henry and Febold Feboldson.

Students talked about what makes a Tall Tale a Tall Tale? We figured out that in Tall Tales some things are true, but others are wildly exaggerated. Tall Tales are usually pretty funny, but there are instances where unhappy endings add a realistic edge.

At the end of our study, students developed their own Tall Tale characters. Some of them chose to take the tried and true format, and develop a character who is big in size, talent and personality while other students decided to develop a small tale character – who while small in stature, is big in talent.

Please feel free to explore the following links and take the opportunity to have your child teach you a little more about Tall Tales!

Wikipedia Tall Tale Link

Reading Rockets Book List

3 of LREI’s 4 librarians have public library backgrounds.  We have worked in all three systems, and have personally witnessed how important the public libraries are to a large segment of New York City’s population.  The libraries are facing the harshest budget cuts in history, and if the numbers hold true over 1400 people will lose their jobs, 40 libraries will see their doors closed, and the libraries that remain open will have a drastic reduction in hours.

Who cares?

We do.

The public libraries provide more than a place to check out books.  Free and equal access to information for anyone who comes through the door.  There are computer classes, ESL classes, resume workshops, job seeking courses, reading groups, arts and crafts clubs, summer reading clubs, homework help and the list goes on an on.

We let the 4th graders in on what is happening in the city and they were very upset.  We decided to become a part of the Save NYC Libraries Postcard Campaign with students creating postcards to mail in, outlining their ideas on why libraries are so important.

“Some people don’t have a lot of books and they can go to the library.”

“I do homework in the libraries.”

“It’s unfair that 1498 people will lose their jobs!”

“Without their jobs, how are they going to support their families?”

“Many people do not have a computer at home and they can come to the library   to take classes.”

“I love to read and I love to experience the pleasure of sitting in a nice friendly place (like a library) with a book!”

“Also, many schools do not have libraries and they depend on public libraries for their reading.”

To quote the New York Times:

When world-class libraries fall the people who suffer most are the ones with the least power: the poor, children, and teenagers. Along with the loss of education and services, the closing of libraries is a loss of public place where all are treated with respect and dignity, where culture has value, and where thought is encouraged. [see “Library Cuts Could Hurt Manga Mania in Queens”, NYTimes, May 16, 2010]

To find more information on the postcard campaign please follow this link.

Welcome back to the LREI library.  I surely hope that your summer was delightful and offered many opportunities for reading with your child (and to yourself, for that matter).

For those of you who are new the LREI, please come into the library for a visit as soon as you can.  Your children have already been included in our system and can check out books for a week at a time.  The librarians (Stacy, Jesse and Jen) can’t wait to help you and your kids find just the right book for a quick afternoon read or a more leisurely weekend engagement.

For those of you returning to LREI, our library is filled with new books.  Please come have a look at some of the recent arrivals, including Steal Back the Mona Lisa by McCarthy, the Lion and the Mouse by Pinkney, the full Elephant & Piggie series by Willems, Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel by Grimes and the Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Messner.  And while you’re stopping by, don’t forget to have a look at the new graphic novel section (and you better do it quickly, your kids have practically cleaned us out).

Its a pleasure to be back and we’re looking forward to seeing you and reading with your kids all year long.

Your kids have made my year an absolute pleasure. Their enthusiasm for a good story and their willingness to let their imaginations run loose have made me look forward to my job every morning. I hope that your summers are relaxing and rewarding and leave plenty of time for good reading.

If you’ll allow me, here’s one final reading reccomendation. As the students seem to have unofficially chosen a favorite book for the year (The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers), why not have a look at some of the author’s other work, like Lost and Found, The Great Paper Caper or The Way Back Home, all by Jeffers.

Thanks and have a great summer!

As the school year winds down and we reach our final stretch of library classes, your early childhooders are applying their skills as an audience and their interests as library visitors like practiced professionals.

In the Fours, kids have mastered the parts of the book (cover, back cover, pages, spine), are focusing on story content and particularly enjoy “silly” books like Tom Cat (by Woods) and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (by Willems).

In EK, the students have just experienced “silent” books — books that tell their stories through pictures alone — like Red Book (by Lehman) and Magpie Magic (by Wilson) and are taking full advantage of their well-earned free reading time to choose their own books and share them with friends.

In Kindergarten, the students are well on their way to a degree in Librarianship, able as they are to differentiate between fiction and non-fiction and begin tracking down books by searching out the section with the author’s last name.  We just had a great time with Imagine a Day (by Thomson), a gorgeous book filled with optical illusions.

We’ve still got a few classes left, but by now, the kids are practically running things themselves (practically).

Just back from vacation and I’ve had slews of kids come up to me and tell me not just where they went and what they did for spring break but also what they read. Nothing does a librarian’s heart better than hearing about how much a student loved a new book they discovered or an old favorite they returned to. My own daughter and I checked out the BFG by Roald Dahl and it’s one of our favorites now. Next up: Matilda (also by Dahl).

It’s a pleasure to know that library time at LREI is valued by the kids and that enthusiasm surely comes from home, where kids seem to have learned the importance of taking your imagination out for a spin with a good book.

So, thanks for loving reading, thanks for reading to your kids and thanks for sending their enjoyment of it in with them every day.

It’s not even quite spring yet, but your librarians are hard at work on summer reading lists for your children, which should be available at the Spring Book Fair.  The reading lists will include picture books, chapter books (for sharing and, for older students, independent reading) and books for emerging readers.  Here’s a short preview.

Hen Hears Gossip (picture book) by Megan McDonald and Joung Un Kim
Hen thinks she’s got the latest farm gossip, but as the story travels from animal to animal, no one can seem to keep it straight.

The Tale of Despereaux (chapter book) by Kate DiCamillo
An unusual mouse finds his own destiny amidst princesses, magic and treachery.  You may have enjoyed the movie, but the book has even more to offer.

Hi! Fly Guy (for emerging readers) by Tedd Arnold
Can a fly be a pet?  The Fly Guy has the surprising answer.

That’s just the barest taste of what the lists have in store.  Be on the lookout!

Every year, I am overcome with a need to remind people of the genius of the good Dr. Seuss.  For rhythm, unobtrusive (but very worthwhile) messages and sheer, flipped out, wacky fun, the doctor always makes for an unbeatable read.  I won’t bore you with all the talk about the rhymes creating important pathways and recognition in pre- and early readers’ minds, or the art serving as an incomparable springboard for young imaginations.  I will tell you that the early childhood classes are getting a dose of Seuss during library periods right now and that there will be a display of Seuss books up on the shelves for the next week or so (before we make way for Black History Month).

You may well know all about the Cat in the Hat or Thidwicke the Big-hearted Moose, but have a look at something like Too Many Daves (in the Sneetches Collection) or I had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew.  I promise, your kids won’t be the only ones enjoying it.

Happy new year from your LREI librarians.  Our new year’s good news is that a slew of new books came flooding in and will shortly be on the shelves for your kids to enjoy.  We’ve got new series books including My Weird School, Guardians of Ga’Hoole and Ivy & Bean.  We’ve got new non-fiction on such subjects as sharks, space stations and sustainability, and a gorgeously illustrated new book called Swords, which is about . . . swords!

Of course, we have new picture books in plenitude, as well.  This includes If . . . , a book of  mind-boggling optical illusions, Jumpy Jack and Googily, about two friends looking to keep clear of monsters, and Boys of Steel, about the two teenagers who created Superman.  We also have brand new copies of Fall is Not Easy and Batman: the Story of the Dark Knight, two titles which have been getting checked in and out so fast that they’re leaving scorch marks on our shelves.

Please come and see for yourself the array of titles I haven’t mentioned here.  And don’t forget to have a lovely 2009.