Category Archives: Blog links

Mar
08
2012

Living in New York City

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We are incredibly fortunate to be living in or close to NYC. We have 3 amazing public library systems, and a number of independent bookstores that are great places not only to find children’s books, but to attend author events as well. On any given weekend, there are a number of events around books and literacy that are open to the general public.

This weekend there is a middle grade author even happening at Books of Wonder, a Shakespeare program for children at the Schwarzman Building Children’s Room , and every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. McNally Jackson has a children’s story time.

Why not take advantage of some bookish events that New York City has to offer!

Nov
28
2011

We get by with a little help from our friends…

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In the LREI library, we do our best to read everything we can get our hands on in order to advise our recommendations to your children.  We can’t, however, read each of the 30,000 or so children’s titles that are published each year.  So what do we do?

We get some help from our friends.

Children’s Literature blogs are invaluable to librarians in the name of reader’s advisory, finding out what’s new, and exploring the titles that we have some how missed.  Here are some of the blogs that I use on a weekly basis to inform my own reading, and to keep up on the world of publishing.

100 Scope Notes

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian who has been blogging since 2007.  He reviews children’s books, reworks Newbery book covers, talks about happenings in the world of kidlit among other things.  A useful tab can be found on the top of his blog and is entitled “Best New Books”.  Simply click there for a round-up of the latest, greatest titles.

Jen Robinson’s Book Page

Jen is an engineer who just happens to love children’s literature.  She has been blogging about kid’s books for years and she breaks down her reviews, not only by the year in which the book was published, but also by age range, and she also includes links to timely articles about children’s literature as a whole.

Ms. Yingling Reads

I like this blog because Ms. Yingling is a straight shooter.  She will tell you in a quick and concise manner why a book works or why it doesn’t.  She reads a ridiculous number of books, and she has her lens honed on searching for books that will appeal to boys.

Please take some time to check out these blogs.  Nobody has time to read everything; we can all use a little help from our friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov
21
2010

To E-Read or not to E-Read?

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Is this the question we should really be asking? Perhaps it should be “How can I make e-reading work for my family?”

Research is starting to find that e-readers are motivating some reluctant readers to pick up a device and crack open a book. For some, e-readers makes reading slightly edgier and cool. For others, adjusting the font might be the key. Now with e-readers allowing for color and illustration, devices are more attractive than ever.

The best thing that the adults can do to help children become life long readers, however, is not simply providing them with the newest and greatest gadget. What we can do is model reading behavior, regardless of platform. Let our children see us reading books, magazines, e-readers, newspapers et cetera.

Raising readers is work, it doesn’t simply happen. Follow this link to find more tips for raising your own readers…e or otherwise!

Jan
13
2010

It’s Award Season!

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newberyIt is time for the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference again.  The location of the 2010 conference is Boston.  Librarians from across the United States, as well as some from the rest of the world will meet and discuss library issues, get insights into new technologies, and find out from publishers what is coming next!  It’s an exciting time to renew connections with far flung colleagues as well as learn a thing or two.

But the ultimate buzz is about the awards.  Midwinter is when ALA announces the Youth Media Awards (of which there are 18!)  Most of you have heard of the Newbery and the Caldecott awards, but there are many more including awards for audio books ( the Odyssey award), books for teens (the Printz award), as well graphic novels (Great Graphic Novels).

Susan over at the Booklights Blog has a wonderful post up outlining all of the awards.  Head on over and check it out!

In case you didn’t know, all 4 of LREI’s librarians are involved in committee work for the ALA.  Check out Namita’s blog outlining our activities!

Nov
30
2007

Book Week!

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It’s hard to believe that Book Week is almost upon us!

Next week, fabulous authors will be in each Lower School classroom talking with your children about writing books. Our Lower School schedule is as follows:

Monday, December 3: Amy Guglielmo and Julie Appel in the 4s class

Marthe Joceyln in Dorothy and Deborah’s 1st grade class

Isabel Rose in Jamie and Bonnie’s 1st grade class

Mario Picayo in Gina and Emily’s 1st grade class

Ai-Ling Louie in Jackie and Dot’s 2nd grade class

Sally Cook in Tasha and Rebecca’s 2nd grade class

Wednesday December 5: Marthe Joceyln in Luise and Stacey’s Kindergarten

Eric Losh in Emily and Ana’s 3rd grade class

Roxane Orgill in Alison and Lisa’s 3rd grade class

Sarah Deming in Kate and Dave’s 4th grade class

Thursday, December 6: Jennifer Merz in Diane and Charles’ EK class

Monica Wellington in Lauren and Molly’s Kindergarten

Annette Perez in the Afterschool Reds

Friday, December 7: Bonnie Hiller is Gwen and Becka’s 4th grade class

Be sure to ask your child about the visit to the classroom! And remember that the book fair portion of Book Week begins Wednesday, December 5th after school!

Nov
12
2007

Reader’s advisory

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There are many ways that I learn about books. Word of mouth, professional journals, and browsing the bookstore are just a few. Lately, however, I have been turning to the world of online children’s book blogs. There are literally thousands out there, each with a different purpose and tone, and over this year, I would like to share some of these links with you.

This week many bloggers have been writing about “The Brown Bookshelf” This is a site made up of “a group of 5 authors and illustrators (Paula Chase-Hyman, Varian Johnson, Don Tate, Kelly Starling Lyons and Carl Sarratt), brought together for the collective goal of showcasing the best and brightest voices in African-American Children’s Literature with special emphasis on new authors and books that are flying under the radar.”

Diversity (and lack thereof) in children’s literature has always been an issue on the table. I am delighted to be able to visit the Brown Bookshelf to inform my own reading and find new titles for the shelves at LREI!