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I recently had the pleasure of attending a bilingual conference here in Nova Scotia called Celebrating Communities. When wearing my Teen Librarian hat, I am involved in a group called BaM! Body And Mind, a collaborative program that encourages youth to be active, in well, both body and mind. Our program was a finalist for one of the Celebrating Communities awards. We didn’t win, but that isn’t really what matters, because everyone at this conference was a winner. I know that sounds cliché, but in this case, I found it to be true. This was not a library conference. But it had everything to do with libraries, because we spent 3 days celebrating the best of the community we were in. The conference is presented every 2 years, and a different community is chosen to host and be highlighted. The thing I really came back from this conference with was the idea of CELEBRATING. I heard very little grousing in the 3 days I was at this conference. The idea of “Celebrating” really took hold, and besides hearing from speakers who regaled us with the stories of their successes, the participants all had good things to talk about. In these times of economic uncertainty and money woes, it was refreshing to be amongst folks who have hope, good ideas, and a real ambition to make their communities thrive. And while libraries were not on the agenda, several of the presenters mentioned libraries, because we all know that the library can be a pillar of the community. Let’s all remember to celebrate that, every day, even in small ways. So go on, celebrate YOUR community. Celebrate your library, because you never know who it is that you are helping, it could be the next Bill Gates, or maybe even Vernon d’Eon. (Yes, you are going to have to do some research to find out who Vernon d’Eon is!)

Here’s an an opportunity to let your students, your patrons, or your customers express how much YOU mean to them!

Let them know about the 2011 I Love My Librarian Award. This award, administered by the American Library Association with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times, encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians.

• Click here to nominate a school librarian
• Click here to nominate a public librarian
• Click here to nominate a College, Community College or University Librarian

Visit the I Love Libraries site for more information.

Wouldn’t it be fun if someone nominated you?!?

Okay, a show of hands, please… How many of you read the title of this post and immediately found yourself singing “take a look, it’s in a book, it’s reading rainbow?” And doesn’t an image of LeVar Burton sharing his weekly book-loving message pop into your mind?

After 26 years of airing on PBS, Reading Rainbow came to an end in 2009. Many libraries still circulate the DVDs. Many teachers still use them in their classrooms.  If you — like me — remember these shows fondly, you’ll be very interested in hearing about an upcoming Reading Rainbow Flash Mob.  Details are still sketchy, but — with Levar Burton leading the way — it could be great fun!

For many – myself included – a highlight of the ALA Annual Conference is sitting in on meetings of the Notable Children’s Books Committee and listening as they discuss new materials.

This ALSC committee is charged with identifying the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

This year, the committee has 9 hours of meetings which are open to any registered conference attendee interested in listening to the discussions. Their open meetings are in the Morial Convention Center,  Rooms 298-299, from 1:30 to 4:30 on Saturday, June 25, Sunday, June 26, and Monday, June 27.

Midway through the year, there are 54 titles on the discussion list. Here is the complete list of books to be discussed at the Annual Conference in New Orleans, grouped in the order they will be discussed.

Fiction (including fiction graphic novels and fiction verse novels)

Bauer, Joan. Close to Famous. Viking Childrens Books

Billingsley, Franny. Chime. Dial Books for Young Readers

Burgis, Stephanie. Kat, Incorrigible. Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Engle, Margarita. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. Henry Holt & Co.

Holm, Jennifer L. The Trouble with May Amelia. Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Lai, Thanhha. Inside out and Back Again. HarperCollins

Magoon, Kekla. Camo Girl. Aladdin

Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Secret River. Illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon. Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Reedy, Trent. Words in the Dust. Arthur A. Levine Books

Schmidt, Gary D. Okay for Now. Clarion Books

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. Philomel Books

Shang, Wendy Wan Long. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. Scholastic Press

Stephens, John. The Emerald Atlas. Alfred A. Knopf

Picture books

Clement, Nathan. Job Site. Illus. by Nathan Clement. Boyds Mills Press

Compestine, Ying Chang. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale. Illus. by Sebastià Serra. Dutton Children’s Books

Czekaj, Jef. Cat Secrets. Illus. by Jef Czekaj. Balzer + Bray

Evans, Shane. Underground. Illus. by Shane Evans. Roaring Brook Press

Goodrich, Carter. Say Hello to Zorro! Illus. by Carter Goodrich. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Hall, Michael. Perfect Square. Illus. by Michael Hall. Greenwillow Books

Henkes, Kevin. Little White Rabbit. Illus. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books

Lamb, Albert. Tell Me the Day Backwards. Illus. by David McPhail Candl

Reading Rockets and AdLit.org are back with a new writing contest! Citizen Writer offers great writing prompts with connections to civics, citizenship, and our communities. We want students to think and learn more about America’s people, places, and ideals as they write. We’ve selected four very different kinds of writing prompts, designed to match students’ interests and stretch their creative skills. For kids who enjoy visualizing their ideas, the mapmaking challenge could be a perfect fit; or, if you have students gifted in music and poetry, they might want to try the songwriting and verse challenge. As always, each prompt includes links to helpful background resources.

There are four grade levels for entries:

Level I: K-grade 2
Level II: grades 3-5
Level III: grades 6-8
Level IV: grades 9-12

Prize winners will have their work published on ReadingRockets.org and AdLit.org and will receive a gift basket of age-appropriate books and a personalized certificate.

All entries must be received by April 30, 2011.

Check out AdLit.org for more information.

Registration for ALSC’s Spring 2011 Online Courses is now available.  Classes run from May 2 – Jun 10, 2011. 

Course offerings include: Children with Disabilities in the Library, Out of this World Youth Programming, and Reading Instruction and Children’s Books.  (a Caldecott class will likely be added soon)

Online classes are a convenient and inexpensive way to learn new skills and connect with your peers.  These asynchronous classes fit easily into your schedule and your budget.  Check out the spring offerings today.

What a fun idea! Wouldn’t kids at your library love to work together to create a 90 second video based on a favorite Newbery title?  How would they tell the entire story of a winning Newbery book in 90 seconds or less? Think it can’t be done? Check out this video example of an entry for the much loved 1963 winner, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle:

Find the complete details, including information about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival to be held at the New York Public Library in the Fall of 2011, at 90SecondNewbery.com

Many people viewed the blog post earlier this month which listed the titles discussed as possible Notable Children’s Books for 2011. From the ALA ALSC page, here is a complete list of the 2011 Notable Children’s Books. Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators!

Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

Younger Readers

April and Esme, Tooth Fairies.  By Bob Graham. Illus. by the author. Candlewick.
On their first assignment, two young tooth fairy sisters journey by night into the huge world of humans to collect a young boy’s tooth and fly it safely home.

Back of the Bus.  By Aaron Reynolds.  Illus. by Floyd Cooper.  Philomel.
A young boy and his mother take a familiar ride on a city bus unaware of the historic event they are about to witness: passenger Rosa Parks refuses to move from her seat.

Big Red Lollipop.  By Rukhsana Khan.  Illus. by Sophie Blackall.  Viking.
Rubina’s excitement over an invitation to a birthday party is dimmed by her mother’s insistence that she take her younger sister Sana with her.

Bink and Gollie. By Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. Illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick.
Dissimilar, yet steadfast friends, celebrate the ups and downs of their daily escapades in three lively chapters that explore compromise, asserting independence, and jealousy. Geisel Award Book

Chalk. By Bill Thomson.  Illus. by the author. Marshall Cavendish.
In this wordless picture book, three young children arrive at the park to find a bag of colored chalk that turns their imaginary drawings into something very real.

City Dog, Country Frog. By Mo Willems. Illus. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion.
Unleashed on his visit to the country, a dog meets a new friend in frog and together they experience the seasons and the cycle of life.

Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin. By Duncan Tonatiuh. Illus. by the author. Abrams.
The universality of childhood experiences is shown through the lives of two cousins, one in the United States and one in Mexico. Belpré Illustrator Honor Book

Fiesta Babies. By Carmen Tafolla. Illus. by Amy Córdova. Tricycle Press.
The simple rhyme scheme is embellished by colorful illustrations of multicultural babies and toddlers celebrating at a local fiesta. Belpré Illustrator Honor Book

Grandma’s Gift. By Eric Velasquez. Illus. by the author. Walker.
This personal tale is based on the author’s special relationship with his grandmother, who influenced his dream of becoming an artist. Belpré Illustrator Award

Hip-Pocket Papa. By Sandra Markle. Illus. by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge.
The papa

One of the highlights of the ALA Midwinter Conference each year is the Youth Media Awards Press Conference. The announcements at this Press Conference include the winners of the Caldecott, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the Newbery, the Printz, and more!

Early morning
It’s the morning of the announcements, and librarians at the midwinter conference are waking up and getting ready to take a bus, or a cab, or walk to the San Diego Convention Center to hear — in person — which books, videos, and audiobooks for children and young adults have been selected as this year’s “best of the best.”

7:15 am
A growing crowd of librarians gather outside the closed doors of Ballroom A-B-C where the announcements will be made; many have their morning coffee or tea in hand. The conversations on everyone’s lips… “What do you think will win?” and “Wasn’t this a great year for children’s and YA books?”

7:30 am
The doors open. Hundreds of excited librarians stream in to find their seats. Seating is reserved at the front of the room for the committees who worked so hard to select the winners of these prestigious awards. Four VERY large video monitor screens are at the very front of the room; with such a large crowd, it’s the only way to ensure that everyone in the room will be able to hear and see the announcements.

7:45 am
The lights seem to dim, a hush falls over the room, and The American Library Association’s 2011 Youth Media Awards press conference begins.

The excitement and positive energy in the room is almost palpable. As each award is announced, the audience reacts; always with applause, sometimes with spontaneous shrieks, “Woo-Hoo’s!” or standing ovations. After each award is announced, the responsible committee is asked to stand and receives much deserved recognition and applause.

The program runs smoothly through all the Awards and culminates with announcements of the winners of the two oldest children’s book awards, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, awarded to A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead, and the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature awarded to Moon over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool.

shortly before 9:00 am
The Press Conference ends, but the excitement in the room continues. Many people turn to their neighbor to talk about the winners, or rush to their iPads, laptops, & phones to notify colleagues, friends, and family about which books have been selected as this year’s winners.

Join in the excitement and check out the complete list of winners announced this morning; available online at ala.org/yma.

Just a reminder that discounted advance registration for ALA Midwinter 2011 ends on Monday, November 29th. Registration includes access to:

• over 200 discussion groups
• 0ver 2000 committee meetings and events
• Exhibits
• Youth Media Awards
• much, much more!

Complete information about the midwinter conference, to be held in San Diego from January 7th through 11th,  is available here.

See you in California!

Terry Young shared a wonderful article and this photo about the recent dedication of a bench in New Orleans honoring Coleen Salley, who passed away two years ago. The bench really captures Coleen’s wonderful personality and, of course, represents her fabulous character.  I look forward to visiting it in person when ALA is in New Orleans next summer. What a wonderful tribute to a fabulous librarian, author, storyteller, and friend.

FLIP is an acronym for the Family Literacy Involvement Program, a literacy program for families with children birth through age eight. The program helps develop early learners’ reading and comprehension skills, and encourages reading engagement by using family-centered activities designed to be completed in the home.

Sound interesting? Want to know more? If you are a personal or organizational member of ALSC, you have an opportunity to partner with your local children’s museum and apply for a day-long, all-expense-paid FLIP training workshop which will be held in May 2011 at the Children’s Museum of Houston.

For more information, as well as links to a fact sheet, program FAQs, and an award description, go to the ALSC Partnerships Page.

Applications can be found here on the Association of Children’s Museums page. The application deadline is October 15, 2010.

Libraries seeking to share their stories and raise public awareness are encouraged to apply for the 2011 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant. The library that develops the best public awareness campaign using the National Library Week theme will be awarded $3,000 to promote its library and library services.

All proposals must use the 2011 National Library Week theme, Create your own story @ your library, which incorporates The Campaign for America’s Libraries’ @ your library brand, on any and all promotional and publicity material supporting National Library Week activities. Guidelines for using the brand are available on the campaign website.

This year’s application deadline is Oct. 1, 2010. National Library Week is April 10-16, 2011. A grant application form and guidelines are available on the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant website. Information is also available from the ALA Public Information Office. Telephone: (800) 545-2433, ext. 2148. E-mail: [email protected].

The complete news release is available via ALAnews at American Libraries.

August 30th is the deadline for

There are seven prompts from which to chose. These prompts are inspired by authors of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure. As stated on The Library Congress‘ Read.gov’s The Exquisite Corpse Adventure page, “an Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud.”

The contest prompts are Silent Movie, Science Fiction, Animation, Superhero Action, Family Story, Video Diary, and Cooking Show. Each of the seven authors offers a page with the following sections: “The Inspiration,” “The Prompt,” “Write It,” “Film It,” and “Resources.”

The contest is open to kids, ages 7 to 18, with three competition levels:

• Level I: ages 7-10
• Level II: ages 11-13
• Level III: ages 14-18

Children may work individually or in pairs. A submitted film’s maximum length is 3 minutes. For the complete contest rules, the prompts and more information on how to enter, visit either AdLit.org (http://www.adlit.org/) or Reading Rockets (http://www.readingrockets.org/), education websites of WETA Washington DC.

There is still time for children to participate in the Kids for King Education Initiative. The Kids for King Education Initiative is part of The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc..

There are three grade categories: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. Children are invited to write an essay, create a piece of art, or produce a short video expressing what they have learned about Dr. King’s ideals of Democracy, Justice, Love and Hope as well as how they plan to carry the legacy forward.

If the child’s essay, art, or video entry is selected, she/he will be recognized on a trip to Washington, D.C. accompanied by a legal guardian in the fall of 2010.

Visit www.KidsForKing.org for more information and an entry form. The deadline has been extended to April 30, 2010.

My palms get sweaty.  I’m nervous.  I feel a little anxious.  There’s some tingling in my fingertips.  I feel like I’m falling in love.  And the video below is the reason.  You may have seen it; it’s making the rounds on various literacy and children’s literature blogs these days.   But in case you haven’t, here it is.

Gotta Keep Reading

See?  Do you feel like you’re falling in love too?  When I first saw this last week, it made me want to leap out of my chair, run into the streets and change the world.  Cheesy?  Yes, but actually true.   Even now, watching it again, I feel a thrill.   Hundreds of kids are dancing, singing about reading with books in their hands!

Did you catch the copies of The Giver, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Kingdom Keepers II?  There was even a book exposing the library check-out card and pocket!  Did you catch that very happy, smiling teacher around minute 2:36?  And the cool kid who’s clearly got rhythm at 3:55?

This group of school kids pumping their book-filled fists in the air reminded me of the energy and spirit that drew me into a career as a librarian in the first place.  Today, I’m in love with being a librarian.

Kelley Beeson                                                                                                                             Children and Technology Committee, member

The National Education Association (NEA)’s Read Across America web page offers resources to promote reading while celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

The NEA is one of many national organizations which has a liaison relationship with ALSC. For a complete list, visit the ALSC web page: ALSC Liaison with National Organizations Serving Children and Youth.

Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual National Latino Children’s Literature Conference which will be held April 23 and 24, 2010 at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. For more information, visit the conference website: http://www.latinochildlitconf.org. The Conference is sponsored by the School of Library & Information Studies and the Office of the Provost and the Division of Academic Affairs at the University of Alabama.

The conference was created to promote high-quality children’s literature about the Latino cultures and to offer a forum for librarians, educators, researchers, and students to openly discuss strategies for meeting the informational, educational, and literacy needs of Latino children and their families.

Early-Bird Registration (on or before April 15) for the 2 day event is $105. After April 15, the registration fee is $120. More registration information is available at the conference website.

Conference Chair Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo was featured April 22, 2009, on an ALSC Blog podcast.

The 26th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth will be held on Thursday, April 8 & Friday, April 9, 2010 at the Kent State University Student Center, Kent, Ohio. The conference provides a forum for discussion of multicultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults.

“New Horizons – the Next 25 Years!” is the theme of the conference, featuring authors Pam Muñoz Ryan and Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrator, R. Gregory Christie.

The Thursday, April 8, evening program will feature a keynote address by the 12th Annual Virginia Hamilton Literary Award winner, Pam Muñoz Ryan and a performance by The HeartBEAT of Afrika. On April 9th, Friday, a variety of local and national speakers will present workshop sessions on multicultural picture books, notable books for a global society, young adult novels for girls, cultural graphic novels and puppet books. Friday’s conference agenda will include a “conversation” session with the three featured presenters.

The registration fee for both Thursday evening and Friday is $150; for Thursday evening only, $40; Friday only, $120. Contact the Office of Continuing and Distance Education at (330) 672-3100 or (800) 672-KSU2 to register. Or register on-line at http://www.yourtrainingresource.com (Click Program, Conference.)

A Kaiser Family Foundation report has been released that finds that kids are still reading. “According to Generation M, total media usage by that age group rose to seven hours and 38 minutes per day in 2009 from six hours and 21 minutes in 2004. Time spent with digital media rose in all categories, while the use of print media fell from an average of 43 minutes per day in 2004 to 38 minutes in 2009.”

According to the summary, “Over the past 5 years, time spent reading books remained steady at about :25 a day, but time with magazines and newspapers dropped (from :14 to :09 for magazines, and from :06 to :03 for newspapers). “ “The decline in reading print was due entirely to young people spending less time with magazines and newspapers over the last five years, while the time spent reading remained steady at about 25 minutes per day.”

View the report and other information at http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm. It’s interesting that with multitasking, kids pack more time into their media hours–10.75 hours of media into 7.5 hours of time.

The Coretta Scott King Book Award Online Curriculum Resource Center (http://TeachingBooks.net/csk) is a free, multimedia, online database for educators and families featuring more than 250 original recordings with award-winning authors and illustrators and hundreds of lesson plans.

The resource center includes more than nine hours of originally produced audio with Coretta Scott King Book Award (CSK) authors and illustrators talking about their books in two- to three-minute clips. Searches can be executed by author, illustrator, title, grade level, and curriculum area, as well as by the year or specific Coretta Scott King Book Award citation. Select “All” to scroll through the cover images of all 231 different books that have received this great honor.

In addition to free, online primary source materials (audio recordings and book readings), the collection features hundreds of lesson plans and original movies filmed in the studios of some of the award-winning authors and illustrators.

This project began in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards. The resource center was recently selected for inclusion in the American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids. If you would like more context about the creation of this resource center, please visit Nick Glass’s blog post about it at: http://forum.teachingbooks.net/?p=2476

For more information about the Coretta Scott King Book Award, visit the Coretta Scott King Book Award pages on the ALA web site.

StoryTubes is the public library sponsored “two-minute or shorter” my favorite book online contest. Entries will be accepted from January 20 through February 28, 2010. The contest is open to all, with prize awards available to young people entering kindergarten through high school (K – 12).

StoryTubes won the Public Library Association’s (PLA) Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award in 2009.

Visit www.storytubes.info for more information about the contest.

The American Library Association (ALA) will provide a free live webcast of its Youth Media Awards, a national announcement of the top books and media for children and young adults, on Jan. 18, at 7:45 a.m. EST. The award announcements are made as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, which will bring together librarians, publishers, authors and guests to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from Jan. 15 to 19.

For the complete press release, click here.

The Brown Bookshelf is now accepting submissions for the 3rd Annual 28 DAYS LATER.

During the twenty-eight days of Black History Month, The Brown Bookshelf will profile a different children’s or young adult author and children’s illustrator. On March 1st, they will announce the winner of the grand prize: a gift basket featuring every book profiled during the month, donated to a library in need.

Nominations accepted until November 1st.

(Click here for additional information about the Brown Bookshelf and the selection process for 28 Days Later.)

A colleague of mine suggested that ALSC members may be interested in
Reading for Healthy Families Oregon a statewide early literacy training program utilizing the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library curriculum. For more information please visit the RFHF website: http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/youthsvcs/rfhf.home.page.shtml.

The Oregon State Library and Oregon Commission on Children and Families have partnered together to provide training for 300 children’s library staff and Healthy Start family support workers in an adapted Every Child Ready to Read, bilingual language development, media literacy, working with children with special needs, and working with low-literate/illiterate parents. Each participant commits to providing early literacy education to 15 families, and is provided with a resource kit containing the Every Child Ready to Read materials and a variety of additional resources to help them develop appropriate early literacy workshops for diverse parents and children.

Renea Arnold, a national Every Child Ready to Read trainer, and Joann Contini, a local early childhood and brain development specialist, adapted Every Child Ready to Read so that it is appropriate for family support workers to implement with one family at a time in a home setting, and be more flexible for library staff conducting outreach to high-risk populations in a variety of settings. Essentially, Renea and Joann reorganized the curriculum from 3 two-hour workshops for early talkers, talkers, and pre-readers into 6 one-hour workshops, one for each early literacy skill. And, they added workshops on book sharing, dialogic reading, phonological games, and early brain development.

Family support workers and library staff are trained together to foster local partnerships. Healthy Start family support workers help connect library staff with high-risk families who typically do not come to the library to access services. Libraries connect family support workers with resources they can use with their families. Together Healthy Start programs and libraries are beginning to develop local early literacy networks around a common framework—the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library curriculum.

The Reading for Healthy Families Year 1: Summary of Findings is now available online. This evaluation primarily reports statistics on RFHF participants, and the number of early literacy education sessions they have provided to families. Due to the fact that Year 1 participants have until January 2010 to fulfill their commitment of providing early literacy education to 15 families, this evaluation is inconclusive about the impact of RFHF on children and families. However, NPC Research found that families receiving RFHF early literacy education from Healthy Start family support workers reported a significant increase in telling stories or talking with their children about daily activities compared to families who did not receive RFHF early literacy education.

Hopefully this information will support your current early literacy efforts or provide you with some good ideas. If you want more information or have any questions please email me at [email protected].

Thank you,
Katie Anderson
Youth Services Consultant
Oregon State Library