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A Long Walk To Water
I have read a number of things by Linda Sue Park, but A Long Walk to Water was by far the best I’ve read! This is a dual narrative based on a true story. The first narrative is by one the Sudanese “Lost Boys.” It is the story of how…
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Out of Patience
I knew when I read the first page of this book that I would be in for a treat. “… It bounced off his head and flopped on the burnt-out grass. The sudden blow was startling, but not as surprising as what delivered it. A toilet plunger.” This is the…
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Story Time and Sign Language
As part of the Summer Reading Program this summer we are providing preschoolers with a 4-week bilingual story time session . We are going to be focusing on French, Spanish, either Hindi or Chinese depending on who we can find to help us and American Sign Language (ASL). Now I…
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Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
If you’re having trouble getting young adults interested in history, biographies, or just reading in general – just hand them Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. This non-fiction, young-adult book is phenomenal. Let me caveat this book review by saying that the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln have fascinated me for many years. …
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Happy (belated) Chinese New Year
This year our library teamed up with some high school volunteers for a Chinese New Year Celebration. The volunteers did an amazing job with a short PowerPoint presentation about Chinese New Year, a lesson on Chinese calligraphy, a story, a Chinese dragon craft, and of course a snack. The children…
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39 Clues Scavenger Hunt
As a children’s librarian it is my job to come up with new and exciting programs for kids from kindergarten through 8th grade. Not such an easy task, but probably one of my favorites! I decided to host a 39 Clues party that is inspired by the hit series the…
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Moon Over Manifest
I finally got my hands on the 2001 Newbery Award Winner – The Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. The story is set during the Great Depression in a small town called Manifest, Missouri. It is here that the reader meets Abilene, a 12-year-old girl searching for herself. Interwoven throughout Abilene’s…
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Summer Reading Programs
For years children’s librarians have known that summer reading programs are beneficial to students. Plenty of anecdotal information supports the same idea. Unfortunately there was no long-term study to back this viewpoint. Until the Dominican Study entitled “Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading Gap” was published in June…
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Welcome!
Welcome to my first ever blog! The main goal of this blog is to review children’s literature, learn about new ideas that include books and children, and stay up-to-date with new scholarly research and continuing education.