CEO Newsletter, June 18, 2008

Children’s Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 316, June 18, 2008

http://www.west-bendlibrary.org/mwflskids.htm
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com/


In this issue:
Ruhama’s Review
Kids Count Data Released
Family Literacy Programs Offer Social Support for Women
Tasha Tudor Dies
4th of July Crafts
Events This Week
Dates to Remember
Website Faves
And Finally…….


RUHAMA’S REVIEW

Peeled by Joan Bauer
http://www.amazon.com/Peeled-Joan-Bauer/dp/0399234756/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211474214&sr=8-1

Hildy wants to be like her father: a hard-hitting journalist who reports the truth. She gets her chance when mysterious things start happening around their town and the local paper starts spreading gossip and fear. Other than the school newspaper, though, no one is challenging the new editor, as the rival paper died along with Hildy's father (heart attack at age 38), so having that outlet seems limited. But Hildy and her fellow staff members, empowered by a new advisor who used to be a journalist, take up the challenge to uncover the truth behind the haunting of the old Ludlow house. Along the way, they find out what it means to be journalists, as well as discovering tips on good writing, photo essays and reporting.

Hildy is a self-assured sixteen year old, with loving family, strong friends and fantastic ambition. She isn't perfect, of course--she doubts herself and her abilities as a writer/reporter often, but she has confidence deep down. The apple theme throughout the book (it's an apple orchard community, complete with thriving farmers' market days) is fun and I enjoyed how Bauer played with it without getting too cheesy. I also appreciated the journalism aspect of the story--it's like The Landry News (Andrew Clements) for teens. Bauer could also be a bit removed from the character's point of view with the newspaper articles, which gave the story more depth. And for those that liked the suspicious psychic in The Christopher Killers (Alane Ferguson), this has one of those, too.


Kids Count Data Book Released

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual Kids Count Data Book was released on June 12. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key measures and provides data on the economic, health, education, and social conditions of America’s children and families. This year, the Kids Count Data Book essay, “A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform” looks at the nearly 100,000 children confined to juvenile facilities on any given night in the United States, and what can be done to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate detention and incarceration and increase opportunities for positive youth development and community safety. Learn more and download the report at: http://www.kidscount.org.


FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAMS OFFER SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR WOMEN

Although many women value and benefit from social interaction in adult education and family literacy, these social dimensions are often treated as tangential or inconsequential. Utilizing data from two studies of family literacy programs in Pennsylvania, “The Importance of Social Interaction and Support for Women Learners: Evidence from Family Literacy Programs” examined how family literacy programs provide a supportive social space for women in poverty. Authors Esther Prins, Blaire Willson Toso and Kai Schafft found that many learners had limited social support and social ties with people outside their program and few opportunities for recreation. As such, family literacy programs fulfilled important social functions by enabling women to leave the house, enjoy social contact and support, engage in informal counseling, pursue self-discovery and development, and establish supportive relationships with teachers. In sum, adult education and family literacy programs play an important role in helping women in poverty receive social support and, in turn, enhance their psychosocial well-being. The full article will be published in Adult Education Quarterly. It’s online at http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/pdf/Research_Brief_2_Final.pdf (from a post to the National Institute for Literacy’s Diversity listserv, 6/18/08) (also, if the pdf doesn’t open, try cutting and pasting, this is the correct link)


TASHA TUDOR DIES

Legendary author and illustrator Tasha Tudor died June 18 at her Vermont home. She was 92. A family statement on her website http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/news.html said, "We thank you for supporting Tasha Tudor's lifestyle and artwork during her long career. We hope that Tasha's message of 'taking joy' in all that one does will be remembered as we pass through this difficult time together."The Brattleboro Reformer reported that after her first story, Pumpkin Moonshine, was published in 1938, "she illustrated nearly 100 books, the most recent being The Corgiville Christmas, in 2003. She had received many awards and honors, including Caldecott Honors for Mother Goose and 1 is One. Many of her books are printed in foreign languages and distributed around the world." In today's New York Times, her obituary quotes a Times piece from 1941 that said her pictures "have the same fragile beauty of early spring evenings."


4TH OF JULY CRAFTS

Here are some links from Family Fun for some 4th of July fun and easy craft activities you can include in your programs.

For your parade:

Festive Fans
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11481&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section1Link1

Star-Spangled Ride
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12000&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section1Link2

Liberty Shaker
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10738&cam

Star-spangled Wavers
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11034&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section1Link4

Red, White and Blue Baton
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11230&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section1Link5

Wagon Boat Mini float
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11998&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section1Link6


Decorations:

Musical Stars and Stripes
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11478&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link1

Lofty Table Topper
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11993&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link2

Colorful Chair Covers
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11263&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link3

Patriotic Plantings
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11665&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link4

Ribbon Door Flag
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11666&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link5

Tie Dyed Bunting
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11666&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section2Link5


Accessories:

Uncle Sam Pin
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10186&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section3Link1

Crowning Glory
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12001&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section3Link3

Star Spangler Hat
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10185&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section3Link5

Star Studded Leis
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11787&campaign=NLC-NL_Crafts&link=Section3Link6


EVENTS THIS WEEK

Thursday, June 19
Juneteenth
Eat an Oreo Day

Friday, June 20
Bald Eagle Day
World Juggling Day
Casual Day
Ice Cream Soda Day
Plain Yogurt Day

Saturday, June 21
Ferris Wheel Day
Summer Solstice
Summer Begins

Sunday, June 22
National Chocolate Eclair Day
Take your Dog to Work Day

Monday, June 23
Typewriter Patented in 1868
National Pink Day
National Columnist's Day

Tuesday, June 24
National Forgiveness Day
U.F.O. Day
Museum Comes To Life Day
National Go Fly a Kite Day
Swim a Lap Day

Wednesday, June 25
LEON Day (LEON is NOEL spelled backwards. It means six months until Christmas.)
Eric Carle's Birthday
Log Cabin Day


DATES TO REMEMBER

June 27 First day of Summerfest!
June 26-July 2 2008 ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA
July 2-3 Rhonda on vacation
July 4 Lakeshores offices closed
July 5 First day of Bristol Renaissance Faire
November 4-7 WLA Conference, Middleton


WEBSITE FAVES

Astronomy Online
http://astronomyonline.org/

Astronomy Online provides a wealth of resources and information for teachers, students, or anyone interested in astronomy. The content is arranged into nine broad categories including Observation, Science, Solar System, Stars, Our Galaxy, Cosmology, Astrobiology, Exoplanets, and Astrophotography. Each main category is grouped into easily followed sub-categories that cover such topics as constellations, astronomy tools, the solar system formation, stellar evolution, and much more. Each of the topics includes a number of informative and illustrated essays with embedded links that lead to even more information. Visitors won’t want to miss the Astrophotography section as it contains some magnificent professional photographs from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at the top of Mauna Kea, as well as some excellent amateur images of the solar system, star clusters, nebulae, and more. (Educational World Site Reviews, 6/18/08)


Solar Eclipse
http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/index.html

Solar Eclipse provides students and teachers lots of information and resources for learning about solar eclipses. The site is divided into three main sections: Webcasts, Features, and Resources. The Webcasts section offers archives of solar eclipses from 1998 to 2006, including the eclipse in Greece in 2006 and in the U.S. in 2002, as well as the rarest eclipse, the transit of Venus in June, 2004. Visitors can read articles about the myths surrounding the eclipse, the earth-sun connection, and journal excerpts from eclipse expeditions dating back to 1901 in the Features area. The Resources section explains what to look for during a solar eclipse, how to create a pinhole projector for viewing an eclipse safely, why eclipses happen, a world map of future eclipses, stories of individual experiences witnessing an eclipse, and a list of annotated links to more information. (Educational World Site Reviews, 6/18/08)


Historical Book Arts Collection
http://content.lib.washington.edu/historicalbookartsweb/

The history of the book is a fascinating subject, and one that is addressed head on by this most wonderful collection from the University of Washington Libraries Historical BookArts Collection. This digital collection features a sampling of materials held in their Special Collections Division and is primarily intended to serve as a teaching tool. The materials here are contained within sections that include "Binding", "Printing", "Paper", and three others. By clicking on each section, visitors can find digitized images that illustrate everything from examples of insect damage, endsheets, and gilt stamped works. Along with the actual items, visitors will also want to read the three essays offered here, including "Illustration Techniques" and "19th Century Bindings". Finally, visitors can also search the entire collection via three well-designed search functions. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/ , 6/13/08)


Oral Tradition Journal
http://journal.oraltradition.org/

Stretching back thousands of years, the oral traditions that have enriched and documented human existence remain a subject of much fascination. The Oral Tradition Journal was founded in 1986 in order to "serve as an international and interdisciplinary forum for discussion of worldwide oral traditions and related forms." The journal is based at the University of Missouri, and visitors to the site can search the entire run of the journal on this site by keyword or author. Clicking over to the "Browse the Journal" area, visitors can look over back issues that include special issues on the Serbo-Croatian oral tradition, performance literature, and the performance artistry of Bob Dylan. The site is a real treat for anyone interested in the subject, and visitors can also learn how to submit their own work for possible inclusion in a forthcoming volume. From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/ , 6/20/08


AND FINALLY………….
Hope your summer programs are off to a great start!