Children's Event Organizer, 07/31/09

Children’s Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 330; July 31, 2009
http://www.west-bendlibrary.org/mwflskids.htm
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com/


In this issue:
Ruhama’s Reviews
More than 1,000 librarians Step Up to the Plate @ your library
Girl Zone
Events This Week
Dates to Remember
Website Faves
And Finally…….


RUHAMA’S REVIEWS

Late for School by Stephanie Calmenson
http://tinyurl.com/m64vkb

Mr. Bungle has the rule to never, ever, ever be late for school, which turns out to be a lesson in using positive language to talk about rules, rather than absolutes that are harsh. It also provides a great lesson on everyone making mistakes (and forgiveness, if you want to take it that far). Through a series of bungles, Mr. Bungle tries his hardest to get to school as quickly as he can (and convenient clocks are placed on each page to let us see the passage of time). Readers will enjoy shouting out the rhyming words. Librarians can capitalize on this by using the book a few times in a row and encouraging the rhyming sounds and pointing out the large words that complete the rhyme. The illustrations are colorful and the frantic Mr. Bungle is rather comical, despite some of the modes of transportation being a little unbelievable. There also is enough on each page for playing I Spy.


What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd
http://tinyurl.com/ny9rcm

Jack asked his mom for a pet and she countered with her own question: what do you want? Jack works his way through a list of wild (but fun) animals that would make super pets and his mom doesn't bat an eye. Instead, she has him see reason about each of them--and not always with the usual size, food or cleanliness issues. Eventually, Jack narrows the list down to a dog, though there is a lovely twist at the end of the story, even with the less exotic pet choice. The pictures are fun and colorful and not too busy. Jack is cute and I love the way his mom treats each suggestion: acceptance, but a dose of realism, too. This book reminds me of Steven Kellogg's Can I Keep Him? and would work well for a pet storytime, surprise ending storytime or an imagination storytime.


Keisha Ann Can! by Daniel Kirk
http://tinyurl.com/krct6x

Keisha Ann is a school girl in an unidentified grade, making this adaptable for any age group. There are several pages listing the various things someone can do (most pertaining to school and learning), followed by the answer to the question of 'who?' with 'Keisha Ann Can!' The pictures are bright, clean and colorful, with each page full of smiling multi-ethnic children. Kirk has written a book that is full of activity and would be perfect for setting up your own activities, whether at home, in a classroom or in storytime. Instead of the children answering that 'Keisha Ann can', they fill in their own name. This book would also be great for kids who are worried about starting school.


MORE THAN 1,000 LIBRARIANS STEP UP TO THE PLATE @ YOUR LIBRARY

Since its spring kickoff, more than 1,000 public and school librarians from across the country have signed up for season four of Step Up to the Plate @ your library. Developed by American Library Association (ALA)’s Campaign for America’s Libraries and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Step Up to the Plate @ your library brings together two American classics – libraries and baseball – to promote information literacy and the library as an essential information resource.

For librarians interested in promoting Step Up to the Plate @ your library, there is still time to register. The program will run through Sept. 1, 2009. Free tools are available to help promote Step Up to the Plate locally for librarians who register. Tools include logos in both English and Spanish, downloadable poster and bookmarks and library success stories, as well as a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library encourages people of all ages to use the print and electronic resources available at their library to answer a series of trivia questions. Developed by the librarians at the Baseball Hall of Fame the questions were inspired by the history and diversity of our national pastime. Questions were developed for four ages groups (10 and under, 11-13, 14-17 and 18 and over), and are available in English and Spanish.

One grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two in October to the Hall of Fame’s World Series Gala event in Cooperstown, N.Y., including a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and archives. (Last year’s winner was from Racine!) Librarians can also win prizes. The librarian who brings in the most entries will receive a $100 bookstore gift certificate; the next three librarians will receive a $50 ALA Graphics certificate.


GIRL ZONE

Do you know any teen girls who like to write? The relaunched Girl Zone website is looking for teen girls to submit their creative writing and contribute in other ways to the website.

Girl Zone is a hip and healthy website which provides girls with a chance to voice their opinions. While most traditional media for teen girls only offer up features on beauty, boys and fashion, Girl Zone offers content related to all aspects of a girl’s life. Girl Zone re-launched in April with a fresh, fun website with new features such “Mind-Spirit-Me” and “Girls Get Green” as well as a collection of seven regularly updated blogs.

One of these blogs is “Expresso,” which is looking for submissions of creative writing from teenage girls. Send your poem, essay or short story and it might be featured on the “Expresso” blog! Girl Zone is also currently looking for Movie and Music reviewers and girls to talk up the site on the web and in their communities. There also will be more opportunities for writers in the future. Visit the Girl Zone website www.girlzone.com to get involved!


EVENTS THIS WEEK

Friday, July 31, 2009
J.K. Rowling’s birthday (also Harry Potter’s)
System Administrator Appreciation Day (seriously!)

Saturday, August 1
Girlfriend’s Day
National Mustard Day
Respect for Parents Day
Rounds Resounding Day
Sweet Corn Day
Jerry Garcia’s birthday
Herman Melville’s birthday

Sunday, August 2
Sisters Day
Friendship Day

Monday, August 3
Watermelon Day

Tuesday, August 4
U.S. Coast Guard Day
National Chocolate Chip Day
National Night Out

Wednesday, August 5
Lunar Eclipse
International Beer Day
National Underwear Day

Thursday, August 6
National Fresh Breath Day

Friday, August 7
Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day
Braham (MN) Pie Day
Lighthouse Day
Professional Speakers Day


DATES TO REMEMBER

August 3 Riverport Chorus performs at Taste of Wisconsin in Kenosha, 3 PM
August 5 MidWisconsin’s Battle of the Books, Johnson Creek
August 24-26 CSLP Executive Board Meeting, Chicago
October 2-4 USBBY Regional Conference, St. Charles, IL
October 20 SLP Preconference, Appleton
October 21-23 WLA Conference, Appleton


WEBSITE FAVES

100 Places to Connect With Other Bibliophiles Online
http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/100_places_to_connect_with_bibliophiles_online

"Reading is no longer an individual activity. Thanks to online book clubs, book trading networks, social media sites just for librarians and book lovers, kids' networks and more, connecting with your fellow bibliophiles and gnashing about favorite books is easier than ever. ... Check below for 100 different sites and networks to find other bibliophiles like you." From the Online Education Database (OEDb), a website that lists accredited online colleges. (Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, 7/16/09)


American Bookbinders Museum
http://www.bookbindersmuseum.com/

Information from this San Francisco museum dedicated to the art of bookbinding in the U.S. Its site features images and information about printing presses and other printing equipment (such as stampers, a glue machine, and a stapler), information about dozens of historical bookbinders, examples of endpapers, and descriptions of selected publications in the museum collection. (Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, 6/17/09)



Ornament and Pattern: Pre-Victorian to Art Deco
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org /nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?topic=all&col_id=163

"Several thousand images from nearly 100 volumes on decorative art and surface ornament, mainly portfolios of plates, pattern books, and scrapbook compilations." Find images of flowers, animals, butterflies, house colors, ceramics, and more. Many images are from French publications. From the New York Public Library (NYPL). (Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, 6/17/09)


Field Trip Earth
http://www.fieldtripearth.org/

Take your students on a world tour as they learn about Appalachian black bears, red wolves of Alligator River, the elephants of Cameroon and many more species without ever leaving the classroom. Students can read field reports and essays from wildlife experts, interview the researchers, listen to recorded phone calls, see videos shot in the field, and discuss conservation issues. Ongoing wildlife conservation projects from around the world are available from an interactive map. Clicking on a choice brings up a full report including a media gallery. There are a wealth of resources available for educators that include more than a dozen fact sheets for emerging readers on various animals such as the hippopotamus, polar bear, and African elephant; information on using the FTE server to create their own animal tracking maps online; reviews of at least twenty children’s books dealing with conservation topics including tips for how they can be used in conjunction with conservation study; an example of a map interpreting exercise; ideas for using paper-based activities alongside the Web site; plus a host of strategies (lesson plans) that have been submitted by other teachers. (Education World Site Reviews, 6/30/09)


Red Hot Jazz Archive
http://www.redhotjazz.com/

When the Scout Report last reviewed the Red Hot Jazz Archive in the spring of 1997, the site was pretty hot, and it has continued to heat up over the past decade or so. The Archive is primarily concerned with documenting the world of early jazzmen, so visitors will find ample information on Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Bunk Johnson, and many others. Visitors can start their journey through the site by clicking on the "Bands" area. Here they will find an extensive list of the bands from the "hot" era organized alphabetically. When visitors click on a band's name, they will be presented with a short summary of the band's accomplishments, and in many cases, some sample recordings. Moving on, the "Films" section is a real treat, as it contains information about some short films made about jazz bands in the late 1920s and early 1930s. What's even better is that four of the films are available in this section, including a version of "St. Louis Blues", as sung by Bessie Smith. Also, the site contains a series of essays by experts like Scott Alexander and George Avakian on the early days of jazz. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009, http://scout.wisc.edu/, 7/17/09)


Understanding Records and Archives: Principles and Practices
http://michigan.educommons.net/school-of-information/understanding-records-and-archives

Why do people create records? What are they good for? How can organizations use record-keeping to further their aims and goals? These are but a few of the questions explored by the course "Understanding Records and Archives: Principles and Practices". This site is part of the OpenCourseWare initiative at the University of Michigan, and the course itself was created and taught by Paul Conway. On this site, visitors can access a range of materials from the course, including the syllabus, a reading list, assignments, and a course schedule. In the "Lectures" area, visitors can read the notes from each class meeting, and the topics covered include basic archives concepts, legal issues, and the nature of archives. For anyone involved in information science and library studies, this site will be most useful. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009, http://scout.wisc.edu/, 7/17/09)


AND FINALLY……..
I went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago last weekend – it’s well worth the trip if you are thinking about going! http://www.msichicago.org/