CEO, 072810

Children’s Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 346; July 28, 2010
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com

In this issue:
Ruhama’s Review
Movie News
Storyblocks: A New Tool to Build Early Literacy Skills
Study Says Comics Are Key to Promoting Literacy in Boys
Read ‘Em Their Writes
Dates to Remember
Website Faves
And Finally......


RUHAMA’S REVIEW

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
http://tinyurl.com/282hnyb

Newbery Honor winner

Minli is very poor, but doesn't realize it thanks to all the stories her Ba tells her. This is how she learns the history of The Fruitless Mountain (where they live), the Old Man in the Moon and several other fanciful tales. Her Ma, however, sees these as worthless and a waste of time and often laments they don't have enough food or gold. As Minli grows older, she becomes aware of her mother's unhappiness and decides to set out to change their fortune, which can only be done by seeing the Old Man in the Moon. Along the way, she meets a dragon, who becomes a good friend and helps her travel. She also learns many more stories, sees much of the world and even meets a king!

This is a wonderfully woven story (with many stories) that explores some fun Chinese legends, history and ideas. The stories within the story are artfully done, changing the font and adding illustrations to indicate it's a separate tale from the main narrative. The intricacies come together delightfully, without hitting the reader over the head. Character development is superb, especially the growth of Ma and Ba, arguably secondary characters. Minli's childlike belief is refreshing and the friendship she has with Dragon is remarkable. The illustrations are beautiful, colorful and fit the imagery of the text, rather than forcing it. Overall, a quick read that will fit the bill for folk/fairy tale lovers.


MOVIE NEWS

The Avengers
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17973.html

The Hobbit
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/

The Haunted Mansion
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17977.html

Pirates 4 Trailer
http://www.moviestrailer.org/pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-movie-trailer.html

Tangled
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/tangled/?cmp=dcom_EMC_tangled_insider_100727_feat_promo_2__extl#/video/

Secretariat
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/secretariat/?cmp=dcom_EMC_secretariat_insider_100727_feat_promo_3__extl

Voyage of the Dawn Treader
http://www.walden.com/site/movie/the_chronicles_of_narnia_the_voyage_of_the_dawn_treader/?utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_July2010

(and who DIDN’T get teary at the end of Toy Story 3?)


STORYBLOCKS: A NEW TOOL TO BUILD EARLY LITERACY SKILLS

The Colorado State Library has announced the launch of www.storyblocks.org, an online video collection featuring one-minute songs and rhymes for babies, toddlers and preschool children in both English and Spanish. Filmed in partnership with Rocky Mountain PBS, librarians throughout Colorado share successful activities as well as literacy tips. Parents, child care providers and others will discover ways to engage very young children in fun and playful interactions that also build healthy brain development.

StoryBlocks.org is a project of the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), an advisory group to the State Library. CLEL received a federal grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to create the videos and Web site. The goal is to build awareness and to encourage parents and others to engage with children from birth on early language and pre-literacy skills. The methods used in the videos are based on brain and child development research that show the impact that songs, rhymes and stories have on very young children.

Eight Colorado public libraries helped to fund the project: Arapahoe Library District, Denver Public Library, Douglas County Libraries, Fort Morgan Public Library, Lafayette Public Library, Salida Regional Library and Westminster Public Library. Donations also came from two non-profit organizations: Friends of Food for Thought and Library People and one anonymous donor.

Along with this grant-funded video project, CLEL offers book lists, activities and research information on early literacy at their Web site, http://www.CLEL.org.

For more information on StoryBlocks.org (www.storyblocks.org), contact Patricia Froehlich, youth services senior consultant at the Colorado State Library at froehlichp@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6908.


STUDY SAYS COMICS ARE KEY TO PROMOTING LITERACY IN BOYS

A new report says comics and graphic novels may hold the secret to promoting literacy in young boys. Long dismissed as fluff by parents, educators, and even librarians, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) reaffirms what researchers have long held to be true: girls are generally more inclined to read than boys. But it goes on to say that's partly because their literary interests aren't well represented in school libraries and classrooms.

Boys are more likely to enjoy reading science and nonfiction, informational texts, how-to manuals, fantasy, adventure stories, and stories that are scary or gross, along with books about hobbies and things they do or want to do. They also tend to prefer visual media, such as the Internet, newspapers, and magazines that focus on sports, electronics and video games.

CCL states in its Lessons in Learning article "More than just funny books: Comics and prose literacy for boys" that comics and graphic novels "hold untapped potential to address this disparity by promoting improved literacy among young males" and provides an overview of current research on the reading habits of boys and the potential for comics to boost their literacy. The report says comics serve as an effective gateway to reading prose-based works and contribute to visual literacy, as well as the ability to understand and respond to a visual image.

Comics also can help develop many of the same literacy skills as books, such as how to follow a sequence of events; connect narratives to the reader's own experiences, predict what will happen next, and interpret symbols. Even before children are ready to read text, comic books can give them practice in understanding material printed on a page, tracking left to right and top to bottom, and inferring what happens between individual panels in a story, the report says, adding that thanks to their strong visual element, they're a used as teaching aids for second-language learners and students with learning difficulties. (SLJ’s Extra Helping, 7/27/10)


READ ‘EM THEIR WRITES

Lakeshores Library System presents “READ ‘EM THEIR WRITES”, a continuing education opportunity on Tuesday, August 10, 2010. The workshop will be held at the Waterford Public Library, 101 North River Street, Waterford, WI. Registration will be 9:00-9:30 and we’ll begin at 9:30 and end at noon. The workshop will be presented by Gary Warren Niebuhr, the director of the Greendale Public Library and the author of several books on mystery and crime fiction readers advisory. He’ll provide information on starting mystery and crime fiction book clubs, how to elect books and recommend titles for discussion. To register, contact me at the LLS office at rpuntney@lakeshores.lib.wi.us or 262-514-4500 x67. Registration deadline is Friday, August 6th.


DATES TO REMEMBER

August 4 MWFLS Battle of the books, Watertown, 1:00 PM
August 10 “Read ‘Em Their Writes” workshop, 9:30-12, Waterford PL
August 19 UW-Madison SLIS Alumni Board meeting
August 20 WLA Strategic Planning meeting
August 23-25 CSLP Board meeting, Chicago
September 23-25 ALSC Institute, Atlanta
Sept 27 – Oct 1 Rhonda on vacation (guess where?)
November 2-5 WLA Conference, Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells
January 6-11 ALA Midwinter meeting, San Diego


WEBSITE FAVES

The Robert Louis Stevenson Website
http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/

From his tales of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver to his verses for children, Robert Louis Stevenson remains a tremendous literary force well over a century after his death in 1894. This fascinating site provides resources for academics, young people, and people with a general interest in Stevenson's life and literary musings. Along the top of the homepage, visitors will find ten sections, including "Gallery", "Life", "Works", and "In the Footsteps of RLS". The "In the Footsteps of RLS" brings together Google Maps and information about Stevenson's many travels to give visitors an interactive way to track his journeys through France, Scotland, and the South Seas. Moving on, the "Gallery" area contains photos from every part of Stevenson's life, ranging from a photo of him at age 4 (wearing a cape) to his time as a married man living in the South Sea Islands. As for the "Works" section, visitors would do well to check out his 1878 travelogue, "Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes". (Internet Scout Report, 7/23/10)


Little Brown Downloads
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/kids_fun_downloads.aspx

Fun stuff to go with “I Don’t Want A Cool Cat”, “Smells Like Dog” and more children’s titles published by Hachette.


Introduction to Reading Music
http://datadragon.com/education/reading/

Learn about clefs, time signatures, types of notes, types of rests, basic counting, symbols and shaping. (Internet Public Library)


100 Geeky Places To Take Your Kids This Summer
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/07/100-geeky-places-to-bring-your-kids-this-summer/

Summer is petering out and school is getting closer, but there's still time to get in some trips. This site points you to places that will appeal to your kids' curiosity - science museums, living history towns, the Crayola factory, LegoLand, National Center for the History of Electronic Games, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and many others places you may not have known existed. And, Geek Dad points out, don't forget your local library. Includes local attractions like the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, and several museums in Chicago. (Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2010, 7/30/10)


AdViews
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adviews/

"a digital archive of thousands of vintage television commercials dating from the 1950s to the 1980s." Since advertisers like to connect with people at a deep emotional level, these ads, many of them viewable on iTunes, could be a remarkable resource for understanding the concerns and values of Americans during this period. Note that the most prominent search box is for all of the digital collections from the Duke library; to search AdViews specifically, use the search box for Current Collection. . (Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2010, 5/28/10)


AND FINALLY…….

Riverport is performing Sunday afternoon at the Taste of Wisconsin on the lakefront in Kenosha at the Snap On stage at 3:30! It’s free! For more info, go to http://www.tasteofwi.com/.