CEO Newsletter, 10/5/10

Children’s Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 349; October 8, 2010
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com

In this issue:
Ruhama’s Review
One World, Many Stories
9th Annual International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration
Teen Read Week
2011 Storywagon Schedule
Events This Week
Dates to Remember
Website Faves
And Finally......


RUHAMA’S REVIEW

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
http://tinyurl.com/3yrkht7

Set in Texas at the turn of the 19th century, Calpurnia is the only girl in a family full of boys, which has recently started to become a problem, as Callie is starting to grow up and become a lady. To escape cooking lessons, sewing for hours and dressing properly, she develops a relationship with her standoffish grandfather. They both find they enjoy botany and science, Callie jumping in feet first to labeling, harvesting specimens and reading advanced books, one of which is by *the* Charles Darwin. In fact, Callie catches her grandfather's dream of wanting to find a new type of plant and they both throw all their resources into studying local flora.

I love Calpurnia's scientific mind (e.g. she explains her birth order by saying she's 'spliced midway between three older brothers... and three younger brothers') and how she bonds with her grandfather with the mutual interest. I also really enjoyed the snippets from Darwin to introduce each chapter: the author made sure to pair the appropriate statement with the events of that chapter. Callie's character development is consistent and her family isn't just flat secondary characters. Watching her relationships develop as she turns into a young lady is entertaining and painful (especially losing and regaining the friendship of her oldest brother). The story wraps up neatly (if not a little too perfectly) and leaves readers feeling satisfied.


ONE WORLD, MANY STORIES

Multicultural Children’s Literature
http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com/

Welcome to the wonderfully diverse world of children's multicultural literature, "literature that represents any distinct cultural group through accurate portrayal and rich detail" (Yokota, 1993, p. 157). Such literature appears in different genres which together present a multitude of perspectives about the lives, culture, and contributions of each cultural group to American society. This web site contains links to annotated bibliographies of children's multicultural books appropriate for the elementary grades (kindergarten through grade six). Cultural groups currently listed include: African Americans, Chinese Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Native Americans, and Korean Americans. Books are categorized by genre: realistic fiction, information (non-fiction), traditional literature, biography, historical fiction, poetry, and fantasy.


Multicultural Education Internet Resource Guide
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Multi.html

This guide to over 50 web sites was created to assist multicultural educators in locating educational resources on the Internet. World wide access to multicultural information and current events in other regions makes the Internet an important educational tool. Teachers through the internet have access to lesson plans, on-line photo galleries, stories, maps, virtual field trip, international radio programming, and e-mail pen pals. In the multicultural classroom these resources can be used to create thematic units. Other sites, such as those devoted to art and geography can supplement an existing lesson. Many of the sites listed are source sites with lessons, pictures, problems and quizzes on-line, and other sites are Index sites which provide extensive links related to a subject of interest. A listing of professional organizations for multicultural educators is also provided. Highly recommended sites are marked by an "*".


9TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CELEBRATION

Educators, librarians, students and children literature enthusiasts come together for an interactive workshop with award-winning authors on Saturday, November 20, from 8:30-5:00 in Room 325-326 Pyle Center, Madison. Authors will discuss the stories that they have written and other works to integrate into the classroom. The workshop will close with a reception and book signing. Participants will be inspired to continue to internationalize curriculum in their schools and communities.

The annual celebration is sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/. Held in observance of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, the aim of this workshop - designed for teachers, school and public librarians, students and faculty of education and library science - was to encourage the internationalization of school curriculum by incorporating literature about cultures from around the world that depicts unbiased and educated information.

For more information, please contact Rachel Weiss at rweiss@southasia.wisc.edu or go to: http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/.


TEEN READ WEEK

Teen Read Week is an annual celebration aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators and other concerned adults to encourage youth to read for pleasure and visit their libraries for free reading materials. Scheduled for October 17–23, this year’s event carries the theme “Books with Beat @ your library” and encourages teens to discover poetry, audio books, books about music and more. Schools and libraries can start planning now with the wide variety of resources available at the Teen Read Week Web site, including program ideas, planning resources, publicity tools, booklists and materials to promote the event. You can also download the Books with Beat @ your library reading list (PDF) in Spanish! Go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2010/home.cfm for more information.


2011 STORYWAGON SCHEDULE

I have finalized the 2011 Storywagon schedule for Lakeshores. We will have storyteller Janice “Mama” Baer, story-performer Chris Fascione, and the musical duo Fox and Branch. Storywagon will begin on Monday June 20th and run through Thursday July 21st.

“Mama” Baer – June 20-24 and June 27-30

Chris Fascione – June 27-July 1 and July 11-14

Fox and Branch – July 11-15 and July 18-21

The daily schedule will be the same as this year.


EVENTS THIS WEEK AND NEXT

Friday, October 8
Play Tag Day

Saturday, October 9
National Sneakers Day
Moldy Cheese Day

Sunday, October 10
National Angel Food Cake Day
Tuxedo Day

Monday, October 11
Columbus Day (Observed)
National Coming Out Day
National Kick Butt Day
It's My Party Day
Eleanor Roosevelt's Birthday
World Egg Day

Tuesday, October 12
Columbus Day (Traditional)
Freethought Day
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
National Face Your Fears Day
Farmer’s Day

Wednesday, October 13
Emergency Nurses Day
International Top Spinning Day
National Bring Teddy Bear to Work Day

Thursday, October 14
Be Bald and Be Free Day
National Occupational Therapy Day
National FRUMP Day (Honors Frugal, Responsible, Unpretentious, Mature Persons)
national lower case day
National Take Comfort Day

Friday, October 15
National Boss Day
National Mammography Day
UN International Day Of Rural Women
White Cane Safety Day
Mushroom Day
National Grouch Day

Saturday, October 16
Dictionary Day
Fall Astronomy Day
Sweetest Day
UN World Food Day
Learn a Word Day
Sunday, October 17
Mulligan Day
UN International Day For The Eradication of Poverty
Gaudy Day

Monday, October 18
No Beard Day
Scary Black Cat Day
International Adjust Your Chair Day

Tuesday, October 19
New Friends Day
Evaluate Your Life Day

Wednesday, October 20
National Fruit Day
Suspenders Day
Electric Light Day

Thursday, October 21
Garbanzo Bean Day
Babbling Day
National Knee Day

Friday, October 22
Parachute Birthday
National Nut Day


DATES TO REMEMBER

October 17-23 Teen Read Week
October 21-24 Rhonda in Seattle, Sweet Adelines International Convention
November 2 Election Day
November 2-5 WLA Conference, Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells
November 14 Riverport Chorus Style Show, Radisson Hotel, Kenosha
November 9th Annual International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration, Madison
November 20 Tellebration!, Monona Public Library
December 2 WLA Board meeting, Madison
December 3 WLA Leadership meeting, Madison
December 10 Lakeshores Youth Services Pot Luck and White Elephant Gift Exchange, LLS office
December 16 MidWisconsin Youth Services Pot luck and Gift Exchange, Beaver Dam
January 6-11 ALA Midwinter meeting, San Diego
February 22 Library Legislative Day


WEBSITE FAVES

Carnegie Hall Musical Adventures
http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/explore_and_learn/art_online_resources_listening_adventures.html

This fun and interactive site is a great way for students to learn about the orchestra and its instruments as well as the symphony and some history of Carnegie Hall. The Young Person's Guide teaches students about the four families of musical instruments and their place in the orchestra. Students go on a safari through the instrument filled jungle collecting all the instruments in a problem solving adventure. The Animated History introduces students to the history of Carnegie Hall, highlighting many of the artists and speakers who have appeared there. In Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" students listen to and view an animated version of the symphony while learning about the music, instruments of the orchestra, and the composer. I interactive activities are included along the way. (Education World Site Reviews, 9/28/10)


North American Mammals
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/

This online database, based on the Mammals of North America by Roland W. Kays and Don E. Wilson, and The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals by Don E. Wilson and Sue Ruff, is a rich resource for teachers, students or anyone interested in biology or the identification of mammals in North America. The wealth of information is extensive from the printable and customizable field guide to the interactive Geographical Information Systems (GIS) maps of species distribution. Teachers or students will appreciate the ability to select and create a personal field guide for the animals that are specific to their study. Each page of the guide includes the location for which the information was collected, the animal’s scientific and common names, the species' image and distribution range, the descriptive information for the species, and a special area for notes. There are two types of maps; one that shows static distribution and the other that interactively offers a variety of overlays that include topography, states and province boundaries, cities, rivers, and US interstate highways. Additionally, users can make use of a variety of other search options such as; location and have the results displayed as a list or as a set of images; family tree to find all the taxa included within a group; conservation status to find the endangered species; and special collections of bones and teeth to help identify species or compare functional parts of the skull and skeleton. Any of these searches can be converted into a printable, personal field guide. (Education World Site Reviews, 9/28/10)


AND FINALLY……

I leave on the 21st for Seattle, where my daughter Bethany’s barbershop quartet “Trouble Clef” will be competing on the 23rd in the Young Women in Harmony Rising Star competition. Members of “Trouble Clef” are all 14 and from Burlington. They’ve been together for just over a year and have worked hard to reach their goal of going to the Rising Star contest. Their competition will be webcast at http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/webcast.cfm. The girls will be onstage at approximately 10:20 AM Pacific time. ☺