Winter/Spring 2014 Publisher Previews, Part II

I'm in the midst of recapping a Winter/Spring 2014 Publisher Preview event I attended in mid-November; I'm sharing one book or series from each of the publishers who presented that I'm looking forward to sharing with readers. See also: Part I.

From Chronicle Books: Here Comes Destructosaurus! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard, April 2014
     I cannot wait to share this picture book in my outreach story times. It combines two of my favorite children's lit people: Aaron Reynolds and his terrific storytelling, and Jeremy Tankard and his bright, energetic illustrations. My guess is that this story about losing your temper will be a huge hit with young readers.

From Macmillan: The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna, June 2014
     My preschoolers love the Pout-Pout Fish, and I have every reason to believe they will clamor for this newest addition to the series. The best part: it's premise of sea creatures going to school makes it a perfect hand-sell for all those kids who only ever check out Finding Nemo.

From Abrams: Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific by Mary Cronk Farrell, March 2014
     Just yesterday I had two different kids ask me for "good books about World War II," and while there are plenty of great titles available now, two aspects of the war still trail a bit behind: the Pacific theater and women overseas. This middle grade nonfiction text looks to do a lot to rectify that deficiency, and I anticipate that its combination of a captivating historical story--nurses who not only see battle but are captured--and archival photographs will entice readers.

From Sourcebooks: When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens, February 2014
     Audrey is the first daughter, and she finds the security restrictive and the entire experience isolating. Until, that is, she discovers the diary of Alice Roosevelt, another first daughter who had a knack for mischief and a good time despite the expectations of her family. This middle grade novel looks to combine great hijinks with a premise of figuring out how to be yourself--even when you happen to live in the White House.

From HarperCollins: Panic by Lauren Oliver, March 2014
     This new standalone novel from YA favorite Lauren Oliver will have a substantial holds list, of that I'm sure. Its author isn't the only point of appeal; the thriller plot with strong storytelling would also do the trick, as would the fact that the rights to the movie have already been optioned by a major studio.

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Look for Parts III and IV over the next few weeks!

Geyser Science on the ALSC Blog

I'm on the ALSC Blog today sharing details of my recent school-age science program on the topic of geysers. For a full run-down of our variety of activities to explore the science of geysers, head over to the ALSC Blog!

Winter/Spring 2014 Publisher Previews, Part I

Last week, I was attended a Winter/Spring 2014 Publisher Preview event hosted by Baker & Taylor in my library district. This event for Missouri-area librarians included presentations from a whole host of publishers, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a sneak peek at what readers can look forward to in 2014. Over the next few weeks, I'll recap what I saw at the preview event by sharing one book or series per publisher that I look forward to getting into the hands of the young readers I serve next year.

From Cherry Lake: What's It Like to Live Here? series by Katie Marsico, January 2014
     This six-book series aimed at elementary school readers brings the social studies home, literally: by reading about what it's like to live in a city, a fishing village, a mining town, a small town, a suburb, and a farm, children will gain perspectives on the variety of ways and places people live.

From Sleeping Bear: Hot Dog! Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Victor Juhasz, April 2014
     When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the United States in the summer of 1939, it fell to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to decide how to recognize the event. In true Eleanor style, she decided to forego pomp and circumstance and instead host a picnic. This cheekily illustrated nonfiction picture book for older elementary students looks to combine history and great biographical personality.

From Scholastic Library: American the Beautiful, Third Series, beginning in February 2014
     It's been over five years since Scholastic last updated their series of state books, and they are in as high demand by young customers as ever. The combination of useful maps and illustrations, strong text about many aspects of each state, and the updated material make these titles must-haves for my library. All 52 titles will be released in 2014, with the first batch coming in February.

From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won, May 2014
     I love both hats and a bit of whimsy, and this picture book about animals who find a remedy for their bad days looks like it'll be filled with both. It appears this book will make a great story time addition, too.



From Penguin Young Readers: This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl, Lori Earl, and Wayne Earl with an introduction from John Green, January 2014
     Esther Earl was a huge fan of YA author John Green, and her fight with and ultimate death from cancer provided some inspiration for Green's bestselling The Fault in Our Stars. This memoir includes snippets from Earl's own journals and letters as well as stories from her parents. A must for YA collections.

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I'll have more previews of 2014 titles next week!

Fostering Writing on SLJ.com

Earlier this week, I expanded on strategies for fostering writing in the library in an online article for School Library Journal. For full details on what my library district does to promote writing among kids, teens, and adults, as well as some initiatives I'd like to try in the future, head over to slj.com.

Books You Can't Storytime (Because You'll Cry)

I was lurking in a Twitter conversation between Brooke (@berasche) and Kendra (@klmpeace) yesterday. They started out talking about read-alouds for older kids--around 3rd grade--and while that's a terrific topic for a future, more serious post, I was completely drawn in when one of them mentioned this fact of librarianship: she couldn't share such-and-such book because it would make her cry.

The scenario goes something like this. We start off reading great books (and showing kids the pictures, ahem):

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, something about the story blows up the dam and we lose it:

At which point it's all gasping breaths, snotty nose, wiping away tears, and trying to regain composure:

And maybe trying to turn the whole thing into an early literacy moment by talking about feelings.


Yep, that's what we're talking about: books you can't storytime* because you'll end up in tears. I'm about to share mine, and I hope you'll feel free to share yours as well--on your blog, in the comments, on Twitter, etc. What read-aloud stories make you cry, and why?

And, without further ado, the children's book that reduces me to a puddle of tears:

Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise -- Charlie is a wee caterpillar who just wants to play with the other animals. Yet they all turn him away in disgust, saying cruelly, "We don't play with ugly caterpillars!" That line--even just thinking of that line when I'm still on the first page!--gets me every time. Every. Stinking. Time. Of course the story ends happily and it's a great tale of being friendly and not judging by appearances. But I only get to share that message if I can stop sobbing long enough to actually read the thing.



*why, yes, I did just use "storytime" as a verb.

New Book-Finding Resources

We're coming to that time of year when I would normally share some recommendations of my favorite books from the year, both for the sake of recapping the year in reading and for aiding those holiday gift-buying decisions. Committee work prevents me from doing so this year, however, but do not fret! As an alternative, I will be highlighting two resources you might consider when you want to a) find a book perfect for that niece or nephew; b) have handy lists at your reference desk for readers' advisory inquiries; or c) have a resource against which to check your library's shelves in order to make sure you've got great stuff in decent condition.

The SpotLit Collection, a new feature from Scholastic, offers librarians, teachers, and parents curated "best books" lists for preschoolers through middle schoolers. The lists were created by teachers, librarians, children's literature professors, and other experts, and perusing the lists demonstrates that these folks knew what they were doing when they created the lists. Each grade level list includes fiction and nonfiction, with a wide variety of genres and styles represented. For libraries looking to update or start offering grade-level booklists to customers, SpotLit is a great place to start. The suggestions are heavy on a variety of award-winners, too, as evidenced by this nifty info graphic:

The second go-to resource to consider is ALSC's recently-updated Graphic Novels Reading Lists. There are three different lists available for libraries to print in color or black and white: kindergarten through second grade; third through fifth grade; and sixth through eight grade. These lists feature both stand-alone and series graphic novel titles across a spectrum of appeals, so helping kids find the right graphic novel for them is streamlined. The lists come in the form of pretty snazzy-looking brochures, too.

What are your go-to resources for finding holiday gift books, making recent recommendations to customers, and spot-checking your collections?

Make Your Own Early Literacy Toy: Texture Blanket, from guest blogger Stephanie Smallwood

One of my favorite takeaways from the Missouri Library Association Conference in October was the idea of a sensory blanket, which Stephanie Smallwood--Early Literacy Specialist at Springfield-Greene County Library District--shared in her session focused on outreach. I asked Stephanie to elaborate on her texture blanket, and she graciously agreed to share details in the form of this guest post.

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"What should I do with my baby?"

Families are always happy to learn that the best thing they can do with their littlest ones is talk to them. We know that talking to babies not only builds vocabulary and background knowledge, but also that all-important caregiver-child bond that is so important for all aspects of development. But sometimes we just don't know what to say to those little guys! Especially during the first few months, it can be difficult for new parents to know what to say to their child, so it helps to give them a conversation-starter so to speak.  We do that when we tell adults to talk about what they are doing or to describe everything they see, but there are certain things that babies are particularly drawn to. One of these things is textures.

A newborn is very sensitive to touch, and that sense stays strong throughout the baby years. This is good for adults, because there are lots of words to use to describe textures. We can use a variety to describe how they feel (fluffy, scratchy, rough, smooth), and we can compare and contrast familiar textures ("This denim feels just like Daddy's pants," "Grandma has a blanket that has satin edges like this."). So textures give us an opportunity to use a copious amount of words, and since baby's sense of touch is so sensitive, they are particularly open to learning at that moment. You know that wide-eyed look babies get on their faces when they are particularly interested in something? That is the most important time to talk. They are focused, interested, and their minds are especially open.

Stephanie's Texture Blanket

I use lots of homemade early literacy activities in my work with families, and one of the most popular is the texture blanket.  It is a basic fleece blanket with several different pieces of fabric sewn on it. Babies love it, toddlers love it, caregivers love it, and every time I use it with a family I get to show them that wide-eyed "That is so cool!" look on their baby's face. It is an excellent tool for modeling those simple interactions that are so important to a baby's development. Here are some points I make with families and babies of different stages.

Newborns: Choose the softest fabrics on the blanket to use with the littlest ones, they will be very sensitive to anything rough. Lightly touch baby's arm or hand with the soft fabric and talk about how it feels. Remember, newborns will be ready to move on in a relatively short time, so no need to overdo it.

Tummy Time Crowd: This blanket is so fantastic for tummy time, I can't fully express it in a post. You really just have to watch a baby doing it. Babies doing tummy time have something to feel and look at while they lay on their tummies. As they start creeping and scooting, they have a goal to reach for and explore. Talk about the different textures they touch.

Sitters/Crawlers: So much to explore! This is when we really start to see curiosity come through with babies. Sitting on a texture blanket gives them a big area to move around in and so many different things to examine. And yes, they will examine it with their mouth, so make sure your fabrics are secure and that babies are monitored.

Walkers: Even those bigger babies will still appreciate the textures. Take off their shoes and let them feel the fabric with their feet. They are beginning to make stronger connections between current experiences and things they have experienced in other situations, so this is a great stage to compare textures.

My texture blanket gets used pretty regularly in my outreach programming, but it would be ideal for baby storytimes or a baby corner in a children's department. Mine has been used monthly for three and a half years and is still in pretty good shape. It gets machine-washed after each use, and I line dry it. One of the great things about the texture blanket is that it is that it is portable--it is super easy to roll it up and take it to any of the locations where I work with families. It's truly a perfect activity!

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Picture provided by Stephanie Smallwood.