Upcoming Webinar for Infopeople: STEAM in the Public Library

On May 7, I will be working with Infopeople to offer a webinar. It's part of ELF 2.0, the Early Learning with Families initiative of the California State Library.

My webinar is STEAM in the Public Library: Programs & Services for Children. I'll be talking about STEAM programs and services for preschoolers and school-age children; how they fit with library missions and goals; and resources for any staff member to start adding STEAM to their library right away.

For full information about this webinar, head over to the Infopeople webinar description page. The webinar will be archived for those unable to attend the live session.

Quick Thoughts on the SLJ Think Tank #sljtt

This past Friday, I was able to attend the second annual School Library Journal Public Library Leadership Think Tank. The day-long event focused on the theme of "Accelerating Your Impact"--namely, making library services more meaningful and impactful for our communities.

I'm going to be thinking about everything that happened at the Think Tank over the next week or so, and then I'll post some larger, more thought-out posts throughout May. For the time being, however, I wanted to note a few big thoughts from Gretchen Caserotti's keynote. I'd love for fellow attendees to chime in in the comments!

Quick Takeaways from the 2014 SLJ Think Tank Keynote by Gretchen Caserotti

• "Fill your well." - It's important to take care of yourself, to do things that are for yourself, and to take things in and live in the moment. If we don't center ourselves first, we can never really focus on others. Taking care of ourselves is the first step toward excellent customer service.
• "Avoid drama. Just because we work with young people doesn't mean we should act like young people. If we act like young people, we run the risk of being infantilized and not taken seriously as professionals." - Yes. Just, yes. We need to be mindful of always conducting ourselves as professionals and not get sucked into workplace/organizational/association drama that looks exactly like the gossip and fights our kids and teens have.
• "You don't need to be a manager to be a leader." The two are not necessarily synonymous, and you can be an outstanding leader for your organization from any position. It's about doing excellent, transformative work and motivating/facilitating others to do the same.

Baby Bumblebee for the Ukulele

I visit local preschools and early childhood centers to provide outreach story times on a pretty regular basis, which means that, over the past few years and the course of many visits, many kids have chosen their favorite story time songs. I recently had a high number of kids requesting one song in particular, so I decided to make that tune my latest ukulele accomplishment.

Ladies and gentlemen, "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" for the ukulele!

Money Smart Art Markets on The Library As Incubator Project

I'm over at The Library As Incubator Project today talking about how we celebrated Money Smart Week at my library this year: we offered Art Market activities in programs for both school-age and preschool children, and they were a hit.

Head over to LAIP to get full details on how these program activities worked, and consider adding some math and financial literacy to arts and crafts activities at your library!

Book Review: The Black Butterfly

Today I'm sharing an upcoming release from author Shirley Reva Vernick. I very much enjoyed this novel, and I can't wait to book talk it to my teens.

The Stats: The Black Butterfly by Shirley Reva Vernick, released May 27 from Cinco Puntos Press
The Synopsis: Penny's Christmas break is not going according to plan. Her mother, off on a ghost hunt in Idaho, has deserted Penny for the holiday and sent her to a bed and breakfast on an island in Maine owned by a woman she's never met. Things couldn't possibly get any worse, thinks Penny--until two unexpected things happen, that is. Romance and ghosts; they can turn any isolated holiday into an adventure.
The Review: This book is highly enjoyable and hits all the right notes for a teen reader. Penny's voice rings so true, bouncing back and forth between anger, intrigue, excitement, gratefulness, and everything in between. The plot has great variety, too, with a few unexpected ghosts, slowly-revealed family histories, and the forging of new friendships. All of these aspects are well balanced, with nothing feeling out of place or overdone. The bed and breakfast is well-drawn, adding a great sense of place to the story. There's also a perfect amount of kissing in this book, which I, and many of my teen readers, enjoy.
The Programming Connection: I'll be book talking this title lots in coming months, especially when the cold Maine winter will provide an excellent literary escape from the hot Missouri summer. I imagine my readers who enjoy Myra McEntire will be particularly pleased with this addition to our shelves.

Digital review copy provided by the author.

Flannel Friday: Pizza!

When I was putting together my preschool science program on the topics of counting and measuring, I knew I wanted to share a story dealing with pizza. Then it hit me--a felt story would add just enough extra oomph! So that's what I did.

My felt pizza story involves some of the base ingredients of pizza--flour for dough, tomato for sauce, and cheese for topping. I also made some slices of onion, green pepper, and pepperoni (all some of my favorite pizza toppings, not coincidentally).

I've found that this simple felt activity can be used in so many different ways. It can be a story, narrating the process of building a pizza from start to finish, with all the great cooking vocabulary. It can be a counting activity, doling out the toppings. It can be used as a cumulative tale, too. Not bad for a pretty quick flannel project.

Check out this week's full Flannel Friday roundup on Lisa's blog Lisa's Libraryland.

April STEAM Reads Roundup

The Stats: The Smart Girl's Guide to Going Vegetarian by Rachel Meltzer Warren, MS, RDN, released January 7 from Sourcebooks
The Synopsis: Regardless of a person's reasons for going vegetarian, there's a lot of nutritional thought that needs to go into the decision and the upkeep. This comprehensive title explores the spectrum of vegetarian eating and lifestyles, then dives into the details of how vegetarians--young girls in particular--can meet all their nutritional needs while making the food decisions they want. The title includes excellent resource lists as well as plenty of recipes to get any new vegetarian started going veg healthfully.
The Review: Man oh man, I wish this resource existed when I was a middle schooler. It's completely accessible in its language, tone, and scope, always taking an individual's food choices seriously and never verging on condescending. I'm also quite impressed with the tips and ideas peppered throughout the text, including things like how to approach the school cafeteria or a restaurant menu when you're a vegetarian. The variety of recipes are outstanding, too.
The Programming Connection: The volume would fit well in a teen program on food and nutrition, a topic of interest to a number of the teens who frequent my library.

The Stats: Fly Away by Patricia MacLachlan, released April 8 from Margaret K. McElderry
The Synopsis: Lucy's family are a musical bunch, what with their listening preferences (opera for her dad) and proclivity for singing. Lucy doesn't sing, however, instead channeling her energies into poetry. When Lucy and her family travel to their Aunt Frankie's to help her during the river's annual flood, she encounters an aspect of nature than she's ever before experienced. She also learns the power of words and song when her toddler brother wanders away during the flood.
The Review: In true MacLachlan fashion, this quick, spare story introduces a heartfelt, captivating character, her family, and her inner thoughts. Readers will hear truth in Lucy's insecurities, her need for a secret between herself and her brother, and her strong, strong love for her family.
The Programming Connection: I could connect this title to STEAM areas in two different ways: with the flood connection (science of extreme weather), or with the poetry and music aspects of the book.