Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! We’ll be holding our Earth Day drawing for our Terrarium later today. Today is the last day to enter, so hurry in if you want to grow some zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers on your windowsill.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, April 23rd @ 6:00 pm) The Community Library will show “Trashed” an environmental documentary with Jeremy Irons. You can view the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UM73CEvwMY

It looks very interesting for both adults and tweens and teens so consider bringing them.

Here’s what kids from The Children’s Library are doing for Earth Day:

- I will pick up trash

- I can carpool with a friend

- put kitchen scraps in the compost pile

- recycle

- plant a tree

-ride a bike

Winners, Winners

Last time I blogged, it was about March Madness: The School Library Journal’s March Madness–their yearly epic Battle of the Kid’s Books. Granted, they pair up some pretty steep competition in the very first rounds. Great books are knocked out, great ones survive. The thing about SLJ’s “Battle of the Kid’s Books” is that each round is judged by a different person (always a well-respected writer with passion for children’s literature) but it can throw some inconsistency in the mix. While I agree with lots of the decision, I was surprised by the final winner. The winner of SLC’s 2013 Battle of the Kid’s Books is: No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. “No Crystal Stair” is described as a documentary novel about Harlem bookseller, Lewis Micheaux whose neighborhood bookstore, became a center for black literary life from 1939-1975. Ironically, of all the nominated titles, it is the only one The Community Library does not own — something that will soon be remedied.

In other news, we’ve submitted our patron’s votes for the Young Reader’s Choice Awards. These are voted on by readers and winners will be announced soon. Our ballot box does not necessary reflect what books might win the overall title in the entire Pacific Northwest but it is interesting. The Junior Division had a 3-way tie: 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce, and The Lost Here by Rick Riordan all received an equal number of votes. Heist Society by Ally Carter won in the Middle Division and Matched by Ally Condie took the Senior Division. I’ll post the overall winners when I know them. Did your vote win or lose? Let us know.

–DeAnn

 

March Madness is Here!

It is that time of year: March Madness.

If you’re a college basketball fan that means you’ve filled out a bracket and are cheering on your favorite team. If you’re a children’s literature fanatic, you’ve filled out a bracket too, but yours is from the School Library Journal‘s “Battle of the Kids’ Books”. Each round pits one book against another. These books are the best of the best published in 2012 and choosing a favorite can be difficult. Well-known writers serve as bracket judges and you’re free to disagree or applaud their choices on SLJ’s website.

Go here to print and fill out your own bracket. You can find most of SLJ’s “Battle of the Kid’s Books” here at The Community Library. Even if you just read one or two, March madness can be a slam dunk for book fans too.

 

–DeAnn

 

YRCA Voting Begins March 18.

The Young Reader’s Choice Awards (YRCAs) are different than many awards for children’s and young adult literature in that they are not chosen by adults; they are chosen by the children and teens who read them. “Awarded by the Pacific Northwest Library Associated, the Young Reader’s Choice Award is the oldest children’s choice award in the U.S. and Canada. The award was established in 1940 by a Seattle bookseller, the late Harry Hartman, who believed every student should have an opportunity to select a book that gives him or her pleasure” (http://www.pnla.org/yrca).

Voting for the Young Reader’s Choice Awards begins March 18 and continues through April 10^th here at The Children’s Library. Usually, children may also cast votes at their school libraries. In order to vote, you must have read at least two of the nominees in the category in which you are casting a ballot.

Here are the categories and the nominees. Time is running out to get your selections read so come in and check out a YRCA nominated book today.

Junior  – 4^th-6^th Grade:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce

Fatty Legs by Christy Joardan-Fenton

Intermediate  – 7^th-9^th Grade

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

The Second Trial by Rosemarie Boll

Heist Society by Ally Carter

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Senior  – 10-12 Grade

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Crazy by Han Nolan

Matched by Allie Condie

Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie

Bring Your Child to the Library Day

Saturday, February 2nd is “Bring Your Child to the Library Day.” When I was a small child, my mother, my sister, and I would make the walk from our house to the library every Wednesday. There I would check out the same book as I had two weeks before. It was a book with an eccentric old lady on the cover. She was standing on a heap of trash with a rubber truck tire at her side. She wore a skirt and striped socks that were falling down. She was a lady who went to the dump and found all sorts of treasures there. I do not remember the name of that book, but I adored it. I felt like it was mine. I only lent it back to the library for two weeks at a time and then I took it home again. Over and over and over again.

There is power in the rituals we have as children. Going to the library on Wednesday were one of mine. It was a habit that became, for me, a lifetime of cracking open books and entering different worlds and new ways of thinking. Going to the library often and consistently as a child shaped everything for me.

There are times when we, here at The Children’s Library, try to lure you in. There are cookies, we’re showing a movie, we’re offering a craft, or you can come see birds or beetles.

Tomorrow, though, we’re inviting you to just come. Come continue or begin a ritual. Bring your Child to the Library. We have books. Rows and rows of brave new worlds.

AWARDS Morning!!

I know, I know, most industries have award nights, but in children’s book publishing it is all about the morning. The American Library Association (ALA) will announce the winners of a multitude of book awards on Monday, January 28th at 8 am PT from the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The most well-known and prestigious are the Newbery and Caldecott awards. It is like Superbowl Sunday for children’s book lovers only ten times better. Maybe a hundred.

The Newbery: It awarded for “the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year.” The Newbery is about the WRITING. These are the timeless books with characters and setting and plot that take your breath away and that leave you thinking of them years from now. (Well, hopefully). I’m not one to say that these awards aren’t political. I’m sure they are. I’m sure there are back room disagreements and the books that maybe should of won, but didn’t. You can search online for “Newbery predictions” and “Newbery buzz.” I usually do, but I also sometimes have my favorites or one I’m pulling for. Of course, I haven’t read all the best books of 2012 so maybe there’s a gem of a book I missed, but this year I’m pulling for:

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

I’ll be honest, there are lots of the Newbery buzz books I haven’t read, so I’m also on the lookout for Starry River of the Sky to have a good showing. I’ve heard that See You at Harry’s is a lesser known novel deserving of the award. It’s on my to-read list, but I haven’t cracked it yet.

The Caldecott: The Caldecott Medal is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. It is awarded to the artist who created “the most distinguished picture book of the previous year.” Where the Newbery is all about the writing, the Caldecott Medal is all about the ILLUSTRATIONS. Both the Newbery and Caldecott are difficult to predict, but the sheer number of picture books makes the Caldecott an especially difficult one to call. Picture books, however, are shorter and easier to look at, browse, and read through. I feel like I’ve seen and handled most of the books in the running for the Caldecott medal. Again, you can search online for books getting Caldecott attention, but my pick is:

and then, it’s spring  by Julie Fogliano

I love the sweet, sweet illustrations in this book. They hearken back to a simpler time and a very patient boy, and his seeds deep in the ground. I love this one. 

I love others, like Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Chloe and the Lion (not my pick) is very unusual; sometimes the committee likes illustrations that are new and different. Still, I’m sticking with my favorites.

May the best books win.

–DeAnn

 

Books for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

We went to Washington, D.C. last summer. My 9-year-old was fixated on getting a photo in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It wasn’t the first place we went, so day after day she asked when we were going there. We finally made our visit and she got her photo, but come Monday, when she is out of school, I wonder if she’ll remember that it is Martin Luther King, Jr day. She might need reminding. 

We’re open January 21st, so come in and check out some books about the man who changed American:

Kadir Nelson’s artwork is always breathtaking, but this book, bridges the words of Martin Luther’s King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech with Nelson’s inspiring art of the man and the crowds of people thronging to hear him on that day. It honors the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a simple, beautiful way.

This book, also entitled, “I Have a Dream”, features a foreword by Martin Luther King, Jr’s wife, Coretta Scott King, and pairs the “I Have a Dream” speech with paintings by fifteen Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book Artists.

For further reading on the Civil Rights Movement, check out:

“Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott” by Russell Freedman

“A Dream of Freedom” by Diane McWhorter

“Miles to Go for Freedom” by Linda Barrett Osborne

“We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March” by Cynthia Levinson

 

 

 

Color of 2013: Emerald Green

Each year, Pantone chooses a color of the year. It’s a color they see trending in fashion and in design, a color whose time has come to step forward and be recognized. This year Pantone has announced that color of 2013 is Emerald Green.

It sounds like a good way to start the new year. Pedro Calderon de la Barca, a Spanish writer and poet, says that: “Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”

In keeping with the color of the year I’d like to introduce you to a new picture book we have here at The Children’s Library. This book is all about the color “Green.” This book by Laura Vaccaro Seeger plays homage to all things green.

How many kinds of green are there? she asks. And we find that there are all kinds: lime green, pea green, and a stop sign that is never green. Award winning artist, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is again getting Caldecott buzz for these paintings with thick green brushstrokes and peekaboo pages that your kids will love.

Hey, it’s 2012. Time to be green.

(And yes, that’s me. DeAnn Campbell. The new Children’s and Young Adult Librarian. Come meet me).

New Year, New Books, New Faces

It is almost a new year here at The Children’s Library. We’re looking forward to it and we hope that you are too. To kick start 2013 we have new books. Lots and lots of new books. We have new books for every age and almost every interest. We invite you in for a new book, or an old one.

We also have new faces. DeAnn Campbell joined us as the new Children’s and Young Adult Librarian. If you haven’t met here, come in and introduce yourself. Tell her about your favorite books and she can tell you about hers.

It’s 2013. A new year. Come read with us.

Dream Big, Read! The Children’s Library Summer Program

Registration for our annual Summer Reading Program begins Tuesday, May 29. This year’s theme is “Dream Big” for Children, and “Own the Night” for Young Adults. Weekly themes include Wishes & Dreams, Night Creatures, the Moon, and Planets and Stars. Every week from June 4- August 3rd we will be offering regularly scheduled activities from special craft projects to special storytimes with local Firefighters. Write down your reading goals, grab some books, and join us for the fun!