Bulletin Board - Picture Book Word Maps

A patron recently turned me on to Wordle. The website lets you created "Word Maps" from text.  With a word map, the more frequently a word appears in a text, the larger it will be.  I was captivated!  

Because of that, the monthly bulletin board at our branch is a word map challenge.  I've taken the text from 13 beloved picture books and created word maps.  Can you figure out what these classic picture books are?

I had a young boy request this book EVERY storytime for at least 9 months.  How could I not include it?

 

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This is one of my favorite books!  I've always longed to do it in a storytime without getting my tongue completely twisted. 

 

 

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Fun Fact:  I really dislike this book. A LOT.  I think Max should not have gotten his dinner (or he should have apologized first for his behavior).  But it's a classic, so I included it. 

 

 

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I can't read this book without tearing up.  The death of a grandparent can be tough and I think it's beautifully handled here. 

 

 

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I love this version of this story.  Another fun fact:  The author used to be a librarian with my library system. 

 

 

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This book is a modern classic and a great example of photography mixed with illustrations.  Both sequels were just as good, which can be tough to pull off.   

 

 

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This is another title I really dislike.  I'm surprised by that because I love the author's books of poetry. 

 

 

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Another great storytime book.  I love the message and the songs.  After storytime I frequently hear kids singing this on their way back to their preschools. 

 

 

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Growing up, this was one of my favorite series because of the detailed watercolor illustrations. 

 

 

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I love reading this to second graders through fourth graders.  The humor is so dry and incredibly funny. 

 

 

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The collage work in this book is mind blowing.  I love this author/illustrator for his urban, city-based images. 

 

 

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This book is iconic.  I visited the author's museum a few years ago and it was a great experience! 

 

 

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I've had preschool teachers tell me that kids imitate me doing this story.  Apparently I do a memorable troll.  (Thank you?)

 

 

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July Bulletin Board: Book Recommendations

I've taken a few days off while I recovered from the ALA conference this year.  I'll post a bit about that as soon as I finish gathering my thoughts (and pictures!).  As always, it was a great conference!  I'm so glad I'm becoming more involved with the organization.

For summer reading this year, our Library System is playing Bingo.  So far, I'm loving it!  The bingo cards are fun and are set up with enough flexibility that all readers can play.

Both sets of cards (one for pre-K and one for school age) have a space for a librarian's book recommendation.  Since we have a lot of activities planned at my branch, I can't always be on the main floor.  As such, our July Bulletin Board is a list of books that are worth a read.  (At least I think they are!)

Here's a picture of the board:

Our July Board! 

Here are pictures of the recommendations.

A great book for storytimes

I love the illustrations by Diana Cain Bluthenthal

I love this easy reader.  I recommend it frequently.

Oh Pete, you glorious, glorious cat. 

I would love to see Isadora's artwork in person. 

I love reading this title during school visits.

These mysteries were a hit in our after school storytime! 

This series is really popular at my branch.

So far, this is the best new book I've read this year.

I love this series!  I wish more kids would check it out.

I'll be reviewing this on the blog soon.

I love the flow of this story. 

I didn't think I would like this series, but I did! 

The illustrations really enhance this story. 

I've created a simple mini handout that will allow people to add their own recommendations to the board.  I've quartered a piece paper in Word and have spots for people to list their name, age, the title of the book, and a few lines about why they loved it.  It's very similar to the cards I put in the back of the children's fiction.  I can't wait to see the bulletin board by the end of the month! 

Library Display: Superheroes!

I try to create a new display in my Pre-K area each month.  Our branch is small, so a lot of older kids frequently use the area after school for studying or to play in our makerspace.  Last month, we looked at superheroes:  The first African-American Superhero at DC and Marvel Comics, the first Female Superhero, the First mainstream gay superhero, etc.  The kids (especially) the boys really enjoyed the display.  I was given A LOT of feedback on which heroes I should have included. 

During the month, our afterschool leader used the info from the bulletin board for a category in our monthly Jeopardy game.  The category was a hit and everyone learned a bit more about the diverse history of comics.

Our branch bulletin board

Some of the heroes on the board

Some of the heroes on the board

Some of the heroes on the board

Some of the heroes on the board

Some of the heroes on the board