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

Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library follows a group of 12 year olds who are invited to stay the night at their city's new, high-tech public library. The library's benefactor, Mr. Lemoncello and the head librarian Dr. Zinchenko have created a fun and challenging test to see who is smart enough to become the new spokesperson for Mr. Lemoncello's billion-dollar board game company. While astute readers will love the references to other great children's books hidden within the text, the true beauty of the story lies in the main character, Kyle. Kyle is not a reader and does not understand many of the book references being made. The other characters do not judge Kyle for this, nor does he feel badly about not understanding the allusions. Instead, he makes a mental note that the book might be worth checking out. This is a very welcoming way for reluctant readers or reading-for-summer-assignment readers to sympathize with the main character.  A great book for 9-12 year olds.

A good read for both book lovers & reluctant readers.

Book Review: Sidekicks

Sidekicks have a tough life. They're used to distract villains while the hero sneaks onto the scene, they have to wait for the witty banter to end before they can fight, and they're always second banana. To make matters even worse, they eventually go through puberty. Author Jack D. Ferraiolo provides his readers with a funny and action-packed look at the life of just such a sidekick: Bright Boy. This book will appeal to young guys who are also struggling with growing up (minus the super villains) and is a great transition novel between children's books and teen books. This is a great summer read for 'tweens, especially boys.

Sidekicks - a great read for 'tween boys!

Summer Reading

Summer Reading began yesterday at the library - it was a great first day!  This was my first time starting summer reading at my branch (I came back to the library mid-summer last year), so I set a modest goal of signing up at least 40 kids on the first day.  We blew that number out of the water!  The library had help attracting children from our local dentist office and butcher, who purchased free ice cream for the library.  That was a big draw!  We're really grateful to the businesses on our block - they take care of the library!

We also were lucky enough to have the Academy of Natural Sciences visit the branch for a program entitled Fur, Feathers, and Scales.  Our kids learned why certain animals have different types of pelts.  It was a great day!

The Academy car outside the library.  

Mr. Mike and Petunia the Possum

Mr. Mike & Athena the Owl

Blackboard Desk!

My supervisor recently returned from visiting San Diego with a list of ideas to try out around our branch.  One thing that really impressed her was their use of blackboard paint in the library.  I love blackboard paint; I've used it in other branches and I think it's a cheap and effective way to make dead space and blank walls into interactive areas.  

Years ago I had the ugliest mural in the world above my desk.  I hated it.  I desperately wanted to blackboard paint the entire thing and use it to advertise programs at the branch, cool facts from nonfiction titles, silly jokes - whatever interested me about our library at the time.  Sadly, that was not mean to be and the mural survived, haunting (and disgusting) children's librarians for years to come.  

Thankfully, I have a much more up-to-date supervisor now!  And I also have a blackboard desk!  It's been up for about a week.  I.  Love.  It.  The first day it got a little smeary because the kids are used to learning against the desk.  They're getting the hang of it now.  Here are some of the first round of pictures:  

Wise Child

A colleague and I recently swapped book suggestions.  I told her about Louise Lawrence's Earth Witch, and she suggested I read Wise Child by Monica Furlong:

Wise Child is the story of a young girl in a medieval Scottish village who is raised by the local wise woman, Juniper. Because ...of her abilities (She can read! She know Latin! She's not married!) Juniper is considered a witch by the local villagers. As the ward of a witch, Wise Child (known by her childhood nickname only) is put at odds with her local priest. Challenged to see the world in a new light, Wise Child grows from a spoiled orphan into an adept healer. Magic is freely interwoven with herbal medicinal knowledge, creating a story that is well paced and exciting. This book is a solid choice for 9-12 year olds, especially Susan Cooper fans.

New Blog!

Hello new friends,

I've had a few blogs in the past - things on beekeeping and general thoughts.  Those were a lot of fun to create, but I'd like to do something a little more career-specific.  I already blog for my work, both as a main blogger for the system and as a contributor to my branch's FaceBook page, so this is just the logical continuation.  I plan to use this blog to talk about my early literacy programs, books I like, and the general thoughts of a scattered Children's Librarian.  Enjoy!