Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy your turkey and your family and remember all the things for which you are grateful. No matter where you are or what is going on in your life, there are small things that give your days light.
Libraries count among those things. (And, no, we are not open on Thanksgiving but we are open on Black Friday!) A trip to the library is better than a trip to the Mall because you come away from the library debt-free.
Right now, I am going through children's fiction to make sure that the books on the shelves at the Parkland Community Library are books that children want to read. I have run across some old favorites - some of them written in and about simpler times. Some of these stories were read by my parents and they make friendly reading today.
The stories of Louisa May Alcott are couched in the language of 19th century America but the characters and their values are timeless and enduring. Check out Little Women or Little Men. Although each book tells a story, the chapters are little tales in themselves and can be shared out loud.
L. Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz and all of its sequels. Once again, the language is charmingly old-fashioned but the books are full of adventure and fantasy and peopled by strange creatures.
The books of Thornton Burgess deal with animals who have human problems - trickery, jealousy, greed and mischievousness. Animal Tales and Mrs. Peter Rabbit are two of Burgess's titles in the collection at the Parkland Community Library.
Elizabeth Enright's Melendy Family series starts with The Saturdays. That story revolves around the adventures that the Melendy children have after they decide to pool their allowances. Their weekly allowances are mind-bogglingly small in today's economy. The adventures are adult-free and creative. Read the rest of the series to find out how the Melendy children grow and change.
Eleanor Estes Moffats are another family to love. Widowed Mrs. Moffat manages quite well with the help of her lively and creative brood. I particularly love the chapter in which Rufus gets his own library card in Rufus M.
The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Lovelace have a club of their own fans. Right now, most of Lovelace's books are in storage. Bring them back by putting a hold on the titles. Get a taste of this series about the friendships among pre-teen and teen girls by checking out Heaven to Betsy which follows Betsy and Tacy during their first year of high school.
The list of beloved authors goes on and on and grows longer and longer. Which of the authors our children crave today will still be on the shelves - or downloadable - when their children are learning to read? Jeff Kinney and his Wimpy Kid? Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games? Mary Pope Osbourne and her Magic Tree House? And what about some of my all-time favorites? I've listed them below. Will they still be around in 40 years? I hope so.
Lloyd Alexander -The Prydain Chronicles form a fantasy series that still entices and delights.
Betsy Byars - With numerous Newbery Awards and Honor books to her credit, Byars' books chronicle the day to day life of American children in sometimes difficult, sometimes hilarious and often suspenseful circumstances.
Susan Cooper -Her Dark Is Rising novels lean heavily on the Arthurian legends to create fabulous fantasies.
Sid Fleischman - Funny, fast-paced, well-researched, Fleischman's novels offer accessible historical fiction and the occasional fantasy.
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables was only one of Montgomery's heroines.
E. Nesbit - Old fashioned, tongue-in-cheek fantasies were Nesbit's stock in trade.
This is just the tip of the iceburg. I will list other favorite authors in further posts. Visit with these old friends; share them with your children. And enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Stories on CD
The online survey never happened. I apologize. It WILL happen soon. So keep an eye on this space.
Has anyone noticed how busy the highways are? Commuting on Rte. 22 takes longer and longer as the holidays approach. I have found a way to "shorten" the drive. I listen to stories on CD. Books on CD take forever to finish and I find myself sitting in the car waiting for a chapter to finish. BUT stories are finished in 5 or 12 minutes and make the slow traffic on the road bearable.
Look for CDs by Bill Harley, Donald Davis, Willy Claflin, Odds Bodkin, the Lehigh Valley's own Chaz Kiernan and his daughter, Emily. (They each have their own CDs.) Dovie Thomason shares Native American tales in her Cds. Heather Forest is a renowned teller and teacher.
Most of these CDs can be found in the Children's CD collection. Check one out today.
Has anyone noticed how busy the highways are? Commuting on Rte. 22 takes longer and longer as the holidays approach. I have found a way to "shorten" the drive. I listen to stories on CD. Books on CD take forever to finish and I find myself sitting in the car waiting for a chapter to finish. BUT stories are finished in 5 or 12 minutes and make the slow traffic on the road bearable.
Look for CDs by Bill Harley, Donald Davis, Willy Claflin, Odds Bodkin, the Lehigh Valley's own Chaz Kiernan and his daughter, Emily. (They each have their own CDs.) Dovie Thomason shares Native American tales in her Cds. Heather Forest is a renowned teller and teacher.
Most of these CDs can be found in the Children's CD collection. Check one out today.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
First PCL Youth Book Awards
Dear Blog Friends,
A lot of wonderful books for children and teens are printed every single year. This year seemed like a banner year, especially for teens and preschoolers. SOOOO let me know which books were your favorites this year. What books caught your attention, made you think, made you want more, more, more?
Next Wednesday, Nov. 10th, check this blog for an online survey. The survey will ask for your favorite book in several categories. No matter when the book was published, if you read it this year, and it made an impression on you, type the title in. When that survey ends, the top five books in each category will be published online and you can vote on your favorites in another online survey.
Paper ballots will be in the library as well. By December 20th the surveys will be complete and winners will be announced.
Please take part in this fun event. Anyone who takes either survey will be entered in a random drawing for prizes!
Start thinking about the best books for children or teens that you read this year. And watch the nomination process begin.
A lot of wonderful books for children and teens are printed every single year. This year seemed like a banner year, especially for teens and preschoolers. SOOOO let me know which books were your favorites this year. What books caught your attention, made you think, made you want more, more, more?
Next Wednesday, Nov. 10th, check this blog for an online survey. The survey will ask for your favorite book in several categories. No matter when the book was published, if you read it this year, and it made an impression on you, type the title in. When that survey ends, the top five books in each category will be published online and you can vote on your favorites in another online survey.
Paper ballots will be in the library as well. By December 20th the surveys will be complete and winners will be announced.
Please take part in this fun event. Anyone who takes either survey will be entered in a random drawing for prizes!
Start thinking about the best books for children or teens that you read this year. And watch the nomination process begin.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Election time and new non-fiction
The midterm elections are "too much with us", as the Bard might say. Bombarded by television and radio ads and dinnertime phone calls, most of us will rejoice that the season is over, no matter who wins next Tuesday.
The Youth Services department has just added a couple of series that can answer some of the questions that all of these ads might bring up. What DOES a Senator do? or a Congressional Representative for that matter? A new series called How Our Government Works looks at the jobs of senators, representatives, governors, mayors and even the president and describes what each position requires of the person holding it. The books are written for elementary school students, in grades 3 through 5.
The Constitution is mentioned a lot in political debates and in political ads. In the series Six Questions of American History, (written for grades 4 and up), one of the titles deals with the history of this important American document. Who wrote the U.S. Constitution? and other questions about the Constitutional Conventions of 1787 by Candice Ransom provides a close look at the people who drafted the Constitution of the United States of America. To read the entire Constitution, divided into sections and Amendments, go to this link It is a VERY long document.
Other titles in the Six Questions of American History series deal with the history of canals in America, why the Pilgrims came to the New World, and why the Cherokees moved West.
And parents, don't forget to vote next Tuesday! May the best representative, senator, etc. win.
The Youth Services department has just added a couple of series that can answer some of the questions that all of these ads might bring up. What DOES a Senator do? or a Congressional Representative for that matter? A new series called How Our Government Works looks at the jobs of senators, representatives, governors, mayors and even the president and describes what each position requires of the person holding it. The books are written for elementary school students, in grades 3 through 5.
The Constitution is mentioned a lot in political debates and in political ads. In the series Six Questions of American History, (written for grades 4 and up), one of the titles deals with the history of this important American document. Who wrote the U.S. Constitution? and other questions about the Constitutional Conventions of 1787 by Candice Ransom provides a close look at the people who drafted the Constitution of the United States of America. To read the entire Constitution, divided into sections and Amendments, go to this link It is a VERY long document.
Other titles in the Six Questions of American History series deal with the history of canals in America, why the Pilgrims came to the New World, and why the Cherokees moved West.
And parents, don't forget to vote next Tuesday! May the best representative, senator, etc. win.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Requiem for an author
Eva Ibbotson, author of many wonderful books, including The Dragonfly Pool, Journey to the River Sea, and The Star of Kazan, passed away on October 20th at the age of 85. She wrote over 20 novels for children and adults.
It is always sad when a great author dies - and Ibbotson was a great author - but even sadder is the truth that now readers will not find out what happened next to characters they grew to love. I wanted another book about the children in The Dragonfly Pool, a book that takes place at the beginning of World War II and features young people who work together to rescue a prince from the Nazis. I will have to make up my own sequel for this story now.
Ibbotson's novels range from intensely suspenseful to silly and fantastic but her writing is always lively and her endings always hopeful.
Check out one of her books in memory of a long life spent bringing pleasure to readers all over the English speaking world.
It is always sad when a great author dies - and Ibbotson was a great author - but even sadder is the truth that now readers will not find out what happened next to characters they grew to love. I wanted another book about the children in The Dragonfly Pool, a book that takes place at the beginning of World War II and features young people who work together to rescue a prince from the Nazis. I will have to make up my own sequel for this story now.
Ibbotson's novels range from intensely suspenseful to silly and fantastic but her writing is always lively and her endings always hopeful.
Check out one of her books in memory of a long life spent bringing pleasure to readers all over the English speaking world.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Teen Read Week - Books with Beat
There is a colorful display of YA Books with Beat on the counter in front of the YA shelves to celebrate Teen Read Week. Check some of these fun, frightening, fierce titles out this week. Click here for a book list of some of these titles.
On Friday, Oct. 22nd at 7 pm, Andrei Maurer of the Locksmiths Band will share tips on writing music with beat here at the Parkland Community Library. Sign up in advance by calling 610-398-1361 ext. 19 and requesting a space.
Some brand new titles that did not make the list mentioned above are:
Hold me closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Just in time for Halloween! Here's the story of Sam, who discovers that he can raise the dead. The other necromancer in town is not too thrilled about Sam's new powers.
The curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey. Will James tells the story of his apprenticeship with a New England doctor who hunts down real monsters. The Wendigo starves, even as it gorges on human flesh!
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Here's scary of a different kind. Imagine that you find yourself referred to as the DUFF - "Designated Ugly Fat Friend". So how would you deal with that? Bianca deals by hooking up with the biggest womanizer of all. Suggested for mature audiences. (15 and up.)
The cruisers by Walter Dean Myers. Four friends use an alternative newspaper to change the inevitable end of the mock Civil War waging at their school. They learn just how much freedom of speech they really have.
So get the beat or march to your own beat! Either way, find Books with Beat at the Parkland Community Library.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Halloween Spookiness!
Join the Teen Tellers - and me - on Tuesday Oct. 19th for SCARY STORIES! at 7 pm. The teens like to tell frightening stories, just be forewarned. We are suggesting that these stories are best for ages 7 and up. Call the Youth Services Department at 610-398-1361 ext 19, if you'd like to come. Or just show up!
Search for Ghosts and Ghouls (and cats and bats, skeletons and scarecrows) between Oct. 15th and Oct. 30th. Each creepy creature will ask a question. Do the research and write the answer on the answer sheet. Then turn the answers in for a startling surprise!
Halloween books are flying out of here like bats out of a belfry! Here are some new titles to look for - or place on hold.
AlphaOops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis. The alphabet puts on a Halloween pageant and chaos ensues.
Broom, zoom by Caron Lee Cohen. A little witch and a monster fight over the broom. Simple text and bright pictures make this book perfect for sharing with little ones.
Dark emperor and other poems of night by Joyce Sidman. Poems and facts about how animals and plants behave at night.
Vampire boy's good night by Lisa Brown. Are children REAL? Bela the vampire and his friend, Morgan the witch, investigate one night and end up at a Halloween party.
Zen ghosts by Jon Muth. Stillwater, the giant panda, shares a zen "ghost" story.
Search for Ghosts and Ghouls (and cats and bats, skeletons and scarecrows) between Oct. 15th and Oct. 30th. Each creepy creature will ask a question. Do the research and write the answer on the answer sheet. Then turn the answers in for a startling surprise!
AlphaOops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis. The alphabet puts on a Halloween pageant and chaos ensues.
Broom, zoom by Caron Lee Cohen. A little witch and a monster fight over the broom. Simple text and bright pictures make this book perfect for sharing with little ones.
Dark emperor and other poems of night by Joyce Sidman. Poems and facts about how animals and plants behave at night.
Vampire boy's good night by Lisa Brown. Are children REAL? Bela the vampire and his friend, Morgan the witch, investigate one night and end up at a Halloween party.
Zen ghosts by Jon Muth. Stillwater, the giant panda, shares a zen "ghost" story.
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