Rapid City Public Library Story Time

Library Programming.  Like many public libraries, Rapid City, South Dakota has created a YouTube channel to share their storytime and other programming offerings.  One great feature of their videos is that they tape actual events; viewers can see how librarians interact with children and other patrons.  This is extremely valuable for developing librarians who may want to build knowledge of storytime activities, while still learning about the interactive element of a public librarian's job.  For those who simply want to watch at home, the patrons can be loud and distracting, so those viewers may prefer to see the librarians presenting activities and stories for the camera audience alone.  Rapid City story time blends songs and movements with the stories, and it is great to see how librarians tell stories, and how much joy the young patrons take in singing the songs.  Rapid City is a good resource for young librarians, though may be distracting to patrons themselves.  Recommended, ***

ALSC

Professional Blog.  The Association for Library Service to Children, or ALSC, blog offers great resources for information professionals working with children.  Whether at a school library, public library, or something else altogether, ALSC bloggers share great, concrete strategies and ideas for planning and carrying out programs.  Chock full of full program plans, book recommendations, and personal experiences of librarians "on the ground," ALSC is a great place to browse when looking for new ideas.  The blog is relatively easy to navigate; tags show topics as well as blog authors, and readers can peruse full articles without having to click on to separate pages.  Authors post pictures with program plans so that readers can get a better idea of program outcomes.  The ALSC blog also offers posts for librarians who want to stretch themselves professionally; a recent post was dedicated to learning about students with disabilities.  It not only featured the authors personal experiences, but also children's books that address different disabilities.  The ALSC blog is an excellent resource for those who want to stay connected with the professional organization and grow as professionals in between conference.  Highly recommended, ****.

Brainpop

Recommended grades K-12.  Brainpop contains educational videos on a wide variety of topics featuring two lovable characters, Tim & Moby.  Tim is your average knowledgeable guy and Moby is his curious and mischievous, fact-loving robot.  Together they explore the major academic content areas, from history to math to science.  Tim & Moby make complex topics seem shockingly simple, and their videos will be great introductions to students that are new to topics. Videos come with interactive quizzes and worksheets to complete while watching the videos.  Brainpop Jr. leaves Tim behind for Annie, a younger guide with videos meant for a K-3 audience.  Brainpop comes with a hefty price tag, but could be useful in a variety of settings, from independent research, to whole class lessons.  Information in the videos is high quality and very engaging, even to the most reluctant learners.  Brainpop does provide rotating material for free.  Recommended, ****

Starfall

Recommended grades K-3.  Starfall is an interactive read-aloud site for emerging readers.  Young users can easily access four levels of digital material through the webpage.  Much of the material is free to access, though some pages require paid accounts.  Books can be read-aloud to users all the way through or by clicking on individual words, an excellent feature for readers trying to practice their own fluency and accuracy.  Another great benefit is that stories are broken into specific sounds, so they complement reading instruction in the early grades.  This is an excellent resource for teachers working on guided practice and read alouds to build confidence on specific sounds.  Recommended, ***

Storyline Online

Recommended grades K-3.  Storyline Online is a wonderful effort put forward by the Screen Actor's Guild to promote reading.  The site features videos well-known actors reading their favorite kids books.  All videos have captions, so that readers can follow along as the camera zooms along the picture.  One of the best videos is Jason Alexander reading his own story, Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy?  In addition to reading the book, Alexander describes how he came up with the idea for the story by listening to the questions they asked about the tooth fairy.  This book comes with a disclaimer and an opt-out for those young readers who haven't had the "tooth fairy talk yet."  The site is easy to navigate, colored in bright red and yellow, almost like a 1940s Superman Comic (and the fonts match the motif!).  One risk this site runs by using celebrities is aging; it is already starting to show some wrinkles with its video options for dial-up internet and lesser-known celebrities who have already faded (sorry, Caitlin Wachs!)  Overall a fun opportunity to see celebrities get in touch with their inner child, and hear some great stories while you're at it.  Recommended, ***.

International Children's Library

Recommended grades K-6.  The International Children's Library is a digital collection of children's books available online, free of charge.  Though the main page is a little overwhelming with small, hard-to read links, by selecting a "simple search" young readers will find a kid friendly interface where they can search by age, character type, and even by cover color.  As an international site, the collection hosts digital books in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Arabic, and Tagalog.  Users can search, as well as read, in their native language, or a new language that they are trying to pick up.  For this reason, this could be a great resource for high school level language classes.  One great feature is that users can contribute to the translation process of books new to the collection; they can create and edit translations in the system.  The International Children's Library is an inspiring project, and already very useful!  Highly recommended, *****

Bronzeville Boys & Girls

Recommended grades 2-5.  In 1956, Gwendolyn Brooks created a collection of poetry about kids in the neighborhood she grew up in, Bronzeville, in Chicago's Southside.  Each poem is dedicated to a kid in the neighborhood.  The characters exist in the particulars of the Bronzeville community while still being universal.  Harlem native Faith Ringgold has decided to breathe new life to Brooks poems in this newly illustrated edition of the original collection.  Ringgold captures the unique architecture of Bronzeville, with its sprawling Victorian houses and busy sidewalks.  The painted characters are flat on the page, almost child-like.  With this collection, Ringgold hopes to show that Bronzeville is both unique and universal, just as Brooks' poetry captured.  Brooks touching, rhyming poetry will be an excellent edition to a poetry collection, and can be a great conversation starter. Recommended, ***.

The Goddess of YA Literature

Review Blog.  Teri Lesesne, aka the Goddess of YA Literature, blogs book reviews daily from Sam Houston State College where she serves as a professor in Library Science.  The Goddess reviews mostly for younger readers- picture books and early chapter books fill most of her posts, though she also makes room for middle chapter books.  Her reviews often run no more than five sentences, and often are two or three.  Most reviews are made of a single sentence of summary, and one or two sentences of glowing review.  The Goddess seems to adore every book she encounters, which is not necessarily a bad thing but at times she seems like the little librarian who cried "excellent!"  One excellent feature of her blog is her grouping of books within themes.  This would be of great use to teachers and librarians for quick story time picks.  She also makes great use of a tagging system which facilitates easy navigation of seven year's worth of daily reviews.  This is a good blog to review for quick picks, but do not expect a critical understanding of contemporary books. Additional selection, **

Friends

Recommended Grades K-3.  It is a deep wish in the human imagination that animals develop the same emotions and relationships that humans do.  Though we know it is a "dog eat dog" world out there, we still desire compassion and connection from our animal friends.  Catherine Thimmesh makes this dream a reality in her narrated photo essay, Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships (Houghton Mifflin, 2011).  Thimmesh brings together a series of touching photographs of cross-species companions; an orangutan and her pet cat, a piglet and baby lion raised together in Namibia, among others.  The pictures are accompanied by a poem about friendship, using language accessible to younger readings.  Each picture is also accompanied by an in-depth paragraph giving the background of the photograph, meant to be shared with older readers.  Though Thimmesh shows us a variety of heartwarming animal alliances, she is very honest that some of these pals are not pals for life.  She does not sugarcoat the fact that some animals use each other for survival and nothing more, while showing how some animals have formed genuine attachments.  Recommended, ****

Forsythia & Me

Recommended Grades K-2.  Forsythia & Me (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011) is the touching and hilarious story of Chester and his best friend Forsythia.  'Best' is a title Forsythia wears proudly, as Chester explains to us her many accomplishments, including taming the zoo and bringing all of the animals to tea time!  Ultimately, Chester is the 'best' too, at supporting his friend and their friendship builds them both up to their best ability!  Author Vincent X. Kirsch provides playful illustrations in bright colors and incredible detail.  The colors pop, and the thin-lined characters seem more exaggerated for their minimalist features.  The reader can read this book over and over, finding something new to laugh at in the illustrations, which add depth and meaning to the words.  This book is an excellent and enjoyable lesson in friendship!  Highly recommended, ****

Judy Moody's Summer

Recommended grades 1-3.  Judy Moody has her heart on an exciting summer when she devises her Thrill-Point Race system in Judy Moody and the Thrill Points Race (Candlewick Press, 2011).  Instead of the humdrum summers of past, Judy initiates a summer-long competition with her friends to see who can have the most not bummer summer.  This transitional chapter book is not written by Judy Moody's creator, Megan McDonald, instead it is adapted from the recent Judy Moody film by Jamie Michalak.  Instead of illustrations, images are taken directly from scenes in the movie.  To this end, the story fell a little flat.  Judy's actions were captured but not the spirit of McDonald's books.  There were many valuable lessons for Judy to learn as she fell short of her expected summer, but Michalak failed to take these many opportunities.  The images from the movie will be fun for readers who have seen the film, but do not blend as well with the story as the drawn illustrations do in McDonald's stories.  As the movie fades from reader's minds, so will this book, leaving McDonald's books as longer-lasting library treasures.  Not recommended, **

A Blues Ensemble For the Birds

Recommended grades K-3.  Jan Huling brings us a New Orleans flavored fable with Ol' Bloo's Boogie Woogie Band and Blues Ensemble ( Peachtree, 2011).  Huling gives Grimms' Musicians of Bremin an American feel.   In this picture book, Ol' Bloo, a hard-working Donkey, narrowly escapes death when his owners threaten to "end his misery" after a lifetime of back-breaking service.  Instead of sitting by to face his demise, Ol' Bloo makes a run for it, planning on furthering his musical career in New Orleans.  Along the way, Ol' Bloo encounters other musically inclined animals with rough stories of their own, and just like Dorothy on her way down the Yellow Brick Road, Ol' Bloo invites these animals to share in his dreams.  Illustrations by Henri Sørensen contribute the the folk feel of the story, combining rich oil paintings in warm hues with black sillouhettes of the animals incorporated with the text.  The silhouette have the feel of shadow puppets onstage in a children's theater.  Ol' Bloo's story offers young readers a glimpse into the mythic South, and the reader can't help but root for his Boogie Woogie Band, though they would surely be ghastly to the human ear.  Recommended, ***

Pinkalicious on Ice

Recommended grades K-2.  In Pinkalicious: Pink around the Rink (HarperCollins, 2010), Pinkalicious, the perky brunette who simply cannot get enough pink in her life, is slightly disappointed when her parents give her boring white ice skates.  Luckily, she knows just what to do!  She paints her shoes pink and creates quite the impression on the ice rink!  Creator Victoria Kann writes and illustrates her Pinkalicious series for HarperCollins I Can Read! Series for developing readers.  As a level 1 book, Pink around the Rink is specially written to include, "short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts for children eager to read on their own."  Though these books were designed for independent readers, adults will appreciate Kann's subtle humor in the characters of Pinkalicious' parents who try to encourage their daughter's unique stylistic preferences.  Kann's illustrations in bright shades of pink and orange capture Pinkalicious's ideal world, where she is most comfortable.  Kann leaves the "boring colors" (white) for places where Pinkalicious feels the least comfortable.  Kann based the character of Pinkalicious on her own daughters, and the book is genuinely tender while still conforming to the design of an easy reader.  Recommended, ***

Dog Loves Books

Recommended Grades K-2.  Dog Loves Books (Knopf, 2010) is the perfect picture book to introduce young students to your library!  Author Louise Yates introduce us to Dog, a book loving canine who adores books so much that he decides to open up his own bookstore.  Based on the scowling dogs in the illustration, we might guess that Dog will have a tough time of it.  At first his bookstore struggles to find the right customers, but as soon as Dog is able to guide his customers on his imaginative journeys through the literature he loves, he is able to find the perfect book for everyone!  Yates illustrates in pastel watercolors, pleasing and calming to the eye, and our friend Dog clearly expresses his very human, book-loving emotions in illustrations that are done in a sweet and clever way.  The language is clear and simple for early readers to engage with it independently.  Book lovers and dog lovers alike will be delighted with Dog's endeavors, and may come to wish that he would leave his bookstore for a school library near them.  Highly Recommended, ****

Max Celebrates Ramadan

Recommended Grades K-2.  In Max Celebrates Ramadan (Picture Window Books, 2009) developing readers can go with Max, a young boy with a round and smiling face, to his friend Omar's house to join in Eid-Al-Fitr ("Celebration of the end of fasting") feast.  Omar and his extended family teach Max the traditions of the Islamic month of Ramadan and share their celebration with him.  Illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole in simple lines and bright hues, characters are represented with a variety of skin tones but with the commonality of round, laughing, smiling faces.  Author Adria F. Worsham works in new vocabulary having to do with the Islamic holiday within a repetitive structure designed for newly developing readers as part of their Read-it! Series.  This easy-reader is labeled under the Red Level, specially designed to "present familiar topics using common words and repeating sentence patterns," according to the Read-it! guide on the opening page.  Though sentences are simple and repeat in structure, struggling readers may trip over the non-familiar words that don't follow the phonetic structures they may be learning.  With the guidance of a mature reader, young readers can learn as much as Max about Islamic holidays and traditions.  Recommended, ***

Grandpa Green

Grades 2-3 Lane Smith brings us a warm, cross-generational tale with his picture book, Grandpa Green (Roaring Brook Press, 2011).  Our young narrator guides us through "Grandpa Green's" life story through vividly green sculpted bushes.  This story is ripe with historical and literary allusions, many of which come to life in the illustrations themselves.  Adult readers may find their own grandparents and parents within the pages, and could spark a fruitful conversation about older generations with children.  Lane sensitively captures Grandpa's old age, and memory loss in a way that children can understand and acknowledge.  Grandpa's story is on the forefront, in the text as well as in the illustration.  Our narrator is ever present, though his thinly outlined figure, especially in contrast to the lush green sculptures.  Smith creates a wonderful bridge between those who were born long ago ("before computers or cell phones or television"--imagine!) and the reader of today. Highly Recommended, *****

The Big Box

Grades 1-4 Toni Morrison and son, Slade Morrison, bring us a moralistic rhyming children's book with The Big Box (Hyperion, 1999). The joke is on the adults, however, as they are to learn the ultimate lesson. The story opens with three kids living in a joyful, adult-free world filled with things that kids love-- ice cream, bean-bag chairs, bunk beds, and swing sets, all inside one room (a big brown box)! Adults are only allowed once a week, and when they come, they bring wonderful presents. Within pages we discover that this wonder-room isn't quite what it seems. Our three heroes have been placed there by adults who love them because they have proven that they can't "handle their freedom." The angular, water-colored illustrations by Giselle Potter follow the children as they break rules at school, at home, and in the greater world. The adults in their lives, fearing they will not be equipped for life in the adult world impose limited freedom in the big, brown box. Toni and Slade create sympathetic characters that make us question how we treat children for the sake of "their own good." The illustrations are a bit jarring, though they lend to the surreal aspects of the story. Overall a thought-provoking and musical read-aloud. Recommended, ***

Me, Frida

Grades 1-4 In Me, Frida (Abrams, 2010), Amy Novesky tells the tale of Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, on a trip to San Francisco in 1931. Rivera has received a commission to paint one of his infamous labor murals, and Frida feels overlooked and small next to her "elephant" of a husband (large in fame and in stature). Novesky's text is joined with breathtaking artwork by Caldecott Award winner David Diaz. Diaz's artwork nods to both Rivera's and Kahlo's styles, while adding his own take to the sites of San Francisco in dripping paint rich in color. His artwork truly carries the story, as the plot is quite detached from childrens' interests or experiences. The richly colored illustrations and highly stylized San Francisco skyline will be a great building-off point for conversations and projects, though the text alone leaves something to be desired. Though Frida's story may be more interesting to older readers and adults, the illustrations will please everybody. Additional Selection, **1/2