Alvin Ho is afraid of many things including, but not limited to elevators, tunnels, bridges, thunder, substitute teachers, scary movies, shots, and school. Most of all...school. Descended from a long line of Chinese farmer-warriors he loves to run around his house as a noisy superhero called Firecracker Man in a costume his gunggung (that's grandfather) made, complete with a spaghetti drainer on his head. School takes too much of his energy so he is only Firecracker Man on weekends and holidays. It takes a lot of energy for Alvin to make it onto the bus and into the school building. Once he is there he can't think, read, smile, sing, or even scream. Worst of all, Alvin can't talk at school. In spite of his mutism, Alvin is determined to make friends with the help of a list of rules suggested by his brother, Calvin.
Even though Alvin has trouble communicating, he is smart enough to devise strategies for survival. One of those strategies is his PDK or Personal Disaster Kit. It is packed with things that are useful in an emergency. Here is a short list:
A whistle - In case he loses his voice, a whistle would be handy.
A three-leaf clover (because he couldn't find a four-leaf one).
Garlic. For fending off vampires and teachers.
A scary mask. For keeping girls away.
On Monday, January 23, we will be celebrating award-winning books all day with special programs. The American Library Association announces the 2012 Youth Media award winners at around 8 am that morning. Join us at 10 am for a special storytime where we will feature picture books from years past that have won a Caldecott Award for their illustrations.
Last year's winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, is especially popular this time of year when sniffles and sneezes run rampant. Amos is a zookeeper who consistently cares for his friends at the zoo, always making time to play chess with the elephant and run races with the tortoise. When he is too sick to take the bus to the zoo one morning, his friends decide to travel to him! They cheer him up with some quiet, sitting-in-bed activities. Amos feels better by the end of the day, and the visit turns into a sleepover. Since the story concludes with everyone saying goodnight to each other and looking forward to the next day, this soothing picturebook serves as a gentle bedtime story, too, with appeal to ages 3-8.
All ages are invited to attend our "Gold-Medal Books Reception" Monday afternoon. Just stop by any time between 3:30 and 5 pm. We'll have snacks to share while we recall old favorites and learn about the recent winners. We'll also have our new iPads out to show you how you can search for e-book editions of juvenile fiction in our collection. (You can also take a turn spinning the Newbery Award Books spinner, an app that reveals the Newbery Winner and Honor books for each year.)
If you have time to linger into the evening, from 6:30-8:30 pm we'll be showing the movie Holes, based on the 1999 Newbery award-winning book by Louis Sachar. The book is recommended for children ages 10 and older. The movie is rated PG.
Hope to see you at one of these events, but we'll also post the 2012 winners and share some thoughts on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mcplkids
Monday, January 16, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Please come to the library for children's films (including Martin's Big Words) and readings of children's books promoting diversity, tolerance, and equal rights, and last but not least, to do crafts and activities provided by local group Nur Festivals. Most activities will occur between 10 a.m. and noon, and all are drop-in events. Help us celebrate a special day and a remarkable man!
Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers was named the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature earlier this week. The position was established in 2008 to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people. A press release issued by the Library of Congress reports: "The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is named by the Librarian of Congress for a two-year term, based on recommendations from a selection committee representing many segments of the book community. The selection criteria include the candidate’s contribution to young people’s literature and ability to relate to children." Myers selection to the post represents an effort to appeal to more young adult readers. (He succeeds Katherine Paterson, the novelist best known for Bridge to Terabithia, and the first appointee, Jon Scieszka.) Myers writes both fiction and nonfiction, including biographies and poetry, but is most well-known for his fiction featuring African American teens. He chose the banner theme "Reading is Not Optional” as his platform for his term as ambassador. In an interview with the New York Times, Myers states: “People still try to sell books that way — as ‘books can take you to foreign lands.’ We’ve given children this idea that reading and books are a nice option, if you want that kind of thing. I hope we can get over that idea.” Myers most recent work is a collaboration with his son, Christopher Myers: We Are America: A Tribute From the Heart, a book of poetry highlighting events and people that have shaped America, including Chief Tecumseh, President Abraham Lincoln, and musician Jimi Hendrix. The father-son team discuss We Are America in the video below.
Did you give or receive a book as a gift for the holidays? Did you give or receive an e-book reader for the holidays? PBS's "Mediashift" blog reported recently that despite the ever increasing popularity of e-books and Kindles and Nooks, "Print Books Still Rule the Holidays." The article - and a poster we uncovered in our storage room last week - reminded me that one of my favorite kinds of books to give and receive as a gift is a pop-up book. (A pop-up book is truly, as the old poster stated ... a Gift you Open Again and Again.) I enjoy getting any kind of book as a gift, of course, but as space in my home becomes more limited, I like to own books that I can't borrow from the library. And pop-up books are just not transferrable to e-book format. They are works of art designed for the physical, 3-D world. Both the Main Library and the Ellettsville branch have collections of pop-up books you can enjoy when you visit the library. We don't permit them to be checked out since traveling back and forth to the building would make them wear out faster. But they are meant to be touched, examined and played with in the library. We own several pop-up books by author, illustrator and "paper engineer" Robert Sabuda - the creator of some of my favorites: Winter's Tale depicts the sparkly nature of snow in winter and the surprises that await you. Cookie Count features a delectable collection of cookie confections, baked by colorful little mice. See where they hide when the cat comes by for a taste! And Brava Strega Nona: A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book is a collaborative effort with Tomie dePaola highlighting the "wise words" prominently featured in an ancestral book of magic - powerful words such as famiglia (family), amici (friends), and amore (love). Ask to see these and other magical pop-up books the next time you visit the library. And visit Robert Sabuda's website to see examples of pop-ups from around the world, and to learn how to make some simple pop-ups on your own!
One request we get all the time at the library is for Star Wars origami books. In the past, we've had to refer people to websites, but now we can finally offer our customers an actual book with instructions for one Star Wars origami figure - speaking of Yoda, I am. Sixth-grader Tommy has an eccentric and socially challenged friend named Dwight, who is somehow able to channel very wise, if sometimes unclear, advice through his origami finger puppet Yoda. Tommy keeps a journal (his "case file") on the advice Yoda offers, in an attempt to determine if people should really listen to Yoda, or if he's just a "green paperwad" like Tommy's friend Harvey claims. Tommy has other classmates write in the journal too, and his friend Kellen provides the accompanying pictures. Despite the humor and overall light touch, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is also a perceptive look at kids who are trying to figure out what to do in social situations, and how to live their lives in general. Take a look at author Tom Angleberger's website, and read the second Origami Yoda book, Darth Paper Strikes Back. For grades 3-6, recommended these books are!
When it is too cold to play and you're stuck inside, you might get a little bit of cabin fever. One sure cure for this dreaded, boring condition is to make something fun. The Children's Department has hundreds of books filled with ideas and instructions to help you create colorful crafts. One great example is Creative Crafts for Kids published by Reader's Digest Children's Books. Here you will find instructions for making fantastic greeting cards, balloon monsters, floral picture frames, and much more. This book will help you get creative with paper, wire, paint, felt, glitter, and glue. Creative Crafts for Kids is right for children in 3rd grade and older, but the library has great craft books for all ages. We also have a wide selection of seasonal craft books to help you and your family celebrate the holidays. So don't suffer from cabin fever...come to the library to find a cure for a boring winter day.
