Raise your hand if you haven’t done a dog-themed storytime.

Right.  I didn’t think so.  The chances that you are already very familiar with the books in this post are extremely high. ”Books about dogs” are probably a popular request at your libraries, and there are plenty of great read aloud dog books. However, it’s always fun to discuss well-loved books, so all is not in vain.

Bark George, by Jules Feiffer, is one of my long-time favorite read alouds.  It’s perfect for toddler humor: they are well aware of the fact that a dog is supposed to “arf/ruff” and not “meow,” “quack-quack,” etc.  The growing frustration of George’s mother is aptly captured in the droll illustrations.  The surprise ending will conclude your storytime with a roomful of laughter.

I enjoy Lisa Kopper’s Daisy books, but Daisy is a Mommy is my favorite.  Taking care of babies, both human and canine, is a lot of work (however, human mommy has the additional task of taking care of canine mommy Daisy as well).  Getting the babies’ breakfast, bathing, and keeping them entertained wears out the moms (and babies), so everyone eventually settles onto (human) mommy’s bed for a well-deserved rest.  This is a sweet but very short read aloud, useful for a bridge between two longer stories.

If you’re a fan of Trashy Town, you’ll definitely want to check out Dig!  Instead of picking up trash, our hero, Mr. Rally, is the mastermind behind a very powerful yellow backhoe.  Mr. Rally and his faithful canine helper, Lightning, have a busy day ahead of them: moving dirt and rocks at a construction site, shaping a hill, clearing a landslide, digging a hole for a pool, and leveling a site at the zoo. This is a sure bet for those construction-crazed toddlers in your storytime; don’t be surprised to see this one check out.

I could go on with more dog books, but I’d love to know your favorites!

Books Mentioned:

Feiffer, Jules.  Bark, George.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

Kopper, Lisa.  Daisy is a Mommy.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1997.

Zimmerman, Andrea and David Clemesha.   Orlando: Harcourt, 2004.

The University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign will host a children’s literature festival on Saturday, October 4, 2008. This will be a family event featuring entertainment for children and adults of all ages. Events include storytelling, puppetry, readings, lectures, book signings, and discussions featuring the Festival authors and illustrators. Visit http://youthlitfest.ed.uiuc.edu/ for details, including a list of participating authors and illustrators. All events are free. Sounds like a lot of fun and a great opportunity to hear some wonderful authors and storytellers.

Keeping an eye out for professional development opportunities I have to say I’m amazed by the variety and quality of opportunities out there. Now if I only had the money and time to do them all, that would be wonderful but we must all pick and choose. If you happen to be in the Boston area or could be there on July 12, 2008, check out this seminar hosted by Simmons College.

Lectures and breakout sessions will cover historical and contemporary literature in South Africa, how to read South African children’s literature critically, and the storytelling tradition in South Africa. For full details, go to http://www.sapartners.org/documents/simmons_invite.pdf. The $50 registration fee includes a continental breakfast, box lunch, and wine and cheese reception. The South African Children’s Literature Seminar begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 5:00 p.m.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is celebrating Reading Is Fun Week, May 12–18, and you are encouraged to join in.

According to the press release, “Reading Is Fun Week, started in 1979, is a time to recognize the pleasures found in books and to mark the start of summer reading. With an Olympic summer just around the corner, RIF has put together The World’s Most Athletic Booklist for children of all ages. The list contains books representing Olympic sports, and is available for free at RIF.org.”

The Notable Children’s Books Submissions have been coming in, finally, at a steady pace. And here’s my little “lament” regarding some of the warehouse packaging practices:

Dear Publisher Warehouse Packagers,

Please remember a few things when you fulfill the orders from the marketing department for award or notable books consideration:

Please consider the possibility that the person opening your package might be wearing a black dress. And when she is opening a padded envelope (those padded with lots of fuzzy linty materials, not bubble wraps,) she will be faced with broken (more often than not) padding and thus suffer from the “you washed your dress with a whole pack of Kleenex syndrome.” So, please, refrain from using this kind of envelopes!

Please also consider the environmental impact when you send a SINGLE VOLUME of a slim book in a box designed for sending TEN to TWENTY books!  Such disregard of our precious resources definitely does not make this reader happy.

Furthermore, when packing your book boxes, maybe you should not be so worried about the strength of the boxes?  They are designed for shipping so there is no need whatsoever to use those space-age and impossible to cut packing tapes (lined with some form of enhanced strings…)   It is grumble inducing and sometimes they draw blood!  *gasp*

Thank you for reading and I look forward to a gentler, more environmental friendly, collaboration in the months to come.

Each week during the month of May, you have the opportunity to vote for your favorite of the reviewed StoryTubes videos in four different categories. Today is the last day to vote in the “Hair-Raising Tales” category.

I recently participated in a conference call with Director of Marketing, Development and Communications, Denise Raleigh; Manager of Youth Services, Faith Brautigam; and Manager of Information Technology, Betsy O’Connell; all of the Gail Borden Public Library District. We talked about the StoryTubes program. Our conversation will be the topic of the next ALSC Blog Podcast.

I am pleased to announce that the ALA Public Information Office has made the 2008 ALA Youth Media Awards Presentation Webcast available for viewing on the Web. You can now relive the moment of sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear which books for youth were selected as the most distinguished.

The official schedule of events in New York City for Children’s Book Week begins this weekend. Please check your local libraries and bookstores for events in your area - and it’s not too late to plan one of your own. Visit the Children’s Book Week website at www.bookweekonline.com for more information.

Saturday, May 10: Kick-Off Event, Bryant Park Reading Room.
Readings and signings will take place from 12 to 5 PM, with authors, illustrators and children’s book characters in attendance. 

Monday, May 12: Commerce Bank Breakfast. The finalists for the Children’s Choice Book Awards will receive certificates. Leonard S. Marcus (Minders of Make Believe, Houghton) will discuss children’s book history.

Tuesday, May 13: Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala. The winners of the CBC’s first Children’s Choice Book Awards will be announced in an evening event hosted by Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Thursday, May 15: NBA Store Reading and Signing. Walter Dean Myers (Game) and Bob Krech (Rebound) will read from and sign their books. Members of the WNBA’s New York Liberty will also be in attendance.

Saturday, May 17: The Little Big Read. Grand Central Terminal will become home to a mystery scavenger hunt, with clues derived from Bruce Hale’s book, The Malted Falcon (Harcourt), the official book of the 2008 Big Read for Kids. Jon Scieszka will serve as host.

Sunday, May 18: Closing Event, Bryant Park Reading Room. Writers from WritopiaLab, an organization that conducts writing seminars for youth in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester County, will read their stories, poetry and other works.                 

Download the podcast.

In this approximately four-minute podcast, Becky White, a librarian with the Children’s Services department of the Allen County (IN) Public Library, joins me for a conversation about ways to use podcasting in library service to children.

While actual equipment is not discussed in the podcast, I will mention here that I use an Edirol R-09 WAVE/MP3 Recorder to record remotely, Garage Band with an attached Blue Snowball USB microphone to record at home, and Garage Band to edit. This should not be considered an endorsement of the products but rather to give those interested in podcasting an idea of what I have used for these podcasts. Speaking of home, during this podcast, the background noise you hear is my three-year-old son.

Episode 4

Metapodcasting

Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is asking the Federal Trade Commission to issue a “consumer alert” on such Web sites as Second Life. Read the article below to learn more about this conflict, and notice that The American Library Association is referenced near the end of the article as being “staunchly opposed to the proposal.”

Ban ‘Second Life’ in schools and libraries, Republic Congressman says