Ooh, Ooh, YouTube Channels for Book Trailers!

YouTube-CandlewickPress: Candlewick Press’s Channel; http://www.youtube.com/user/CandlewickPress; accessed July 19, 2010.

I discovered this channel completely by accident.  Candlewick included the book trailer for Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee’s book Bink and Gollie in a Facebook post.  I just had to see that.

And what did I discover?  A treasure trove of trailers, including Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.  And guess what else?  Other children’s book publishers have YouTube channels, too. Whoa, what librarian wouldn’t want to use these trailers to generate interest in new books?  And, cool, you can subscribe to their YouTube channels.  Woohoo, all those resources from one place!

By the way, I’m going to have to read these two books soon.  Really, really soon.  I’m a sucker for advertising, I guess!

Smithsonian Libraries offers portal to world of online exhibits

Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web.  http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/Online-Exhibitions/.  Accessed July 15, 2010.

The Smithsonian has done it again.  Leave it to librarians to catalog library, museum and archive resources available on the Web.  From the portal page, a click on the “search exhibition list” button opens a bold new world of information to parents, educators and children.  My obvious first search was for “dinosaurs” because that is the most requested subject at my elementary school.  Among the results was a link to the American Museum of Natural History (pictured) as well as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and even the National Library of New Zealand.  

Imagine the world at your fingertips this summer, when the kids are clamoring that they’re bored.  Or even better, imagine researching and entertaining the kids before vacation with information about the ocean, or whatever natural wonders you’ll encounter.

Of course, if you’re interested in museum exhibits online, you should visit my blog:  Museums as Library Resources.  Every month, I highlight online exhibits that fit with holidays, lesson plans, and just fun stuff.

And the winners of the 2010 Children’s Choice Awards are…

Last night, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) announced the winners of the 2010 Children’s Choice Book Awards.  Children voted at school libraries and bookstores across the country: more than 115,000 votes were cast!  Categories included books, authors and illustrators.

According to an announcement on CBC’s website:

The Children’s Choice Book Awards program, launched in 2008 by The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child a Reader, Inc. (the CBC Foundation), was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read more and cultivate a love of reading.

And the winners are (as listed on CBC’s website):

Author of the Year

James Patterson for Max (A Maximum Ride Novel) (Little, Brown)

Illustrator of the Year

Peter Brown for The Curious Garden (Little, Brown)

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year

Lulu the Big Little Chick written and illustrated by Paulette Bogan (Bloomsbury USA)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf/Random House)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-so-fabulous Life written and illustrated by Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster)

Want a cool way to promote these books?  Or want to let your kids hear their favorite authors read aloud?  Well, CBC has three of the authors/illustrators reading their award-winning books at their website, A Story Before Bed.  What a can’t-miss opportunity to connect authors and illustrators with the books kids love!

For information about the teen winner, please see my YA review blog, YA Need Books.

Hola! Hello! Bilingual library services for children

¡Es divertido hablar dos idiomas! A place to share books, music, techniques, and all things related to bilingual storytime! http://www.bilingualchildrensprogramming.blogspot.com/.  Blogger: Katie, children’s librarian from Lexington, Kentucky; website accessed May 4, 2010.

I hate going to conferences alone.  It’s that moment when you get inside and have to decide where to sit that kills me, especially if seating is at tables, round tables, meant to encourage discussions.  Such was my plight at the Virginia Hamilton Conference on the evening of April 8, 2010.  Hmm, after a fun evening and some new resources, I may never dread going solo to events again!

I sat at a table with a young woman who was a discussion leader at one of Friday’s events.  Katie came to talk about bilingual storytimes and services.  After a few minutes asking about her job, she passed me her card with her blog address.  I finally took a few minutes to visit, and it is a rich resource.  Katie recommends appropriate bilingual books, music and even programming ideas in a well-written blog.  Her book reviews are worth perusing regularly as acquisitions are planned in any library not used to serving a Spanish-speaking population.

Kudos, Katie!  I’ll be a regular visitor to your blog.  And I won’t dread sitting alone at a conference again, thanks to you sharing your passion for your work with children.

School library resources applicable to public libraries too

AASL home page; American Library Association, accessed 2009; http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/index.cfm.

The American Association for School Librarians’ website is a valuable tool for SLMS’s and public librarians because it includes a list of standards and guidelines. Although they are intended for the school library setting, I think they are applicable in a public library, especially when establishing collaborative programming between public and school libraries. The link for Parents includes information literacy materials outlining the importance of families and libraries in preparing children to be lifelong learners. This is also important information for children’s librarians in public libraries, especially given the extensive staff reductions schools are implementing (providing an opportunity for public librarians to fill a void and be advocates for children).

Professional resources on the Web

ALSC home page; American Library Association, accessed 2009; http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/index.cfm.

The Association for Library Service to Children website is rich in resources. Professional resources include links for advocacy issues, awards & grants, and conferences. I was most impressed by the links for news and initiatives—it’s great to have a single website dedicated to disseminating this information. Their blog and wiki were also educational; they would be terrific resources when I’m employed for programs and other ideas that other professionals are using.

My favorite link, however, was for the “Great Websites for Kids.” It’s nice to have a professional resource for screened websites appropriate for children. I will definitely bookmark this for future reference.