Sunday, November 9, 2014

Story time: Superheroes

This was the the most energetic story times I've done so far. (I'm sure there'll be more to come!) So here's the run-down on yesterday:

THE TABLE

Before the library I opened, I set out what's-your-superhero-name print-outs: for you and your pet! Add fun dollar-store paper and markers, and you have superhero writing station. We ran out of time to find our hero names together as a group, but that's okay. I liked the table so well, that I didn't bother to clean it up. Hopefully, it will be a pleasant surprise for my boss. I've realized that I love independent activities coinciding with story time and I should simply ask her if I can officially adopt one of the children's table.

THE OPENING

Loudly clapped and sang "I'm in the Mood for Reading"  (To this tune.) We all got on the floor with the boys and introduced ourselves. (Six boys with two parents on the periphery.) And you have to chat about favorite super heroes: Superman, Batman, Flash, Hulk, Spiderman, Green Lantern.

THE BOOKS

Superhero ABC
by Bob McLeod

I asked how many knew the ABCs and we sang the Alphabet as fast as we could! As we read, the kids who could read shouted the letters on each page. After the story, we chatted about which of McLeod's heroes we liked: the Volcano, Nightman, the Zinger.


I can't remember how I segued over to Batman. Maybe, I simply held up the book and asked them, "Who is this guy," to get their attention.

The Story of the Dark Knight by Ralph Cosentino
The boys almost crawled inside the book; I had to keep backing up and holding it above our heads. They got particular quiet when we reached the villians' pages, and as a grand finale I read the last few pages in the best gruff Batman voice I could muster. That held the wiggling boys attention until the end.

For some reason, one of the younger boys asked if we could stand up for the next story. That seemed like a good enough way to transition as any that I had planned. So we did, we stood. Finally, we read more Bathman! (Get it? Batman, Bathman?) Actually, it was...

The Amazing Adventures of Bathman by Andrew T. Pelletier.
The boys hadn't heard this story. Reading this is the with an action-packed, cliff-hanging attitude made it work well.

THE SONG

At some point I sang "Superhero, Superhero, Touch the Ground," and the kids acted it out. Actually, I know I sang it more than once! Two verses during storytime and another round to keep a boy occupied while checking out books.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Breathless with Anticipation


This trailer has left me breathless. I keep forgetting that Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea is getting made into a movie, and then something surfaces to remind me. If you haven't read this nonfiction book, do so! It is physically harrowing and psychologically fascinating. (Plus, it's not very long. You won't be saddled with a tome.) This will be a double-whammy, bibliophile film. Not only is it based on a book, it's about true events that inspired the American classic Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The movie version comes out in March 2015 which gives me time to reread and savor both the non-fiction and the fiction.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Baking by the Book

Yesterday, my 4-year-old and I accomplished our two Halloween goals: finish our costumes and bake cookies to share. Baking cookies was a project two weeks overdue, at least! It was awfully hard to keep walking past the M&Ms everyday.

Now, I'm cleaning off my desktop, and what do I come across? A book baking project! Gladys Goes Out to Lunch by Derek Anderson was recommended to me by a local grandma who came back into the library after she'd returned the book! She said she and her grandson found this recipe at the end of the story, and it was the best banana bread she's had. Now, she needed a copy of it for herself. Coming from a grandmother, I thought that was a stunning recommendation! While we've haven't made this yet, I can only hope that my search for the "best banana bread" will come to an end. That's not too much to expect, is it? Here is the recipe and an author's note by Derek Anderson:

"After first writing Gladys Goes Out to Lunch a few years ago, I sat down one Saturday to work on a sample painting of Gladys. My wife, Cheryl, decided to inspire me by baking a loaf of banana bread. I was painting away in my studio when I heard a a gasp of shock from the kitchen, so of course, I went running. Cheryl was standing wide-eyed, over an open cookbook. "Just look," she said. I looked at the recipe for banana bread and there, beneath the title was the author's name - Gladys. I'm not now, nor have I ever been a cook , so I'd never had a reason to pen this cookbook before. I'd chosen the name 'Gladys' for my gorilla only because I liked the name. And banana bread had always played a key role in the story. I don't know whether life imitates art, or art imitates life, but it seems this story was meant to be."



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Review: The Ruby Red Trilogy


Ruby Red
by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell

Young adult or adult, stay away from these stories if you’re not into conspiracy theories.  But… this series is fun, uneven, but fun. I couldn't find a way to review each book separately, so my review is about the story line which arcs over three books. The Ruby Red trilogy is an odd mash-up of romance, conspiracy, sci-fi, history, and downright silliness. Not all of these elements come together coherently. The protagonist – Gwyneth – seems younger than 16 years-old, which would appeal to tweens. However,  the whiplash between time-travel, intertwined bloodlines, and conspiracies is too complicated to for the 10-14 year-old set. I suppose, the “young adult” label is a compromise to land these books somewhere between teeny-bopper and full-fledged science-fiction.  

This hasn't cleared up anything, has it?

My main criticism is that this does not need to be a trilogy. If edited down to two books, this would've made a lean, tasty thriller. (If you’re already bogged down while reading these books, feel free to skim! There’s a lot of repetition that could be glossed over.) Where did this series succeed? For its flaws, I’m left admiring the author and her imagination. The cliffhangers could be abrupt, but that's exactly what propelled me through each book. Here it is - almost 3 a.m. - and I am considering rereading the whole darn thing! I might skip book #1 and dive back into books #2 and #3, but the trilogy’s epilogue left me breathless about a character introduced in book one. What is a girl who can’t get to sleep suppose to do? 

Monday, October 27, 2014

Countdown to October 31st

It's that time of year! While it's not my favorite holiday, Halloween does feel like the kick-off my favorite season - fall. As a theater major, I've always appreciated the absurdity of celebrating costumes. (A crucial part of a thespians workload.) This year, I've got my two kids' costumes in the bag, and we're stocked up on candy. But I do need to line up a few more things before this Friday:

Finish my own costume. (This happens every year, I get started, and then - SQUIRREL!)

Line-up a fellow preschooler to go trick-or-treating with.

And pick-up something to give for All Hallow's Read.

Since eclectic author Neil Gaiman started this tradition, I'll let him introduce you to his spur-of-the-moment idea that's now 14 years old. How long does this take to qualify as a "ritual?"

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Popcorn Songs

Did you know October is popcorn month? I do now! The National Education Association has several popcorn activities compiled by grade, and I'm not sure who put this popcorn mini-theme project together, but it comes in a handy PDF to print out.

In honor of one of my favorite snacks, I held a popcorn themed storytime this morning. Nine boys attended and three parents. While I got pulled away to the library counter, one of the moms taught them a popcorn song. Turns out, it was two songs put back-to-back. While I can remember all the actions, I can't remember the tune of the second song. Here are a couple versions of the first half... sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, POP!


Of all the popcorn songs I searched through, my favorite is Greg and Steve's 'Popcorn' song:
Popcorn by Greg & Steve on Grooveshark

Friday, October 24, 2014

Review: Rez Life

Rez Life
by David Treuer

Reservation life is about tragedy and resilience in large contexts and small. This book is complicated, but engaging. I get the impression that the author wrote this - in part - for his own understanding. Treuer tackles several heady subjects: the history of treaty rights, the complexities of the Indian justice system (his mother is a judge), the atmosphere of violence on reservations, the effect of casino cultural on both American culture and tribal cultural. Peppered throughout, he gives us intimate stories of his grandfather and his own childhood. Treuer also features other Natives' lives - some glorious as well as profoundly tragic. It's not an easy read - not cozy or comforting, but it's not entirely bleak either.

There is a lot to learn in these pages. I'm sure not everyone will accept Treuer's perspective, but I think this is a necessary read for American adults. It's necessary to understand how brutal the effects of white culture and the US Goverment were on tribes. And, more shockingly, how long these effects have lasted. Native culture is not a thing of the past, stuck in the days of cowboys and Indians. Here is how Treuer puts it while visiting a luxurious casino resort:

...it was clear that rather than living uninspected lives at the margins of American society, Indians have become part of the American fabric in ways no one could have guessed when gaming as we know it emerged in the 1980s. I was feeling proud of the Pechanga Band, the Morongo Band, the Seminole, and the others - proud of what they made against all odds. No one is untouched by Indian lives. I thought of what the tribal member told me about the gold course: it is good to look back at where you've been; you get some beautiful views. 

You also get some strange ones.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Surfing for Kids' Storage

Brainstorming for library organization lead me to searching Google and Pinterest.com for the phrases "organize kids books" and "sort kids books." These are the photos that made my jaw-drop and parent-envy kick in!
A Pinterest find, though I couldn't find the original poster. The key to this project is in finding double curtain brackets like these at Home Depot or these from Ikea
Another uncredited Pinterest photo. You'll need 26 paint sticks to make these alphabet dividers. I think I need to do something like this with pictures of characters...

...much like what they did over at TheCardboardCollective.com.


For gadget-heads, a rope and pulley system for hanging baskets. On second thought, let's not start storing baskets of books overhead. But the idea was way too cool NOT to post. Featured at ApartmentTherapy.com.
This vertical bookcase looks easy to do-it-yourself. Picture found at MissySue.com.
A side-table for both books and snuggle buddies! Dimensions at Ana-White.com.
Repurposing magazine holders to sort picture books by topic. More photos at 1plus1plus1equals1.net.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Word: Biophilia

I have a word stuck in my head, and that word is biophilia. I was introduced to it in Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss in a chapter on Switzerland:

The Swiss are a humorless, uptight nation. Everything works, usually, and envy is squelched, but at a cost: You’re always being watched, monitored, judged. Where’s the bliss? “It’s simple,” says Dieter. “Nature. We Swiss have a very deep connection to nature.”

Biophilia hypothesis: the more connected to nature, the happier we are.


Biophilia. Pronounce it. It's lovely to say. So lovely that it's become an earworm that is stuck in my head! Carrying the word around in my head for the past two weeks has lead me to surfing the web for it.

Introduced by Edward O. Wilson in his book Biophilia (1984), biophilia is a theory that humans have an instinctual bond with other living beings and systems including nature, landscapes, weather, and animals. Here is the Wikipedia version, and for those of you more hard-core and analytical, here's Bjørn Grinde and Grete Grindal Patil's study Biophilia: Does Visual Contact with Nature Impact on Health and Well-Being? published in September 2009 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Did I mention björk has an album titled Biophilia? Actually... it's more than an album. It's a multimedia project and educational project - as best as I can sum up. Björk's version of biophilia is a whole other research project on to itself!


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Prepping for Popcorn


In preparation for an upcoming storytime at Fulda Memorial Library, I was browsing through A Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems. The title is a inspired by a the poem "Song of Popcorn" by Nancy Byrd Turner. I couldn't find what year this poem was published, nor could I find a picture of Turner. This poem is also found at poetry websites under the title "A Pop Corn Song." For a PDF print-out, click on the picture.


Song of Popcorn
by Nancy Byrd Turner (1880-1970)

Sing a song of pop corn 
When the snowstorms rage; 
Fifty little brown men 
Put into a cage. 
Shake them till they laugh and leap 
Crowding to the top; 
Watch them burst their little coats 
Pop!! Pop!! Pop!! 

Sing a song of pop corn 
In the firelight; 
Fifty little fairies 
Robed in fleecy white. 
Through the shining wires see 
How they skip and prance 
To the music of the flames; 
Dance!! Dance!! Dance!! 

Sing a song of pop corn 
Done the frolicking; 
Fifty little fairies 
Strung upon a string. 
Cool and happy, hand in hand, 
Sugar-spangled, fair; 
Isn't that a necklace fit 
For any child to wear? 


Monday, August 18, 2014

Review: Orphan Train

Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Kline

Like many of the reviews, I felt the modern relationship lacking. But the history behind this book is fascinating. Still, it's a good introduction to a little known period in our nation's history. (Originally posted at GoodReads.com.)

If you ever get a chance to see Kline live at an author's event, do so! She is personable, knowledgeable, and seems to love meeting people and talking books. I met her on my last day of work at my previous job (shout-out for Central Lakes College Theatre in Brainerd, MN). She was one of the most engaging authors I've met - both onstage and off.