OK, so school librarians weren’t invited to the party. When members of the National Educational Association, the National Council for Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, and the American Federation of Teachers met in 2010 to draft new benchmarks for language arts and literacy for our nation’s K–12 schools—the Common Core Curriculum State Standards (www.corestandards.org)—there weren’t any media specialists at the table. Even though school librarians have [...]]]>

By Rebecca Hill, 3/30/2012

OK, so school librarians weren’t invited to the party. When members of the National Educational Association, the National Council for Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, and the American Federation of Teachers met in 2010 to draft new benchmarks for language arts and literacy for our nation’s K–12 schools—the Common Core Curriculum State Standards (www.corestandards.org)—there weren’t any media specialists at the table. Even though school librarians have been longtime champions of information literacy, reading, and critical thinking—all prime pieces of Common Core—we weren’t asked for our input. And two years later, things still aren’t looking up for many of us.

As a growing number of states and large school systems, including those in New York City, Boston, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, grapple with plans to implement the ambitious new standards, school librarians still aren’t consistently invited to pull up a chair. So, we’ve gotta ask ourselves…. If literacy, critical thinking, and the inquiry process are school librarians’ forte and are key components of Common Core, what do we have to do to convince folks that we bring exactly what they need?

The Common Core standards, as you’ve probably heard, were spearheaded by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to establish a clear set of expectations for elementary and high school students nationwide. Their aim? To make sure that kids graduate high school with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and, ultimately, to contribute to an increasingly competitive global workforce.

It’s a worthy goal. At the moment, the majority of America’s incoming college freshman—51 percent—read at a remedial level. Studies have also found that our students start out in the early grades as good readers, but by the time they reach college, they lack the skills that are essential for deeper reading. Clearly, our kids need help.

Common Core may have national aspirations, but it’s up to individual states, schools, and educators to put the standards into action. So far, 44 states, plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands, have jumped onboard. And although the guidelines (which aren’t tied to No Child Left Behind) designate specific goals, schools and teachers are free to determine the best path to their pursuit.

Where librarians fit in

If the thought of adopting Common Core’s standards sounds overwhelming or foreign to what most media specialists offer, take a deep breath. The good news is, school librarians already teach many of the skills that Common Core emphasizes. In fact, there’s a striking similarity between the new standards and the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) recent Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. “The Common Core standards are ELA standards with our 21st-century skills tacked on,” explains Marcia Mardis, an assistant professor at the Florida State University School of Library & Information Studies, referring to the connection between Common Core’s English language arts standards and AASL’s guidelines.

She should know. Mardis was part of a team that set out to link the two sets of standards. The result is AASL’s “Crosswalk of the Common Core Standards and the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner”—better known as the Crosswalk. The Crosswalk matches Common Core’s standards with AASL’s benchmarks. This simple harmonizing, for instance, takes a typical AASL buzz phrase such as “inquiry-based process” and links it to the corresponding Common Core standards, which divide the process into 21 discrete elements—everything from students explaining their own ideas to formulating research projects to “using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect.” So while Common Core’s language differs from AASL’s, it’s essentially pointing to a process or set of skills that most school librarians are intimately familiar with.

Though school librarians weren’t at the Common Core drafting table, Mardis, who chaired the Crosswalk’s English language and math task forces, says that media specialists need to turn lemons into lemonade—and she’s not alone (see “How to Get Started” on opposite page). With Common Cores’ emphasis on reading across the entire curriculum, including areas such as math, science, and social studies, many librarians believe that it’s the perfect time to step up their involvement as text and inquiry specialists, using the information literacy and critical thinking skills that they’ve advocated all along. This means, though, that if you’re not already on a literacy or curriculum-mapping committee or involved in your school’s instructional design, it’s crucial to become a participant. Why? Because with the implementation of Common Core, advanced literacy instruction will go beyond simply providing resources and being a search specialist or helping kids distinguish between informational and opinion texts, says Meghann Walk, the library director of New York City’s Bard High School Early College. Instead, educators will be required to focus on helping young readers actively engage with informational texts—the sort of stuff that students will encounter in college and in their future careers.

The big shift

With the new guidelines scheduled to go into effect in 2014 or later, informational texts will soon take center stage. Fourth graders will be expected to read the same amount of fiction, or “literary” texts, as informational texts. And by the time those young learners reach eighth grade, they’ll be expected to read 45 percent literary and 55 percent informational texts. In their senior year of high school, the scale will dramatically shift to a relatively modest 30 percent literary texts and a hefty 70 percent nonfiction texts.

That increased emphasis on informational texts is bound to give school librarians a leg up on their teaching colleagues. “The advent of Common Core presents school librarians with both a great opportunity and a great challenge,” says kids’ book editor and Michael L. Printz Award–winning author Marc Aronson, who has explored the new standards’ implications on his SLJ blog, “Nonfiction Matters.” “The emphasis on nonfiction from elementary school on puts them front and center, since few current homeroom teachers know nonfiction in their grades as read-alouds, as pleasure reads, or as opportunities to compare different narrative approaches.”

The key point about informational texts, stresses Aronson, is that under Common Core “from fifth grade on, students will be introduced to a point of view as an inherent aspect of nonfiction, and will be trained as readers, researchers, writers, and speakers to compare and contrast sources, assemble evidence, and make contentions of their own.” Students will also have to juxtapose all of those sources, adds Aronson, even those with conflicting ideas.

When it comes to selecting the complex informational texts favored by Common Core, Barbara Stripling is all about options. Kids shouldn’t have to get all their information from a single snippet of text—they need “access to multiple perspectives,” insists Stripling, a professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies and an American Library Association presidential candidate. Plus, says Stripling, today’s texts need to be more than just developmentally appropriate books. They need to be a collection of information that’s systematically and thematically organized so they create a more contextual picture for students.

As Mary Ann Hebert, the school library system director for New York’s Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES, puts it, “Gone is the day when the librarian will settle for boring, poorly written ‘fact’ books. Students have the world at their fingertips and will not settle for ‘just the facts.’”

In addition to a healthy diet of top-notch texts, students also need to have ample contextual information to understand what they’ve read. That means that librarians need to provide students with vital contextual information so they get the background, overview, and multiple perspectives they need to interpret what they’re reading, says Stripling.

In order to provide that support, school librarians may first have to do a little spring cleaning, says Aronson, weeding out bland books with limited points of view, which just won’t cut it under Common Core. If that’s the case, says Aronson, media specialists need to hunt for databases and other online resources to supplement their collections. They also need to create “a wish list for new resources.” The next step? “Show the administration why those resources are needed,” says Aronson, “and finally, keep track of their usage to show just how well the money was spent.”

School librarians definitely can’t afford to take a wait-and see approach with their offerings. We “need to be proactive to create better nonfiction collections,” says Susan M. Bartle, the school library system director of New York’s Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. “How do we do this? First, you weed the collection—extensively. Next, you talk to your administration and teachers about what they need and where are the gaps in the collection. If you don’t have money, use interlibrary loan. Start fund-raising for nonfiction.” To rustle up some much-needed bucks, Bartle has successfully resorted to everything from hosting bake sales for nonfiction books to cold calling local companies to fund an author visit.

Becoming a reading teacher

Still, it’s one thing for librarians to introduce students and staff to quality nonfiction texts (a task well within their comfort zones) but another to bridge the gap between inquiry and reading comprehension—an underlying objective of Common Core. But making that leap, says Judi Moreillon, an assistant professor at Texas Woman’s University’s School of Library & Information Studies and the author of Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension (ALA Editions, 2009), isn’t as difficult as one might imagine.

Historically, Moreillon says, instructors thought that if an emerging reader was able to decode the squiggles on a page, understanding would naturally follow—consequently, decoding skills were stressed more than comprehension skills. While cracking the code is still a critical aspect of reading fluency, teaching true reading comprehension involves helping kids make connections to the text, identify ideas through asking questions, and create meaning or summarize what they’ve read—all things intimately connected to the school library’s role and vitally important under Common Core. That’s why Moreillon thinks that it’s a natural fit for school librarians to teach reading comprehension—and there’s new research that supports her assertion.

A recent study by education researchers Keith Curry Lance and Linda Hofschire found that kids in public schools that have a full-time “endorsed” librarian do significantly better on standardized reading tests than their peers in schools that have lost or never had a librarian. After reviewing the test scores of Colorado students in grades three through 10 in 2005 and 2011, the researchers concluded that “[t]here is a positive and statistically significant relationship between advanced reading levels and endorsed librarian staffing trends.” And in schools with a full-time media specialist, students’ scores spiked 45 percent on the Colorado Student Assessment Program, compared to just 29 percent for their counterparts in institutions that didn’t have a librarian (http://tinyurl.com/7gh8trq).

As kids increasingly use technology in the classroom, media specialists also have to turn their attention to online reading comprehension—and that’s an entirely different animal from its paperbound predecessor and one that many classroom teachers aren’t familiar with. One of the leading researchers in this area is Julie Coiro, an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island’s School of Education. Coiro argues that online reading—which includes navigating search engines, using interactive media, and evaluating connected texts—requires us to expand our traditional understanding of the reading process and to “envision new constructs of reading comprehension that introduce students to strategies for interacting with these new literacies.” Media specialists can start by asking students a series of questions to determine if they truly understand the purpose of a particular website or they can walk kids through a site, evaluating it together, recommends Coiro.

Leading with your strengths

School librarians also have another longtime ace up their sleeves—a special relationship with students as readers, says Marilyn Joyce, a librarian at Maine’s Brewer High. On any given day, it’s not uncommon for Joyce to see the same students several times. Considering the number of conversations, the minutes spent lending a helping hand, and the teaching that occurs during those interactions, Joyce amasses more information than a CIA operative—and that data can contribute to her school’s literacy curriculum development and help teachers across the curriculum pinpoint reading comprehension issues that may exist collectively or individually among students.

How can media specialists bring that big-picture perspective and their considerable amount of expertise to Common Core? For starters, don’t be afraid to make the first move, advises Bartle. “Take that step forward, look for educators to collaborate with. Don’t sit back and wait for someone to come to you. You must get out of the library and push into the classroom to help teachers see that you have the resources they need.”

While you’re at it, don’t forget to toot your own horn: school librarians have plenty to bring to the party. “You need to show your school instructional teams that you have the expertise and resources that are needed to implement the Common Core,” says Bartle. “If you find yourself in the wrong group working on Common Core, speak up—tell the curriculum people that the library has the resources that are needed to implement the Common Core.”

After all, as Aronson pointed out on his blog, the shift to Common Core “will only work if teachers turn to librarians, if librarians assert their knowledge of books, young readers, and nonfiction.” When all is said and done, the new standards need school librarians just as much as we need them.

How to Get Started

Five things you need to know about Common Core’s new standards…

Literacy is the new ELA/social studies/science. While these subjects will continue to have their own content-specific instructional objectives, Common Core’s overarching goal is literacy. Social studies and science content will be taught via regular texts, not textbooks. So make sure your library has high-quality resources that teachers and kids need.

Literary nonfiction. Although we’re all still trying to figure out what exactly the term “literary nonfiction” means, for your library it means you’ll need to buy more world-class informational texts. Think Gail Gibbons’s animal books or Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel—extremely well-written titles that are packed with valuable information.

The textbook is dead . While some textbooks may wander your school halls like zombies for the next couple of years, make no mistake… the textbook as we know it is dead. Common Core calls for shorter, well-crafted texts that kids can consider more deeply. The focus is on primary (or maybe secondary) sources, not the predigested tertiary writing found in many of today’s textbooks.

Close reading of shorter texts. Your databases will become teachers’ new best friends once they discover that periodicals are a great source of superb shorter texts that students can dive into. Stretch your collection to include resources like The Civil War Times and other niche publications.

This shall not pass—or at least it had better not. Common Core is a great boon for school libraries, especially since they’re a school’s number-one source for the primary-source informational texts that kids need. Add to that our focus on literacy, critical thinking, and information skills, and there’s the potential for a school library renaissance. Don’t waste this opportunity!

Five things you can do to get started with Common Core…

Become the local expert. Each school that has a certified teacher librarian can also have a curriculum and pedagogical expert. Embrace that role. Push to attend every training session and be there to provide resources and support.

Rethink your collection. While school libraries will continue to be a source for narrative books for students, your collection development energies need to be spent on building up literary nonfiction resources—so focus on the authors and publications that do a great job.

Highlight what you have . We already have loads of resources that are perfect for Common Core. Check the appendixes, pull the books, highlight the databases, and showcase what’s readily available!

Ask for help . Your library will be the new textbook, so ask if you can tap into your school’s textbook funds. Can that money be used to help you purchase new resources to support Common Core in the classroom?

Work together . With all of these new nonfiction needs, it makes sense to also use this as a chance to go digital. K–12 publishers have wonderful nonfiction content available for unlimited, simultaneous use. But don’t buy it yourself; work at the district or consortium level for better leverage and resource sharing.

Following a longstanding tradition, our March editorial brings readers the list of average book prices* . These numbers continue to be a critical piece in the growing data puzzle that we must solve as we plan for the future. Developed by Albert Greco, a professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and senior researcher at the Institute for Publishing Research, the figures provide a key perspective as [...]]]> By Rebecca T. Miller

Following a longstanding tradition, our March editorial brings readers the list of average book prices* . These numbers continue to be a critical piece in the growing data puzzle that we must solve as we plan for the future. Developed by Albert Greco, a professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and senior researcher at the Institute for Publishing Research, the figures provide a key perspective as you engage in collection development and budget management. Since ebooks are an ever-growing segment, we have their average prices on the way—look for them later this spring.

With book prices creeping up, school and public librarians will be pinched even more as they strive to support kids’ learning. More than ever, we need smarter advocacy initiatives.

As SLJ’s latest school library spending survey (“Brace Yourself”) shows, the pain will linger for some time yet. While no surprise, it’s terrible news for a profession that has been rocked by deep budget cuts already. Still, it’s best to know what lies ahead, even when it’s rough.

Bad news notwithstanding, there are some encouraging signs. According to the survey, book collections have grown slightly and some media specialists’ salaries have risen. There are also some projections that posit that budget cuts may be less deep in 2012–2013 than in recent years. Author Lesley Farmer explores the trends and the impact on staff and students, and brings strategic insights from the field. One survey respondent urges peers to up the ante by using data to tap a community’s competitive spirit.

Farmer and Sara Kelly Johns, SLJ’s “Make Some Noise!” blogger and a school librarian at Lake Placid (NY) Middle/High School, will dive into the advocacy response in a free SLJ webcast on March 29 at 3 p.m., EST. (Go to www.slj.com/spendingsurvey to register.)

In May, public librarians can look to SLJ for an in-depth investigation of trends in spending for children’s and YA services when we deliver the data from a national survey just completed. This survey, a first for SLJ, will no doubt provide its own reality check, but it will also become a useful benchmark as you develop programs locally.

All of this data, and so much more that is available, should be used as fuel to fire the advocacy efforts all libraries need.

Rebecca T. Miller
Editor-in-Chief
rmiller@mediasourceinc.com

*Clarification: The 2010 average book prices School Library Journal published here differ from those published in March 2011 (“Better Data, Better Libraries“). The 2010 averages were originally estimated figures due to data that wasn’t final at the time of publication in 2011. However, the table failed to note that the averages were estimates. In addition, in the intervening year, better datasets enabled Albert Greco, a professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and senior researcher at the Institute for Publishing Research, to refine his modeling for the average prices of YA and childrens’ books. In the 2012 article, the editors opted to publish the best historical 2010 average possible, but regret not clarifying that decision in the original story.

ADOFF, Arnold. Roots and Blues: A Celebration . illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Clarion. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-23554-7. Gr 5 Up–This aptly named collection honors the tradition of blues music and its foundation in African-American history. The rhythmic poems take readers on a melodious journey from a slave ship in “Chained” to a Chicago train station in “Muddy Waters Steps Down.” The accompanying vibrant paintings are in turn [...]]]> Mark Tuchman, 11/30/2011

ADOFF, Arnold. Roots and Blues: A Celebration . illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Clarion. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-23554-7.
Gr 5 Up–This aptly named collection honors the tradition of blues music and its foundation in African-American history. The rhythmic poems take readers on a melodious journey from a slave ship in “Chained” to a Chicago train station in “Muddy Waters Steps Down.” The accompanying vibrant paintings are in turn joyful and affecting. (Feb.)

BLUMENTHAL, Karen. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition . Roaring Brook/Flash Point. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-449-3.
Gr 7-10–Social reformers thought the 18th Amendment would curtail drunkenness, but it inadvertently created a culture of crime. This enthralling text traces the nation’s relationship with alcohol from our earliest settlers to contemporary crusaders against drunk driving, creating a rich portrait of a volatile and fascinating chapter of American history. (July)

BROWN, Don. America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell. illus. by author. Roaring Brook. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-694-7.
Gr 2-4–The events of that fateful September day are told through solid factual reporting and stylized watercolors. Brown’s art vividly conveys the devastation and horrific loss, as well as the selfless heroism and valor of the responders and everyday citizens in this moving, accessible account for young readers. (Sept.)

De LA PEÑA, Matt. A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. illus. by Kadir Nelson. Dial. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3167-7.
Gr 3-5–Stirring verse and incandescent oil paintings trace Louis’s childhood and career, culminating with his historic 1938 matchup against Max Schmeling. Solidly set in Jim Crow America, this story tells how one individual, through courage and determination, transcended long-entrenched social boundaries and united a nation. (Feb.)

DENENBERG, Barry. Titanic Sinks!: Experience the Titanic’s Doomed Voyage in This Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction. Viking. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01243-5.
Gr 3-8–Designed as a “special edition magazine,” this arresting work covers the ship’s construction, voyage, and catastrophic fate. Photographs, sepia-toned oversize pages, and an eye-catching format offer readers an unusual approach to a historical tragedy. The informative text raises important questions, such as those about the fates of so many third-class passengers. (Nov.)

DRUMMOND, Allan. Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-32184-0.
Gr 2-6–On a windy island off the coast of Denmark where oil tankers once docked, today’s visitors will find turbines, solar panels, biomass furnaces, and electric cars. Breezy watercolor panels filled with amusing details tell the story of an indefatigable teacher (and a storm) that convinced the community to move from nonrenewable fuel sources to energy independence. (Mar.)

EVANS, Shane W. Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom . illus. by author. Roaring Brook/A Neal Porter Bk. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-538-4.
PreS-Gr 3–In this visual tour de force, darkness becomes a protective blanket, hiding “passengers” on the Underground Railroad as they huddle, crawl, and flee to safety. The family members’ fear and determination are palpable as is the warming glow of the sun at journey’s end. (Jan.)

FLEMING, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84198-9; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94598-4.
Gr 4-7–This captivating biography of a brave, talented, and savvy celebrity examines both the myths (some Earhart perpetuated herself) and the facts about a woman whose boundless ambition fueled her determination to fly around the world. This riveting look at an aviatrix who soared high in pursuit of her dreams is solidly grounded by impeccable scholarship, insightful writing, and well-chosen period photos. (Mar.)

GEORGE, Kristine O’Connell. Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Clarion. RTE $17. ISBN 978-0-618-42842-7.
Gr 1-4–From room-wrecking trespasses and secrets tattle-told to shared giggles and hand-holding moments of comfort, Jessica conveys the frustrations and delights of being older sibling to an exasperating but loving preschooler. The slice-of-life free-verse poems and sherbet-colored illustrations shine with playful humor and heartfelt emotion. (Feb.)

JENKINS, Martin. Can We Save the Tiger? illus. by Vicky White. Candlewick. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4909-8.
PreS-Gr 2–Telling the stories of several critters on the verge of extinction, Jenkins clearly indicates how the actions of humans can cause the demise–and sometimes conservation–of a species. With conversational text and majestic pencil and oil-paint illustrations, this handsome picture book eloquently brings the plight of endangered animals home to young readers. (Mar.)

JURMAIN, Suzanne Tripp. Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud. illus. by Larry Day. Dutton. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-525-47903-1.
Gr 2-4–“As different as pickles and ice cream” people said, and they were. But these passionate proponents of American independence were also the best of friends until they disagreed–mightily–on the powers of the new nation’s president. Inviting pencil-and-watercolor artwork, filled with humorous touches, illustrates this lively tale of two men whose bonds outlived their barbs. (Nov.)

KIRKPATRICK, Katherine. Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man. illus. by Emma Stevenson. Holiday House. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2187-9.
Gr 6-9–The discovery in 1996 of a 9500-year-old, nearly complete skeleton set in motion a nine-year legal battle between forensic anthropologists and the Native American community. Source notes, informative sidebars, maps, and clear color photos and paintings support this engrossing study that poses important questions about cultural identity and responsibility. (July)

MCCLAFFERTY, Carla Killough. The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon. Carolrhoda. RTE $20.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-5608-0; ebook $15.71. ISBN 978-0-7613-7157-1.
Gr 6 Up–A fascinating, start-to-finish account of why and how specialists from numerous disciplines came together at Mount Vernon in 2005 to create three full-size statues of Washington at different stages of his life. McClafferty blends thoughtful narration with superb color photographs for a fully absorbing read. (May)

MARRIN, Albert. Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy. Knopf/Borzoi. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86889-4; PLB $22.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96889-1.
Gr 6 Up–Social history at its best, this is a powerful account of the devastating 1911 New York City factory fire that defined the workers’ rights movement. Marrin places the event in the context of its time and draws parallels with sweatshops in developing countries today. (May)

NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters. illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0844-4; PLB $33.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0845-1.
Gr 5-9–Wise, witty, and thoroughly entrancing, this collection showcases 25 tales sumptuously illustrated with luminous, jewel-toned paintings. At once eloquent and elemental, poetic yet contemporary, these deftly written selections gloriously regale the characters’ legendary adventures while vivifying them with personality. (Oct.)

NELSON, Kadir. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. illus. by author. HarperCollins. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-06-173074-0.
Gr 5 Up–An unnamed narrator of a collection of family stories relates stirring accounts of relatives who fought by George Washington’s side, worked in fields and factories, and marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Electrifying portraits shed light on the triumphs and tragedies of our nation’s history as reflected in the faces of its people. (Sept.)

NIVOLA, Claire A. Orani: My Father’s Village. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-35657-6.
Gr 2-5–The sights, sounds, and sensations experienced during childhood vacations in Sardinia are evoked in this stunning illustrated memoir. From sweeping mountaintop vistas to intimate domestic interiors, Nivola paints a picture of life in a village where small and large events mingled–lively meals with family, a fledging rescue, and three-day-long weddings–and children were part of them all. (June)

PHELAN, Matt. Around the World. illus. by author. Candlewick. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3619-7.
Gr 3-8–In the late 19th century, adventurous individuals felt inspired to circumnavigate the globe on a tight timetable: via bicycle (Thomas Stevens), by steamer and train (Nellie Bly), or on a 36-foot sloop (Joshua Slocum). In this graphic novel, Phelan deftly records these remarkable journeys in expressive artwork and paneled sequences that capture the travelers’ personalities and propel them toward the next horizon. (Sept.)

ROSS, Stewart. Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air. illus. by Stephen Biesty. Candlewick. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4948-7.
Gr 4-8–From Pytheas the Greek to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren, Ross recounts the stories of daring expeditions undertaken by men and women through the ages. An accessible text and superb visuals–foldout diagrams and spectacular physical maps and cross-sections–guarantee hours of enjoyment. (May)

SAY, Allen. Drawing from Memory. illus. by author. Scholastic. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17686-6.
Gr 4 Up–Say traces his lifelong love of comics and tells of those who disparaged and those who nurtured his talents, including one of Japan’s most famous cartoonists who became his mentor and spiritual father. This captivating and seamless melding of words and brilliant pictures provides the lens of memory and inspiration. (Sept.)

SCHANZER, Rosalyn Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem. illus. by author. National Geographic. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0869-7; PLB $27.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0870-3; ebook $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0888-8.
Gr 7-9–With text that flows like a dramatic novel, Schanzer brings readers into the famous Salem trials, asking them to ponder the motivations of the accusers and the tribulations of the accused. Black-and-white ink prints with red accents are wonderfully evocative and set an appropriately horrific tone. (Dec.)

SIDMAN, Joyce. Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. illus. by Beth Krommes. Houghton Harcourt. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-31583-6.
PreS-Gr 3–Simple science and stunning artwork spell success in this sensational look at a shape found fairly frequently in nature. From the shell of a snail to the starry arms of a spiral galaxy, the colorful scratchboard spreads capture these micro and macro worlds in show-stopping style. (Sept.)

SILVERSTEIN, Shel. Every Thing On It. illus. by author. HarperCollins. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199816-4.
Gr 4 Up–The titular poem of this posthumous collection recites all the ridiculous things that come on a hot dog ordered with the works (including a flag, a wristwatch, and a frog). Such is the deliciously absurd spirit of this delightful romp. Silverstein’s illustrations are inseparable from the fantastic poems that move seamlessly between humor and profundity. (Sept.)

WARREN, Andrea. Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London. Houghton Harcourt. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39574-6.
Gr 5-8–Abject poverty, an unresponsive government, and an indifferent upper class left thousands of homeless children on the streets of London during the 18th and 19th centuries. Archival images and absorbing prose document the efforts of a few individuals, including a brilliant writer and his sympathetic portrayals of victimized youth, to change a nation’s attitude and galvanize a reform movement. (Aug.)

YOUNG, Ed. The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China. as told to Libby Koponen. illus. by author. Little, Brown. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-07628-9.
Gr 3-8–In this exquisitely designed and illustrated memoir, Young describes his family and the haven his father built in Shanghai for his wife and children but later opened up to refugees fleeing the horrors of World War II. The dynamic, mixed-media art is constructed with inventive foldouts, vibrant color, and layered collage. (Sept.)

Librarian Marie Slim knew the cuts were coming. She just didn’t know they’d be this bad. For nearly 10 years, there had been a certified media specialist—and a full-time paraprofessional—at each of the six high schools in her California school district.

Then things slowly began to change.

In 2009, the district got rid of four librarians, leaving Slim and another media specialist to serve the six high schools. [...]]]> By Keith Curry Lance and Linda Hofschire

Librarian Marie Slim knew the cuts were coming. She just didn’t know they’d be this bad. For nearly 10 years, there had been a certified media specialist—and a full-time paraprofessional—at each of the six high schools in her California school district.

Then things slowly began to change.

In 2009, the district got rid of four librarians, leaving Slim and another media specialist to serve the six high schools. This month, Slim will be the only librarian standing—and it’s left her with an enormous sense of guilt, not to mention dread, knowing that she’ll be completely overstretched.

“Across the state, the cuts have been crushing,” says Slim, who’ll go from serving 2,600 kids in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District to more than five times as many this fall. “It’s made me feel rotten. I have survivor’s guilt. And I know I won’t be able to make a huge dent in the reading skills of 14,000 students across the district. But I’ll keep trying, one student at a time.”

Countless media specialists around the country have had similar stories, but does anyone know how librarian cuts during this recession have hurt our students? Although it’s too soon to tell in Slim’s case, the overall news isn’t good.

For the first time, we’ve conducted a groundbreaking study using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to document the impact of librarian layoffs on fourth-grade reading scores between 2004 to 2009. The results are what you’d expect: in many cases, fewer librarians translated to lower performance—or a slower rise in scores—on standardized tests.

Our research also indicates that these lower reading scores can’t be blamed on cuts to other school staff. Regardless of whether there were fewer classroom teachers schoolwide, students in states that lost librarians tended to have lower reading scores—or had a slower rise on standardized tests—than those in states that gained librarians.

The news doesn’t surprise Barbara Stripling, director of library services for New York City’s Department of Education, who says although some principals still recognize the value of highly qualified librarians in these tough economic times, many more have no qualms about getting rid of them.

Stripling says that she doesn’t yet know the extent of the damage to her district, but she suspects librarians who’ve retired won’t be replaced and others will be moved to classrooms. “Principals don’t understand what a librarian brings to the position that an aide or parent volunteer cannot,” she says. “If libraries are kept open by volunteers, then they become little more than warehouses. The negative impact on student achievement may not be immediately evident, but it will be substantial.”

Stripling’s right. Our findings show that states that gained librarians from 2004–2005 to 2008–2009—such as New Jersey, Tennessee, and Wyoming—showed significantly greater improvements in fourth-grade reading scores than states that lost librarians, like Arizona, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Why did we examine fourth graders? They were the most widely reported scores available at the state level during 2004 to 2009 and anecdotal evidence shows that media specialists are being lost disproportionately at the elementary level.

We found that 19 of the 26 states that gained librarians saw an average 2.2 percent rise in their National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) fourth-grade reading scores. Meanwhile, 9 of the 24 states that lost librarians had a 1 percent rise. Why is this important? Because of the proportion of the difference—the increase in scores of states that gained librarians was two times that of states that lost librarians. Scores remained unchanged for 6 states that gained librarians and 12 that lost librarians. Three states that lost librarians had an average decline of -1 percent, and one state that gained librarians experienced a -0.5 percent decline in scores.

Even though these numbers may seem small, minor shifts are quite meaningful since there tends to be little overall change with fourth-grade NAEP reading scores over time. So the fact that our study shows some change in reading scores if a state gains or loses librarians is significant and worthwhile.

Minnesota’s Robbinsdale Area School District is one that’s managed to avoid layoffs—and keep a strong school library program. “I’m proud to say there are no cuts in my district,” says Sally Mays, the media specialist at the K–5 Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School and president of the Minnesota Educational Media Organization, the state professional association. “Each of our 13 schools has a full-time media specialist—and our test scores show it.”

Every elementary school in Mays’s district has had above-average growth in math and reading from fall 2010 to spring 2011, according to the most recent results of the Measures of Academic Progress, an assessment designed to monitor student learning. Individual grade levels across all district schools—made up of kids from a wide demographic pool—also had an average increase of more than 6 percentage points in reading and 7 percentage points in math. “We have a great group of teachers who work with school librarians, some in Spanish,” Mays adds. “It makes the difference. The standards taught through a library program are aligned and correlated to classroom standards. When they are taught in authentic lessons by a certified librarian, scores are impacted and learning takes place.”

Indeed, when we compared states that gained or lost librarians to each other or to all states, those that gained librarian positions consistently fared better. States such as Alaska, Maryland, and Oklahoma, for instance, all of which gained librarians, had average reading scores for all students increase by 1.5 percent—a half a percentage point more than all states (1 percent) and almost three times more than states that lost librarians (0.5 percent).

At the same time, the average reading scores for poor students in states that gained librarians increased by 2 percent—almost twice as much as the percentage change for that group in all states (1.2 percent) and four times the percent change for states that lost librarians (0.5 percent).

That makes perfect sense to Connie Williams, a teacher-librarian at California’s Petaluma High School and a former president of the California School Library Association. “If you factor in the fact that for students in poverty the school library is most likely the only access to books, instruction, and reading advisory that they have, then yes, the school librarian can be shown to be a direct influence on student achievement,” says Williams, who also chairs the advocacy group California Campaign for Strong School Libraries.

When it came to black students, average reading scores in states that gained librarians increased by 2.8 percent—a modest boost compared to gains for that group in all states (2.3 percent), but a substantial hike over states that lost librarians (1.8 percent).

Meanwhile, the average reading scores for Hispanic students went up by 1.7 percent—almost twice the percent change for that group in all states (0.9 percent)—and, on average, a whopping eight and a half times better than states that lost librarians (0.2 percent).

English language learner (ELL) students were particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of losing school librarians. They were the only group in which averages actually decreased over time, both for states that lost librarian positions and for all states. Only in states that gained librarians did ELL scores hold their own—showing no change over time. Overall, the reading scores of ELL students in all states declined by -1.4 percent. For states that lost librarians, on average, ELL student scores dropped -2.8 percent—a loss twice as bad as the one suffered across all states.

Slim says she fears this trend will follow her ELL students now that’s she’s forced to serve six schools. “We have English language learners and special education students who will definitely suffer,” she explains. “Many of our teacher-librarians have spent a lot of time and energy to inspire and/or cajole those populations to read. Our most needy students will now go without. The districts say that the public libraries can fill the void, but the public libraries don’t have immediate access nor do they have the collection development priorities that we do.”

We also uncovered further evidence of the negative impact of librarian cuts on student achievement by examining the relationship between the percent change in the number of school librarians and the percent change in reading scores over time. We did this by conducting a correlation analysis, which shows whether these two factors were related, and if so, was the relationship positive or negative. Correlations can range from -1.00 (the two factors are perfectly negatively related) to 1.00 (the two factors are perfectly positively related). A 0 indicates no relationship between the two factors.

Our study showed that the percent change in the number of school librarians from 2004–2005 to 2008–2009 was significantly and positively correlated with the percent change in the reading scores for all groups except for black students (see Table 3). This means that when the percentage of school librarians increased, a percent increase was also seen in reading scores for all students, whether poor, Hispanic, or ELL. The finding that the correlation for black students was not significant is likely due to a combination of two factors: a smaller number of states reporting scores for black students and the comparatively dramatic improvements in scores of black students across the board during this period.

Why did we choose to examine the period between 2004 and 2009? The latest school year for which NAEP reading scores are available for most states is 2008–2009, which happens to be the one full school year during the Great Recession of 2007–2009. The 2004–2005 school year is roughly halfway between the two most recent U.S. recessions of 2001 and 2007–2009. Because data was readily available, we also compared test scores for poor students (i.e., those eligible for the National School Lunch Program), black, Hispanic, and ELL students. It is important that these types of variables—poverty, race and ethnicity, and language—are taken into account because they are major factors that can impact any analysis of test scores.

The second strongest correlation we found is between the number of school librarians and the reading scores of ELL students, which is likely due to the fact that media specialists serve the special needs of these students with targeted individual tutoring, reading motivation programs, and collection development. But as librarian staffing in school libraries decreases, it’s reasonable to expect that such activities will become rarer or disappear altogether, something that saddens John Schumacher. “If a school doesn’t have a dedicated teacher-librarian, kids will read less and be less comfortable evaluating information,” says the media specialist at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, IL. “Kids will have gaps in what they know about technology and how to use it ethically and responsibly.”

Some might wonder if student test scores have less to do with school librarians and more to do with cuts to the overall school staff. But our study also takes into account the percent change in total school staff—including classroom teachers. What we found is that the magnitude and significance of the relationship between librarian staffing and test performance was reduced only very slightly when taking into account overall staff changes in schools (see Table 3). Translation? Whether a school had a librarian remained an important factor in reading test performance, regardless of what was happening with overall staffing numbers.

Just how severe are job losses for school librarians? Data from NCES tell us a lot about the scale of school librarian layoffs—and the pace of these cuts before and during the recession. Between 2004–2005 and 2008–2009, 2,036 school librarian positions were cut across 24 states, and 1,696 positions were added across 24 other states and the District of Columbia, resulting in a net loss of 340 positions or a 0.6 percent decline. (Only Utah reported the same number of school librarians both school years.)

The situation grew dramatically worse between 2008–2009 and 2009–2010, the latest years in which NCES documented librarian positions. During that period, 1,517 school librarian positions were lost across 34 states and DC. This was offset by gains of only 253 positions in 16 states, which resulted in a net loss of 1,264 positions or a decline of -2.3 percent. (Only Arkansas reported the same number of school librarians for the two most recent school years.)

But don’t be fooled. While the raw percentages of school librarian positions lost during the last two years may seem small, they reflect an alarming trend: in one recent year, our nation lost almost four times as many librarians as it had during the preceding four years (-2.3 percent vs. -0.6 percent).

Indeed, we can no longer mask the speed at which media specialists are disappearing. In the last six years, the number of states (including DC) that have axed school librarians has increased by almost 50 percent, from 24 to 35. Meanwhile, the number of states that have gained positions has dropped to 16 from 25—and the number of positions gained has dropped to 253 from an annual average of 424.

Mays says Minnesota has already felt the impact of its losses. Last year, a media specialist in her state’s largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, agreed to serve four schools—and those that cut librarians were disappointed with their test scores. “As a result, administrators, staff, and students were not getting their critical literacy needs met, and this was conveyed to district-level administrators from several stakeholder groups,” Mays explains.

They got the message. For this 2011–2012 academic year, the district will ensure that no media specialist will serve more than two schools—and in nine schools, teachers, administrators, and students will have a full-time media specialist.

What impact will all this have on student achievement? “Well, it’s difficult to play catch-up,” says Mays. “But check back with me at the end of the school year. I’m certain we’ll see some gains in test scores where media specialists have been returned.”

Despite the fact that our study is based on state rather than local data, doesn’t include data about continuing cuts during the past school year, and doesn’t have more control variables in addition to poverty, race and ethnicity, and language, this is the first direct quantitative evidence that supports the stance that cutting school librarian positions is harmful to students.

Over the past two decades, dozens of studies based on single-year, snapshot data have documented that higher test scores tend to be associated with stronger school library programs led by professional librarians. In the current crisis facing school librarianship, however, these oft-cited studies continue to fall on deaf ears. To address the crisis at hand, more direct evidence is needed to show that school librarian cuts have led to declines in student performance on academic tests—proof that will no doubt further support what we do.

Lou Ann Jacobs knows better than anyone about the difficulty of advocacy during these tough economic times. As the legislative advocate for the Illinois School Library Media Association, she’s fully aware that libraries and their staff are always among the most vulnerable when there are fewer funds available
to schools.

“No doubt, many get discouraged,” says Jacobs. “But this should be the time when we keep up the pressure and talk about student learning and achievement. If we can get through these difficult days, we will be able to prevail.” She tells librarians to contact their legislators to let them know how a bill will affect them and their students—and to always include a personal anecdote about how it ties into student learning and achievement.

It’s not good enough to say children really love coming to the library. Schumacher says he constantly updates his superintendent, principal, colleagues, and even local newspapers, with specific details about his library’s successes and always emphasizes what’s possible when there’s a dedicated teacher-librarian.

Carl Harvey, a school librarian at North Elementary School in Noblesville, IN, and president of the American Association of School Librarians, says his goal is to ensure that his administrator knows more about school libraries than he could ever dream about. That way, he becomes the library’s strongest advocate. “A proactive approach of building a strong relationship with an administrator can hopefully help avoid having to defend a position when there are cuts,” Harvey says.

Unfortunately, administrators must sometimes fail before they realize the importance of a full-time, certified library media specialist on long-term student achievement, says Krista Taracuk, president of the Ohio Educational Library Media Association, which is dedicated to excellence in the state’s library programs. But when library programs are eliminated, it’s the students who suffer the most.

“The greatest impact we’ll see on students as their libraries disappear is the disappearance of the community that a school library creates—not just as a learning environment, but as a place for students to come to meet up with each other, to create together, to find something good to read and have someone there to talk to them about it, a place to be inspired—and then motivated,” says California’s Williams. “Learning just doesn’t happen in a classroom, it needs to be encouraged, supported, directed, and inspired—all those things happen in the strong school library.”

The data and further research

All data for this preliminary study came from the National Center for Education Statistics. Counts of librarian positions came from the Common Core of Data (CCD), and test scores came from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

State counts of librarians include librarians at all grade levels. As for all positions tracked by CCD, these counts of librarian positions are based on a definition that specifies what the individual does, not what credentials she or he may have. Thus, it’s impossible to know how many of the librarian positions reported here are state-certified librarians.

In the coming months, we’ll develop this analysis further by incorporating state-level data on more control variables, and, if possible, taking it from the state level to the school-building level. In addition, Colorado—the state that initiated the wave of impact studies over the past two decades—will be the first to attempt to replicate these findings using its own state test, the Colorado Student Assessment Program, and building-level data about changes in both school library staffing and test scores. Conducting such a study at the building level will make it possible to better align data on librarian staffing and reading score variables by grade level, as well as incorporate more control variables.

Our nation’s graduating high school class of 2011 had a 32 percent proficiency rate in math and a 31 percent proficiency rate in reading, leaving many to question whether schools are adequately preparing students for the 21st century global economy, says a new report. U.S. students fall behind 31 countries in math proficiency and behind 16 countries in reading proficiency, according to the recent study, “Globally Challenged: Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete?” by Harvard’s Program on [...]]]>

By SLJ Staff, 8/23/2011

Our nation’s graduating high school class of 2011 had a 32 percent proficiency rate in math and a 31 percent proficiency rate in reading, leaving many to question whether schools are adequately preparing students for the 21st century global economy, says a new report. U.S. students fall behind 31 countries in math proficiency and behind 16 countries in reading proficiency, according to the recent study, “Globally Challenged: Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete?” by Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance.

Although math performance levels among countries that ranked 23 to 31 aren’t significantly different from that of the U. S., 22 countries outperform the U. S. in the number of students reaching math proficiency. In six countries—plus Shanghai and Hong Kong—a majority of students performed at the proficient level, while in the U.S., less than one-third did. For example, 58 percent of Korean students and 56 percent of Finnish students were proficient. Other countries in which a majority-or near majority-of students performed at or above the proficient level include Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands. Many other nations also had math proficiency rates well above that of the U. S., including Germany (45 percent), Australia (44 percent), and France (39 percent). Shanghai topped the list with a 75 percent math proficiency rate, more than two times the 32 percent rate of the United States.

When it comes to reading, American students performed reasonably well compared to most European countries, and only 10 countries outperform us by a statistically significant amount. In Korea, 47 percent of students are proficient in reading. Other countries that outrank the U. S. include Finland (46 percent), Singapore and New Zealand (42 percent), Japan and Canada (41 percent), Australia (38 percent), and Belgium (37 percent).

The proficiency rate in the United States varies considerably across students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, the report says. While 42 percent of white students were identified as proficient in math, only 11 percent of African American students, 15 percent of Hispanic students, and 16 percent of Native Americans were proficient. Fifty percent of students with an ethnic background from Asia and the Pacific Islands, however, were proficient in math. In reading, 40 percent of white students and 41 percent of those from Asia and the Pacific Islands were identified as proficient. Only 13 percent of African-American students, 5 percent of Hispanic students, and 18 percent of Native American students were proficient.

“Given the disparate performance among students from various cultural backgrounds, it may be worth inquiring as to whether differences between the United States and other countries are attributable to the substantial minority population within the U. S.,” the study says, explaining that to examine that question, researchers compared white American students to all students in other countries. “We do this not because we think this is the right comparison, but simply to consider the oft-expressed claim that comparisons do not take into account the fact that the United States is a much more diverse society than many of the high-performing countries.”

It found that while the 42 percent math proficiency rate for U.S. white students is much higher than the averages for students from African American and Hispanic backgrounds, white American students are still surpassed by all students in 16 other countries.

“A better than 25-percentage-point gap exists between the performance of U.S. white students and the percentage of all students deemed proficient in Korea and Finland,” the study says. “White students in the United States trail well behind all students in countries such as Japan, Germany, Belgium, and Canada.” In reading, only 40 percent of white students are proficient, but that proficiency rate would place the U. S. at number nine in the world.

What do these findings mean? “The United States could enjoy a remarkable increment in its annual GDP growth per capita by enhancing the math proficiency of U.S. students,” the study says. “Increasing the percentage of proficient students to the levels attained in Canada and Korea would increase the annual U.S. growth rate by 0.9 percentage points and 1.3 percentage points, respectively. When translated into dollar terms, these magnitudes become staggering.”

For example, if you calculate these percentage increases as national income projections over an 80-year period, it could potentially total a trillion dollars a year, the report says.

“Those who say that student math performance does not matter are clearly wrong,” the study adds.

The report looked at student performance on two tests: the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the exam administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the 2007 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), headed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.

September 11, 2001, wasn’t a normal day for most of us. The students at my Illinois high school packed into the library to watch the nonstop news coverage. Those in computer-lab classes kept trying their luck with CNN’s much-overburdened website. Administrators cruised the halls, looking for kids with relatives who worked at or near ground zero or the Pentagon or who were just too upset to [...]]]> By Frances Jacobson Harris

September 11, 2001, wasn’t a normal day for most of us. The students at my Illinois high school packed into the library to watch the nonstop news coverage. Those in computer-lab classes kept trying their luck with CNN’s much-overburdened website. Administrators cruised the halls, looking for kids with relatives who worked at or near ground zero or the Pentagon or who were just too upset to focus on school. Our principal sent out periodic email updates as he heard from alumni, friends, and families. One of our former students, a freshman at New York University, sent this report in the early afternoon:

Just wanted to let you know that the NYU people are okay. Starting from a few blocks south of Washington Square Park, the buildings and streets are being evacuated—basically all of Lower Manhattan, but we’re all fine here. Two of my friends actually saw both towers go down. I was in my room when I heard screams. Huge masses of people ran down the street, and on the radio I heard that the towers had collapsed. To be honest, I thought it was a joke, like War of the Worlds. Around where I am, I think the panic has subsided, but people are still really freaked out. Classes have been canceled for today. There’s actually an NYU dorm near the WTC, but we haven’t heard about the people there.

At the end of the school day, our principal sent an email to students, parents, and staff lauding their thoughtful responses to the tragedy. We’d try to maintain our regular routines, he wrote, but he’d understand if some families temporarily kept their children at home. “In our interconnected world, many in our community have friends or relatives who work and live in New York or Washington,” he observed. “Some still await word about their safety. The tears shed today are not likely to be the last.”

In the days and weeks that followed, our school became a kind of sanctuary. We held a memorial observance and continued to share our news through schoolwide emails. A few of those messages pushed the boundaries. One student circulated a Christian-themed poem called “Where Was God on September 11?” A teacher peppered staff emails with large images of American flags and other patriotic symbols. Given the circumstances, most everyone was tolerant of those responses. But one afternoon a small delegation of students from the school newspaper came to me to complain about the poem. They wanted to know why the system administrator (the moderator of our email lists) allowed it to go out. Not only was the message unrelated to school business, they argued, but the religious content was inappropriate. I will confess that as a card-carrying anticensorship librarian, I was somewhat bemused by their response to this particular display of free expression. But we had a good discussion about it.

Recognizing this incident as a teachable moment, the system administrator and I decided to incorporate it into our ethics unit for an eighth-grade computer-literacy course. Each semester, we post six technology-related ethical scenarios on an online forum. (You can learn more about this in my book, I Found It on the Internet: Coming of Age Online, second edition [ALA Editions, 2010].) As much as possible, the scenarios mirror real-life school situations or current events. The students first discuss the scenarios online, and then we follow up with a classroom discussion. The revised scenario (we’ve changed the senders’ names and other personal details) looks like this:

After the September 11 terrorist attack, many students and teachers send related email to the “all-student” or “all-faculty” mailing lists. Most of the messages contain information about the status of former students and about ways people can help in the crisis. But Penelope sends a long note with a heavy religious message. And Mr. Snidden sends out patriotic graphics and images. A small delegation of students takes their objections to the administration. They understood that these all-school mailing lists, which are screened by the school’s system administrator, were supposed to be used for school-related, informational purposes only.

It’s important to note that although all of our scenarios have a technology connection, they’re not necessarily technology dependent. In fact, this particular scenario is about a number of things that have less to do with email than they do with issues such as freedom of speech, separation of church and state, the role of school rules and procedures, and (in the case of the blast of patriotic imagery) political correctness. We also hoped the scenario would encourage kids to reflect on the events of September 11 and people’s responses to them.

We used this scenario each semester for four or five years. At first, our students were largely sympathetic to those email messages:

Although this would normally be inappropriate, under these extreme circumstances it is important for people to understand the ways others are dealing with the events of 9/11.

I think that it is OK. Under the circumstances, I think that it is reasonable. People that don’t want to see this material do not need to open it. Some people might need to know how other people think about it.

If there was disagreement among our students, it was mostly around the appropriateness of Penelope’s religious message. Hardly a soul objected to Mr. Snidden’s patriotic missives, as seen in the following responses:

I think that sending patriotic images to students is all right. I don’t think that sending heavily religious messages is good. It might offend some people depending on what the message says.

I think that it is perfectly fine for people to send out religious emails. Although it is bad if they are rude or mean, as long as they have a telling subject. People don’t need to read them.

I agree. If the reader doesn’t like the title of the email, they don’t need to read it but it isn’t a crime and I don’t think there is anything wrong with sending those kinds of emails.

In a way, it is school related because these things are helping to comfort somebody who is in pain about these events. In my opinion, it’s worth it even if it helps only one person get over their grief.

But as the years progressed, the tone of students’ responses began to change. We saw fewer references to grief and more emphasis on rules and consequences:

The mailing lists are for school information. Only under specific circumstances should other information be sent via the school email. People should keep their religion and opinions to themselves to avoid any chance of conflict.

The all-school lists should be school-related topics. Other stuff can be directed to specific people over the email. This way, people won’t be harassed by a ton of junk.

Dude, I totally agree with you. I think that the school server is, literally, the SCHOOL SERVER. It shouldn’t relate to other topics. If they want to have a server for other topics, they should check with one of the school administrators to see if they can form one where they can talk about worldwide news.

We realized that for these later groups of students, September 11 had become history, an event that held no direct, personal significance for them. They interpreted the scenario in much more black-and-white terms. Not happy with these increasingly rote responses, we ultimately stopped using the scenario with our classes.

Just eight years after the 2001 attacks, Eli Saslow wrote about this kind of disengagement in the Washington Post (“9/11 as a Lesson, Not a Memory”): “From the personal to the preserved—this is the uncomfortable transition that time requires of all great tragedies.” Every momentous historical event affects real people. After the fact, we struggle not only to capture the historical record, but also to encourage a meaningful and lasting response. Those of us who are old enough to remember September 11 don’t think of it as history, but then my parents don’t think of the McCarthy hearings or the Holocaust as history. For my incoming students, all of these events are part of an “it didn’t happen to me” past.

What can we do as librarians? Our challenge is to help upcoming generations comprehend the events of September 11, as well as appreciate something of the immediacy and impact that we experienced. We can do that by teaching with passion and by taking advantage of the power of primary sources. The sheer abundance of digital resources that are available offers us an opportunity to get it right by providing a tapestry of story lines rather than the “good guy versus bad guy” portrayal that so often emerges. Primary sources not only help personalize events, but also effectively depict the complexity of the political, social, religious, and cultural forces at work. Young people need to learn that no single perspective is adequate, and that every narrative comes with its own backstory.

Newseum: “Today’s Front Pages” On its website, the [...]]]> America Responds
PBS created this website immediately following the 9/11 attacks and now maintains it as an archive of related resources, analysis, and discussion. The site also offers very useful links to PBS content on a wide variety of 9/11 topics and themes. Users will find episodes of Frontline and other TV programs, relevant transcripts from Washington Week, first-person accounts, resources for parents, and lesson plans for teachers.

Newseum: “Today’s Front Pages”
On its website, the Newseum, which describes itself as “Washington, D.C.’s most interactive museum,” presents newspapers’ front pages in their original, unedited form. These pages from September 12, 2001, represent 147 papers from 19 countries. The ability to compare coverage across geographic boundaries makes this resource a perfect choice for media literacy studies.

September 11: Bearing Witness to History
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History began collecting artifacts and stories right after September 11 that include physical objects (pieces of a plane, melted coins, etc.), images, and audio recordings—many of the curators’ recollections of acquiring and working with the materials. The collection, a work in progress, will continue to grow as more is learned about the events of 9/11. Visitors are invited to share their own “Bearing Witness” stories, which are archived on a site maintained by the September 11 Digital Archive (http://911digitalarchive.org/
smithsonian/).

The September 11 Digital Archive
The September 11 Digital Archive, a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and the American Social History Project at the City University of New York Graduate Center, uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of September 11 and its aftermath. In addition to the Smithsonian’s “Bearing Witness” stories and other personal narratives, the collection includes email messages, digital images, videos, and sound materials. The archive was accepted into the Library of Congress in 2003, marking the library’s first major digital acquisition.

The September 11, 2001 Documentary Project
The day after the September 11 attacks, the American Folklife Center issued a public call to ethnographers and folklorists to collect, record, and document America’s responses to the tragedies. This Library of Congress American Memory collection contains a sampling of the materials that were amassed, including sound and video interviews, photographs, drawings, news clippings, written narratives, emails, and other artifacts. As with other American Memory collections, this one offers support materials for teachers. The main American Memory site also provides teaching guides for a broad range of primary sources, as well as an analysis tool for students.

September 11: A Memorial
This site is CNN’s memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. It lists those who died (based on records compiled by Legacy.com) and includes information from CNN reports, obituaries, and materials submitted by friends and family. In addition to shining some light on individual’s stories, the educational value of this site lies in discussions with students about information that’s missing or incomplete. Why would family members choose or not choose to share information about their loved ones in such a place? The site was archived in 2004, and now many of the photos are broken images. How does that “look” affect the impact of the site?

9/11 Memorial: Teach + Learn
“The National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center may not exist yet, but its website boasts some excellent teaching materials and primary sources. The embedded video and audio on the interactive time line brings us voices from the hijacked airplanes and from observers on the ground. This website is one of the few resources to address young children’s needs (Talking to Your Children About 9/11). An ongoing webinar series keeps up with 9/11-related events, such as the death of Osama bin Laden.

The 9/11 Commission Report
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) was charged with preparing a full account of the circumstances surrounding the tragedies, including preparedness for and response to the attacks, and recommendations to guard against future attacks. As government publications go, sections of this one make for a fairly compelling read. A graphic novel of the report, such as Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón’s The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (Hill and Wang, 2006), might be just the ticket for making the events more real for young adults.

Welcome to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. And what better way for kids to while away the hours than with comics? Let’s face it, comics are flat-out fun, and with their fabulous stories, colorful characters, and wacky humor, even reluctant readers find them tough to resist.

In recent years, comics have become bigger than ever. Now, well-established publishers [...]]]> By Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner, Kate Dacey, Esther Keller, Scott Robins, Eva Volin, and Snow Wildsmith, 7/1/2011

Welcome to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. And what better way for kids to while away the hours than with comics? Let’s face it, comics are flat-out fun, and with their fabulous stories, colorful characters, and wacky humor, even reluctant readers find them tough to resist.

In recent years, comics have become bigger than ever. Now, well-established publishers like First Second are offering graphic novels, such as the Printz Award–winning American Born Chinese and the much-raved-about Anya’s Ghost, which stand shoulder to shoulder with the best young adult fiction. And smaller publishers, like Ape Entertainment and Top Shelf, are turning out lively works, such as Rob Worley and Jason Kruse’s “Scratch 9” series, James Kochalka’s Johnny Boo, and Chris Eliopoulos’s Okie Dokie Donuts. Goofy humor is also making a comeback. Need proof? Check out Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring and Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid—Papercutz’s hilarious parodies of, well, you know who…. There are also plenty of comics based on popular movies and TV shows, including Garfield & Co., Cedric Michiels’s fresh take on the famous cat, and Fraggle Rock, Archaia Entertainment’s spin on the Jim Henson-created TV series that features live-action puppets. And if your kids are begging for bestsellers, there are graphic novel versions of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, James Patterson’s Maximum Ride and Witch & Wizard books, and later this year, Hope Larson‘s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic, A Wrinkle in Time.

The following 39 comics are titles that kids will actually want to read—without any well-meaning prompting from parents, educators, and summer reading lists. In other words, these are books that kids will read just for the joy of it.

Grades K-2

Beard, George and Harold Hutchins (Dav Pilkey). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Caveman From the Future.illus. by author. Blue Sky, 2010.
Suckas beware, indeed! Ook and Gluck are two cave boys who find themselves in the middle of an invasion by an evil corporation. When the boys are flung through a time portal to the future, they discover a secret that may help them save their home in the past—kung fu! Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey delivers a genre-blending tale with unexpected laughs, gross-out humor, and Flip-O-Rama action that will entice even the most reluctant readers.

Hayes, Geoffrey. Patrick in A Teddy Bear’s Picnic. illus. by author. Toon, 2011.
Geoffrey Hayes, who won the 2010 Geisel Award for Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!, is back with a new character, Patrick the teddy bear. In these cozy stories for young readers, Patrick goes on a picnic with his mother, faces down a bully, and resists taking a nap. These stories are a bit reminiscent of the Amanda Pig early readers: the characters are cute, but as the bully episode shows, there’s more to these tales than just sweetness.

Kanata, Konami. Chi’s Sweet Home, vols. 1–4. illus. by author. Vertical, 2010.
When a mischievous kitten gets separated from the rest of the litter, a little boy and his mother rescue her. There’s just one problem: the Yamadas live in an apartment building with a strict no-pets rule! Though much of Chi’s Sweet Home focuses on the Yamadas’ efforts to hide the irrepressible Chi from their neighbors, the story also examines the evolving relationship between Chi and her owners, helping young readers imagine what it’s like for a pet to adjust to a new home. Oh, and it’s funny, too: Kanata lets us in on what Chi’s thinking, whether she’s viewing a shoe as “prey” or trying to escape a bath.

Morimoto, Sango. Taro and the Magic Pencil. illus. by author. VIZ Media, 2010.
Taro, a talented young cartoonist, is hard at work on a comic book when he finds himself pulled into the story by a magic pencil. That pencil comes in handy: not only does it allow him to draw whatever he needs, but it also helps him rescue characters that have been erased by evil King Crossout. The brisk pacing, imaginative artwork, and frequent sight gags make Taro a great choice for young readers. As an added bonus, Taro also includes a number of activities—mazes, connect-the-dot games, drawing exercises—that help advance the story line and encourage kids to make their own Taro-inspired artwork.

Raicht, Michael and Brian Smith. Finding Nemo: Losing Dory. illus. by Jake Myler. Boom! Studios, 2010.
Based on the Pixar movie, this original story takes Nemo and his friends on another adventure-filled journey. Their short-term-memory-impaired pal, Dory, is lured away by a group of sailfish who promise to make her a star—but have more nefarious plans in mind. It’s up to Nemo and his friends to brave the perils of the deep—and face their own fears—to rescue her. Artist Jake Myler brings the undersea world of Nemo to life with bright colors and lively characters, and the story is told with humor and plenty of action.

Sava, Scott Christian and Christian Gonzalez Valdes.My Grandparents Are Secret Agents. illus. by Juan Saavedra Mourgues and Christian Gonzalez Valdes. Idea & Design Works, 2009.
A routine family vacation turns into a slapstick adventure when Alyssa and Nicholas discover that their grandparents are really secret agents. All four of them team up with a robot dog to fight the least threatening super-villain ever, Purple Haze, who’s plotting to bring back the 1960s with the help of a special gun that dyes the landscape purple and turns people into hippies. Plenty of gags, a colorful palette, and simple but dynamic art make this a fun, quick read.

Spires, Ashley. Binky to the Rescue. illus. by author. Kids Can, 2010.
In this sequel to Binky the Space Cat, Binky finds himself in outer space after chasing away some alien bugs inside his home. Facing a swarm of alien bees, Binky is rescued by his owner, only to realize that his stuffed mousie, Ted, has been left behind. Binky must venture back into outer space to save him. Spires combines an adorable main character with hilarious slapstick action and a hint of fart humor in an adventure that kids will love.

Grades 3-5

Chantler, Scott. Tower of Treasure (Three Thieves, Book 1). illus. by author. Kids Can, 2010.
Chantler’s winning heist adventure (even the title provokes the imagination… just how big isthat treasure?) stars a sly but practical teen acrobat and two opportunistic but goodhearted thieves. While epic loot is the original goal, plans go awry when political conspiracies and family secrets entangle our heroes, paving the way for the next installment. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait too long for the second episode: The Sign of the Black Rockis due out in August.

Hatke, Ben. Zita the Spacegirl, Book One: Far From Home. illus. by author. First Second, 2011.
Curiosity gets Zita and her timid friend, Joseph, in more than a little trouble. In fact, they get zapped all the way across the universe! Now Zita must band together with a bunch of strange creatures to save Joseph from death. Hatke’s old-school sci-fi adventure is exciting enough to read in one sitting and engaging enough to encourage rereads.

Krosoczka, Jarrett. Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit. illus. by author. Knopf, 2010.
Lunch Lady doesn’t just dole out mystery meat, she battles crime with clever gadgets—like fish-stick nunchuks and a banana boomerang—made from cafeteria staples. In this story, the fifth in the series, Lunch Lady tracks down the thief who stole goodies from the school bake sale—and kidnapped some students as well. An exciting climax pits her macaroni-and-cheese cannon against a mechanical Buszilla. The story packs goofy humor and lots of action into a familiar setting, and simple panels and layouts make it easy to follow.

McCranie, Stephen. Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! illus. by author. Philomel, 2011.
In the hunt to discover what he wants to be when he grows up, Mal sets off on a series of zany adventures. With his trusty canine sidekick, Chad, Mal uses his genius intellect to explore the deep sea via his kitchen sink, send a stuffed animal into orbit, and transform an old elevator car into a time machine. In this new entry on a long list of “smart dorks vs. dumb jocks” stories, Mal’s spunky willingness to try anything once, combined with author McCranie’s complete disregard for physics, makes for a fun read.

McGuiness, Dan. Pilot & Huxley: The First Adventure. illus. by author. Scholastic/GRAPHIX, 2011.
Pilot’s overdue video-game rental leads him and Huxley into an interstellar adventure involving aliens bent on world domination, a transforming pirate, the Internet, the Grim Reaper, and a whole lot of snot. McGuiness’s first book has the snarky slacker voice of South Park, but with kid-appropriate humor.

Renier, Aaron. The Unsinkable Walker Bean. illus. by author. First Second, 2010.
In order to save his grandfather, reluctant adventurer Walker Bean must journey to return a cursed skull to its rightful owners—two merwitches! But everyone else, including a mysterious doctor, a band of pirates, and even Walker’s own father (who is unaware of the skull’s evil powers) wants it for their own personal gain. In the tradition of high-adventure comics like Tintin, Renier’s complex story is intricate and packed with visual delights, perfect for readers who love to pore over a complex tale.

Stilton, Geronimo. Dinosaurs in Action. illus. by author. Papercutz, 2011.
Geronimo Stilton needs no introduction. While his prose books starring the reluctant adventurer have been grade-school favorites for decades, his graphic novels are more straightforward and may be easier for some readers to follow. In this story, the seventh in the series, the Pirate Cats try to change history by sending Professor Volt back to the Cretaceous period, and Geronimo and his friend must rescue him—and survive a series of close encounters with an assortment of different dinosaurs.

Tan, Shaun. Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan. illus. by author and John Marsden. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks., 2011.
Ever since Tan’s breathtaking vision of immigration in The Arrival, fans of his work expect wonderment, startling landscapes, and just a touch of alienation from each new title. This collection of three Australian works previously unavailable in the U.S. doesn’t disappoint. Tan creates intense and meticulously detailed landscapes that both enchant and unsettle the reader. In Lost & Found, as he did in The Arrival, he takes on complicated issues: relentless despair, the importance of belonging, and (with the help of John Marsden’s words) the devastating experience of being a conquered people. What’s amazing is how with a few words and astounding images, Tan manages to give every nuance and uncertainty in his worlds its due. The challenge will be to read this without peering at each corner of every page.

White, Heather, et al. Fraggle Rock, vol. 1. illus. by various. Archaia Studio, 2010.
This colorful anthology brings back the characters from Jim Henson’s classic 1980s TV show in a set of fresh new stories by a variety of talented newcomers. Fraggle Rock encompasses several different worlds and groups—the Fraggles, the Doozers, and the Gorgs—all of whom live side by side but only vaguely understand one another. Their adventures and misunderstandings are brought to life in these stories with memorable characters, nutty humor, and plenty of slapstick.

Wight, Eric. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom.
––––. Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000.
ea vol: illus. by author. S & S, 2010.
Nine-year-old Frankie Pickle is an ordinary kid who likes to pretend that he’s a superhero. In Closet of Doom, Frankie refuses to clean up his room until the mess piles up and becomes so unbearable that only a superhero can manage to clean it up. In Pine Run 3000, Frankie wants to enter a match-car racing contest but gets into trouble when he refuses to follow directions. Not quite a comic, but a hybrid, these two Frankie Pickle adventures are great choices for reluctant readers.

Worley, Rob. Scratch 9, nos. 1–4. illus. by Jason Kruse. Ape Entertainment, 2010.
Scratch is a feisty cat, and when his owner, Penelope, tries to give him a bath—and make him wear a collar—he runs away and ends up getting caught by a mad scientist. An experiment gone awry gives him the power to summon up avatars of himself in his other eight lives, which proves useful as he tries to stay one step ahead of the evil Dr. Schrodinger, rescue his newfound friends, and perhaps one day reunite with Penelope.

Grades 6-8

Adachi, Mitsuru.Cross Game, vols. 1–2. illus. by author. VIZ Media, 2010–2011.
A shared love of baseball ties a boy to a neighboring family of girls as they all move from elementary school into middle school. Their struggles with growing up, school, bullies, and loss are told with realistic humor, making this emotional sports read a good bet for both genders, and its over-size omni bus volumes make the series an affordable choice for libraries.

Goscinny, R. The Stagecoach: Lucky Luke, vol. 25. illus. by Morris. Cinebook, 2011
Lucky Luke, “the man who shoots faster than his own shadow,” is back in action. When Wells Fargo begins losing customers after a series of attacks by bandits, the company hires famous gunslinger Lucky Luke to escort a stagecoach, carrying passengers and a cargo of gold, across the country to San Francisco. These stories, the latest in Cinebook’s translation of this classic series, aren’t as well known in the U.S. as they are in Europe and Canada, and that’s a darn shame. Originally published in the mid-20th century, these funny, gentle parodies of Westerns are products of their time and, like Asterix and Tintin, sometimes use cultural stereotypes to provide humor, so some volumes in the series may be less appropriate than others, depending on your audience.

Kim, Susan and Laurence Klavan.City of Spies. illus. by Pascal Dizin. First Second, 2010.
In the summer of 1942, Evelyn’s dad gets remarried and drops her off at her aunt’s house in New York City. There, she meets Tony, the super’s son, and together they get into a whole lot of trouble trying to find German spies—an idea that may not be as implausible as it seems.

Petrucha, Stefan, and Rick Parker. Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring. Papercutz, 2010.
Petrucha and Parker skewer the Harry Potter books with a style and humor reminiscent of Madmagazine parodies, condensing the whole series into one slim and very silly volume. Harry Potty and his pals Don Measly and Whiny Stranger must face down the evil Valuemart and his minions, the Debtors. Every panel is crammed with sight gags and topical references, and Harry’s scar takes on a different shape on every page. Gross, juvenile, and hilarious. (For more in this vein, don’t miss Papercutz’s Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid.)

Roman, Dave. Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity. illus. by author. First Second, 2011.
Former space superhero Hakata Soy now faces his greatest challenge: school! New friends and worries are all part of life at Astronaut Academy, where every student is a little bit, uh, different. But when a destructive robot shows up, who’ll be the one to save the day? Roman’s off-beat story is just right for a reader who’s looking for something a little bit silly, a little bit cute, a little bit adventurous, and a little bit odd.

Sturm, James, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost. Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book. illus. by authors. First Second, 2010.
The rain is coming down so hard, Knight has to reschedule his playdate, and the cable is knocked out. Knight’s parents have confiscated his video games, and he’s terribly bored. So Elf comes along to show Knight how he can entertain himself drawing comics. Sturm and his gang entertain young readers while guiding them through the basics of comic book drawing. Unlike its predecessor, Adventures in Cartooning, this is an activity book whose pages can be written on. It’s a great pick for an aspiring comic-book artist.

Tanemura, Arina. Mistress Fortune. illus. by author. VIZ Media, 2011.
Looking through the pages of Mistress Fortune, it’s easy to see why Tanemura has such a devoted following in Japan and the U.S.: she excels at drawing pretty teenagers in elaborate costumes. Her fans don’t just adore her fashion-plate artwork, they also love the way she mixes sci-fi and fantasy with romantic comedy. Mistress Fortune delivers on both fronts, following the misadventures of two psychically gifted teens who fight aliens and fall in love while wearing wings and lace. The story’s action sequences are tempered by plenty of PG-rated slapstick, making this a good choice for readers who like romantic comedy but like fantasy, too.

Grades 7-10

Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn. adapt. by Peter B. Gillis, illus. by Renae De Liz. IDW, 2011.
The Last Unicorn, which first appeared as a novel, then as a film, is an original fairy tale that’s difficult to pull off successfully as a graphic novel. Beagle’s story features classic elements—a unicorn and a mad king—and combines them with characters who aren’t often given more than a glance, such as a mediocre magician and a middle-aged woman who has waited too long for magic. De Liz’s rich art echoes the animated film’s style but breaks away from that version’s take, adding welcome detail and visual quirks to the characters. This volume is as rich as the original novel and will engage both readers who have never seen either source and those who are eager to have yet another interpretation of a favorite tale.

Delgado, Ricardo. Age of Reptiles Omnibus, vol. 1. illus. by author. Dark Horse, 2011.
Delgado’s stories about dinosaurs are so realistically drawn and fantastically plotted that reading them is akin to watching a movie. Give the book to kids who insist they hate to read and watch them become transfixed by this wordless story. There aren’t even any representations of sound effects to get in the way of the action and grit in this tale of revenge, family, and the struggle to survive??all set in a once-real fantastic world.

Jacobson, Sid and Ernie Colon. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography. Hill & Wang, 2010.
Since the end of World War II, The Diary of Anne Frank has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. This authorized biography recounts the life of Frank, the poignant story of her family’s struggle to survive, and their demise. The authors also infuse the biography with the relevant history of the time. This is a wonderful read for a generation that’s in danger of forgetting what happened during World War II.

Lagos, Alexander and Joseph. The Sons of Liberty, Book 1. illus by Steve Walker and Oren Kramek. Random, 2010.
Graham and Brody are young slaves on the run in colonial America. While hiding, they encounter Benjamin Franklin’s son, whose experiment with electrifying humans leaves them with superpowers. Their mentor, the abolitionist Benjamin Lay (a real historical figure), teaches them African martial arts and encourages them to use their powers wisely, and their first adventure is to escape from their former master’s cruel overseer—and his spike-collared dogs. Benjamin Franklin himself makes an appearance in this first story, which certainly isn’t your mother’s history. (Book 2 is due out this month.)

Medley, Linda. Castle Waiting, vol. 2. illus. by author. Fantagraphics, 2010.
Both volumes of Castle Waiting are vivid and enchanting, as any good fairy tale should be. Handsomely bound and printed on rich, creamy paper, the most important element—the story—is charming, filled with slowly building plots and compelling characters, and the slow pace means readers can spend the summer hours with some good company. This second volume adds welcome depth to the history of the heroine, Jain, and her past, while highlighting the everyday adventures and entertaining antics of the Castle’s denizens. With clean black-and-white art and impeccable pacing, Castle Waiting remains a favorite for older kids and younger teens.

Petersen, David, et al. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard. illus. by various. Archaia Studio, 2010.
Petersen has done something any devoted fan wishes every creator of an engaging, imaginative world would do: he has invited other creators into his world and asked them to tell their own tales in his universe. (Are you listening, J. K.?) With artists and writers handpicked and guided by Petersen, to ensure Mouse Guard‘s world stays consistent, the stories add a wonderful depth to the loyal and unflinching histories of the Guard. It’s invigorating to see other artists create within the boundaries of the Mouse Territories, and fans of the original tales of bravery and conspiracies will find much to love here.

Spurlock, Morgan, Barlow, Jeremy, et al. Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast-Food Culture. Dark Horse, 2011
This book by the maker of the documentary Supersize Me is a behind-the-scenes look at the hijinks in the fast food world. Despite its provenance, this isn’t a preachy book about nutrition but a collection of gross-out stories about what goes on behind the counter when no one’s looking. It’s not for the queasy, and most grown-ups will find it downright unpalatable, but the shock value makes it a natural pick for teens.

Tsang, Evonne. My Boyfriend Is a Monster, No. 1: I Love Him to Pieces. illus. by Janina Görrissen. Lerner/Graphic Universe, 2011.
Storrie, Paul D. My Boyfriend Is a Monster, No. 2: Made for Each Other. illus. by Eldon Cowgur. Lerner/Graphic Universe. 2011.
The road to true love is never easy, whether you’re a jock, a nerd, or the new guy. But throw in zombies and Frankenstein’s monster and things get really difficult! Terrific art and sweet romances make these fun stories winners for fans of the paranormal. Every volume in the series (more are planned for the fall) features different characters, paranormal creatures, writers, and artists, giving readers a chance to enjoy the variety.

Tsujita, Ririko. The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko, vols. 1–2. illus. by author. Tokyopop, 2010–11.
Harriet the Spy, meet Kanoko—a tough, tart-tongued teen who also likes to spy on her classmates. Though Kanoko would like nothing better than to remain on the sidelines, her classmates frequently appeal to her for help with relationships, romantic and otherwise. The twist? Every time she cleans up a mess at one school, she transfers to another to work her mojo on a new group of students. What makes The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko stand out from the pack is its heroine: Kanoko’s devil-may-care attitude, unsparing honesty, and flair for zippy comebacks will ingratiate her with teen girls who are dealing with playground politics of their own. Cute artwork and a great supporting cast complete the picture. Unfortunately, Tokyopop has recently closed its North American publishing operation, so these volumes may be difficult to find.

In this Article The young reader School libraries: Ready to adopt? What’s an ebook anyway? Help or hindrance? Bigger collections, easier access

When Julie Hume, a reading specialist in University City, MO, first saw the potential of a children’s ebook, it was larger than life. The book was projected on a smartboard at the front of a [...]]]> By Lisa Guernsey, 6/7/2011

Do digital books help young kids learn to read,or are they mostly fun and games?

Illustration by Ken Orvidas

In this Article

The young reader

School libraries: Ready to adopt?

What’s an ebook anyway?

Help or hindrance?

Bigger collections, easier access

When Julie Hume, a reading specialist in University City, MO, first saw the potential of a children’s ebook, it was larger than life. The book was projected on a smartboard at the front of a classroom, with huge, easily readable words, brilliant graphics, and an engaging recorded-voice narrator. A teacher trainer stood nearby, demonstrating to Hume and other reading specialists how to pause the narration to point to artwork on the page and ask students questions about what they were hearing.

“It gave me chills,” says Hume, who works with third, fourth, and fifth graders who are struggling to read fluently. It wasn’t just that she was overcome with that feeling of “wow, cool,” she says, but also that she could imagine how the ebook program—called Tumblebooks—might help students at her new school, Pershing Elementary.

Hume didn’t have $400 in her budget for an annual subscription to the program, nor was she entirely sure, despite her excitement, that it would make a positive difference to the more than two dozen students she would see in “pull-out” sessions each day. So she requested a grant from a local education foundation to fund an experiment. At the beginning of the school year, she divided the children randomly into two groups. One group got the “Tumblebook” treatment, spending time at a computer reading and listening to ebooks that were either at or just above their reading level. The other small group received the same reading interventions that she had used in the past, with Hume sitting at a table and assisting them as they read along in their paper books. Which group would show the most improvement?

Hume didn’t know it at the time, but she had just set out to answer a prime question descending on preschools and elementary schools this year: Are electronic picture books good for kids, and can they get them hooked on reading by expanding access to engaging titles? Or are digital books one more step down that slippery slope to less and less interaction with print just when children need it most?

The young ereader

Until recently, ebooks for young children haven’t been part of the hyped vernacular of “game-changing” technology. Instead, ebook conversations have focused on textbooks for older students or text-heavy, adult-oriented titles downloaded to ereaders like the Kindle, Nook, and Sony e-Reader.

The arrival of portable, full-color, touchscreen devices is rapidly changing that. A year ago, Apple’s iPad tablet arrived on the scene, turning digital glossy magazines and colorful digital books into a reality. The iTunes App Store is now brimming with vivid graphics and creative games for kids, including hundreds of booklike offerings, such as Green Eggs and Ham and Pat the Bunny. Not long after the emergence of the iPad, Barnes and Noble unveiled the NookColor—a $250 device with a color touchscreen slightly smaller than the iPad’s. It features Nook Kids, an online shop where you can purchase from a growing collection of classic and popular picture books. Judy Schachner’s “Skippyjon Jones” series (Dutton) and Barack Obama’s Of Thee I Sing (Knopf) are among them. Now you can sit on the sofa with a five-year-old and experience a digital version of cozy co-reading, still basking in a book’s beautiful illustrations and even hearing the pages turn. The bonus is that, unlike with print books, readers can pull up additional titles, at any time and in any place, as soon as a child says, “I want to read that one, too!”

School librarians who receive commercial pitches know well that e-picture books are not, in fact, brand-new. They’ve been available on the Web and in software packages for many years, dating back at least to the electronic version of Stellaluna published by Living Books in 1997. In addition to Tumblebooks, other options include Scholastic’s BookFlix, One More Story, Big Universe, Disney Digital Books, and MeeGenius. Those services require some form of payment, usually as a subscription, but some ebooks cost nothing. For example, Storyline Online, sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, has many well-known picture books read by celebrities such as Betty White, James Earl Jones, and even Al Gore. And the International Children’s Digital Library, a nonprofit website created eight years ago by researchers at the University of Maryland at College Park, offers nearly 4,500 free books in 54 languages from more than 200 countries, complete with an iPad-friendly interface and an iPhone app.

School libraries: Ready to adopt?

Yet elementary school libraries haven’t been major adopters. According to School Library Journal’s (SLJ) 2011 technology survey, only 29 percent of elementary schools had ebooks in their collections, compared to 64 percent of high schools. Online ebooks have been typically seen as extras, mere drops in the bucket when it comes to a library’s goal of exposing young readers to new stories and high-quality children’s literature.

What if, however, those drops in the bucket formed a tidal wave? School librarians appear to be bracing for a shift: SLJ’s survey showed that a majority of elementary school librarians said they either will (18 percent) or may (46 percent) purchase ebooks in the next two years. States and school districts are starting to make deals with ebook companies to provide yearly subscriptions to thousands of students at a time. Starting this summer, Iowa’s nine area education agencies will offer access to BookFlix to all accredited schools in the state. Another sign of change comes from Scholastic’s 2010 reading habits survey, which shows that the youngest respondents—six- to eight-year-olds—were more likely than their older counterparts to have read an ebook. That exposure, says Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, may reflect the fact that little children have younger parents who may be introducing them to online content at home.

Checking out books from the school library will start to take on new meaning as more teachers and parents insist on 24/7 access in school and at home. Instead of waiting for library day at school, students can log in at any time (provided they have access to a computer and can find the password that might be on that flier at the bottom of their backpack) and browse digital bookshelves. In some media centers, children may be able to borrow Nooks and iPads to take home. More likely, they will start pestering their parents to let them use theirs.

And it’s not just the small portable devices that’ll change the paradigm. As Hume witnessed in her Missouri school, e-picture books are starting to be coupled with computerized whiteboards, meaning that more children are experiencing literature on big screens. Picture books are already morphing into something much more flexible than those traditional hardbound beauties that have come to symbolize quiet one-on-one moments between an adult and a child.

Coinciding with all these possibilities is the growing urgency centered on the literacy crisis in the United States. Two-thirds of fourth graders aren’t reading at grade level, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test that’s administered to a large sample of children across the country every two years and is referred to as our nation’s report card. The numbers are even worse for black and Hispanic children, with roughly 84 percent not reading at grade level. Policy makers and education experts see school librarians and reading specialists as key allies in the battle to improve children’s literacy skills. Researchers such as Stephen Krashen, an advocate of free voluntary reading (see www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6367048.html), and others who study what helps children learn to read, consider providing kids with easy access to an abundance of nonfiction and fiction books of paramount importance. Should libraries turn to electronic picture books to help them provide that access? Will ebooks help or hurt?

When Hume set out last September to experiment with Tumblebooks, she didn’t have much to go on. The pace of change has far outstripped what traditional reading research can tell us. If ebooks are destined to be a significant part of a young child’s early literacy experiences, how exactly should they be used?

What’s an ebook anyway?

Jeremy Brueck, an Akron, OH-based pioneer in children’s digital reading research, spends his days grappling with the cacophony of questions raised by children’s ebooks. With help from grants from the U.S. Department of Education, he’s examining how electronic materials should be used in early childhood programs, including Head Start.

He’s urging librarians, teachers, and parents to pause to get a handle on exactly what they mean when they say “ebook” in the first place. “We have to get out of saying ‘ebooks,’” argues Brueck, who codirects Akron Ready Steps, an early literacy program, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Akron. “It’s just too broad.”

At one end of the spectrum, there are PDFs of printed titles, while on the other end are electronic resources with animated characters, interactive quizzes, and online games that accompany texts that can be “played” while each spoken word is highlighted on the screen. With such a range of possibilities, “there is not enough known yet to know what best practice is,” Brueck says. Akron Ready Steps is now developing a “quality rating tool” that can help identify the features in an electronic title that will help children learn and become engaged with a story—and which ones are merely bells and whistles. Brueck often targets vendors of ebook subscriptions. “It’s frustrating to see people put money into developing something that isn’t sound from a pedagogical standpoint,” he says.

Brueck is still collecting data, but he’s already concerned about the quality of what’s commercially available. In ratings of nearly 100 ebooks, his research team found very few titles with high marks for their ability to support emerging readers. “Good ebooks for the purposes of literacy instruction for young children are hard to find,” he wrote in a recent post on his blog, Raised Digital.

Help or hindrance?

Consider the myriad ways in which children interact with what, at least for now, people still call ebooks: In William Steig’s Pete’s a Pizza (available from OneMore Story), kids can only hear a narrator read the book—that’s it. The service intentionally avoids any form of animation. In Bruce Degen’s Jamberry (available from Nook Kids), on the left-hand page there’s a cute white duck that quacks when a child touches it. In Robert Munsch’s 50 Below Zero (Tumblebooks), the artwork becomes animated and the words on one page light up as the narrator reads them. Meanwhile, on the opposite page, a character jumps up and down and doors creak open. In Toy Story Read-Along (Disney Digital Book), some pages have no text at all and online games are at the ready. Children watch the story unfold as if seeing clips from the movie. Which, if any, of these features are necessary to enhance engagement and improve a child’s comprehension of the story? Which ones are nothing more than distractions, eye candy, elements that derail the very act of reading?

Ben Bederson, codirector of the International Children’s Digital Library, last year downloaded Toy Story on his iPad for his five-year-old daughter. “She loves it,” he says. With the animation and the sound track, “it feels like it’s alive.”

But Bederson isn’t sold on the Toy Story book for its reading experience. “I felt like it was a slippery slope,” he says. “It was 25 percent book and 75 percent movie.” The way his daughter requested the title was telling: “Could I watch a Toy Story book?” she asked.

Scrambling the context of what makes a book a book is what worries Gabrielle Miller, national executive director for Raising a Reader, a nonprofit organization that distributes picture books to families. She’s not against digital media; she sees it as an important way to increase access in disadvantaged communities. “But without the balance of children holding and touching and learning how to take care of a book, you run the risk of children losing a sense of what books are and how they feel,” Miller says. “You lose the understanding of how they came to be.”

Scholastic’s Newman dismisses anything with 75 percent animation, saying that at that point, “it ceases to be a book.”

Then there’s the question of what will happen to the physical space of school libraries. Could the easy availability of downloadable picture books—whether “static” or packed with animation—render the stacks obsolete and give children fewer reasons to visit? Marsha Hauser, a K–12 librarian for the Edgewood-Colesburg District in rural Iowa, is a proponent of ebooks but also worries that they could eventually crowd out printed books because many libraries can’t afford both print and digital collections. She plans to hold fast to old-fashioned storytime in her elementary school library. “This won’t change library time—not for Mrs. Hauser,” she says.

The most pressing question may be not if but how teachers and librarians should use ebooks. In one of the projects at Akron Ready Steps, teachers are taught to be very intentional when using them with young children. Before starting the electronic part of a reading activity, children are introduced to new vocabulary words. Tumblebooks are used on touchscreen computers with small groups of three or four children, guided by teachers who pause the ebook’s narration so that they can ask young children to predict what will happen next. And they continue to use printed books throughout the day. Local libraries deliver print copies of books that children see on screen.

Pam Oviatt, a literacy coach at Akron Ready Steps, says she has seen the power of ebooks. One time last year, she saw three Head Start boys giggling along with the narrated e-version of Doreen Cronin’s Diary of a Worm (Tumblebooks). A week later, she says, when the boys’ teacher announced that she had received a printed copy from the library, the children rushed to see it. “They would pore over it,” Oviatt said. “And they would say, ‘Oh, I like this page!’ They were connecting what they had read with what they had seen before on the touchscreen.”

To Oviatt, the audio features are “another way of hooking them into new stories.” Plus, ebooks are much easier to use than the Books on Tape of yesteryear, she says, which required listeners to turn the page after hearing a “ding”—something that many children would miss.

Bigger collections, easier access

Some librarians and teachers are intent on using e-picture books simply to increase how many books kids get their hands on. The possibilities of 24/7 access to new content are a big factor for Pamela Jackson, a media specialist at the Brentwood Magnet Elementary School of Engineering in North Carolina’s Wake County Public Schools. Children should be able to check out new materials at any time, Jackson says. “I say to my kids, ‘We’re going away for the holiday but the library is still open.’”

Laura Hodges, a principal at Churchville Elementary School in Augusta County, VA, says Tumblebooks are helping her school attain its goal of “embedding technology into instruction,” while saving money on books. Teachers who want to give children access to picture books in their classrooms can make them available on computers without the school having to buy multiple copies of the same book.

Then there are the teachers like Hume in University City, MO, who are motivated by one primary goal—helping struggling readers. When she decided to experiment with ebooks, she had an inkling that the narration and animation might help, but she wanted to be sure. Hume tested her two randomized groups before they started their reading intervention programs to get a baseline of their abilities. And she assesses them on a regular basis, using texts that are different from what the children hear on Tumblebooks or in her traditional small-group reading sessions.

The results are remarkable, she says. The students using Tumblebooks leapt ahead of their peers. Last November, three months after starting the project, the average fluency rate for the Tumblebook group was 23 percentage points higher than that of the control group. Students using the ebooks had moved from a Lexile level of K to M. By January, the entire group of children in the ebook program had achieved fluency to the point that they were “exited” from her pull-out sessions and integrated back into their regular classrooms. It took the control group two months longer. She credits the success to the ebooks’ ability to narrate the story, while allowing students to feel like they’re in control of what and when they read. “When students repeatedly have a strong model of fluency, the more they hear that, the better they get it,” says Hume. The experiment was so successful that her school district decided to pay for Tumblebooks for all four of its elementary schools in the next school year.

Still, Hume isn’t ready to proclaim that all children’s books should go digital. “I think Tumblebooks should be for intervention only,” she says. For confidence-building and self-esteem, she explains, the electronic book is unparalleled. But at some point, she says, you have to stop “the hand-holding.”

Hume’s experience highlights what reading experts have come to recognize about emergent readers in general: you can’t treat them as a monolithic group with one-size-fits-all needs. The same could probably be said of ebooks and how they should be used. But researchers will need to tease out the variables—what works with what kinds of children in what settings under what conditions? Says Brueck of Akron Ready Steps: “There’s a lot of work to be done yet.”

Move over, Shrek. Step aside, Toy Story. Ditto, Kung Fu Panda. Thanks to a slew of new, easy-to-use animation tools, you don’t have to work at Pixar or DreamWorks to create a summer blockbuster. In fact, it’s now a snap for young storytellers to learn the ABC’s of animation. And that’s [...]]]> Thanks to some new, easy-to-use tools, kids of almost any age can create their own animated films

By Jennifer Stern and Joyce Kasman Valenza

Move over, Shrek. Step aside, Toy Story. Ditto, Kung Fu Panda. Thanks to a slew of new, easy-to-use animation tools, you don’t have to work at Pixar or DreamWorks to create a summer blockbuster. In fact, it’s now a snap for young storytellers to learn the ABC’s of animation. And that’s bound to make learning a lot more interesting—and much more creative.

At Springfield Township High School, in Erdenheim, PA, teacher librarian Joyce Valenza and her former teaching assistant Jennifer Stern use tools like CrazyTalk and Blabberize to help kids create their own short animated films, including a tour of Civil War Gettysburg (complete with walking-talking images of generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee); a funny, instructive 42-second flick about what not to do for your prom (hint: never depend on a friend to line up your date); and a snippet in which the school’s mascot, a Spartan, boogies and levitates above the library’s circulation desk. These kid-created animated movies, and others like them, are perfect for spicing up a lesson, a website, or even those often monotonous morning announcements.

“Animation can fuel a child’s imaginative explorations,” says Valenza. And it’s not just about helping students sharpen their scripting, editing, and storytelling skills. Working with animation, says Valenza, can also enhance kids’ understanding of technology, engineering, and geometrical and spatial relations. It can even lead to more empathy, an essential skill in today’s increasingly complex world. “We would argue that animation is a literacy,” she says. “And it’s now more possible than ever to teach animation in schools.”

That’s because animation software developers like Reallusion (a big name in 3-D movies) and Toon Boom (a Canadian company whose clients include Disney) have started to create products for average Joes, rather than strictly for animation pros. We know how scary it can be to jump headfirst into a new endeavor, so to help you get started, we asked Valenza and Stern to introduce their favorite animation tools, many of which are free or inexpensive.—SLJ staff

The big two

Reallusion’s CrazyTalk series and many of Toon Boom products are designed to help aspiring animators produce professional-looking films without becoming seriously frustrated. In fact, we think CrazyTalk and Toon Boom belong in every animator’s studio. Both companies feature products that teach the basics about how the animation process works and expand on other valuable skills for both beginners and pros.

CrazyTalk 6 ($49.95) can make faces talk, and it’s a perfect program for introducing students to the great world of animation. Using auto lip-sync, you can add moods and facial expressions to your drawings, photographs, and demo heads, transforming ordinary images into characters that can be used in independent videos or integrated into other multimedia projects. We couldn’t resist importing, animating, and giving voices to the images of our colleagues and historical figures. The software also lets users record their own voices, use the text-to-speech function, or pick from a selection of preset phrases.

With CrazyTalk Animator Standard ($49.95), students can dive into the total animation experience and control actors, props, scenes, lighting, and cameras. Static images are transformed into dynamic characters with full-body motion.

Our two student testers loved these products. Miranda most enjoyed creating characters, giving them voices and movement, and getting inanimate objects to dance, float, stroll, jump, talk, and even blink. But both students had a little difficulty figuring out how to use the face-fitting and proportion features.

Toon Boom’s Flip Boom products simplify the animation process and are a great way to introduce young artists to the cartoon world of stop-motion animation. Flip Boom Cartoon ($39.99) simplifies basic animation processes by providing the drawing tools, clip art, and sound effects that are needed to create short films in a matter of just minutes. The software is designed specifically for K–8 users and can stimulate kids’ imaginations while developing their motor and reasoning skills. The storyboard at the bottom of the screen presents the scene’s previous characters, props, and background. In addition, the onion-layer tool enables users to see several frames at once and makes it easy for beginners to edit the next sequence of movements.

Next up is Flip Boom All Star ($69.99), recommended for third through eighth graders and beginning animators at the high school level. It’s packed with even more easy-to-use tools, backgrounds, characters, and animation options. The program also contains storyboard and onion-layering features to facilitate smoother animation. All Star provides cartoon movement clips that can be added to individual frames, creating wiggle, bounce, and flip effects. We found it easy to drag and drop cartoons into the foreground and background of our clips. The buttons on the main frame are intuitive.

Toon Boom Studio ($249) takes animation to a higher level, allowing users to create a character’s individual limbs and features from scratch. Like CrazyTalk Animator, you can create 2-D animations, but the program doesn’t guide you though the process. You’re expected to know the steps yourself, such as how to cut out and define body parts and how to create a range of motion. Toon Boom Studio also offers a bone animation feature that lets users create, move, and rotate various body parts. Although CrazyTalk offers an animation generator, Toon Boom Studio provides tools that make movements much more concise and smooth. In addition, Toon Boom has far more detailed bone-manipulation tools, as well as 3-D capabilities. When animating, the artist has the option to draw a character resulting in a detailed 3-D figure that can turn, jump, and dance.

Tooning on the cheap

Many open source, shareware, and web-based options for creating animation projects are free of charge or nearly so. While these applications don’t offer the same options and level of control as more robust commercial software packages, they can still result in a successful product. We like the following tools for their ease of use, available options, and classroom friendliness.

Animation tools available for free download

Aniboom
Aniboom Virtual Studio allows users to create and edit stop-motion cartoons in real time. This free download for Windows has shapes, colors, and onion-layering tools to provide users—beginners and professionals alike—an exciting environment for animating.

Blender
Blender.org is an open source 3-D content creation suite, providing tools to make 3-D animations, video games, and visual effects. The software is available for all major operating systems under a GNU General Public License. For more information, visit this page.

CreaToon 3.0
A 2-D cut-out style animation program, CreaToon allows animators to set certain keyframes and the software completes the frames in between. CreaToon 3.0 is available to download, however, parent company Androme has discontinued further developments and technical support.

DAZ Studio 3
DAZ Studio is a free, feature-rich figure design program that allows the artist to work in 3-D animation using the puppet tool. With DAZ, users can create characters in different styles, such as anime. Easy-to-follow tutorial videos can be found on the DAZ Studio website as well as on YouTube.

Web-based options
Animasher
This simple drag-and-drop, Web-based animator offers a library of images, voice and video clips and sound effects for creating quick projects. Use existing clip art and sound, or upload your own elements to create projects.

Blabberize

A popular tool for educators, Blabberize allows the user to speak through a picture. Upload an image, locate its mouth, record sound, and make the picture speak. “Blabbers” can be shared via email, embedded in a website, or added to a slideshow.

Comics Sketch
A free site that allows users to draw and animate comic strips and books. View, vote, and comment on your favorite comics by other members.

GoAnimate
A free, Web-based app for making videos or creating characters. With GoAnimate, you can: build scenes; choose backgrounds; select characters and preprogrammed actions, movements, and emotions; add speech bubbles; resize; bring objects forward and back; and add music and effects. GoAnimate.com features a public gallery of user-created cartoons, so there’s a risk of inappropriate content. For a “clean” version minus dicey material, try DomoAnimate or GoAnimate4Schools (described below).

GoAnimate4Schools
The educational version of GoAnimate is free for up to 100 accounts. A single teacher account gets unlimited access to all GoAnimate4Schools’ features. The teacher can also post work to GoAnimate4Schools’ public gallery. With a student account, users may craft animations of up to two minutes in length, upload music, record their voices, or take advantage of a text-to-speech function. SchoolPlus accounts offer unlimited features for multiple teacher accounts, with no limits on the number of student users. There are also no restrictions on the length of animations or the number of image and video uploads on this plan.

Kerpoof
Owned and operated by Disney, this Web-based studio designed for young people is all about making art and animated movies. Kerpoof offers many different movie-making programs and activities organized by grade level and cross-referenced with state and national educational standards. Winner of a 2010 Parents’ Choice Gold Award, the site is mostly free, with premium membership options.

Xtranormal
In Xtranormal, you can work with up to two characters, using multiple types of camera shots, and combine text-to-speech in a variety of accents with various sound effects. Drag and drop preprogrammed animations, among other elements. Try the service for free, but you’ll soon need to purchase bundles of Xtranormal Points for use toward additional assets—new actors, sets, and the like. Using the address http://edu.xtranormal.com helps to filter out inappropriate content. Xtranormal sponsors educators making educational movies with grants of Xtranormal Points on the Xtranormal Movie Maker platform. Not available for entire classes or schools and student accounts.

Zimmer Twins
zimmertwins.com/movie
Click and drag to build simple movies from clips using Zimmer Twins. Change words in a sentence to adjust characters and actions within the clips. Free to use, but VIP members can share their movies, access additional animated clips, leave written comments, and more.

Web-based comic strip style (not animated)

Chogger
Here you can draw your own web comics from scratch. Edit and caption photos, take webcam pictures, add speech balloons, and draw lines to share your stories with the web comic community.

Comic Creator
This lesson, created by the International Reading Association, explores the process of writing a comic strip. Here you’ll find interactive comic lessons for grades K–12 and PDF worksheets. Comic Creator has a drag-and-drop interface with all the necessary tools (backgrounds, characters, props, and speech bubbles) to make your comic strip lesson a success.

Comic Master: Graphic Novel Creator
Make quick and easy work of creating your own graphic novel with Comic Master. The detailed interface is easy to use with drag-and-drop options and superhero clip art that’s ready to fly into your story.

Make a Comic
Here, users create very simple comic strips within minutes. Using pull-down menu options, students can create a two-character comic strip with background photos, narration, dialogue, and thought bubbles.

Make Beliefs Comics
Author Bill Zimmerman’s web-based site enables users to write their comics in languages other than English, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin and Portuguese—with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean to come. Find printables, lessons, and writing prompts here, too.

PikiStrips
Classroom routines can be presented in a whole new way! Upload a photo and add speech bubbles and photo effects to create fun and interesting comic strips.

Pixton
www.pixton.com
A free, Web-based site where you can create characters, edit poses or expressions, and add props and speech bubbles. The easy click-and-drag interface allows for a quick and easy comic strip. Also available:

Pixton for Schools
www.pixton.com/schools/overview
The Pixton for Schools version comes with teacher moderation options and assessment rubrics, sound and voice, and image uploading capabilities. Free 30-day trial for 50 students; premium pricing: $130 for 50 students for a year, or $2.60 per student.

Stage’d
Select characters, costumes, scenery, create dialogs, and choose from a library of animations to make storytelling easier. Stage’d allows you to place characters, costumes, and props wherever needed. You even have control over how your characters stand. Using the puppet tool allows characters to bend every which way for a more animated comic.

Witty Comics
Select from a library of scenes, characters, and bubbles to make simple strips. For users looking for quick, two-character conversations, Witty Comics is the free website for you.

And Tango Makes Three (2005), the true story of two male penguins who hatch and parent a baby chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo, tops the list of the most frequently challenged books of 2010, according to the American Library Association’s (ALA) State of America’s Libraries Report, which documents challenges and trends in library usage.

The picture book by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell has appeared on ALA’s Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books for [...]]]> By SLJ Staff

And Tango Makes Three (2005), the true story of two male penguins who hatch and parent a baby chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo, tops the list of the most frequently challenged books of 2010, according to the American Library Association’s (ALA) State of America’s Libraries Report, which documents challenges and trends in library usage.

The picture book by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell has appeared on ALA’s Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books for the past five years and has returned to the top slot after a brief stay at number two in 2009.

There have been dozens of attempts by school and public libraries to challenge and remove And Tango Makes Three from shelves, citing that the book is “unsuited for age group,” and objecting to its “religious viewpoint” and “homosexuality.”

“People only challenge a book when they fear it has the power to influence thought and create change,” says Richardson. “The fact that our little book has been seen as transformative by so many for so long makes us very proud.”

Richardson’s and Parnell’s latest picture book Christian, the Hugging Lion (2010, both S & S) last month was named a Lambda Literary Awards finalist in the children’s and young adult category. The real-life animal story is about two men who release their adopted lion cub into the wildness and are reunited with the wild animal years later.

Do they think Christian be similarly challenged? “We don’t think so,” adds Richardson. “The arc of that story, in which a lion continues to love his male “parents,” but is able to leave them to establish his own family, doesn’t seem to challenge traditional beliefs in the way Tango obviously has.”

Alice Walker’s Color Purple, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, and Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War fell off the list this year. They were replaced by titles that reflect a range of themes and ideas, including Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.

“While we firmly support the right of every reader to choose or reject a book for themselves or their families, those objecting to a particular book should not be given the power to restrict other readers’ right to access and read that book,” says Barbara Jones, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). “As members of a pluralistic and complex society, we must have free access to a diverse range of viewpoints on the human condition in order to foster critical thinking and understanding. We must protect one of the most precious of our fundamental rights—the freedom to read.”

OIF collects reports on book challenges from librarians, teachers, individuals, and press reports from across the United States. A challenge is a formal written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness. OIF received 348 reports in 2010 about efforts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves, but the majority of challenges go unreported.

Here’s a list of ALA’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010 and the reasons given for their challenges:

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

6. Lush by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

8. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint

9. Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit

10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: religious viewpoint, violence

This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.

Things are changing. For starters, ebooks, apps, and the web are now a part of your students’ daily lives. So how do you determine the best way to turn your library space into a learning center that’s right for today’s rapidly changing digital world? Take it from me, a longtime designer of school libraries, it’s not easy.

Designing and building games used to [...]]]> A quick web search for “educational games” or a variation thereof will yield thousands of results. Some of those games might suit your students’ needs, but you could end up with nothing. So rather than spending hours searching for a great learning activity, why not create your own game? Better yet, have students help devise one that they can play with their classmates.

Designing and building games used to require specialized programming skills, and for complex games that’s still true. But now there are some excellent services that allow nonprogrammers to build some nice games. Used in the classroom, these services allow students to focus on creating games that are factually correct, informational, and fun to play without requiring you to address programming skills.

Wondering how to work game development into your classroom? After a unit of study, instead of requiring student presentations, have kids develop a game around what they’ve learned. Imagine one based on math concepts or vocabulary terms, or a game featuring historical events. Here are five free tools you and your students can use to accomplish those purposes.

Sharendipity (beta.sharendipity.com) makes it possible for students and teachers to quickly create and share simple video games. Sharendipity’s drag-and-drop creation tools can be used to craft a game in as few as four steps. For new users, the tutorials section provides clear directions and helpful game ideas. Games created on Sharendipity can be embedded in your blog or website.

YoYo Games offers a free (for PC) game development tool called Game Maker 8, which enables users to develop simple video games using a drag-and-drop editor. Game Maker 8 gives users the ability to customize backgrounds and actions throughout their games. For the first-time user, YoYo Games offers a series of free tutorials (www.yoyogames.com/make/tutorials). Game Maker 8 is available in three versions: Lite, which is free for Windows users; Pro, which unlocks advanced features for $25; and a Mac version ($25). Game Maker for Mac can be used free for up to 10 hours before payment is required.

ProProfs Brain Games (www.proprofs.com/games/create-game) allows you to build interactive crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word searches, hangman games, and sliding puzzle activities. You can embed your games in your blog or share them via email, Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace. If you don’t want to take the time to create your own game, you can browse the gallery. Any of the gallery games are also embeddable.

Purpose Games (www.purposegames.com) allows users to create custom games, share, and play them, all free of charge. There are two styles available on Purpose Games. The simpler of the two is a fairly basic multiple choice game. The other style uses images and maps on which players must name the places represented by placemarks on the image or map. Purpose Games gives creators the option to make their games public or private. If you select the private option, only the people to whom you send invitations will be able to play your game.

Developed by a teacher, ClassTools.net is a free service for educators to make their own educational games, which can be shared via email or embedded in a web page. ClassTools.net provides 15 easy-to-use templates, which make educational game creation a real snap. There’s also a selection of pre-made games, which teachers may find appropriate for use with their students.

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A teacher completing her MLS recently wrote on LM_NET that she was worried about getting a job [...]]]> By Lisa Von Drasek, 1/31/2011, Illustration by Victor Juhasz

Cash-strapped school districts? Shrinking budgets? School library positions under the ax? It’s enough to make a resourceful media specialist wonder whether she’ll still have a job at the end of the school year or will need to find a new one. And it’s not just experienced media specialists who are anxious.

A teacher completing her MLS recently wrote on LM_NET that she was worried about getting a job after graduation. With all the gloom and doom on listservs and blogs, she wanted advice on how to succeed in these tough economic times. Do I have any advice? You bet.

Although this isn’t a comprehensive job-hunting guide, I’m here to offer some helpful strategies that’ll give you the best chance to land a position in an incredibly competitive field. What you’ll find in these pages are some common sense tips to make your resume and cover letter stand out in a crowd, present yourself in the best possible light, and ace the interview.

Let’s start with a bit of insider information. My school typically receives about 50 resumes for each job opening. But we only pass along 15 of them to our hiring team. Why? Most have been weeded out for typos, poor writing, and failing to meet the basic requirements of the position. In the end, we only interview five to seven finalists—and only three are invited back for a second interview. If there’s ever been a time to be fastidious, it’s now. Top on my list are these to-dos: make sure your resume reflects your experience as it applies to the specific job opening; that your cover letter is warm yet professional enough to get your foot in the door; and—I can’t stress this enough—that when you actually nab the interview, you arrive prepared. In the end, being a librarian is about being good with people, so that should also come across when you’re applying for a job.

Ratcheting up your resume

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all resume anymore. So be prepared to tailor yours to specifically meet the needs of the job description. This is so important that I’ll repeat it: the job description is the most important information to help you rework you resume. For a sample school librarian job description, visit http://tinyurl.com/4a8z8wg. Use it as a guide and rework it to reflect your own work experience.

Here’s an example: The prospective candidate will:

Ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.

Rewrite to read as follows by fleshing it out with specific example.

• Ensured that students and staff were effective users of ideas and information by collaborating on curriculum with classroom teachers. Presented information literacy curriculum at the all-staff meeting, cocreated American history curriculum using original source documents from the American Memory website, and presented to the PTA on Internet safety and social media.

Even if all (or any) of your experience isn’t in a library, your resume should focus on the skills that librarians use every day, such as working with children, collaborating with others, writing, budget planning, managing resources, grant writing, managing people, customer service, program planning and execution, documenting, and statistical analysis. Include something about experiential learning. For example, mention that you’ve worked with third graders on an ancient Egypt research project and accompanied the class to the museum to examine artifacts, or supplied students with websites to create their own hieroglyphic messages.

For job seekers already working in a public library, plan a resume-writing workshop with a local corporate human resources professional. It’s the kind of community service that always looks great on a resume. For those who are unemployed, make this request as a patron at your local library or attend a writing workshop.

It doesn’t hurt to look around at examples of resume formats. I’m fond of Arthur D. Rosenberg’s The Resume Handbook (Adams Media, 2007). It offers a variety of formats for all kinds of jobs (including a librarian’s) and demonstrates how to emphasize the skills needed for a range of professions. The author also reiterates what may not be common knowledge—quantify the information, which means to highlight pertinent information such as the fact that you’ve been a supervisor. Include the number of staffers you oversaw, and whether you started a “Friends of the Library” group. Did its membership shoot up by 50 percent during the time you were there? Then say it.

As for aesthetics, keep it simple. That means no neon stock paper, no fancy typeface, no less than 12-point font, and a clean design. Yes, it can be more than one page. (That old advice is for just-out-of-college kids.) But try to keep the page count under three. If it’s more than a page long, number the pages and use the header function to label additional pages with your last name. Saving the document in Microsoft Word or as a pdf is perfectly acceptable, as long as it can be easily emailed, opened, and printed.

After you’ve gone over your resume with a fine-tooth comb, have someone else do the same. This is no joke. Do you want your resume nixed because of a silly typo? Homonyms are my favorite error; spell check doesn’t catch those. I’ve received resumes with nonworking phone numbers, the applicant’s name misspelled, and endings with dropped sentences.

Research the prospective employer, look at its website, and if possible talk to someone who works or has worked there. Be prepared at all times with an up-to-date resume.

Does your cover letter cover all the bases?

Never send a resume without a cover letter—unless, of course, the employer specifically says so. (Following directions is essential.)

Create a letterhead with your contact information. Don’t be lazy and send your cover letter to “To Whom It May Concern.” Pick up the phone or do a quick online search to find out the name of the director of human resources. Then address the letter to that person—and don’t address them by their first name. I get very annoyed when someone I don’t know begins any correspondence—either hard copy or email—with “Hi, Lisa.” If you’re asked to address the search committee, then your cover letter should say, “Dear Search Committee.” If you’re sending an electronic application, however, the content of the email message can serve as your cover letter, and you can simply attach your resume.

The first paragraph of your letter should be very simple. What job are you seeking? Where did you hear about it? Why are you the perfect candidate? In the second paragraph, you’ll want to briefly discuss why you’re the perfect candidate and your knowledge of the employer. Do your research. Choose one part of the job description and give a concise example that reflects your own experience.

In the closing paragraph, say, “Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.” Sign off by including your name, email address, and the best phone number to reach you during the day. Yes, this information is already on your letterhead and your resume, but it doesn’t hurt to include it on everything you send, so contacting you is as easy as possible.

Presenting the best possible you—online and off

Your parents, best friend, and jogging partner aren’t who potential employers are seeking in a reference. They’re talking about former and current professors, the teacher/librarian that you interned with, supervisors, and colleagues. They all make excellent references. Let each reference know that you’re listing them on your resume, and for goodness sake, make sure you know what they’re going to say. In fact, feel free to give them pointers. “I would love for you to say that I work well collaboratively. Remember the interdepartmental program we did with teens?” When someone asks me to be a reference, I always ask for the job description and what experience they’d like me to highlight. On your list of references, make sure to include each person’s name, place of business, email address, phone number, and their relationship to you.

If you don’t have a personal business card, head on over to Kinkos or Staples and have one made immediately. Why? Because you never know whom you’ll meet. There’s always someone who knows someone—and that’s the time to whip out your business card, not your resume. “May I give you my card?” is the appropriate way to offer your professional contact information. The card should list your name, home address, telephone numbers, and blog and email addresses in a plain typeface, and it should be on heavy stock. That’s it. Ditch any cutesy cartoons of pets, fancy fonts, colored paper, or made-up job titles like “cybrarian.” On that note, now’s the time to create a plain-vanilla email address and save the biteme@yahoo.com for your friends. If it’s not already taken, use your first name and last or an initial with your full last name. If all that is available is Tomjones640@gmail.com, try including a middle initial or middle name to create a distinctive address.

Now’s also the time to clean up your online presence. And that includes your Facebook page. According to a 2005 survey of 102 executive recruiters by ExecuNet, an executive job-search and networking organization, 75 percent of recruiters use search engines to uncover information about candidates, and 26 percent of recruiters have eliminated candidates because of information they found online. Don’t be surprised if pictures of body piercings, crazy drunken photos, nudity, and objectionable language turn off a recruiter or human resource manager. Even your political views can push you aside as a candidate. Yes, nothing is private. So take down any potentially embarrassing photos. Stop arguing. Just do it.

You’ll also want to Google yourself. Put your full name in quotes like this, “Lisa Von Drasek,” and see what pops up. It isn’t easy to get rid of stuff that’s already out there. If you ranted something embarrassing on a blog six years ago and now it’s the first thing that comes up, you can actually bury it to a second page by creating your own blog. Then, ask your friends to click on your blog when it appears in a Google search. Doing that will move the negative stuff to the second search page, and someone doing a quick search will likely miss it.

The same applies if you want positive information about you to move up in the search engine results. Again, search for your name in quotes. Then, click on the link that you want to move up in the rankings. Get your friends to search and click on that link. Want your LinkedIn bio to move up? Uh-huh, click on it. (If you’re asking, what’s LinkedIn? Beeline to www.linkedin.com and set up an account.) Does your name appear in a report from a conference that you attended? Click on it. Keep doing it until those items become the most popular—and therefore the most visible—search results. For more savvy tips, check out “Manage Your Online Reputation” on Lifehacker.

Some say that a blog is the new resume. There’s no doubt that it can be a powerful tool for self-marketing. So don’t blog about anything you wouldn’t do or say in a job interview. What should you post on your blog? Professional-related interests, software, apps and/or book reviews, recent author readings, upcoming local events of interest, links to libraries that you love, thematic bibliographies, or a compelling academic interest. A posting can be a link to professional articles that you find interesting, a library website that you appreciate, and blogs that you enjoy. A few sentences are enough for each post, and try to update the site often. If you went to a local meeting of children’s librarians, blog about it. Set up a Google alert with your blog’s name, your own name, and topics of interest. Whenever your name or topics are mentioned on the web, an email with a link to the site will appear in your inbox. If you’re lucky enough to have a blog on a work website, plaster your name and byline all over it.

Every job-seeking librarian should create a professional portfolio that includes writing samples such as press releases, newsletters, memos, recommended reading lists, and any renovations your oversaw. It’s also a good idea to include sample curriculum, assignments, and copies of student work. For the interview, prepare a folder of leave-behinds: a copy of your resume, a sheet with professional references, links to websites that you’ve created, a writing sample (a book review would be great), and a lesson plan that includes goals, the state standards addressed, and the cooperating classroom curriculum that it supports. If you’re seeking a public library position, it doesn’t hurt to have a copy of a program plan, a press release, a friend of the library newsletter, a summer reading announcement, and an annotated book list. By the way, if you’re not already reviewing and writing for professional journals, start now. It’s one way an applicant can stand out and demonstrate enthusiasm.

One great way to spruce up your portfolio is with pictures. If you’re student teaching or doing a practicum, don’t let a day go by without using a digital camera. Document students’ work, book displays, and students working—but avoid photographing children’s faces or crop them out and never use students’ names. Post your images on your blog. This won’t guarantee that you’ll get the job over another applicant, but it does demonstrate that you’re pretty tech savvy and can document your work—two things an interviewing committee will definitely take into account. I’m sure it didn’t hurt when I applied for my current position and left behind photos of kids in my library enjoying the Writing Box program that I created and included program notes for other librarians to re-create the experience. (If you’d like to learn more about my project, visit http://webstaging.bankstreet.edu/gems/library/writingbox.pdf.)

Many applicants for school positions may be asked to teach a lesson to demonstrate their competency. What most committees are looking to see is your teaching style, how you interact with children, and your classroom management skills. I’d advise preparing at least three 45-minute lessons—say, one for preschoolers, another for elementary school kids, and a third for middle schoolers. You might want to use a picture book with the lower grades, and for the upper grades, you could focus on a facet of information literacy, such as teaching online search skills. Bone up on your classroom management skills. Speak in a low voice using direct sentences. Be courteous. Use “please” and “thank you.” Ask children to say their names when they speak. Repeat their names back to them.

Of course, you don’t want to wait until the day before the interview to prepare. If it’s been a while since you’ve stepped in front of a class, Chip Wood’s Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4–14 (NEFC, 2007) can provide a quick refresher on kids’ developmental levels. Since some schools won’t allow potential job candidates to interact with actual students, be prepared to present your lesson to a panel of adults.

If you’re a current classroom teacher, you’re in luck. Become good friends with your school librarian. Help out with shelving, circulation, and processing. She’ll be a great reference when you’re going for a job interview. If you don’t have a school librarian, start advocating for one right now. Join the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, and take advantage of its advocacy resources. Show an interest in current literature, be visible to the principal, write a memo about why students at a comparable school are doing better than yours. The job that you create might be yours to step into. Don’t scoff, this just happened to a classroom teacher who called to request a meeting with me because her school is moving to a new space and there will be a library in 2012.

Work part-time evenings and weekends at a local public library. Remember, budget shortages often mean they’re short staffed and may be hiring part-time help. Reference experience is the most valuable. Keep up with current literature. Read School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Voya, and Booklist. And keep tabs on book- and teaching-related blogs. Some of my favorites include “A Fuse #8 Production,” “A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy” (both at blogs.slj.com), and “EarlyWord” for publishing news and reviews, “no flying, no tights” for the latest on comics and graphic novels, “Heavy Medal” for the skinny on Newbery contenders and “NeverEndingSearch” (both at blogs.slj.com) for cutting-edge information on technology and teaching, and “Reading Rants!” for YA reviews.

Sign up for and read LM_NET, an online discussion group for school librarians, to keep up with the latest news on school library concerns and issues. Go to regional meetings, like those hosted by the California or Massachusetts Library Association. Be aware of hot curriculum issues. Visit as many school libraries as you can (even if it’s after your own school day) and network with the librarians you meet. They’re the first ones to know of any openings, such as who’s going on maternity leave or who just decided to retire. Don’t ignore the obvious job-hunting sites like ala.org or libraryjournal.com or your graduate school’s career counseling office. If you’re working full-time, see if you can get student teaching experience in a library at least one day a week. Did a library school professor ask for help with an event? Did you see a professional event at the public library that will be a good place to network with colleagues? Show up. Go early, stay late. Yes, I know: you have a life, you have other things to do on a Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock. Show up anyway. Have your business cards in hand. Walk up to the speaker afterward, introduce yourself, and thank them for their presentation.

Dress for success

Even if everyone wore blue jeans and T-shirts at your last three jobs, you need to demonstrate that you know how to dress for grown-ups. The rule of thumb is to dress up one step above the present corporate culture. Do a little recon work by finding out what teachers look like when they leave the building. If they’re dressed in jeans and cardigans, put on a blazer. If you see them in sharp blazers and khakis, be sure to wear a suit for your interview. Never worry about overdressing.

Schedule your interview with a half hour to spare. Give yourself plenty of time to visit the restroom to wash up or reapply make-up and check your appearance. If you’re running late (stuff happens, a kid just threw up on you, there was an accident on the freeway), call to let them know and ask if they want to reschedule. This demonstrates good judgment. (I once called to reschedule an interview when there was a sudden downpour; it was on my lunch break, and I was 10 blocks away. I did get the job.) When you do arrive, if you need a moment to go to the restroom, say so. Recently, we had a candidate who arrived soaking wet, as it was 105 degrees in the subway. Take a minute.

Bring a checklist of materials with you: reference sheet, three copies of your resume, a folder of materials to leave behind, a professional portfolio, two working pens and a notepad, a children’s book. Turn off your cell phone when you arrive. Pack an emergency kit in your bag with a bottle of water, breath mints, hand sanitizer, hand wipes, face powder, a comb, safety pins, Band-Aids, and a high-protein snack like an ounce of nuts or a breakfast bar. Hey, you just never know.

How to ace the interview

Now that you’ve landed an interview, it’s time to show them your stuff. Review the job description and address each point. How will you meet these expectations? What relevant experiences and special skills do you have? What evidence do you have to show that you go the extra mile? Practice with a friend. Really practice. Have your friend ask tough questions like, “Why does the school library need novels when each of our classrooms has a collection of books for independent reading?”

Have a few three-minute stories prepared. Can you give an example of a successful teaching moment? Can you talk about a negative parent interaction and how it was resolved successfully? Has anyone ever challenged a title—how did you handle it? Did you ever have a lesson go south—what did you do?

Think about how you fit into the school culture. Here’s a true story: A candidate for a teacher/librarian position was asked, “What would you do if a class was consistently late for library?” He replied, “I would let it go once, then I would march down to the classroom and insist that it should never happen again. That teacher needs to respect my program.” Wrong answer! How about making an appointment with the teacher and finding out why the class is always late. Demonstrate your ability to play well—and collaborate—with others.

Prepare questions to ask about the school. Make it clear that you’ve visited its website. Does the library host a book fair? What’s its annual materials budget? How long was the previous librarian in the position? Is there a fixed or flexible schedule? One way to make a poor impression is to say, “No,” when the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions?”

If you can’t answer a question you’ve been asked, it’s perfectly acceptable to say, “That’s something I need to think more about.” Then direct the conversation to a point you’d like to make, such as an example of a successful collaboration.

Don’t forget to say thanks, formally

During the interview, ask for all of the interviewers’ names and collect their business cards. If you’re uncomfortable doing that, get their titles and the correct spellings of their names from the school’s website. Don’t be shy about calling back the same afternoon or the next day. Introduce yourself to the school secretary, state that you had an interview and that you wanted to confirm the spelling of the names of the hiring team members. Handwrite thank-you notes to each person whom you met. There will be an “oh, I wish I had said that, or why didn’t I tell them” reflection. The thank-you note is the perfect place to say an additional positive comment. “I noticed that when your students…”; “I thought more about your curriculum questions…”. Put it in the mail that day or the next. Even better, have a stamped envelope addressed before the interview. Go to a nearby coffee shop. Write the text on a notebook page, recopy it in a clean neat hand on good stationery, and drop it in the nearest mailbox. Some say that it’s acceptable to email a thank-you note, but why not go the extra step? Do you want this job? Write thank-you notes. I knew someone who had a phone interview, then an interview with a local recruiter, and finally was flown to another city as one of three finalists. After she returned home, I asked how it went. She said great. When I asked if she had sent thank-you notes, she said not yet. I had a hunch that she really didn’t want the job. And you know what? She didn’t get it.

Don’t be discouraged

The truly discouraged are those who have sent out many a resume and received nary a bite. They are those who have made it to the final round of interviews but received no offers. Those who think there’s no hope, no jobs, and ask, “What does a person have to do to get a position?”

The truly discouraged should buy and diligently study Richard Bolles’s What Color Is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed Press). Treat the search like a full-time job. Follow all of his suggestions and do the recommended exercises. Bolles knows what he’s talking about: his practical job-hunting strategies are based on years of research, and best of all, they really work.

If you can’t concentrate at home, go to the public library every day with Parachute, a blank notebook, and a handful of sharpened pencils. Job seekers who are paralyzed by disappointment and anxiety should bookend the day. By bookend I mean call a friend, state your planned activities for the day, and at the end of the day call them back and report in. If you can’t do it alone, find an action partner, another job seeker may need similar support. The exercises in Parachute will help identify your job-related strengths and preferences and how your own experiences inform your career. Don’t worry about how many rejections you’ve gotten. As Bolles is fond of saying, you only need one “yes” to land the job of your dreams.

When preparation meets opportunity

Sometimes getting a job is pure luck—being at the right place at the right time. Take advantage of those moments by being prepared. Always be ready with that 30-second commercial about yourself: Who are you? What’s your experience? What job do you want? That person you meet in line at the museum whose five-year-old you amused during a five-minute wait might be a parent from a private school that needs a librarian, and—surprise!—it turns out that she’s on the library committee. Of course, you have your crisp, clean business cards easily accessible. You might even suggest that you’d love an opportunity to meet with the principal. Who knows? This could be the job you’ve been waiting for.

Author Information
Lisa Von Drasek (lvondrasek@mac.com) is children’s librarian and coordinator of school services at Bank Street College of Education in New York.

Sample Cover Letter

Elizabeth Warrington Ray
65 Hill Street
Mankato, MN 56001
Betsywarringtonray@gmail.com
cell phone: (555) 555-5555

Search Committee
Great Girls Preparatory Academy
555 Blue Earth Way
St. Peter, MN 56022

Dear Search Committee:

Having recently completed my MLIS at St. Catherine University, I was pleased to see your advertisement for an elementary school librarian in the St. Paul Pioneer. I know that Great Girls Preparatory Academy provides a rigorous academic experience for economically challenged students, and I would be honored to become part of your community.

My internship in the Minneapolis Public Schools at the Fran Tarkenton Elementary School has provided me with the experience of supporting fifth-grade teachers in their work in Reading Recovery as well as in stretching limited resources. During my time with Ms. Katrina DiCamillo, I student taught pre-K through fifth grade and had the opportunity to booktalk genres to the entire fourth grade. As a reading response activity, the students created video trailers for their favorite fantasy novels with two flip cameras donated by our local Target. We also created a book discussion wiki as well as a donation request list for summer reading. My second placement at John Coy Middle School gave me an opportunity to work with students in grades six through eight and participate in Ms. Joy Sidman’s mock Newbery curriculum.

Attached, please find my resume, as well as my professional references as requested. I look forward to hearing from you. I can best be reached at (555) 555-5555 or, if email is more convenient, at Betsywarringtonray@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Betsy Ray

 HOW TO TANK AN INTERVIEW

• Be high-handed or disrespectful to a member of the support staff
• Complain about your present job or anyone you’ve worked with
• Gossip about colleagues or parents at your school
• Talk about how hard it has been to get a job
• Criticize the school, the building, the educational philosophy, the collection (yes, I know the 900s need weeding)
• Seem unaware of curriculum, state standards, or current issues in information literacy
• Say you don’t know how to teach different learners or students with special needs
• Can’t name a new or recently read children’s book
• Can’t express enthusiasm for teaching
• No eye contact, weak handshake
• Reek of cologne or perfume or cigarette smoke
• Talk about politics
• Say you’ll never be able to stay after school
• Say you don’t have time to read
• Use foul language
• Show up late
• Bring a friend to the interview
• Show up unprepared
• Don’t follow directions
• Answer your cell phone or text during the conversation

 BLOGS THAT CAN HELP

Recessionwire was started by media professionals who were laid off during the big purge of 2008. Although the blog doesn’t pay contributors, it provides writers with an online place to show their work to prospective employers. Take a look at the sections “Make lemonade,” “Laid off 101,” and “Get a Job Guide.”

Evil HR Lady Ever wonder what those human resource professionals are thinking? Suzanne Lucas spent 10 years doing corporate HR, and she’s hired and fired folks for several major companies. She gives no-nonsense but often entertaining advice to job seekers and working stiffs.

BNET—Life at Work This business resource covers a variety of topics, including “12 Ways to Turn Around a Terrible Day,” “10 Resume Errors That Will Land You in the Trash,” “5 Things That Are Wrong with Your Resume (and How to Fix Them),” and “Carefully Hone Your Resume Accomplishments for Better Job Opportunities.”

Pathfinder Careers is the brainchild of Dawn Rasmussen, president of Pathfinder Writing and Career Service, who offers unvarnished advice to job hunters.

Give me your tired, your poor…

But not too tired, not too poor.

And we will give you the red tape,

the long line, white bread in its wrapper,

forms to fill out, and the looks, the stares

that say you are not where or what you should be,

not quite, not yet, you will never live up to us.

—from “Statue of Liberty Dreams of Emma Lazarus, Awakens with Tears on Her Cheeks” [...]]]> By Phyllis Levy Mandell, 12/31/2010

Give me your tired, your poor…

But not too tired, not too poor.

And we will give you the red tape,

the long line, white bread in its wrapper,

forms to fill out, and the looks, the stares

that say you are not where or what you should be,

not quite, not yet, you will never live up to us.

—from “Statue of Liberty Dreams of Emma Lazarus, Awakens with Tears on Her Cheeks” by Naomi Shihab Nye

To say that immigration is currently a controversial issue would be an understatement. The media is rife with misinformation and does a very poor job of making the critical distinction between legal and illegal immigration. Because of this, it is vitally important that libraries provide students with clear and unbiased material on the topic.

In addition, fiction written from a broad range of perspectives is critical to students’ understanding of immigration. Stories can demonstrate that peanut butter seems as strange to some kids as hummus is to others, acknowledge the overwhelming experience of exchanging familiar faces and places with the unsettlingly unfamiliar, or underscore the challenges for children who integrate more quickly into American culture than their parents. Through reading about an immigrant’s experience, nonimmigrant children and teens learn to empathize with those they might see as “different,” and those who come from an immigrant background learn that they are not alone. Recent concerns about bullying in our schools make these benefits all the more important.

While this bibliography focuses on current immigration, some titles on immigration history have been included where appropriate or in cases where there are parallels between the historical experience and contemporary issues. Their inclusion serves to illustrate that the latest questions about immigration are not in any way new, even though they are often presented as such. And in a few titles, the protagonists are not immigrants themselves, but they struggle with being perceived as newcomers because of cultural practices or simply because of their appearance.

Coming to America

RECORVITS, Helen. My Name Is Yoon. illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. 2003. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-374-35114-4.

K-Gr 2–A Korean girl comes to America and struggles with learning a new language as she tries out different names for herself in English. Imaginatively conceived, strikingly handsome paintings convey the confusion and sorrow Yoon experiences, capturing her frustration and ultimate triumph as she forges a personal path in her new home.

FLEMING, Candace. Lowji Discovers America. S&S/Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Bks. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-689-86299-1.

Gr 3-5–Nine-year-old Lowji has just moved from Bombay to an apartment in Illinois with his parents. It’s summer and making friends is a challenge. As he settles into his new home, his confusion about American culture leads to a string of comedic pet adoptions. Told from Lowji’s perspective, this is an engaging classroom read-aloud.

APPLEGATE, Katherine. Home of the Brave. Feiwel & Friends. 2007. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-312-36765-7.

Gr 4-6–In this poignant verse novel, a Sudanese refugee violently torn from a culture in which “cattle mean life” moves in with his aunt’s family in Minnesota in the middle of winter and is quickly overwhelmed by the vast changes in his environment. Caring for an old cow helps Kek bridge the gap. Audiobook available from Listening Library.

GIFF, Patricia Reilly. Wild Girl. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. 2009. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-83890-3; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93890-0.

Gr 4-6–Five years after her mother’s death, 12-year-old Lidie immigrates to New York from Brazil to join her brother and father, who have been training racehorses and who treat her like the little girl they remember. Strong-willed and confused, Lidie finds comfort in the relationship she builds with a horse called Wild Girl.

HOBBS, Will. Crossing the Wire. HarperCollins. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-074138-9; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-074139-6.

Gr 5 Up–With his family struggling to get by in Mexico, 15-year-old Victor decides that the only way he can help them is to make the dangerous trip across the American border. This is an adventure story that will also help readers understand the plight of undocumented immigrants. Audiobook available from Recorded Books.

TAN, Shaun. The Arrival. Scholastic/Arthur L. Levine Bks. 2007. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-439-89529-3.

Gr 7 Up–In this wordless graphic novel, Tan captures the feelings of a man recently arrived in a new country who must make sense of his strange surroundings. Fantastical and surreal illustrations demonstrate how confusing and bizarre a new place can look to an outsider.

KAMARA, Mariatu with Susan McCleland. The Bite of the Mango. Annick. 2008. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-55451-159-4; pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55451-158-7.

Gr 9 Up–In this memoir, Kamara, a victim of atrocities experienced in war-torn Sierra Leone, shares her story. When she was 12, rebel soldiers chopped off her hands with a machete and left her for dead. Against all odds, she survived and immigrated to Canada. A realistic and harrowing account of the refugee experience.

Dealing with Our Differences

AL ABDULLAH, Rania , with Kelly DiPucchio . The Sandwich Swap. illus. by Tricia Tussa. Hyperion. 2010. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-2484-9.

K-Gr 2–Two girls, each thinking the other one’s lunch looks unappetizing, finally agree to trade. Salma decides peanut butter and jelly isn’t so bad after all, and Lily decides the same thing about hummus and pita bread. Soft watercolor illustrations enhance this story about accepting and appreciating differences.

KHAN, Rukhsana. Big Red Lollipop. illus. by Sophie Blackall. Viking. 2010. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-06287-4.

Gr 2-4–Colorful, expressive illustrations communicate both cultural detail and the real tension between Rubina and her younger sister in this winning story of sibling rivalry. Khan shows how something as simple as a birthday party can create considerable confusion for someone new to American culture.

LIN, Grace. The Year of the Dog. illus. by author. Little, Brown. 2005. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-316-06000-4.

Gr 3-5–As Grace becomes friends with another Taiwanese-American girl and listens to her parents’ stories, she begins to appreciate her dual cultures. Charming black-and-white drawings are scattered throughout. Audiobook available from Recorded Books.

LOMBARD, Jenny. Drita, My Homegirl. Putnam. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-399-24380-6.

Gr 3-5–Drita, a refugee from Kosovo, and Maxie, an African-American girl, form a unique friendship. Maxie helps Drita learn American customs so that she can more easily fit into their fourth-grade classroom, while Drita helps Maxie deal with her grief over the death of her mom. Told in alternating viewpoints.

MOBIN-UDDIN, Asma. My Name Is Bilal. illus. by Barbara Kiwak. Boyds Mills Press. 2005. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-175-3.

Gr 3-6–Bilal and his sister, Ayesha, are the only Muslim students in their new school. When a bully snatches Ayesha’s headscarf, Bilal denies his Muslim heritage. With the help of a caring teacher, he learns to stand up for his sister and his beliefs. Illustrated with watercolor paintings.

ALVAREZ, Julia. Return to Sender. Knopf. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85838-3; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95838-0.

Gr 4-7–After an injury, Tyler’s father relies on an undocumented migrant family to run his Vermont farm. Sixth-graders Tyler and Mari Cruz relay the story of a growing friendship between families over a year spent together as well as the dangerous challenges faced by illegal immigrants from Mexico. Audiobook available from Listening Library.

MELMAN, Anna. Muslims in America. (World of Islam Series). Mason Crest. 2009. PLB $22.95. ISBN 978-1-4222-0535-8.

Gr 4-8–Part of a series that “seeks to educate and enlighten youth to one of the world’s most predominant religions,” this book discusses the challenges faced by the diverse group of people who practice Islam in America in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Information on American Muslim history, demographics, organizations, extremism, and attitudes is included.

LUPICA, Mike. Heat. Philomel. 2006. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-24301-1.

Gr 5-8–Michael, a Cuban immigrant, is the star pitcher of his little-league team. When a rival team challenges his age, he must figure out how to get his birth certificate from Cuba to prove he can play before the big game, highlighting how difficult a simple process can become for someone born elsewhere. Audiobook available from Listening Library.

BUDHOS, Marina. Tell Us We’re Home. S & S/Atheneum. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-0352-9.

Gr 6-9–Three eighth-graders, all immigrants from different backgrounds, strain to fit in at their affluent New Jersey middle school. Their mothers work as nannies and housekeepers in the homes of their peers, and when Jaya’s mother is accused of stealing from her employer, the girls must face anti-immigrant sentiment within their community.

STRATTON, Allan. Borderline. HarperTeen. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-145111-9; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-145112-6.

Gr 7 Up–Fifteen-year-old Sami faces bullying at school because of his Muslim faith. Ultimately he sets off a chain of events that results in his father being accused of domestic terrorism. A taut, fast-paced thriller with well-crafted characters, realistic teen dialogue, and a disturbingly plausible plotline.

YANG, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. illus. by author. First Second. 2007. pap. $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-152-2.

Gr 7 Up–This graphic novel conveys the pain of trying to fit in. Chinese-American middle-schooler Jin Wang wants to be accepted but feels that he is perceived as a stereotype. Jin’s story is interwoven with two additional story lines, one featuring Chinese folk hero Monkey King and the other featuring ethnic stereotype Chin-Kee, each illustrated in a different style.

KARIM, Sheba. Skunk Girl. Farrar. 2009. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-374-37011-4.

Gr 8 Up–At 16, Nina is mortified to discover that she has inherited the “Pakistani hairy gene,” including a stripe of dark hair down her back. The lone Asian student in a small high school in upstate New York, she struggles with insecurities about her appearance, her Pakistani-Muslim identity, and the strict rules set by her parents.

MCNEAL, Laura. Dark Water. Knopf. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84973-2; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94973-9.

Gr 8 Up–In this tragic romance set against a backdrop of impending tragedy, 15-year-old Pearl and Amiel, an undocumented Mexican migrant worker, fall in love. They make decisions to hide their relationship that lead to disaster when a wildfire sweeps through their Southern California community.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same (Understanding Our History)

GLASER, Linda. Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty. illus. by Claire A. Nivola. Houghton Harcourt. 2010. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-547-17184-5.

Gr 2-4–Told in spare, free verse paired with tender watercolor and gouache paintings, this biography of Emma Lazarus and the story of how she came to write “The New Colossus” illuminates the importance of immigrant advocacy and serves to remind readers that the United States has always struggled with integrating immigrants. DVD and audio version available from Spoken Arts Media.

PATERSON, Katherine. The Day of the Pelican. Clarion. 2009. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-547-18188-2.

Gr 5-8–Eleven-year-old Meli and her family, Albanian Kosovars, must leave their home to avoid ethnic cleansing. After spending time in a refugee camp, they arrive in America and begin to integrate into the culture until the attacks of September 11th change their lives once again. Audiobook available from Brilliance Audio.

SENZAI, N. H. Shooting Kabul. S & S/Paula Wiseman Bks. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0194-5.

Gr 5-8–After a traumatic escape from Afghanistan in July 2001, in which his younger sister is lost, 11-year-old Fadi and his family find a new home in San Francisco. Set against the backdrop of September 11th and the subsequent bombing of his homeland, Fadi perseveres against bullying and maintains hope in finding his sister.

BAUSUM, Ann. Denied, Detained, Deported: The Dark Side of American Immigration. National Geographic. 2009. Tr $21.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0332-6; PLB $32.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0333-3.

Gr 5-9–Three true stories illustrate the struggles America has faced with immigration policy over the years and how ideas of “right” and “wrong” with respect to it change over time. A concluding chapter deals with current immigration issues across our southern border. Historical photographs are included.

BURG, Ann E. All the Broken Pieces. Scholastic. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-08092-7.

Gr 6-8–In this verse novel set in the late 1970s, 12-year-old Matt Pin, the son of an American soldier and a Vietnamese woman, tells his story of being airlifted out of Vietnam. Adopted by an American couple, he is torn between cultures, while many of his peers feel his Vietnamese heritage makes him “the enemy.” Audiobook available from Scholastic Audiobooks.

MANIVONG, Laura. Escaping the Tiger. HarperCollins. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-166177-8.

Gr 7-10–In 1982, 12-year-old Vonlai and his family escape Communist Laos by way of a dangerous trip across the Mekong River and spend four long years of deprivation in a Thai refugee camp, waiting to come to America. A gripping tale based on the author’s husband’s experiences.

General Nonfiction

WEISS, Gail Garfinkel. Americans from Russia and Eastern Europe. (New Americans Series). Marshall Cavendish. 2010. PLB $24.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-4310-0.

Gr 4-8–This entry in an accessible and highly visual series examines recent patterns of immigration from Eastern Europe to America, the challenges immigrants face upon arrival, their contributions to American culture, and the history of immigration. Maps, color photos, and census information are included. Other areas represented in the series are India and South Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, China, Korea, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and West Africa.

MILLER, Karen, ed. Immigration. (Social Issues Firsthand Series). Greenhaven. 2006. PLB $28.70. ISBN 978-0-7377-2893-4.

Gr 8 Up–People from all walks of life and many different countries share their stories. Sections on coming to America, adapting to this country, feeling caught between cultures, and the benefits of immigrating are included.

ANDERSON, Stuart. Immigration. (Greenwood Guide to to Business and Economics Series). Greenwood. 2010. Tr $55. ISBN 978-0-313-38028-0.

Gr 9 Up–This text-dense title is ideal for students wanting more information about how immigration policy decisions can have a larger impact on the economy and the country as a whole. It’s a complete and unbiased discussion of current immigration from an economic and public-policy perspective.

BANKSTON, Carl L., ed. Encyclopedia of American Immigration. 3 Vols. Salem Press. 2010. PLB $395. ISBN 978-1-58765-599-9.

Gr 9 Up–Comprehensive and accessible, this alphabetically arranged, three-volume encyclopedia covers a broad range of topics, from “Au pairs” to “Green cards” to “Xenophobia” and more. Essays on immigration from various regions, historical events, various types of discrimination, and biographies of prominent immigrants are included. Photographs are incorporated with entries where appropriate.

On the Web

Immigration

Opposing Viewpoints in Context. www.gale.cengage.com/InContext/viewpoints.htm. Gale. (Accessed 11/28/10).

Gr 6 Up–This excellent subscription database (free trials are available) provides information about controversial issues related to current immigration (and other topics) for student researchers. Easily searchable, the results can be sorted by content level. Ongoing updates make this a particularly useful resource.

It’s My Life: Immigration: Moving Towards Hope. pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/immigration. PBS Kids. (Accessed 11/28/10).

Gr 4 Up–Written in a clear, kid-friendly tone, this series of articles presents the difficulties faced by those wanting to immigrate to America. Reasons people leave their country are explored along with the challenges of living as an undocumented immigrant.

Remade in America. projects.nytimes.com/immigration. The New York Times Company. (Accessed 11/28/10).

Gr 6 Up–This excellent seven-part series ran in the New York Times between March and April 2009. A broad range of immigration topics is covered, including schools, family life, medical care, jobs, and politics. Links to additional interactive content and media are provided.

Stories of Yesterday and Today: Immigration. teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration. Scholastic, Inc. (Accessed 11/28/10).

K-Gr 8–Historical and current information on immigration is included along with lesson plans for teachers. Direct students to the stories of three recent middle-school-age immigrants from Kenya, Vietnam, and India as well as questions each child answered about the move to America.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. www.uscis.gov. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Accessed 11/28/10).

Gr 6 Up–Foreign citizens trying to immigrate must navigate this densely packed site offered in English or Spanish. Challenge older students to locate specifics like a video on the naturalization process. Younger students will enjoy browsing the Children’s Art Project, which displays paintings illustrating the theme “We are America.”

Media picks
By Phyllis Levy Mandell

Betti on the High Wire (unabr.). 5 CDs. 6:20 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2010. ISBN 978-0-3077-3828-8. $34.
Gr 4-6-When 10-year-old Babo, one of the “leftover children” living at a destroyed circus camp in a war-torn country, is adopted by an American couple, she finds it challenging to adapt to American life and her new name, Betti. Perfectly narrated by Rachel Gray, Lisa Railsback’s tale (Dial, 2010) about adoption and the melding of diverse cultures is a winner.

I Hate English. DVD. 15 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media. 2007. ISBN 1-933938-22-6. $49.95.
Gr 1-5-In this iconographic version of Ellen Levine’s book (Scholastic, 1989), Mei Mei has difficulty accepting a new language and culture after her family moves from Hong Kong to New York City and avoids speaking English because she’s afraid of losing her Chinese identity. Levine narrates, and Steve Bjorkman’s bright, cartoon-style illustrations reveal the girl’s strong emotions.

Which Way Home. DVD. 83 min./63 min. Prod. by Mr. Mudd Prod. and Documentress Films. Dist. by Bullfrog Films. 2009, 2010 release. ISBN 1-59458-941-0. $295.
Gr 9 Up-This extraordinary film brings viewers into the perilous and inspiring world of several boys from Central America and Mexico who risk life and limb to attain a better life in the U.S. The combination of fabulous cinematography, urgent social commentary, and deeply sympathetic human stories make this a must-have.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” When George Gershwin composed that song, he couldn’t have been thinking of our nation’s public libraries. For those of us who work in children’s departments, summer is the prime season for reading programs and the livin’ is anything but easy. In fact, more kids partake in public library summer reading programs than play Little League baseball. But unlike a ball game in [...]]]> By Carole Fiore and Susan Roman

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” When George Gershwin composed that song, he couldn’t have been thinking of our nation’s public libraries. For those of us who work in children’s departments, summer is the prime season for reading programs and the livin’ is anything but easy. In fact, more kids partake in public library summer reading programs than play Little League baseball. But unlike a ball game in which the final outcome is black and white, many questions persist about the value of summer reading programs. For instance, do they really improve kids’ reading skills and increase their desire to read? Do they lead to higher student achievement? Can they narrow the achievement gap between well-off and poor kids?

Based on the findings of a recent three-year study by Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, we can confirm what many librarians have long suspected: students who take part in their local library’s summer reading program significantly improve their reading skills. In fact, we found that kids who participate in these programs are 52 Lexile points ahead of their peers who do not. Summer reading programs are also an antidote for learning loss. So instead of losing knowledge and skills during the summer months, kids who attend reading programs actually show gains.

Illustrations by Tom Nick Cocotos

This good news couldn’t have come at a better time. Although summer reading programs began more than a century ago and more than 95 percent of public libraries now offer them, people are challenging their value more than ever. In today’s tough economy, many library funders want proof that their tax dollars are being spent wisely. And in some cases, it’s not enough for libraries to measure the effectiveness of these labor-intensive programs solely based on surveys. Now, many library governing boards want to see the results of rigorous quantitative research.

Librarians have typically turned to Barbara Heyns’s 1978 landmark study to back up the benefits of summer reading. More than 30 years ago, Heyns, a New York University sociology professor, spent two years following nearly 3,000 sixth and seventh graders in Atlanta’s public schools. She found that children who read at least six books during the summer maintained or improved their reading skills, while kids who didn’t read any saw their skills slip by as much as an entire grade level. Heyns concluded that the single activity most strongly and consistently tied to summer reading programs was reading—no big surprise there. But she also discovered that summer reading—whether measured by the number of books read, the time spent reading, or even by how often kids used the library—systematically increased students’ vocabulary test scores, and that socioeconomic status had little impact on reading achievement over the summer.

Since then, there have been other notable studies that have examined the effects of summer reading. For example, in the 1982 “Beginning School Study,” researchers Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle of the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning (now the National Center for Summer Learning) found that by the end of fifth grade, students who didn’t read during the summer lagged two years behind their book-reading peers and that summer learning loss accounted for most of the achievement gap between students who lived in poverty and those whose families were better off. And in a 2001 report, “The Role of Public Libraries in Children’s Literacy Development,” the University of Michigan’s Susan Neuman and Temple University’s Donna Celano noted that “for every one line of print read by low-income children, middle-income children read three”—and the disparity between these two groups was greatest during the summer.

Given all of these factors, we were eager to test the theory that summer reading programs boost student achievement. We conducted our research from 2006 to 2009 with a $290,224 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We teamed up with the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, especially at the beginning of the study, and the State Library of Colorado and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. While other studies have explored summer reading programs from the perspective of schools or have focused on the efforts of individual library systems, ours is the first national study to tackle the topic from the perspective of public libraries.

About the study

We targeted students who were completing third grade. Why focus on this group? Because between the end of third grade and the beginning of fourth, students are especially susceptible to summer learning loss. Plus, at the end of third grade, many students are required to take state-administered standardized tests. If their scores aren’t up to snuff, they’re often given two choices: repeat their present grade or attend summer school and retake the tests. In addition, more than two-thirds of fourth graders fail to meet the “proficient” standard on the National Assessment of Educational Progress—our nation’s education report card. And among fourth graders enrolled in schools in high-poverty areas, the results are dramatically worse: more than 85 percent fail to reach the proficiency level. Another key reason our study homed in on third graders is that by the time students reach fourth grade, they’re expected to have made the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” In other words, it’s a critical stage in reading development, and we wanted to explore the role that public library summer reading programs might play in helping students become successful readers in school and beyond. Would these kids actually begin the new school year maintaining or gaining in reading achievement?

To answer that question and others, we followed students from 11 schools in eight states, including Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, and Oregon. To be eligible for the study, each school was required to work with a local public library that offered a summer reading program for a minimum of six weeks. We focused on schools in which more than 50 percent of students received free or reduced meals and at least 85 percent were able to take the reading proficiency test in English. Ultimately, our study included schools in both large and small communities, as well as in rural, urban, and suburban areas, and we paid particular attention to students from low-income families. (For a complete list of participating schools and public libraries, as well as additional information on other aspects of the study, visit www.dom.edu/academics/gslis/downloads/DOM_IMLS_book_2010_FINAL_web.pdf.)

To determine students’ reading levels, we used the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) Enterprise Edition, a computer-based assessment tool, and we surveyed students, parents, school and public librarians and teachers both before and after the summer reading programs.

What we discovered

As hoped, our findings showed that third-grade students who participated in summer reading programs scored higher on reading tests at the beginning of fourth grade and didn’t experience summer learning loss. They also scored higher on the post-tests than students who did not participate. Although students who didn’t participate in summer reading programs made gains, they didn’t reach the level of students who did participate.

Looking more closely at the test results, students who participated in summer reading programs increased their scores by 4 Lexile points on the Scholastic Reading Inventory, while students who didn’t participate increased their scores by 15 points. Family trips and other influences that we couldn’t measure may account for some of the latter group’s gains. However, even at the end of the summer, students who participated in summer reading programs were still 52 Lexile points ahead of their peers who didn’t take part. Examining the student reading outcome results, we found that those who participated in their local public library summer reading program left school reading at a significantly higher level in spring 2008. When students returned to school in the fall, those who participated in the library program were still reading at a higher level but the difference was no longer statistically significant when compared to students who did not participate. Although the fall 2008 results didn’t meet the statistically accepted level of significance, as a descriptive and expletory study a significance level approaching .10 was encouraging.

Through surveys, we further found that teachers believed that students who participated in summer reading programs entered the following school year with a positive attitude about reading, were more confident in the classroom, read beyond what was required, and perceived reading as important. Fourth-grade teachers also observed that these students started the school year ready to learn, had improved reading achievement, appeared to have increased reading enjoyment, and were more motivated to read than their peers who didn’t take part in such a program.

Parents also noticed a difference. They observed that their kids read more than those who didn’t participate in summer reading programs, and they were better prepared when they entered school in the fall. What about kids who didn’t attend a summer reading program? There wasn’t a single parent who “strongly agreed” that their child was better prepared to begin the new school year. We also uncovered other interesting differences between these two groups of parents. Parents of summer reading program participants used the library more often, had more books at home, and offered more literary activities at home (such as reading with their children, visiting the library frequently, and providing Internet access) than parents whose kids didn’t sit in on summer reading programs.

We also found that more girls participated in the summer reading program than boys (53 percent compared to 45 percent), most of the participants were Caucasian (49 percent), and 61 percent of the participants qualified for free or reduced school meals.

A call to action

Research for purely academic reasons can be a theoretical exercise. But unless the information gained from such studies is turned into action, it does little to advance our everyday practices. That’s why we’re urging library staff, administrators, educators, and others to use these findings to transform attitudes about public library summer reading programs.

Our research and findings from other studies have shaped our call for action. Summer learning loss is more pronounced in children from families and communities that have a lower socioeconomic status. And access to books is lacking in those same communities. Public library summer reading programs help level the playing field.

Since one of the primary reasons for offering summer reading programs is to benefit children’s education, and therefore communities as a whole, library staffers need to team up with teachers and school librarians to identify nonreaders and under-performing students, reach out to them, and draw them into the library. These partnerships will get easier once the education community understands that public libraries can play a significant role in closing the achievement gap by helping children maintain and gain reading skills.

We also encourage library staff members to reach out to parents, grandparents, and other caregivers, since they’re the ones with the most influence over what a child does outside of school. Librarians shouldn’t ignore the impact that positive family values have on the children they wish to serve.

We also need to stress the social aspects of summer reading clubs. Peer interactions during library activities and reading discussions have a positive impact on students and leave them with the notion that reading and libraries are valuable.

Most children and teens receive support from at least one nonparent adult, so why can’t that person be a librarian? Librarians can easily nurture a child’s love of reading and lifelong learning. This is a role you should be prepared to assume.

Our research and that of others cited in our final report shows a disparity between reading and library use when it comes to affluent and poor kids. So public libraries need to provide more books and reading materials to children in depressed neighborhoods than to their more advantaged peers who have better funded and stocked libraries and more books at home.

Our research also found that more girls than boys took part in the summer reading programs and the participants were primarily Caucasian. So public libraries need to create more programs that attract boys and minorities. This includes programs that are more active and less passive, such as gaming programs and craft programs that encourage creativity, and by adding computer games, magazines, and graphic novels—all things that often attract boys to reading and the library. To reach tech-savvy kids, regardless of gender, libraries need to change how they collect data. We need to move from traditional reading logs to online logs. And we need to acknowledge the diversity within local communities and the multicultural nature of our nation as a whole.

Last, but by no means least, more money should be invested in summer reading programs—especially in public libraries that serve children and families in poor or depressed areas. And we need to make certain that all children have access to books, not only in the library but at home. It takes some work, but public librarians can partner with other nonprofit organizations, such as First Book and Reading Is Fundamental, to give books to disadvantaged children so that they can own books and build home libraries.

While June, July, and August may be the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer,” we hope that by implementing these recommendations in your libraries, “You’ll wish that summer could always be here.”

Carole Fiore (Carole@Fiore-tlc.biz), the author of Fiore’s Summer Library Reading Program Handbook (Neal-Schuman, 2005), was project manager for the Dominican study. Susan Roman (sroman@dom.edu), dean of Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science, was the study’s project administrator and principal investigator.

Study limitations
Participants in the summer reading program were self-selected; i.e., we didn’t assign students to a “treatment” or “control” group. Children, both those who participated and those who did not, self-reported through surveys at the beginning of the fourth grade, providing attitudinal information. Children who didn’t participate in the summer reading program may have engaged in other summer learning activities of which we are not aware. There was a formal agreement between the libraries and schools, and the public libraries had full control over summer programs. While the study began with 11 sites and an anticipated 500 students who would participate in the study, only 367 signed parental consent forms were returned. The final number of subjects who participated in the study was reduced to 219 when students failed to complete all elements of participation. Even with this diminished population, the final number of participants allowed us to draw inferences and to use descriptive statistics in the study.

Just in time for the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak (FSG, 1999) is under attack once again. This time, Wesley Scroggins, an associate professor of management at Missouri State University, is cautioning parents of the Republic School District against what he refers to as “soft porn” books used in the curriculum, including Speak, which is about rape.

Scroggins’s op-ed piece in Missouri’s News-Leader has generated more than 300 comments on the newspaper’s website, is [...]]]> By Rocco Staino

Just in time for the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak (FSG, 1999) is under attack once again. This time, Wesley Scroggins, an associate professor of management at Missouri State University, is cautioning parents of the Republic School District against what he refers to as “soft porn” books used in the curriculum, including Speak, which is about rape.

Scroggins’s op-ed piece in Missouri’s News-Leader has generated more than 300 comments on the newspaper’s website, is the topic of several blog posts, and prompted its own Twitter feed (#SpeakLoudly).

School Library Journal spoke to Anderson about the controversy.

Last Sunday at 6:39 a.m. you first tweeted about Wesley Scroggins’s article, in which he calls Speak, immoral, filthy, and soft pornography. What’s been the reaction to that tweet and your blog post about it?

The reaction has been astounding. As of right now, more than 25,000 people have read the blog on my website. Another 15,000 have read it on Jezebel.com. Hundreds and hundreds of people have commented and posted their own stories about speaking up about being raped or sexual abused. A Twitter feed #speakloudly was set up by an English teacher and the subject became one of the most heavily tweeted on Sunday. Someone created a Twibbon campaign. Another person made a blog button. I am suddenly fielding requests for interviews and commentary. Countless people have established giveaways and donations of Speak and the other two books under fire: Slaughterhouse Five (Random, 1969) by Kurt Vonnegut, and Twenty Boy Summer (Little Brown, 2009) by a new YA author, Sarah Ockler.

It must feel good to have so much support in such a short period of time.

I keep needing to stop and breathe deeply so I can take it all in. When Speak was published, there was some whispering that this was not an appropriate topic for teens. I knew from my personal experience that it was. This notion was validated by thousands and thousands of readers who connected with me to thank me for the book. They said it made them feel less alone and gave them the strength to speak up about being sexually assaulted and other painful secrets.

Those readers and their parents, teachers, and librarians changed the world [with their support]. I wrote the book. I wrote the blog post. My readers took up the challenge and are now speaking very loudly. They have slammed Scroggins’s comparison of rape to pornography and are demanding that school boards everywhere follow the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment of our Constitution.

These readers have changed the world by declaring that rape victims have nothing to be ashamed of, but that book banners like Scroggins do.

Can you share an example of how Speak has made a difference in someone’s life?

I have heard from many survivors of sexual assault who told me that they didn’t dare tell anyone about being attacked. They held in the physical and emotional trauma, sometimes for decades. Often they turned to drugs, alcohol, or cutting to cope with the emotional pain. Then they read Speak. Melinda gave them the courage to speak up for the first time, to tell what happened, and to get the help they deserved. I have heard from even more people who were not raped, but who found a piece of themselves in Melinda. Her story strengthened them, too.

How’d you find out about his op-ed?

Someone tweeted about it on Saturday and my daughter, Stephanie, blogged about it Saturday night.

Is this a part of a movement in Missouri against YA literature?

That is an excellent question. A few days ago Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2007) was banned in a high school very close to the one in question. That makes me suspicious, but I don’t want to characterize this as a movement until we have more information from people in these communities.

The primary purpose of Banned Books Week is to make people aware of the freedom to read, but do you think it also encourages censorship by conservative groups?

Absolutely not! I think that Banned Books Week creates a forum for us to discuss what intellectual freedom means in America. It injects life and real meaning into the teaching of the Constitution.

Do you get tired of having to defend your writing against those who have objections to your books?

It’s time-consuming to respond to these outbreaks of censorship. I would rather be working on a new book, but we can’t allow our precious intellectual freedoms to be stolen by thugs. And so, I speak. Loudly.

Got any advice for your supporters?

I hope that they can find a constructive way to use their voices. The blogosphere activity surrounding this controversy is wonderful, but I hope that my readers will talk to people who aren’t on Twitter. Engage in civil conversation with people who might not yet understand the value of realistic YA literature. Share their experiences of how a book can save a life or breathe hope into a broken soul. That is the point of stories; they bring us together.

This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.

It’s not easy being a media specialist, especially if you’re new to the profession or you’ve switched schools and you’re suddenly the new kid on the block. Let’s face it, many administrators and teachers don’t understand what we do. And like it or not, we’re still battling that age-old stereotype of the school librarian as a little old lady with a bun who shuffles around shushing people. How can you [...]]]> By Donna Corbo and Candace Sample

Illustration by Steve Wacksman

It’s not easy being a media specialist, especially if you’re new to the profession or you’ve switched schools and you’re suddenly the new kid on the block. Let’s face it, many administrators and teachers don’t understand what we do. And like it or not, we’re still battling that age-old stereotype of the school librarian as a little old lady with a bun who shuffles around shushing people. How can you help others see that you’re a creative, computer-savvy information specialist who works hard to collaborate with students and teachers? How can you become the dynamic leader you’re meant to be? And even more to the point, how can your survive your first year on the job?

Take a deep breath! Relief is on the way. Here are 10 road-tested tips that will help you not only survive, but also thrive.

1. Learn the curriculum.
It’s vital to have a strong understanding of your school’s standard course of study. One of the easiest ways to familiarize yourself with the curriculum for every grade is to post it in your office—and be sure to study it regularly. Then the next time you walk into the teacher’s lounge and your colleagues are discussing their lesson plans, you can join in and offer to team-teach a lesson. You’ll be surprised to see how eagerly they accept your offer. When I collaborate on a lesson, I always try to use cool tools, like interactive whiteboards, Flip video camcorders, and Playaways (which are similar to MP3 players) for struggling readers. These tools keep kids engaged and make them eager to return to the library. And don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. Some of your colleagues may not realize you’re proficient in teaching content areas and that you’re a valuable resource who can help boost student achievement. Prove them wrong.

2. Document! Document! Document!
I can’t stress this point enough. In a more perfect world, school librarians wouldn’t have to constantly prove themselves. But unfortunately, some of our colleagues are convinced that all we do is sit around and check out books! I’ll never forget the day when a teacher stopped by my office and said, “It must be nice to sit at your desk and not have to do anything. Do you want to come and teach my class?” Gulp! What did I just hear? When anyone questions what you do, gently show them your “notebook” full of documentation. This lifesaver can include lesson plans, collaboration logs, correspondence from other teachers, PowerPoint presentations, and information about professional organizations you belong to and seminars you’ve attended, or any other kind of artifact that says, “I’m a teacher librarian, a professional, and an expert.”

3. Smile and say, “Yes!”
You’ve probably heard the old adage, “it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.” So the next time your principal asks you to fill in for lunch duty at the last minute, or your computer crashes as 20 kids are lining up at the circulation desk, or a teacher needs to check out an entire class set of books ASAP, what do you do? Uh-huh. And remember, even if you’re typically a smiley, happy-go-lucky person, your colleagues will remember that one time in a thousand when you weren’t responsive or enthusiastic. So keep smiling, and when you don’t know the answer to a particular question, cheerfully tell the inquirer you’ll get right back to her.

4. Stick with positive people.
I’ve actually had colleagues say to me, “You need a master’s degree to do your job?” Trust me, you don’t want to hang out with those folks. Seek out constructive staff members whom you’re comfortable working with, and when other colleagues see how much you accomplish and how much fun you are to work with, they’ll want to join your club.

5. Make “resource” your middle name.
People wander into the media center for all sorts of things, including sewing kits, Tide pens, Band-Aids, and coffee mugs. That’s why I stash a supply of those items in my office. Once, I was even asked if I had a power drill. (I suggested they try the maintenance department.) Granted, one doesn’t typically associate the media center with these things, but teachers know the school library is a friendly and safe place, so I guess they can’t resist asking. Of course, you’ll also need to stock the usual stuff, such as batteries, blank CDs, extra flash drives, and tape. If possible, it’s wise to include these items in your budget—a few extra items can generate a whole lot of good will among the staff.

6. Listen to your customers.
It’s essential to find out which books and other resources your students and staff want. That’s why I keep a “Wish List” notebook at the circulation desk for them to record their requests. I also send out a survey at the end of the school year, soliciting input about what titles they’d like us to add to our collection. That way I can make informed purchasing decisions and justify what we’ve ordered. By the way, it’s always a genuine thrill to see the excitement on kids’ faces when I hand them a book that they’ve requested. And who knows? When they realize that we actually respond to their requests and have their best interests at heart, they may trust us the next time we recommend a title that’s slightly outside their regular reading repertoires.

7. Lend a helping hand.
There are times when you’ll be called upon to do things that are above and beyond your job description. I always feel my heart start to race when my principal walks in with that look—the look that means I’m going to be asked to take over a class for a teacher who’s had an emergency, fill in during an assembly, or join a committee I would never have dreamt of joining. I’ve even been recruited to choreograph dance numbers. Will these unforeseen opportunities stress you out? Add to your considerable stack of to-do’s? Stretch you in directions you hadn’t considered? Definitely. But consider the upside. By investing in helping others, you’ll become more than just that person that scans books, reads stories, and gathers resources. Your colleagues will remember your willingness to help out, and that may inspire them to be more willing to help you.

8. Encouragemints.
Want to encourage more visits from your colleagues? Well, a little sugar can go a long way. I keep a candy jar in my office stocked with Hershey’s Kisses and M&M’s for chocolate lovers and peppermints and sourballs for those who love hard candy—and it seems to do the trick. When staff members stop by for a boost, I hit them with some resources I know they need, share a brilliant idea for a collaboration project, or schedule time to plan together. That way, they leave with their sweet tooth sated and some new ideas. And later on, when they’re looking for some good resources, they know where to go.

9. Turn trash into treasure.
Library budgets are shrinking at an alarming rate. But being the resourceful folks we are, media specialists can always find ways around that. I’m a big fan of Dollar Trees (and other discount stores), donations, and yard sales. I’ve bought a picture frame for a dollar at a tag sale and with a little paint, a little sparkle—voila!—it’s been transformed into part of a book display. Yard sales also offer an abundance of craft materials (including yarn, buttons, fabric, and loads of different types of paper) and holiday and seasonal décor, such as Christmas wreaths, scarecrows, and silk flowers. And when anybody asks, “Could you use _______?” The answer, of course, is, “Yes!” I can always find a creative use for “stuff,” such as transforming a discarded cardboard box into an ice cube for my display on the Earth’s polar regions. My family even gets into the act. My husband once brought home a big, scary-looking, book-shaped candy box that’s perfect for Halloween. I fill it with “Goosebumps” books and other scary stories, and every time a student lifts the spring-loaded lid, the box lets out a scream! The sound drives my assistant and parent volunteer crazy, but kids love it, and I do, too.
If you’re searching for more cheap, simple, and easily adaptable ideas, the following books can’t be beat: Rob Reid’s Cool Story Programs for the School-Age Crowd (2004) and Something Funny Happened at the Library: How to Create Humorous Programs for Children and Young Adults (2002, both American Library Association), Gayle Skaggs’s Off the Wall! School Year Bulletin Boards and Displays for the Library (McFarland, 1995), and Earlene Green Evans and Muriel Miller Branch’s 3-D Displays for Libraries, Schools and Media Centers (McFarland, 2000).

10. Be Switzerland.
Your library is there to serve the needs of everyone, including the good, the bad, and the annoying. Don’t give your faculty a reason to think you’re favoring one grade over another. To keep track of things, I color code my lesson plan book. I assign a color to each grade—say, green for third grade, orange for fourth, and red for fifth. Then, when I teach a particular lesson, I mark it with its corresponding color. Later on, when I review my lesson plans, it’s easy to see if I’ve inadvertently ignored anybody, and I can plan accordingly.

Having trouble coming up with new and creative ideas for decorating your library and bulletin boards? Teachers and homeschoolers share the challenge of devising innovative ways to display student work, graphically introduce a curriculum unit, or commemorate a holiday or other special event. And then there are white boards, chalk boards, and posters to decorate. These Web sites can help, with display ideas, tips, and printables.

[...]]]> Dress up your library with eye-catching bulletin boards

By Gail Junion-Metz, 04/01/2002

Having trouble coming up with new and creative ideas for decorating your library and bulletin boards? Teachers and homeschoolers share the challenge of devising innovative ways to display student work, graphically introduce a curriculum unit, or commemorate a holiday or other special event. And then there are white boards, chalk boards, and posters to decorate. These Web sites can help, with display ideas, tips, and printables.

Teacher Helpers Bulletin Board Ideas
school.discovery.com/schrockguide/bulletin

Kathy Schrock’s site is a well-maintained list of links to the top bulletin board Web sites. It’s where you’ll want to start your search for bulletin board ideas. Created by: Kathleen Schrock, Nauset Public Schools, Orleans, MA, and DiscoverySchool.com. Don’t Miss: The links to sample bulletin boards, arranged by age level, from elementary to high school.

Boards of a Feather
www.nea.org/helpfrom/growing/works4me/organize/boards.html#bulletin

This cool site posts highly creative tips for bulletin boards, white boards, and chalk boards submitted by teachers across the country. Created by: The National Education Association, Washington, DC. Don’t Miss: The advice on how to clean white boards, even if you accidentally write on them with permanent marker. De tour: For poster ideas, visit www.nea.org/bhelpfrom/growing/works4me/organize/posters.html.

Classroom Décor Ideas
www.teachnet.com/how-to/decor

Here are more bulletin board and whiteboard ideas, plus library decoration ideas (how about building an indoor fish pond?). Created by: Teachnet.com, Wichita, KS. Don’t Miss: Check out the offerings in the “Bulletin Boards Library.” Each contains printable graphics and text, along with related teaching ideas. They’re real timesavers—just download the cutouts and assemble them! (Requires Acrobat Reader). My favorite is “Survive with a Good Book.” Detour: For more teacher-submitted ideas, check out teachers.net/lessons/posts/1167.html.

Ideas for Bulletin Boards
www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/bulletinboards.html

This site offers a selection of bulletin board topics—from “question of the week” to “baby pictures”—as well as a large variety of backgrounds and borders. Created by: Kim Steele, Abe Hubert Middle School, Garden City, KS. Detour: For additional bulletin board concepts posted by other teachers, see www.teach-nology.com/ideas/bulletin_boards.

Bulletin Board Ideas for High School Media Specialists
www.ccps.ga.net/bulletinboards

Educators at every level will find this site useful for its creative bulletin board ideas submitted by librarians nationwide. If you have an innovative bulletin board to offer, be sure to send it in! Created by: Judy Serritella, Lovejoy High School, Lovejoy GA. Don’t Miss: The “Catchy Captions” section. My favorite here is the heading “Bet You Can’t Read Just One,” which uses potato chip bags to entice young readers to sample series books. Detour: For a printable selection of black-and-white and color bulletin board borders, visit www.preschoolprintables.com/board/board.shtml. It’s worth a look, despite the annoying banner ads.

A to Z Teacher Tips – Classroom Décor
atozteacherstuff.com/tips/Classroom_Decor

Here’s a nice selection of practical ideas, such as trompe l’oeil windows, seasonal themes, and tips on embellishing doors, desks, and even ceilings. Created by: A to Z Teacher Stuff, Springfield, MO. Detour: Look at the bulletin board ideas at atozteacherstuff.com/tips/Bulletin_Boards.

Illustration by Joyce Hesselberth.

Searching for something to get kids excited about math? Scrambling for a great resource to share with your colleagues or use in the library?

Consider picture books.

What I’ve learned over the years is that illustrated books can help dispel the myth that math is dull, unimaginative, and inaccessible. They can spark children’s mathematical imaginations in ways that [...]]]> By Marilyn Burns — School Library Journal, 05/01/2010

Illustration by Joyce Hesselberth.

Searching for something to get kids excited about math? Scrambling for a great resource to share with your colleagues or use in the library?

Consider picture books.

What I’ve learned over the years is that illustrated books can help dispel the myth that math is dull, unimaginative, and inaccessible. They can spark children’s mathematical imaginations in ways that textbooks and workbooks often don’t. Picture books can also help students who love to read—but think math isn’t their thing—experience the wonder of math in the same way they already enjoy the wonder of books. Plus, students whose first love is math will learn to look at books in a new way. If you’re an educator who doesn’t enjoy or feel comfortable teaching math, using picture books can build on your existing strengths in teaching reading and language arts, and help bolster your confidence and enthusiasm for teaching math.

To show you what I’m talking about, I’ll present a vignette of a first-grade math lesson. But keep in mind, picture books also work well as a springboard to math with older students in grades four, five, and six. (For some tips on selecting an appropriate picture book, see "Count on Me" below.)

One of my favorite books to share with young students is Keith Baker’s Quack and Count (Harcourt, 1999). After gathering the children on the rug, I show them the cover of the book and read the title and author’s name.

"What do you think this book is about?" I ask.

After children share their ideas, I say, "Let’s find out."

I open to the first spread and read: "Seven ducklings in a row. Count those ducklings as they go." After talking about "ducklings" being a word that describes baby ducks, I ask the students to count along with me as I point to each of the ducklings in the illustration.

Then I turn to the next spread and read the accompanying rhyme. Six ducklings are shown on the left page and one on the right page, and I have the kids first count the ducks on the left and then the one duck on the right. "And how many ducklings do you think there are altogether?" I ask. Some of the first graders know that there are seven, others aren’t so sure. Together we count all of them to make sure that six ducks plus one more are indeed seven.

The following spread shows five ducklings on the left page and two on the right. I read the rhyme and we count the ducks on the left first and then those on the right. After posing the same question about how many there are in all, we verify that there are seven by counting all of the ducks together.

I continue in this same way for the rest of the book. Then I talk with the children about the story, asking them to recall what the ducklings did, revisiting the illustrations, and repeating the addition sentences—seven equals six plus one, seven equals five plus two, and so on.

To extend this experience, I reread the book to the class, this time writing number sentences on chart paper to keep track of what happened and to model how to connect mathematical symbols to the story. For example, after rereading the spread with six ducks on the left and one on the right, I write:

7 = 6 + 1

I have the children read the number sentence aloud as I point to the symbols, and I invite them to help me write equations for the rest of the story. An especially nice feature of this book is that the illustrations near the end allow for thinking about seven with more than two addends. When we finish the rereading, the chart looks like this:

7 = 6 + 1

7 = 5 + 2

7 = 4 + 3

7 = 3 + 4

7 = 2 + 5

7 = 1 + 6

7 = 2 + 3 + 2

7 = 2 + 2 + 2 + 1

I then give each of the children seven interlocking cubes and have them show each of the combinations by using the cubes to represent each addend with a train. The students enjoy holding the trains up as if they were finger puppets.

For an individual assignment, I ask them each to choose one of the number sentences from the chart, copy it, and illustrate it. "You can draw ducklings or any other shapes," I tell them. For kids who finish quickly, I ask them to grab another sheet, fold it in fourths, and illustrate a different equation in each section. And, to differentiate the assignment further, I ask students who are ready for an additional challenge to write and illustrate their own equations, each with combinations of more than two numbers that add up to seven.

Often the same book is suitable for more than one grade level. I read Quack and Count to a class of kindergarteners, and it worked just fine. However, I limited the math part of the experience to focus only on the combinations of two addends, and I skipped the individual writing assignment.

To help you get started, here are some of my favorite titles for introducing or reinforcing a wide range of math concepts. For each title, I’ve listed the math concepts and skills they include, along with the appropriate grade levels. Following each brief story description, there’s also an idea for a math lesson. I hope these suggestions will inspire you to use picture books to teach math to your own students.

Burns, Marilyn. Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! Scholastic, 1997. Gr 4–6: AREA AND PERIMETER
For a family reunion, Mrs. Comfort arranges eight square tables, each with four chairs, so that all 32 guests will have a place to sit. But as guests arrive, they create havoc with their own seating plans.
Have students use square tiles or draw on squared paper to experiment with what happens to the seating when square tables are pushed together. Introduce the math vocabulary of area (one square unit for each tabletop) and perimeter (four units for each square table, one unit for each side).

Emberley, Ed. The Wing on a Flea. Little, Brown, 2001. K–Gr 2: 
GEOMETRY
With brightly colored illustrations and simple rhymes, children learn how common geometric shapes—triangles, rectangles, and circles—are found in the world that surrounds them.
Prepare a sentence starter strip for each child:

A triangle could be a ___________.

Also, title chart paper with the sentence starter. As children share ideas, list them on the chart. Then each student writes a word to complete his or her own sentence starter strip, glues the strip to construction paper, and illustrates the idea with cutout shapes and drawings. On the next two days, repeat for two other sentence starters:

A rectangle could be a ___________.

A circle could be a ___________.

Compile their work into class books.

Florian, Douglas. A Pig Is Big. Greenwillow, 2000. K–Gr 1: 
BIGGER, SMALLER
The book opens by asking, "What’s big?" and presents an exploration of things that are increasingly bigger and bigger—from a pig to a cow, car, truck, street, neighborhood, city, Earth, and finally the universe.
Give each student two pieces of paper and ask them to draw something that is bigger than a pig on one piece and something that is smaller than a pig on the other. Have children share their drawings and record what they drew (or record for them). Compile their work into two class books: What Is Bigger Than a Pig? and What Is Smaller Than a Pig?

Goldstone, Bruce. Ten Friends. Holt, 2001. Gr 1–2: 
COMBINATIONS of 10
The book presents different combinations of guests that could come to tea; for example, eight trusty tailors with two proud plumbers, or seven salty sailors with three loud drummers. Ten combinations of 10 guests are suggested in all.
Present children the challenge of writing as many different addition equations as they can that show different combinations of numbers that add to 10. It may help some children to use interlocking cubes of different colors to build different combinations.

Hutchins, Hazel. A Second Is a Hiccup. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levin Bks., 2004. K–Gr 1: 
TIME
This book explains units of time in ways that all children can recognize. Beginning with "How long is a second?" it goes on to addresses the length of a minute, hour, day, week, month, and year.
Revisit the spread that begins, "How long is a minute?" Tell the children that you’ll time one minute while they cover their eyes or put their heads down on their desks. When they think one minute has passed, they should raise their hand. They may have to wait until you say "One minute." Then have children think of things they do that take about one minute.

Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited. Harcourt, 1996. Gr 4–6: 
GRAPHING, MEASUREMENT
This is the inspiring story of Wilma Rudolph, the first woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. A sickly child just over four pounds at birth who had a leg paralyzed by polio just before she turned five, Rudolph became an incredible athlete.
A few days before reading the book, ask students to find out how much they weighed at birth. List the information on chart paper. Then, after reading the story, have students work in pairs to create a graph of the data.

Lionni, Leo. Inch by Inch. HarperTrophy, 1995. K–Gr 3: 
MEASUREMENT
An inchworm is able to measure anything and proves it by measuring a robin’s tail, a flamingo’s neck, a toucan’s beak, and more. When confronted with either measuring a nightingale’s song or being eaten, the inchworm creatively solves the problem.
Model for the students how to use a one-inch tile to search for objects that measure one inch. (For older students, use a ruler.) Entitle a piece of chart paper "1 Inch" and list the items you find. Then have students search for things to add to the list.

Pinczes, Elinor J. A Remainder of One. Houghton, 2002. Gr 3–6: 
DIVISION
Soldier Joe is in a squadron of 25 bug soldiers and is left to march alone when the troop assembles in two, three, or four lines. The Queen is displeased until finally the soldiers organize into five lines.
To reinforce or introduce the idea of remainders, write division equations for each arrangement of 25 bug soldiers—25 ÷ 2 = 12 R1, 25 ÷ 3 = 8 R1, 25 ÷ 4 = 6 R1, 25 ÷ 5 = 5 R0. Then give students clues and have them figure out the number between 1 and 25 that fits them all:

When you divide by 2, the remainder is 0.

When you divide by 3, the remainder is 1.

When you divide by 4, the remainder is 2.

When you divide by 5, the remainder is 0.

Students can make up their own sets of clues for other problems.

Ross, Tony. Centipede’s 100 Shoes. Holt, 2003. Gr 3–4: 
MULTIPLICATION AND ADDITION
A little centipede buys 100 pairs of shoes at the shoe store and, the next morning, discovers that he bought too many. He only has 42 legs (which is typical for centipedes!) and, besides, the shoes hurt his feet. So he sells them along with the 42 socks his aunties knit for him.
List who bought the shoes and socks. The centipede sells shoes to all of them, and socks as well to the spiders and worms. Either include the number of legs each has or have the students research to find out.

4 beetles (6 legs each)

2 woodlice (14 legs each)

1 grasshopper (6 legs each)

5 spiders (8 legs each)

2 worms (1 leg each)

Then have them verify that the centipede really did sell all the shoes and socks.

Shulevitz, Uri. One Monday Morning. Farrar, 2003. K–Gr 1:
NUMBER SENSE, GRAPHING
This tale begins one Monday morning when a king, queen, and prince pay a visit to a little boy who isn’t home. They return each day of the week, each time with one more visitor, and finally find the boy at home on Sunday.
As children retell the story, use stacks of interlocking cubes to make a concrete graph that represents how many visitors arrived each day, using a different color for each character. Record for each day, writing two different equations from Wednesday on:

Monday 3

Tuesday 3 + 1 = 4

Wednesday 4 + 1 = 5, 3 + 1 + 1 = 5

Thursday 5 + 1 = 6, 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 6

and so on.