Send your pictures of the week to sdiaz@mediasourceinc.com

An SLJ reader’s daughter peruses our Early Learning-focused July issue, which featured the iconic Sesame Street character, Big Bird, on the cover.

From the librarian: “Thank you so much for the article on Sesame Street and mobile devices in SLJ’s July 2013 issue. My two-year-old was just as excited about receiving SLJ this month as her mommy was! We’ll make her a librarian yet!”

Early learning programs at Brooklyn Public Library.
All photos ©Philip Greenberg/Courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library.

How can we make smarter babies?  These days there seem to be brain building claims on almost every baby product. While many of these claims have been validated by research, what does the research say about educational apps for babies?  Earlier this week, the Campaign for a Commercial Free-Childhood (CCFC) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission stating that there is no rigorous research to support Fisher-Price’s claim that their “Laugh & Learn,” apps  support language development and conceptual learning in babies. Is this Jean Piaget’s “American Question” for the 21st Century?

When Piaget, the renowned Swiss child psychologist, spoke to American audiences, he was often asked the same question: “What can we do to make children develop faster?”  Piaget’s answer: “Why would you want to do that?” He didn’t think that pushing kids to reach milestones before they were ready was possible or desirable. But this inquiry, often called the “American Question,” seems to continue to haunt the shelves of the baby aisle.

Back in 2000, when I first started working with a special early childhood collection at a public library, parents often requested the Your Baby Can Read kit. They seemed to be very excited about these flashcards, DVDs, and books that could “teach their babies to read” and get their child ahead. I was always tempted to respond with Piaget’s reply, but I held my judgment in check and encouraged them to read to their babies instead. The product has since been publicly discredited by the CCFC, but you can still find the kit online.

Fast forward to 2013. In Brooklyn, parents participating in an Every Child Ready to Read workshop asked the librarian leading it for some early literacy app recommendations. Apps for babies abound, such as “Baby Learning Card” or the aforementioned Fisher-Price “Laugh & Learn” apps (with 2.8 million downloads). Interestingly enough, the same watch-dog group that helped discredit the claims of the “Baby Einstein” DVDs and the Your Baby Can Read kit—the CCFC—is now questioning the educational claims of these very popular apps.

Are parents getting apps for their babies because they want their child to get ahead, learn letters, colors, shapes, and numbers? As a parent of a young child, I get it. There is always the feeling that you’re not doing enough as parent. Is my son getting enough breast milk? Do I read to him enough?  Do I play and talk with him enough? Parents use apps to keep track of feeding times and get baby care advice, why not get the hottest new tool to help baby learn? But is this the road we should be taking? Are learning apps right for babies?

Many, particularly the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), would say no. It recommends avoiding screens before the age of two years. The AAP made this suggestion based on the troubling results of research on passive television viewing and background television. While more research needs to be done on interactive screens, there’s no hard evidence that young children can learn much from a screen before the age of two.

I’ve heard parents say they would never let their baby look at TV or use an app. Some parents even baby-proof the house by getting rid of the TV. Avoiding screens completely is not very realistic in our screen-saturated world. If a baby is getting a rich diet of language and play with parents and caregivers, a little screen time distraction so mom can squeeze in a shower is not going to melt a baby’s brain.

Educational apps, videos, and flashcards, however well-meaning, do not take into account how babies learn. Babies learn through interaction, touching, feeling, grabbing, moving, and doing the same thing over and over again. A baby may drop a spoon out of the high chair repeatedly. However annoying this is to mom, he is learning how gravity works, what sound metal makes when it hits the floor, and may even be conducting a social science experiment (is mom going to pick it up again?). Babies learn through interactions with loving and trusted caregivers. When a baby points to a balloon and says “bah!” and dad gets excited because she has said a new word, she is going to repeat this trick again and again to please dad. Very young minds need a thoughtful, feeling person to help them make connections, encourage exploration, and adapt to their needs. These are all things apps and screens just can’t do.

So what is the librarian’s response when parents ask for “Baby Einstein” DVDs or app recommendations for babies?  Should we quote the APA guidelines and give parents the librarian evil eye for putting their little ones in front of screens? My first suggestion is don’t judge. Apps and videos have their place. I know one family that uses YouTube videos of trains to get their son through his nebulizer asthma treatments with fewer tears. Also, I would make sure parents are informed. Let them know that babies learn through play. Encourage them to come to library programs that model fun activities they can try at home. Show them where the board books are located. I think it is fine to recommend a few quality apps or videos, maybe even ones based on picture books, and encourage parents to play with apps and view videos with their babies and talk together about what is on the screen.

It looks like the “American Question” will always be with us, but librarians can be part of the answer. Our programs help parents connect the dots between learning and play. We model simple and free activities that stimulate early literacy development. Learning is a process and it happens for everyone at its own pace. Babies, with the help of parents, caregivers, educators, and librarians, are building learning one block, one book, one word, and one song at a time.
Highly interactive board books that are more fun than apps

• Bizzy Bear: Fire Rescue! illustrated by Benji Davies. Candlewick/Nosy Crow. 2013.
• The Finger Circus Game by Hervé Tullet. illustrated by author. Phaidon Pr. 2013.
• Peekaboo! by Taro Gomi. Chronicle. 2013. 
• Who’s Hiding? by Sebastien Braun. Candlewick. 2013.
• You Are My Baby: Safari by Lorena Siminovich. Chronicle. 2013. 

By Nell Coburn

“I want to know your top 10 best practices for storytime,” a colleague said to me a few months before I retired. “You’ve been in youth services four decades and you’ve long been a storytime trainer at Multnomah County Library (MCL). I bet you have some best practices I’ve never even thought of.”

This was an irresistible challenge, because it’s storytime that’s kept me in youth services for 40 years and storytime that I’ll miss most in retirement. Storytime is the premium service for children in public libraries across the country. For many youth librarians, it’s the most treasured part of our job. I’m sure my colleagues are aware of many storytime best practices, but I can suggest a few that might not be on everyone’s list.

I’ll start with something I’m passionate about: My longstanding belief that storytime is for children and adults. When I trained as a youth librarian in the 1970s in Prince George’s County, MD, storytime was a kids-only affair. As in most public libraries, parents and caregivers waited for their children outside the program room. A few of us encouraged them to join, but many librarians felt intimidated by the adult presence.

Back in those days, storytime was for three to five year olds. When we started offering programs for two year olds—and eventually, babies—we needed adults to accompany their children. It soon became obvious that everyone was benefiting from storytime. Now, most libraries make it clear that storytime is very much for children and their adults. I’ve underlined some key phrases from the MCL website’s description of storytime: “Parents learn how to foster early literacy skills to prepare their children for learning to read. Librarians answer questions about books and library services, and teach parents how to interest their children in books.”

How does that transfer into best practice? The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Public Library Association (PLA) offer some effective techniques in their early literacy initiative, Every Child Ready to Read @your library, accessible online (everychildreadytoread.org). Since that venture began over a decade ago, MCL librarians have made it standard practice to make direct comments to adults during storytime.

Here’s an example: After sharing a book like Raffi and Nadine Bernard Westcott’s Down by the Bay (Crown) or Westcott’s The Lady with the Alligator Purse (Little, Brown, both 1988), a librarian might say: “Singing and rhyming help children learn that words are made up of different sound combinations. In songs, each syllable has a different note, so it’s easy to hear distinct sounds. Children who can do this are better able to sound out words when they are learning to read.”

Adults appreciate knowing that storytime materials and techniques are supported by research and boost early literacy skills. For many, this gives storytime more legitimacy and educational value.

Even more important than sharing such information with grown-ups is the ability to ensure active adult participation in storytime. The best storytimes are those during which adults are fully engaged—shaking out their wiggles, clapping, singing, dancing, and encouraging kids as they interact with the books.

This can be facilitated in multiple ways. I like to hang large-print copies of regularly used songs and rhymes on the wall, or have a collection stapled together in a take-home handout. It’s easier for grown-ups when the words are right in front of them. It helps storytime presenters, too: We don’t have to memorize all those songs! And a handout encourages parents and caregivers to share the songs and rhymes with their children later, further strengthening their early literacy skills.

Adult involvement has all sorts of positive outcomes beyond the educational ones. When grown-ups are engaged, we have fewer “adult behavior” challenges, such as chatting or cell phone use. This leads me to another best practice: Establish clear expectations for both adult and child storytime behavior. Effective instructions are positively worded and presented in simple, direct language. The focus should be on what storytime participants should do, rather than what they should not do.

Consider posting your expectations, briefly mentioning them at the beginning, or handing them out before a series of storytimes. For example, a clear, friendly statement may help adults realize that cell phone use during storytime is not appropriate. Here’s one to try: “Adults: Please help me make this storytime a good experience for all by turning off your phone, or putting it on vibrate. If you must accept a call during storytime, please step outside the room to do so.”

Help young parents understand that it’s best to take their child out of the room if he or she is disruptive, and that they are welcome back when the child is ready. According to MCL staff, this instruction is especially appreciated by immigrant parents with no storytime experience who may not know how they and their children should behave.

Likewise, a brief, straightforward statement can inform adults that we don’t expect their two year old to behave like a five year old: “Welcome! This is a storytime designed for two year olds, so please know that it will look different from some other storytimes you may have attended. Two year olds need to move, so we plan lots of movement activities and we don’t mind when they get up and roam around the room during the stories, as long as they don’t hurt themselves or disturb others.”

Adults who are actively involved and understand the educational value of storytime may be less likely to be chronically late. Of course, nothing is predictable where young children are involved, and there will be occasions when traffic, a child meltdown, or some minor home crisis will result in latecomers. The best practice here, I believe, is to welcome all attendees warmly and make them feel comfortable. Recently I observed a Spanish-language storytime during which families trickled in from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Everyone seemed fine with that, and the newcomers slipped into the group seamlessly. Spanish-speaking staff say that a relaxed regard for time is culturally appropriate, another factor to consider in our approach to latecomers.

I’ve always felt that one of storytime’s main purposes is to introduce children and grown-ups to the riches of the library’s collections. Adults often need a nudge in the direction of poetry and the fine information books available to children. To encourage them in these areas, I believe we should make it a point to feature poetry and nonfiction books in storytime.

Here are some suggestions. Byron Barton’s Building a House (Greenwillow, 1981) and Joy Cowley and Nic Bishop’s Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Scholastic, 1999) are fascinating and well-paced for storytime reading. A poetry book I’ve used again and again is Jack Prelutsky and Marc Brown’s Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young (Knopf, 1986), a gem containing a great selection of poems to match with picture books. The collection includes an assortment of poems about mud, puppies, and other ordinary things that delight small children and connect storytime to their immediate world. Try pairing Lillian Schulz’s “Fuzzy Wuzzy, Creepy Crawly” caterpillar rhyme with Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel, 1969). The short poem nicely reinforces Carle’s simple science lesson.

If I have one pet peeve, it’s people who come for storytime and leave immediately after. In MCL storytime training, we encourage staff to invite participants to explore the collection and “find something wonderful to take home!” We also urge storytime presenters to accompany families to the shelves and offer assistance. Staff should not be expected to return to a public service desk right after their program. They can make themselves most useful by roaming the shelves with the participants they’ve just put under the storytime spell.

Often, adults like to linger and socialize after storytime. If you find that they aren’t also visiting the collection, set up a small selection of enticing materials in the program area. Encourage everyone to browse. You may even wind up doing quick booktalks about materials you’re encouraging families to check out. Include some cool materials for adults—a new cookbook, seasonal craft books, gardening books, magazines, or DVDs.

How do we stay fresh when we do storytimes week after week, year after year? We need to look for opportunities to continue our education in storytime techniques. Even after 40 years, I love learning new rhymes and songs from colleagues. I love seeing how someone else approaches a title and discovering which new titles work well for them. The best way to grow our storytime skills is through observation, an important part of new staff training at MCL. Veteran staff benefit from observation as well: We should all get out of our own libraries and observe our colleagues elsewhere several times a year. Managers can support this practice by incorporating it into yearly staff performance appraisals.

MCL youth librarians also enhance their skills through a practice called “storytime highlights.” During several monthly youth services meetings, a few librarians share a favorite song, rhyme, puppet story, or activity. They also meet periodically for “circle of practice” sessions before the meeting. Each session focuses on supporting skills in a specific area, such as toddler time, family storytime, or songs and rhymes for babies.

I’ll close with one of my strongest beliefs about storytime. Perhaps it’s more of a “best concept” than a best practice, but it affects everything else we do. This is something I learned from the wise Marjie Crammer, who for decades headed the children’s department at the New Carrollton (MD) Library. Marjie would tell her staff: “Storytime is not about you; it’s about the children.”

Over the years, I’ve adjusted that a bit: “Storytime is not a performance; it’s an interactive experience between you and the people in front of you on any particular day.” Staff attending MCL storytime training say this is what they remember most. It takes the pressure off and keeps the focus on the children. Come to think of it, let’s move that to best practice number one. I don’t doubt it will hold for another 40 years.

Nell Colburn served as a children’s librarian for over 40 years at Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR, and at public libraries in Maryland, Virginia, New York, and Washington. She is the 2013 recipient of the Oregon Library Association’s Eveyln Sibley Lampman Award for significant contributions in library service to the children of Oregon. She also cowrote SLJ’s “First Steps” column with Renea Arnold from 2004-2012.

Roger Mastroianni Photography

A design revolution is reinventing the children’s room in public libraries and changing the way young children learn.

The movement involves colorful spaces with mirrors, soft edges, and things to climb on. There are items to play with such as “sentence makers” and audio-based toys. A farmer’s market, cash register, automobile, or airport may be involved. Most importantly, the areas are embedded with tools and features that get kids ready to read.

This new breed of literacy-packed play spaces in libraries is inspired by children’s museums and the developmental theories that drive them. “You can call it interaction, you can call it theme design,” says Sharon Exley, a designer and president of Architecture is Fun, a firm that has conceived spaces for both libraries and children’s museums. “We’re creating architecture in a way that children understand,” she adds. “The underlying story or framework is always literacy, and how you make it fun and playful.”

Bite-sized children’s museums

Tracy Strobel strived for a rich learning experience that would keep patrons coming back when she was conceiving new children’s areas for the Cuyahoga County (OH) Public Library (CCPL), now in the midst of a system-wide rebuilding and renovation project. Strobel, deputy director at CCPL, imagined “bite-sized pieces of a children’s museum” that kids and their caregivers or parents would visit weekly or once a month. They would be “destinations for families much in the way that a children’s museum is a destination,” she says.

The garden-themed toddler area at the Evanston (IL)
Public Library has ample seating for caregivers.
Photo by Doug Snower Photography

While planning the nine new children’s areas, each at roughly 8,000 square feet, Strobel zeroed in on what they needed to offer children educationally. The designs, she notes, had to be “related to the six early literacy skills” identified by literacy experts and adapted by educators: developing vocabulary, print recognition, print awareness, narrative adeptness, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. Strobel handed potential architects and designers a sheet outlining these and other key requirements. At the same time, she adds, “we try really hard to have a variety of elements at the different spaces.”

Enter the design firm RedBox Workshop, which is conceiving, fabricating, and installing some of the new areas at CCPL. “You’re basically teaching experiential learning through play,” explains Tony LaBrosse, partner and director of design and project management at RedBox. The company has also created play areas at museums, zoos, and hospitals.

In the libraries, at least, books still reign, but the heart of the project was “applying an aesthetic wrapper to early literacy objectives,” says LaBrosse. Many CCPL spaces are built around themes from children’s books. The Warrensville branch environment, for one, was inspired by Ashley Bryan’s book Let it Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals (Atheneum, 2007), with its vibrant, cut-paper illustrations. The library walls, decorated with dancing silhouettes like those in Bryan’s book, do indeed create a vibrant sense of play that riffs on the heart of the literature in the room.

An Evanston patron with cushions
that double as a classic stacking toy.
Photo by Doug Snower Photography

A centerpiece of the new features is an enclosed “crawler space,” as Strobel calls it—a safe, enclosed play pit for the littlest patrons, stocked with stimulating, brightly colored motifs. Nearby, a light board allows pre-literate kids to assemble stories with different Colorform shapes, honing narrative adeptness. A sound board spells out words broken into syllables. When a child pushes a button, he hears an individual syllable pronounced. In a nearby mirror, he can watch himself forming the syllables.

A “sentence maker” also builds print awareness with elements that kids can spin or move up and down to reveal random words forming “wacky sentences,” says CCPL marketing and communications director Hallie Rich.

Elements like these, LaBrosse explains, are about “meeting the individual or group where they’re at on any given day.” He says, “We don’t try to set up an experience that is ‘you will learn this today when you go do that experience.’ We’re not here to judge their learning experience. We don’t have an outcome. We’re not grading.” The designs also “try to create age-appropriate risk” such as exploring—and probably taking a tumble—without getting hurt.

The children’s area at CCPL’s new Mayfield branch takes inspiration from Denise Fleming’s Caldecott Honor book In the Small Small Pond (Holt, 1993). Adopting the idea of wetlands exploration,the space incorporates “science work related to tadpoles or microscopic science with early literacy,” says LaBrosse. There’s a microscope, an insect observation center with large bugs on view, and a soundboard.

Other spaces are purely thematic. At Garfield Heights, it’s all about cars. There’s a garage and a gas pump, levers and pulleys to play with, and toy spark plugs, all of which can be manipulated to boost STEM skills, a priority of the local school system, says Strobel. The Fairview branch takes on the concept of travel, with world landmarks, a play airplane hangar, and control tower. There’s a ticketing and baggage area, along with places to sell food, and a cash register. The environment “allows kids to do all this imaginative play with time, tools, and small motor skills,” says Strobel.

Lamaze and play-based pavilions

The best way to engage early learners, says Exley, is through “literacy-rich and play-based pavilions that allow children to explore” and navigate the world of reading.

She and her partner at Architecture is Fun, husband and architect Peter Exley, kept these child-centered questions in mind while conceptualizing a renovation for the 14,500-square-foot children’s area for the Evanston (IL) Public Library in 2007 and a new, nearly 16,000-square-foot space for the Fountaindale (IL) Public Library in 2011.

Developmental theory is always at the forefront of Exley’s mind. While dreaming up spaces for very young children, she thinks about psychologist Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” a theory of psychological health. The basic idea is that a fundamental feeling of safety and security enables relationships, esteem, and creative potential.

For Exley, this translates into crawler spaces offering stimulation and security. “Sensory gardens, little padded landscapes, things on the ceiling to focus on” are key elements for the youngest library patrons, Exley says. The soft, colorful elements also offer “Lamaze-style iconography.”

At Evanston, the “garden of early learning,” like Warrenville’s crawler spot, is such a place. It is an enclosed area with playful plant and flower motifs—gingko leaves and stylized roses based on a Charles Rennie Macintosh design. Inside, oversized cushions function as a “classic stacking toy, but we’ve done it as a giant soft sculpture,” says Exley. “If a child is learning to walk or stand, it gives them something to hold on to.”

Elsewhere at Evanston, where the Exleys’ elements were fabricated and installed by RedBox, is a little collection of “storytelling sticks,” resembling garden signs, that can be written on. “Very often preschoolers tell a little story to teachers who write it down and parents get this at the end of the day,” says Exley. To build on kids’ articulation skills, “parents can jot down a thought shared by their child.”

A game pavilion at the Fountaindale (IL) Public Library.
Photo by Doug Snower Photography

For older children, the Exleys conceived tables with built-in bins for art supplies and play items such as LEGO. Branching columns rise from the tables, a nod to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The overhanging limbs are outfitted with holes that librarians can suspend things from—origami, artwork, globes, or whatever else may be related to the project of the moment. The art area has a built-in sink for washing up. This place is made for action.

The Fountaindale children’s area took its cue from a children’s book, Dragon Tree by Jane Langton (HarperCollins, 2008). With lots of room to move, the team created a “mini-park” with stylized trees arranged to “call out these areas of adventure or discovery,” Exley says.

Those areas include a spot for playing global games, with real globes and one painted with blackboard paint, so kids can draw their own world. A “garden of technology” has informational monitors suspended from trees. There’s a crawler area here, too, and a space for the chess club. In the art area, the trees are equipped with clips for displaying completed art projects.

Exley stresses that libraries considering play-centered areas should be mindful of designing one they can manage. You want an area that “the staff can afford” and maintain. Fountaindale manager of children’s services Wendy Birkemeier says that because of graffiti issues, she doesn’t usually leave chalk out in the library. Her staff puts out washable crayons instead.

More conceptually, Exley returns to the central exploratory aspect of such early learning areas. “You don’t want to have an interactive environment that’s push-button,” she says. “You need something open-ended.”

“Family Play and Learning Spots”

The Hennepin County (MN) Library (HCL) launched its first early literacy play area in 2010, when the Minnesota Children’s Museum received an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant to explore the idea of designing early literacy play spaces within libraries. HCL has adopted two of these spaces so far, geared to children ages two to six, at the Hopkins and North Regional branches, with another opening this fall.

“The idea was that children’s museums have great ideas about exhibit design and ways for parents and children to interact around play,” says Maureen Hartman, coordinating librarian, youth programs and services at HCL, of the new 400- to 700-square foot areas. “That’s a really different direction for libraries.” She adds, “We have supported our staff with play training that the children’s museum has offered us.”

On any given day at one of these play spots, you’ll find children busily working in a fabricated garden, made of two pieces of leather with cotton underneath, planting imaginary seeds in a row. One might plunk an illustrated sign reading “carrot” into the ground, cook toy carrots in a play kitchen, and serve them up at a mini café table. Nearby, at a toy farmer’s market, children can sort, count, and identify more vegetables. All this fun is bolstering their vocabulary and reading and honing narration and numeracy abilities.

To inform and support caregivers, “directions and cues to parents” are posted at the early literacy spaces, Hartman says. HCL also produced a document for adults outlining five simple things that they can do to help get kids ready to read, based on the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) principles issued by the Public Library Association (PLA): “talk, sing, read, write and play together.”

A play kitchen and mini theater at the North Regional branch of the Hennepin County (MN) Library. The Hennepin system’s early learning spots are oriented to children ages two to six and resulted from a collaboration with the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
Photo Courtesy of Hennepin County Library

“Playing is how kids learn,” the document tells readers. “Playing in a space like this helps kids use their imagination to solve problems—it also helps them learn to work with others and prepares them to learn and read.”

For now, HCL is calling these new areas “Family Play and Learning Spots,” according to Hartman. HCL is working with the Minnesota Children’s Museum and the Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development on an evaluation of the impact these types of areas have within libraries. “I’m really interested in a pre- and post- test,” says Hartman. “What does engagement look like between parents with children in a regular library vs. one that’s more thoughtfully planned?”

Answers to that question, and others, will be revealed when the study is completed this fall. Hartman says she will use the findings to leverage support for more play spaces.

In the meantime, the people who help conceive and build these educational hot spots never stop wondering how spatial design can better support literacy and development. “Some designers look at things in two dimensions, like how long you want your desk to be,” Exley says. “We like to think in a four-dimensional way. We come in to add the experience level—in 4D.”

Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) continues to be an avid supporter of the country’s museums and libraries in the area of early childhood learning. It has an extensive database of awards that institutions can apply to annually.

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries supports projects that address the challenges faced by the library field in innovative ways, and that have the potential to advance practice at a national level. Successful applications are programs that seek innovative responses to the challenge(s) identified in the proposals, and will have national impact. The deadline for the next award is February 01, 2014. The prizes range from $50,000-500,000.

For libraries planning to create a brand-new program that will focus on early learning, IMLS’s Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries could be the right opportunity. These smaller awards encourage libraries to try out and evaluate specific innovations in the ways they operate and the services they provide. Sparks Grants support the implementation of promising and groundbreaking new tools, products, services, or organizational practices. Successful proposals address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to libraries. The 2013 grants were already awarded, but the 2014 guidelines will be made available approximately 90 days before the deadline. In the meantime, interested applicants should use the 2013 guidelines as a reference. The prizes range from $10,000 to $25,000.

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

Celebrating 20 years of helping individuals learn to read, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has continuously partnered with schools and libraries. In addition to its relationship with the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to provide aid to school libraries affected by natural disasters, the Foundation has also established Summer Reading and Youth Literacy grants.

The Youth Literacy award provides funding to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. For libraries wanting to create new or expand existing literacy programs, purchase new technology to support early literacy initiatives, or acquire materials for literacy programs, this grant is available to institutions that are located within 20 miles of a Dollar General store. The 2013 Youth Literacy Grant recipients will be announced on August 21, 2013, and the guidelines for the 2014 awards will be available early 2014.

The Summer Reading grants provide funding to help with the implementation or expansion of summer reading programs. Programs must target Pre-K through 12th grade students who are new readers, below grade level readers, or readers with learning disabilities. The 2013 Summer Reading Grant recipients have already been announced, but the 2014 applications will be available January 2014.

Target Foundation

For libraries that are trying to maintain and build up their storytimes, even while facing looming budget cuts, the Target Early Learning Reading Grant can make a world of a difference. Each award is $2,000, and applications are accepted between noon CST March 1 and noon CST April 30 of every year. The Target Foundation aims to fund programs that foster a love of reading and encourage young children, preschool through third grade, to read together with their families.

LEGO Children’s Fund

LEGOs are a childhood staple, and are also useful tools in early learning play. Now the company has created the LEGO Children’s Fund, which provides quarterly grants for programs, either in part or in total, with a special interest to early childhood education and development. Winning programs should also place a strong emphasis on creativity. Interested applicants must complete an eligibility quiz, and then be approved and invited to submit a grant proposal. There are no restrictions on grant amounts, but typical awards are between $500 and $5,000.

Better World Books

Better World Books LEAP Library grants are awarded to institutions that present “Game Changing” ideas which help advance a compelling literacy project. The proposed program should address the literacy needs of underserved populations in the community. Each year, there’s a total of $30,000 in funding available, and the maximum grant amount per project is $15,000. Interested libraries can download the application form on this page, complete it, and return it per the instructions on the form. The 2013 applications were due by April 2013, and the guidelines for next year’s award are to be determined.

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation

Named for the acclaimed author/illustrator, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation offers minigrants of $500 to public schools and public libraries for programs that support literacy and creativity in children. The projects don’t have to be related to Ezra Jack Keats’s books, but they are welcomed. For inspiration and better idea of the types of programs it has funded, check out the Foundation’s website. Applications for the minigrants are usually due by mid-March.

Libri Foundation

Rural libraries often have limited budgets and staff, and not enough funding for new books for their collection, or to give away for family libraries. The Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit organization which donates new, quality, hardcover children’s books to small, rural public libraries. Qualifying libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children’s department. In the past the books have been used for storytelling; toddler, preschool, and after-school programs; summer reading; “book buddy” programs; and early childhood development programs. For more information and to apply by August 15 deadline, visit the website.

First Book

First Book is a non-profit organization that also provides free or discounted books to educators working with low-income families. To see if your library is eligible and to apply for these resources, complete the online registration form available on the site.

Whether at a national, state, or local level, each of these awards require a thorough understanding of your community’s needs, a detailed description of how the funds will be implemented, and most importantly, why should your institution be selected. Rachel Payne, Brooklyn Public Library’s coordinator of early childhood services, suggested that IMLS’s new report on the role of museums and libraries in early learning would be a good starting point for libraries that are applying early learning grants. Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners cites dozens of examples and 10 case studies, and highlights 10 key ways libraries and museums support children’s early education and summer learning.

Illustrations by Leslie Patricelli.

The icon means that a Spanish language edition is also available.

Board books are designed to survive the wear and tear of babies’ and toddlers’ inquisitive mouths and hands and offer a wonderful opportunity to share with a child snuggled on a caregiver’s lap. The best ones tell a simple story with few or no words, allowing readers to invent their own. Ideally, illustrations are crisp and clear, with limited images on each page, offering plenty of contrast between the background and the pictures. Occasionally, a picture book makes the successful transition to a board format, but be warned that not all picture books are equally engaging as board books. Too much text on the page is distracting and crowded, and the smaller trim size can make illustrations appear crammed on the page, losing detail and focus. The absolute best board books are the ones that withstand the test of time: not only in being indestructible, but also in holding young children’s interest as they explore and point to pictures, exclaiming, “again, again!” when reaching the last page. The following selections do just that.

Boynton, Sandra. Moo, Baa, La La La! illus. by author. 30th Anniversary Edition. S & S/Little Simon. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4424-5410-1. $7.99.
This classic board book, reissued in a slightly larger format, features cartoon illustrations and a rhyming text that are still as silly as ever to read aloud for a giggle.

Brown, James. Farm. illus. by author. Candlewick. 2013. ISBN 978-0-7636-5931-8. $6.99.
Cut-and-relief lino prints showcase six different animals in this nearly wordless text. The black-and-white images are set on colored backgrounds for visual interest, making this a good choice for older babies.

Christelow, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. illus. by author. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. ISBN 978-0-547-89691-5. $6.99.
The classic fingerplay comes to rollicking life in this adaptation of the picture book. The engaging cartoon art perfectly captures the antics of these exuberant chimps.

Dunrea,Olivier.Gossie. illus. by author. Houghton Harcourt. 2007. ISBN 978-0-618-74791-7. $6.95.
An endearing gosling loves to wear bright red boots. Every day. Rain or shine. What happens when they go missing? This title is a perfect example of a picture book making the successful transition to a board book.

Emberley, Rebecca. My Colors/Mis Colores. illus. by author. Little, Brown. 2000. ISBN 978-0-316-233477. $6.99.
In this bilingual concept book, each spread features simple objects on one side and the color on the other. The vividly hued collage illustrations will attract toddlers.

Flaptastic Colors. DK. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7566-5227-2. $6.99.
What color is the sun? The grass? This lift-the-flap board book features clear photographs of objects to answer each color question.

Fox, Mem. Time for Bed. illus. by Jane Dyer. Houghton Harcourt. 2010. ISBN 978-0-547-40856-9. $8.99.
This padded edition features a larger trim size, making it a better choice than the original, small board book. This version does justice to the beautiful watercolor illustrations of baby animals with their parents at bedtime.

Gravett, Emily. Orange Pear Apple Bear. illus. by author. S & S/Little Simon. 2011. ISBN 978-1-442-42003-8. $7.99.
A spare text (just five words) is cleverly rearranged on each page, and warm watercolors outlined in pen-and-ink will compel readers to look at this title again and again.

Henkes,Kevin.A Good Day. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-185778-2. $7.99.
Thick-lined, watercolor and ink illustrations face each page of large, brief text that explores in simple terms how a bad day can turn into a delightful one.

Hills, Tad. Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin. illus. by author. Random/Schwartz & Wade. 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-98155-4. $10.99.
This charming, large board book tells the tale of Duck and Goose as they search for a pumpkin to call their own. Gorgeous oil paintings in autumnal hues invite readers into their world.

Hoban, Tana. Black on White. ISBN 978-0-688-11918-8.
––––. White on Black. ISBN 978-0-688-11919-5.
ea. vol: illus. by author. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 1993. $6.99.
These wordless titles feature high contrast, silhouetted images against white and black backgrounds. Perfect to share with newborns.

Horacek, Petr. Beep Beep. illus. by author. Candlewick. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7636-3482-7. $5.99.
A family takes a car ride to Grandma’s, depicted in sturdy die-cut pages and boldly colored illustrations. The text contains lots of fun action words to act out together while reading aloud.

Katz, Karen. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?illus. by author. S & S/Little Simon. 2000. ISBN 978-0-689-83560-5. $5.99.
Lift-the-flap pages feature multicultural babies playing peek-a-boo with the narrator in this interactive book filled with vibrant colors and patterns.

Laden,Nina.Peek-a-Who? illus. by author. Chronicle. 2000. ISBN 978-0-8118-2602-0. $6.95.
Rhyming words and bright colors lead toddlers on a peek-a-boo hunt on pages that sport cutout sections, allowing them to preview the next object.

Light, Steve. Trains Go. illus. by author. Chronicle. 2012. ISBN 978-0-8118-7942-2. $9.99.
Rich watercolors and an energetic text spotlight eight noisy train cars and their unique sounds. This is a new classic for train lovers.

Martin,Bill, Jr.Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?illus. by Eric Carle. Holt. 1996. ISBN 978-0-805-04790-5. $7.95.
The beloved classic has made an excellent transition to a board-book format that can withstand seemingly endless readings and page turns.

Melling, David. Splish, Splash, Splosh! illus. by author. Tiger Tales. 2013. ISBN 978-1-58925-643-9. $8.95.
In this simple counting book, 10 adorable ducklings line up, ready to take a dip in the swimming pool.

Murphy,Mary.I Kissed the Baby! illus. by author. Candlewick. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7636-2443-9. $6.99.
Another picture book turned successful board book. Black-and-white illustrations offer plenty of contrast to a variety of animals that have fed, sung, tickled, and kissed the baby, with a bright yellow duckling at the end of this sweet story.

Murphy, Mary. Quick Duck! illus. by author. Candlewick. 2013. ISBN 978-0-7636-6022-2. $6.99.
Little Duck hurries and scampers out of the mud, down the hill, and through the reeds–but where is he going? Shown in bright yellow, he pops off the white backgrounds, making it easy for young readers to follow along with his escapades.

Opie, Iona. Humpty Dumpty and Other Rhymes. illus. by Rosemary Wells. Candlewick. 2001. ISBN 978-076-3616-281. $4.99.
These eight beloved nursery rhymes, illustrated in Wells’s signature style, are a satisfying introduction to Mother Goose.

Patricelli, Leslie. Higher! Higher! illus. by author. Candlewick. 2010. ISBN 978-0-7636-4433-8. $6.99.
A little girl being pushed on a swing by her father urges him, “Higher! Higher!” With each turn of the page, she travels higher still, until she reaches the edge of space for a high five with an alien-child also sitting on a swing, no doubt urging his own parent to push him “Higher! Higher!” When she slows down and stops, the child turns to her father with delight, uttering a new word: “Again!” Bright acrylic paintings anchor the spreads.

Rathmann, Peggy. Good Night, Gorilla. illus. by author. Putnam. 1996. ISBN 978-0-399-23003-5. $7.99.
This nearly wordless title follows the zookeeper through his nightly walk of saying good night to all the animals–while unbeknownst to him, the gorilla has swiped his key and is unlocking the cages behind him, allowing a parade of animals to follow him home to bed.

Strickland, Paul & Henrietta Strickland. Dinosaur Roar! illus. by authors. Dutton. 1997. ISBN 978-0525-458-340. $7.99.
“Dinosaur roar,/dinosaur squeak,/dinosaur fierce,/dinosaur meek.” A rollicking and rhyming text featuring playfully colorful dinosaurs introduces the concept of opposites in this silly story.

Sutton, Sally. Roadwork. illus. by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick. 2011. ISBN 978-076-3646-530. $6.99.
Trucks and big machines are the main attractions of this noisy book that features a lot of action-based words that jump off the page, begging young readers to shout them out. Multicolored ink drawings are a perfect match for the text.

Wilson, Karma. Baby Cakes. illus. by Sam Williams. S & S/Little Simon. 2006. ISBN 978-1-416-90289-8. $7.99.
Diverse babies snuggle the same teddy bear throughout and get lots of hugs, smooches, tickles, and love in this beautiful, interactive rhyme perfect for bedtime sharing. The pastel-hued illustrations are irresistible.

Yoon, Salina. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: A Counting Nursery Rhyme.illus. by author. Random/Corey. 2011. ISBN 978-0-375-86479-7. $6.99.
This counting book offers an updated look at a classic nursery rhyme, set among the vibrant colors of a big-top circus tent. Die-cut windows create visual interest and offer a preview of the following spread as images transform from one object to the next.

Lisa G. Kropp is the youth services coordinator at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System in Bellport, NY.

Photograph by Rebecca T. Miller

“The most exciting time for a kindergarten teacher is when a kid looks up and says, ‘Hey, I can read!’” This is my favorite line from a conversation between two educators at the daylong “Fostering Lifelong Learners” event held April 25 at the Cambridge (MA) Public Library. The speaker, Jim St. Claire, a 39-year veteran of the classroom, teaches at the Amigos School in Cambridge, a dual-language immersion program. His counterpart on the stage was Anne Mackay; with 13 years under her belt, she’s a lower school reading specialist at nearby Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. The two shared many insights to apply in working with babies and toddlers.

The day itself was structured to reflect the partnerships needed to give wee ones and their caregivers what they need to arrive at that “aha!” moment. It was organized by SLJ’s sister publication, The Horn Book, in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Library, and Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit that integrates early literacy training into pediatric examinations. The goal of the event, sponsored by Penguin, DK, Junior Library Guild, and Charlesbridge, was to foster early learning—be it in the library, the doctor’s office, at daycare, or at home.

Mackay, for her part, noted the need to build the ability to hear the sounds in words—calling that the “biggest predictor of reading later in life.” She also stressed teaching early print concepts, comprehension of plot, and the development of writing skills. “Encourage parents to get rid of markers,” she said. Instead, use chalk, on the blackboard or sidewalk, as it gives “a ton of feedback” and “really works fine motor skills.”

Technology, too, has its place. “Kids can get a sense of mastery if they know more than the teacher,” said St. Claire, “but we have to be aware of the kids who don’t have tech.” Mackay acknowledged that the digital age has changed many things, not all for the worse, adding, “there are lots of good apps.”

Meanwhile, we at SLJ were developing this special issue dedicated to early learning. I was excited to see so many of the themes of the Lifelong Learners event dovetail with what we were planning. From the essential tastiness of board books (“Built to Last,” p. 28) and the tactile pleasure of play at Brooklyn Public Library (“Read, Play, Grow,” p. 24) to the thoughtful development of apps at Sesame Workshop (“The Early Bird,” p. 18), may the ideas presented here inspire you toward achieving your own “aha” moment in your work with the youngest among us.

SLJ’s new look

Print readers will see a few changes in the magazine this month. They derived, in part, from our migration to the K4 cross-media publishing platform and WordPress content management system. This issue was produced via K4, which will enable us to be more nimble across print, e-newsletters, and the Web.

A migration like this inspires an evaluation of what we do, where, and why. For SLJ, it meant a reconsideration of aspects of the all-important reviews section. A small fix: book titles are enhanced to be more readable. A pragmatic but difficult decision: we will no longer produce the review index, which had appeared in each issue. We recognize the value of this index, especially to researchers, but now offer the BookVerdict database of reviews to subscribers as an alternate way to find SLJ reviews. A vast improvement: fiction and nonfiction now have their own sections, with more specific grade-level groupings.

Faced with creating new templates, our creative director, Mark Tuchman, seized the opportunity to update the look and feel of the magazine with new colors and tweaks to the layouts of everything from the contributors’ page to the stars page. We hope you approve.

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

Arne Duncan, Michelle Kwan, Sam Kass, and Rep. John Kline at the first Let’s Read! Let’s Move! event. (l. to r.). Photo by Leslie Williams

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted the first Let’s Read! Let’s Move! event of 2013 on Wednesday, July 10, at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Along with Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; Sam Kass, executive director of Let’s Move! and senior policy advisor on nutrition, and Michelle Kwan, member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and Olympic figure skater, the celebrity guests read to a group of students. Kwan then led the children in a session of fun, physical activities.

All photographs ©Philip Greenberg/Courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library.

 At one of his toddler programs at the Bay Ridge Library in Brooklyn, Chris Lassen covers a table with contact paper, sticky side up. Parents and caregivers look at him skeptically when he tells them what he had done, but the kids know exactly what to do. Little hands reach out and touch the table over and over again to feel this new sensation. In the process, brain cells are connected and the little ones hear and learn a new word: “sticky.”

Across the country at a library in Fort Vancouver, WA, Kendra Jones tapes zip-closure bags to her windows with two colors of paint inside. Toddlers squish and scribble the paint to enjoy “no-mess finger painting.” Through this tactile play experience, their fingers develop fine motor control and they begin to learn the science and art of color mixing. Kendra reports on her blog that both parents and children are quite chatty as they mush and mix.

Both of these library activities are prime examples of play driving language development and early literacy. Early childhood research has always highlighted the many benefits of play. The expanded and updated toolkit Every Child Ready to Read (ALSC/PLA, 2011, 2nd. ed.) features play as one of the five key early literacy practices parents should engage in with their children to promote reading readiness. A University of Iowa study reports that 18 month olds who play with diversely shaped objects learn new words twice as fast as those who play with more similarly shaped objects. A recent study of 1 to 2 year olds finds that those who play with blocks with their parents for just 20 minutes a day score 15 percent higher on language development tests and are 80 percent less likely to watch television. The research touting the benefits of play goes on and on.

The play gap

Studies notwithstanding, many parents are mystified as to how to play with a very young child, particularly one who is still gaining language. What do you say to a baby who can only babble? What do you do with an active toddler on a cold and rainy day when going to the playground is impossible? (I know, I’ve been there.) In the 2010 Play Report, a global survey of older children and their parents initiated by IKEA, 45 percent of parents said that they don’t have enough time to play with their children. Even when parents do find the time to play, 26 percent said that they are “too stressed to enjoy it.”
We also surveyed parents and caregivers at Brooklyn Public Library about their challenges playing with their children, and many mentioned struggling with how to engage a baby or toddler with a short attention span.

Even more troubling, research has also shown that low-income parents engage less in literacy-rich experiences than their wealthier peers. The landmark Risley & Hart study (Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, P. H. Brookes, 1995) notes that, by the time children are three, those from educated and high-income homes have heard 33 million words and their low income counterparts have heard only 10 million. The disparity in the amount of talk between babies and parents of different income levels and education backgrounds is enormous, adding up to massive advantages or disadvantages for children in language experience long before they start preschool. The study finds that the more parents talked to children, the more their langague use increased, utilizing a richer vocabulary with more positive affirmations. When parents sit down to play and talk with their children they draw out babble and burgeoning language from babies and toddlers.

All parents want what is best for their children, and many often think that a very young child’s activities must take a school-like approach. In the race to learn more and more, earlier and earlier, some parents turn to packaged programs for babies and toddlers that incorporate developmentally dubious flash cards and video, such as Baby Einstein or Your Baby Can Read. Many parents have not heard that play is itself a rich and unparalleled learning activity. A child stacking blocks is developing math skills. When babies pull books off the shelves, they are experimenting with gravity and figuring out the properties of books (much to a shelver’s chagrin). Trips to the sandbox and bathtime water play are all early science experiments.

Enter Read, Play, Grow

Connecting the dots for parents between play, language development, and early learning has been the driving force behind First Five Years programs at Brooklyn Public Library. Since 2009—with special grant funding and some help from the staff of New York City’s Infant Toddler Technical Resource Center—we have been creating an in-house curriculum of simple, easy-to-replicate play activities for babies and toddlers dubbed “Read, Play, Grow.” Our recipes for play are deliberately simple. Blocks are made out of cereal boxes. Play dough is edible. Peek-a-boo magic tricks can be performed with a scarf stuffed into a paper towel tube. We aim to show parents and caregivers how simple play can be for little ones and how easy it is to make it happen with everyday materials.

Read, Play, Grow activities are also designed to be easy to incorporate into existing baby and toddler programs. After storytime, librarians set up one to three play “stations” constructed from simple household materials. Parents and caregivers have ample time to interact with and observe their children in the act of playing and learning. Each station has a sign that explains the activity, and we offer tips for things to say to encourage early literacy development along with safety warnings, where warranted.

With these tips, we hope that we’re helping grown-ups to engage with their children. Recent research in early literacy has noted that parents who are supportive and responsive to their children’s chatter and other first attempts at language have children who perform better on early language assessments. It is also important for staff to model these interactions with children. When parents and caregivers see library staff or other adults get on the floor to play and talk with a child, they see first-hand how to engage with a child. From my experience, this kind of direct observation speaks louder than a million parenting workshops.

Talking with a baby or toddler during playtime can sometimes feel awkward, particularly when a child is not talking back. That is precisely why parents should see these interactions modeled. Here is a composite transcript of one exchange that occurred in our library programs during which an 18-month-old boy is stacking blocks made out of cereal boxes:

Librarian:“I like how you’re stacking the blocks.”

Child looks at librarian for a few seconds and puts another block on top.

Librarian: “You put another block on top of the blocks. You’ve got a tall tower! Are you going to knock it down?”

Child looks at the librarian and then back at the tower and knocks it down with a smile.

Librarian: “Boom, boom, boom! You did it! You knocked down the tower!”

While the child said nothing, he was obviously taking everything in and understanding what the librarian said. The librarian put his experience into words and modeled to the parent things to say while playing at home.

Getting hands-on

While we love to show parents how they can make blocks out of cereal boxes, we also show them how they can check out blocks from the library—board book blocks. Parents sometimes look a bit dubious when we suggest playing with library materials, but it gives them permission to loosen up. We line the books up as dominoes or stack them into a tower. Usually a toddler will wander over and knock it over or start a domino rally going to complete the demonstration.

Another favorite activity for babies: tape tactile elements to the floor to create a sensory crawl zone. We have used bubble wrap, foam, textured bath mats, quilts, and pot holders. Visual elements also work well, such as black-and-white patterned bath towels or shiny paper. Little sitters and crawlers get to take in some new sensations as they explore, while staff and parents are talking to them about things that are “bumpy,” “smooth,” “soft,” or “rough.”

Many librarians want to create a program that results in something toddlers can take home. While the goal of giving the child a product based on a theme is laudable (I did this early in my career), all too often, the parents and caregivers complete the paper plate fish that requires motor skills that the toddler does not yet have. Young children are still getting the feel of what a paper plate is and what it does, and are not yet ready to make it into a fish. This is why we have incorporated open-ended collage, process-based activities into our toddler programs. Sensory collage is one of my favorites. We give children a variety of things to glue to their papers, such as textured papers, cotton balls, burlap, and bubble wrap. Children get to explore these materials. They may never stick them down on their paper, and that is just fine.

The playdate, multiplied

For the past three years, our Central Library has hosted the annual Big Brooklyn Playdate. Each time, over 100 babies and toddlers (and their parents or caregivers) have come out to play. Brooklyn Public Library staffers transform the Dweck Center—usually the site of gallery exhibits—into a baby and toddler play space with various “play stations” around the room that parents, caregivers, and young children can explore together. Again, we place signs near activities to give parents tips of things to say and ways to interact. For the first time this year, we borrowed an idea from the Parent-Child Workshop playbook and invited “roving experts” (child development experts, a pediatric physical therapist, and a child sleep expert) to our event to be on hand to answer questions from parents.

The head of our mail room at the Central Library always knows when the Big Brooklyn Playdate is coming because we ask her for her largest cardboard box. We cut a variety of shaped holes and doors in it. Sometimes we give kids crayons or sidewalk chalk to decorate it with, but they are usually so engrossed in crawling in and peeking out of the box that this is unnecessary. Lots of language happens in and out of the box, with squeals and giggles offering delightful punctuation.

The surprise hit of the Playdate is an activity we call the “The Un-Sand Box.” It is two large tubs filled with shredded paper from our office shredder. Who knew recycled documents could be so much fun? The kids love throwing, tossing, and scrunching the “snow” as many of them like to call it. Of course, the paper does go everywhere, but it cleans up easily enough with a push broom. The very first time we tried this, we hid small toys in the paper for the children to find, but we quickly learned it was pointless. The shredded paper was the thing.

The annual Big Brooklyn Playdate is the biggest event we do for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers at library. The feedback is that everyone wants us to do it again every week. We publicize it on several local mommy blogs and family websites, bringing in families with young children who have never been to the library before. Outreach efforts to local early childhood organizations also hook up a group of teen moms from a local high school.

Two years into Read, Play, Grow programs and after the first Big Brooklyn Playdate, we surveyed parents and caregivers about the program’s effectiveness. A full 74 percent of respondents reported gaining new ideas to use with their children and 44 percent said they use Read, Play, Grow activities at home.

Come out to play

With President Obama calling for more funding for early childhood education and a New York Times article from 2011 reporting high-powered Manhattan parents attending block-building workshops, it seems that the educational pendulum is once again swinging back to embracing the value of play. While it comes naturally to children, some of us grown-ups need help—and even permission—to get down on the floor and stack blocks, squeeze dough, and make a mess.

Brooklyn Public Library’s programs are just a few of the playful activities going on at libraries throughout the country. From play installations that would rival most children’s museums to in-house-developed play activities using materials rescued from the recycling bin, ours is just one of the many libraries putting play front and center.

Has your library come out to play?

Rachel G. Payne is the coordinator of early childhood services at Brooklyn Public Library. She has reviewed children’s books for SLJ and Kirkus, served on the Caldecott Award Committee, and presented on early literacy at conferences nationwide.

By Lisa G. Kropp

Do you know STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)?  From hosting “parties” with traditional building blocks to using science kits with young children, ideas for STEAM programming in libraries were discussed at a recent panel at the ALA (American Library Association) annual conference.

The panel, “What’s Hot in STEAM Education: How Using ECRR2 Supports Literacy, Common Core, and School Success,” also honed in on using hands-on activities to build skills outlined in the updated Every Child Ready to Read initiative.

At the packed, standing-room-only event, moderator Christy Estrovitz, early literacy coordinator of the San Francisco Public Library, hosted panelists including Dr. Judy Cheatham, vice president of literacy services at the organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF), along with Eva Mitnick, coordinator of children’s services at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and Susan Anderson-Newham, early learning supervising librarian at the Pierce County (WA) Library System, and a 2013 Library Journal  Mover and Shaker.

Judy Cheatham of Reading is Fundamental: Resources for teaching STEAM and ECRR

What does STEAM programming mean to public libraries and early literacy services? According to Cheatham, STEAM has the potential to help position public libraries at the forefront of language and literacy development, particularly when working with parents, young children, and teachers.

Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest, and largest, children and family literacy non-profit in the US. Its mission is to motivate young children to read by working with them, their parents, and  community members to make reading a part of everyday life.

Cheatham noted that the RIF site offers a multitude of resources to use when planning library STEAM programs. RIF’s 2012-2013 Multicultural Book Collection focuses on books that enhance STEAM education, and related four-page resource guides feature a wealth of information and suggested activities for parents, librarians, educators, and community coordinators.

The resource guides suggest simple ways to add STEAM activities to literature-based projects. “Teachers don’t have to be Albert Einstein’s offspring to do STEAM activities,” Cheatham noted, challenging the audience to infuse more STEAM into their programming.

Why focus on STEAM education at such an early age? Cheatham explained that in order for U.S. students to compete in a global economy and job market, we needs to improve their math and science skills. Middle School is the wrong time—too late—to introduce complex science and math terms and vocabulary, she said. Research shows that young children’s brains are like sponges, she noted: eager to absorb information on a wide variety of topics.

Cheatham cited statistics showing that 75 percent of students who are poor readers in third  grade remain so in high school. After third grade, cognitive demands increase yearly, as does the pressure to master  the new Common Core State Standards. If we don’t start introducing scientific vocabulary to kids at a younger age, she argued, we are going to lose the war on literacy and set students up for failure down the line.

Children’s librarians can serve their communities by creating STEAM programs for parents with young children, and by offering educators access to STEAM-rich materials and activities, Cheatham noted.

RIF recommends using Z is for Moose with STEAM activities.

She also stressed the need to target learners earlier through workshops incorporating ECRR best practices: talking, singing, writing, reading, and playing. One book that RIF recommends for STEAM activities is Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinksy (HarperCollins, 2012). RIF’s suggested related activities for the book listed included all five STEAM subjects.

Books that encourage STEAM allow librarians to teach complex vocabulary to parents, teachers, and young children in a fun way, Cheatham reiterated. Ending her inspiring talk, she reminded the audience that vocabulary needs to be heard, used, and practiced.

STEAM at the Los Angeles Public Library: Partnering with the California Science Center

During Mitnick’s presentation, she described a new STEAM program hosted by LAPL in partnership with the California Science Center. LAPL has 72 branches and a central library, all of which follow ECRR practices. Their recent collaboration with the California Science Center introduces preschool children to science concepts using the ECRR principles.

“Preschoolers are natural scientists” because they question everything, Mitnick noted. The goal of the  project was to create a program promoting STEM activities across the curriculum and referring to the California Preschool Curriculum framework. Also, she said, parents were provided with resources to support their child’s STEM experiences.

In January, four LAPL branches began working with preschoolers and their parents, using science kits created by California Science Center. Librarians received training during workshops at the Science Center, whose staff created six kits around the following topics:

• Rocks and Minerals
• Insects
• Habitats
• Seeds to Plants
• Balls, Ramps, and Rollercoasters
• Build It!

Each kit contained plenty of manipulatives and tech devices including iPads, digital scales,  microscopes, and a mini projector.

Mitnick created a Preschool Science Program Form for library staff to fill out  when utilizing the kits. This way, they could keep track of materials and equipment used, including books. The form features a description of the program and its learning activities along with examples of ECRR activities and skills. Finally, Mitnick asked staff to include anecdotal information and comments on the program by children and parents, feedback to keep in mind while the pilot prepares to expand to three more LAPL branches in the fall.

Mitnick said that reading the RIF-recommended STEAM books prompted LAPL librarians create additional booklists. The preschool science series involved a lot of dialogue among parents, librarians, and preschoolers: “What is an inclined plane? Can you find one at the library?” Librarians introduced science topics in other fun ways, like singing songs related to the kit’s theme. Library staff used the downloadable site Freegal Music to search key science words in children’s songs.

The young learners “wrote” their hypotheses by drawing their thoughts and ideas out on large pieces of paper. There was also lots of playing with the kits’ manipulative devices. Preschoolers created art using scientific principles, such as gravity painting. “The paint always goes down!” Mitnick deadpanned.

Librarians and parents used vocabulary terms such as observe, predict, and check, knowing that the kids, modeling adult behavior, would start using them too. Wrapping up, Mitnick said that LAPL hopes to expand their science programming with another grant next year for elementary age kids.

Block Play at the Pierce County Library System

Anderson-Newham started her talk by exclaiming, “Block parties are completely addictive!” She was referring to once-a-month events in which reps from the local Head Start center came to co-lead play sessions, using traditional maple blocks, with trained librarians.

Like Cheatham, Anderson-Newham emphasized that STEM activities should start in early childhood settings, when children are at their most inquisitive. During the block parties, librarians announce two simple rules: participants cannot throw blocks or knock down anyone’s structure.

She went onto explain the seven stages of block play:

• Carrying blocks
• Stacking–both horizontal and vertical
• Bridging
• Enclosures
• Patterns and Symmetry
• Early Representational
• Later Representational

Anderson-Newham noted that once each stage is mastered, youngsters move backward and forward through them during play. The different block units feature labels—arches, columns, squares, rectangles, triangles, cylinders, and circles, as well as the basic, half, and double unit blocks—to teach children this vocabulary.

Each block party starts with a brief story time with picture books such as Christy Hale’s Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building (Lee & Low, 2012) or Shape Capers by Cathryn Falwell (HarperCollins, 2007). There are also pictures of famous structures from around the world to inspire the kids.

After some time, librarians add more elements to the block play–transportation vehicles, farm and zoo animals, scarves, and clothespins. “Library meeting rooms are perfect for blocks,” noted  Anderson–Newham, because they are large spaces easily emptied of furniture, offering ample room for big structures.

Participating Head Start teachers said that the sessions enriched block play back in the classroom as well. Students began looking around the room wondering, “‘What else can we use with our blocks?’” said Anderson-Newham.

Some Head Start sites invited parents along, many of whom were not previously library users. Spanish-speaking staff gave library tours. Many parents applied for library cards and are now coming to the library on their own, Anderson-Newham said.

Every participating child receives a free set of 100 wooden blocks to take home, along with information sheets explaining what children learn while playing with blocks. Participating libraries have added blocks into their existing Lego building programs for older students.

Anderson-Newham ended her talk by quoting Frank Lloyd Wright, whose mother once gave him a set of wooden blocks for his birthday. “‘The feeling of those simple maple blocks is in my fingers to this day,’” he said.

The event was sponsored by PLA (the Public Library Association) and ALSC (the Association for Library Service to Children) ECRR Oversight Committee.

Sasha, a three-year-old girl with light brown hair, is trying to get Elmo back to Grover. It’s 12:35 p.m. on a Friday in early April, and she’s dragging one-inch pieces of virtual railroad track across an iPad screen in an effort to link the two characters. But Sasha is having trouble understanding how to make the pieces connect. Courtney Wong, a research specialist with Sesame Workshop and designated “child whisperer,” encourages her to try again.

“Okay,” says Sasha, now attempting to make the digital Elmo move across the screen—to no avail. Frustrated, she stabs at the image. “C’mon, c’mon, Elmo.”

It’s just a regular day of app testing at Sesame Workshop. Located in two rooms on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, these offices might seem a world removed from the TV show street featuring Oscar’s trash can, Gordon’s stoop, and the ever-cheerful presence of Big Bird. Those enchanted icons are about 20 miles away, on a sound stage at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Long Island City, in Queens, NY, where Sesame Street—now in its 44th year—is filmed.

In this office building, a new kind of magic is being crafted: Sesame Workshop’s digital content. Here, and at other locations, the Workshop has run more than 76 tests over two and a half years to understand how children, ages three to five, adopt and adapt to touch devices in their learning. The brand wants to ensure Sesame Street’s continued success—in a new media world.

A young tester puts an app through its paces at the offices of Sesame Workshop.

Capturing the digital audience

Competition for the pre–K digital audience is stiff, with networks from Disney Junior to Nick Jr.—both nonexistent when Sesame Street launched—vying for the opportunity to educate young children with apps. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Dora the Explorer are deep in the game.

So are Ernie and Bert, since Sesame Workshop considers its digital incarnation to be crucial to its original mission. “The goal has never changed from back in 1969, which is to reach children where they are to get them ready for school, and also to reach underserved children,” says Jennifer Perry, Sesame Workshop’s vice president of worldwide publishing. “Anything that becomes a destination for parents, we have to be there.”

In 1969, that destination was TV. Most families had televisions in their homes when Sesame Street first went on the air. Cocreator Joan Ganz Cooney’s idea of using TV for early learning was revolutionary at the time. For decades, Sesame Workshop and its groundbreaking show owned the block on educational television.

Given that history, the Workshop’s entry into digital involves seismic changes for the organization. While TV and books aren’t disappearing, tablets, smartphones, apps, and ebooks are increasingly drawing preschoolers’ attention. Sometimes it’s Dad handing off his Android during a long wait at the doctor’s office. Other times it’s a school media specialist launching a series of iPad literacy apps for kindergarteners.

Surveys confirm that devices are pulling people away from TV, and devices also tend to be cheaper. Americans spent about 127 minutes a day using mobile apps in 2012—up from 94 minutes a day in 2011—compared to the 168 minutes a day they spend watching television, according to Flurry Analytics, an organization that follows mobile app trends. Today, smartphones are practically given away with many mobile plans. Revenue from app sales generated about $15 billion globally in 2012, and is projected to rise to $25 billion by the end of 2013, according to Gartner Inc., a tech research firm.

Sesame Workshop’s digital earnings are up, too. The organization has seen its digital revenue grow from 5 percent of its total in fiscal year 2011 to 13 percent in fiscal year 2012. According to Sesame Workshop, digital is projected to comprise 15 percent of its overall revenue by year-end June 30.

Making the Workshop’s digital content stand out is crucial, given the direct competition and the vast number of apps for sale—more than 300,000 iPad apps in the Apple store alone. On a recent day in April, Nickelodeon held the third and fifth spots among the top paid iPad apps in Apple’s iTunes education section. Disney had eighth place, with Sesame Workshop’s Potty Time with Elmo at number 41. Among paid iPad books, Disney held three of the top 10 slots, Nickelodeon had two, and Sesame Workshop’s The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone (originally published by Golden Books in 1971) appeared at number 11.

Designing for limited attention spans

Those charged with building the next generation of Sesame Workshop educational tools are doing so with as much thought and research as Cooney invested in the show. But now, more than ever, a three-year-old’s attention waits for no one.

“We have to be nimble,” says Betsy Loredo, editorial director of Sesame Workshop, who is part of the team charged with re-inventing the Sesame Street brand for the digital domain. “Incredibly nimble. That, in some ways, is the antithesis of how we’ve been doing business for a very long time.” Traditionally, that process has been about “testing, testing, testing, and don’t put it out there until it’s perfect,” Loredo says.

“What we are now grappling with is how to balance this thoughtful approach with the incredible speed with which innovation and technology shifts are changing the landscape for kids,” she explains. “I think that’s a struggle every creator of print books currently faces. It’s just compounded for us by this heightened commitment we have to testing and to being a standard bearer for a fun and educational ‘safe space’ for preschoolers.”

An ongoing challenge is figuring out how to make learning fun so that a child doesn’t lose interest and tune out along the way. With that in mind, Sesame Workshop is constantly thinking about how app instructions are delivered to kids. A particular consideration is how long a child must wait before she can launch a story, a game, or any of the 75 live apps the Workshop has available in the marketplace.

“We used to have longer instructs and longer types of prompts,” says Mindy Brooks, Sesame Workshop’s director of education and research. “But now, we’re in this age of immediate responses.” She hits her finger repeatedly on the table, mimicking how a child might interact with a touch device.

Brooks and her colleagues are well aware that if children are comfortable with other apps, they expect to be able to navigate Workshop apps easily, too. They come to the apps thinking, “I can do this,” says Loredo.

“And it’s not responding,” adds Brooks.

“Then it’s broken,” concludes Loredo.

That isn’t the experience Sesame Workshop wants to deliver to the 16.5 million kids and parents it reaches on digital platforms every quarter. As of April, 35 Sesame Workshop book apps live on platform devices including iOS, Chrome, Windows 7, HP, Symbian, and Kindle Fire. And nearly 155,000 book apps have been downloaded so far in 2013, with 1.8 million downloaded since Sesame Workshop launched its first book app in December 2009.

Partnerships with big tech

Sesame Workshop’s dive into digital is aided by partnerships with third-party technology firms, including a $1 million pledge from the software company CA Technologies. That company is working with Sesame Workshop to develop a package featuring videos, lesson plans, and games, including the one three-year-old Sasha was testing, for a future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) hub on SesameStreet.org.

Another recent partnership, with mobile outfit Qualcomm, focuses on augmented reality tools. For today’s children, this kind of cutting-edge technology is taken for granted, allowing them to play with and explore their surroundings.

At Sesame Workshop’s Upper West Side location, Loredo and Brooks launched a recent smartphone prototype that resulted from the Qualcomm relationship. On a smartphone screen, a grocery list appears for Big Bird. Eggs, carrots, and cereal are items on the list, and the child is charged with finding those same printed words in her environment. Holding the smartphone, the child selects a word and then aims the device at words he or she sees displayed in a grocery store, a restaurant, or wherever she is at that moment. When the phone’s camera sees the right word, such as “milk,” Big Bird exclaims, “Milk, mmm milk.” The screen then pulls up a word tree, providing the child with more context and definition.

Previewed at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the app is expected to launch this fall. It’s already gone through two formative rounds of testing and recently completed a month-long study with about 200 children in a few Head Start Centers in rural Idaho. Sesame Workshop wants to ensure that three- to five-year-olds can enjoy the app without frustration.

From book to app

Sesame Workshop’s ebookstore carries more than 160 titles, with approximately 100,000 ebooks downloaded to date. But print books still sell far more—to the tune of 27 million copies in 2011 alone.

Classics like The Monster at the End of This Book have been refashioned for today’s burgeoning reader, who may encounter his first title in electronic form—still, likely, while sitting on a parent’s lap. Almost prescient in its interactivity, the original version of The Monster at the End of This Book features Grover warning the reader not to turn the next page because of the monster at the end. Of course, the curious child turns the pages anyway, tearing down brick walls and infuriating Grover, who, at the book’s closing, reveals himself to be the anticipated monster, albeit a “lovable, furry old” one that the child adores.

In app form, the reader still pages through the story, sliding fingers along the corners where digital pages flap audibly. The on-screen Grover reads each word, but now we see him tying and nailing the pages, building a brick wall and complaining as the child breaks knots and smashes bricks, animated for today’s young digital users.

Molding future tech

Looking ahead, Sesame Workshop is planning to innovate far beyond book- and TV-derived experiences. A team of employees is analyzing cutting-edge technologies to see what learning experiences they might best support—and they’re even pushing developers to tune their new tech to children’s needs. Miles Ludwig, managing director of Sesame Workshop’s Content Innovation Lab, leads a five-person research and development team in pursuing technologies they expect will become available globally to children of all economic levels. Recently, Ludwig shopped a prototype application to firms working on voice recognition. His hope is to partner on a tool that children play with in which they give Cookie Monster clues to guess what animal they’re thinking about. Since voice recognition software is currently optimized for adult men, says Ludwig, it’s not ideal for the high-pitched musical tones and particular pronunciation that can come from a child’s mouth. Sesame Workshop hopes to change that.

As new technology develops, Ludwig and his team are also considering other places around the home where they could potentially interact with children—for instance, on screens that may be in an oven door or on a refrigerator.

“One of the things we’re thinking about now is embedded devices connected to the home, these sorts of concepts of the future, and what does that mean to us,” says Ludwig. An example might be when “Abby just shows up on this refrigerator screen and communicates something about healthy eating.” Another scenario could involve the Count helping a child count the eggs in a refrigerator, an activity based on the “Number of the Day” from that morning’s Sesame Street TV episode.

Delight in learning

As Sesame Workshop focuses on its longevity, its educational stronghold—the pre–K years—remains its primary focus. Back in the testing room, Sasha is on the iPad, tickling a swimming trunk-clad Grover; she sees him holding lightweight objects like flip-flops instead of heavy ones like metal keys. Sasha’s goal is to get him to let go of objects at the right time so the light ones float into the center of an inner tube. Sasha can’t quite time it right—and the objects end up floating outside the target, missing the goal. Wong offers encouragement.

“Let’s try to aim for that tube,” says Wong.
“I will try,” says Sasha. “I missed!”
“Uh oh, did that float?” says Wong, as Sasha selects a heavy object instead.
“Oooooh,” Sasha exclaims.

From another room, the researcher and show producer laugh, watching as Sasha navigates the game with a toddler’s intensity. She slides her finger once again over Grover and—success. She squeals.

“Look Mom!” says Sasha, immersed in the game. A child’s delight, delivered. Sesame Workshop hopes it’s a learning moment, too.

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy

“We love the ALA awards and they always generate a lot of conversation….We wanted to try to generate that type of conversation around books that support best early literacy practices,” says 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker Melissa Zymboly Depper, children’s and family services librarian at the Arapahoe Library District and co-founder of CLEL.

Since 2008, CLEL has brought together staff from more than a dozen Colorado public libraries to work with the Colorado State Library on strategies that strengthen children’s literacy statewide.

A 10-member CLEL selection committee will choose one title in each of five categories representing an early literacy practice: Read, Write, Sing, Talk, and Play. Winning titles will demonstrate content or themes related to one of the practices, and encourage interaction between adults and children.

CLEL’s 2014 CLEL Bell Awards selection committee.

The announcement of the winners will be accompanied by support materials from CLEL that describe how each picture book title fosters early literacy development. The materials will also include ways that parents, caregivers, and librarians can extend the reading experience with children through shared activities appropriate for home, childcare settings, and library storytimes.

“CLEL is all about supporting library staff who need strategies to help advocate for early literacy, and who want more training around early literacy skills and practices. The Bell Awards are designed to be a celebration of wonderful books for families, to be a tool for advocacy and to be a vehicle for training,” Depper, a member of the inaugural selection committee, tells School Library Journal.

Suggestions for picture book honorees will be accepted online through November 15, 2013. The group is also encouraging discussion on its blog, its Facebook page, and via Twitter. And in the fall, CLEL will debut a free webinar about the Bell Awards to inspire even more participation.

“Getting the conversation going about how books really can make a difference in encouraging parents and caregivers to increase their early literacy interactions seems like a win-win to me,” says Carol Edwards, co-manager of children and family services at Denver Public Library, CLEL member, and a member of the inaugural Bell Awards selection committee. “It’s a win for the professionals who introduce new books and encourage best practices, and it’s a win for the child who benefits from more singing, talking, writing, reading, and playing.”

The 2014 selection committee meeting discuss nominees for the Bell Awards.

CLEL has been building some buzz for the event through library listservs and social media, with nominations already beginning to appear, Edwards tells SLJ, noting that the national response from librarians so far has been surprising but very welcome. “I thought that only a few of us in Colorado would even be aware of it for several years!” she admits.

Adds Depper, “We’re seeing the power of our great library online communities and national personal professional networks.” Member of the Bell Awards selection committee will be in attendance at ALA Chicago at the end of this week in order to inspire even more librarians from around the country to nominate their top picture book titles of the year and then join the discussion online.

“My hope is we build a list of books that are really useful to parents and caregivers of young children. That these books show a respect for the development of literacy and inspire librarians, teachers, and parents to creatively interact with children to nurture their learning,” Edwards says. “It is also my hope that publishers see how their books are used by libraries and children to foster literacy—and that they continue to offer talented writers and illustrators a platform for sharing their wonderful ideas.”

Only one in three parents of children ages eight and under reads stories to their kids each night, according to a new survey by the literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s. Overall, 87 percent of the parents who participated in the online poll read to their kids at bedtime—but not every night. Half the parents said that their children spend more time watching TV and playing video games than reading.

The national online survey of 1,003 parents, conducted in April, also found that in households with salaries under $35,000, 40 percent of kids under nine watched TV, while 35 percent read books.

Parents still favor reading print over ebooks with their kids, as 76 percent choose print while reading with their children, the poll showed. Kids also like paper better: nearly twice as many (20 percent) of those whose parents read from both formats would choose print over ebooks (nine percent). 

In its release, RIF noted that kids who are poor readers by the end of third grade  are four times more likely to drop out of high school than their more proficient peers, according to statistics. Two-thirds of all American fourth graders don’t read proficiently, and among lower-income families, that number rises to four fifths.

The results were released as RIF, which delivers free books and literacy materials to underserved children from birth to age eight, kicks off its 10th annual month-long “Be Book Smart” campaign. From June 21 to July 21, shoppers at any Macy’s store can donate $3  at the register to provide a book to a child in their community.  Contributors receive $10 off a future Macy’s purchase of $50 or more. In a concurrent sweepstakes campaign, Macy’s will give a $500 gift certificate each week to one person who promotes RIF and reading on a Facebook app. Details: facebook.com/Macys or rif.org/sweeps.

Survey figures for race, ethnicity, education, region, household income, and number of children were weighted to be proportional to the overall population, according to an executive summary from Harris Interactive, the market research firm that compiled the online poll. Data was also weighted to reflect the mix of U.S. families nationally who have children under nine. Participants were chosen from those who agreed to participate in Harris Interactive polls.

Deb Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, and Richard Gonzales, Senior Advisor for Early Childhood Development, Department of Health and Human Services, joined Ralph Smith, Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, and Susan H. Hildreth, Director of IMLS, for a joint press event today highlighting the report.

“This report issues a call to action: Now is the time for policy makers and practitioners to fully use the capacity of libraries and museums in their early learning efforts,” says Hildreth in her introduction to the report. “Libraries and museums reach millions of children each year. It is exciting to bring that capacity into focus so that libraries and museums can more effectively engage in early learning strategies at the community, state, and national levels.”

For IMLS, the report is only the first step in a deeper and expanded commitment to the youngest and most at-risk children in the United States, Hildreth says. She notes, “We will be pursuing special efforts to assure that libraries and museums can reach under-served children and provide opportunities that can make a difference that will last a lifetime.”

According to the report, libraries and museums support learning are by increasing high-quality early learning experiences, engaging and supporting families as their child’s first teachers, supporting development of executive function and “deeper learning” through literacy and STEM-based experiences, creating seamless links across early learning and the early grades, positioning children for meeting expectations of the Common Core State Standards, addressing the summer slide, linking new digital technologies to learning, improving family health and nutrition, leveraging community partnerships, and adding capacity to early learning networks.

The report also outlined areas and questions that deserve further impact study, and specific recommendations for improving early learning outcomes and increasing school readiness through federal, state, and community efforts.

Federal policy makers, for example, should include museum/library grants in funding priorities, support research to identify best practices for early learning in museums and libraries, and invest in professional development for museum and library staff.

Communities, the report recommends, should include museums and libraries in initiatives designed to increase family engagement in school readiness, examine ways to help vulnerable, underserved families access museum and library services, and launch public information campaigns.

For districts and schools, the report calls for joint professional development to teachers and museum and library staff, and the establishment of partnerships between schools and local museums and libraries that support building content knowledge.

The report also highlights and details current successful programs in New York (the Children’s Museum of Manhattan); Idaho; Texas (Children’s Museum of Houston); Washington; Virginia (Richmond Public Library, Arlington County schools); Pennsylvania (the greater Pittsburgh region); Florida (Miami Science Museum); Massachusetts (Boston Children’s Museum); Maryland (city of Baltimore).

Photo: Random House

SLJ caught up with author-illustrator Tad Hills about Rocket Writes a Story (Random, 2012), which follows a loveable dog as he tries to write his own book, and is the sequel to the bestselling picture book How Rocket Learned to Read (Random, 2010).

Is Rocket Writes a Story semi-autobiographical or is it meant to encourage kids who have trouble writing?

Both. Rocket Writes a Story is absolutely autobiographical. My (and, I’m sure, many other writers’) experience is very much like Rocket’s. There’s always that proverbial “white page.” There’s always the question, “what happens next?” When I visit schools, I’m always struck by kids’ desire to write stories and make books. They tell me how hard it is to think of ideas. I think they find comfort hearing that it’s tough for me too. They are often surprised to hear that it takes me months and months and draft after draft to write a story. Then, of course, there are the illustrations….

Do you do use a word tree like Rocket’s?

I do see many word walls in classrooms when I visit schools. I don’t have a word tree per se. Generally, I write ideas down on paper or type them into my phone or computer. Sometimes I send them in emails to myself. Then I gather those ideas and sift through them. Some make it into a story right away, some not for years or ever. It’s smart to write them down somewhere though.

I know you studied art and writing in college. Which one comes easier to you?

As a kid, I loved to draw and paint and make things. I also spent time writing or imagining stories, but the art came more easily. It was just simpler and more immediate to sit down and draw a picture or make a clay sculpture than write a story. I think it’s still that way for me. It’s hard to come up with a story and details and then fit them all together.

Prior to Duck & Goose (Random, 2006), you created books without narrative. How did you make the transition?

Yes, Duck & Goose was my first book with a narrative. My wife Lee Wade and Anne Schwartz, her friend and colleague, had encouraged me to write a kids book long before they started Schwartz & Wade Books. I had wanted to write a story for a long time and had thought about plots and characters and details. I started writing three distinctly different stories. Duck and Goose is the one that took shape. The hardest part was sitting down and just writing.

I know you come from an artistic household, but was it something you had always wanted to do?

I never set out to be a children’s book author or illustrator. I always loved making art and writing but wanted to be an actor. I started illustrating novelty books for Lee who was running Simon and Schuster’s children’s art dept. One thing lead to another. I guess the first time I held a copy of Duck & Goose was when I realized that if someone asked me what i did I could say “I write and illustrate children’s books.”

How involved were you in the How Rocket Learned to Read app and what do you think of ebooks?

I was involved with the building of the How Rocket Learned to Read app to a degree. I made suggestions here and there. The app was built by my brother Jonathan’s company, Domani Studios, so I had an insider’s view of the process. I also trusted that Domani would create a fantastic book app. His team worked with Random House, and they really built something special. I feel that the app introduces animation and interactivity that actually enhances the book in interesting ways. To top it off, Hope Davis, who is an amazing actress, narrates the story perfectly.

Are there plans to make Rocket Writes a Story or any other of your books into apps?

As of now, there are no plans for an app. I think it could translate nicely. Maybe someday. I am talking to a company about an enhanced ebook version of The 12 Days of Christmas, a flap book I made many years ago. If all goes well that will release this Christmas season.

What’s the real-life Rocket—and the inspiration for your books—doing these days?

Rocket just had his fifth birthday on July 18. He’ll be going to the beach soon. He loves the water and will dive off a dock of any height. He likes to chase ducks.

What else inspires you and your books?

It’s hard to know where inspiration comes from. You never know when that whiff of feathers and pine needles will hit you. But when it does, it can set off an imagination explosion. Like Rocket, I have a tough time getting started. I often feel like growling when things are not going well but when the writing flows, when I feel like I’m sharing the space with my characters and I can sit and listen to the characters’ conversations in my head, I—in my own way—wag my tail like Rocket does.

What role did libraries play in your life growing up and do your kids like the library?

I spent many hours in a library near the town where I grew up. A family friend, Phyllis Lindsay, was the librarian there. She had a passion for books and kids and loved finding just the right book for each reader. Over the years my kids have spent much time in their school library. Their school has a very active library scene and getting to go to the library is a very exciting and special time for the kids.

I think that the Rocket books have resonated with librarians because these books are, in a way, about the power of books and stories and words. When a librarian thanks you for writing a book you take it to heart.

You’ve said that your kids influence your work and that you watch and listen to them and their friends. Are there any plans to write a chapter book or a children’s novel?

For a while, I’ve been working on a chapter book about Franny and George, a couple of ducks who live in a little wooden house with a family (and a dog). The dad in the family writes children’s books about the two ducks. Over the years, my kids and their friends have given me a lot of material and you can be sure that they, in various ways, will be represented in this story.

Tell us what you’re working on now?

I just finished another Duck & Goose board book, Goose Needs a Hug, which will come out in December. I’m always thinking about what Duck & Goose and Rocket will do next. No specifics to report yet, though.

Please send your pictures of the week to sdiaz@mediasourceinc.com

The Goleta Library in Goleta, CA, part of the Santa Barbara Public Library System, celebrated a Family Place Workshop on June 1. Hunter Tattle explores his artisitic talent at a fingerpainting activity.

Chas, Dan, and Jesse Bradford (l. to r.) sharing a laugh at the Goleta Library’s Family Place Workshop.

Yoshikawa is the author of a sobering new book called Immigrants Raising Citizens: Undocumented Parents and Their Young Children (Russell Sage, 2011). Based on a three-year study of nearly 400 children from Mexican, Chinese, and Dominican families, the book shows the adverse effects of parents’ undocumented status on their offspring. These young citizens are at great risk in their educational development, largely because of their parents’ precarious legal situation.

Yoshikawa and his colleagues visited homes and workplaces, seeing firsthand how fear of deportation and separation affects all aspects of these families’ daily lives. The researchers learned that any kind of service requiring documentation is out of reach for most of the families. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for them to obtain child-care subsidies, health care, checking and savings accounts, and even a driver’s license or a public library card.

The parents in the study work long hours, often for less than the legal minimum wage. They endure poor working conditions but are afraid to complain. They rarely get raises because they’re reluctant to make themselves conspicuous to those in positions of authority. Many live in rundown apartments, fearful of complaining to their landlords. Most compelling to us was Yoshikawa’s observation that the children of undocumented immigrants aren’t likely to receive quality center-based child care, which research shows can greatly improve early development. His findings indicate that at as early as 24 months, these children show lower cognitive and language-skill development than their more privileged peers.

Yoshikawa emphasizes that locally based, nonpolitical organizations are currently the best community supports for this remarkably large segment of our population. We especially sat up and took notice when he mentioned that his researchers were often the first ones to tell these families about pubic libraries and all they have to offer.

Yoshikawa identifies three “principles” that low-income immigrant families use to identify community organizations they believe they can trust: the perceived benefit to their children; a familiar, comfortable setting; and ease of enrollment. He reports that WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) is one organization that has been a “success story” in its service to undocumented immigrants. He cites several reasons for this. Recognizing that Mexicans and some other ethnic groups disapprove of “cash welfare,” WIC doesn’t dispense money. Instead, it provides food and nutritional counseling, which are regarded as directly helpful to the children. WIC often provides its services in clinics and hospitals where the children were born, so their parents trust the location and feel comfortable taking their children there. And enrollment is simple, thanks to social workers who speak many languages and are available for assistance. Additionally, Yoshikawa notes that parents have come to trust that this organization won’t turn them into authorities who can deport them.

We encourage you to read Yoshikawa’s book. For those of us in public and school libraries, there’s so much more we can learn to continue our profession’s long history of helping new immigrants flourish in a challenging new world.

Wall documents her program in a guest post on SLJ’s app review blog Touch and Go:

It’s my supervisor’s fault. Really. She purchased an iPad, downloaded The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore, and brought the tablet to work. When I saw those Flying Books swirling around the screen, ideas began twirling around my mind. If I was amazed—and delighted—by the app’s interactivity, how would children react?

I owned an iPhone and had purchased apps, but I’d never considered designing a program around this software until I viewed an app on the iPad. Now that was totally different experience. Tapping money designated for “something special” and funds from a technology endowment, I purchased a number of iPads. My first program incorporating tablets was a story time for one- and two-year-olds and their caregivers. I called it eBabies.

That pilot class taught me a few things; most importantly, that one-year-olds lacked the attention span for this type of program. I also learned that the silly, high-energy songs I love to incorporate in a traditional story time setting did not set the right tone for an iPad session.

Continue reading…

Photograph by Gustavo Devito

While enhanced ebooks engage young children with their interactive elements, print or basic ebooks may be more effective for encouraging literacy, according to a new study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center.

The findings, released May 29, are from a “QuickReport” on the experience of 32 pairs of parents reading a print book and ebook on an iPad together with their children, ages 3 to 6. Small sampling notwithstanding, the results do support earlier studies that establish distinct differences in the print and digital experience, particularly with enhanced ebooks. And further investigation is indicated, according to the report.

Noted in the QuickStudy:

• Children who read enhanced ebooks recalled significantly fewer details than subjects who read the same story in print. The features of the enhanced ebook may divert the attention of both parents and children from the narrative, which may have affected the kids’ ability to recall the story, concluded researchers.
• Reading a print or basic ebook with their parents prompted similar content-related actions by children—including labeling, pointing, and verbal elaboration of the story—which can support language development. On the other hand, the enhanced ebook drew activity—e.g. “device-focused talk”—unrelated to the book’s content.

So what’s a parent or teacher to do? Opt for print or basic ebooks to build literacy, recommends the QuickStudy researchers. But it’s hard to beat the sheer appeal of enhanced works, notes the report, which can go far in encouraging the very young, especially those reluctant to engage books at all.

Photograph by sean dreilinger

When she reads on the second page, “Owl Mother was GONE,” all eyes turn toward the book. The owls’ faces may not show much in the way of feelings, but a baby bird’s plea of “I want my mommy!” conveys an emotion that toddlers can easily relate to. “Oh, my. I wonder where Owl Mother went,” says Janie. “Why did she fly away? Do you think she’ll come back?”

Like you, we use many techniques to help children understand a story. One of the most powerful methods is thinking out loud while reading. Thinking out loud—in this case, talking about the owls’ emotions, actions, and motives—encourages children to think about the story.

“Reading is thinking” is a central principle for Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis, the authors of Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement (Stenhouse, 2007), who work mainly with primary and middle school readers and teachers. They’ve created a toolkit to help educators construct active learning environments that are aimed at boosting children’s reading comprehension.

To learn how libraries can help children think about a story, interact with its text, and, thus, build comprehension skills during storytime, we talked to Barbara Steinberg, a reading specialist here in Oregon. Steinberg believes that when we think out loud in storytime, we are encouraging children to model the same strategies that good readers use, such as predicting events and summarizing. She explained that good readers connect what they know from their own life experiences with what they’re reading. Good readers also constantly ask themselves questions while they read, such as “Why did he say that?” or “Is this important to the story?”

In storytime we ask children the same types of questions that efficient readers might ask themselves. Most of us use these strategies without even being aware of it, but when we think out loud, we are teaching children how to do it, too.

While thinking out loud is a technique frequently used to help students in the elementary grades, reading researchers Lea McGee and Judith Schickendanz have adapted this method for much younger children. Their approach is called repeated interactive read-alouds. How does it work? A storybook is read three times in slightly different ways in order to increase children’s engagement with the text. In the first reading, children are introduced to the story. In the second, they’re encouraged to get to know the characters and their challenges more deeply. And in the final reading, young listeners are invited to pinpoint the characters’ problems and to respond to analytical questions such as, “Who remembers what will happen next?” (To learn more, see “Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten” in the May 2007 issue of The Reading Teacher.) The main idea is to create an active learning environment that promotes interaction with the text and thinking for children of all ages.

When Janie finishes the story, she asks, “When their mother came back, why did the owls bounce on the branch?” One thoughtful toddler says, “I would jump on the branch, too.” Janie gently probes, “Why would you jump up and down?” and the toddler replies, “Because I would be happy, too!”

Successful readers need to do two things well. They need to learn the code and, most importantly, they need to understand its meaning. Librarians like Janie help children clear those hurdles with room to spare.