May 20, 2013

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SLJ’s Kid-Lit Guide to Manhattan | BEA 2013

Patience, or is it Fortitude? The two icons of the New York Public Library.
Photo by www.flickr.com/photos/zeldman

Looking for some places to hang during downtime at Book Expo America (BEA)? We’ve compiled some of our favorite spots in Gotham—literary and otherwise—all within a few miles of the Javits Convention Center. We’ve thrown in some recommendations for good eats along the way. So lace up some sneakers or make like a New Yorker and hail a cab.

It Takes Two: Up Close with Librarians Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna

Rose&Margaux

“[Our] library in Freeport is the heart of that community,” says 2013 Mover & Shaker Margaux DelGuidice, who shares duties with fellow honoree Rose Luna at the Freeport Memorial Library in Long Island, NY. These two powerhouses also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at two area high schools, and have devoted countless hours to professional advocacy. In our interview, they share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of libraries.

Tiger Eyes Set to Sparkle on the Big Screen: Betsy Bird Talks to Judy and Lawrence Blume

Tiger-Eyes---Judy-Blume-and-Tatanka-Means

Tiger Eyes, the 1998 book by Judy Blume, is about to become a major motion picture, the first feature film adaptation of Blume’s work. Elizabeth Bird talks to Blume and her son, Lawrence Blume, about their collaboration on the film.

Navajo Nation’s Poet Laureate; No-Sugar Challenge; South Asia Book Awards | News Bites

luci tapahonso

Luci Tapahonso has been appointed the Navajo Nation’s first Poet Laureate. Arte Público Press launches a A Day without Sugar initiative to combat child obesity. The winners of the South Asia Book Awards and the Marion Vannett Ridgway Award were announced.

Galley Guide | Go Inside BookExpo

BEA Galley Guide

The doors to the exhibit halls at BookExpo America (BEA), one of the biggest shows of the year, open on May 30, and School Library Journal has prepared a special free guidebook, the 2013 BEA Guide to ARCs & Signings, for its readers.

Connecticut House of Representatives Unanimously Passes Bill to Study Library Access to Ebooks, Legislation Now Moves to State Senate

House Bill 5614 (An Act Cocerning Ebooks and Libraries) passes Connecticut House of Representatives. Bill now heads to Senate. From the AP: The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday 143-0 to pass a bill requiring the commissioner of consumer protection to report to the General Assembly on the issue by Feb 1. The bill, which [...]

Nebraska: Columbus Library Board Rejects Challenge of Batman Graphic Novel

From the Columbus Telegram: The Columbus Public Library Board received its second materials challenge in five months and again rejected the protest. This time a patron objected to the book “Batman: The Killing Joke” by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. [Clip] It is currently located in the young adult area of the library, but cataloged [...]

Great Books About Bicycles

Bicycles featured image

May is National Bike Month. Inspire youngsters to get outside and ride with a selection of tantalizing titles about two-wheelers. Whether celebrating a child’s triumphant mastery of this important skill, reveling in the delights of going for a spin, or providing a look at bicycling and its history, these books will get readers geared up for freewheeling fun.

Author Michael Dahl Celebrates “Educators Day” at Minor League Baseball Game

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Author Michael Dahl helped give away hundreds of copies of his new picture book Goodnight Baseball (Capstone, 2013) on “Educators Day” at a Saint Paul Saints baseball game on May 9. The day is exclusively for teachers and students, and was the first exhibition game of the minor league baseball team this season.

Mo Willems Exhibit; Kidlit Book Awards; Gaming in the Classroom | News Bites

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Celebrate 10 years of Mo Willems’s Pigeon with a visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, which will be hosting an exhibit on the award-winning author/illustrator. Winners for the Jane Addams, Golden Kite, and IRA awards have been announced. Attend a one-day workshop focused on integrating games into the K–12 classroom. These stories and more, in this week’s News Bites.

Pick of the Day: Papa’s Mechanical Fish

submarine surrounded by turqoise sea

With luminous, playful artwork, an exuberant look at the development of one of the first submarines.

Fredrick McKissack, Half of Award-Winning Writing Team, Dies at 73

McKissack

Fredrick L. McKissack, who with his wife Patricia wrote more than a hundred books for children capturing the black American experience, died on April 28 from heart failure. He was 73. The McKissacks’ collaboration led to numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King (CSK) Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.

Student Library Volunteers at Cantiague Elementary; Author/Illustrator William Low Visits NYC School

A group of fifth graders in Jericho, NY help Cantiague Elementary's school librarian Lorraine Tedesco by adding labels to new books

A group of fifth graders in Jericho, NY help Cantiague Elementary’s school librarian Lorraine Tedesco by adding labels to new books.

ALA Election Results: Young Wins President, Gonzalez Treasurer; Dues Measure Passes by Wide Margin

Courtney Young

According to an ALA press release, “Young received 5,391 votes, while Immroth received 5,029 votes.” Meanwhile, a measure to allow ALA to increase dues in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) without explicit member approval also passed.

Free Math Kits; National Geographic and CCSS; S.E. Hinton Ebooks | New Bites

bedtime math

In this week’s News Bites: As an incentive to get children in the library during the summer, Bedtime Math is offering two free math-focused program kits. National Geographic Kids content is being added to Cengage Learning’s National Geographic Virtual Library product line. Four S. E. Hinton novels are now available in ebook format for the first time. Capstone partners with Save the Children.

‘TED Talks Education’ to Air May 7 on PBS

Host John Legend at the taping of TED Talks Education. Photo by Joe Sinnott, courtesy of WNET.

Bill Gates, John Legend, and Sir Ken Robinson are among some of the bigger names joining TED next week to discuss education in the conference series’ first ever televised special. Here is a preview of the event, which was recorded earlier this month in New York City.

Sullivan Award Goes to Kathleen Reif

St Marys County Library

Kathleen Reif, director of St. Mary’s County Library, Leonardtown, MD, is the 2013 recipient of Peggy Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children. The Sullivan Award, administered by the American Library Association (ALA), is presented annually to an individual in a library administrator role who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children. The award will be presented at the ALA President’s Program, Sunday, June 30, at the Annual Conference in Chicago.

Texas Two-Step, or Conference Hopping in the Lone Star State | IRA, TLA 2013

J. R. Martinez speaking to librarians in Fort Worth, TX.

From San Antonio to Fort Worth, literacy educators and librarians converged on Texas last week to celebrate books and reading.

School Library Journal Promotes Ishizuka, Diaz

Shelley Diaz

Kathy Ishizuka has been named executive editor of School Library Journal. Previously assistant editor of book review, Shelley Diaz has been promoted to SLJ associate editor.

Pick of the Day: The Mighty Lalouche

legs in red striped tights

A captivating tale about small people capable of great feats