You have to be in it: The 2013 Samsung K–12 “Return on Intelligence” Gift Programs have been announced by Samsung Techwin, a manufacturer of document cameras. The Superhero Program competition encourages students to prepare a 1–3 minute digital video (camera phone quality is acceptable) in which they portray their favorite historical character. The deadline for entries is May 31. The contest is opened to students in grades K–12 and the video will be judged on presentation performance, character and content accuracy, and content quality. The winner will receive $500 and the student’s class will get a SAMCAM 760 document camera.

To enter the Scholarship Program, high school students must write an essay of no more than 300 words in response to the question: What do you think about technology advancements and how they will change the way we learn in the future? Is it for the better? The deadline for submissions is May 15. Essays will be judged on the basis of original thinking, relevance to the real world, and writing quality. All applicants must be sponsored by a teacher. Five winners will be announced on May 31 and will receive a $1,000 award.

Under its 2013 Grant Program, ten teachers will each have the opportunity to win a SAMCAM 760 document camera for use in school by writing a fun lesson plan of 100 words or less in which they use the camera. The deadline for submissions is May 1, The top 20 finalists will then have to submit a video showing their lesson in the classroom using the SAMCAM 760. Ten winners will be selected on June, and their school district will also keep the camera.

Freebies

Teaching guide: Hurry up and get your free copy of Brother Sam and All That: Historical Context and Literary Analysis of the Novels of James and Christopher Collier (Clearwater Pr., 1999) from AudioGO. The lessons compiled in this companion teaching guide provide teachers and librarians with information about how to use historical fiction in the classroom—just what the Common Core Standards require—and tips for teaching the novels by James and Christopher Collier. AudioGO publishes audiobook and ebook versions of more than 50 novels by James and Christopher Collier, including the classroom favorite, My Brother Sam Is Dead. The first 100 people to email michell.cobb@audiogo.com will receive this teaching guide at no cost.

Publishing News

Trade picture books: This spring, Capstone Young Readers, an imprint of Capstone, is launching a collection of fully illustrated picture books. “We are excited to introduce a range of picture books in both paper-over-board and trade paperback formats,” says Ashley Andersen Zantop, Group Publisher and General Manager. “We believe that quality illustrated titles provide an important stepping stone to reading and an opportunity to inspire imagination, creativity, and a love for good books.” The titles and series scheduled for publication in February 2013 are: Flood by Alvara F. Villa, “Princess Heart” series written and illustrated by Molly Martin, “The Other Side of the Story” series by Nancy Loewen (classic fairy tales), and Charlotte Gullain’s “Animal Fairy Tales” series.

And more picture books: Hank Finds an Egg (ages 3–8) written and illustrated by Rebecca Dudley will be published by Peter Pauper Press in May 2013 as their initial venture into publishing children’s trade picture books for children. The wordless picture book tells the story of a young boy who finds an egg on the forest floor, helps it return to its home in a tree, and is rewarded by his new forest friends. Three additional titles are scheduled for publication: Bruce Arant’s Sheep Won’t Go to Sleep! (Fall 2013), Digby Differs by Miriam Koch (Fall 2013), and Sarra J. Roth’s Not the Quitting Kind (Spring 2014). If you’re a picture book author, Peter Pauper Press is accepting unsolicited submissions online, or you can send your manuscript to Mara Conlon, Senior Editor, Peter Pauper Press, 202 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10601.

Peter Pauper Press has been publishing gift books, references, travel guides, children’s activity books, and other products for adults since it was founded in 1928.

Children’s Lit Conference

Digital Lit: Librarians, teachers, and others who love books are invited to attend e-Looking Glass: Children’s Literature in the Digital Age, a full-day conference to be held at Carthage College Hedberg Library in Kenosha, WI, on April 13, that will explore “how books are being reinvented to create visual and interactive experiences that printed books cannot provide.”  Topics will include the changing landscape of texts (interactive ebooks, book apps, learning products, and online communities), how to integrate this new technology into the classroom, and the design and development of these new types of books. Among the speakers are Brandon Oldenburg, award-winning illustrator and co-founder of Moonbot Studios; Umesh Shukla, animation director and founder of Auryn, a digital publisher of apps; Denise Johnson, author of The Joy of Children’s Literature; William H. Teale, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and others. Undergraduate continuing professional education credit is available. The cost to attend the conference is $65, and $40 for students. You can register online. The cost of one credit hour is $50; to view the syllabus, contact Marilyn Ward at mward@carthage.edu.

Webcast

Audiobooks: School Library Journal’s September 13 webcast, Audiobooks in the Classroom, sponsored by AudioGO and Listening Library, will be archived and available for on-demand viewing by September 21 at www.slj.com/webcasts. It featured SLJ’s “Listen In” columnists, Sharon Grover and Liz Hannegan, discussing informational audiobooks, literacy, and Common Core Standards, as well as AudioGO’s Michele Cobb and Jodie Cohen from Listening Library talking about their terrific audiobooks with thematic connections to the Common Core.

In the Money

Programming award: You can garner a $4,000 honorarium if you win the 2013 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming. The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office is now accepting nominations for the award from public or private school libraries that serve kindergarten through eighth grade. To be eligible, the library must have carried out a humanities program during the 2011-2012 school year that focused on subject areas such as social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, and foreign language/culture. According to ALA, “Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it. They should be initiated and coordinated by the school librarian and exemplify the role of the library program in advancing the overall educational goals of the school.” Make sure to read the guidelines before applying. Applications must be submitted by December 15.

On October 24, the ALA Public Programs Office is offering a free online session about the award and last year’s winner will present his winning model and give tips to prospective applicants. The annual award was named for Sara Jaffarian, a retired school librarian who advocated for school libraries throughout her career and whose donation to ALA’s Cultural Communities Fund established it in 2006.

Granted

Library aids: Local, regional, or state libraries; associations; organizations; or individuals can apply for the annual Carnegie-Whitney Grant of up to $5,000 for preparing popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes, and other guides to library resources that will be useful to patrons in all types of libraries in the United States. The purpose of the grants, administered by the American Library Association, is to pay for the preparation of the product, including the cost of research. These projects must stimulate the use of library resources, appeal to and be useful to a broad audience, be completed within two years, and must be new or in process. Among the numerous previous winners are: “Seeing the World Through a Different Lens: Diversity in International Youth Films,” “Creating a Database of LGBTQ-related Literature for Children and Young Adults,” and “A Multimedia Guide to African American Books for Children and Young Adults.” Be sure to check out the proposal requirements and complete an application form. All proposals must be submitted by November 2.