ENGLE, Margarita. Mountain Dog. illus. by Loga and Aleksey Ivanov. Holt. 2013. ISBN 9780805095166. JLG Level: A : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

When his mother is sent to prison for cruelty to animals, Tony moves in with his great uncle Leo whom he’s never met. Life in the Sierra Mountains is completely different from his Los Angeles world. He has his own room, a friendly dog who loves him at first sight, and a patient foster father who has much to teach him. Leo is a search-and-rescue volunteer, and his dog Gabe has also been trained to find people lost deep in the mountains. Tony alternates between his curiosity of the nature around him and his fear of loving things he could lose. Engle uses free verse and the voices of Tony, Leo, and Gabe to strengthen the reader’s empathy for the boy, allowing them to feel the struggles that the mountain dog sees.

HARLEY, Bill. Charlie Bumpers vs. the Teacher of the Year. illus. by Adam Gustavson. Peachtree. 2013. ISBN 9781561457328. JLG Level: A+ : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

Charlie Bumpers never means to get into trouble, but it always seems to find him. The year he enters fourth grade, he is horrified to learn that his teacher will be Mrs. Burke, last year’s teacher of the year. Charlie’s problem is that last year, he threw his shoe, which hit her in the head. “If I ever see you throw another shoe in school, you will stay in from recess for the rest of your life,” she promised. Now Charlie is in her class. How can he stay out of trouble with a teacher who’s just waiting for him to make a mistake? What’s even worse is that she surrounds him with perfect kids who never, ever make mistakes. His parents refuse to get him transferred. Charlie is stuck and is destined to be in a war that he can never hope to win; he just wants to survive it.

HILL, Kirkpatrick. Bo at Ballard Creek. illus. by LeUyen Pham. Holt. 2013. ISBN 9780805093513. JLG Level:  A : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

After the Alaskan gold rush when miners began to drift to other places, Mean Millie leaves town, giving up her baby. Miners Arvid and Jack are charged with delivering the child to the orphanage. After one look at the nuns, the two new friends decide to keep her. Everyone at Ballard Creek is delighted with the new addition to their family, for she becomes part of the life of all who lived at the mining camp. Bo, as she becomes known, learns Eskimo and English. She learns to cook and help in the cookshack. Reminiscent of a Little House book, Hill shares Bo’s life with her papas through the course of a year―from birthday and Fourth of July parties, to everyday life, and the excitement of the unexpected.

MARTIN, Lisa and Valerie. Anton and Cecil: Cats at Sea. illus. by Kelly Murphy. Algonquin. 2013. ISBN 9781616202460. JLG Level: A+ : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

Brothers are often different from each other. The cats Anton and Cecil are no different. Cecil would love nothing more than to sail on one of the ships that come into their harbor. Anton is quiet and cautious. He’d rather stay on dry ground. As fate would often have it, Anton is taken against his will to be a rat-catcher on the largest ship ever to dock in their harbor. Cecil must rescue him from this dangerous fate, so he forces his way onto the next vessel. Pirate ships, mysterious whales, kind cooks, and huge rats fill out this survival tale, and the brothers’ adventure teaches lessons about facing fears, family, and friendship.

RHODES, Jewell Parker. Sugar. Little, Brown. 2013. ISBN 9780316043052. JLG Level: A : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

In the time of Reconstruction on the banks of the Mississippi, 10-year-old Sugar and the other former slaves still do hard labor harvesting sugar cane. Blacks are still separated from whites, and not much has changed except that the workers get paid for their efforts. But since the end of the Civil War, it’s mostly old folks that remain on the plantation, so Mister Wills hires Chinese men to strengthen his labor force. Sugar, who’s almost always in trouble anyway, crosses the racial line when she plays with the plantation owner’s son. The new workers stir up her curiosity with their shiny black hair, linen pants, new food, and new customs. Sugar can’t resist being with them either. In a time when things are changing, the strong-minded girl rushes headfirst, bringing all races together, but at what cost? Things are a’changing, but not everyone is happy about it. Rhodes’s enlightening historical novel introduces a little known thread of history about Chinese immigrants working in the South after the Civil War.

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Students in grades three through eight can enter the Dare to Dream…Change the World Second Annual Writing Contest for Children by creating an original biographical poem and a paragraph about someone who not only dreamed, but took action and made the world a better place. The contest “aims to promote literacy, poetry writing, and nonfiction research while inspiring students to follow their own dreams.”

Entries can be submitted through April 30, 2014. Winners will be announced by June 1, 2014. Be sure to check out the rules and submission information. The grand prize winner will receive $1,500 worth of Kane Miller and Usborne books for a school or community library of their choice. The top 30 entries will be published as a free ebook by sponsor Kane Miller Books.

The contest, cosponsored by Educational Development Corporation, has been announced by Jill Corcoran, compiler and contributing poet to Dare to Dream … Change the World (Kane Miller, 2013), a collection of biographical and inspirational poems for children featuring a culturally diverse mix of subjects ranging from Jonas Salk to Steven Spielberg, and from Christa McAuliffe to Michelle Kwan. A free, downloadable curriculum guide is available on the contest and publisher websites.

Pin It to Win

Teachers have until September 27, 2013 to enter Raytheon’s “Pin It to Win It” sweepstakes on Pinterest “that encourages knowledge sharing and promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.” The contest is part of Raytheon’s MathMovesU initiative, which aims to inspire student interest in STEM subjects and support teachers by providing easy access to STEM education resources.

Educators must create a back-to-school Pinterest board, re-pin and share creative STEM education content, such as inventive experiments or lesson tips, to the MathMovesU “Back-to-School” Pinterest board. Twenty-five winners will be randomly selected to receive a MathMovesU bag filled with classroom supplies, such as calculators, rulers, protractors, and compasses.

Picture Book Art

From September 17, 2013 through March 24, 2014, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, will feature an exhibit of artwork from Eric Carle’s new picture book, Friends (Philomel). The title has a release date of November 19, 2013, and showcases Carle’s signature tissue-paper collage artwork. It tells the story of a little boy who braves harsh weather, tall mountains, and long distances to reunite with his best friend who moves away. Visit the Museum’s website for hours and admission fees.

“Friends was inspired by many of my own friendships,” says Carle. “One that I had as a three-year-old boy, another as a six-year-old when I was taken by my parents to Germany, and another as a young man when I arrived back in the United States with my portfolio in hand. I have always believed that friendship is very important. I know it was for me as a child. I can still remember my strong attachments and feelings for my friends when I was a boy.”

Canadian Children’s Lit Awards

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) has announced the finalists for its seven major children’s book awards: TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, John Spray Mystery Award, and Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. The winners will be announced at the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards and Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse in Toronto on October 22 and in Montreal on October 29.

The finalists for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($30,000) are: Kids of Kabul (Groundwood; ages 11 Up) by Deborah Ellis; One Year in Coal Harbor (Groundwood; ages 9–13) by Polly Horvath; Susin Nielsen’s The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (Tundra; ages 11 Up); The Stamp Collector (Fitzhenry & Whiteside; ages 8 Up) written by Jennifer Lanthier and illustrated by Francois Thisdale; and Virginia Wolf (Kids Can, ages 5–10) written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award finalists are: Mr. King’s Things (Kids an; ages 3–7) written and illustrated by Genevieve Cote, Mr. Zinger’s Hat (Tundra; ages 4–8), The Stamp Collector (Fitzhenry & Whiteside; ages 8 Up) written by Jennifer Lanthier and illustrated by Francois Thisdale; Uncle Wally’s Old Brown Shoe (Orca; ages 4–8) written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards and Virginia Wolf (Kids Can, ages 5–10) written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000) finalists are: A Call to Battle (Scholastic Canada; ages 10–14) by Gillian Chan, The Lynching of Louie Sam (Annick Press; ages 12 Up) by Elizabeth Stewart, Making Bombs for Hitler (Scholastic Canada; ages 9–14) by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Amy McAuley’s Violins of Autumn (Walker; ages 12 Up), and Yesterday’s Dead (Second Story Press; ages 10–14) by Pat Bourke.

The finalists for the John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) include: Becoming Holmes (Tundra; ages 11–14) by Shane Peacock, Devil’s Pass (Orca; ages 12–14) by Sigmund Brouwer, Neil Flambe and the Tokyo Treasure (S & S; ages 8–13) written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester.

A complete list of finalists in all the categories can be found on The Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s website.

For the first time, TD Bank Group is partnering with CBC Books to present the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Fan Choice Award. Young readers will be asked to pick their favorite book from the shortlisted TD Award titles in an online poll starting on Monday, September 9. The book with the most votes will win, and one entrant will win a trip to Toronto to present the award at the ceremony on October 22.

BUNTING, Eve. The Cart That Carried Martin. illus. by Don Tate. Charlesbridge. 2013. ISBN 9781580893879. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

“The cart was old. Its paint had faded. It was for sale outside Cook’s Antiques and Stuff. Nobody wanted it.” That was before it carried something heavier than the burden it bore. The wagon that no one wanted was borrowed for use in a funeral procession. Two mules led it through the streets while thousands of people sang, cried, and grieved. It was the funeral cart that carried Martin Luther King, Jr. whose spirit could not be contained in the coffin that bound him. Reading a newspaper article inspired Bunting’s latest picture book―a powerful tale of the modest artifact that now motivates men to remove their hats.

HOPKINS, H. Joseph. The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever. illus. by Jill McElmurry. S & S/Beach Lane. 2013. ISBN 9781442414020. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

When Kate Sessions first saw San Diego’s City Park (as it was then called), it looked like the rest of the desert town―there was very little green. She became a tree hunter, asking for seeds from gardeners all over the world. Soon Kate’s seedlings were growing all over the city. In 1909, city planners met to discuss the upcoming Panama-California Exposition. Kate was hired to plant thousands of trees in what was now called Balboa Park before the visitors arrived in 1915. Could the young gardener (the first woman to graduate with a science degree from UC) prepare a treeless city park in such a short time? Hopkins’ first picture book explores the powerful impact of a woman who changed the landscape of San Diego.

MARCUS, Leonard S. Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing. illus. by author. Farrar/Frances Foster. 2013. ISBN  9780374310257. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Seventy-five years ago, a new award was established to celebrate the most distinguished work by an American children’s book illustrator. Seventy-seven years earlier, the man for whom the award was named took his first job at age fifteen. He was hired as a clerk in a British bank. Though the job was stable, especially for a young man who had experienced health issues, banking was not his heart’s desire. More than anything he loved to draw. Whenever he could, he doodled ―even on his banking papers. He knew that he would have to move to London where editorial cartoons could give him the break he needed. Armed with a small portfolio, Caldecott took the opportunity to share his work with important editors. One of them liked his art, publishing the first of many illustrations in London Society. As his popularity rose, the artist was approached to take over the work of retiring illustrator, Walter Crane. His new job would be to create the drawings for children’s toybooks. Completely changing the format, style, and design, his first book immediately sold the first printing’s 10,000 copies. From doodles as a young boy, he became the most sought-after illustrator of his time. Today, his name is recognized by children and librarians all over the country. His name was Randolph Caldecott.

McCARTHY, Meghan. Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton. illus. by author. S & S/Paula Wiseman. 2013. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

In 1942 women weren’t allowed to be commercial pilots, but Betty Skelton was determined to fly. She became a stunt pilot, calling it “aerobatic flying.” Turning her plane upside down, she became known for her daring ribbon cuts, using her propeller to slice the banner. She flew barefoot and took her dog, Little Tinker. In 1951, Skelton broke an altitude record, soaring an amazing height of 29,050 feet―higher than the top of Mount Everest. From there she drove racecars, continuing her need for speed and record-setting daredevil deeds. McCarthy’s fascinating account includes quotes, a time line, and an extensive bibliography of a woman who became “The First Lady of Firsts.”

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Cells (Kids Discover; Free for a limited time, then, $3.99; Gr 5-9) by Sean Price offers students an overview of animal, plant, and human cellular life. On opening the app, viewers can choose from 11 sections or scroll screen by screen through chapters that present both text and colorful illustrations under such headings as “The Stuff of Life,” “DNA Unraveled,” and “What Cells Do.” “Zooming In” offers a cut-away diagram with 10 clearly marked parts and functions of the cell from the nucleus to the role of the mitochondrion. When tapped, the corresponding part or parts of the cell light up (while the rest darkens), allowing students to see exactly what they look like or where they take place. “Incredible Journey” features a short, narrated video clip that takes viewers into the blood stream, zooming past red blood cells, and into the center of a single white blood cell to view chromosomes. “Engineering in a Better World?” mentions gene therapy, stem cells, genetic testing research, and  the “thorny issues” raised by genetic engineering. Music clips, animation, and interactive screens (such as a time line covering the years 1590 to 1997), are some of the additional enhancements found in the app. A maze, a simple jigsaw puzzle, and a five-question quiz are also available, but once they are tried it’s unlikely users will revisit them. There is no glossary or list of key facts. The last section contains short lists of print and web resources with live links (to Amazon, in the case of the books). Two of the four recommended books may be best suited to a slightly younger audience. Cells is also available in a Spanish language edition. —Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Avondale, LA

Kids Discover has produced a number of high quality nonfiction offerings for iOS devices and Matter ($3.99; Gr 5-8) is another. The text introduces readers to the following concepts: atoms, elements, states of matter, mixtures, and physical changes versus chemical changes, as well as real-world examples of these states and their properties. The writing is clear and precise and well suited to those new to the subject. Because the app is both comprehensive and illustrative, it could easily serve as an interactive stand-in for texts of a more static nature. The bright, sharp visuals are stunning; each page is pleasingly arranged with an appropriate balance of information and illustration. Animations, sound effects, and short video clips are incorporated throughout demonstrating, for example, how a steam engine works and what happens when a piece of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) is dropped into a glass of water. Accompanying the text is a vocabulary matching activity and a brief five-question quiz. Interactive activities include a step-by-step experiment guide and practice problems for calculating volume. Between the lucid writing and the beautiful visuals, this app will have many classroom applications. The brief, how-to section that appears when the title is first opened serves as a tutorial on how to use the app. A worthwhile addition to nonfiction collections.— Lindsay Cesari, Baldwinsville School District, NY

Three tabs, “solid,” ‘liguid” and “gas,” lead viewers to paragraph-length definitions and descriptions of each of the States of Matter  (Braahmam Net Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Gr 5-8) in this free app. In addition, a list of properties is provided for each state, as well as an animated “demonstration” of its particle activity and forces. Finally, a quiz consisting of 10 simple true-and-false and mulitiple-choice questions is provided. The language of the text is awkward at times, suggesting a translation. Viewers can opt to read it or listen to the narration. While neither deep nor particularly exciting in presentation, the app may offer students an opportunity to test or review what they know about the topic.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Your students may choose to volunteer for military service; they will certainly become voters and taxpayers. As educators, it is essential that we teach them how to become informed citizens–to examine evidence and argument related to the issues that shape political opinion and decisions.

Missiles launched at Syria are likely to provoke a response that spills over into a future conflict. However, if Assad’s government is not forced to face the consequences of banned weapon use–assuming that it has indeed used them–we are deciding that the immoral and impermissible is acceptable. In the 1930s, in both Spain and Czechoslovakia, we saw that not standing up to dictators only encouraged them and lead to larger, more horrific, conflicts.

To attack Syria is to increase the chance that the rebels–many of whom are the sworn enemies of the United States– will win, or carve out a toxic territory of their own, a haven for global jihadists. This is what the Russians claim. Assad is secular leader, while the forces fighting against him include extreme Islamic militants. Yet to allow this president to murder with impunity is to continue the bloody family business; his infamous father slaughtered tens of thousands of his Muslim Brotherhood opponents.

Which is the world we want to live in?  One in which Syria is a failed state, where Al Qaeda cells flourish close to Israel and Turkey, or a world in which we accept the deaths of tens and even hundreds of thousands of civilians?

It seems to me that this is the topic and debate that our students should be reading about, learning about, and having right now. Evaluating evidence, point of view, and argument is as Common Core as it gets. As global citizens, our students must be able to get beyond headlines, read a variety of complex texts, and form opinions based on evidence. What should the role of the school librarian be in sharing information about current issues? Librarians can lead students to articles from international papers such as The New York Times; news sources such as Al Jazeera that present insights and perspectives that aren’t often visible in American coverage; and the websites of groups that are on the ground, for example, Doctors Without Borders.

How can we tell if chemical weapons were used? A perfect science assignment. Why would Assad use poison gas when he was winning the war and United Nations’ inspectors were about to arrive? A great question for social studies classes. Could the rebels have staged an attack on themselves in order to get international powers to attack Assad? Every child who has an older sibling understands that strategy: provoking the bigger kid to lash out so that s/he will take the blame.

Syria is not so far away–what we decide to do there will directly affect every student in your school. Right in front of our eyes events that may well have decade-shaping consequences are playing out. Librarians can provide the resources that allow students to parse the arguments and find their way to reasoned answers. We cannot stumble into war blindly, nor can we ignore the need for strong responses. We must take the sober, adult, responsibility of making hard choices. By providing students with evidence, librarians can help them to become the responsible citizens our nation requires.

Back to reading

Bouncing Back to School: Great Books for Easing First Day Jitters
By Joy Fleishhacker
From what to wear to following rules to making friends, these engaging picture books address common beginning-of-the-year concerns with solid storytelling, genuine empathy, and upbeat resolutions. The list includes titles both new and tried-and-true that will reassure youngsters that their apprehensions are shared by others.

Books to Enhance Class Trips and Learning Adventures | Focus On

By Joy Fleishhacker

A mix of fact-filled offerings and fictional adventures, these titles give kids a break from the routine and encourage interactive learning experiences.

Joyce Valenza’s tech picks

Fall decorating: a round-up of smart (and free) posters

Meaningful, inspiring, attractive visuals to fill our display cases, grace our bulletin boards, and embed on our websites—and where to find them.

Your back-to-school letter

Valenza shares Doug Johnson’s suggestions for writing the back-to-school letter

Orientation inspiration

With help from the #tlchat community, Valenza crowd-sourced suggestions for making library orientations inventive, different, and fun.

For more, visit our Back-to-School resources page.

CHENG, Andrea. The Year of the Baby. illus. by Patrice Barton. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. ISBN 9780547910673. JLG Level: A+ : Intermediate Readers (Grades 3–5).

Anna is the only one who can calm her new baby sister when they go to her frequent doctor trips. Kaylee, who was adopted from China, is not gaining weight, and everyone is worried. At school, Anna has trouble deciding on a topic for her science project. When she and her friends discover that Kaylee eats better when she’s distracted by their singing, they wonder if an experiment could win the science fair and help the baby gain weight. Should the songs be in English or Chinese? Does the type of food matter? Cheng follows The Year of the Book (2012) with a charming sequel that asks as many questions as it answers.

ENGLISH, Karen. Substitute Trouble. illus. Laura Freeman. Clarion.2013. ISBN 9780547615653. JLG Level: CE : City Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Nikki and Deja don’t like their new substitute teacher. He doesn’t follow Ms. Shelby-Ortiz’s rules. He doesn’t follow the plan. He has no control over the class. Writing an anonymous letter to Mr. Willow with some tips about how to handle the misbehavior in their class seems like a good idea. In a misunderstanding, Deja is blamed for a disrespectful action, and she’s sent to the principal’s office. Her explanation and the letter brings consequences that she never expected. Following the rules gets hard, even for Deja and Nikki. New readers will identify with the class, but hope they never have substitute trouble like the girls do.

GAIMAN, Neil. Fortunately, the Milk. illus. by Skottie Young. HarperCollins. Sept. 2013. ISBN9780062224071. JLG Level:  I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

“Where have you been all this time?” asked my sister. “Ah,” said my father. “Um. Yes. Well, funny you should ask me that…I bought the milk…and then something odd happened,” he said. Father proceeds to tell a marvelously inventive story about pirates, piranhas, dinosaurs, volcanoes, and Floaty-Ball-Person-Carriers. Everyone has told a tale that sounds unbelievable, but Gaiman’s new work is a tribute to the art of storytelling. Even the most cynical reader will relax into a far-fetched account of why it took so long to bring home the milk.

KELLER, Laurie. Bowling Alley Bandit. illus. by author. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 2013. ISBN 9780805090765. JLG Level: HE : Humor Elementary (grades 2–6).

From his picture book debut in Arnie the Doughnut (2003), Arnie returns in a short novel for independent readers. From breakfast to doughnut-dog, Arnie’s life is never the same. Mr. Bing takes him every week to the bowling alley where he is quite popular. During a tournament, Mr. Bing stops using his regular house ball, Bruiser, for his own personal ball, Betsy. It’s a special night, so Arnie arranges for a bowling karaoke version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” It’s a hit, but something goes wrong with Mr. Bing’s ball. He never throws a gutterball. It’s up to Arnie to investigate the trail of pink sprinkles and get to the bottom of the mystery. Keller’s amusing cartoonlike illustrations keep the action moving and the laughter flowing.

PEET, Mal and Elspeth Graham. Mysterious Traveler. Candlewick. Oct. 2013. illus. by P.J. Lynch. ISBN 9780763662325. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Desert guide Issa finds a baby after a terrible sandstorm takes the lives of everyone but the camel that was transporting her. He raises the girl as his grandchild and teaches Mariama everything he knows. She learns to read the desert for signs of weather and danger. When Issa goes blind, she becomes his eyes. A rich young man comes to Issa for help crossing the wide desert. He refuses the aid of a blind man, preferring to use a magic stone as a guide. Issa learns the party goes to the Bitter Mountains alone, he takes Mariama to search for them. Will they find them before they become lost? Can a blind man save them? Lynch’s gorgeous watercolors illustrate the fable of a Timbuktu guide who blindly let travelers across the vast deserts.

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

If your school year ends in May or early June, you may have missed Nosy Crow’s latest foray into the world of fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood. “Seamless interactivity, nonlinear storytelling, immersive game play,” and more than a touch of humor, characterize this production featuring vibrant illustrations and a lively narrative. Children will find themselves lost (in a good way) in this delightful version as they get their protagonist through the woods to grandma’s house, and the woman out of a pickle (or cupboard, in this case). Screen time options for new readers are built into the production.

Two apps both elementary children and their teachers and parents will appreciate are Julie Hedlund’s A Troop of Monkeys and A Shiver of Sharks (Little Bahalia Publishing). In addition to introducing collective nouns, these interactive titles offer gentle environmental messages and stunning collage artwork. In each app, reading strategies and discussion questions for the animal groups can be found behind the “Parents & Teachers” tabs, and lists of the Common Core standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy objectives addressed are provided. From a surfeit of skunks with their “stinky, foul fumes” to a “cast of crabs” scuttling sideways, these are titles that are sure to find favor with kids.

Recommend our column titled “A Starter Collection of Apps for the Preschool Set” to teachers who have just purchased their first classroom iPad. It’s a list of our favorite apps reviewed over the past two years and it features both classic (Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit/Loud Crow Interactive) and contemporary stories (Tad Hill’s How Rocket Learned to Read/Random House Digital). The age range for most of these quality productions extends to first grade.

Mo Willems hardly needs to be introduced to children; once one kindergarten or first grade student discovers his “Elephant and Piggy” books, it’s impossible to keep them on the shelf. The author’s signature silliness extends to his apps, which offer storytelling, drawing, and game options. His latest production is Pigeon Presents: Mo…on the Go! (Disney Publishing Worldwide Applications). In the “Pigeon’s Dream Drive” activity children must steer a bus through a maze of streets;  “Dance-o-Rama,” featuring Gerald and Piggie, asks users to choose three dances for each character to perform on a stage to the tune of disco music. Willems is the host of “Mo’s Squillems,” a drawing game, and appears in other activities as well—activities that our reviewer noted, encourage both “imaginative play and problem solving.”

The memorization of poetry has witnessed a resurgence with several recently published collections of poems to “learn by heart.“ Two apps, Orel Protopopescu’s The Word’s a Bird (Syntonie) and “Poetry by Heart,” (Inkle/Penguin Group USA) may inspire your students to do a little memorizing of their own. The first app, which includes four poems, lovely watercolor artwork, and amusing animation, is a tribute to spring for young listeners and readers. Poetry by Heart presents a fill-in-the blank format for secondary students. Readers add missing words to the poems, line by line. Attempts are scored (and mistakes are corrected) and endless opportunities to try again are provided as users learn the verses. Selections, which range from Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat”  to “Walt Whitman’s “O Captain!,” are labeled for level of difficulty. The free app comes with two poems and additional thematic four-poem “bundles” are available for purchase. Don’t miss the trailer for this one; it’s loads of fun and can be used to introduce the app to students.

Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse (Touch Press) is the story of a young man reunited with his beloved horse on the battlefields of World War I. The book was first published in 1982 and since then has seen many incarnations—novel, play, film, and now app. The app includes the full text, illustrated with watercolor art. As School Library Journal’s reviewer noted, “Touch Press developers are in tune with the  Common Core State Standards; the timeline connects readers to short, intriguing interviews, reproductions and maps, well-captioned archival photographs, and short informational text, much of which can be read aloud at the touch of an icon. ”Insight” videos showcase the author discussing different aspects of his book and the war, and experts offering details about soldiers’ uniforms, tanks, battlefields, German trenches, war songs, and more—all accompanied by visuals. From the home screen viewers can tap” Performance” to see the author stage an 80-minute, abridged version of the book with live music before an audience.”

Also from Touch Press is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, an in-depth look at what many consider to be the  composer’s greatest work. The title includes four versions of the symphony (by four conductors) and each one can be listened to while reading the score, or watching an electric pin-light version that lights up the corresponding parts of the orchestral chart as various instruments come in and out. During all the performances, an informal, phrase-by-phrase analysis explains the music. In addition there are notes on  Beethoven’s life, the genesis of the Ninth Symphony, and “Insights” into the work “by some of the world’s finest musicians and scholars.” A trailer of the app is available.

Screen from ‘National Geographic Birds’

The perfect companion to a unit on birds or a field trip to the nature preserve? National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America (National Geographic/IXONOS). The app allows nature lovers to identify winged creatures, learn about their habits, and record sightings, all before they can say Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Like the print version of the guide (2006; Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer, eds.), this production offers an overview of species on our continent, their appearance and behavior, as well as labeled color images and habitat and range maps. Users have the option to add notes and/or a photo and share the event. Viewers will be able to hear the caterwauling of a pair of Barred Owls, and the laugh of a Marbled Godwit, among hundreds of other sounds and songs. This last feature is one students are sure to sing about.

For the college bound, “Fiske Guides” have always been go-to resources. Two years ago they launched an interactive app with information on more than 300 colleges with options to add notes, email admissions offices, and more. The latest addition to their list is the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 Best Buys in higher education. While the sampler is limited—only 14 of the 41 “Best Buy” school are included— they represent a range of school locations, sizes, and majors. Included are photos, and data on enrollment, average test scores, and more.  Direct links to school websites are sure to become a favorite feature. The publisher plans to release additional college samplers this fall.

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (Scholastic; Gr 6–10) by Sonia Manzano won the 2013 Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, established by the Consortium for Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) “to encourage and commend authors, illustrators, and publishers who produce quality children’s and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States, and to provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use.”

In Manzano’s novel, 14-year-old Evelyn Serrano lives in Spanish Harlem in 1969. The family is of Puerto Rican descent, and the teenager struggles with her own sense of identity and what it means to be Puerto Rican in El Barrio.

Honorable Mention went to Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert (Clarion; Gr 2–4) written by Gary D. Schmidt and illustrated by David Diaz.  The picture-book biography tells the story of the life of the first black saint of the Americas who was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru.

There were also three Commended Titles: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (S & S; Gr 9 Up) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Drummer Boy of John John (Lee & Low; PreS-Gr 3) written by Mark Greenwood and illustrated by Frané Lessac, and In Darkness (Bloomsbury; Gr 9 Up) by Nick Lake.

Titles published in 2012 were considered for the 2013 award. Books are judged for their literary quality; cultural contextualization; exceptional integration of text, illustration, and design; and potential for classroom use. The award presentation will be held on October 5, 2013 at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Dot Day

Celebrate International Dot Day with its creator, Peter H. Reynolds, at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, on September 15, 2013 from 1–4 pm EST. The event was inspired by Reynolds’s book for young readers, The Dot (Candlewick, 2003), that “encourages children and adults to unleash their inner creativity through reading, art, and more.” International Dot Day has been celebrated in classrooms and libraries since 2009.

Events at the Carle include a book signing with Reynolds, a storytime, screening of the three films (Weston Woods) in Reynolds’s “Creatrilogy” series (The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color). All the activities are free with Museum admission.

“What began as one little dot on the pages of a book has grown into a movement that has countless people fearlessly expressing their creativity—not only on International Dot Day, but now all year long,” noted Reynolds.

CHOLDENKO, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Homework. Dial. 2013. ISBN 9780803734722. JLG Level: C : Advanced Readers (Grades 6–9).

Moose Flanagan’s dad has been promoted to associate warden at Alcatraz, but inmates and colleagues have their own ideas about how to handle the new boss. A prisoner earns five points for spitting on a warden and 5,000 points for killing him. To make it worse, Guard Darby Trixle is angry about being overlooked for the promotion. Piper, whose father is the head warden, tells Moose to watch his dad’s back. However, his hands are already full keeping an eye on his autistic older sister, Natalie. When their apartment catches on fire, Natalie is blamed. It’s up to Moose and his friends to solve the mystery of the blaze, but the investigation puts them close to prisoners who want Warden Flanagan dead. When a butcher knife goes missing from the kitchen, not even Capone can control what follows. Choldenko’s conclusion to the trilogy will make readers laugh and hold their breath.

FFORDE, Jasper. The Song of the Quarkbeast. Houghton Harcourt. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9780547738482. JLG Level: FM : Fantasy/Science Fiction Middle (Grades 5–8).

As acting manager of Kazam, foundling Jennifer Strange must accept (and win) King Snodd IV’s challenge―a contest of wizards. Losing would endanger Zambini Towers and its inhabitants and compromise the use of magic throughout the kingdom. Enchanting a new bridge is no small task, and their best sorceress has just turned herself into stone. The power-hungry king (who would control all magic if his Court Mystician wins) puts competing wizards in prison, leaving Jennifer with few resources. As time runs out, the remaining few must work together to save the kingdom from evil plans far beyond the obvious. Full of surprises and intrigue, Fforde’s sequel to The Last Dragonslayer (Houghton Harcourt, 2012) keeps readers on the edge of their seats in the race to conquer evil.

HADDIX, Margaret Peterson. Risked. S & S. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9781416989844. JLG Level: C+ : Advanced Readers (Grades 6–9).

Once again, Jonah, Chip, and Katherine travel to the past―though this time against their will. A rogue missing child joins forces with their money-scheming enemies and takes them to Russia in 1918―the day before the royal family is assassinated. Two of the children were missing for years; however, recent discoveries prove that Alexis and Anastasia were killed with their siblings. If that is the case, can Jonah and his friends save them from being killed again? How will saving the entire family affect history? In the sixth book of the Missing series, Haddix explores one of the most fascinating mysteries of our past.

WHITE, Ruth. The Treasure of Way Down Deep. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. 2013. ISBN 9780374380670. JLG Level: B+ : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7).

Life in Way Down Deep has always been a community affair―everyone attends all events (no formal invitations needed) and secrets are rare. When an evil wind blows into town in the fall of 1954, hardship hits local businesses and mine workers in the West Virginia town are laid off. Who would have thought that the death of a pet goat and a sleepwalking old lady would help reveal the one secret that everyone wants to know―the location of the treasure of Way Down Deep. It’s up to Ruby to save the town, while proving the town’s founder myth to be true. White’s sequel to Way Down Deep (Farrar, 2011) brings the return of the charming residents of the small country town, and a character one can’t help but love.

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

But what I noticed right off—and surely struck many of you—is that we need to stop talking about the Common Core State Standards in the singular. There is a whole set of distinct Common Core challenges, and we need to be clear sighted about what they are, and the tools needed to address them.

I realized some time ago that there was more than one kind of Common Core experience. For young children, in preschool or elementary, Common Core is and will be their school experience. Year after year they will be exposed to content-rich nonfiction and increasingly complex texts and vocabulary, and they will gain skills in close reading and mining textual evidence. But for the students already in middle, and especially, high school, the Common Core Standards present another challenge. The schooling they received and learned to negotiate does not match the assessments that require them to demonstrate the above-mentioned skills. We need to define the needs of students who are in free fall as well as those who are rising through the new system. That is step one. Step two is more difficult.

The New York State results put me in mind of a suggestion a principal made to me earlier this summer: we must disaggregate scores to determine which cohort is experiencing the sharpest decline. This principal, accustomed to the daily triage of deciding where to best use limited resources, recognized that the lowest scores are not seen evenly throughout our schools. The steepest drops in scores seem to be in the most challenged schools. This may seem self-evident, but it is not. The needs of students— and communities—vary. What are the needs of a school where many families have deep pockets and available resources versus the demands of a school where almost all of the support and instruction takes place within the school building? And the issue is not just the burdens the students face, but school policies. In my experience, struggling schools too often turn to programs—teaching scripts, mandated curricula, and (very) limited and structured reading requirements. The cure makes the ailment worse.

Here’s a project for those reading this column: Can we compare the Common Core outcomes of schools with parallel demographics, a first set with accredited full-time school librarians against another that uses aides and volunteers, or in which the librarian essentially checks out books? Does a librarian make a difference in outcomes? How? We all need to know that—but we won’t find out until we look past the headlines and into the numbers.

What’s to be done? In one sense, I think the New York results are encouraging. The Common Core standards were initiated because high school graduates were not prepared for the next stage in their lives. The recent assessments have allowed us to examine those gaps while the students are still in our buildings. We have time to help these students. But what resources must we adopt to do so? How can the deep thinking and engaged reading required by the Common Core standards be effectively taught in the schools where there the pass rate was between 0 to 5 percent? Can we develop Common Core assessments that address vocational needs? I can’t be the first person to ask these questions. I’m eager to learn what kinds of programs and interventions you have seen that are effective, ineffective, or produce middling results. Surely there are innovators and researchers who are blazing trails, testing ideas, and pointing the way for the rest of us.

BRANFORD, Anna. Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space. illus. by Elanna Allen. S & S/Atheneum. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9781442435919. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Investigating theories is one of Violet Mackerel’s specialties. The summer her mother remarries she decides that if you leave a small something behind (like a shell or a bit of sea glass), a tiny part of you gets to stay forever. Her brother Dylan struggles with the news that the family will be moving to a larger house. When he moves outside to his father’s beat-up tent, Violet focuses on helping her brother adjust. Planning for the wedding redirects her own fear of change, until the day the last box is packed. A big part of her wants to stay in the house she has lived in for her whole life. Does her theory really work? Violet’s musings offer young readers the opportunity to reflect on the spaces they leave behind as well.

COVILLE, Bruce and Elizabeth Levy. Paula Danziger’s Amber Brown is on the Move. illus. by Anthony Lewis. Putnam. Sept. 2013. ISBN  9780399161698. JLG Level:  I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4)

Moving is never easy, and even worse, Amber has to pack her own things. At school, she falls behind in standardized testing preparations. Saturday Academy for Amber! When her class begins to take ballroom dancing, she has trouble keeping up with that as well. Her dad decides they should take lessons together, but he falls for the dance instructor. Now Miss Isobel (who can never remember Amber’s name) joins the pair on her weekends of musical theater movie watching. Stepfather Max nags at Amber to pack. No wonder she can’t focus. There’s too much change and Amber begins to feel hopeless. How can she get back on track? Coville and Levy guide the endearing girl through a hard year when Amber must learn to take change one step at a time.

HENKES, Kevin. The Year of Billy Miller. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9780062268136. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

The summer after Billy Miller hits his head, he worries if he will be smart enough for second grade. His teacher, Ms. Silver, assures him that he is. Now that Billy is older, he wants to call his papa, Dad. How will his father react? Will it hurt his feelings? And papa is struggling with his big art break. What can Billy do to help him? Little sister Sal can be a pain. She even gets glitter on his bat cave project! And his mom becomes the subject of his class project, though it’s really hard to write about her. (He’d rather write about volcanoes.) Henkes divides Billy’s tale into four character-focused sections, enabling readers to understand more fully how Billy conquers fears, works through problems, and grows up―just a little bit.

KLISE, Kate. The Show Must Go On! illus. by M. Sarah Klise. Algonquin. Sept. 2013. ISBN 9781616202446. JLG Level: I+ : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Sir Sidney has the best circus in the world. Everyone leaves happy. He treats his animals like family. When he grows old and tired, he places an ad in the paper for a new circus manager. Dozens of applicants appear, but they seem more interested in meeting him than in running a circus. Barnabas Brambles, Certified Lion Tamer, has other ideas. He wants to see change―energy, new vision, and a new attitude! Sir Sidney gives him a one week trial, and a free hand to run the business. The stipulation is that he should treat everyone―large and small―with respect. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brambles doubles the performances and prepares to sell Sir Sidney’s beloved animals. Something must be done! The sisters Klise introduce an entertaining cast of characters in an amusing new series (“Three-Ring Rascals”) for independent readers.

MACLACHLAN, Patricia. The Truth of Me. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. 2013. ISBN 9780061998607. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4).

Robbie’s grandmother Maddy is his best friend, though not many kids would say that. Maddy has many friends, but most of them are wild animals. It worries her daughter, but Robbie knows that it proves that Maddy has special powers. He believes she shared a piece of corn bread with a bear while sitting on a log in the woods. The summer that he spends with his grandmother while his musician parents go on tour provides an opportunity for Robbie to experience her gift of talking to the animals. MacLachlan’s tender story of a boy who finds courage inspires readers to observe the truth in their own lives.

For audio/video versions of these booktalks, please visit JLG’s Shelf Life Blog.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

HarperAudio wants you to decide who should be the voice of Four in Allegiant, the final book in Veronica Roth’s young adult “Divergent” trilogy. The first two books—Divergent (2011) and Insurgent (2012, both Katherine Tegen Bks.), have met with critical acclaim and are currently being adapted for the big screen. Set in dystopian Chicago, society is split into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent)—that cultivate a specific virtue. All 16-year-olds must choose one of these groups and devote their entire life to it.

The hardcover edition and the audiobook version of Allegiant will be released in October 2013. The final installment in the series is being written from a split point of view—Tris and Four. Emma Galvin will again perform the part of Tris in the audio version. But it is up to readers to decide who will voice Four. The publisher has chosen four narrators (anonymous for now) and fans can vote for their favorite. Polls are open through August 2 at 12 pm. After casting a vote, teens can enter to win a Kindle Fire KD loaded with copies of the first two titles, a pair of Skullcandy Crusher headphones, 12 Audible credits, and a copy of Allegiant signed by Roth. Only one winner will be selected in a random drawing. The winning narrator will be announced at 5 pm on August 2

Save the Date

The Library of Congress’s 2013 National Book Festival will be held on September 21 and 22 on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Street in Washington, DC, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday September 21st, and from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 22nd. This two-day celebration of literacy and reading will feature a terrific lineup of educational activities and authors, illustrators, and poets, including Katherine Paterson, Paolo Bacigalupi, Susan Cooper, Cynthia Kadohata, Grace Lin, Christopher Myers, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Kadir Nelson, Patrick Ness, and scores of others. Attendees can get books signed, have photos taken with PBS storybook characters, and participate in a variety of other activities. Co-chaired by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the event is free and open to the public.

Support Literacy

Over the past 10 years, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s Be Book Smart campaign has raised nearly $30 million and has distributed its 10 millionth book to kids in underserved communities. This year alone, from June 21 to July 21, the Be Book Smart campaign, held in Macy’s stores across the country, raised more than $3.9 million through customer supported fundraising campaigns, in-store events, and volunteer activities. “Yet again, all of us at RIF are overwhelmed by the generosity demonstrated by Macy’s and its caring customers who helped make this possible,” noted Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “We are extremely fortunate to have had 10 years of support and commitment from Macy’s to give millions of children the opportunity to dream big, explore new worlds, and to write their best life stories.”

BARTOLETTI, Susan Campbell. Down the Rabbit Hole. Scholastic. 2013. ISBN 9780545297011. JLG Level: B+ : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7).

A Dear America adventure set in 1871 Chicago, Bartoletti’s orphan tale features the diary of Pringle Rose―a strong female character who takes care of her younger brother who has Down syndrome. When their hopes of shelter end on the steps of a Chicago mansion, the siblings turn to a family they’ve met on the train from Pennsylvania. Pringle becomes the governess and amidst the constant fires of a city built of wood, learns to cook, clean, and manage a household. While she learns about the life of the worker, she begins to struggle with her upper class beliefs. Was her father wrong? Are the workers underpaid and overworked?  Whether readers recognize the date of the Great Fire or not, the foreboding sense of tragedy looms over the city, creating suspense in the center of Pringle’s conflicting emotions.

GOLDBLATT, Mark. Twerp. Random. 2013. ISBN 9780375971433. JLG Level: B : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7) .

“I’ve done worse, much worse, and never written a word about it.” After a week of suspension, Justin chooses to write about what happened instead of completing his Shakespeare assignment. He has no trouble retelling the mischief he and his neighborhood buddies get into. “His entire head was surrounded by smoke. It was like something you’d see in a comic book…but only for a split second. Not enough time to realize what was going on, or to think about the consequences―like maybe Quentin was going to be dead once the smoke cleared.” (It took six weeks for his eyebrows to grow back.) Justin finds that writing an account of his sixth-grade year is harder than he thought. From tales of love letters gone awry to heartfelt narratives about an argument between friends, Goldblatt’s first novel for younger readers will have them laughing out loud and reflecting on their own choices as Justin learns about the effects of bullying.

KADOHATA, Cynthia. The Thing About Luck. illus. by Julia Kuo. S & S/Atheneum. 2013. ISBN 9781416918820. JLG Level: B : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7).

Summer’s life has always revolved around the harvesting of wheat. When her parents are called to Japan, she helps take the harvest season on the road as her grandmother’s assistant in the kitchen. She’ll also take care of her younger brother, Jaz, and their dog, Thunder. Timing is everything in this business, so when her grandfather becomes ill and her grandmother’s back causes great pain, the family’s job becomes jeopardized. Can they beat the deadline before the rains come and ruin the profit? Can she save the harvest? Kadohata’s novel combines the power of family responsibility with the story of a young girl determined to triumph over luck.

MILLS, Claudia. Zero Tolerance. Farrar. 2013. ISBN 9780374333126. JLG Level: B : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7).

Turning in the knife in her mother’s lunch bag (which she mistakenly took) seemed to be the right thing to do. Sierra never thought it would lead to in-school suspension and an expulsion hearing. Though she is an honor student, the zero tolerance policy at her middle school required immediate action. Her passionate attorney father is determined to gain publicity that will force the principal to back down―even if it means sullying his reputation. Sierra has some hard decisions to make. Should she go to another school? Should she admit to writing the letter from the school secretary? And what about Luke, who is always in trouble, but seems to really like her? Middle grade readers will have much to discuss about the issue of zero tolerance.

WILLIAMS-GARCIA, Rita. P.S. Be Eleven. HarperCollins/Amistad/. 2013. ISBN 9780061938634. JLG Level:  B+ : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5–7).

Delphine and her sisters have come home inspired by their mother and the Black Panthers, but Big Ma has other ideas. Order, tradition, and rules must be upheld. Uncle Darnell returns from Vietnam, but seems sick all the time. He’s also lost his laughter. When Pa brings home his new girlfriend, it seems that Delphine can’t control anything. She feels responsible for everyone, especially her sisters. In a series of letters from her mother, Cecile, she gets advice to let things go. Sister Vonetta can be in charge of the savings for the Jackson concert. Baby sister Fern can be excited for a new stepmother. Maybe it’s time for Delphine to enjoy her family, her childhood, and to just be eleven.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Lately there has been renewed interest in the memorization of poetry with the publication of books such as Caroline Kennedy’s Poems to Learn by Heart (Disney Press, 2013) and Mary Ann Hoberman’s Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart (Little, Brown, 2012). And, while memorization is not required, some sites such as the Poetry Foundation’s, welcome people to record and share a poem.

For those with an iOS device, there are two new productions featuring verse that can’t be missed. The first challenges listeners to learn the selections (with recording options), while the second will have them returning again and again to the featured poems, learning them in the process. Whether introducing poetry to children and teens inside or outside the classroom, we hope you and your students will discover as our reviewer Chris Gustafson did, that, “The game of poetry is unexpectedly satisfying.”

The stickiness of Poems by Heart (Inkle/Penguin Group USA; Free, $.99 per additional add-on bundle; Gr 7 Up) isn’t in the modest selection of well-known poems, or the serviceable male and female narrators who will read them aloud to you.  It’s not the pleasant design or the intuitive navigation.  It’s the surprising realization that you want to memorize poetry!  Tap the tempting blinking triangle labeled “Learn this” and you find yourself choosing words from a box to fill in the missing words of the poem, line by line. Your mistakes will be instantly corrected and you’ll get a score for your progress stanza by stanza.  Want to try again?  You can, you’ll do better, and you’ll get a higher score. Soon, you’ll know the poem by heart, and you can record yourself reciting the poem you memorized.

The free app comes with two poems, and additional thematic four-poem “bundles” (adventures, romantic, Elizabethan, odes, love. Gothic tales, early innovations) are available for purchase. Each poem is labeled for level of difficulty. Selections range from Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” and Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” to Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” and Emily Dickinson’s “This is my Letter to the World.” The game of poetry is unexpectedly satisfying. —Chris Gustafson, Whitman Middle School Library Teacher, Seattle School District, WA.

Eds. note: Be sure to watch this video about Poems by Heart.

Interior image from ‘A Word’s a Bird’ (Protopopescu) Illus. by Jeanne B. de Sainte Marie

Have you ever lamented the fact that insightful yet accessible poems for children are hard to come by? If yes, then A Word’s a Bird: Spring Flies by in Rhymes (Syntonie, $2.99; PreS-Gr 4), may just be the app for you. Written by award-winning author/poet, Orel Protopopescu, this four-poem collection introduces children to the power of language by encouraging them to explore metaphors through sight, sound, and touch.

The first selection illuminates the collection’s title. The three poems that follow offer unusual, and playful, glimpses into the natural world during the spring months. “May,” for example, opens with a text scroll descending toward a cardinal pecking in a meadow. The words, “A bloom’s a room/you seek/when you want/to sneak a peek/at nectar sippers,” are highlighted, one by one, as they are read aloud. Both English and French narrations are available. A tap to a scroll and the verse replays, while a touch to an underlined word brings forth a definition. For “May,” readers and listeners learn that “nectar sippers” refers to insects and “a bloom” is “another way to say a flower.” Clearing the scroll from the screen brings the scene to life through animation and interactivity. In this case, the cardinal flies to a garden of closed peonies, an inchworm creeps out from under a leaf and retreats when spotted by the bird, and the “blooms” open to “rooms” and reveal “nectar sipper” bees hiding inside. So clever!

The hand-painted watercolor illustrations lovingly created by Jeanne B. de Sainte Marie portray a bright and idyllic world of duck ponds, lily pads, and weeping willows. Realistic sounds of insects, frogs, and even snoring bees abound. Hidden surprises include “shoot flutes” that can be tapped to play notes and sails that can be touched to summon up the wind. Navigation, primarily pulls, pushes, taps and swipes, is highly intuitive. A delightful (and informative) short video on the creation of the app and the illustrations plays against a jazzy tune.—Kathleen S. Wilson, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY

For additional app reviews, visit SLJ’s Touch and Go webpage.

CASTELLUCCI, Cecil. Odd Duck. illus. by Sara Varon. First Second. 2013. ISBN 9781596435575. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Theodora was content with her life and an interruption like her messy new neighbor could mean nothing but trouble. Chad is, after all, quite different. He is a crazy dancer who splashes when he swims. She keeps a teacup on her head during swimming to practice her posture. He hammers away at his yard art projects, while she quietly sips her tea. An injured wing keeps Chad from flying south for the winter, and Theodora prefers the quiet, so she never flies. Thrown together, the two neighbors become friends until they learn that one of them is an odd duck. Which one is it? Should it make a difference in a friendship? Readers will embrace these new characters embellished with Varon’s charming illustrations―no matter what their quirk.

COUDRAY, Philippe. Bright Ideas! Candlewick/Toon Bks. 2013. ISBN 9781935179221. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Benjamin Bear returns with his rabbit friend in one-page comic adventures about their world. Rabbit needs to cross the river, so Benjamin builds him a bridge. Instead of using the new structure, he jumps over the bridge and the river. In “Sharing,” rabbit and porcupine argue over the ownership of a ball. When it hits Benjamin in the nose during his nap, they generously give the ball away rather than own the ball that hit an angry bear. Humor fills every page of this easy reader graphic novel. Each story’s conclusion will keep readers pondering.

HOLM, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. Extreme Babymouse. Random. 2013. ISBN 9780375970962. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Babymouse wants to be like everyone else, so she begs her mom to go snowboarding. Learning to keep her balance, stopping with no brakes, and avoiding bumps leave her with pain more than anything else. Her coach advises listening to her inner voice. Peer pressure challenges her to ski the bigger hill and take the longest jump. Getting to the bottom of the mountain is more than a challenge. It’s extreme. Will Babymouse let her friends coerce her into poor decisions? Fans of the series will appreciate the humorous illustrations that often speak louder than words.

HOLM, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. Squish: Game On! Random. 2013. ISBN 9780307983008. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2–6).

“Just one more level,” is the cry of an avid gamer. Finding a stopping place is almost impossible, and Squish finds it difficult to stop for friends, food, and schoolwork. With a book report due, four school tardies, and no costume prepared for the Comic Convention, gaming has consumed his life. Can he stop his obsession? Will he find a balance in his life? Book 5 in the series leaves the reader laughing while learning an important life lesson.

KROSOCZKA, Jarrett J. Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain. Knopf. 2013. ISBN 9780307980809. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Someone is stealing the technology at Thompson Brook School―and just before the new superintendent arrives for inspection. Lunch Lady is determined to find the culprit, while Hector runs for class president against his vote-buying competitor. When the boys do some investigation, it appears that the cyborg substitute teacher is back. How can that be when Mr. Edison is in jail? Is there a new villain in town? Can the Lunch Lady save the day while preventing the cafeteria from failing the inspection? A cliff-hanger conclusion will have fans of the series anticipating Book Ten.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Librarians can pair audio with print to build literacy skills. The launch of the Playaway Bookpack program has been announced by Findaway World. Each Bookpack features a preloaded audiobook and its print version, and is packaged in a plastic hanging bag. There are currently more than 200 titles available for preschool through young adult readers. “Playaways have been used as powerful read-along companions for years. Launching Playaway Bookpacks is our way of making it easier than ever for users to access these pairings and especially easy for libraries and classrooms to deliver this service,” said Nancy Stickney, Vice President Playaway Products Group.

Books for preschool to third grade students include titles from Peggy Parish’s Amelia Bedelia collection, Gene Zion’s Harry the Dirty Dog and Other Stories, William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Other Stories, and Jean Fritz’s What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? And Other Stories of Famous Americans. For grades three to six, works range from Gennifer Choldenko’s Al Capone Does My Shirts and Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot to Russell Freedman’s Lincoln: A Photobiography and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Among the middle school selections are Irene Hunt’s Across Five Aprils, Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, and Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter are among the titles for young adults. Be sure to check out the complete list.

Medal for Libraries and Museums

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting nominations for the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal honors museums and libraries that make extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions to their communities. Public or private nonprofit museums, including art, history, science and technology, children’s, and natural history museums; and all types of nonprofit libraries, including public, school, academic, research, and archival, are eligible to apply. Complete applications must be mailed to The National Medal for Museum and Library Service, Office of the Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 1800 M St. NW, 9th floor, Washington, DC 20036-5802 and postmarked by October 15, 2013 (no faxes or emails). Check out eligibility requirements for libraries and museums, and then complete a nomination form.

National Book Awards Virtual Exhibit

The National Book Foundation’s Up All Night online exhibition showcases the National Book Award Winners and Finalists in Young People’s Literature from 1969 to 2012. The exhibition features 228 titles, including picture books, novels, graphic novels, novels-in-verse, poetry, and nonfiction books. Forty-five readers, writers, and National Book Award authors who were inspired by the titles have contributed videos, interviews, collages, essays, poems, and other artwork. For example William Alexander, the 2012 National Book Award Winner in Young People’s Literature for Goblin Secrets (S &S, 2012), contributed essays and recordings of himself reading passages from Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Stone (1973 winner).

Educator Workshop at Serious Play Conference

Interested in designing serious games? Administrators and teachers interested in integrating educational games into the K-12 curriculum are invited to attend a one-day workshop on August 19, 2013 at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington during the Serious Play Conference. Teachers and administrators who have incorporated game-based learning as well as senior serious games developers will share their insights and discuss what kind of products are best for different ages, where in the curriculum they work well, and how to measure learning objectives. The one-day workshop is $200 and registration is open now.

Serious games are simulations of real-world events or processes designed for the purpose of solving a problem. The Serious Play Conference is an annual event held to examine the current challenges and future developments in the field.

Anyone who has attended one of my talks or workshops has probably heard me rail against state history assignments. I have never understood why they exist in the curricula of all 50 states, at a moment where fresh minds could be ablaze with so many more rewarding subjects. But this summer my 8-year-old, who will be in fourth grade this fall, and I took a little tour: we went to baseball games in Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Pittsburgh, and then Allentown, PA, where we caught the IronPigs. That tour helped me to understand this country in a way I never had before.

I’ve lived all my life in New York City and I now live just outside it. I grew up playing pick-up ball in Central Park—no little league for me and my friends. We went to games and watched them on TV, but not one parent, relative, or family friend ever donned school colors and rooted for a high school or college team. For us, the tide of seasons was the flow of New York teams, and our eyes were always on championships–—they were what mattered. We were interested in success, not in the upward movement of local talent from high school, to college, to pro. Our eyes in sports, just as our eyes in politics, history, and culture, were looking to the world; which was, in a way, our localism. Paris mattered, Peoria didn’t.

In each stadium on this trip, I saw kids, couples, families, and grandparents decked out in team colors. I felt intense local pride in each stadium, the sense that the team was their team, a reflection of their hometown. Of course, this was most evident in the minor league park. For the first time I perceived what announcers talk about when they pan the audience at a college games and mention the “Cameron Crazies,” or some similar nickname. I saw how, for a whole slice of this country, sports is about the local—the neighborhood kid who does well in a school game and gets his or her picture in the paper, later plays in a high school tournament, and then is recruited for State U. The local still has a meaning and importance that it never had for me

And yet. As we walked into the IronPigs stadium (Coca-Cola Park, as it happens), the ticket taker pointed to the person who came in just ahead of us: a tall, thin, young man bedecked with film equipment. “He’s a scout from the Japanese league,” she explained. Indeed, one of the best players on the IronPigs, Josh Fields, had just been playing in Japan.

And there is another “and yet:” on our way from Pittsburgh to the Lehigh Valley we took a detour to visit Fallingwater, the breathtaking home built by Frank Lloyd Wright. In his way Wright was also intensely focused on the local—using stone quarried nearby, building into the cliff, and incorporating the waterfall into the house itself. Every aspect of the building emerges as a kind of plant from the soil on which it stands. And it is so purely abstract that on walking into it my then-cranky son exclaimed, “It is so modern.” And so it is—local as essence, essence as local: the meeting place of drilling down and wide-angle lens to vast, international horizons. Like Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Famila in Barcelona, Spain, it is architecture as epic, as symphonic, as profound and deep as dreams.

The local abides—that was the lesson to me from this road trip. But the international is there—woven into the fabric of even these most hometown of events. That is what we need to do to make state history matter. How it is, was, and always will be been linked to the history of the nation and the world. We need to probe for essences as Wright did—finding pure truths in local stone.

FLEMING, Candace. Papa’s Mechanical Fish. illus. by Boris Kulikov. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. 2013. ISBN 9780374399085. JLG Level: E : Easy Reading (Grades 1-3).

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” goes the well-known saying. Papa was an inventor, so he made a mechanical fish. It sunk. He added a fin and propeller. It almost worked, so he added a steering wheel and protected the surface with copper. Papa’s inspirations for improvement come from the fish themselves (and a little prodding from his daughter). How do fish know where they’re going? Papa adds portholes. Will his invention ever work well enough for use in war or transportation? Fleming’s inspirational tale of little-known inventor, Lodner Phillips, presents a creative mind that continued to think, whether he was immediately successful or not.

HEILIGMAN, Deborah. The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös. illus. by LeUyen Pham. Roaring Brook. 2013. ISBN 9781596433076. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Paul loved math more than anything. He counted and subtracted all day. Between his mother’s over-protectiveness and his obsession with equations, the young boy never learned to do things for himself. When he was 21, his work took him to places where he was alone. Another mathematician would take him home, wash his clothes, provide his meals, and pay his bills. Shouting “my brain is open,” Paul would announce that he was ready to do calculations early in the morning. His personal quirks were tolerated by friends and colleagues who loved him anyway. Heiligman’s picture book biography of an eccentric genius reveals a man who was good at his job and was willing to share his talents with others.

MARKEL, Michelle. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. illus. by Melissa Sweet. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 2013. ISBN 9780061804427. JLG Level:  NE : Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Typical examples of leaders in American history include figures like George Washington or Benjamin Franklin. Clara was a five-foot-tall, nineteen-year-old girl when she took a stand for thousands of garment industry workers to strike for the improvement of their working conditions and benefits. If a worker bled twice on her cloth, she could lose her job. If she were a few minutes late to work, she could lose half a day’s pay. Working under unbelievable conditions (two toilets and one sink for 300 hundred girls), these teenagers made women’s clothing instead of getting an education. Clara was determined to improve things, so she took a stand. Though beaten and arrested 17 times, the immigrant seamstress dared to challenge the establishment and make a difference for those around her and the workers yet to come. Sweet’s brilliant collage and watercolor illustrations weave Markel’s words into an inspirational story of fighting for equality.

ROCHE, Suzzy. Want to Be in a Band? illus. by Giselle Porter. Random/Schwartz & Wade. 2013. ISBN9780375968792. JLG Level: E+ : Easy Reading (Grades 1–3).

What does it take to start a band? A little sister can ask her two older siblings. Then they can teach her everything they know. A new musician’s fingers may tire while playing the guitar, but practice is important. Performing for others may give a novice stage fright, but playing for her parents is a baby step in the right direction. After the band chooses a name, they can have a public performance. Maybe it will lead to a gig in a club, but the sisters shouldn’t worry if it’s not a big-time appearance. Based on her own experiences, folk-indie rock band The Roches, the author’s advice continues as she encourages budding musicians in the process of starting a band.

SAY, Allen. The Favorite Daughter. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2013. ISBN 9780545176620. JLG Level: CE : City Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Yuriko is upset when her Japanese name is mispronounced at school. Even her teacher calls her “Eureka.” As the teasing continues, she decides she wants an American name. Her wise and patient father goes along with her wishes and takes his “new” daughter, Michelle, to a Japanese garden in San Francisco. While looking for a souvenir with her name on it, they see a Japanese ink painting artist. After learning her real name, he paints a lily and uses traditional characters to write it out. She’s delighted with her special remembrance and decides to learn to paint it too. On their trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, father and daughter are disappointed to see it buried in fog. He encourages the youngster to use her imagination to recreate the bridge for her school project. Her father points out that she wants an ordinary name, but something different from everyone else for her artwork. Perhaps he’s given her more to think about than a school assignment. Say’s illustrations accompany the thought-provoking dialogue.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Teens are encouraged to read the books before they vote. The nominated titles include: Every Day by David Levithan (Knopf), Son by Lois Lowry (Houghton Harcourt), The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic), and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion). Download this PDF for the full list.

Stop the Summer Slide

“Children not reading at grade level by the beginning of fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school,” said Barbara Lurie, co-founder and executive director of Kids Read Now, speaking at the recent Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting in Chicago.

She attributes this in large part to the “summer reading slide.” Kids Read Now’s summer reading program focuses on children in first through third grades and is supported by the One Call Now Foundation. Children in participating schools receive books to keep. Their progress is tracked by phone calls made to families through One Call Now. At its inception in 2011, the program worked with seven schools in Ohio to help improve reading levels. In 2012, 40 schools in Georgia, New York, and Ohio participated: 2,000 children received more than 11,000 books.

According to Kids Read Now, they are expanding the program to include data collection that will allow them to measure results and make improvements as necessary.

Digital Content

Channel One News, a digital video content provider, has revamped ChannelOne.com to make it “easier to access, share, and interact with Channel One News’s bite-sized, educational videos and supplemental resources from any device, since mobile and tablet devices are increasingly being used in the classroom.” Channel One News is expanding its digital distribution so the daily news program, video segments on thousands of topics, blog posts from reporters, and supplemental resources aligned with Common Core State Standards can be accessed inside and outside the classroom. Also, ChannelOne.com has launched “Impact,” a resource that connects students who are interested in service-based initiatives with organizations.

“Channel One News has been in classrooms across the country for more than 20 years, and we’ve always believed that the news is a powerful tool to spark important conversations and real world learning,” noted Channel One News Chief Executive Officer, CJ Kettler. “But we also recognize that teachers’ classroom routines are changing due to the increased use of technology and mobile devices in schools. With the new ChannelOne.com, teachers and students can use the news and real world events to enable authentic learning both in and outside of the classroom. We’re excited about the opportunities that exist to continue to serve the educational community by further leveraging our non-fiction content through strategic partnerships.”

Library Giveaway

To celebrate 25 years of children’s book publishing, Chronicle Books is offering The Chronicle Kids YA Summer Library Giveaway. If you are least 13 years old, just click on the link, fill in your name and email address, and submit it to Chronicle Books by July 3, 2013. The winner, selected by a random drawing, will receive signed copies of The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams, The Orphan of Awkward Falls by Keith Graves, Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl, copies of Nobody’s Secret by Michaela MacColl, How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain, Spinning Out by David Stahler Jr., The Templeton Twins Have an Idea by Ellis Weiner, and advanced readers copies of Weiner’s The Templeton Twins Make a Scene and Collean Gleason’s The Clockwork Scarab.

A Fake Blake

A school librarian at Hitchin Boys’ School in the UK has discovered that “Two Sunflowers Move into the Yellow Room,” a poem attributed to 19th-century English poet William Blake, was actually written by American author Nancy Willard and published in an anthology, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn (Harcourt, 1981). The article about Thomas Pitchford’s discovery was published recently in a BBC News story. Many schools have been teaching the poem as an example of Blake’s work. Pitchford’s blog, the Library Spider, has examples of how the poem was attributed to Blake and has been used in classrooms.