News & Features

There must be a collective noun for an assortment of apps. If not, we need to coin one. How else to describe this week's selections, which include a beloved comic strip character, a mischievous critter with questionable intentions, and a story marked with music and message?

Thanks to an innovative community effort, Enfield, CT, is fostering children’s literacy in unique ways. Our “First Readers” program—an expansive collaboration between Enfield’s libraries, schools, civic leaders, board of education, and families—honors learning to read as an important milestone in children’s lives, culminating in town-wide celebrations and even a yearly parade. It’s well worth the effort in creating a culture of literacy for kids, and inspiring them to learn.

Fans of dark fantasy, adventure, suspense, and magic will enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s novel, Shadow and Bone. Narrator Amanda Dolan masterfully brings Alina’s world of magic and monsters to life. Be sure to read the starred review of the first audiobook in the author’s “Grisha Trilogy.”

IFTTT—“If This Then That”—helps you automate tasks in order to better maintain professional learning networks, resources, and schedules. Learn how to find and create recipes on the Web (ifttt.com) or via the new IFTTT iPhone app in this video guide.

A while back I posted some videos of vintage pop up books from the childrensbookstore.com blog. The collection is a rare and unusual book lovers paradise of early pop up and lift the flap books. Now the library has been updated, including the relatively new – Star Wars, Star Trek, and Superman pop ups, and [...]

While many of us have thought about the interplay of art, text, and design in picture books, few of us have considered how the same elements work in nonfiction. It's time to talk about the decisions that go into choosing and using art in nonfiction.

When I hear heart-breaking news like this recent story of the closings of the libraries at Philadelphia’s two top academic high schools, following the closing of so many others,  I recognize that my own community likely takes our own libraries for granted. Really, how often do we as communities stop and acknowledge that we value [...]

November is Picture Book Month. Five winners and five finalists of the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards were announced September 17. Apply for the Stony Brook Southampton (NY) MFA in Children's Literature Fellows program. Kids in grades 2–5 can enter the LEGO Essay Contest.

Margaret Atwood’s award-winning dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale (McClelland and Stewart, 1985) will remain accessible to 12th graders in Guilford, NC, high school libraries, following a local school board vote this week to retain the book on its suggested reading list.