COVID clean out

l like many other individuals, am spending my free time cleaning my house, sorting out my belongings, weeding out unwanted items, outdated receipts, shredding ancient bank statements, donating unwanted (or in some cases non-fitting! Yikes!) clothing, removing cracked dishes, superfluous kitchen gadgets etc. One area of cleaning that I find to be especially gratifying is, cleaning out my purse.

Every mother in the free world will chime in with a yyyyyaaasssss in agreement…..we end up carrying everything in our purse. Many items are needed and necessary, others have no rhyme nor reason…..I can total finding

• 19 pens of various ink color
• 4 paper clips
• a soccer ball inflator valve
• 2 double AA batteries
• Tide laundry spot remover pen
• US Postal stamps
• my son’s adaptor cable to his iPad
• the lever to my zero-gravity lawn chair’s beverage table
• a wild assortment of Target / Home Depot / Christmas Tree shoppe receipts
• a claim ticket for luggage at a Chicago hotel (my last trip before life shut down)
• a Canadian poppy
• 3 outdated and dried out granola bars
• USB stick
• a Jar-Jar Binks lego figurine
• coupon for Bona floor cleaner
• and the list goes on….

I have also been sorting out cards in my wallet and found my New York Public Library card. It makes me think about my last visit to Manhattan, for Book Expo of America trade show in May 2017. I was with my good friend Lisa and we stopped at the NYPL. It was a sunny day, perfect weather. I had received a NYPL membership that day, available to all NY residents, though active for 3 years. (Mental note to self: must update the card on my next visit to the city.)

Thinking about the day has me stopped in my tracks. It was a great day. Lisa and I walked the Highline to Lower Manhattan, had a fabulous meal in Little Italy and an evening cocktail at the Library Hotel. It was one of the best days ever.

I find myself thinking of the photos we took that day, including of the lions in front of the NY. I remember thinking what a perfect day it was, how the marble lions looked extra majestic in the sunshine.  The photo below catches Lisa’ s pride, as that her grandfather was one of the masons responsible for carving the lions.

For those whose how have never visited the Schwarzman Building on 5^th Avenue, the flagship Beaux Arts building of the New York Public Library, flanking the grand staircase, are two formidable lions carved from marble are named “Patience” and “Fortitude”.  Their monikers were given during the Great Depression by the mayor of the city, Fiorella La Guardia, who believed that these two qualities were essential to overcome challenging times. 

Fast forward to 2021, I have located my library card, emblazoned with the lion graphic. I find myself thinking of that fun day with Lisa in Manhattan, of the carefree joy of normalcy in our lives.  I find myself thinking that patience and fortitude are two essential qualities to navigate the current COVID global pandemic.    The challenge of living a socially distant life, absent of gathered crowds and celebrations, sanitized in a 6-foot parameter lest contraction of the virus, has been challenging a weary on our souls for well over a year.  Patience for a better time to come. Fortitude to steer through the adversity.

I find, myself thinking about this time in March of last year, as we frantically sought answers and attempted to figure out how to negotiate these treacherous times.  Life has been altered in the name of safety. Now, March 2021, we are coming out of this dreary time. A vaccine available to booster our immunity against this global pandemic.  March 2021 has definitely come in like a lion, as the Spring seasonal phrase goes.  However, patience and fortitude were qualities which have gotten many of us through this trying time.  The month of March 2021 has come in like a lion indeed.

What librarians do on when on holiday…..

What do librarians do when they are on holiday? I will confirm that it involves coffee with local dairy creamer, comfy flip-flops,  a pile of library books to get caught up on, a few periodicals and a breath-taking  westward view of  Lake Champlain and the  Adirondack Mountain range. Life is good. Truly. And there might have been a visit to a local library……….the second busiest municipal library in the state and staffed by  some of the most friendliest Vermonters  you will ever meet.
  Happy summer to all.     Keep reading and may all your hooked  bass fish  be large.

Sunshine State Reader Books 2014-2015

Old habits die hard, I  suppose.  This time every year for the past ten years, I eagerly await the  posting of the new  Florida Sunshine State young reader’s nominated reader’s list.  These are titles which many Floridian children will be reading over the summer of 2014 as well as into their 2014-2105 school year.   Attached is a copy of  the list, basic summary and AR reading level.   I can only hope that the children in my former school are continuing this program as that it was so well received by parents and students alike.  Anything to keep our children reading and  combating the dreaded ‘summer slide’.  While this is a list which has significance for Floridian children,  it is a great list of current children’s literature  for children in various states to enjoy.   See your school librarian for  more information about your state’s  significant reading list.

 

Sunshine State Reader Books 2014-2015,  Gr 3-5   ( for a printable list, click here )

Beaty, Andrea Dorko the Magnificent (AR 4.7)Robbie Darko is an old-school, pull-a-rabbit-out-of-your-hat-style magician, but despite his best efforts, something always goes wrong with his tricks until crotchety Grandma Melvyn moves in and teaches him something about the true meaning of magic.

 

Carlson, Caroline Magic Marks the Spot (AR 6.1)When Hilary Westfield escapes Miss Pimm’s finishing school to join a misfit pirate crew, she embarks on an unexpectedly magical swashbuckling, plank-walking, sea-faring journey. Book #1

 

 

Grabenstein, Chris  Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library  (AR4.5)   Twelve-year-old Kyle gets tostay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero, the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello, with other students but finds he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.
Harkrader, Lisa The Adventures of Beanboy (AR4.3) Kansas seventh-grader Tucker MacBean loves comic books, so when his favorite comic has a contest to create a sidekick, he is hopeful that he can win, thereby fixing his struggling family.

 

 

 Kurtz, Chris The Adventures of a South Pole Pig (AR 4.6) The day Flora spots a team of sled dogs is the day she sets her heart on becoming a sled pig. Before she knows it, she’s on board a ship to Antarctica for the most exhilarating and dangerous adventure of her life. The plot contains violence.
Lee, Jenny Elvis and the Underdogs (AR4.7)  All his life, ten-year-old Benji has been sickly and has long been targeted by the school bully, but after a seizure, Benji gets a therapy dog that is not only big enough to protect him, it can also talk.

Messner, Kate Capture the Flag (AR 4.5) When the original Star Spangled Banner is stolen, seventh-graders Anne, José, and Henry, all descendants of the Silver Jaguar Society, pursue suspects on airport carts and through baggage handling tunnels while stranded at a Washington, D.C., airport.

Paley, Jane Hooper Finds a Family (AR 3.4) This story is told from the perspective of a yellow Labrador puppy, who is separated from his family during Hurricane Katrina, rescued, and taken to New York City, where he tries to adjust to a new family, new neighborhood dogs, and his new name.

Perl, Erica When Life Gives You O.J. (AR 4.3)  For years, ten-year-old Zelly has tried to convinceher parents to let her have a dog, but when her eccentric grandfather, Ace, hatches a plan involving a “practice dog” named O.J., Zelly is not sure how far she’s willing to go to win a dog of her own.
Pogue, David Abby Carnelia’s One and Only Magical Power (NO AR TEST INFO AVAIL AT THIS TIME)
Probst, Jeff Stranded (AR 4.5)  Jane, Buzz, Carter, and Vanessa, aged nine to thirteen, are on a sailing trip in the South Pacific intended to help them bond in their newly blended family when a massive storm strands them on a deserted island. The coauthor is Chris Tebbetts. Book #1

 

 

Selfors, Suzanne The Sasquatch Escape (AR 4.2)  Spending the summer in his grandfather’srundown town, ten-year-old Ben meets an adventurous local girl and together they learn that the town’s veterinarian runs a secret hospital for imaginary creatures. Book #1

 

Shurtliff, Liesl Rump: the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin (AR 4.4)  This story relates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin’s childhood and youth, explaining why his name is so important, how he is able to spin straw into gold, and why a firstborn child is his reward for helping the miller’s daughter-turned-queen.
Tooke, Wes King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige (AR 5.6)  Twelve-year-old Nick loves baseball, so after a year in the hospital fighting polio and with a brace on one leg, Nick takes a job with the team for which his father is catcher and gets to see the great pitcher, Satchel Paige, play during the 1935 season.
Vande Velde, Vivian 8 Class Pets+1 Squirrel+1 Dog = Chaos  ( NO AR  INFO AVAIL AT THIS TIME)

 

Sunshine State Reader Books 2014-2015,  Gr 5-8   ( for a printable list, click here )

Atkinson, E.J. I, Emma Freke ( AR 4.9) Growing up near Boston with her free-spirited mother and old-world grandfather, twelve-year-old Emma has always felt out of place, but when she attends the family reunion her father’s family holds annually in Wisconsin, she is in for some surprises.
Black, Holly Doll Bones (AR 5.9)  Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middleschool who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.

 

Bodeen, S.A. The Raft (AR 4.9) Robie takes a cargo plane from Honolulu to Midway Atoll after avisit with her aunt, and struggles to survive with the copilot, Max, after the plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. The plot contains mild profanity.

 

Jacobson, Jennifer Small as an Elephant (AR 5.3)  Abandoned by his mother in an Acadia National Park campground, eleven-year-old Jack tries to make his way back to Boston before anyone figures out what is going on, with only a small toy elephant for company.

Klise, Kate Homesick (AR 3.9)  As his house grows more cluttered and his father grows more distant, Benny tries to sort out whether he can change anything at all.

 

 

Korman, Gordan Ungifted (AR 5.2) Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.

 

Levine, Kristin The Lions of Little Rock (AR 4.1)  In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice andfight against racism. 

 

McNeal, Tom Far Far Away (AR 5.3)  When Jeremy Johnson Johnson’s strange ability to speak to the ghost of Jacob Grimm draws the interest of his classmate Ginger Boltinghouse, the two find themselves at the center of a series of disappearances in their hometown.

 

Meloy, Maile Apothecary  (AR 4.9)  A fourteen-year-old American girl’s life unexpectedly transforms when her family moves to London in 1952 and sheis swept up in a race to save the world from nuclear war.

 

 

Poblocki, Dan The Ghosts of Graylock (AR 4.9) Staying with their aunts over the summer, Neil Cady, his sister, Bree, and their new friends Wesley and Eric set out to explore Graylock Hall, an abandoned psychiatric hospital which is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Nurse Janet.

 

Ponti, James Dead City (AR 5.1)  Molly is an outsider at the elite Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology, but that changes when she is recruited to join the Omegas, a secret group that polices and protects zombies. The plot contains graphic violence. Book #1

 

 

Riley, James Half Upon a Time (AR 5.5) Jack’s grandfather is pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says “Punk Princess” & is looking for her grandmother, who looks like the long-missing Snow White, Jack helps her. Book 1

 

Schrefer, Eliot Endangered  (AR 6.2)  Sophie is not happy to be back in the Congo for the summer, but when she rescues an abused baby bonobo, she becomes more involved in her mother’s sanctuary. When fighting breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked, it is up to Sophie to rescue the apes.

 

Van Eekhout, Greg The Boy at the End of the World  (AR 5.3)  Born half-grown long after humankind has ceased to exist, Fisher must learn to survive in a world in which both animals and machines have evolved in alarming ways.

Wells, Robison Variant (AR 4.5)  After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico’s Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead, he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems.

New DOAWK book cover…or long live Jeff Kinney!

November 5th 2013 cannot come soon enough! We Potwins are excited for the latest Jeff Kinney book, Hard Luck.

New Report Highlights Roles of Libraries and Museums in Preparing Young Children for Success

Libraries and museums are effective, but often overlooked resources in our nation’s effort to turn around a crisis in early learning, exposing children to reading and powerful learning experiences in the critical early years and keeping them learning through the summer months, according to a report issued June 20, 2013 by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

The report, Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners, documents dozens of examples and 10 key ways libraries and museums are supporting young children. It provides a clear call to policymakers, schools, funders, and parents to make full use of these vital, existing community resources.

“We have to do everything we can to give all our children opportunities to get off to a strong start, and community institutions play a critical role. For parents and families, libraries and museums are a go-to resource that supports them as their child’s first teacher,” said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. “Public and school libraries as well as all kinds of museums, science centers and zoos are trusted, welcoming places where children can make discoveries, deepen interests, and connect their natural curiosity to the wider world — developing the skills they need for a lifetime of learning.”

As the nation commits to early learning as a priority essential to our economic and civic future, the report provides case studies and research documenting that libraries and museums are part of the solution.  

“We know that we won’t close achievement gaps, reduce dropout rates or compete in the 21^st century economy until more of our children are reading proficiently by the end of third grade,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of the GLR Campaign and a senior vice president at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  “But right now, more than 80 percent of students from low-income families don’t achieve that critical milestone. Libraries and museums are playing a vital role in reaching families and children with support that can help turn around this deeply troubling trend.”

To support that goal, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) issued $2.5 million in grants last year to institutions seeking to improve early literacy.  IMLS has committed another $2.5 million for 2013.

“With built infrastructure in nearly every community, we must fully leverage the capacity of libraries and museums to provide opportunities for high-quality early learning,” said IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth. “Museum and library professionals are adept at providing hands-on experiential learning. I urge the early childhood development community to reach out to libraries and museums and make full use of their trusted place in communities, their partnership capacity and their skills and talents.”

For more information and the full report see www.imls.gov/earlylearning.

as found http://www.imls.gov/new_report_highlights_roles_of_libraries_and_museums_in_preparing_young_children_for_success.aspx

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award – Vermont

First given in 1957, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award has honored quality literature for children for over 50 years now. Each spring, a committee of eight carefully selects 30 books to comprise the DCF Master List. After reading at least 5 books from the list, Vermont students then vote for their favorite titles the following spring. The winning author is invited to visit Vermont to speak with children about the experience of writing such fine literature for such fine people. For more information, please click on https://sites.google.com/a/cesuvt.org/dcf-award/

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. (AR 3.6)
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone. (AR 5.3)
Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protege of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.

Bauer, Marion Dane. Little dog, lost. ( AR 4.4) A boy, a dog, and an old man are lonely before the boy plans a rally, the dog looks for a boy, and all the townspeople run to the old man’s aid when lightning strikes his home and something miraculous happens.

Burg, Shana. Laugh with the Moon. (AR 4.5)
Massachusetts thirteen- year-old Clare, grieving after her mother’s recent death, reluctantly travels with her father to spend nine weeks in a remote village in Malawi, where new friends and experiences help open her mind and heart.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone. (AR 4.7)
With love and determination befitting the “world’s greatest family,” twelve-year-old Deza Malone, her older brother Jimmie, and their parents endure tough times in Gary, Indiana, and later Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression.

Cushman, Karen. Will Sparrow’s Road. (AR 5.3)
In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of “oddities,” including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the “monsters” and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that he has been his own worst deceiver.

Hiaasen, Carl. Chomp. (AR 5.2)
When the difficult star of the reality television show “Expedition Survival” disappears while filming an episode in the Florida Everglades using animals from the wildlife refuge run by Wahoo Crane’s family, Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon set out to find him while avoiding Tuna’s gun-happy father.

Hiranandani, Veera. The Whole Story of Half a Girl. (AR 4.2)
When Sonia’s father loses his job and she must move from her small, supportive private school to a public middle school, the half-Jewish half-Indian sixth-grader experiences culture shock as she tries to navigate the school’s unfamiliar social scene, and after her father is diagnosed with clinical depression, she finds herself becoming even more confused about herself and her family.

House, Silas. Same sun here . (AR 5.2)
A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism.

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly. One for the Murphys. (AR 3.4)
A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family’s love Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she’s blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong–until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She’s not really a Murphy, but the gifts they’ve given her have opened up a new future.

Key, Watt. Fourmile. (AR 3.9) Twelve-year-old Foster knows in his gut that Dax Ganey, the man dating his widowed mother, is a bad seed. Then a mysterious stranger arrives at their Alabama farm, a former Army Ranger in Iraq rambling across the country, and Foster believes he has found an ally against Dax. The stranger proves a fascinating mentor, full of wisdom and secrets. And Dax soon has reason to resent not just him and Foster but also Foster’s mother. A spurned Dax will be a dangerous enemy, but Foster is increasingly aware that the stranger is just as dangerous, if not more so.

Knowles, Jo. See You At Harry’s. (AR 3.6)
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family, where grumpy eighteen-year-old Sarah is working at the family restaurant, fourteen-year-old Holden is struggling with school bullies and his emerging homosexuality, and adorable, three-year-old Charlie is always the center of attention, and when tragedy strikes, the fragile bond holding the family together is stretched almost to the breaking point.

Korman, Gordan. Ungifted. (AR 5.2)
Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.

Legrand, Claire. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls. (AR 4.9)
Practically-perfect twelve-year-old Victoria Wright must lie, sneak, and break the rules when her investigation of the disappearance of her best–and only–friend, Lawrence, reveals dark secrets about her town and the orphanage run by the reclusive Mrs. Cavendish.

Montgomery, Sy. Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World. (AR 7.0)
When Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew that she was different. Years later she was diagnosed with autism.
While Temple’s doctor recommended a hospital, her mother believed in her. Temple went to school instead.
Today, Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Her world-changing career revolutionized the livestock industry. As an advocate for autism, Temple uses her experience as an example of the unique contributions that autistic people can make.
This compelling biography complete with Temple’s personal photos takes us inside her extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism.

Nielsen, Jennifer A. The False Prince. (AR 5.1)
In the fictional country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king’s long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. (AR 4.8)
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home- schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Patterson, James. I Funny. (AR 3.9)
Resolving to become the world’s greatest stand-up comedian despite less-than- funny challenges in his life, wheelchair-bound middle school student Jamie Grimm endures bullying from his mean-spirited cousin and hopes he will be fairly judged when he enters a local comedy contest.

Pennypacker, Sara. Summer of the Gypsy Moths. (AR 4.4)
A foster child named Angel and twelve-year-old Stella, who are living with Stella’s great-aunt Louise at the Linger Longer Cottage Colony on Cape Cod, secretly assume responsibility for the vacation rentals when Louise unexpectedly dies and the girls are afraid of being returned to the foster care system.

Preus, Margi. Shadow on the Mountain. (AR 5.0)
In Nazi-occupied Norway, fourteen-year-old Espen joins the resistance movement, graduating from deliverer of illegal newspapers to courier and spy.

Pyron, Bobbie. The Dogs of Winter. (AR 5.1)
Brought to Moscow in 1990s Russia by his mother’s abusive boyfriend, five-year-old Mishka is forced by a gang of homeless children to lie and steal until he finds comfort and love with a pack of dogs. Includes historical note.

Rocklin, Joanne. The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook. (AR 4.5)
As ten-year- old Oona and her younger brother conspire to break their sick cat Zook out of the veterinary clinic, Oona tells the story of Zook’s previous lives.

Rose, Caroline Starr. May B. (AR 4.3)
When a failed wheat crop nearly bankrupts the Betterly family, twelve-year-old May’s father pulls her from school and hires her out to a couple new to the Kansas frontier.

Rupp, Rebecca. After Eli. (AR 5.7)
After the death of his older brother, Daniel Anderson became engrossed in recording details about dead people, how they died, and whether their deaths mattered, but he is eventually drawn back into interaction with the living.

Scattergood, Augusta. Glory Be. (AR 4.3)
In the summer of 1964 as she is about to turn twelve, Glory’s town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi, is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved public pool rather than desegregating it.

Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. (AR 6.9)
Examines the history of the atomic bomb, discussing the discovery of the behavior of uranium when placed next to radioactive material, the race to build a bomb, and the impact of the weapon on societies around the world.

Stead, Rebecca. Liar and Spy. (AR 3.8)
Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father’s efforts to start a new business, his mother’s extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building.

Stone, Phoebe. The Boy on Cinnamon Street. (AR 4.4)
Since a tragedy she cannot remember, thirteen-year-old Louise has changed her name, given up gymnastics, moved in with her grandparents, and locked her feelings inside, but through her friends Reni and Hen and notes from a secret admirer she begins to find herself again.

Taylor, S.S. The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man’s Cavern. (AR not avail)
Computers have failed, electricity is extinct, and the race to discover new lands is underway! Brilliant explorer Alexander West has just died under mysterious circumstances, but not before smuggling half of a strange map to his intrepid children—Kit the brain, M.K. the tinkerer, and Zander the brave. Why are so many government agents trying to steal the half-map? (And where is the other half?) It’s up to Alexander’s children—the Expeditioners—to get to the bottom of these questions, and fast.

Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky. (AR 3.9)
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.

Newbery and Caldecott 2013

Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Think Oscar awards for children’s literature….such an exciting time. I can hardly stand it.

The 2013 award winners were announced this morning , at the Mid Winter Conference in Seattle, Washington. 2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott medal.
And the winners are…….
“This Is Not My Hat,” illustrated and written by Jon Klassen, is the 2013 Caldecott Medal winner.

“The One and Only Ivan,” written by Katherine Applegate, is the 2013 Newbery Medal winner.

Time enough at last

The best laid plans of mice and men and Henry Bemis. I love that despite a holocaust, only the 800s  section of the  library is ejected onto the public library steps.

Congratulations to Will and Kate!

Like many, I am excited to read the confirmed news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child!  As a Canadian citizen, part of the British Commonwealth, I am elated to hear of an heir who will one day rule  the throne.

As a Mum,  I too  understand the  unpleasantness of morning sickness , though I am sure that the parents to be are excitedly planning  for the arrival of their child.  Might a recommend a few titles to stock the nursery in Kennsington Palace with?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?   by Bill Martin Jr.

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Curious George By  Rey

Goodnight moon by Margaret Wise Brown

And a few favorites  from my childhood,

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt,

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Hurrah for Little Noddy  by Enid Blyton

and Paddington Bear by Micheal Bond

Congratulations, your  Royal Highnesses.

Kitchen connected

I  will admit that I am addicted to my Ipad.  I read  ebooks off of it, connect with my email, Facebook and various social media, blog,  take quick photos, utilize it for library duties, even give Accelerated Reader tests to my students  on this device.

Sometimes I prop it  up in the my kitchen (carefully)  to cook from, or watch a cooking demo by my hero , Martha Stewart.  All the while, nervous of errant splatters, or granular sugar scratches appearing on the screen.  Ultimately, I prefer my traditional paper cook books, many of which are stained with flour and memories of the dish and the occasion it was prepared for. Or with whom is was prepared with……often I think of my Grandmother Rivier when I pull out her  cookbook and read her hand written notes in  the various margins.   See previous post, click here.

Thankfully, Williams and Sonoma are keeping up with the societal shift to the Ipad, by offering a kitchen stand,    blue tooth speaker   and  splatter screen cover  in their Christmas sales catalog.  Tech savy cooks can consult a recipe , watch/listen to   cooking demos,  crank on a tune from their  Spotify channel…and perhaps a panicked  Facetime  consultation with Mummy  (in Canada)  when  the yeast is not rising properly….all while whipping up  supper…without fears of cooking spatters on said electronic device.

Further proof of  the Ipad’s cemented  integration into our daily lives.  Maybe,  I would like one?  St. Nicholas, are you reading this?