|
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:30:50 1997
From: "James B. Casey" <jimcasey@lib.oak-lawn.il.us>
Subject: Re: Editorial against Banned Books Week
Once again, the debate over what should or should not be on the shelves of
school libraries boils down to a silly "left" vs "right"
squabble which
misses the central intellectual freedom issue by several miles. A school
library collection which is rendered inaccessible by locked doors or lack
of money is the real problem.
> On Thu, 25 Sep 1997, CMUNSON wrote:
>
> > Richmond Times-Dispatch
> > Monday, September 22, 1997
> >
> > Banned Books Week
> >
> >
> > This week America witnesses the annual oddity known as Banned Books
Week.
> > The nationwide promotion by the American Library Association (among
others)
> > is odd because, like Horse-and-Buggy Collision Week or Swallowed Whole
by a
> > Whale Week, it makes a very big deal out of a problem that almost
never
> > arises. It has been a long time since any laws were passed in the
United
> > States forbidding anyone to read, or publish, a particular book.
In reality, all books are banned to persons who cannot read due to illiteracy
and/or due to the lack of accessible library collections and service.
> > Oh, incidental affronts to the spirit of free expression do occur.
> > Currently in Texas, some minority lawmakers are insisting that the
> > University of Texas fire a law professor who made offensive remarks
about
> > blacks and Hispanics. Earlier this year a group of students at Cornell
> > burned copies of the student-run Cornell Review because it contained a
> > parody of ebonics. Last year a teacher in Bedford County confiscated a
copy
> > of Rush Limbaugh's The Way Things Ought to Be from a fourth-grader.
And so
> > on.
The "left" vs "right" power struggle has gone on ever since
human kind climbed
out of the ooze. Who cares? Its just the same old crap over and over again.
That kids are being caught in the middle without access to decent library
service
means that blowhard adults are tugging from both ends. Information illiteracy
will continue to breed future generations of pseudo intellectual debaters who
will simply carry on the same ridiculous arguments.
> > But when it comes to books actually being banned _ why, it's just
about
> > impossible to find any examples at all (unless you happen to live,
say, in
> > China, where you might have difficulty purchasing a copy of the
Bible). The
> > ALA can point to at most a couple of hundred incidents of
"challenges" to
> > books _ incidents in which someone, usually a parent, objected to a
book's
> > presence in a school library or classroom. In all but a handful of
cases,
> > the challenge was ignored.
Not only are books being burned, but people are as well -- in Bosnia, Oklahoma
City, etc. -- wherever politics and the lust for wealth and power drive men
(and it is almost always men) to impose their will on others via automatic
weapons and bombs. I would imagine that in some neighborhoods in Chicago
and on some lonesome stretches in Texas and Wyoming that it is infinitely
easier to get your hands on a pistol than it is to obtain a library card.
> > Yet with regard to the schools, parents ought to scrutinize library
shelves
> > _ not for ideological or moral purity, but for fiscal and intellectual
> > common sense. School libraries shouldn't be wasting money on
mind-candy
> > like R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series _ the "most challenged"
titles last
> > year, according to the ALA _ any more than the school cafeteria should
be
> > serving Gummy Bears.
When, pray tell, can working parents get access to a school library to apply
this scrutiny? Late afternoons? Evenings? Weekends? Over Long holidays?
During the Summer? If school libraries only offer hours which coincide with
the school day, it is unlikely that access to naughty books offers much
in the way of danger.
> > That's not censorship; that's selection. Unless a school is going to
buy
> > every single one of the more than 50,000 books published each year, it
will
> > have to decide not to stock certain volumes. And once a school starts
> > discriminating among books _ buying some, rejecting others _ the
selection
> > criteria it uses should be open to debate.
It is all a useless discussion and continues to go back to the "control of
hearts and minds" baloney. If teacher's unions keep school library doors
closed and Education bureaucrats continue to ignore library service as central
to the learning process, what difference does it make who is selecting the
books? A library collection which is inaccessible to its own clientele is
not much of a threat to anyone. Tha inaccessibility, however, definitely
is a threat. Junior can go out for after school sports and Sis can do after
school cheer leading, but the school library doors are closed and locked.
If the nearest public library is several miles away, the youngster who wants
to read, learn and do their homework is "out of luck" -- and so are we
all
when the younger generation continues down the road to information illiteracy.
> > Would those participating in Banned Books Week accede to the wishes of
> > fundamentalists who want schools to use textbooks that teach
Creationism?
> > If not, are they "challenging" Creationism textbooks? In
many examples the
> > ALA provides, the reasons given for challenging a book (the title in
> > question contained cuss words, or sexy scenes, or was too tolerant of
> > homosexuality, or was just too dreary) are downright dumb. But those
who
> > scoff at an Illinois parent's challenge to Jump Ship to Freedom
because it
> > "was damaging to the self-esteem of young black students,"
probably would
> > agree Penthouse and The Anarchist Cookbook are inappropriate fare for
> > sixth-graders, at least in a school setting.
Same old politics! Same old arguments! Neither side seems to be worried about
whether or not kids can read well enough and use a library well enought to make
up their own minds.
> > Unless someone is willing to stipulate that schools should provide
every
> > conceivable kind of reading material _ starting in kindergarten _ the
> > debate isn't about whether to provide access to books; it's about
which
> > books to provide. The freedom to read is in no danger in the United
States.
> > Judging by Banned Books Week, though, the ability to think is.
The ability to think is certainly in danger if youngsters are allowed to go
through the k-12 grades without decent library service. Information illiteracy
abounds when our k-12 Education establishment considers library service to be
less important than after school soccer and school librarians are content to
shut and lock their school library doors at 3 PM on weekday afternoons. The
Limbaughs and Family Friendly advocates continue to sputter away their
nonsense and argue back and forth with ALA supporters while the real library
service needs of kids aren't even being considered.
James B. Casey - My own views as a public librarian and ALA Councilor-at-Large.
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:30:51 1997
From: Barbara Linder <blinder@cflc.net>
Subject: Re: BIB: Mother-Daughter Bookclub List
I would love to do some mother-daughter book discussions. The problem is
that we only have one, maybe two, copies of each book in our collection.
Do you get multiple copies through Interlibrary loan? How do you get
enough copies for everyone to read at the same time?
Also, what kinds of things do you discuss? Please email me directly.
Thanks,
Barbara Linder
Young Adult Librarian
Leesburg Public Library
Leesburg, FL
blinder@cflc.net
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:31:12 1997
From: Betsy Bybell <bbybell@norby.latah.lib.id.us>
ubject: Batty Fingerplays...and then some more
Good morning,
Just in time for October storytimes, here's the accumulated list of bat
fingerplays. I couldn't stop there since so many wonderful suggestions
came in for poetry, crafts, riddles, and even puns . 'Fang you very much'
to all who wrote. If more arrives by batmail, I'll do a 2nd edition.
BATTY FINGERPLAYS, POETRY, AND CRAFTS
FINGERPLAYS & SONGS
BAT FLANNELBOARD
Cut 10 bat shapes out of black felt. Use them on a flannel board.
One, Two
bats that flew.
Three, four,
Watch them soar.
Five, Six,
Dive and mix.
Seven, eight,
Some come late.
Nine, ten,
Home again!
FIVE BLACK BATS (Adapted from Totline October 1992 by Ellen Wall)
(Hold 1 fist upside down. Unfold 1 finger for each bat.)
Five black bats hanging upside down,
The first one didn't make a sound.
The second one said, "I'll fly far tonight."
The third one said, "I don't like sunlight."
The fourth one said, "I want to eat some bugs."
The fifth one said, "Let me give you a hug."
Five black bats hanging upside down,
Shhh! It's daytime; don't make a sound.
COUNTING BATS
One little, two little, three little bats,
Four little, five little, six little bats,
Seven little, eight little, nine little bats,
Ten little flying bats.
FIVE BATTY BATS from Copycat
Five batty bats were hanging 'neath the moon.
"Quiet" said the first.
"The witch is coming soon."
"She's green," said the second,
"with a purple, pointy nose."
"Black boots," said the third,
"cover up her ugly toes."
"Her broom," said the fourth,
"can scratch you. That I know."
"I'm scared," said the fifth.
"I think we'd better go."
Five batty bats escaped into the night.
"Dear me!" said the witch. "That's a scary sight!"
"THE BAT HAS A BEEP" from _The Zoo Comes to School_ by M. Josephine
Colville
(Couldn't find a copy of this one)
I'M GLAD I'M NOT A MOUSE OR BAT!
from _Move Over, Mother Goose_ by Ruth Dowell
(Children sit. The mouse is the pinky on the right hand. The bat is both
hands palm down & thumbs crossed. Flap hands up & down for the wings.)
I'm glad I'm not a mouse or bat! (Mouse motion, then bat motion)
I wouldn't want to look like that! (Shake head no)
But mice and bats, I'm sure agree (Mouse motion, then bat motion)
They wouldn't want to look like "me!" (Point to self)
5 LITTLE BATS HANGING FROM A CAVE
5 Little bats hanging from a cave,
1 Was too noisy & wouldn't behave,
4 little bats hanging from a tree,
1 Flew away & then there were 3.
3 Little bats with nothing to do,
1 flew away & then there were 2.
2 Little bats hanging up so high.
Buzz, buzz, buzz, along came a fly.
1 little bat hanging all alone. . . & he liked it, SHHHH!
(Lois J. Sprengnether & Batsy)
I'M A LITTLE BATLET (sung to tune of I'm a little teapot)
I'm a little batlet small & shy
Hanging here so near the sky.
When the night is starting
& The bugs come out
Just watch me & the other bats
Fly right out.
(Mime the hanging, listen to the bugs with your head movements, & fly!)
(Lois J. Sprengnether)
BAT SONG from Copycat
Repeat all the previous verses after the person says his or her line.
"Tra-La-La"
Once I met one vulture who had such culture.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...one old vulture.
And then I met two cats wearing silly hats.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...two old cats.
And then I met three toads singing down the road.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...three old toads.
And then I met four ghosts splashing in a boat.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...four old ghosts.
And then I met five worms gobbling up germs.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...five old worms.
And then I met six owls going meow.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...six old owls.
And then I met seven spiders on hang gliders.
Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...seven old spiders.
Continue the song adding the following lyrics in numerical order:
8 brooms dancing in a room, 9 wizards singing with lizards, 10 goblins
squiggling and squabbling, 11 bats dancing with rats, 12 cauldrons going
for a little run, and 13 ghouls wearing lots of jewels.
Take some of the standard fingerplay rhymes and changing the words to cover
bats. For instance, instead of "5 Little Ducks," it could be "5
Little
Bats," and the mother bat could go "Flap, Flap, Flap, Flap,"
instead of
"Quack."
POETRY
TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE BAT by Lewis Carroll
"Twinkle twinkle little bat
How I wonder where you're at
Up above the world you fly
Like a tea tray in the sky...
THE BAT POET by Randall Jarrell
THE BAT by Colin West
The bat in flight at dead of night
Can flap about with ease,
For with his ears he somehow steers
A path between the trees.
THE BAT by Arthur Guiterman
Airy-mouse, hairy mouse,
Keen-eared contrary mouse,
Come from your cavern -- a star's in the sky!
Fluttering, flittering,
Eerily chittering,
Swoop on your quarry, the dusk-haunting fly.
Airy-mouse, wary mouse,
Witch-bird or fairy-mouse
Soft through the shadow the dawn-glimmer steals;
Night's your carusing-time,
day brings your drowsing-time;
Hence to your hollow and hang by your heels!
BATS by Jack Prelutsky
Bats have shiny leather wings,
Bats do many clever things,
Bats doze upside-down by day.
Bats come out at night to play.
Bats cavort in soaring cliques,
sounding ultrasonic shrieks.
Acrobatic in the sky,
Bats catch every bug they spy.
THE BAT by Theodore Roethke
By day the bat is cousin to the mouse.
He likes the attic of an aging house.
His fingers make a hat about his head.
His pulse beat is so slow we think him dead.
He loops in crazy figures half the night
Among the trees that face the corner light.
But when he brushes up against a screen,
We are afraid of what our eyes have seen:
For something is amiss or out of place
When mice with wings can wear a human face.
THE BAT by Frank Jacobs
Bats are creepy; bats are scary;
Bats do not seem sanitary;
Bats in dismal caves keep cozy;
Bats remind us of Lugosi;
Bats have webby wings that fold up;
Bats from ceilings hang down rolled up;
Bats when flying undismayed are;
Bats are careful; bats use radar;
Bats at nighttime at their best are;
Bats by Batman unimpressed are!
AND RIDDLES AND TONGUE TWISTERS
- How do bats dance?
They wing it.
- What do bats get on their birthdays?
A birthday cave.
- Why are bats popular in the summer?
Every baseball team needs a bat.
Itty-bitty bats bit big bad bedbugs;
A rat bit a cat who bit a bat who bit a rat.
AND CRAFTS --
Roll skinny newspaper rolls to fit on fingers and join these "rolls"
with
newspaper webbing for kids to try on "bat wings" giving the idea of
wings
made like hands.
Make bat shapes on sponges & cut them out. Sponge cut-outs make great
t-shirt paintings or decorate solid color painters or baseball caps
(Baseball bat, get it?) Use fabric paint & warn kids' parents to let them
wear nothing that can't be permanently messed up by paint. You might even
add sequins or rhinestone studs if the $ can swing it.
Trace a bat design (it's a good idea to put cardboard or newspapers inside
the shirt to avoid bleed-through), using permanent marker to trace the
outline, then add red eyes & optional fangs & any message wanted. White
cotton/poly blends work best.
Leaves to form bat shapes. You can sandwich them in between 2 sheets of
wax paper & shavings of crayons (for both color & to help seal the
picture), you & any adult or mature teen assistants can iron the design
shut (put a sheet of newspaper between the iron & the wax paper). They're
great to hang in windows.
Flying bat idea #1. Trace around 3 sides of a wire hanger on black paper,
leaving a space at the top where the hanger is joined, & in that top area
draw a bat head (a circle with a neck & ears). Along the bottom of the
hanger draw a scalloped edge. Add eyes from orange reflective tape or glue
eyes cut from foil gift wrap. Cut out the bat & tape it to the hanger.
Tie a long thread to the hook & hang it up.
Flying bat idea #2. Fold a large piece of black posterboard in 1/2; while
still folded in 1/2, draw & cut out 1/2 a bat shape, leaving it attached at
the center of the body. Staple the end of a piece of black elastic (the
kind used on masks) to each wing. Tie a piece of heavy black thread to the
middle of the elastic & bounce the bat to make it "fly."
Bat Branch Mobile #1. Cut 2 cups from a plastic foam egg carton for every
bat you want. Make wings from black paper & glue them between the cups.
Cut pointed ears from the paper scraps & glue them in place, too. Add
paper-punch dot eyes & a red mouth dot cut from paper. Glue a thread to
each bat & tie each 1 to a fallen branch. Pieces of yarn tied to the
branch curve it to let you hang it as a mobile.
Bat Mobile #2. Draw & cut out 3 pairs of different (size&/or shape) bat
designs - - my grocery store had several as cookie cutters, for example.
Divide them into 2 sets (1 of each design) & put 1 set aside for later use.
Vertically lay the 3 bats on a table, spacing them about 2" below each
other. Cut a long piece of yarn & lay it down the center of the bats.
Glue the yarn to the bats. Spread glue around the edges of the bats & place
the matching bat from the 2d set on top of its mate. Tie a loop in the
yarn above the 1st bat to make a hanger.
Bat Banner. Fold black paper accordian style (you may need to tape several
pieces of paper together); trace a bat outline on 1 accordian pleat of
paper, letting the wing tips touch the edges; cut out in paper doll chain
style. Write 1 letter of your message on each bat.
Simplified bat house building. Invite a naturalist to explain all about how
beneficial bats are & where are the best sites for bat houses.
'Fang you very much' to Lauren Levy, Ellen Wall, Carolyn Caywood, Karen
Knudson, Mary Stanton, Lois J. Sprengnether, Barb Scott, Corey Bennett,
Dave Del Rocco.
"Batsy"
Latah County Library District
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:31:31 1997
From: Nancee Dahms-Stinson <ndahmsst@mail.sos.state.mo.us>
ubject: Ring a Ring o Roses
I believe someone mentioned this great source of fingerplays in a recent
post. Does anyone know how to obtain a copy any more? I bought my most
recent copy a couple of years ago from a Building Blocks early childhood
catalog, but they no longer distribute anything but the titles they
publish. I have checked Gryphon House and Redleaf Press catalogs. Don't
find it listed in the 97 bip. Has anyone purchased a copy recently? TIA!
Nancee
Nancee Dahms-Stinson
Youth & Senior Services Consultant
Missouri State Library
600 W. Main Street, P.O. Box 387
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0387
PHONE: 800-325-0131 (in Missouri)
573-751-1821
FAX: 573-751-3612
EMAIL: ndahmsst@mail.sos.state.mo.us
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:32:02 1997
From: Marijo Kist <mkist@lib.ci.phoenix.az.us>
Subject: classic?
Good afternoon,
My pet peeve question is cropping up again and again. And I was wondering
about the rest of you and how you respond. The question is: "Where are
your classics? I need to read a classic."
I have lists generated by a variety of places, but how is a classic
defined?
Just curious.
Marijo Kist mkist@lib.ci.phoenix.az.us
Acacia Branch Library
(602) 262-6224
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:32:18 1997
From: kmadison@aztec.asu.edu (KATIE ODELL JONES)
ubject: Newbery considerations
Thanks to everyone who submitted what they thought were viable titles to be
considered for the Newbery this year. Here are the results:
The Dark Side of Nowhere- Shusterman
The Library Card- Spinelli
Wringer- Spinelli
Out of the Dust- Hesse
Rose Daughter- McKinley
Seven Brave Women- Hearne
Twilight in Grace Falls- Honeycutt
Watcher- Howe
Blood and Chocolate- Klause
Well Wished- Billingsley
Chasing Redbird- Creech
The War in Georgia- Oughton
Tenderness- Cormier
The Adventures of Captain Underpants- Pilkey
Seedfolks- Fleischman
Julie's Wolf Pack- George
The Great Frog Place and Other Poems- George
Ella Enchanted- Levine
Harlem- Myers
Ant Plays Bear- Byars
Iron Ring- Alexander
Under the Shadows of Wings- Banks
The Woman in the Wall- Kindl
Across the Lines- Reeder
A Distant Enemy- Vanasse
Becoming Rosemary- Wood
I am still collecting nominees for our county's Caldecott/Newbery Discussions
so if you have a favorite you don't see listed here for the Newbery, please
submit it directly to me, and I will post another list in the future.
Thanks again for contributing!
Katie O'Dell Madison
Youth Services Librarian
Tempe Public Library
kmadison@aztec.asu.edu
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:32:25 1997
From: "Barbara A. Lewis" <blewis@tln.lib.mi.us>
Subject: coin cards for photocopiers
Hi Everyone,
My library is considering the possibility of switching to a system that
uses cards rather than actual money for the photocopier. If anyone else
in pubyac already is doing this, would you please answer some questions.
(1) Is there a minimum amount of money that one must pay before being
issued a card? (2) If there is a minimum amount, do you have problems
with patrons who do not have that amount and would like to make only
one or two copies? (3) In general, do you consider the card method an
improvement over the coin method?
Thanks for your input.
Barbara Lewis
Livonia Civic Center Library
Livonia, MI
blewis@tln.lib.mi.us
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:33:35 1997
From: maurab123@mdc.net (Maura B)
ubject: More assistance ...please ...
Hi
It seems to be the time of year when everyone wants bibliographies
for school newsletters etc. I have had a request from a local parents'
group looking for titles for their "Gender Equity" column in the
elementary
newsletter.
I have had plenty of luck with girls doing things traditionally done
by boys (there are so many wonderful bibliographies - including the two
newish books Great Books for Girls and Let's Hear it for the Girls!)
What I really need now are some books along the lines of WILLIAM'S
DOLL by Zolotow. If you have titles or if you know of any booklists
already generated; websites with lists; or organizations that might have
this type of information I would appreciate very much hearing from you!!
e-mail: maurab123@mdc.net
TIA,
Maura B
---------------------
From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Wed Oct 1 19:33:42 1997
From: schachtc@lcm.macomb.lib.mi.us
Subject: BIB:Killing Me Softly
Having just subscribed to PUBYAC I've only just seen the wonderful Bib.
of this name put together by Beth Peaden; thought I'd add a couple of my
favorites that got left off the lilst. LAST DANCE by Carmen Agra Deedy
is one of those picture-books-for-grandparents that wind up in the E
section because of format and the fact that libraries don't have
grandparents sections, but it is not to be missed, especially by anyone
who has loved dearly and now is seperated from their beloved but who
knows that seperation is not forever. Two shining picturebooks of the
genre for dog lovers are Cynthis Rylant's DOG HEAVEN and Hurd's THE OLD
BLACK DOG WHO WENT INTO THE WOODS. In terms of adult titles, McMurtry's
LONESOME DOVE had me veering back and forth between bellylaughs and
major tears so often that I felt like I was going to come down with
emotional whiplash. Thanks for putting this together, Beth!
Chuck Schacht
Romeo District Library
Romeo, MI.
schachtc@LCM.macomb.lib.mi.us
|