|
From: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults
& Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults & Children"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 11:01 PM
Subject: PUBYAC digest 278
PUBYAC Digest 278
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) transportation crafts?
by "Heidi" <heidi@mail.cbiboca.org>
2) coffee bar
by Maggi Rohde <maggi@intranet.org>
3) videos
by molly stcavish <mstcavish@yahoo.com>
4) Re: Asterix series
by karen maletz <kmlib@yahoo.com>
5) Re: halloween crafts, games, ...
by vickyg@bville.lib.ny.us (Vicky
Gaworecki)
6) latecomers
by "Tami Steinbauer" <tsteinbauer@birchard.lib.oh.us>
7) Final Report of the COPA Commission Presented to Congress,
by "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
8) RE: Children's Cat, Dewey, Sears
by "Hiett, Debra" <DHiett@AndoverPublicSchools.com>
9) time travel fiction
by Jo-Anne Cooper <jcooper@chinookarch.ab.ca>
10) The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife
by "John Kantner" <cmhjohn@netwalk.com>
11) Re: STUMPER, bears, solved
by Holly Varley <varleyho@oplin.lib.oh.us>
12) STUMPER: Machine That Does Everything for Lazy Boy
by "Grant, Sara" <scgrant@city.surrey.bc.ca>
13) Filtering the Internet for Children: Censorship or Protection
by "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
14) About that dancing ghost stumper...
by "Cindy Benson" <cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us>
15) About that dancing ghost stumper...
by "Cindy Benson" <cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us>
16) Drug awareness titles
by Jmclacko@aol.com
17) Children's books about Turkey
by "Laurie Rose" <lrose@orono.lib.me.us>
18) subject appropriateness in children's books
by Julia Driscoll <jmdriscoll@htls.lib.il.us>
19) RE: Appropriate picture books
by Sue Ridnour <SRidnour@flower-mound.com>
20) Re: appropiate picture books
by "Linda Peterson" <lpeterson@bloomfield.lib.in.us>
21) Appropriate topics for picture books
by Eric Norton <enorton@scls.lib.wi.us>
22) Re: Picture Books
by Joan Stokes <jrstokes@yahoo.com>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Heidi" <heidi@mail.cbiboca.org>
To: "pubyac" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: transportation crafts?
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:27:50 CDT
I will be doing a storytime in celebration of Children's Book Week and =
to go with the "Fuel Your Mind" theme I thought I'd focus on =
transportation. Can anyone recommend a good transportation-related =
craft, that can be done by 4-7 year olds in 20 minutes and be ready to =
take home (no need to dry, etc.). Thank you in advance, o great =
collective brain!!!
Heidi R. Estrin
Feldman Children's Library
Congregation B'nai Israel
2200 Yamato Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561)241-1484 ext.206
FAX (561)241-1701
E-mail: heidi@cbiboca.org
Web Page: www.cbiboca.org
------------------------------
From: Maggi Rohde <maggi@intranet.org>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: coffee bar
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:29:27 CDT
On Fri, 20 Oct 2000, Melanie C. Duncan wrote:
> With regards to a coffee bar, does your library restrict patrons to
> the bar area with their drinks? If so, then staff must be limited to
> that area also. You can't have one set of rules for staff that are so
> blatantly against what you require the patrons to do.
Speaking of coffee bars...
I've never been in a library with a coffee bar, but (speaking as a person
who loves to read while she eats/munches) I think it sounds like a swell
idea. I've like to hear feedback from librarians who have them. Do
the
kids like them too, or are they restricted to adults? What about
spill/book damage issues? Is there literature pro/against this idea?
If you email me at maggi@intranet.org,
I'll compile responses.
Thanks,
Maggi Rohde
Milan Public Library, MI
------------------------------
From: molly stcavish <mstcavish@yahoo.com>
To: pubyac <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: videos
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:30:42 CDT
My director has just asked me to order children's
videos. If you have any special vendor that you like
would you contact me at mstcavish@yahoo.com?
All must have public performance rights or at least an
option to get it. These need to be preschool level
only.
TIA
=====
mstcavish@yahoo.com
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE.
http://im.yahoo.com/
------------------------------
From: karen maletz <kmlib@yahoo.com>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: Asterix series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:32:13 CDT
What is the asterix series?
--- children johnson city public library
<jcplkids@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks to all who sent input about the Asterix
> series! All but one who
> responded felt like the series is worth purchasing,
> so we're going to add a
> few titles and see. Thanks again for the wonderful
> input!
>
> Betty Cobb
> Johnson City Public Library
> bcobb@jcpl.net
>
_________________________________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at
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> public profile at
> http://profiles.msn.com.
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Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE.
http://im.yahoo.com/
------------------------------
From: vickyg@bville.lib.ny.us
(Vicky Gaworecki)
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: halloween crafts, games, ...
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:33:30 CDT
At 08:13 PM 10/18/00 CDT, you wrote:
>Hello!
>
>We are trying to pull all of the details for our Halloween party for 1st
>through 3rd grades together. I am just not happy with any of the craft
>ideas that we have came across. Is anyone else tire of pipe cleaner
>spiders? So I was wondering if any of you have some ideas that you
would
>share. I am also interested in games.
>
>Thank you
>
Hi!
This year I'm making pumpkin plate shakers. Buy orange foam or paper plates,
put pumpkin seeds (available at grocery stores dried) inside and staple shut
with a few black and orange streamers sticking out. Paste black construction
paper triangles for eyes, nose, and three for the mouth to make a
jack-o-lantern face on the outside. We're going to parade around with them
to music and make fantastic noise!
Vicky G.
Baldwinsville Public Library, NY
>
>_________________________________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
>
>Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at
>http://profiles.msn.com.
>
>
------------------------------
From: "Tami Steinbauer" <tsteinbauer@birchard.lib.oh.us>
To: "Pubyac@Prairienet.Org"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: latecomers
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:34:44 CDT
Hello all,
I have a problem which I am sure is not new to anyone. I do programming
for
K-3 grades one Saturday/month. The programs usually involve a couple of
stories, poems, possibly an activity or music, and a craft. They last 45
minutes. The programs are supposed to start at 10:00, however, I usually
wait 5 minutes to start because there are always some latecomers. This
doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the people who come in after we
have started and interrupt our stories. During the last program, we were
interrupted 4 different times by people arriving up to 15 minutes late. It
has been suggested that I start with the craft, instead of the stories. I
feel it's hard enough to get the children to go home after the craft, let
alone settle down and listen to stories. The other suggestion was to post
notices that the program would start on time, and after I started to lock
the door. I tend to lean toward the second suggestion, however, I don't
want angry adult patrons and unhappy children. What have others done in
this situation? Is there a way everyone can be happy? Please e-mail your
responses to me off-list. TIA for any suggestions.
Tami Steinbauer
Birchard Public Library
Fremont, Ohio
tsteinbauer@birchard.lib.ob.us
------------------------------
From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
Subject: Final Report of the COPA Commission Presented to Congress,
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:36:02 CDT
Final Report of the COPA Commission Presented to Congress, October 20, 2000
http://www.copacommission.org/report/
_________________________
Don Wood
Program Officer/Communications
American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-280-4225
800-545-2433, ext. 4225
Fax: 312-280-4227
dwood@ala.org
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/index.html
------------------------------
From: "Hiett, Debra" <DHiett@AndoverPublicSchools.com>
To: "'pubyac@prairienet.org'"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: RE: Children's Cat, Dewey, Sears
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:38:38 CDT
Greetings Pubyaccers,
Our library is in great need of the following: a Children's Cat, Dewey, and
Sears. Please, if you have an older set which you are not using, think of
all the space you can recover by donating it to us. If you find that you
can oblige please e-mail me at DHiett@andoverpublicschools.com
Thank You in Advance
Deb
------------------------------
From: Jo-Anne Cooper <jcooper@chinookarch.ab.ca>
To: "'pubyac@prairienet.org'"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: time travel fiction
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:39:56 CDT
Currently, I am on a time travel fiction kick. I am looking for
suggestions
of great time travel children's or YA fiction. What are your favorites or
must-reads? I will post a hit to the list if there is sufficient response.
Thank you.
Jo-Anne C. Cooper
Children's Services Department Head
Lethbridge Public Library
810 - 5th Avenue South
Lethbridge, Alberta
T1J 4C4
Phone (403) 380-7325
FAX (403) 329-1478
jcooper@chinookarch.ab.ca
------------------------------
From: "John Kantner" <cmhjohn@netwalk.com>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:41:25 CDT
I am a part time Childrens Librarian responsible for ordering all =
juvenile audiobooks. Do you feel Phillip Pullman's first two books of =
his trilogy are appropriate for our collection. I know they =
well-reviewed but I have conflicting information on what ages they are =
appropriate for. We do not have a young adult audiobooks collection.
Thanks for you input,
Janie Kantner
------------------------------
From: Holly Varley <varleyho@oplin.lib.oh.us>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: STUMPER, bears, solved
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:43:07 CDT
Fourteen Bears, Summer and Winter by Evelyn Scott. It's no longer in
print,
but I wish the publisher would reprint, because it's the second time that
I've
seen it as a stumper!
Mazzafero wrote:
> Does anyone know anything about the following book. A patron would
> like to purchase it for an upcoming celebration.
>
> The story involved girl bears whose names all rhymed. There was only
one
> boy bear named Theodore. Bright colors inside and out. Book was wider
than
> it was tall. It MIGHT be
> a Christmas book. The patron believes it was popular in 1970.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Bonnie Mazzaferro
> Cutchogue Free Library
> Cutchogue, Long Island, NY
--
Holly Varley
Collection Development Librarian
Clermont County Public Library
513-732-2736 ext 12
varleyho@oplin.lib.oh.us
------------------------------
From: "Grant, Sara" <scgrant@city.surrey.bc.ca>
To: "'pubyac@prairienet.org'"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: STUMPER: Machine That Does Everything for Lazy Boy
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:44:24 CDT
A middle-aged patron is looking for a HUMOROUS Chapter Book from her
childhood about: a machine that does everything for a lazy boy (about 9
years), including brushing his teeth, taking him up and down stairs, feeding
him, etc. At some point the boy finds himself accidentally upside down, and
the machine is brushing his toes (and it tickles) and feeding his feet
bananas.
Ring any bells?
Please respond directly to me at: scgrant@city.surrey.bc.ca
Thanks, Sara Grant
Manager of Youth Services
Surrey Public Library
------------------------------
From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
Subject: Filtering the Internet for Children: Censorship or Protection
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:45:53 CDT
Filtering the Internet for Children: Censorship or Protection
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/20/tl.00.html
"We believe that you must equip children with the tools they're going to
need now and in the future to use this technology effectively."--Emily
Sheketoff, associate executive director, ALA Washington Office
_________________________
Don Wood
Program Officer/Communications
American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-280-4225
800-545-2433, ext. 4225
Fax: 312-280-4227
dwood@ala.org
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/index.html
------------------------------
From: "Cindy Benson" <cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us>
To: <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: About that dancing ghost stumper...
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:47:10 CDT
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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Oops. Color me embarrassed. It seems last night I had houses on the
=
brain. The title that may or may not be what our customer is searching =
for is "The Family at Seven Chimneys House" by Lee Wyndham, not
"The =
House at Seven Chimneys." That'll teach me to post and work the =
Children's Desk at the same time. Thanks for the help.
Cindy Benson
cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us
Spokane County Library District
------=_NextPart_000_00AA_01C03AB8.17DE1E00
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Oops.
Color me =
embarrassed. =20
It seems last night I had houses on the brain. The title that may =
or may=20
not be what our customer is searching for is "The Family at Seven =
Chimneys=20
House" by Lee Wyndham, not "The House at Seven Chimneys."
That'll =
teach me=20
to post and work the Children's Desk at the same time. Thanks
=
for the=20
help.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Cindy
Benson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"mailto:cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us">cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us</A></FONT><=
/DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Spokane County
Library=20
District</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_00AA_01C03AB8.17DE1E00--
------------------------------
From: "Cindy Benson" <cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us>
To: <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: About that dancing ghost stumper...
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:49:09 CDT
Oops. Color me embarrassed. It seems last night I had houses on the
=
brain. The title that may or may not be what our customer is searching =
for is "The Family at Seven Chimneys House" by Lee Wyndham, not
"The =
House at Seven Chimneys." That'll teach me to post and work the =
Children's Desk at the same time. Thanks for the help.
Cindy Benson
cbenson@scld.lib.wa.us
Spokane County Library District
------------------------------
From: Jmclacko@aol.com
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Drug awareness titles
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:50:53 CDT
Hi everyone,
A parent has a request for drug awareness and safety books targeting a 1st
and 2nd grader. What we currently own is more appropriate for an older
child. I would appreciate any suggestions in either picture book, fiction
or
nonfiction format.
Please respond directly to me at jmclacko@aol.com.
Best regards,
Jennifer Clacko, Youth Services Librarian
West Valley Branch Library
1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd.
San Jose, CA 95117
408-244-4766
408-984-3736 fax
jmclacko@aol.com
------------------------------
From: "Laurie Rose" <lrose@orono.lib.me.us>
To: Pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Children's books about Turkey
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:52:11 CDT
Hello
Our library has received a donation to be used for purchasing
children's books - specifically about Turkey (The country not the
fowl...)
We already have:
Enchantment of the world - Turkey
Fiesta!: Turkey
and I have found:
A treasury of Turkish Folktales for children
Watermelons, walnuts and the wisdom of Allah
Daily life in Ancient & Modern Istanbul
Are there any other suggestions out there? It would be nice to find
a picture book that has Turkey as a setting...
Please reply directly to me
TIA
laurie
Laurie Rose
Youth Services Librarian
Orono Public Library
Orono, Maine 04473
lrose@orono.lib.me.us
------------------------------
From: Julia Driscoll <jmdriscoll@htls.lib.il.us>
To: "'PUBYAC@prairienet.org'"
<PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: subject appropriateness in children's books
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:53:32 CDT
Well, I'm one of those people who's never not had an opinion about
anything. Usually though, I just listen to the list because someone else
always seems to express my opinion at some point. However, in regard to
appropriate subjects for children's books, I feel compeled to speak. From
her message, I'm not 100% sure of Peggy Northcraft's specific concerns.
She asked about how popular "Smoky Night" and "Hiroshima No
Pika" have
been. Well, I have no answer for that. I do, however, have a strong
opinion that these are entirely appropriate & useful items for a
collection, and I believe their appropriateness has nothing to do with
their popularity.
I have known of & appreciated Smokey Night for a while now. I was
introduced to it by my mother (a school librarian) as I was about to accept
my first job as a children's librarian. I admit I was surprised - and
impressed. On some level, I guess adults all want to idealize childhood
&
the books for that age & I was a bit guilty myself. But as
professionals,
we don't dare let ourselves fall into that impulse. Smokey Night talks
about a realistic situation for todays youth. Think about it, kids today
are growing up with more horror in their daily life. Even a pre-teen can
probably remember the race riots in L.A. from the Rodney King situation &
Smokey Night reflects a riot well. The Oklahoma City bombing was just less
than 6 years ago. Let's not forget the terrors of school violence.
The
fact is, kids today are forced to face harsh truths very early. As adults,
we may wish it wern't so, but don't we have a responsibility to give them
the tools to deal with these situations? Literature can expose kids to the
kind of real and frightening situations they will encounter, but in a safe
& thought provoking way. I personally wish it wasn't necessary for a 7
year old to be aware of drugs, sexual predators, & other violence, but it
is. I'm very glad I'll have books to rely on to help me help my child (to
be) through those scary concepts.
If you want another for the uncomfortable topic list, try "The House that
Crack Built" by Clark Taylor. It's a variation on the rhyme "The
House
that Jack Built" & explains quite clearly the destruction &
violence that
comes from use & making of the drug crack.
I admit I was not familiar with "Hiroshima No Pika" until I went &
got it
after Ms. Northcraft's message. I found it disturbing, but in a totally
appropriate way. Interestingly, our library has it in our non-fiction
area. In fact, since we seperate non-fiction for younger & older kids
(older kids are shelved with the adult non-fiction), it was in the older
child non-fiction area. In regard to that book, I guess I feel that the
horror of the story & the graphic nature of the illustrations help convey a
more complete image of the situation & help the reader better connect
emotionally to this part of history. I personally find it easy to seperate
myself from a situation if I hear it in an objective/historical writing
style. However, when I hear it in a story, it becomes real to me & I
incorporate it into myself. Anyone who loves books - especially children's
books - can point out a few titles that have become a part of their soul.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if for some kids, some of those books were truely
meaningful stories. Perhaps I wax sentimental here, but I think that
sometimes we can forget the power that a story has on the minds of the
young (and old).
Just to widen the debate, has anyone thought about the appropriateness of
older picture books? I love so many of the books from the past & I'm
not
talking about political correctness here, but do the books we read our
children still reflect a culture they can relate to? I mean think about it
- why are the names of farm animals & the sounds they make still one of the
earliest concepts we teach young children? How many kids (overall
percentage here) really are going to need intimate knowledge of a cow & pig
before they meet one on their standard school field trip. Before anyone
jumps down my throat - I'm sure that my baby will also know these by age 3,
but I'm just noting that this reflects an agrarian society that many of us
don't really live in anymore. Likewise, do books of the past reflect past
values? Anyone taken a look at the original Curious George lately?
In it,
George is taken from his jungle home (something many scientists would agree
is ecologically speaking a bad idea today) & later is thrown in jail for a
false fire alarm among many other goofy adventures. I still like Curious
George & will use it with myown child I'm sure, but isn't it better that a
5 year old read about overcoming a racial difference & caring for others in
a scary situation (a la Smokey Night) than being afraid of the firemen
putting them in jail for a mistake? Kids need the cute fuzzy fun that
makes them feel safe, but they also need the books that teach them how to
deal safely with realistic & scary situations.
Well, that's my 2 dollars worth (far too long to call it 2 cents). The
opinions expressed are purely my own.
Julia Driscoll
Youth Librarian - Joliet Public Library
150 N. Ottowa St. - Joliet, IL 60544
jmdriscoll@htls.lib.il.us
------------------------------
From: Sue Ridnour <SRidnour@flower-mound.com>
To: "'pubyac@prairienet.org'"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: RE: Appropriate picture books
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:54:53 CDT
Whether they are "appropriate" or not, they exist. As a
practical matter, I
have struggled with where to place what I call the "hard" picture
books (as
opposed to "easies" which in my experience is how most public
libraries
categorize picture books.) Sometimes, there is an "easy out" and
they can
be put in nonfiction under 398.2 or the 800s, for example. Some (Pink and
Say, Satchmos' Blues by Schroeder, Thanksgiving Wish by Rosen, The Lion and
the Unicorn by Shirely Hughes) we put in with the juvenile chapter books,
but I'm not really happy with that solution, either.
Smoky Night is in "E" and two copies combined have checked out 89
times in
five years, so it's not being passed over in the picture book section,
although certainly the Caldecott award has something to do with that. We
have Hiroshima No Pika in nonfiction at 940.54 and it has checked out three
times in four years. Pink and Say has 28 circs in 5 years (1 copy);
Satchmo's Blues 3 circs in 2 years; The Lion and the Unicorn 3 circs in one
year; and Thanksgiving Wish just arrived so there's no data on it yet.
Pink
and Say probably got a boost by being a Texas Bluebonneet Award nominee.
So, is putting these hard picture books in other collections doing them a
disservice? Maybe. Would putting them in the easy picture book
collection
cause problems? Probably.
How are other libraries dealing with this issue? Who do the authors
perceive as the audiences of their books? Do they think they belong on the
same shelves as the "easy" picture books?
Sue Ridnour
Youth Services Librarian
Flower Mound Public Library
Flower Mound, Texas
------------------------------
From: "Linda Peterson" <lpeterson@bloomfield.lib.in.us>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: appropiate picture books
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:56:21 CDT
I found the book Testing Miss Malarkey very disturbing. If children aren't
already stressed about tests, why should we put the idea in there minds and
make it worse. A teacher friend of mine was very offended by the way the
teachers were portrayed in the book, Just my opinion.
Linda Peterson
Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library
125 South Franklin
Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Phone: (812)384-4125
Fax: (812)384-0820
email: lpeterson@bloomfield.lib.in.us
-----Original Message-----
From: Peggy Northcraft < >
To: PUBYAC@prairienet.org <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Date: Friday, October 20, 2000 11:02 AM
>Hello, All
>
>Let's talk about appropriate topics for picture books. I am getting
ready
>to teach a Children's Lit course at a local college and ran across a couple
>of books I really wonder about which reminded that there are others I have
>wondered about. Specifically I am talking about SMOKY NIGHT by Eve
Bunting
>and HIROSHIMA NO PIKA by Toshi Maruki. Picture books? How
popular have
>they been?
>
>Will really appreciate a discussion of this.
>
>Peggy
>Margaret "Peggy" Northcraft
>Children's Librarian
>Hannibal Free Public Library
>Hannibal MO
>"Librarians give safe harbor to the thoughts and dreams, knowledge and
>aspirations of humankind." Me
>
------------------------------
From: Eric Norton <enorton@scls.lib.wi.us>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Appropriate topics for picture books
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:57:45 CDT
Peggy,
Unfortunately, the term "picture book" is used to describe both a
format
and an age-appropriate level of book. While it would be convenient for
children's librarians if the content of all picture books was appropriate
soley to preschoolers this isn't the way authors, illustrators and
publishers approach the format. There is a huge selection and variety of
books from Patricia Polacco to Mark Teague (to name just a few) that either
in seriousness of subject matter, complexity of vocabulary, type of
experience conveyed or simply length of text go beyond the sort of book
that we can read to kids at storytime or to our own children at bedtime.
Lavish illustrations can be used to support so many different stories that
we can't begrudge authors and illustrators the desire to tackle lenghthy or
weighty material. David Diaz is an amazing illustrator who's work is often
paired with difficult stories like that in "Smoky Night." I
would hate to
think that a publisher would have taken a look at the book and decided that
the subject matter was too mature. We librarians are always in search of
bibliotherapeutic material on this topic or that. What could more
powerfully convey a situation, feelings, etc. than illustration?
Having said all of that, I do understand the desire to view some picture
books differently. It may certainly be appropriate to catalog some picture
books in the fiction section or other locations (398.2, parenting
collections, easy readers, etc.) In preparing a class on Children's Lit
these books might be an opportunity for a discussion or assignment ("bring
in a picture book that doesn't seem to be targetted toward preschoolers and
tell how you would deal with it"). I end up dealing with these on a
case
by case basis myself. One final consideration is that you may find that
advanced picture books end up with the regular ones, particularly if the
two varieties aren't labelled in a distinctive manner.
At 10:57 AM 10/20/00 CDT, you wrote:
>Hello, All
>
>Let's talk about appropriate topics for picture books. I am getting
ready
>to teach a Children's Lit course at a local college and ran across a couple
>of books I really wonder about which reminded that there are others I have
>wondered about. Specifically I am talking about SMOKY NIGHT by Eve
Bunting
>and HIROSHIMA NO PIKA by Toshi Maruki. Picture books? How
popular have
>they been?
>
>Will really appreciate a discussion of this.
>
>Peggy
>Margaret "Peggy" Northcraft
>Children's Librarian
>Hannibal Free Public Library
>Hannibal MO
>"Librarians give safe harbor to the thoughts and dreams, knowledge and
>aspirations of humankind." Me
>
>
>
Eric Norton
enorton@scls.lib.wi.us
Head of Children's Services
McMillan Memorial Library
490 E. Grand Ave.
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 54494
------------------------------
From: Joan Stokes <jrstokes@yahoo.com>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: Picture Books
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:59:48 CDT
--0-760313750-972260346=:2177
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Our library has both these books, and neither of them is in our picture
book collection. SMOKY NIGHT is in with our Parent's Shelf books, simply
because the subject matter seemed too heavy for picture books, and I thought
parents could start a dialogue with the kids when they read it. And, no, it
doesn't circ much - but it is a Caldecott Winner , so we'll keep it.
HIROSHIMA NO PIKA is in non-fiction and it does go out when kids have
projects. I agree - some books with lots of pictures are not necessarily
"Picture Books".
Joan Stokes, Southbury Public Library, Southbury, CT.
Peggy Northcraft <mdu002@mail.connect.more.net>
wrote:
Hello, All
Let's talk about appropriate topics for picture books. I am getting ready
to teach a Children's Lit course at a local college and ran across a couple
of books I really wonder about which reminded that there are others I have
wondered about. Specifically I am talking about SMOKY NIGHT by Eve Bunting
and HIROSHIMA NO PIKA by Toshi Maruki. Picture books? How popular have
they been?
Will really appreciate a discussion of this.
Peggy
Margaret "Peggy" Northcraft
Children's Librarian
Hannibal Free Public Library
Hannibal MO
"Librarians give safe harbor to the thoughts and dreams, knowledge and
aspirations of humankind." Me
------------------------------
End of PUBYAC Digest 278
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