So now that the word is out, I can write about my new job. In about 3 weeks I’ll be starting as the librarian at an elementary school closer to home. This means I won’t necessarily have as many crafty activities to write about, but I’m sure I will still have plenty of librarian-like things to post. It’s a very cool, exciting change, and I’m really looking forward to it. I just have to figure out how to deal with leaving the kids at my current public library position. I’m sure they will recover in about an hour, but I’ll be pretty upset for a while. I’m having one more Girl’s Club Pajama Party before I go, so I’m working on some fun stuff for that. Big changes!
Archive: August 2008
This is the latest booklist I’ve been compiling. It’s especially tricky because there are just endless numbers of picture book biographies I started, have piled on my desk, or want to read. But I had to draw the line somewhere. These are the best of what I’ve come across so far. The top three were my favorites, followed by the complete list I’ve got so far (I’m sure I will add to it as time goes by):
Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2007.
Peter Sis’s autobiography of growing up in Prague during the Cold War. Brilliant imagery shows how he discovered rock ‘n roll and evolved from an obedient follower to an artistic dissident. A 2008 Caldecott book, this is fascinating for older kids.
Schanzer, Rosalyn. How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning. New York: Harper Collins, 2003.
A zippy story with great cartoon illustrations of Ben Franklin and his inventions. Fast-paced and fun.
Brown, Monica. My Name is Gabito/Me Llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez/La Vida de Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Flagstaff, AZ: Luna Rising, 2007.
A vibrant bilingual story of the life of author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Gabito had a big imagination as a child and grew up near a banana plantation, both influencing his writing later in life. Winner of the 2008 Pura Belpre Award Honor for illustration.
I’m having one of those days when I don’t think I can talk about anything more amusing than the stuff I’ve been finding on the web today. I’m just finding all kinds of excellent goodies.
Years ago my friend Kathy got me addicted to the amazing H bags from Brooklyn Industries. These canvas giants seriously hold everything you could possibly shove in them without ever feeling impossibly heavy, and I’m about to wear out my second large one. So while looking for a new one to treat myself to this fall, I saw this Typewriter sweater. I want it. I have to have it. It is the ultimate in librarian fashion.
I have been working on booklists for almost two weeks now. After completing the Alphabet list and the Same Sex Parents list, I’ve got about 5 other lists that I’ve somehow ended up working on simultaneously: Picture Book Biographies, Picture Book Nonfiction, Wordless Books, Counting Books, and Preschool Read Alouds. Plus ideas for another half dozen more that I haven’t even started yet. I can’t even remember how to read books with chapters. But it’s for a good cause! Or something.