Thursday, May 29, 2008

Thirteen Moons


Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, is historical fiction about a white boy, abandoned on the frontier then adopted by a Cherokee chief, who helps the tribe retain its North Carolina land during the 18th century displacement of Native Americans by the U.S. government.

The book's title comes from the Native American tradition -- later followed by European settlers -- of naming each of the thirteen full moons and the month in which each moon occurs during a year. The names vary from tribe to tribe. The Farmer's Almanac lists the following.

January - Full Wolf Moon (named for the wolf packs howling during winter nights)
February - Full Snow Moon (because February usually sees the heaviest snows)
March - Full Worm Moon (because as the temperatures warm earthworm casts appear)
April - Full Pink Moon (named after wild ground phlox, one of the earliest spring flowers)
May - Full Flower Moon (spring flowers are abundant)
June - Full Strawberry Moon (strawberry harvest)
July - Full Buck Moon (because July is when the antlers of bucks usually begin to grow)
August - Full Sturgeon Moon (good fishing -- especially of Sturgeon in the Great Lakes)
September - Full Harvest Moon (occurs closest to the autumn equinox)
October - Full Hunter's Moon (animals are fattened, and it is time to hunt)
November - Full Beaver Moon (time to set traps before the water freezes)
December - Full Cold Moon (nights are longest during December)

Charles Frazier is an alumnus of the University of South Carolina (Ph.D. in English, 1986) -- which also is my alma mater (Master's Degree in Library and Information Science, 2006).

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Time's Top 10 Websites

Scroll through a page-by-page listing with descriptions at
Time Magazine's Top 10 Websites (2007).

The winners are:
  1. Lemonade.com
  2. AskSunday.com
  3. Wink.com
  4. TeachPresident.com
  5. Goodreads.com
  6. MenuPages.com
  7. Don'tForgetYourToothbrush.com
  8. VolunteerMatch.com
  9. Fatsecret.com
  10. Indeed.com

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne

As a youth services librarian, there are books that I use in my programs every year. One of those is Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Since it was published in 1939, the book has never gone out-of-print. When I read it, no matter if the audience is composed of four-year-olds, fourth graders, or parents, there is always hushed listening and usually applause at the end. Now available online, provided by the books publisher Houghton Mifflin, are seven activities related to the story. The link to the activities is also provided in the right hand column of LitLinx, under the category, "Lesson Plan Linx."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Save The Mount

Edith Wharton's beloved U.S. home, The Mount, a National Historic Landmark, is threatened with foreclosure. To save this visitor destination, some $3 million must be raised through the Save the Mount campaign by October 31, 2008.

Edith Wharton was the first women to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature, which was awarded in 1921 for The Age of Innocence.

PW: More Best Seller Lists

In addition to the New York Times and the Washington Post , another source for bestseller lists is from Publishers Weekly. From the Bestseller Lists tab, the drop down box provides selections for Audio, Children's, Comics, Fiction, Paperback, Nonfiction and Religion.

Under the Book Life tab, there is a choice in the drop down box for Bestsellers, which provides articles about and lists of award winning books.

Friday, May 16, 2008

"More Than A Library"

The Library of Congress, founded in 1800, is the largest library in the world. For a virtual tour, I recommend viewing the library's introductory multimedia presentation.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

And The Winners Are ...

The Children's Choice Book Awards have been announced for 2008. The books of the year by category are as follows.

Kindergarten to Second Grade
Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer

Third to Fourth Grade
Big Cats by Elaine Landau

Fifth to Sixth Grade
Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee

Illustrator of the Year
Ian Falconer for Olivia Helps With Christmas

Author of the Year
J. K. Rowling for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The first annual Impact Award went to NBC's Al Roker for his work with kids and books via "Al's Book Club for Kids."

The awards were announced on Tuesday, May 13, at the Children's Choice Book Awards Gala in New York City. The gala was hosted by author Jon Scieszka (rhymes with "Fresca"), the National Ambassador of Young People's Literature and spokesperson for Children's Book Week.

The Children's Book Council, the official sponsor of the Children's Choice Book Awards, is a nonprofit trade association of publishers of children's and young adult trade books in the United States. Trade books are those published for general readership -- as opposed to specific readership, like a classroom -- and are available through book stores and major book clubs.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Children's Book Week

May 12 - 18, 2008
Information about and resources for celebrating Children's Book Week are available at bookweekonline.com

Friday, May 2, 2008

Picturing America

Applications for the second round of Picturing America will be accepted August 4 through October 31, 2008. Co-sponsored by The National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Picturing America provides art and history resources to schools and public libraries.