LitLinx

A Paris Themed Summer

2011-07-08T10:23:00.000-04:00


My first meeting of M. Lisa.

It's a Paris themed summer. Driving between Virginia and Vermont, I listened on CD to R. A. Scotti's Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa. Okay. True confession. I didn't know that the Mona Lisa had once been stolen! I tell you, if this tidbit had been included in high school history classes, I would have engaged.

Mary Jo Murphy's New York Times review of the book is itself a literary work of art. She begins: "Four hundred years before Picasso reassembled women with eyeballs where breasts should be and noses poking out of ears, Leonardo da Vinci put a smile on a woman’s face — right where nature intended and yet unlike any smile before it or since. It was Mona Lisa’s, and on the morning of Aug. 22, 1911, it wasn’t there."

Scotti's well researched account of the crime and its abundant suspects is a history lesson of the Western art world of the early 20th century. We're also introduced to the development of forensic science, the history of the Louvre, and the biography of Mona Lisa -- the painting the French call La Joconde. Since the reader makes or breaks an audio book, I'm happy to say that Kathe Mazur does a good job.

I read Vanished Smile after I'd seen Woody Allen's Cannes applauded Midnight in Paris. The book provides historical details which compliment the film. They're a great match for a Paris themed summer.

For more on Paris:
Keeping a Personal Promise
Mysteries in Paris
Almost French
The Sweet Life in Paris
What Should I See in Paris?
The List of 35
First Day in Paris!
Paris Jour Deux
Joyce, Hemmingway and Ujka Larson
An American (Library) in Paris
My Birthday in Paris
J'aime Paris!
My Last Night in Paris

The Mount Lives On ... for Now

2011-07-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

A few winters ago driving through Massachusetts to Vermont, I looked to my right while at a traffic light and made a surprising discovery. There was the sign for Edith Wharton's home, The Mount. I'd read a few of Wharton's books, and loved them. I had no idea she'd had an estate in Massachusetts. I couldn't visit then because it was closed for the season.

When I returned home, I Googled "The Mount." I was shocked to learn that the estate was threatened with bankruptcy, and I a wrote a blog post about how to help save it. Fortunately, gifts have enabled the historic site to remain open. At least for now.

Returning from Vermont this week, I made my long awaited visit to The Mount. Needless to say, I was thrilled to walk in a favorite author's footsteps and imagine her living there, and awed by the beauty of the home and gardens she designed. In the coming days, I'll take you on a virtual tour with my words and pictures.
Read More At:
Save The Mount
First Woman to Win Pulitzer

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, VT

2011-07-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

The Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont, was dedicated on January 2, 1896. The Classical Revival style building is built of light-colored granite from Dummerston, Vermont. The library is named for Martin M. Kellogg, a New York real estate baron who was born in Barre, Vermont, and his wife Fanny M. Hubbard Kellogg, a Montpelier native. The couple willed their money to build the library. Fanny's nephew John E. Hubbard at first contested the will, but in the end contributed $30,000 more toward the library than the will provided. The Kellogg-Hubbard Library continues as a vibrant center in Montpelier.

Early Morning Writing

2011-06-28T06:06:00.025-04:00

Early morning from my east facing window.

The crow calling just outside my window woke me enough to notice how light it was. Must be a least 7. No, only 5:18 a.m. Too early to be up with a long day ahead of me. But as I lay in the guest bed, the quiet was energizing.

I'm staying on top a mountain near East Calais, Vermont, and the beauty of sound and sight and fragrance is balm to my soul. There is no hum of the highway half a mile away; no jarring sirens of emergency vehicles responding to the needs of the one million people living in a single county; no ridiculously heavy footsteps of the family in the apartment above me. Instead, I listen to the calls of birds I can identify (killdeer, crow, robin, some kind of owl) and the songs of those I don't yet know. This quiet is like a drink of cool water on a warm day.

I am inspired to write, energized to do so now. Being in Vermont, I can't help but think of poet Robert Frost. He worked the land, knew the people, and recorded them in verse that grasps their vitality and reality. I feel a kinship to him in shared loves. I am writing in Vermont.

The Window Seat of the Perfect Present

2011-06-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

The window seat of the "perfect present."

Living in the moment is vital. Not one of us has any certainty beyond the present. Yet I find myself thinking of the future. When I move to Vermont, then I will be happy, When I publish a book, then I will be successful. When I make a lot of money, then I will feel secure. Rarely do I find satisfaction in the moment. That is why last night was so incredible. I am in Vermont because my daughter is in the hospital here. It is a stress filled time of uncertainties and decisions. The kindness of strangers has provided me a place to stay, and last night I experienced, in the midst of a life storm, perfection in the moment. I sat in a window seat watching a thunder storm transverse the mountains as I read a book about a romance in Paris, eating chocolate, sipping red wine, and patting a purring cat. The moment was perfect, and I was there in it.

Creaky Old House

2011-06-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

What a fun book this is. Creaky Old House: A Topsy-Turvey Tale of a Real Fixer-Upper by Linda Ashman is a rhyming adventure of a simple home-repair taking on bigger and bigger proportions.

"Our house is kind of old and creaky.
Porch is sloping, roof is leaky.
Windows drafty, shutters peeling.
There's a crack across the ceiling.
Paint's a little chipped and faded.
Might say it's dilapidated.
Still, each one of us -- all nine --
thinks the house is fine, just fine."

The family of nine thinks their house is just fine until a doorknob falls to the floor. They look in the shed for one screw, and that begins a chain of events gone wild. Michael Chesworth's ink, watercolor and pencil pictures, reminiscent of Richard Scarry's style, provide a smorgasbord of comical images to illustrate the text.

Flag Day

2011-06-14T09:04:00.002-04:00

The American Flag is considered the oldest symbol of the United States. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman declared June 14 as Flag Day. It was the day in 1777 on which the Continental Congress designated the making of the first American flag.

Britain’s Union Jack had flown over the colonies in America since 1607. But in 1775, in a show of unity, the colonists designed the Grand Union flag. It had 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies, and a small Union Jack in the upper right hand corner to represent loyalty to Britain. The Grand Union flag was also called the Continental Colors or Congress flag. Ralph Waldo Emerson mentioned the flag in his Concord Hymn, a poetic commemoration of the first battle of the American Revolution, which took place on April 19, 1775, at the North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts.

“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world ….”

On July 4, 1776, the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, and almost a year later, on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution stating, “Resolved, That the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” That new constellation was the new county.

The first American flag may have been designed by congressman Francis Hopkinson, or by a committee. Although historical evidence proves that Betsy Ross sewed American flags, it is not certain that she made the first one.

While Francis Scott Key watched the fighting in Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, he noticed that once the bombing stopped, the American Flag was still flying. He wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, which in 1931 Congress named the national anthem. The very flag that inspired Francis Scott Key is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in D.C.

In 1831 a Massachusetts sea captain named William Driver nicknamed the American flag “Old Glory.”

As the country grew, Congress decided that after a state was admitted into the Union, a new star representing that state would be added to the flag on the Fourth of July. Since 1777, the flag has changed 26 times. The current 50-star flag has flown since 1960.

For more information about Flag Day and the American flag, consider these children's books:
What’s So Great About … Frances Scott Key? by Marylou Morano Kjelle
The American Flag by Christine Poolos
Meet Our Flag, Old Glory by April Jones Prince

Picture Books for Father's Day

2011-06-11T14:16:00.006-04:00

Special occasions provide reading opportunities. Choosing books related to a holiday teaches children about the event, and adds to the festivities and memories. Try these picture books for Fathers' Day read alongs.

Daddy's Lullaby by Tony Bradman
I Love Daddy by Lizi Boyd
My Daddy's Job by Peter Glassman
Father's Rubber Shoes by Yumi Heo
Daddy Hugs 1*2*3 by Karen Katz
Daddies Give You Horsey Rides by Abby Levine
Father Bear's Special Day by Else Holmelund Minarik
A Father's Day Thank You by Janet Nolan
Father's Day by Anne Rockwell
Daddy All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
When Papa Comes Home Tonight by Eileen Spinelli
My Daddy and Me by Jerry Spinelli
Driving Daddy by Hope Vestergaard
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino

Do you have others to recommend?

Sandra's Recommendations for Fifth Grade Readers

2011-06-08T16:27:00.001-04:00

My youngest daughter, now heading to high school, recalled for me her favorite books. Here are her recommendations for readers in fifth grade.

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Peter and the Starcatchers series by Dave Barry

Peter and the Starcatchers
Peter and the Shadow Thieves
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon
Peter and the Sword of Mercy

The Penderwicks and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

A Face First by Priscilla Cummings

Marley, A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan

Edward's Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Sandra's Recommendations for Fourth Grade Readers
Sandra's Recommendations for Third Grade Readers

My Book Club is FridayReads

2011-06-03T12:19:00.010-04:00

I was fairly new to Twitter when I noticed a message from @thebookmaven (a.k.a. Bethanne Patrick) inviting me to share what I was reading, with the hashtag #FridayReads. I loved Bethanne's cheerleading and hourly, if not more frequent, count of how many people had participated. I shared.

Now I greet every Friday with TGI #FridayReads on my Twitter account. I look forward to sharing what I'm reading, to seeing the count of how many have shared, and to the sometimes clever, sometimes simple reminders to participate.

FridayReads has expanded from Twitter (@fridayreads) to Facebook and Blogspot, too. The FridayReads blog includes lists of the top titles being read (or listened to) worldwide each week, and synopses of the books which the FridayReads team members* are currently reading. I've referred to both for ideas of what to read next. But still my favorite is participating on Twitter.

#FridayReads has become my book group. I enjoy sharing my reading, greeting other FridayReaders on Twitter each week, and spreading the word. I think you'd enjoy participating, too.

*The FridayReads Team
@thebookmaven (Bethanne Patrick)
@erinfaye (Erin Mitchell, In Real Life)
@bookmeme (Ian Lewis, Book Meme)
@bookladysblog (Rebecca Schinsky, The Book Lady's Blog)
@shelfmagazine (Shelf Unbound)

Katie Shea Defines Literary Fiction

2011-05-27T09:11:00.000-04:00

Katie Shea works for the Caren Johnson Literary Agency in New York City. It was a tweet that led me to her blog interview with Chuck Sambuchino, editor of Guide to Literary Agents.

As Shea works to build her own client list, she is especially interested in literary fiction. I hadn't heard that term before. Sambuchino defined it as, "'important' works with beautiful writing and envelope-pushing or groundbreaking subjects." He asked Shea to elaborate, and I loved her description:

"Literary fiction involves serious and personal themes, while creating a beautifully written story. First off, I want something I can connect to. I am most interested in stories about family dynamics, motherhood, fatherhood, personal overcome, unexpected relationships, and self-discovery. I truly look for a story that has it all—love, hate, good, bad, tears, laughter, success, failure—showing me that the writer can connect with a vast audience on many levels.

"The tone of the book is also extremely interesting to me. The main character must always set the mood of the story. I like sadness and darkness, but I also like to see positivity and happiness somewhere in the plot. I want to feel the story in my veins."

Friends have suggested that instead of a memoir, I write a fiction book based on fact. It sounds to me that my book should be literary fiction. It's another step toward finishing the project.

Shea said four of her favorite literary fiction titles are:

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Which of these do you like?

Sandra's Recommendations for Fourth Grade Readers

2011-05-21T13:36:00.070-04:00

These are my daughter's recommended reads for kids in fourth grade. They were her favorites when she was that age. They're real life fiction, historical fiction and fantasy.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

Blood on the River: James Town 1607 by Elisa Carbone

Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Harry Potter books 1 - 3 by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Midnight Rider by Joan Hiatt Harlow

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Warriors: The New Prophecy series by Erin Hunter
Midnight
Moonrise
Dawn
Starlight
Twilight
Sunset

See also Sandra's Recommendations for Third Grade Readers.

Sandra's Recommendations for Third Grade Readers

2011-05-19T08:53:00.000-04:00

My fourteen-year-old is an enthusiastic reader. Recently while waiting for me to finish my shift at the public library, she was browsing the shelves and reminiscing about the books she’s read. So I asked her to make me a list of her favorites; books she’d recommend to readers in different grades. This is the first installment of that project.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Forever
Ramona's World

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Warriors series by Erin Hunter
Into the Wild
Fire and Ice
Forest of Secrets
Rising Storm
A Dangerous Path

Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler
The Tail of Emily Windsnap
Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep
Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist
Emily Windsnap and the Sirens Secret

The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years

Heritage Months

2011-05-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, one of five federally mandated heritage months recognized by The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. According to the Smithsonian Education website, heritage months are held to "pay tribute to the generations who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success."

The other four heritage months are Black History Month (February); Women's History Month (March); Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15); and American Indian Heritage Month (November).

Related Posts:
A Pair of Red Clogs
Kids Titles for Asian Pacific Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
The Beckoning Cat

Mother's Day: The Same Bright Star

2011-05-08T10:53:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore honored mothers on CBS Sunday Morning, sharing that he never gave much thought to Mother's Day -- beyond ordering flowers -- until he heard a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The lullaby turned out to be Baby Mine, written in 1878 by (I believe) Italian-born trumpet player Mike Mosiello. The song was recorded on the Van Dyke label (81878).

"Baby mine, don't you cry.
Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never to part, baby of mine."

I am reminded of the song Somewhere Out There, written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was the theme of the 1987 movie An American Tail.

When I lost full time care of my three children through a divorce custody battle, my heart was shattered. At night when they weren't with me, I'd miss tucking them in and kissing them goodnight. This song played in my mind, and it became for me a lullaby and a prayer for my children across the divide of time and space.

"Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight,
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight.

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer,
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are, It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.

Somewhere out there if love can see us through,
Then we'll be together somewhere out there,
Out where dreams come true."

Sartore's tribute to mothers included photographs and a recording of his wife Kathy singing Baby Mine to their son. Sartore said that he now understands that, "There is no greater bond than between a mother and her child." I thank Sartore for reminding the world of this truth. It is my Mother's Day gift.

Social Media and Deep Thinking

2011-05-06T15:17:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week I received via email a link to Andrew McAfee’s Harvard Business Review blog post Tune Out, Turn Off: A Mantra Needed for Our Times?

The gist of the blog is that social media can be the enemy of deep thinking. True. But it can also be a conduit to deep thinking. Here’s my example.

A tweet offering a free issue of World Literature Today, a publication I’d never heard of, caught my attention. I requested a copy. The cover story of the issue I received (July/August 2010) is on Sherman Alexie, “named one of the New Yorker’s twenty top writers for the twenty-first century” (page 35).

I’d read Alexie’s young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but I had no idea that he is such a prolific and well-known writer – until I read the article.

Because of the article, I checked-out his collection of poems and short stories entitled War Dances. It won the 2010 PEN / Faulkner Award for Fiction. In addition to laughing out loud and otherwise enjoying the book, Alexie also inspired deep thinking.

“Back in college, when I was first learning how to edit film – how to construct a scene – my professor, Mr. Baron, said to me, ‘You don’t have to show people using a door to walk into a room. If people are already in the room, the audience will understand that they didn’t crawl through a window or drop from the ceiling or just materialize. The audience understands that a door has been used – the eyes and mind will make the connection – so you can just skip the door.’”

“’Skip the door’ is a good piece of advice – a maxim, if you will – that I’ve applied to my entire editorial career, if not my entire life. To state it in less poetic terms, one would say, ‘An editor must omit all unnecessary information’” (page 5, from the story Breaking and Entering.)

Now for some of you this may seem like elementary advice. But for me, it inspired deep thinking about writing in general and my writing specifically.

There is a risk with social media’s constant stream of information to skim the surface and jump to the next thing. As McAfee writes, “This is potent, addictive stuff, and as Nick points out it does not lend itself to deep thinking and sustained concentration.”

But if we use social media to provide ideas, and then take time to pursue the ideas -- even unplug to think -- then social media can be a conduit to deep thinking. It is for me.

Can Libraries Keep Up?

2011-05-03T22:31:00.000-04:00

Over the past three years, staff and material budgets for local libraries in the United States have been decimated by the government entities that fund them. Yet a study by the American Library Association and the Gates Foundation found that over the past year, "Americans are making use of their libraries at steady or increasing rates" (The State of America's Libraries: A Report from the American Library Association). Can public libraries keep up with the demand for services and resources without the money to fund them? I'm beginning to doubt it.

Internet stations in my local public library are installed with Microsoft Office 2003. More and more customers are coming to the library with flash drives and documents more advanced than the library computers are able to handle. There is no money for computer upgrades. At what point will the library's infrastructure become obsolete?

“Computer and Internet access at public libraries connect millions of Americans to economic, educational, and social opportunity each year, but libraries struggle to replace aging computer workstations and provide the high-speed Internet connections patrons need,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of U.S. Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “As demand for these services rise, public and private investment to support public access technology at libraries is more critical than ever.” (From The State of America's Libraries.)

Where will this public and private investment come from? We hear that the economy is improving, but as gas prices and rents are on the rise, salaries are not. Neither are library budgets. Even print materials are becoming outdated. For example, the most recent edition of a book on blogging that I found in my library system was published in 2006. I discovered that many of the links referenced in the book are now obsolete. If public libraries aren't funded at a level that enables them to keep their resources current, will they ever be able to catch up? What do you think?

Poems to Pictures

2011-04-29T15:23:00.000-04:00

In honor of National Poetry Month, I hosted a poetry workshop entitled Poems to Pictures. Author and poet Ruth Baja Williams read the poems she'd set to a series of watercolors by artist Jane Andrle Gillette, photos of which we're projected for viewing. Workshop participants then chose from a selection of magazine and postcard pictures set out on a table, and crafted their own poem to picture. The results were stunning. In just 30 minutes, drafts were completed, read aloud, and appreciated. My favorite is Remember the Lake, by George Mason University creative writing student Benjamin Renne. He chose a magazine photo of Morning, Lake George, an 1871 oil on canvas by A T Bricher.

Morning, Lake George. Oil on canvas by A T Bricher 1871

Remember the Lake
By Benjamin Renne

Remember the lake
That swollen Autumn morning
When you and me and Jack went
Out for a row. We brought
The tackle box and the rods and
A paper bag full of fried egg sandwiches.

Remember the rocks
In the middle of the silent
Pond, frost covered and slick. They
Were the giants and the sirens,
Enticing fantasies and chimeras which
Even brave Ulysses can’t avoid.

Remember the shoreline,
How it seemed so far away
When we were alone, the three
Of us in the middle of the peaceful lake.
The pebble beach, littered with goose
Shit, was far away. So far.

Remember the trees,
Bare of life and slanted
Like an old man with a broken
Back. The birds, which used to
Call those dead trees home, would
Sing to us on that frosty morning.

Remember the sky
And the mountains gray,
Fading into the background, where the
Fog blends everything together
So that the future is masked
With the low clouds, fuzzy and unpredictable.

Remember the car,
The smell of fish
Which permeated the leather seats,
And Jack complained the whole way back.
My boots were wet and stunk still
Of the lake, but I smiled.
Remember the lake?

Other posts on poetry:
April is National Poetry Month
Franz Schubert and Friedrich Rückert: Poetry and Music
Late Wife
When Writing a Poem
MLB, Opening Day

If You Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, You Might Like These, Too!

2011-04-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

Kids love series. If you think about it, so do adults. Whether in books or broadcast, series provide us characters we’ve come to know. We want to see what they’ll do next.

One of the most asked for series by boys currently coming to me in the library is Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. The series began in 2004 as daily posts on Funbrain.com. The first in book format, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was published in April 2007. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules followed in February 2008; The Last Straw in January 2009; Dog Days in October 2009; and The Ugly Truth in November 2010.

According to Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid Website, the first three books were based on the Internet version but, “The print version of the books have improved stories, better drawings, and new surprises for those who have already read the online version.”

Series draw kids from book to book. But as one father said to me, “the challenge comes when the series ends. What do we read next?” Guiding kids to the next series when one is finished, or to a similar series while waiting for one with many holds, is a challenge for librarians, too. To help, I’ve produced my own list -- "If You Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid You Might Also Like …” It includes the series title, series author, and number of books currently in the series. A librarian or book seller can help you identify each individual title in the series. Or, you may want to visit Mid-Continent Public Library’s database of Juvenile Series and Sequels.

Andrew Lost by J. C. Greenburg (36 books)
Andrew and his friends encounter unusual adventures while exploring science.

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilky (10 books)
A school principal transforms into superhero Captain Underpants.

Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist by Jim Benton (7 books)
Franny K. Stein’s experiments are meant to improve life at school, but that’s not exactly how it goes.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen (2 books)
A 12-year-old inherits his Grandpa’s riding lawnmower and turns a big business.

Melvin Beederman, Superhero by Greg Trine (8 books)
Crime in Los Angeles has met its match with Melvin Beederman, superhero and snack food lover.

My Weird School by Dan Gutman (21 books)
At Ella Mentry School, the adults are a little weird.

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot by Dav Pilky (6 books)
Ricky is a little mouse with a big Robot, and their adventures span the universe.

Rotten School by R. L. Stine (16 books)
Bernie Bridges always looks for inventive ways to rule at his boarding school.

Shredderman by Wendelin Van Draanen (4 books)
Nolan hides behind his Shredderman identity to fight for justice.

Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka (16 books)
Joe, Fred, and Samantha time-travel throughout history.

Wiley & Grampa’s Creature Features by Kirk Scroggs (10 books)
Wiley and his Grampa face monster tornadoes, vampire trucks, and other horrors.

The Zack Files by Dan Greenburg (30 books)
Zack, his father, and Spencer share zany adventures.

This is not an exhaustive list, and it’s not meant only for boys. Anyone who likes the fun of Diary of a Wimpy Kid might like these, too. Do you have suggestions for others to add to this list?

I Can Save the Ocean!

2011-04-21T22:31:00.000-04:00

Who am I to disagree with The Horn Book Magazine! But I do. The reverenced publication of children and teen literature reviews disses Alison Inches picture book I Can Save the Ocean! The Little Green Monster Cleans up the Beach (2010 by Little Simon). The July 1, 2010, review says, "The cartoony illustrations of Max are mildly amusing, but the story is bland and the eco-friendly message is ham-fistedly delivered."

I say rubbish! When Max the little green monster realizes that his habits are contributing to the pollution of the oceans, he determines to change his ways and educate his friends, too. The book presents kids with things they can do to contribute to the care of our environment, and encourages personal responsibility for ones actions. I fail to see any "ham-fisted" delivery or bland story line. And I believe the colorful illustrations are kid friendly. I recommend this book for all library collections -- school, home and private.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

2011-04-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Photo by Susan Ujka Larson

It's Poem in Your Pocket Day, sponsored by The Academy of American Poets as part of National Poetry Month. Since it is a beautiful day here in the D.C. area, I've chosen Today by Billy Collins as the poem I will carry with me to share.

Today
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day."

Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't)

2011-04-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

With clever humor, Barbara Bottner introduces Miss Brooks and the first grader who is rather bothered by this school librarian's book fervor. "I think Miss Brooks gets a little too excited," she says in Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't). She finds the librarian's enthusiasm so "vexing" that when she gets home, "I ask my mother if we can move to a new town. My mother says there's a librarian in every town." In the end, this stubborn student learns that there are books for even the most discriminating reader. The illustrations by Michael Emberley add to the fun of the story. The book was published in the U.S. in 2010.

It's National Library Week, and each year I like to share a few picture book titles having to do with libraries and librarians. In addition to Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't), here are two others to enjoy.

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.
When a lion entered the library, no one knew what to do because, "There weren't any rules about lions in the library." Miss Merriweather, the librarian, decides that the lion can stay if he is quiet. The lion comes daily to volunteer and attend story time. But one day when the lion can't be quiet, because he has a very good reason to roar, he is scolded for breaking the rules. He leaves the library, disgraced, and doesn't return until . . . . Library Lion is a wonderfully written and illustrated picture book published in 2006.

Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw.
Every Saturday Lola and her daddy go to the library and choose books to read throughout the next week. The books she picks influence her play. Lola might be a fairy princess, or a tiger, or pilot. The simple text and bright pictures of this picture book, published in 2010, will appeal to younger readers.

Late Wife

2011-04-08T09:56:00.003-04:00

Thursday on twitter, January O'Neil (@januaryoneil) shared that she'd posted three new poems on her blog Poet Mom, in response to National Poetry Writing Month (#NaPoWriMo). NaPoWriMo challenges poets to write a poem a day during April, National Poetry Month.

Of O'Neil's three poems, I loved Loser. As I read, I could picture it all, and relate.

"I whisper it under my breath like a little prayer
as we pass through the front door,
you going in, me coming out,
crowding the threshold
in a weird game of chicken.
We both have right of way
but neither is willing to yield.
A heart-skipped beat. A bottled misery.
The word ripples from the underground
spring of the diaphragm where a fissure
has opened once again, the trauma
of old love that never heals.
I brace myself for unavoidable contact,
avert the eyes, move through the stiff air
like a cloud wedged between clouds.
Say it, that mantra of the highest order.
I hold my breath as your windbreaker
brushes against my three-quarter length,
my 100 wool against your polyester blend.
What more is there to do but go through?
L for loser, double L for lost love.
The Motels had it right,
“Take the L out of lover and it’s over,”
because the body gives up what it no longer needs.
This is how I walk through without looking back."

This poem reminded me of another poet. Claudia Emerson won The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2006 for her collection titled late wife. I agree with another poet's praise of the collection. Henry Taylor says of late wife, "They [the poems] are deeply absorbing because their author has brilliantly observed brief but powerful moments, and rendered these miracles of observation with secure craftsmanship."

There are many poems in Emerson's collection that I read again and again. They are striking in their realness. Here is Frame.

photo by sul

"Most of the things you made for me—armless
rocker, blanket-chest, lap desk--I gave away
to friends who could use them and not be reminded
of the hours lost there, the tedious finishes.

But I did keep the mirror, perhaps because
like all mirrors, most of these years it has been
invisible, part of the wall, or defined
by reflection—safe—because reflection,

after all, does change. I hung it here
in the front, dark hallway of this house you will
never see, so that it might magnify
the meager light, become a lesser, backward

window. No one pauses long before it.
This morning,though, as I put on my coat,
straightened my hair, I saw outside my face
its frame you made for me, admiring for the first

time the way the cherry you cut and planed
yourself had darkened, just as you said it would."

The Lady of Shalott

2011-04-05T09:27:00.010-04:00

Reading Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy when I was 17 -- The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment -- sparked my interest in Arthurian legend. Years later I encountered Anne Shirley, the fictional character in Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, reciting stanzas of a poem as she floated in a boat down a river. I took those stanzas to my local library, and a generous librarian helped me find their source. The lines are from English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson's (1809 - 1892) ballad The Lady of Shalott.

John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott, 1888 (Tate Gallery , London)

The ballad is a masterpiece in poetic storytelling. Tennyson's poem is based on the legend of Elaine of Astolat, a character in the thirteenth-century Italian novella Donna di Scalotta, who dies of her unrequited love for Sir Lancelot, one of the greatest knights in King Arthur's Round Table.

In the first four stanzas of The Lady of Shalott, Tennyson describes the setting.

"On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

"Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

"By the margin, willow-veiled,
Slide the heavy barges trailed
By slow horses; and unhailed
The shallop flitteth silken-sailed
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?

"Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to towered Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers "'Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott."

In stanzas five through eight, Tennyson describes the Lady's life.

"There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

"And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.

"Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-haired page in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.

"But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott."

Stanzas nine through 12 tell of Sir Lancelot.

"A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling through the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneeled
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.

"The gemmy bridle glittered free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazoned baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.

"All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burned like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often through the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.

"His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

In the last seven stanzas, Tennyson tells the effect seeing Sir Lancelot has on the Lady of Shalott.

"She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott."

"In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over towered Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.

"And down the river's dim expanse,
Like some bold seër in a trance
Seeing all his own mischance--
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

"Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right--
The leaves upon her falling light--
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.

"Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to towered Camelot.
For ere she reached upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

"Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

"Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott is one of my favorite poems. The beauty of the language ("Willows whiten, aspens quiver") enthralls me, and the sadness of the story enchants me.

Franz Schubert and Friedrich Rückert: Poetry and Music

2011-04-04T09:07:00.000-04:00

Franz Schubert received his death sentence in 1823. Already the love of his life, Therese Grod, had married another. His father had banished him from home. And his finances were in ruin. Now he was diagnosed with syphilis. In the 19th century, that was a death sentence.

A year earlier, well-known German poet Friedrich Rückert had published a collection of poetry by the title Ostliche Rosen (Eastern Rose). It is possible that Schubert read this book. One of the poems therein, Du bist die Ruh became the text for his lied (song) by the same name.

You are the rest,
The gentle peace,
You are the longing
And what it quiets.

I dedicate to you
Full of pleasure and pain
As a dwelling here
My eyes and heart.

Come to me,
And close
Quietly behind you
The gates.

Drive other pain
Out of this breast!
Full may be this heart
Of your joy.

This temple of my eyes,
By your radiance
Alone is brightened,
Oh fill it completely!

Schubert’s musical interpretation of Du bist die Ruh, here sung by Soprano Sylvia Schwartz, captures the passionate longing of the poet’s words. Considering the struggles of Schubert’s life at the time of its composition, the music seems to reflect the composer’s own heartfelt desires for life and love.

A Bulldog's Face

2011-04-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

This is Elle. She is the beloved pet of my friend Lydia. I'm honoring them with this poem for National Poetry Month. The poem is written about a male dog. My apologies, Elle, but I don't believe I can take liberties to change the poet's "his" to "hers".

A Bulldog's Face
Nothing on a bulldog's face
Seems to have a proper place
His eyelids droop
His jaws are square
His jowls are beyond compare
His nose looks like he's had a fight
He's got a great big underbite
You look at him and have to hoot
He's so ugly that he's cute
by Marilyn Singer

The poem is included in the book Read A Rhyme, Write A Rhyme, a selection of poems for kids by Jack Prelutsky, the Poetry Foundation's first Children's Poet Laureate (2006). The book is illustrated by Meilo So.

April is National Poetry Month

2011-04-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to understand what it is about poetry that excites me. Each year I make a big deal of National Poetry Month at whichever library I happen to be working. Yet, there are many poems that I do not understand. So what is it about poetry that I like?

I began thinking about this as I planned blog posts, tweets, displays and programs for National Poetry Month 2011. When I read the poems that I consider favorites, I see that it's the art of the words that I love. In poetry, words are carefully chosen and strategically arranged to produce a sight, a sound, a smell, a feel, a memory. Following are examples, a few of my favorite poetic lines.

"...sensing only the pale humidity
of the night and the slight zephyrs
that stir the tops of the trees"

from Night Letter to the Reader by Billy Collins.

"Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot."
from The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson

"He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake."
from Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Recently someone suggested to me that the written word is an impersonal form of communication compared with face-to-face conversation. I see it differently. I'm a writer and a reader, and words are the most intimate, most lovely, most heartfelt form of communication. This is what I like about poetry: The precisely chosen beautiful words and the pictures they paint.

The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

2011-03-31T19:02:00.003-04:00

I've always thought of Amelia Earhart as a legend. Candace Fleming's 2011 biography about the aviator presents her as a real person who followed her heart. There are details in the book that make Earhart's disappearance less of a mystery and more of a tragedy of poor judgment.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart tells in alternating chapters the story of Earhart's life and what happened in the hours, days and weeks following her disappearance. The biography is written for kids age 8 - 12, but it's so well done that adults will appreciate the book.

At 10 a.m. on July 2, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Lae, New Guinea, heading for Howland Island, a minuscule piece of land in the Pacific Ocean. It was the most difficult leg of their 27,000 mile journey. Finding the island would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Howland Island was within flying distance of both New Guinea and Hawaii. When planning her trip, Earhart at first had considered requesting help from the Navy to refuel in the air between New Guinea and Hawaii. But then she asked President Roosevelt to build her an airstrip on Howland Island. He authorized the funds, and asked that it be built swiftly and secretly. "After all, commented one Earhart biographer, 'the American taxpayer -- in the throes of the Great Depression -- might not have understood the necessity of building an entire airport for one-time use by a private individual'" (90).

Before reaching Howland Island, Earhart and Noonan disappeared. I didn't know until reading this book that Earhart was heard on radio transmissions after the disappearance. The U.S. military searched for 16 days. They covered 250,000 square miles and spent what today is the equivalent of about $58 million dollars. But neither Earhart or Noonan, or any wreckage, were ever recovered.

Earhart's technical advisor Paul Mantz and communications expert Joseph Gurr thought that Earhart needed more practice with her new plane before attempting her around the equator flight. Gurr recalled that Earhart spent only one hour with him going over the communications system. He said, "We never covered actual operations such as taking a bearing with the direction finder, [or] even contacting another radio station" (92). Some aviation experts speculate that understanding how her plane's radio worked may have saved her life and the life of Fred Noonan.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart is a welcome addition to biographies for children. The writing is good, the layout is attractive, and the photographs are interesting. Sidebars present additional facts. My only complaint is that I found it difficult to read the black type on the pages and sidebars colored grey.

Amelia Earhart was an icon for American women. "Wrote biographer Mary S. Lovell, '[It] is the legend of an ordinary girl growing up into an extraordinary woman who dared to attempt seemingly unattainable goals in a man's world'" (110). For that, I am thankful.

Why Your Librarian Doesn't Like You

2011-03-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

A while back LISNews shared a blog post on twitter by Michael Leaverton titled This Is Why Your Used Bookstore Clerk Hates You. I tweeted back, "I could write the list for why librarians hate you!" Most of what I deal with day-to-day working at a public library was never covered in graduate school. If it had been, I would have probably transferred to underwater basket weaving ... or at least IT. So here are 12 reasons why librarians wish certain people would go elsewhere.

1 - You consider us a babysitting service.
I noticed a young boy wandering the stacks alone for more than 30 minutes, so I went to talk with him. He was four-years-old. "My Mommy went to get gas for the car and then she is coming back," he told me. This is one of the worst cases I've encountered. Most of the time, the caregiver is at the Internet stations while their young child pulls all the DVDs off the shelves looking at the cover pictures, or plays tag in the stacks with a sibling. Sometimes it's an eight year old caring for their three year old cousin. As one mother told me when I called her to come pick up her two very young children, "I've taught my children how to behave in a library, and my babysitter knows that they're here, so what's the problem?" The problem: Librarians are not babysitters. We can't keep track of your kids and do our job. And we know all to well what you obviously don't -- not everyone in the library is a trustworthy member of society there to conduct library business.

2 - You cruise in and out several times a day to see who's hanging out.
There's nothing in the library you want, except to see who's hanging out. You case the joint, leave, and return an hour later. We notice you, and wonder at how boring your life must be. Why not grab a book and read? Or just go to the park across the street.

3 - You want to use the Internet computers but don't have a library card, any identification to obtain a free library card, or $2 for a guest pass.
All businesses require an ID and/or money in exchange for goods and services. The same is true at a library. It doesn't help if you argue.

4- You smell.
When I began working in libraries, I was told that, "body odor is not a problem behavior." We're taught to grin (meaning hold your breath) and bear it. Please. Your body odor is highly repulsive. It's difficult to assist you when we can't breathe in your presence.

5 - You put lots of books on hold then never come for them.
It's not a magical process. When you place a book on hold, that information appears on a daily report. Staff go to the stacks to look for each book placed on hold, take them to the back to scan, place hold identification slips in each book, cart them to the hold shelf, and shelve them alphabetically by your last name amidst the hundreds of other holds. If you don't pick up a hold, the title shows up on another report, and the process is reversed. It's a lot of wasted time and energy, reminiscent of moving rocks from one pile to another and back again.

6 - You take the DVDs out of the cases, put the cases back on the shelves, and smuggle the DVDs into your personal collection.
It's called stealing, and it reduces the amount of free material others can borrow.

7 - You use the library as your telephone booth.
Remember those? The library is not a telephone booth. We can hear your entire conversation, and it's disrupting those who are reading, studying, and working on the computers. Go outside. If it's raining, go sit in your car. If you don't have a car ...

8 - You use the library to conduct job interviews.
You're having a conversation. We can hear you, and so can everyone else who is there to conduct library business.

9 - You flirt with the library staff on your every visit.
If you're George Clooney or the like, we're okay with this. Otherwise, leave us alone. We don't want to see a picture of your chick magnet car. We don't want to be invited to accompany you to the Bahamas. We don't want to have coffee with you, or give you our telephone number, or hear about your marital problems.

10 - You don't silence your cell phone.
Once, it's a mistake. But twice, three, four, ten times -- so that by the time you leave we have your ring-tone memorized -- you're being disrespectful of all those in the library. We've posted signs to remind you: "Please silence your cell phone." As I tell my colleagues, when I become Library Queen, I'm going to ban cell phones from all libraries.

11 - You argue about every fine, every time.
You signed an agreement when you registered for your FREE library card. You agreed to pay fees on materials returned late, and to pay for the replacement of materials lost or damaged while checked-out on your card. What's amazing about this one is that usually those who owe big bucks -- like more than $50 -- pay up without any mouth. Those owing less than $1 usually argue the most.

12 - You are the reason we have to call the police.
Your young child is left at the library and we can't reach you; you kick the window in on the front door because we wouldn't issue a free guest pass; you yell loudly at staff to make an exception for you because no one will know -- except that everyone is now gathered around listening; you drop a bunch of uncased DVDs while heading toward the door; you get into a fist-fight with someone you cruised in to look for. Police calls result in stress and mountains of paperwork, which result in loss of sleep, which result in us liking you even less the next day when we're tired.

And you thought librarians worked with books!

Always Kafka

2011-03-25T20:58:00.025-04:00

My high school and college years were repetitive in their reading assignments. It was always Franz Kafka. To be specific, it was always The Metamorphosis. Which is why today when waiting in a doctor's office, the New York Time's Magazine caught my attention. There on the front was that name. Kafka.

It turns out that the September 22, 2010, cover story is about the legal wranglings over Kafka's materials. Elif Batuman's article, Kafka's Last Trial, is rich with the history of Kafka's friendship with Max Brod; of Brod's disregard for Kafka's instructions to destroy all his writings upon his death; and of the travels those writings have taken since Kafka's death at age 41 in 1924.

While Batuman provides an insightful and interesting retrospective, Max Fisher gives this overview in his article Kafkaesque Court Fight over Kafka's Estate, printed in The AtlanticWire.

"One of the most frequent uses of the word "Kafkaesque," evoking the dark absurdity of Franz Kafka's fiction, is in reference to his 1925 novel The Trial, which describes an illogical and convoluted court case that stretches on forever. Now 85 years later, in exactly the kind of dark irony that Kafka would have appreciated, an international and deeply Kafkaesque court case has raged for 50 years over the ownership of a large piece of Kafka's papers."

I was unaware of this literary intrigue until today. More than reminding me of my school assignments, it has put a human face on a writer I once only thought of as weird.

What's Your Web Site's Personality?

2011-03-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Can you describe your web site's personality? The Web Manager's Academy at Computers in Libraries 2011 distributed a handout based on William Slawski's blog post What Kind of Personality Does Your Website Have? Based on each, here are a selection of questions to ask of your site.

FEEL

Is it cold or warm and welcoming?
Does it attempt to evoke emotions in visitors or persuade them with facts?
Is it cooperative or competitive?
Is it responsive to questions, to criticism, to praise?
Is it more like a peer talking to you directly or like a parent lecturing you?

RELEVANCE

Is it inviting for first time visitors? Why?
Does it provide reasons for people to return? How?
Does it change over time, of is it fixed and unchanging?

AUDIENCE

Is it written for a male, female or general audience?
Does it speak to a younger crowd or and older group?

DESIGN

Is it innovative in scope or design?
Is it innovative in what it offers?
Is it graceful in design or practical in appearance?

FOCUS

Is its focus upon the benefits it offers users?
Is its focus on the features of the organization to which it belongs?

An eBook Epiphany

2011-03-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

I have not jumped onto the eBook band wagon. I like the look and feel and smell of “real” books. My reading time is in bed at night, just before lights out. My nightstand is filled with books in three stacks. Beside the nightstand is a basket filled with books, and at the foot of my bed is an L. L. Bean canvas bag filled with books on their way to or from the public library. eBooks don’t fit my reading style. I like books all around.

My epiphany came because of Computers in Libraries 2011. Commuting by Metro to the conference, I observed the reading habits of other commuters. It was split about half between eBooks and “real” books.

Usually I commute by car. I hate driving and I hate traffic. Living in the D.C. area gives me lots of time to hate both. To help ease the stress, I listen to books on CD.

This morning watching a mid-aged woman on the Metro reading on her Kindle, I realized that if I had to use public transportation, eBooks would be for me. They would enable me to carry my library with me in one small package.

Right now, eBooks are not my lifestyle choice. But I understand how and why they could be.

Survival Strategies for the One Person Team

2011-03-21T11:46:00.000-04:00

L to R: Frank Cervone (Purdue University), Darlene Fichter (University of Saskatchewan), Jeff Wisniewski (University of Pittsburgh), and Marshall Breeding (Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides), presenters of Web Managers Academy 3.0 at CIL11.

Many attending the Computers in Libraries pre-conference session Web Managers Academy 3.0: Seamless Websites & Expanded Presence confessed to being a "one person shop." The financial crisis of the last several years has resulted in staff cuts and resource downsizing. What hasn't diminished are expectations.

Darlene Fichter, a librarian at the University of Saskatchewan, said, "The number one most important thing you can do if you're a solo shop is to manage your own expectations and the expectations of others." She and the other three presenters offered these suggestions.

Invest time and /or money into developing a design brand.

Unify your presence, carrying your brand throughout your Web presence.

Produce a standard style sheet that addresses all devices.

Manage expectations up the food chain by having a Web presence plan as a reference document. If your boss tells you to do B, you can respond with, “To clarify, you would like me spend 10 hours a week working on B and leave A alone for six months.”

Manage your own expectations by being realistic about what you can do well.

Educate others as to what you can do, and what you can farm out.

On the Blue Comet

2011-03-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

The cover caught my eye, but the book did not meet my expectations.  On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells is a time travel fantasy for kids age 8 to 12. The story is about Oscar Ogilvie, who lives with his father in Cairo, Illinois. They collect model trains and run them in the basement of their home. When the stock market crash forces Oscar's dad to move to California to look for work, Oscar stays behind with his aunt. His loneliness is assuaged by a mysterious drifter who befriends him. Then Oscar witnesses a violent crime that catapults him into a time-traveling train journey to find his father.

Growing up, my grandfather allowed me to play with his Lionel trains. Consequently, I related to many parts of the book. But I also kept wondering for whom Rosemary Wells wrote.  Many of her historic references (Life magazine, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, etc.)  will be lost on and uninteresting to today's young readers. I found the time travel weakly developed and even confusing, especially in chapter 17.

BooksForKidsBlog and School Library Journal both like and recommend the book.  Reading from a kid's point of view, I maintain it won't be popular with young readers.  I agree with Daniel Kraus, writing for Booklist, "The plot’s Twilight Zone potential—the intriguing concept of a spectral train providing haven for unhappy children—is not thoroughly plumbed, and one wonders at the appeal of such a retro story."

Iditarod 2011

2011-03-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

Photograph is courtesy of Alaskan Dude with some rights reserved.

Iditarod 2011 began on March 5. It's a race of over 1,150 miles across extreme and beautiful Alaskan terrain. Each musher and their team of 12 to 16 dogs will cover the mileage in 10 to 17 days.

I was a 2008 Target® Teacher on the Trail™ finalist, and subsequently volunteered to update the list of Books About Iditarod and Alaska for the official Website of the Iditarod.

Cheryl Hannon and I collaborated via email to provide a resource list which we divided into seven categories.

1. Adult Non-Fiction
2. Adult Fiction
3. Children’s Non-Fiction
4. Children’s Fiction
5. Young Adult Non-Fiction
6. Young Adult Fiction
7. Teacher’s Resources and Website Resources

It is part of the For Teachers section of the Website, which offers excellent lesson plans and resources for including the Iditarod and Alaska in schools and libraries.

Please let me know of any other books or resources to add to our list.

Robert Frost: The Derry Years

2011-03-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

In March 2010, I was in Middlebury, Vermont, when I was reacquainted with the poet Robert Frost. I’d long been fond of his poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Now I learned that Mr. Frost had spent time in a cabin northwest of Middlebury, and that he had taught at Middlebury College. My interest was piqued.

In The Vermont Bookshop, I looked for a biography and found Robert Frost: A Life by Jay Parini. Parini is a poet, novelist, and biographer serving as Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College.

For the last year I’ve been savoring the biography, and I took it with me to New Hampshire when I learned that Frost’s farm in Derry was only;12 miles south of the Manchester airport.

Frost’s ten years on the farm in Derry (1901 – 1911) were key in his life as a poet. It was during this time that he developed his own voice. While working with and talking to his New Hampshire neighbors, Frost realized a connection between poetry and conversation. “I was after poetry that talked,” wrote Frost. If my poems were talking poems – if to read one of them you heard a voice – that would be to my liking,” he said (page 88).

Parini writes that, “By the time he [Frost] emerged at the end of this decade of farming, writing, and teaching, he would be fully formed; a major modern poet,” (page 73).

Today the Robert Frost Farm is directly off State Highway 28. I turned left into the muddy driveway, the white farmhouse and barn on my right surrounded by piles of snow. Behind the buildings and yard is a large field, bordered on three sides by pine and birch trees. A couple with baby in a backpack made their way on snowshoes across the field toward the back tree line.

For me, there is a mix of magic and romance in being in the place where someone I know through their writing or art once lived. There is an imagining of the reality of what I’ve read actually occurring in this location. It makes the person more real to me. It makes history live.

I walked the muddy driveway and along the shoulder of Highway 28. The snow was too deep for me to get any closer, or to walk all the way around the house; I did not have snowshoes. The house was closed for the season.

During his Derry years, Robert Frost taught at the Pinkerton Academy, two miles north of his farm, in order to earn extra income. He was a highly regarded teacher by students and colleagues, and was even asked to speak about his teaching philosophy. Parini says Frost focused his talk, “on the need for teachers to develop their own minds before they thought about developing the minds of their students. He [Frost] also said it was important that students be made to feel so dependent on books that without them, ever afterward, they would feel lonely,” (page 99).

I went away knowing more of Robert Frost, inspired to read again Parini’s book, and dedicated to memorizing another Frost poem.

2011-03-03T18:16:00.006-05:00

LitLinx (that's me!) celebrating Read Across America Day 2011.

Read Across America Day

2011-03-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss. The fun in your books spilled over into Read Across America Day. At the library we provided Dr. Seuss book marks for kids to color; a Seuss is Loose story time; and a Dr. Seuss book display. I wore my Dr. Seuss shirt, saved all year for this day, and my red-and-white stripped stove pipe hat. Lorton Patch published my Read Across America Day guide for parents, reprinted below. It was a good day.

A Parent's Guide to Read Across America Day

Grab a book! March 2 is Read Across America Day.

The National Education Association’s Read Across America Day is a reading motivation and awareness program “that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.”

Adults are encouraged to read aloud to a child on Read Across America Day. For that purpose, here are four books recommended by school librarians as great read-alouds.

Green Eggs and Ham is one of 46 children’s books written by Dr. Seuss. “Do you like green eggs and ham,” asks Sam-I-am? The patter and pacing of the rhyme help children recall the story and anticipate the words. This generates participatory reading. Best of all, when the unnamed character finally tries green eggs and ham, he likes them! The next time a child tells you they don’t like something -- you can remind them of green eggs and ham.

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jill Barton, is another participatory read. On a hot June day, Jake, Junie, Poppa and the baby head to lake. Getting there is quite an adventure. If the reader prepares ahead of time, the sounds of Poppa turning the key to start the car will repeat at each juncture, and listeners can be encouraged to add the last “pop!”

Poetry is a great read aloud for children, especially when introduced in small doses. Small Talk: A Book of Short Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins provides just that. Thirty-three short, simple poems picture common events in a child’s life. For example, Aileen Fisher provides “Growing Up”:

"When I grow up
(as everyone does)
what will become
of the Me I was?”

Even older children enjoy hearing stories. The unexpected and frightening events in Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg captivate kids. And just when they think they have it figured out, Daniel and Walter Budwing set out with a long, thin box. Yes, the book is better than the movie!

These are just four of hundreds of books your local librarian can recommend for you to read to your children on Read Across America Day or any day.

You'll also find suggestions in a new book by the editors of Horn Book Magazine, a premier guide to literature for children and young adults. A Family of Readers: The Book Lovers Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature by Roger Sutton and Martha V. Parravano, provides essays and book recommendations from a variety of authors and editors.

A Family of Readers is divided into four sections: Reading to Them; Reading With Them; Reading on Their Own; and Leaving Them Alone. It covers everything from picture books to teen fiction, poetry to graphic novels, all in an engaging, conversational tone.

According to the NEA, “Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers.” Read Across America Day is a perfect opportunity to model and motivate reading. For more information and resources, visit NEA’s Read Across America Day and Seussville, the official Dr. Seuss site.

Of Thee I Sing

2011-02-26T23:17:00.021-05:00

My first thought when I saw it in the bookstore was, "I wonder if it's any good, or if it's published just because of the author?" Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters is by President Barack Obama. I'm curious if the idea originated with him.

In this picture book, Obama tells his girls how wonderful they are, and he compares their qualities to people in history who have demonstrated that character.

On the left side of each two page spread, Malia and Sasha stand with their backs to the reader and are joined by other children as the book progresses. The right side of the two page spread features a large picture of a famous person with a short verse about them underneath. The book is interesting for the biographic sketches it provides of 13 "Americans." I like the additional information about these famous people on the book's last page.

Loren Long is the book's illustrator. His picture of Sitting Bull has caused a stir, discussed on the blog American Indians in Children's Literature. In her post, Debbie Reese quotes from an email she received from Horn Book Editor Roger Sutton.

"Loren Long chose to depict Sitting Bull as a sort of landscape, with buffalo for eyes, hills and cracked earth for nose and mouth, and some pine trees placed so they form eyebrows (and, dare I say, boogers). It's the old one-with-nature stereotype, which wouldn't be so bad had all of the other subjects of the book not been depicted realistically."

In a later post, Debbie Reese shares what Sitting Bull's great grandson Eric LaPointe thinks of the book. He said,"I told her [a reporter] my great grandfather was never American. He was Lakota." Of Thee I Sing labels Sitting Bull a Sioux and an American.

LaPointe also said that he does not appreciate his great grandfather being included in a book which honors George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, because of what they did to native peoples. He gives details.

Even the quote attributed to Sitting Bull is problematic. It reads, "For peace, it is not necessary for eagles to be crows."

As Reese points out, "that line did not start with 'For peace'." She gives the full quote from Vine Deloria Jr.'s God Is Red (p. 198). "Deloria writes that this was Sitting Bull's reply to a question about why he did not surrender and return to the U.S. to live on a reservation:

'Because I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is god in his sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.'"

While Fox News blasted Obama for including Sitting Bull in the book, they failed to check their facts. The first headline Fox Nation posted about the book read, "'Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed Custer." It was soon thereafter changed to "defeated." Sitting Bull, however, was not at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

There's been a lot of discussion around this one picture book. And while including a Native American was positive, it should have been done with respectful accuracy. Because of its inaccuracies, it should be pulled from all library shelves.

Abraham Lincoln

2011-02-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln is recorded as saying, “The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll give me a book I ain’t read.” On February 12, 2011, the United States celebrated the 202th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president. Here are nine books for children and teens which honor this great man.

Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by P. J. Lynch.
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.
Author Rosemary Wells bases this historical-fiction biography on a discovery she made while researching another Civil War era book: a 200 word fragment written by Willie Lincoln about a trip taken with his father Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln and His Boys, Will and Tad take turns describing family life in the Lincoln household. The book is beautifully illustrated with oil paintings completed after careful study of hundreds of Lincoln images.

Abraham Lincoln Comes Home by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor.
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Americans turned out by the thousands to honor the Civil War president as his funeral train traveled thirteen days from Washington, D.C., to his burial in Springfield, Illinois. Burleigh’s prose and Minor’s paintings record the fictionalized experience of a young boy as he shares in the Nation’s grieving.

Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered by Barry Denenberg, illustrated by Christopher Bing.
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.
The author writes in the style of newspapers of the time and includes factual information and copies of actual photographs with a chronology of Lincoln’s life, an index, and a list of picture credits at the end of the book. (Note: A problem with this book is that the author and illustrator do not provide article credits, footnotes or a bibliography. Readers are left to wonder which writings and illustrations in the book are actual reprints, and which are their own creation.)

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming. Recommended for ages 10 to 14.
An in-depth and personal glimpse into the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, this book includes photographs, copies of documents, and highlights about the people important in Lincoln’s life and times. The author spent five years researching, and it is evident in the quality and thoroughness of the finished work. Unique to this book is the new insight into Mary Lincoln’s life provided by recently recovered personal letters.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend) by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by John Hendrix. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Young Lincoln, age seven, and his ten-year-old friend Austin get themselves into big trouble down at Knob Creek in this historical fiction picture book.

Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Each two-page spread of this picture book style biography features author Rapport’s brief stanza highlighting a portion of Lincoln’s life, a related quote from Lincoln, and a painting by the illustrator. The last four pages of the book include a list of important dates in Lincoln’s life, suggested resources, and the full text of the Gettysburg Address. Unfortunately, there is no documentation in the book from when and where Lincoln’s quotes are taken.

Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life by Martin W. Sandler.
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.
History professor and award-winning writer Martin Sandler documents more than 100 photographs of Abraham Lincoln’s life and times. Included in this collection is the only known pre-Gettysburg Address photograph of the sixteenth President.

Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the Civil War by Steve Sheinkin, illustrated by Tim Robinson. Recommended for ages 9 to 12.
Sheinkin is a former textbook writer who confesses to how boring they can be. In Two Miserable Presidents he uses real-life accounts and actual quotes – the stuff he was not allowed to use in textbooks. What results is an attention-grabbing and readable account of the Civil War, with focus on Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln. Sheinkin ends the book with a review of what happened to the key players after the war, interesting source notes, resources for further study, and an exhaustive index. Every quotation in the book is repeated in a chapter-by-chapter list providing the source.

Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George, illustrated by Matt Faulkner.
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
This engaging picture book biography spotlights Abraham Lincoln’s childhood from birth in Kentucky to his early teen years in Indiana. The book underscores Lincoln’s perseverance through poverty and hardship, including the death of his mother when he was only nine. Prominence is given to Lincoln’s step-mother, Sally Johnston, and her support of his mostly self-education. Herself illiterate, Sally loaned Lincoln books and advocated for his attending school whenever one was available. With Sally’s love, Lincoln “gained confidence to take his sense of fairness, his careful way of thinking, his hatred of cruelty and his ability to settle quarrels out into the world.” Author St. George points out the life experiences that formed the character of the man who became the 16th President of the United States.

A Long Walk to Water

2011-02-16T12:56:00.001-05:00

Nya walks eight hours every day to bring water to her family. The trip to the watering hole isn't as bad as the trip back to the village, when the water weights the jugs.

Salva is in school when the shooting and bombing explode. His teacher tells the students to run. Salva's running turns to days and weeks and months of walking. He becomes one of the Lost Boys, walking to escape war.

Linda Sue Park weaves together the lives of Nya and Salva in her book A Long Walk to Water. Linda met Salva through his nonprofit organization, Water for Sudan. Her book is based on his life story.

A Long Walk to Water is an exceptional book for kids to read because it presents life in another culture. The story is at times frightening, but not overly done for young readers. They will be introduced to the country of Sudan, the reality of civil war and refugee camps, and the current day needs of people in other places. Through the characters of Nya and Salva, they will view perseverance and service for others. Perhaps, too, they will gain an appreciation for the water so abundantly available to Westerners through taps in our homes and schools.

A Long Walk to Water was published in 2010 by Clarion Books. It is recommended for kids in grades 5 - 8, but also is appropriate for 4th graders who are advanced readers.

Bear of My Heart

2011-02-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

This is not a Valentine's Book, per se, but it fits the holiday beautifully. Written by Joanne Ryder and illustrated by Margie Moore, it's a poetry picture book recommended for ages 3 - 6. It works well for reading aloud to a story time group.

"There are so many bears in the world, dear, but there's no other one that will do. You are the bear of my heart, dear, and I am the one who loves you.

"I have so many stories to tell you. I know wonderful places to see. And because we can see them together, they'll be nicer for you and for me.

"Let's race in the sun and be happy. Let's splash in the stream and drip dry. Let's roll down a hill and be silly. Let's lie and watch clouds drifting by.

"Let's sit nose to nose and share secrets. Let's wish on a star, eyes shut tight. Let's whisper our dreams in the darkness. Let's snuggle together at night.

"If you need me, I'll be there beside you. If you're lonely, I'll hug you awhile. If you're lost, I will be there to guide you. If you're sad, I won't quit till you smile.

"Paw in paw, we will greet every morning. Paw in paw, we will meet every day. You are the bear of my heart, dear, and nothing can take that away.

"No matter how big you may grow, dear, or whether we're near or apart, I will love you forever and ever, for YOU are the bear of my heart."

Me, Frida

2011-02-11T17:11:00.000-05:00

Superbly written, beautifully illustrated, and well crafted, this book about an artist is itself a work of art. Me, Frida, written by Amy Novesky and illustrated by David Diaz, tells the true story of how Frida Kahlo came to create Frieda and Diego Rivera, the first painting she produced in what became her famous folkloric style.

In November 1930, Frida accompanied her famous husband Diego Rivera from their home in Mexico to San Francisco. It was Frida's first trip outside her homeland. While Diego painted murals for the city, Frida explored. But living in a foreign country where she didn't know the language and had very few friends was difficult. Diego was busy. Frida felt lost.

As time passed, Frida discovered China Town, traveled across the Golden Gate Bridge, and was inspired to paint. She painted a portrait of Diego and herself, adorning it with a pink bird and a violet ribbon on which she wrote, "Here you see us, me, Frida Kahlo, with my adored husband Diego Rivera. I painted these portraits in the beautiful city of San Francisco, California ... in April of 1931." Today that oil on canvas hangs in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Kindness for Valentine's Day

2011-02-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is getting a bad wrap these days. Joe Dellosa's opinion sums up what I've been hearing:
"... Valentine's Day [has] become a crassly artificial holiday that seeks to commodify our emotions and homogenize the way we express our love as a means to boost corporate profits, while fomenting awkward, hurtful feelings among couples and mopey misery among singles." That's one way to look at it.

I like Valentine's Day because it's an opportunity to have some fun thinking of others. The tiniest remembrance -- a card, an email, a piece of candy, a single flower -- can brighten someones day.

The children's picture book Love and Kisses by Sarah Wilson, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, reminds me of the good that results from an act of kindness. When a little girl shares a kiss, it travels from friend to friend and eventually, surprisingly, comes back to her.

The Alexandria (MN) Kiwanis and Golden K Clubs are sponsoring their annual Random Act of Kindness Week, February 13 - 19, in an effort to bring awareness to the power of kindness. Alexandria Kiwanis Club President Diann Drew says, "A simple gesture, a kind word, or a random act of kindness can go a long way in making a community a stronger, better place."

The Paper Crane

2011-02-06T08:46:00.000-05:00

A man owned a restaurant on a busy road, and business was good until a new highway was built close by. Because travelers no longer stopped at the restaurant, the man became poor. One day a stranger with a gentle manner came into the restaurant. He did not have money to pay for his meal. Instead, he folded a napkin into the shape of a crane. "You have only to clap your hands," he said, "and this bird will come to life and dance for you." The stranger's gift was worth more than the cost of his meal, and it brought great happiness to the restaurant owner. Can you guess why?

The Paper Crane is Molly Bang's adaptation of an ancient Japanese folktale. The detailed three-dimensional illustrations are photographs of her paper cutouts. They are a wonderful accompaniment to the story.

A Pair of Red Clogs

2011-02-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

Mako, a little Japanese girl, is delighted with her new clogs. They are red lacquered and shine beautifully. When Mako walks and runs, her clogs sing: KORO KORO, KARA KARA. Mako chose these when her mother took her shopping. They are her school shoes.

But one day as Mako is playing the weather-telling game with her friends, one of her shiny new clogs cracks. No longer do her clogs sing when she walks. Mako is sad. So sad that she devises a plan that in the end just makes her sadder.

When Mako grows up and buys a pair of red clogs for her granddaughter, she remembers her own red clogs, and the important lesson she learned from them.

A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno, illustrated by Kazue Mizumura, is a book that links well to Lunar New Year themes and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. The lesson learned by a little Japanese girl is one that children of all cultures will understand.

New Clothes for New Year's Day

2011-02-03T08:10:00.000-05:00

Happy [Lunar] New Year! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rabbit. Hyun-Joo Bae has written and illustrated a lovely picture book called New Clothes for New Year's Day. "It's a new year, it's a new day, and it's a new morning. It's the first day for the beginning of everything," says a young Korean girl. She is excited to dress in her new clothes for making New Year's calls.

My favorite parts of this picture book are the beautiful illustrations and the end pages providing details about Lunar New Year traditions.

This translated edition was published in 2007 by Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Inc.

"I wish you good luck."

Spring Is Coming No Matter What the Groundhog Does

2011-02-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

Folklore has it that winter will continue for six more weeks if a groundhog sees his shadow on February 2. To me, that has always seemed counterintuitive. If the sun is out to cast a shadow, shouldn't that mean warmer weather is near? But the tradition means that the groundhog is frightened by his shadow and retreats into his den to hibernate another six weeks.

Groundhog Day originated in Europe centuries ago, and is based on the ancient belief that the emergence of a hibernating creature forecast the imminent arrival of spring. When Germans settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th century, they brought the custom with them. In Europe different animals were used, including badgers and bears. Groundhogs were plentiful in Pennsylvania, so that’s the animal that got the job there.

The History Society of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania, has the earliest known record of Groundhog Day in the United States. A February 5, 1841, diary entry by Berks County, Pennsylvania, storekeeper James Morris reads:

“Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

Candlemas is a traditional name for the Catholic Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is mentioned in this English poem:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop.

Other feasts and festivals also occur on or about February 2, including St Brigid’s Day and Imbolc. February 2 is one of the four cross-quarters of the year. A cross-quarter is a day approximately halfway between a solstice and an equinox.

Some in the past may have marked the beginning of spring when daylight made progress against night, on February 2, the cross-quarter. Others, as we do in modern times, marked spring on the Vernal Equinox, when on March 20 or 21 the sun shines on the equator, making day and night of nearly equal length worldwide. Groundhog Day may have originated as a compromise between the two beliefs.

Groundhog Day has long been popular in the United States, but the 1993 movie of the same name, filmed in Punxsutawney and featuring Phil, established it as an international phenomenon. Press reports estimate the biggest crowd to attend Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney was 40,000. On the morning of February 2, Punxsutawney Phil is pulled from his den by keepers dressed in tuxedos. It has become a raucous event.

Read These!

The Secret of the First One Up by Iris Hiskey Arno, illustrated by Renee Graef

Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub, illustrated by Kristin Sorra

Groundhog Day by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mike Gordon

The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old, illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye

Dragon Dancing

2011-01-31T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Chinese or Lunar New Year is one of the most important annual celebrations in Asian countries and communities. It was first recognized in 2600 BC, when Emperor Huang Ti introduced the Chinese zodiac. Whereas the calendar that begins with January and ends with December is solar -- based on the Earth’s rotation around the sun -- the Chinese calendar is lunar, based on the rotation of the moon around the Earth. Thus the Chinese or Lunar New Year falls on a different day each year, sometime between late January and mid February. It begins on the first new moon of the year and lasts until the full moon 15 days later. (A new moon is not visible from the earth.)

Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer, illustrated by Pierr Morgan, is a good picture book to read for the Chinese New Year. At school, the children listen to a story about dragons, and then make a dragon in art class. The colorful illustrations of the children dragon dancing are beautiful.

Sleep, Black Bear, Sleep

2011-01-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple have created a lovely rhyming lullaby in their 2007 picture book Sleep, Black Bear, Sleep. The book begins:

"Sleep, little one, sleep.
Your dreams are long and deep.
Sleep in your burrow, cave, or den,
Sleep till the winter's done and then
Rise up and start all over again.
Sleep, little one, sleep."

Each subsequent two-page spread features a stanza for one of 12 hibernating animals -- black bear, frog, bat, snakes, box turtle, gopher, skunk, badger, beaver, mouse, toad and chipmunk. Brooke Dyer's accompanying illustrations detail each animal and their home.

At the end a child tucked in with stuffed animals hears:

"And even YOU, it's time for sleep,
So snuggle down and burrow deep.
The sheet and quilt will keep you warm
Through winter or through summer storm
Till you awaken in the morn.
Sleep, my little child, sleep."

Where Writers Write

2011-01-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

This morning at Bruegger's Bagel Bakery in Wellesley, MA, the man at the next table was reading the Boston Globe. The page facing me read, "Where writers write." I am a writer. I bought the paper.

The first few lines of Meredith Goldstein's article could have been taken from my mouth. "I am finishing my first book," wrote Meredith.

Okay, stop here for a comment. If these were my words, they would say, "I am starting my first book." Continue.

"I am finishing my first book. That is, I am finishing my first book when I am not doing laundry, watching marathons of 'House,' or reorganizing my closet."

As a writer, I, too, want to be more productive. Daily life and the responsibilities of being a single Mom working full-time outside of the home compete with my book. Then there are those lazy hours watching Law and Order marathons.

Like Meredith Goldstein, I dream of renting an isolated cabin to escape distractions and write. Last year I snow shoed to the Vermont cabin where Robert Frost wrote during the last years of his life. "It would be nice," I thought.

Also like Meredith, but for slightly different reasons, I will finish my book in my apartment. It's nice to dream. But in the end, it is best to write.

U.K. Plans February 5 Read-Ins to Support Libraries

2011-01-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

The blog Voices for Libraries explains what read-ins are and why they are important. Can we apply this in the United States? The Guardian reported in December on these days planned in protest of library budget cuts.

Linda Asks - Picture Books for Two-Year-Olds

2011-01-16T12:48:00.000-05:00

My friend Linda asked for picture book suggestions for a two-year-old. Boy or girl? What are their interests? In the meantime, what are some of your favorite picture books appropriate for preschoolers? I'll start the list with these five:

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Emily's House by Niko Scharer

Only One Woof by James Herriot (His Treasury for Children contains this and seven other stories, all superb.)

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

I could list lots more, but it's your turn. Please add your favorite(s)!

Amos McGee Illustrator Wins Caldecott

2011-01-15T09:29:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I recommended the book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. I consider it one of the best picture books of 2010, and I've often recommended it since its publication.

On Monday the book's illustrator, Erin E. Stead, won the Caldecott Medal. Although I don't rely on award and best seller lists, because I often disagree with them, I felt validated by the Caldecott committee's choice. As my librarian friend Nancy said, "Susan called this one!"

Erin E. Stead is only 28-years-old, and A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the first book she's illustrated. Her husband is the book's author. This in itself is a nice story. Erin shared it with the Wall Street Journal.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children."

A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a book that both children and adults will enjoy. It has now earned both the Caldecott Medal and the LitLinx Seal of Approval.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

2011-01-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

Zoo keeper Amos McGee takes time each day to visit his good friends. He and the elephant play chess. The tortoise always wins their races. The shy penguin appreciates McGee's quiet company, and the rhinoceros borrows McGee's handkerchief. And the owl, who is afraid of the dark, listens as McGee reads him a story.

When McGee stays home because he's sick, his friends wonder where he is, and set out to find him.

Philip C. Stead has written a lovely story of dedicated friendship. The illustrations by his wife, Erin E. Stead, bring each character to life and provide wonderful details that add to the pleasure of looking at the pictures.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee stands out from many of the picture books published in 2010. Both Steads, writer and illustrator, have invested thought and detail to craft an excellent book.

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose

2011-01-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

Amelia is ready for a dog, but her parents are not. To prepare her parents, Amelia brings home Bones. Bones is small and brown, and has a wet pink nose; and he can only be seen by Amelia. He becomes a real part of the family, so that when he goes missing, a hunt ensues. A clever story with cute illustrations, A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose, turns out to be "Amelia's Guide to Getting Your First Dog." Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen is the author, and Linzie Hunter is the illustrator.

Picture Book Disappointment

2011-01-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

In preparation for a monthly column about picture books, I've been reading 2010 titles owned by my local public library. I'm disappointed by the lack of originality and ingenuity, and shocked that publishers have churned out so much mediocrity.

Tomorrow I'll share two titles with some merit. Today, here are the books that disappointed.

Henry in Love by Peter McCarty (dull)
Subway by Christopher Niemann (ugly)
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown (doesn't work)
Busing Brewster by Richard Michelson (wrong audience)
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Kahn (weak)
Little Wolf's Song by Britta Teckentrup (nothing new)
My Mommy Hung the Moon by Jamie Lee Curtis (huh?)
What's the Matter, Bunny Blue? by Nicola Smee (stretches to keep rhyme)
Hip Hop Dog by Chris Raschka (inconsistent)
Cinco de Mouse-O by Judy Cox (poor transitions)

Books Read in 2010

2011-01-02T08:00:00.029-05:00

For the third consecutive year, I've kept a list of books read. I count listening to a book as reading, and such titles are included on my list with a (CD) designation.

My least favorite for 2010 is The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elizabeth Adler, for what reason I no longer remember. I know it is my least favorite because my list includes a minus sign after the title.

My favorite is George Washington's Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution by James Nelson. Nelson's research and writing make history come alive. I learned details I never before knew.

My complete list follows. What was your favorite read in 2010?

Books Read in 2010
A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
At Risk (CD) by Patricia Cornwell
Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
Can You Keep a Secret? (CD) by Sophie Kinsella
Detour Berlin by Ruth Baja Williams
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Emma by Jane Austen
Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes
Four to Score (CD) by Janet Evanovich
George Washington's Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution by James Nelson
High Five (CD) by Janet Evanovich
Hornet's Nest (CD) by Patricia Cornwell
Hot Six (CD) by Janet Evanovich
I'll Never Be French by Mark Greenside
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
One for the Money (CD) by Janet Evanovich
Plain Truth (CD) by Jodi Picoult
The Birth of Virginia's Aristocracy by James C. Thompson II
The Body in the Library (CD) by Agatha Christie
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
The Last Time I Saw Paris (-) by Elizabeth Adler
The Leap by Rick Smith
The Lightning Thief (CD) by Rick Riordan
The Phantom Tollbooth (CD) by Norton Juster
The Scarpetta Factor (CD) by Patricia Cornwell
Three to Get Deadly (CD) by Janet Evanovich
Two for the Dough (CD) by Janet Evanovich
Wandering Souls by S. Scott Rohrer
When You Reach Me (CD) by Rebecca Stead

Mark Greenside's "I'll Never Be French"

2011-01-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

Knowing that I love everything French, a friend gave me a paperback copy of Mark Greenside's I'll Never Be French, published in 2008 by Free Press. It is an easy read, mostly enjoyable. It's Greenside's account of purchasing a home in Brittany.

The first two sentences of the book hooked me. "It begins with a girl. It always begins with a girl, and even though we don't make it through the summer -- through half the summer -- she gets me there and changes my life."

I'm a sucker for these kind of memoirs, because I harbor a wish to live them. Greenside introduces me to a part of France I know little about, and his descriptions of the quality of life enjoyed by the French ring true.

Greenside first goes to France knowing no French, and seems to progress very little with the language as he lives there. This, and his refusal to dress neatly, seem to be the main reasons he will never be French. It's his own choosing.

To illustrate his language deficiencies, Greenside records his attempts at conversations in French. I don't understand why. His faux-pas (French for "false step") with the language are lost on readers, like me, who speak no French. These frequent passages become sections to skip.

The book ends abruptly. The break between the story and the last two paragraphs reminds me of a bad finish to a term paper.

Mark Greenside will never be French by his own choosing, but the stories of his part-time life in Brittany are interesting. His book is not a literary great, but it is a quick, mostly fun, read for those who dream of living in Europe.

A Thanksgiving Thanks Owed to Sarah Hale

2010-11-28T10:40:00.000-05:00

Portrait of Sarah Hale

America's Thanksgiving holiday is credited to the Pilgrims. The truth is, we have a national celebration thanks to Sarah Hale's 38-year letter writing campaign.

Sarah Josepha Hale was born in Newport, New Hampshire, in 1788. Her father, disabled Revolutionary War Captain Gordon Buell, and her mother, Martha Whittlesay Buell, believed in equal education for both sexes. Hale was educated at home by her mother, and by her brother Horatio, who taught her what he'd learned at Dartmouth. Hale continued her education as an autodidact.

According to Laurie Halse Anderson in her book Thank You Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving, Hale grew up listening to her father's Revolutionary War stories. They made a deep impression on Hale, setting the stage for her commitment to the American Union.

In 1811, Hale's father opened The Rising Sun tavern in Newport. At that time, Hale was working as a schoolteacher. She met her eventual husband David, a lawyer, and they were married in her father's tavern on October 23, 1813.

The Hales had five children between 1815 and 1822. David died in 1822, and Hale wore black the rest of her life to mourn his death.

Hale began to write to support her young family, publishing her first book of poems, The Genius of Oblivion, in 1823. Her novel Northwood: Life North and South, subtitled A New England Tale in London, made her one of the first Americans to write in opposition of slavery. The novel was praised by Reverend John Blake, who asked Hale to move to Boston and serve as editor of his journal Ladies Magazine. Hale accepted and served as "editress," her preferred title, from 1828 until 1836. Her goal was to help educate women. In the book Boston Women's Heritage Trail Hale wrote that a woman's, "first right is to education in its widest sense, to such education as will give her the full development of all her personal, mental and moral qualities."

In 1830 Hale published Poems for Children, a collection that included the now famous "Mary Had A Little Lamb," which was originally titled "Mary's Lamb." The poem is based on an event that occurred while Hale was working as a school teacher.

Louis Antoine Godey bought Ladies Magazine and merged it with Godey's Lady's Book in 1837. He brought Hale on as editor, a position she held for 40 years. According to Ann Douglas in her book The Feminization of American Culture, "During this time she [Hale] became one of the most important and influential arbiters of American taste."

Hale's advocacies included education, especially higher education for women, employment for women, the American Union, and the preservation of Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home. She helped found Vassar College, and she raised money for the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston.

Sarah Hale Exhibit at Bunker Hill Museum

Hale also wanted Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, and she started a campaign to bring it to pass in 1825. In Hale's day—two hundred years after the pilgrim's arrival—Thanksgiving had been mostly forgotten.

But, Hale used her editorial position to garner support for a Thanksgiving Day. Individual states began to declare their own Thanksgiving holidays. But Hale remembered her father's stories, and she had a bigger goal. She wanted the entire country to celebrate Thanksgiving together, on the same day. She continued her articles and letter writing campaigns. Then she went to the top. She wrote to the President of the United States. But Zachary Taylor said, "No."

So Hale wrote to the next president, Millard Fillmore. He also said, "No." Hale continued her state-by-state campaign until a new president came to office. She wrote to President Franklin Pierce. She received another no. Then it was President James Buchanan. No.

By now America was at war, North against South. Some states that had instituted a day of Thanksgiving were no longer holding the celebration. Hale had been working on this project for more than 35 years, and it looked more hopeless than ever. According to the Hale's biographer Anderson, "She [Hale] picked up her mighty pen and wrote another letter; this time to President Abraham Lincoln. America needed Thanksgiving, now more than ever, Hale argued. "A holiday wouldn't stop the war, but it could help bring the country together." Abraham Lincoln agreed.

In 1863, Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. And it has been a national holiday in November ever since.

The Thanksgiving we celebrate today is based on the Harvest Feast celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, with modern touches added in through the decades. For example, football was first played on Thanksgiving Day in the 1870's, and the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924. But we'd have none of this but for the perseverance of a woman who did not even have the right to vote.

Hale retired from her editorial duties in 1877 at age 89. That same year, Thomas Edison made his first recording on his newly invented phonograph, speaking the opening lines of Hale's poem "Mary's Lamb."

Hale died at her home in Philadelphia on April 30, 1879, and was buried in a simple grave in that city's Laurel Hill Cemetery. She published some 50 volumes of work by the end of her life. And her persistent pen had brought generations of Americans the annual national holiday known as Thanksgiving.

First published by Lorton Patch

Native American Heritage Month

2010-11-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

You can tell by the dates that I've not posted for a while. That's because I've been freelance writing for Lorton Patch. Here is my article What Should I Read? November is Native American Heritage Month.

Beach Reads in Picture Books

2010-07-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

Photo by Susan Ujka Larson. Available on Flickr for Creative Commons use.

Here are ten picture books to take to the beach.

Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies - Night is perfect for bats to enjoy the beach.

Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore by Jim Arnosky - This guide will help you recognize the wonders of the beach.

Beach Day! by Patricia Lakin - Four crocodile friends set off for the beach.

Beach Day by Karen Roosa - Family fun at the beach is captured in rhyme.

Beach Feet by Lynn Reiser - Many different feet are on display at the beach.

A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams - A boy leaves a trail to his beach drawing.

Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion - When a big wave covers Harry with seaweed, he is mistaken for a sea serpent.

Little Clam by Lynn Reiser - Little Clam faces many dangers at the edge of the sea.

The Sand Children by Joyce Dunbar - A father and son’s sand giant comes alive.

The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow - A mother describes a day at the beach to her son who has never been there.

BooktalkThree

2010-07-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

Reference librarian Carey Hagan has begun her long envisioned online record of booktalks. A booktalk is a brief introduction to the characters and plot of a book with the intention of enticing a reader. Teachers and librarians often use booktalks to promote reading. Carey is writing her booktalks as she reads, and recording them on BooktalkThree for others to use.

When Writing a Poem

2010-07-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

Today while writing about W. S. Merwin, the newly announced 17th Poet Laureate of the United States, I discovered a poetry treasure on the Library of Congress' Website. Poet Charles Simic shares "A few things to keep in mind while sitting down to write a poem." His seven guidelines are simple, yet profound. I know some of us like to try our hand at writing poetry, and that students are given poetry writing assignments. Simic's list is an inspirational aid.

(Photo: Lydia and me in the stacks at the Library of Congress, February 2010.)

A Great Traveling Read

2010-07-01T19:50:00.001-04:00

Can You Keep a Secret? This romantic comedy by Sophie Kinsella, read by Kate Reading on the Books on Tape version, is an excellent listen for a long drive or a daily commute. As always, Kate Reading is outstanding.

It's Pouring Books!

2010-06-15T11:55:00.001-04:00

You know the saying, "When it rains, it pours." That has happened in my book life. I've passed through a dry spell of not finding anything that looked interesting to read. And now, all of a sudden, I have a stack by my bed and a growing pile on my desk that I'll never get through even renewing them the full extent allowed by the library. So I thought it would be good to begin a 2010 list of Books to Read for when I'm needing that next one. Here is the start of that list.

Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life by Frances Mayes
Your Brain: The Missing Manual by Matthew MacDonald. (I think a better title for me would be -- Your Missing Brain: The Manual for Finding It)
Life is Friends by Jeanne Martinet
The Art of Mingling by Jeanne Martinet (I saw this book mentioned on the cover of Life is Friends.)
So Stressed: The Ultimate Stress-Relief Plan for Woman by Stephanie McClellan and Beth Hamilton, both M.D.s
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

What are some of the books on your To Read list?

Youngest Ever Summits Everest

2010-05-22T15:57:00.001-04:00

Thirteen year old Jordan Romero of the United States today became the youngest person ever to summit Mt. Everest. Photos and details are at his Web site. In his honor, I compiled a book exhibit at the library. Here are a few of the included titles.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (my favorite)
View From the Summit by Sir Edmund Hillary
To the Top of Everest by Laurie Skreslet (nonfiction for children)
Everest (A Fiction Series for Kids) by Gordon Korman
The Contest (Book One)
The Climb (Book Two)
The Summit (Book Three)

50 Best Blogs for Teen Readers

2010-05-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

This month I ran across a list of 50 Best Blogs for Teen Readers on the Website OnlineDegrees.net. The list is divided into five categories: General, Book Reviews, Book Lists and Recommendations, Teen Readers, and Librarians. Take a look and let me know which you like.

Kids Titles for Asian Pacific Heritage Month

2010-05-10T10:55:00.000-04:00

Celebrated annually during the month of May, Asian Pacific Heritage Month recognizes the culture and traditions of those Americans who trace their ancestry to the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

In honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, a brief list of suggested titles for kids.

Buster Changes His Luck by Marc Brown
Chang’s Paper Pony by Eleanor Coerr
The Ch’i-Lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories retold by Linda Fang
The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Laurence Yep
The Jade Dragon by Carolyn Marsden

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

2010-05-02T11:45:00.000-04:00

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month honors the generations of Asian and Pacific Islander peoples who have enriched America’s history, and provides opportunities to learn about the diverse culture of Asian Americans. The celebration was established in 1977 as Asian Pacific Heritage Week, and became a month long celebration in 1990. May was chosen because it is the month in 1843 when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the U.S.

Five Picture Book Suggestions -
The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale by Koko Nishizuka

Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin

A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno

The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits

Happy Birthday, William

2010-04-23T14:43:00.001-04:00

William Shakespeare is the most renowned English playwright and poet in history. Details of his life are sketchy due to the fact that little documentation remains besides his writings and a few church documents including his baptismal, marriage and burial records.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, on or about April 23, 1564. Records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized on April 26. He was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and local heiress Mary Arden.
On November 28, 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. Their first child, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583, and twins Hamnet and Judith were born on February 2, 1585. Hamnet died at age 11, but Shakespeare’s wife and other two children outlived him.
Scholars estimate that Shakespeare arrived in London in about 1588 and began to work as a playwright and actor. By 1594 he was acting and writing for London’s most popular and successful theater company of the day, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, as well as serving as the group’s managing partner. He is credited with writing 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems.
As with his birth, the date of William Shakespeare’s death is a guess -- April 23, 1616. Church records do show that he was buried at Holy Trinity in Stratford on April 25. In 1623, two of Shakespeare’s colleagues published the First Folio, his collected plays, half of which were previously unpublished.
Special thanks to Dora Lee for the graphic.

Five Earth Day Reads for Kids

2010-04-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming by Al Gore (2007)

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (2002)

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh (2008)

Eye on Energy - Alternative Cars by Jill C. Wheeler (2008)

Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg (1990)

Mark Twain Centennial

2010-04-21T10:48:00.001-04:00

Samuel Langhorne Clemens is the American author and humorist Mark Twain, best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, along the Mississippi River, and was licensed as a steamboat pilot in 1859. He worked on the river until the Civil War, when fighting interrupted river traffic. He then worked as a traveling reporter, writing stories from all across the United States. This led to his writing career.

His life along the Mississippi River influenced much of his work, and his pen name comes from a common riverboat term for testing the depth of water. If a crew man called “Mark Twain” it meant to check for a depth of 12 feet, the minimum depth required for a river boat to travel safely. Nobel Prize-winning American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."

April 21, 2010, marks the centennial of Mark Twain's death.

Photo is courtesy of the Library of Congress creative commons - public domain collection.

Reading: A Family Affair

2010-04-16T15:06:00.000-04:00

Renee and I at the Northern Virginia Literacy Council's annual event, Reading: A Family Affair.

Picture Books for National Library Week

2010-04-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

National Library Week is an annual celebration that highlights the value of libraries and librarians. Join the 2010 celebration April 11 - 17 with a visit to your local library. Here are ten picture books with a library theme to read with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, or students.

Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
The Shelf Elf by Jackie Hopkins
Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book by Alexander Stadler
Our Library by Eve Bunting
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
Winston the Book Wolf by Marni McGee

I Am The Book

2010-04-07T18:36:00.000-04:00

I'll be your friend, stay by your side, contradict you, make you laugh or teary-eyed
On a sun-summer morning.

I'll spark you, help you sleep, bring dreams you'll forever keep
On a dappled-autumn afternoon.

I'll warm you, keep you kindled, dazzle you till storms have dwindled
On a snow-flaked winter evening.

I'll plant in you a spring-seedling with bursting life while you are reading.

I am the book you are needing.

Poem by Tom Robert Shields
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins for the book Wonderful Words

MLB, Opening Day

2010-04-05T22:01:00.001-04:00

A baseball poem from the poetry collection for children called Sports! Sports! Sports!, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins.

Fly Balls

I am like a spider,
So it's fly balls that I love.
For I catch them when they're buzzing,
In the webbing of my glove.

Besides Fairy Tales, He Wrote Poetry, Too

2010-04-03T09:09:00.000-04:00

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is considered the "father of the modern fairy tale," but he also wrote poetry, novels, travel journals, plays, and three autobiographies. His most famous stories include The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Red Shoes and The Snow Queen. A statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen harbor honors Danish born Andersen. His birthday -- April 2 -- is celebrated as International Children's Book Day. In 2010 Google noted the writer's 205th birthday by replacing its logo with depictions of Andersen's Thumbelina.

Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry

2010-04-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

by A. E. Housman. Photo by Susan Ujka Larson

April is National Poetry Month

2010-04-01T18:40:00.001-04:00

American’s Favorite Poems edited by Robert Pinsky

Robert Pinsky, U.S. Poet Laureate from 1997-2000, invited Americans to share with him their favorite poems, and from their letters he compiled this anthology. This may be a great book to start with for National Poetry Month.

Recently I met Peter Armenti, Digital Reference Specialist at the Library of Congress. His love and expertise is poetry, and he compiled this Online Resources Guide to Pinsky and his work.

Coming Soon - Poetry Month!

2010-03-17T14:15:00.000-04:00

Begun in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is celebrated each year in April. I know it is yet a few weeks away, but I could not resist and today began compiling a list of poetry resources. These are some of my favorite poetry Web sites.

Poets.org
Library of Congress: Poetry
Poetry Foundation
Favorite Poem Project
Poetry 180
Scholastic Celebrates National Poetry Month

Do you have any to add?

Yours 'til . . .

2010-02-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

Whether for love or friendship, I enjoy giving Valentine's greetings. In a used book store I came across a little book of Valentine sentiments called Yours 'till the Ice Cracks: A Book of Valentines by Laura Geringer, illustrated by Andrea Baruffi and published in 1992 by HarperCollins. A few of my favorites:

Be my valentine. Yours 'til the desert disappears.

Be my valentine. Yours 'til the moon melts.

Be my valentine. Yours 'til the sky falls.

What can you come up with? Yours 'til . . .

Emma and Jane

2010-01-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, January 24, PBS will air part one of Masterpiece's new version of Jane Austen's novel Emma. Parts two and three will follow the weeks of January 31 and February 1, respectively. Beginning on Monday, January 25, the series will be available for viewing online.

A highlight of the Emma debut on January 24 will be a live Twitter Party from 9 to 11 p.m. (EST). Posts should be tagged with #emma_pbs, and can be viewed on TweetGrid (PBS' own aggregator) or an aggregator of your choice.

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, and lived in England until her death in 1817 at the age of only 42. Her novels are:

Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma (1815)
Northanger Abbey (1817) (posthumous)
Persuasion (1817) (posthumous)

An Old Book for a New Year

2010-01-02T16:20:00.003-05:00

About ten years ago at an estate sale, I purchased for 50 cents a small hard cover book titled, Daily Food for Christians. Inside the front cover is a penciled inscription which reads, "Dec. 23, 1908, To Janie From Mollie." I keep this daily devotional on my night stand and occasionally read the day's entry before bed. I thought I'd start a new project for 2010 and post photos of old books I've collected. I'm beginning with this book of daily readings. A little sleuthing reveals that the publishing company -- Henry Altemus Company -- had its start in the 1820s when Henry Altemus' father Joseph began book binding in Philadelphia. In 1842 Joseph and his brother Samuel founded Altemus & Co. When Joseph died in 1850 of Typhoid Fever, his 20 year old son Henry took over the business, working with his Uncle. By the 1860s Altemus & Co. was one of the largest book binders in the United States, with about 150 staff. In 1900 Henry incorporated the company to Henry Altemus Company. Afer his death in 1906, Henry's four sons continued the family business until 1936. It is exciting to own a bit of history. I especially wonder about Janie and Mollie. I assume this book was a Christmas gift from one friend to another. Where did the book travel these past 102 years, and what did it mean to its owner(s)? It is interesting to consider the history of a book.

Books Read in 2009

2009-12-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

The complete list of the 31 books I read in 2009 is in the right column. Six of the titles I listened to on CD while driving, but I do count these in my "reading" list. My Sunday, May 3, 2009, post names the six books I started but stopped before completion this year. No need to waste valuable time on books I don't like when there are more books to read than I'll be able to get to in my lifetime. The book that will transition from 2009 into 2010, because I won't finish it before the stroke of midnight on December 31, is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I read it once before, long ago. Recently I read somewhere that we never really read the same book twice because when we re-read a book we bring to it the experiences we've had since last reading it. How about you? At this time of year when lists and reviews are popular, which books have you read? Which have you put aside? Which do you plan to re-read? Share with me in the comments section.

Lists

2009-12-28T12:24:00.001-05:00

I love lists. I like reading lists. I thrive on making lists. Today I discovered a list of lists, perfect for those of us who especially like the end of the year, decade in review kind of thing. From Fimoculous.com comes Lists: 2009, an aggregate of all lists related to 2009. Topics include architecture, art, automobiles, books, film, gadgets, photos and travel. Now I'm inspired to begin my own list of 2009 and decade favorites. I think I'll start with books (of course).

Book List Contributed to Iditarod

2009-11-20T17:37:00.028-05:00

For almost two years librarian Cheryl Hannon and I worked from different states via e-mail to create an updated book list for the Iditarod Web site. It is posted, and we are proud. Take a look at Books About Iditarod and Alaska. (Photo by Mcoughlin, used with CC permission.)

New Moon Rises Tonight

2009-11-19T16:15:00.005-05:00

The Twilight Saga - New Moon opens in theaters at the magically appropriate midnight hour. The movie is the second installment based on Stephenie Meyer's four book series. The first book, Twilight, was rejected by 14 agents before finally being published in 2005. Following in close order were New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007) and Breaking Dawn (2008). As I put the books on hold for girl after girl coming to the library, I dismissed the series as teen girl silliness until my own daughter encouraged me to read it, and I couldn't put it down! Now vampire romances have proliferated. Have you read any of these 2009 releases? (photo by Susan Larson)

Bite Me by Melissa Francis
Eternal by Cynthia Leitch Smith
The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire by Tricia Telep
Fade Out by Rachel Caine
Royal Blood by Ellen Schreiber
Stargazer by Claudia Gray
Tempted: A House of Night Novel by P. C. Cast
Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer
Vamped by Lucienne Diver
The Van Alen Legacy: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa De la Cruz

Native American Books for Kids

2009-11-04T17:28:00.006-05:00

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, I've compiled a book list for kids.

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace

Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond by Joseph Medicine Crow

Crazy Horse's Vision by Joseph Bruchac

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom by Tim Tingle

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Meet Lydia: A Native Girl from Southeast Alaska by Miranda Belarde-Lewis

Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People's Forced March from Their Homeland by Joseph Bruchac

Meet Naiche: A Native Boy from the Chesapeake Bay Area by Gabrielle Tayac

The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich (And the two preceding books in the series, The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence)

The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale by Joseph Bruchac

Tallchief, America's Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief

All Saints Day 1512

2009-11-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

On November 1, 1512, the public for the first time tilted heads back to view the ceiling masterpiece of Michelangelo: the frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo in 1506 to completely redecorate the chapel, and he reluctantly accepted. He was, after all, a sculptor. But his reluctant acceptance lead to the incredibly famous nine scenes from the book of Genesis which adorn the ceiling.

In his book Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, Andrew Graham-Dixon writes, "The fresco cycle as a whole radiates a powerful and sometimes oppressively strong sense of introspection. Looking at it feels almost nothing like looking at the real world. It feels, instead, like looking inside the mind of the man who created it." Reviewer Richard Cook says the book is an accessible look into the mind of Michelangelo.

Teens' Top 10 of 2009

2009-10-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

In conjunction with Teen Read Week, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announced the winners of this year's voting for the top ten young adult books for 2009.

1 Paper Towns by John Green
2 Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
3 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4 City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
5 Identical by Ellen Hopkins
6 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
7 Wake by Lisa McMann
8 Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
9 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
0 Graceling by Kristin Cashore

YALSA reports that more than 11,000 readers age 12 to 18 voted online for their favorite titles of the year. I can personally comment on three of the titles on this list. I enjoyed Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final novel in the Twilight series, although I considered it the weakest of the four books.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was not to my liking, and I quit reading it at about the fourth chapter. I thought it too dark. Not everyone agrees with me, though. The book won the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. Then again, the Newbery Medal has been loosing respect in recent years as the winners have not been as universally popular as they once were.

One of my daughter's tells me that The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the best book she has ever read. I plan now to read it. I looked at it when it was first published, but it sounded too depressing for my liking. My daughter says parts are sad; but that it is an excellent book.

What about you? On which of these top ten can you comment? Is there a book you would add or delete to the list?

Hispanic Heritage Month Book List

2009-10-03T22:13:00.001-04:00

Celebrated annually from September 15 – October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the culture and traditions of those Americans who trace their ancestry to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish speaking countries of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here is a brief list of suggested titles.

Books for Preschoolers

Diez Deditos = Ten Little Fingers and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America by Jose-Luis Orozco

In English and Spanish, Orozco provides songs, rhymes and finger-plays with the actions explained for caregivers.

Dona Flor by Pat Mora

This is a tall tale about a giant woman with a big heart.

Frida by Jonah Winter

A whimsical introduction to the life of painter Frida Kahlo.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy

As Martina interviews potential husbands, her grandmother gives her some shocking advice.

Books for Kids

Baseball in April, and Other Stories by Gary Soto

Eleven contemporary short-stories tell of the lives of Mexican American families in California.

Ellen Ochoa: The First Hispanic Woman Astronaut by Maritza Romero

A profile of the life of the first Hispanic woman astronaut.

I, Juan De Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

Juan, who serves the great painter Velasquez, secretly teaches himself to paint, gaining respect and freedom.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

Sixth-grader Tyler Paquette befriends a migrant Mexican family working on his family’s Vermont farm.

Books for Teens

Cuba

15 by Nancy Osa
Chicago high school student Violet Paz reluctantly prepares for her quinceanera.

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez

Winner of the Pura Belpre Author Award, this is the story of fourteen-year-old Manny Hernandez and his search for respect.

Someone Like Summer by M. E. Kerr
An upper-middle-class white girl from Long Island and an immigrant worker from Colombia fall in love despite objections from their families.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales

Sofia discovers that her experiences as a scholarship student in Austin strengthen her ties to the family and friends she left behind in the barrio of McAllen.

Books for Adults

Cuba

I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez

A collection of poignant and humorous interrelated short stories that tell the lives of Cuban immigrants in Miami.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Three young wives in the Dominican Republic, assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands, become mythical figures in their country.

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos

Winner of the 1990 Pulitizer Prize for fiction, this is the story of brothers Cesar and Nestor Castillo who come to New York City from Cuba in 1949 with plans on becoming mambo stars.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The history of the Buendia family is also the story of the rise and fall of their mythical town, Macondo.

Albert Goldbarth and His Shawl

2009-10-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

Driving home this evening, I heard poet Albert Goldbarth read his poem Shawl on The NewsHour. Goldbarth is the only poet to twice win the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry. He won it in 1991 for his collection Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology, and in 2001 for Saving Lives. Of his 25 books of poetry published to date, To Be Read in 500 Years is his most recent, published in 2009. Goldbarth is also the winner of the 2008 Mark Twain Poetry Award from the Poetry Foundation. Goldbarth does not own a computer. He writes longhand in spiral bound notebooks with inexpensive pens. When he feels a poem is complete, he types it. In his interview on The NewsHour, Goldbarth said, "It feels to me as if I were born to write, that that's why I was put on Earth, and I've been trying to be the best poet I know how to be." I was so taken with Goldbarth and his poem Shawl that when I arrived home I immdeiately sat down to share them here.

'Shawl'

Eight hours by bus, and night
was on them. He could see himself now
in the window, see his head there with the country
running through it like a long thought made of steel and wheat.
Darkness outside; darkness in the bus -- as if the sea
were dark and the belly of the whale were dark to match it.
He was twenty: of course his eyes returned, repeatedly,
to the knee of the woman two rows up: positioned so
occasional headlights struck it into life.
But more reliable was the book; he was discovering himself
to be among the tribe that reads. Now his, the only
overhead turned on. Now nothing else existed:
only him, and the book, and the light thrown over his shoulders
as luxuriously as a cashmere shawl.

Madeleine Albright: Read My Pins

2009-09-27T09:36:00.008-04:00

Madeleine Albright, the first women to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (1997 - 2001), is known for her pins. On September 30 the New York Museum of Arts & Design opens an exhibit of Albright's pin collection, accompanied by her new book Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box. Albright came to wear pins not for their gem value, but for their messages, getting the "read my pin" idea from the first President Bush who said about no new taxes, "Read my lips." For example, she told Katie Couric on Sunday Morning that after Iraq President Saddam Hussein called her a snake, she began wearing a snake pin anytime she had meetings concerning that nation. She also said that every Valentine's Day she wears a pin her now grown daughter made her at age five. Much of her collection is comprised of mass-produced, inexpensive pieces she acquired during her travels as secretary of state. "Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection" is on view in New York until January 31, 2010. It will then travel to several still undetermined U.S. cities.

More Information
Madeleine Albright's Read My Pins Author Tour
Madeleine Albright's brooch collection on display in NYC (USA Today)

Iditarod Accomplishment

2009-09-26T16:50:00.012-04:00

For some 18 months I have been working with another librarian on a book list for the Iditarod, and today I submitted the final draft. It came to the point where I had to admit to myself that the project could go on forever -- there are so many books about the Iditarod, Alaska, sled dogs, and related topics -- and that I needed to bring this volunteer project to an end. I emailed the list saying that it was as far as I could take it at this time, and that, of course, additions from others were always welcome. I feel a sense of accomplishment. The list is 22 pages long; a bit much to share here in its entirety. I'll let you know when it is posted to the Iditarod web site.

An American (Library) in Paris

2009-09-25T14:19:00.008-04:00

Truth be told, there have been instances when I’ve heard librarians bemoan the existence of computers and the World Wide Web. But just this week I’ve experienced another positive to technology. Because of a google search, I made a discovery in Paris.

The American Library in Paris is not listed in any of the typical travel guides I consulted when planning my vacation. But as a librarian and a bibliophile, I wanted to visit a library in the City of Light. Google led me to the web page of the American Library in Paris, and on a recent afternoon I walked a few blocks north of the Eiffel Tower for a visit.

The American Library in Paris is an offshoot of the 1917 Library War Service, founded by the American Library Association, in which U.S. libraries shipped some 1.5 million books to American service personnel during World War I. Alan Seeger, a celebrated poet, was killed in the war. In 1920 Seeger’s father worked to found the American Library in Paris in honor of his son, with a core of the Library War Service books becoming the start of the collection. As part of its Vision & Mission, the library provides “access in France to what is best in English-language books, periodicals and other materials…”

Now the largest English language lending library in Europe, the library has had quite a history. For example, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein were contributors to Ex Libris, the library’s monthly review. As World War II began, the library circulated books to French and British soldiers. When the French libraries closed under Nazi occupation, the American Library remained open, attracting hundreds of French patrons. In 1941 Library Director Dorothy Reeder was sent back to the United States for safety, but one of the library’s founding members, Countess Clara de Chambrun, arranged for the library to remain open. The staff secretly continued to lend to Jewish members.

When Sylvia Beach closed her famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore in 1951, she donated its circulating collection to the American Library in Paris. In 1955 the library began its English Language Library for the Blind, providing the first Braille books in English on the European continent.

Today the library has a web site, an online catalog, a reading room, a research room, a children’s room, two internet stations for customers, wireless (WiFi) access, and numerous programs for all ages. Ex Libris is still published (four times a year), along with a new online electronic newsletter called e-Libris, which is e-mailed twice a month. Copies are available from the library’s web site under “Newsletters and Reports”.

The American Library in Paris is located at 10, Rue du General Camou, and is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Ken Burns and Teddy Roosevelt

2009-09-21T21:00:00.006-04:00

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has done it again. On Sunday, September 27, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, his most recent series, will debut on PBS stations. Jim Axelrod interviewed Burns for Sunday Morning.

A new book also takes a look at our National Parks. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley reviews the naturalist achievements of President Roosevelt, who preserved more than 230 million acres of American wilderness.

My Last Night in Paris

2009-09-18T20:52:00.005-04:00

Following an early afternoon touring the ancient Egyptian collection at the Louvre, the largest of its kind outside of Egypt, I treated myself to lunch in Cafe Richelieu, overlooking I. M. Pei's pyramid. Afterward I walked through the spectacular Royal Apartments of Napoleon III. Then it was time again for an art break, so I headed outdoors into the Jardin des Tuileries. There were chairs surrounding the central fountain, and I sat for over an hour watching the comings and goings of both tourists and residents. The Louvre has Wednesday evening hours, so I returned at about 7 p.m. to see a few favorites still on my list. I'd read that the evening hours would be less crowded, but this was not the case. I believe the crowd increased in size, with many Parisians visiting after work. At about 9 p.m., I said goodbye to the Louvre, serendipitously finding a seat along the fountain wall with both the Louvre pyramid and the distant Eiffel Tower in view.

J'aime Paris!

2009-09-16T16:37:00.003-04:00

I'm in love. We've all heard that Paris is the city of love, and I've fallen head over heels for Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Seine -- all have captured my heart. Here is Paris at sunset from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Isn't it beautiful!

My Birthday in Paris

2009-09-16T03:23:00.016-04:00

Shopping at Printemps, viewing Monet's Water Lily panels at Musee de Orangerie, dining at the Julves Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. Oh la la!