Book Corner

Today is the first day of Children's Book Week, which is a time to celebrate books and reading in the classroom, the library, and the home. Follow these links for some online resources to help celebrate the week. Copies of Children's Book Week Booklists can be found at http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbweek/teachers/bibliography.html To download the 2008 Children's Book Week bookmark go to http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbweek/images/CBW_bookmark_08.pdf. Share a favorite book with your children and ask your children to share one of their favorites with you. Have fun!

Reading Is Fun Week, May 12 - May 18 sponsored by Reading is Fundamental, highlights the joy of reading. It reminds children and parents that reading is fun and can be enjoyed together every day. If you would like to send a Reading is Fun postcard to a friend go to Email a Postcard
You can find other activities to share at Reading is Fundamental.

On April 30, we celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), known as "Día." The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the national center for the celebration and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking is a founding partner of Día. The ALSC website describes it as "both a daily commitment and an annual celebration, on April 30, of the joys and wonders of childhood and the importance of family literacy. Día’s vision is to spread “bookjoy” every day by linking children from all languages and cultures with books, and celebrating together across the country on April 30. Its goals are to honor children, their languages and culture; to encourage reading and literacy; and to promote library collections and programs that reflect our plurality." Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925. Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy to found El día de los niños/El día de los libros. A recommended reading list of approximately two dozen children’s books in both English and Spanish for ages infancy -14 years can be found on the Get Caught Reading Web site at www.getcaughtreading.org. Get Caught Reading is supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

In January this year, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington appointed author Jon Scieszka the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The ambassador's role is "to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people." (News from Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-001.html)

In a recent article in the Washington Post, Mr. Scieszka discusses his views on reading. What struck me as I read the article is the following advice he gives to parents and teachers.

"Give children freedom to choose what they want to read rather than what adults think they should read.

Expand the definition of reading to more than novels. 'Nonfiction, graphic novels, comic books, magazines, online, audio books -- I think all that works. It all helps turn kids into readers.'

Stop demonizing other media. 'Don't make computers and TV and movies the bad guy. Those things aren't going to go away. I think we did ourselves a disservice in the past of saying TV is bad, reading is good. It's not that cut and dried.'"

If your children don't know what to read, please ask the Gonda Family librarians for suggestions. Visit, call or email us. We will share some of our favorites and help you find the right book for your child.

April is National Poetry Month and April 14-20 is Young People's Poetry Week. Jack Prelutsky, our nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, and Shel Silverstein, renowned poet, are well known by many of our children. This month you might like to introduce them to other notable poets writing for young people. One of my favorites is the poet, Douglas Florian. If you want to have a good laugh come borrow a few of his poetry collections.

A number of poets celebrate their birthdays in April, including Alice Schertle (April 7), Gary Soto (April 12), Lee Bennett Hopkins (April 13), April Halprin Wayland (April 20), William Jay Smith (April 22), George Ella Lyon (April 25), and Barbara Juster Esbensen (April 28). (from: Poetry People, A Practical Guide by Sylvia Vardell)

Come check out books by these and other exciting poets, and celebrate National Poetry Month with your children.

Last Friday night over one hundred people gathered in Gregg G. Juarez Community Hall to celebrate parents reading aloud to their children. The evening was filled with a lot of fun, good food, storybook bingo, and people reading favorite passages and poems of all kinds. A highlight this year was our principal, Mr. Kennedy reading aloud from James Marshall's Rats on the Roof. As you continue reading aloud to your children, please share with us some of your favorites.

Reading aloud to our children is not only important, it can be magical. Below is one ues parent's thoughts on reading aloud that was originally published in the UES Bridge 2005-2006 Issue 2.
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I began to read to our son when he was a few weeks old. As an overjoyed but bewildered, anxious and fatigued new mother, I held and rocked our long awaited beautiful baby… and had absolutely no clue what to do with him. And so I read.

The effect of words on this little person amazed me. At four months of age, strapped in the back seat of a car in a car seat on a two-hour drive to a wedding, he began the loud, constant, inconsolable cry of an unhappy infant that brings parents to tears and causes them to cancel the few adult social outings attempted. In desperation, I began to recite “Good Night Moon” in the singsong voice that we rocked to at bedtime each night. Within moments, our sweet baby boy’s cries subsided, calm enveloped both the exhausted baby and the exhausted parents, and we completed our drive and happily attended the wedding (not willing to risk another outburst, mommy with baby stood quietly in the back of the church). The power of a just right read was clear. Nine years later, we never go anywhere without a tub of books in the car, and “Good Night Moon” has a place of honor on the bookshelf.

So began our love affair with books. Books have taken us to faraway places and introduced us to people we could never meet, even if we had the courage to travel back in time to exotic or different locales. We have met an orphan boy and a potter in 12th century Korea, an African American bat boy in the mid 20th century in the segregated southern United States, a Japanese painter from 200 years ago, and, of course, a boy wizard in England. We have listened in on the conversations of too many animals to count, and watched a wren fly as high as an eagle. Books have given us a way to reinforce values our family holds dear and to introduce concepts that are offensive to us and difficult to explain to an innocent child, including racism and “Jim Crow”. We have cried together over “a steaming bowl of sadness”, the unhappiness of realistic fiction and the unfairness of real life, and laughed with and at Junie B. And we have rejoiced in the pure pleasure of the written word, the charm of a beloved read-aloud and the beauty of illustrations that are so much a part of the books we love.

I must confess that I do not read to my boy just for him. I, too, need my escapes. There are no extra minutes in the life of a parent. When our son was an infant, I found that newspapers, magazines, and novels became a luxury of time that I, as a busy new parent, could no longer afford. But I also found that I could read as much and as often as I wanted to my child, and no one was the wiser about my secondary gains. Now, if my son falls asleep reading at bedtime before I get there with a book to read to him, I am the one who misses our nightly read.

So we continue to read, to imagine, and to share our love of books. Poetry, non-fiction, fiction; we’ve room on our shelf for all. Last week, my little guy recommended to me the book he had just finished, and promised to check it out of the library for me. Hmmm, I can’t wait; it’s an author I’ve never read, and my boy has great taste in books. I just know there are many more good books ahead for us. The possibilities are infinite.

Reading passports went home last week and already we have had students come to the library to have their passports stamped. Parents and children have shared picture books, science books, and folktales. We are hoping that many more of our parents read aloud at least 20 minutes every day. Check online for the 2007 and 2008 Read-Aloud Journeys booklists

Children chose some great books this morning during our Birthday Book Club. Please stop by the library and borrow books to share with your children over the winter holiday break.

In celebration of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, the organization Reading Is Fundametal is holding its first annual Reading Planet Powwow. This is an online festival where children can browse RIF's American Indian Heritage Booklist; meet Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki Indian storyteller and author; watch videos of traditional Anerican Indian dances and songs; and learn about notable American Indians. For children under five, check out RIF’s Leading to Reading website for an American Indian-themed bedtime story activity and booklist.

During November, National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, we celebrate the culture, history and contributions of Native American peoples. Listed below are just a few of the many books on Native Americans that you can borrow from the Gonda Family Library.


The Chumash by Raymond Bial





Crazy Horse’s vision by Joseph Bruchac; illustrated by S.D. Nelson






How Chipmunk got his stripes : a tale of bragging and teasing as told by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac ; pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey



The lamp, the ice, and the boat called Fish : based on a true story by Jacqueline Briggs Martin; pictures by Beth Krommes.





Earth always endures : Native American poems selected by Neil Philip; illustrated with photographs by Edward S. Curtis.





Sequoyah : the Cherokee man who gave his people writing by James Rumford.

According to Melanie Kimball, an assistant professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University at Buffalo, research shows that children who find reading a pleasure have a much easier time understanding and learning math, geography, history and every other academic subject. In addition, while there are many reasons children cannot or do not like to read, according to Kimball, often the reason is "no one has encouraged in them the simple enjoyment of reading, which is a very important parental job." Even if parents have not been readers, they can still encourage and help their children learn to love reading in many ways. To learn more about her suggestions on ways parents can help their children to read, see http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=68810009

Approximately 75 students with August, September and October birthdays selected a book yesterday to donate to the Seeds UES Gonda Family Library. These students chose fantasy, realistic fiction, history, poetry, and picture books. We hold these books for one week so that each student has the opportunity to be the first to check out his or her birthday book. Thank you to all the parents who continue to support this program and who help our children know the wonder of books and reading. Come visit us and check out these exciting new books. The list below includes a sampling of the books chosen this month.

The Shot Heard 'Round the World by Phil Bildner, Illustrated by C. F. Payne
The young Brooklyn Dodger fan in this story remembers the day of October 3, 1951 as the Dodgers faced the Giants for the third, tie breaking game to determine which team would go on to play the Yankees in the World Series.



Birdbrain Amos by Michael Delaney
A great book to read aloud. Amos the hippo wants a tick bird to help eat the pesky bugs off his back. He hires one, but finds that he gets a lot more than he bargained for. You can read more about Amos in Bridbrain Amos, Mr. Fun.




Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein by Marfé Ferguson Delano
A biography of Albert Einstein who once said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."



Crochet: Fantastic Jewelry, Hats, Purses, Pillows & More by Jane Davis
Learn the words and phrases you need to know and the tools and materials you will need to have. This book offers 30 projects from the most basic to ones that are more challenging. You can make scrunchies, toys, purses, pencil cases, barrettes, bookmarks, phone carriers and more.



Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Meet Babymouse. This is the first in a series of graphic novels about an imaginative young mouse who dreams of glamour, excitement, adventure.




The Book of Rock Stars: 24 Musical Icons that Shine Through History by Kathleen Krull, Art by Stephen Alcorn
Twenty "mini-biographies" of rock music legends accompanied by block print portraits. The author warns us that "rock stars aren't always the greatest of role models" but "these are stars who caught our attention" and many "blasted away the status quo and helped to break barriers in human rights and feminism."



Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish
After his father's death, twelve-year-old Peter is forced to live with his evil, greedy uncles, Baldur and Grim, and tries to find a way to stop their plan to sell the neighors' children to the trolls.



Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
The author's great-grandmother Hattie Inez Brooks Wright homesteaded in eastern Montana by herself as a young woman. This historical fiction celebrates the pioneer spirit of sixteen-year-old Hattie as she braves hard weather, hard times, and a cantankerous cow in order to create her own home.



The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
In this sequel to the Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters in order to save Camp Half-Blood, a home for demi-gods and their safe haven.




Great Pets: An Extraordinary Guide to More than 60 Usual and Unusual Family Pets by Sara Stein
Information on the care of many different animals including crayfish, land snails, tarantulas, and ferrets to name just a few. The author states in the introduction, "Everyone's idea of a pet is somewhat different. Whether your idea is a wild chimpmunk who comes each afternoon for food, or a caterpillar kept overnight, or a lizard who lives in a homemade desert, or a mouse who rides in a pocket, or a parrot who falls in love with you, or a dog who does what you tell it, or just a gaggle of geese in the yard, you'll find it here."

The Constitution of the United States, four pages that created a new government more than 200 years ago, continues to profoundly affect our lives . Today, September 17, is Constitution Day. You may want to read Jean Fritz's Shh! We’re writing the Constitution or Peter Spier's We the people : the Constitution of the United States of America. Another interesting book is Betsy Maestro's A more perfect union : the story of our Constitution which is also available in a spanish language edition, Una unión más perfecta : la historia de nuestra constitución. In addition, there are many online resources. The National Archives and Records Administration, the University of California, and the National Constitution Center all provide information on the history of the Constitution which can be found at the following URL's.

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/constitutionday
http://www.constitutioncenter.org

Hispanic Heritage Month began on Saturday September 15th. The request to celebrate Hispanic heritage on a national scale was first made by the Senate and the House of Representatives on September 17th 1968, when they authorized an annual proclamation making the week of September 15 and 16 Hispanic Heritage Week. The designated week was selected because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate Independence Day of September 15th. In addition, Mexico's Independence Day is on September 16th and Chile's is on September 18th.

President Gerald R. Ford issued a call in 1977 to all schools and human rights organizations to more actively observe Hispanic Heritage Week. Ford noted, "When the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Hisipanic civilization was already flourishing in what is now Florida and New Mexico ...Since then, the Hispanic contribution to America has been a consistent and vital influence in our country's cultural growth."

Finally in 1988 Congress expanded the celebration by authorizing the designation of a national Hispanic Heritage Month that officially lasts from September 15 to October 15.

Please visit the library to browse through our display of children's books that celebrate Hispanic culture.

(Information cited from CLNET and Hispanic Online)