Library Lizard

My thoughts, experiences and general ramblings on being a public librarian,with a passion for early literacy.

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STEAM: Arm Knitting

A while back I went to Public Library Day, and learned a lot about Makers Spaces and different ways to create a Makers Space. One thing that really struck me, was that we usually think of 3D printe...

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St. Paul Library publishes 2 Karen children's books

St. Paul Public Libraries recently published two Karen language books for children and will hand out copies of them Saturday.

This is pretty cool! I appreciate this a lot more having worked with many Karen students and learning about their culture.

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STEAM: Arm Knitting

This weekend I hosted an Arm Knitting program for my library’s monthly STEAM program. For those who don’t know, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. Check out my blog to learn more about Arm Knitting can work in a STEAM setting (most people don’t realize how much STEAM skills are involved in traditional homemaking skills like knitting, sewing and cooking). 

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Library story times for children with autism growing in popularity in Minnesota

A pair of Carver County libraries are among those offering "Sensitive Storytimes" as a way to increase comfort for children on the spectrum.

Check out my opinion on the matter here! Such an interesting idea!

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Best Audio Books: Not Adult

Check out my top five Children’s and YA audio books! 

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Best Audio Books: Adult

I drive almost an hour to work each day, and most times those drives are accompanied by an audio book. Since I’ve listened to such a variety of audiobooks, I thought I’d list my favorites, starting with adult fiction. Read my reviews here.

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Paper vs E-Books

Which do you prefer? Records in Canada are showing that ebook sales are dropping while print copies are rising. 

Read more at Ms Elizabeth’s Library Land and CTV News

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I watched a few episodes of the BBC show Call the Midwife but I just couldn't get into it, but I was intrigued by the story, so I ordered the audiobook from the library. The TV show is based on the...

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Beautiful Ruins

“All we have is the story we tell. Everything we do, every decision we make, our strength, weakness, motivation, history, and character-what we believe-none of it is real; it’s all part of the story we tell. But here’s the thing: it’s our goddamned story!”

Read my review here

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The Mouse Conundrum

Have you ever noticed how many children’s books have mouse/rodent characters? Why is this? 

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STEAM or STEM programs are one of my favorite programs! For those who do not know, STEM programs are common in libraries and schools across the country and stands for Science, Technology, Engineeri...

Why are STEAM programs so important?

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My Minnesota Reading Corps Experience

After moving back home to Minnesota, I started my year of service with Minnesota Reading Corps, a statewide AmeriCorps program. Minnesota Reading Corps tutors serve at a school in Minnesota, working with students in one-on-one sessions for 20 minutes a day, until the student reads consistently at or above their grade level. The students Minnesota Reading Corps members work with are what MRC calls “the bubble kids.” They are the ones who are below grade level, but not so far below that schools put them in special classes. These kids often fly under the radar with overstretched teachers hoping they will catch on eventually. Unfortunately many of these students never catch up, and by the time they leave 3rd grade it becomes harder and harder to ever reach their peers. According to MRC, students in grades K-3 learn to read, and students in grades 4-college read to learn, which is why it is so important to reach the 3rd graders and bring them up to grade level before 4th grade.

During my term, I served at a charter school in Saint Paul, where the student body consisted mostly of Hmong and Karen immigrant children, and many knew little to no English. Approximately 90% of the students received free or reduced lunch and several families were homeless.

I learned so much from this year in Minnesota ReadingCorps. Firstly, I knew about the word gap and the importance of the 6 skills outlined in ALA’s  first round of Every Child Ready to Read, but it wasn’t until I worked with students who obviously lacked attention in this area, that I realized just how important they are to development.  After working with these children, early literacy development became my passion, and I began pursuing a second masters in Children’s Literature.  

I also learned so much about the Hmong and Karen culture, while serving at the charter school. Many of the staff are also Hmong or Karen, and had so many interesting stories. One teacher, not much older than me, told about her family escaping and crossing the river, but the boatman was actually an informer. She watched as her aunt and uncles and cousins were killed, but her immediate family escaped and eventually made it to Minnesota. In a first grade history class, students learned about the past and present (in the past, people traveled in wagons, in the present we travel by car. In the past, people used candles for light, in the present we use light bulbs, etc). However, many students shared that in refugee camps they too used candles for light.

While I no longer work in an urban setting, or in a school setting, the year serving in Minnesota Reading Corps taught me so much about early literacy and the multitude of cultures that make Minnesota.

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Storytime Favorites part 1

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney: This book works wonderfully in a multilingual setting. The story is in English, but preschoolers love shouting out the words the foreign equivalent of “red” or “pajama” or “mama” when we come to that part of the story.

Hunky Dory Ate It by Katie Evans: The rhythm of the story is wonderful for Phonetic Awareness, and younger students love “reading” along with me when we reached the “Hunky Dory ate it” portion of the story. I also heard lots of stories about the student's dogs and what they ate.

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr: Again, the preschoolers used this story and feltboard activity to practice their French, Spanish and Chinese. We also had a lot of fun making the noises and faces for each animal.

Down by the Bay feltboard activity: The silliness is fun for all ages, but the older students had a lot of fun coming up with different animal rhymes after the last line, "Have you ever had a time when you couldn’t make a rhyme?

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Middle and High School Book Club

I started a middle and high school book club in my second year as the school librarian in Louisiana. We had a small group, but each student actively participated and came up with their own questions, and encouraged discussion amongst the group. Overall, my role was pretty limited. Watching the leadership and teamwork develop was pretty wonderful. Over the course of the year, we read:*

The Giver by Lois Lowry

“The Giver is a 1993 American Young-adult fiction-Dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which at first appears as a utopian society but then later revealed to be a dystopian one as the story progresses.”

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

“Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’ s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.”

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

A brave and beautiful story that will make readers laugh, and break their hearts at the same time. Now with a special note from the author!

Steven has a totally normal life (well, almost).

He plays drums in the All-City Jazz Band (whose members call him the Peasant), has a crush on the hottest girl in school (who doesn't even know he's alive), and is constantly annoyed by his younger brother, Jeffrey (who is cuter than cute - which is also pretty annoying). But when Jeffrey gets sick, Steven's world is turned upside down, and he is forced to deal with his brother's illness, his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece, his homework, the band, girls, and Dangerous Pie (yes, you'll have to read the book to find out what that is!).

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Inside Out and Back Again by Lai Thanhha

Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.

Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope—toward America.

This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny."

My favorite part of book club, was seeing book reviews by students who claimed that the book club books were their favorite books. One girl cited Stargirl as a positive influence on her self confidence and another wrote that Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie encouraged her to be more patient with her hyperactive brother, because it “could be so much worse.”

*reviews from Amazon.com

[librarylizard]

Book Character Dress Up Day

Mardi Gras is BIG deal in Louisiana. We even got a week break over the holiday! As a northerner, the culture surrounding Mardi Gras was fascinating. I knew I had to incorporate the holiday into the library in some way, and in the end, we came up with Book Character Dress Up day. Parades and costumes play a large role in Mardi Gras festivities, so dressing up in costume made complete sense, we just added a literary spin to the proceedings. On the Friday before Mardi Gras break, students (and staff) dressed up like their favorite book character. My first year I dressed up as Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, and in my second year, I dressed up as Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Seeing the kids embrace their favorite characters was so much fun! Of course, there were a ton of Katniss, Harry Potter, and Superhero costumes, but it was really fun to see the range of characters the kids chose. The White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia, Pinocchio and Horrid Henry come to mind as some of the more unique costumes seen.

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Mo Willems Author Study

                                              http://www.mowillems.com/

Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie, Knuffle Bunny… who doesn’t love Mo Willems? While still at the school in Louisiana, I conducted one of my all time favorite programs for Kindergartners through second graders: a Mo Willems author study. We read all the books by Mr. Willems in the library, discussed the characters, the storylines, the humor and the illustrations. We learned that Piggie, Elephant and Pigeon are all a bit dramatic (major understatement here), the characters like to talk to the reader, and Mr. Willems has a very distinct artistic style. The children recognized his books even if they didn’t know the characters (Amanda and her Alligator for example).

After reading and discussing his books, each class and I began our project. Kindergartners drew pictures of Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie, first graders came up with new ideas for Pigeon books or Elephant and Piggie books, and second graders wrote letters to Mr. Willems. This unit worked out perfectly as second graders were about to learn how to structure letters, and loved coming practicing their greetings and salutations.

At the completion of this unit, I gathered all their letters, drawings and story suggestions and mailed them to Mr. Willems. And he responded! He said he’d take some of the story ideas (Don’t Let Pigeon go to Disneyland and Don’t Let the Pigeon have a Donut) into consideration. He even sent the school a signed and illustrated poster.

The students loved reading their letter from Mr. Willems, and he definitely gained some life long fans. Combining elements of fun and curriculum made this one of my most successful school program so far.

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I’m back!

I’m back! Hopefully this blogging business will stick this time… back in Louisiana, I had so much going on figuring out my first professional role, a new school system and a new state! Now that I’m established in my current position, I think I’ll have more time to blog about my library experiences. That, and I find library blogs incredibly helpful when looking for program and storytime ideas. Hopefully I’ll be able to help others as well!

But first, a little background, and then I’ll dive right into the catch up posts.

I went to college in Milwaukee, WI at Marquette University and majored in Journalism and Writing Intensive English, with a minor in History. I had dreams of becoming the next Carrie Bradshaw, then one summer I started an internship at a local library. The job posting described the internship as a communications position, where I’d help advertise library programs, instead, I worked as a typical library volunteer-- shelving, holds lists, shelf reading etc-- and I loved it! Especially when I worked in the children’s area. Once I went back to college (actually, I went to England for my semester abroad), I began researching library programs and graduate schools, which led me to Boston, three weeks after finishing undergrad.

While at Simmons College in Boston, I earned my Masters degree in Library Science with a focus in Youth Services. While in school I worked part time at a local high school, where I implemented skills and best practices I learned in school. Unfortunately I did not find a job in the area once I finished my Masters degree in August 2011, so I moved back home to Minnesota for a few months and worked at Pottery Barn. While Pottery Barn is not exactly related to Libraries I did learn a lot about customer service and working with the public… and I scored some awesome furniture…

Anyway, shortly after moving to Minnesota, I was offered, and accepted a school librarian position in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. So off I went, to basically build a library in a small, private, trilingual school. This position offered all sorts of new and exciting challenges, being new (no policy, no budget), and trilingual. Over the course of my time there I weeded and then expanded the collection in French, Spanish, Chinese and English, and created programming for students in preschool through 12th grade. I learned so much about storytimes and programming in this position, and while I loved my students, I’m a northerner to my core and I could no longer handle the heat and humidity, so back to Minnesota I went.

Back in Minnesota I served as a Reading Tutor for Minnesota ReadingCorps, a statewide AmeriCorps program. I served in a charter school where the student population was mostly Hmong and Karen immigrants, and approximately 90% of student received free or reduced lunch. Watching these students was both heartbreaking (some were homeless) and inspiring (they were so excited about school and learning!). After my year of service, I started a position as Branch Librarian in a smallish library in eastern Minnesota, about 15 miles from Wisconsin. As Branch Librarian I do a bit of everything, programming, reference, maintenance, and relationship building with the community. I love that I get to do a bit of everything in this position. Catching up on my adult reading has been so much fun!

Now that we’re all up to date, I have a series of posts highlighting my favorite programs, books and events from past positions.