April 15, 2008
"Once Upon a Time"...
...the phrase holds the promise of adventure, enchantment, opulence!
Fairy tales are not the rite of passage they were as recently as a generation ago. A group of teachers with whom I worked last month indicated they had a passing awareness of fairy tale characters, but just barely.
And they were surprised by the realization.
No one (that we know of) decided to steer away from fairy tales; it just sort of happened. And it's time to steer back! Fairy tales and nursery rhymes are rich in language, drama and imagination. They have been part of our cultural heritage for hundreds of years and continue to offer the substance (verbal and visual) that hook kids on books. With a new generation of illustrators interpreting these tales, it is time to revisit Once Upon a Time.
See our display in the Children's Room this month. Share your favorite tales with your favorite children. Rediscover the magic!
Posted by Linda at 02:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 14, 2008
National Children's Book Award Winners Announced
At a big press conference in Philadelphia, this year's children's national book award winners were announced. For your reading pleasure, here are the winners!
The Newbery Award, for excellence in literature, was awarded to Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz. This is a collection of monologues or poems set in a medieval village. A quick read with bright illustrations, it's suitable for third to seventh graders.
Honor titles were awarded to: Elijah of Buxton, The Wednesday Wars, and Feathers.
The Caldecott Award, for excellence in illustration, was awarded to The Invention of Hugo Cabret. A huge tome, this story mixes illustrations and words to excellent effect. It takes place in Paris and tells the story of a clock worker boy and a fascinating puzzle.
Honor awards were given to: Henry's Freedom Box, First the Egg, The Wall, and Knuffle Bunny Too.
The Printz Award, for excellence in young adult literature, was awarded to White Darkness. White Darkness takes a young girl on an Antarctic journey with her uncle who dreams of discovering the center of the earth.
Honor awards were given to: Dreamquake, One Whole and Perfect Day, Repossessed, and Your Own Sylvia.
Here are the results from other awards announced at the press conference.
The Sibert informational Award was given to The Wall. Honor Awards were given to The Lightship, and Nic BIshop's Spiders.
The Geisel Award for excellence in beginning readers was given to There Is a Bird on My Head. Honor titles were: First the Egg, Hello Bumblebee Bat, Jazz Baby, and Vulture View.
For fun, the Carnegie Medal for children's movies was given to Jump In Freestyle Edition.
Posted by Caitlin at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2007
Gift Giving List
The Children's Room 2007 Ideas for Gift Giving list is now available for your perusal. We've included on our list picture books, easy readers and intermediate fiction, chapter books, and books for young adults. Take a copy from our website or stop by the Library to pick up a paper copy for use in shopping this season. What better gift than a book for your favorite young person!
Posted by Caitlin at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2007
Annual Gift Giving List
The Children's Room staff is busy creating our annotated booklist of the best books published in the past year. The list will be available at the Children's Desk and on our website starting on November 26th.
The list will include titles for all ages, from board books to pop-up titles to exciting titles for older readers.
Posted by joan at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2006
The End???
Have you read The End, the thirteenth book by Lemony Snicket? What do you think? Personally I was left a wee bit dissatisfied. I thought the author left too many threads hanging. Can we say Sugar Bowl? (If you know what I mean, you know what I mean, and if you don't, you haven't read the 12th book yet, which I cannot help). Anyway, I invite your comments. Can't wait to see what others readers are pondering.
Posted by Caitlin at 03:30 PM | Comments (1)
June 13, 2006
Summer Reading
Summer Reading is upon us! Here's what I know:
Middlesex Summer Reading can be found online here. The list is very different from last year and the general idea is to read 3 from the list, and then follow the directions on the Middlesex website. More questions? Ask your teacher.
Darien Public Elementary Reading can be found at:
Grades K-1
Grades 2-3
Grades 4-5
There is also a cover letter and further tips, which may be available on your school's website. All titles are available at the Library, and NUTMEG BOOKS also may be read.
Darien High School summer reading may be found online here.
New Canaan Country Day is online here.
Pear Tree Point School Lists are not online, but they are available at the Library.
Stamford Public Schools reading is online here.
Have fun summer reading!
Posted by Caitlin at 06:41 PM
May 11, 2006
The Librarians Have Entered the Building
I'm looking across the room at a half empty table where books from our recent Darien Library school visits used to sit. Now, many of them are at your houses! We hope you are enjoying them, especially all my favorites.
Right at this minute, my favorites are:
The Silly Book by Stoo Hample (Come on, who doesn't like to sing "London Bridge's falling UP, falling UP, falling UP"?)
Babymouse by Jennifer Holm (She's pink, she's a mouse, she's a modern day superhero girl. One of her favorite things to say is, "Where's the Adventure? Where's the Glamour? Where's the Excitement." Words for our time.
But I may change my mind and have a different favorite tomorrow, all of which you can see at http://www.darienlibrary.org/children/Goodreads/booktalk06.php
Posted by Caitlin at 05:49 PM
April 26, 2006
A+ at the Library
It's definitely the time of the year when paper doesn't just mean an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of looseleaf. From 3rd graders with state reports to high school students with history term papers, those whopper homework assignments are in the air. Here are a few librarian-tested resources to give your paper that A+ feel.
State reports
Our favorite series of state books is America the Beautiful. They are colorful, full of facts, and even have a great section on famous people from each state.
If you want to use online resources for your state report, let me recommend CultureGrams database. A colorful, kid-friendly interface includes maps, state flags, and even recipes. You'll need your Library card from home.
Animal Assignments
My absolute first stop when helping with an animal assignment is the International Wildlife Encyclopedia in our reference area. It has brief, useful articles on most animals, and includes a great sidebar with a map of their habitat, their weight, size, lifespan and other needed facts. Result: A+ animals!
Inventors
Inventors are difficult, because often little is known or written about them. Using a recent "actual" question about the inventor of superglue, here are the resources I found most useful:
Book
Eureka! in the Children's Reference area. We have several other good invention sources in the reference.
Database
Believe it or not, I'm going to have to cast my vote for the good ol' New York Times. We found a nice article about the inventor using our Proquest Database. See the whole list of databases here.
Website:
Invent Now - National Inventors Hall of Fame had a nice biography of Harry Coover, inventor of superglue, with a decent amount of info.
Good luck with those assignments - only a month or two left!
Posted by Caitlin at 01:23 PM
December 06, 2005
How to Read the Chronicles of Narnia Properly
You may have noticed there is a difference between old and new copies of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In older versions, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is first; the new paperbacks begin with The Magician's Nephew. So what's going on?
There are two different ways to read the Narnia books (my way, and the wrong way!) The present, revised order refers to the chronological order within the books themselves. The original CORRECT! order is the order in which the books were written.
In my humble (ahem!) opinion (and the opinion of the people making The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe MOVIE, evidently), one should read the books in the following order:
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
2. Prince Caspian(1951)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
4. The Silver Chair (1953)
5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
6. The Magicians Nephew(1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)
There is better dramatic pacing this way, and the series will make more sense to young readers. But, however you choose, read them. They are wonderful examples of fantasy that have delighted children and adults for over 50 years.
Posted by Caitlin at 03:12 PM
November 26, 2005
Ideas for Gift Giving
Shopping. Some of us can't wait for that crisp winter air that means sales, giftgiving, and smiles (we hope!). Others just want to get the job done. The good news for everyone is that the Children's Room presents its annual Ideas for Gift Giving list that should help you polish off reading gifts for preschoolers, middle readers, and teens. Composed almost entirely of new titles, the list celebrates some of the stars of this year's publishing for children, and I encourage you to take a peek.
Posted by Caitlin at 12:01 PM
November 08, 2005
Chasing Down Good Mysteries
I've had the pleasure of reading two excellent mysteries this fall, which I'm happy to share with my fellow mystery lovers, children and adults.
Shakespeare's Secret has a wonderful literary flavor, and stars a young girl named Hero who searches for a diamond hidden in her new house. The author, Elise Broach, lives in Connecticut.
Down the Rabbit Hole is a dramatic mystery... literally. While acting in an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid investigates the cast for their involvement in a recent murder.
Check them out soon!
Posted by Caitlin at 02:12 PM