Superhero Sweethearts at Action Figure Museum

Toy and Action Figure Museum

February 13 is Valentine’s Day at the Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley. Doors open at 10am and close at 5pm as usual, but on this day guests will be welcomed by a “Prom” like photo opportunity at the Gateway to Action Figure Heaven.

AFM Director, Lisa Driskill says “There will also be several of our famous scavenger hunts, which are always fun, but this time we will be looking for action figure sweethearts like Spiderman & Mary Jane Watson, Homer & Marge Simpson, even Daredevil & Elektra .”

Several professional artists will be on hand with materials and ideas to help young artists make Valentine cards. Just bring your imagination. That is what the Toy & Action Figure Museum is all about.

There will alsobe  trivia games for prizes throughout the day and a few lucky visitors will go home with a new Action Figure toy, an AFM T-shirt or maybe even an AFM Annual Membership pass.

Admission to the attraction is $6. Group rates and special tours can be arranged by calling 405/238-6300.

ALSC Online Education

Registration is now open for ALSC’s winter Online Education courses!  All five courses begin on Feb. 1 and last four to six weeks, depending on the course.  Course space is limited, so please register early to reserve your spot.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to liven up your library this winter!

Connecting with Tween Readers
Examine the developmental needs and abilities of children ages 10-12, and learn why children of this age group are particularly vulnerable to illiteracy.  Participants will discuss unique activities and programs (including the utilization of currently popular technologies) libraries can offer to keep children on the path to becoming lifelong readers. A primary focus of the course will be studying the literature available for tweens.  The instructor is Edward T. Sullivan.

View more information about Connecting with Tween Readers on the ALSC Web site.

Information Literacy – From Preschool to High School
Learn how to conduct information literacy instruction for children of all ages.  Participants will be encouraged to examine their local schools’ and state’s requirements pertaining to library skills, and to develop methods of using the library to complement those requirements.  The course will include examples of successful programs, and participants will also discuss ways that information literacy instruction can be a useful “outreach” tool.  The instructor is Maryann Mori, director of the Waukee (Iowa) Public Library.

View more information about Information Literacy – From Preschool to High School on the ALSC Web site.

The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future
Discuss the different aspects of the Newbery award, as well as the history of the medal and how it has changed over time.  Participants are given an opportunity to read, discuss and consider past and present Newbery winners with their colleagues from across the nation.  The instructor is Kathleen T. Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

View more information about The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future on the ALSC Web site.

Reading Instruction and Children’s Books***
This course focuses on the different methodologies for reading instruction and how to determine and interpret grade-level assigned books to effectively assist patrons.  Participants will then evaluate children’s materials for grade-level of reading and develop strategies for clearly communicating this system to parents and teachers.  The instructor is Katherine Todd, adjunct instructor at Manhattanville (N.Y.) College.

View more information about Reading Instruction and Children’s Books on the ALSC Web site.

***This course fills up extremely quickly; there will be a wait list once the course is full.

Series Programming for Elementary School Age
All kids love series books!  That’s why this course will teach participants how to add series clubs to the library in order to get children reading and using the library more. Using trivia, games, music and reading, children will come back for more each week. Series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House, Spiderwick, Fancy Nancy, Froggy, Curious George and American Girl will be discussed.  The instructor is Lisa M. Shaia, children’s librarian at Oliver Wolcott Public Library.

View more information about Series Programming for Elementary School Age on the ALSC Web site.

Courses are taught asynchronously using Moodle, an online learning community.  A certificate of completion will be sent to participants upon successful completion of the course.  Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Web site at www.ala.org/alsced.  Fees are $95 for personal ALSC members; $145 for personal ALA members; and $165 for non-members.

Questions?  Please contact ALSC Deputy Director Kirby Simmering at ksimmering AT ala DOT org or (312) 280-2164.

Texas Library Associaton Maverick

The Texas Library Association has inaugurated their first Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List.

“Together with YALSA’s annual Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, the Maverick list should serve as a valuable resource for all librarians seeking graphic novels that are both age-appropriate and high quality.”

The list is for grades from 6 – 8, 6 – 12,  9 – 12 and adult titles for young adults. Fiction, non-fiction and manga titles are included. Titles on the list must be published within 2 years prior to the list. The Maverick Reading List is meant to explore the variety of books currently available and encourage reading for pleasure. The books on the list can be published outside of the US but must be widely available.

President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities: Coming Up Taller Awards

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities

The Coming Up Taller Awards reward outstanding after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs for underserved children and youth.

Maximum award: $10,000.

Eligibility: programs initiated by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, universities, colleges, arts centers, community service organizations, schools, businesses, and eligible government entities.

Deadline: January 29, 2010.
http://www.pcah.gov/cut.htm

What? You expected turkey? So 17th century. New Moon opened last Friday. Some rushed to go see the movie this past weekend, some are waiting for a less packed theater. While others will wait for DVD. (I would argue that waiting to see Jacob sans shirt on a TV screen instead of a wide screen movie theater is just not right.)

No matter how you feel about the books or the movies, you’re going to see it. You know you are.

That’s not the true question though. The true question is: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

New Moon Jacob

By the second book I was deeply and madly in love with Jacob. Read Bartleville’s Public Library Blog post to see why. Team Edward fans can read a slightly dated EW post on the feud.

Still unsure? Take the quiz. Who needs nuance?

Program idea: New Moon Debate – have kids debate open mic style (spoken word, poetry, etc) on the side they choose. Teens can make buttons or bookmarks. Have a contest on the best bookmark. The winner get to have enough made to make available to patrons at the checkout desk.

PubYac and YALSA-BK had tons of great ideas. The celebration of the movies isn’t over. Eclipse will be released June 30, 2010.

See you at the theater.

Order of the Odd-Fish by James Kennedy

I’ve mentioned this fabulous book that I read before in a post. The book is Order of the Odd-Fish by James Kennedy. It is fabulous because it is a book made for the tweens and teens that love books that are just left of center.

The story focuses on Jo Larouche who when born was found with a note saying she was an “dangerous baby”. Of course, for thirteen years, absolutely nothing happens until the night of one of her Aunt’s famous costume parties.

The story kicks into high gear and stays there, traveling from Jo, to the newly self-appointed evil Ken Kiang, to Eldritch City, to roaches as butlers indignant that their party lifestyle is not being portrayed as outrageous enough in the local paper to the history of the All-Devouring Mother and the truly diabolical Belgium Prankster.

This book requires the reader to be able to keep up as  it moves at a steady clip. A fantasy that is set in a city, instead of the quiet countryside, there is no walking for miles and miles here. Once you start reading you will see why kids are eating this book up and going back for seconds, thirds and fourths.

But they are not passively digesting this work, they are regurgitating* the  images in their heads and scenes from the book into life. Kennedy has started an online gallery just for them to showcase what they’ve done.

*Cake of Regrugitating Fish

The fan art gallery can be whatever media the reader decides from costumes, masks, cakes, pictures, music, etc. Send submissions to kennedyjames [at] gmail [dot] com. He’ll help you figure out how to get your submissions to the gallery. The deadline is March 1, 2010. Read Kennedy’s post for more information.

Order of the Odd-Fish Fan Art Show

YALSA sent this grant information:

Clorox Clean Up Grant

Clorox Clean-Up, a product of the Clorox Company, has announced that its new Power A Bright Future program will award five grants of $10,000 each to local kids’ programs in hopes of enriching the lives of youth across the United States.
The program invites individuals to nominate local nonprofit youth programs for a Power A Bright Future grant by submitting a photo and short essay about the project. A panel of children’s advocates will review all submissions and select fifty finalists. From December 7 to January 17, 2010, the public will have the opportunity to vote online for their favorite finalist’s program. The final five will be announced by the end of January. Each winner will receive a $10,000 grant to help the project grow.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/cloroxcleanup

books

I had a goal this year to try and read 100 books. However, my goal did not take in account how to keep track of what I read. It is easy for me to finish a book and pick up another one without pause. And, what constituted “finishing” a book? There are several I started and could not finish for various reasons. Does reading 50 or more pages count, or do I have to read the entire book for it to count? So I’m back to the drawing board.

Here’s an idea for you, though. I know we just finished Teen Read Month for the teens, but what about the tweens?

Can your tweens out read you?

Challenge your tweens to try and read either more pages or books than you in a span of time. Meet with them and decide on rules that you both can agree, like how to keep track of what’s read, for how long and if will be there be prizes or bragging rights. This could be a great way for early Christmas giving as well. Have participants contribute a item of no more than $5.00, the winner gets the entire lot, or you can split the items up based on the number of pages/books read. They can keep the item, donate it or give it as a gift. Another idea is to have everyone contribute and the winner decides what local charity the items are donated. The winner gets their picture, name, charity and bragging rights placed in a public area for all to see.

D.E.A.R. Drop Everything and Read

April 12 is D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read). If you are planning ahead there are a few resources available for you.

About the D.E.A.R. Program, favorite D.E.A.R. books, and Resources

Read Write Think

Reading lessons and Reading log (PDF)from Read  Write Think

A list of children and YA book review blogs. Don’t see yours? Add your favorite in the comments!

yareads.com

Librarian Pirate Young Adult book reviews

5 Awesome YA Fans Young adult book reviews (video podcasts on YouTube)

YA Reads Young adult book reviews

Book Smugglers Young Adult book reviews (Take a look at the sites they read, scroll down, the list is on the left-hand side)

Book Wink Children’s booktalks (video podcast)

Reader Girlz Teen online book club

20xJenny Book recommendations for infants to teens

20 x Jenny

Shelf Check library comic strip

Nancy Keane Booktalks, book reviews and recommended reading for K – 12

Readers Read Children’s book reviews

Readers Read

Reading Sarah YA book reviews

YA Lit Upcoming YA books to be published

Teen Reads YA book reviews

Kids Reads Children’s book reviews

Education Oasis Children’s book reviews