Read Kiddo Read

You may have heard of Jon Scieszka's initiative Guys Read (if not go to the site and see how he is trying to help motivate boys to read and provide book ideas and role models to guys of all ages) but did you know James Patterson has a reading website too?

It's called Read Kiddo Read ("dedicated to making kids readers for life")and he's got interviews, forums, a blog, and lists, lists, lists. Including a "trasitional readers" list for those in-between readers 6 & up!

I found out about this from a full-page ad in Entertainment Weekly with the banner headline, "OMG! My son is reading!"

Rebuses

If you ever have a patron come in and say, "You know, I want one of those books where they have pictures instead of words?"

They have a word for that! They are called Rebuses and that's exactly how you can search for them in the catalog: a word or keyword search for Rebuses and Juvenile. Using picture clues to help decipher meaning is a legitimate step on the road to reading, so don't let anyone tell you these books are "cheating."

They are in a couple of places:



The Ready-to-Read series has several TV tie in books in the Easy Reader section.



Shirley Neitzel has a little niche on the Easy Picture shelves with her books. They aren't a series with a continuing character, but each has the same cumulative-tale rebus format.

There are one or two others (Smoky has another ER series) but this should get you started! Here's a list from Allen County that may help you scrape a few more titles together. If you know of any other searches or titles that will help with this question, please chime in!

Up

Here's a nice article from the LA Times connecting the Pixar movie Up with children's literature.

Trickle Down Readonomics?

As I brace myself to finally read Twilight, here's a great blog post from Carlie Webber at Librarilly Blonde that takes on one of my concerns: What happens when a teen book becomes so popular that younger and younger girls (and boys) want to read it? Just because something grows more popular doesn't mean it grows more appropriate.

Carlie's responding to another blog post, What to Do, What to Do? over at Publishers Weekly. There's tons of great comments there, many from a bookseller point of view. How are things different for us in a library?

What do you do when the 8 and 9 and 10 year old girls ask you for Twilight? If they just want to be on the vampire or supernatural bandwagon, what could we possibly give them instead?

How Oliver Olson Changed...

...my mind about skinny chapter books.

I've been a little frustrated as I've read recent easy beginning readers, such as Mighty Monty, Uh-Oh Cleo, and Alvin Ho.

Many easy beginning readers follow a certain path: there's a young person who takes center stage, and each chapter shows us a different "chapter" of their life. So we see the karate lesson, the birthday party, the trip to the ER, and so forth.

I was starting feel like the characters were flat, the stories episodic, and the themes a little rote. I was worried that I was reading them with too much of a grown-up brain, and couldn't evaluate them fairly for 6-8 year old readers. After all, how much character, plot, and thematic development can you squeeze into a skinny book for a less than fluent reader? And what evaluative criteria should we use on such slender stories as a result?

Then I read How Oliver Olson Changed the World, from Colorado's own Claudia Mills.

Claudia Mills reminded me that thematic coherence, believable voices, generous humor, authentic character development, and real-life issues are all possible, even at 100 pages, tops. No, really! Read it and find out.

(Fuse liked it, too.)

Want to see her do all this in a picture book, too? Find Ziggy's Blue Ribbon Day.

Other great easy chapter books from Claudia Mills are 7 x 9 = Trouble and Being Teddy Roosevelt.

Catching Up with the Fuse 100

Sorry, I never got back to you with more links to the Top 100 Picture Books list over at Fuse #8.

Here is her final list, Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results #1-101 I'm still working slowly through all the posts, reading her comments.

This is a great list. Of course it's not definitive (what is?) but it's an interesting window into what books are valued by people active in the children's literature world.

Is there anything you would have put on this list that didn't make it?

Take a look at this follow-up list of ALL the titles that got nominated, whether they were on the final 100 list or not.

The Worst Review Ever

Here's a fun, brand-new blog that looks like it's going to be a great discussion starter! Alexa Young, YA author of Frenemies and Faketastic, is asking around for authors to respond to their lousy reviews...starting with her own!

I've read just a couple of the interviews so far, but it is making me think a little more deeply about the review process, which is cool.

The most recent post is about a review for Gentlemen, by Michael Northrop. Read through the comments till you get to LizB (who is very cool in her own right). She raises a really good point about what's the difference between a review and a recommendation:

People have been asking me the difference between reviews and recommendations/discussions. I think this illustrates it; this was a personal response, so falls into recommendation. By not looking beyond that (do "I" like it versus "does the book, as written, do what it intends to do"), it is not a "review." Do "I" relate to characters? Response. Are the characters realistic? Review -- because a character can be realistic, yet I don't relate to them/ like them.

Guys Read Display

As we gear up for summer reading, here's a cool display idea from the Downers Grove Public Library in the Chicago suburbs.

They are using stickers downloaded from GuysRead.com, Jon Scieszka's initiative to help keep boys motivated to read. If you haven't been by, check out the site--it has lots of great book recommendations for boys.

I know ALD has been standardizing the use of permanent spine stickers and cutting down on the usage of special collections, but wouldn't it be cool to do something like this temporarily?

At Koelbel there is a special display for Adult Summer Reading, on our New Fiction shelves. It's kind of like a staff picks, in that the books aren't necessarily new, just good reads. But instead of having a Staff Picks bookmark in them or sticky note on their covers, they all have a special sticker on their spines to keep them together, just for the summer.

I'd love to declare a "Guys Read" month at ALD...we could have Father and Son book programs, choose male authors for our regular book clubs, have male writers come and talk, and have special temporary sections in every branch full of books with the Guys Read stickers on their spines.

Sweet!

More Fuse #8 Top 100

Here's the next set of links for Fuse #8's Top 100 Picture Book poll. Any surprises? I'm really enjoying reading her commentaries.

Top 100 Picture Books #65-61
Top 100 Picture Books #60-56
Top 100 Picture books #55-51
Top 100 Picture Books #50-46
Top 100 Picture Books #45-41
Top 100 Picture Books #40-36

So Librarians Don't Read?

Over at Read Roger, there was a short conversation about his post She Has A Really Good Point and the School Library Journal Battle of the Books. I'm going to come back to the Battle of the Books idea soon, because we have plans to do a similar online promotion ourselves this summer, but for right now I wanted to quote an anonymous comment:

I also agree with Wolfson that there is something not-right in the world of kids' books. I wish there were a one-stop shop on the web for finding out about a wider range of books. I am speaking as a writer, but also as a reader and as the parent of readers. I find most of the librarians I know to be well-meaning, but useless. They only know about the very most highlighted books of the recent day. They seem tremendously burdened by other aspects of their jobs and they never seem to have read anything.

What do you think? Do you find most of the library staff you know to be useless at reader's advisory? There's no doubt we all can sometimes feel "burdened" by our many job duties. Do you feel that YOU are a pretty well-read library staff member? Can you lead patrons to more than the "most highlighted books of the recent day"?

How do you do this? Do you read books? Do you read reviews? Do you read Scoop's page on Tales' Treehouse?

The Fuse #8 Top 100 Picture Book Poll

Welcome to April! I'm a little surprised to be here, myself, since I apparently missed March completely. Many, many thanks to Alyson who posted throughout the month while I was consumed with helping get the After School @ your library program up and running at the May branch.

Now that we (kind of) know what we're doing over at May, I will be able to start posting again. The first thing I want to let you know about is the picture book poll that Betsy Bird has been taking for a month or two over at Fuse #8:

As many of you know I conducted a picture book poll. I asked my readers to send me their Top 10 Picture Books of All Time, to be rated and combined. Participants rated their preferences from 1 to 10, with their first choice getting 10 points, their second 9 points, etc. Then, throughout the month of March as the submissions rolled in, I calculated the results. I took into account where people ranked their favorites, what they wrote about them, etc. And at long last, we had our Top 100.

Betsy will be releasing the titles over the next few weeks, not just listing the titles, but talking about the books, citing reviews, quoting poll participants, and so forth. I think this series of posts will be an excellent way to round out our readers' advisory knowledge of these particular picture books & I encourage you all to check them out! I've listed the first few posts here, and will continue to link to them as they go up on her site.

Have fun! Post us with YOUR top ten!

Top 100 Picture Books, #100-91
Top 100 Picture Books, #90-86
Top 100 Picture Books, #85-81
Top 100 Picture Books, #80-76
Top 100 Picture Books, #75-71
Top 100 Picture Books, #70-66

I Spy More "I Spy" Books

Last week I had a patron and her son ask where the I Spy books were, so I showed them these books:



...which were the ones they were thinking of, so that's good. However, I also showed them a few other series they didn't know about, and they decided to take the new ones instead. So here's a quick list of some other search-and-find types of books in case your patrons need some fresh ideas, too.

Usborne "1001 Things to Spot" books
Shelved by author; a keyword search for "Usborne and spot" will find them all.
Each two-page spread has, around the perimeter, images of a number of particular things to look for, like "6 sharks" or "10 magic wands."



Spot 7
Under E Kidslabel.
In these books, you have to compare two pictures and spot 7 differences.



Look-Alikes
Under E Steiner.
The author uses everyday objects like paperclips, dollar bills, and crackers to create her pictures.



Where's Waldo?
Under E Handford.
The Grandaddy of Them All! Check your shelves; you may have gotten fresh copies in.



Can You See What I See?
Under E Wick.
An "I Spy" for the younger crowd.



Let's Find Pokemon!
Under E Aihara or E Pokemon; a title search for "Let's Find Pokemon" will get them all.



Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo have some I Spy books in the Easy Reader section, too. They are under ER Marzollo or ER Wick, a keyword search for "I spy and easy reader" will find them.

For younger kids who want to search, but find these other books a little hard, here are some titles that have worked out as I Spy books:

Faraway Farm, E Whybrow



Alphabet House, E Wallace



My Very First Word Book, E 428.1 WILKES



Last but not least, if you need to find this type of stuff, try a word/keyword search for "picture puzzles and juvenile."

More Reading Levels Help

We have several lists on Tales' Treehouse that may help:

Ready for Chapter Books
The lists here contain some of those "skinny books" that are in J but are just one step up from Magic Tree House or Cam Jansen. I checked several of them on the Scholastic Bookwizard, and they ranged from 3rd-4th grade reading level, with a 3rd-5th grade interest level.

Books by Grade Level
Check here for books for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, plus more.

Read the Books
This database has a new interface, so check it out if you haven't played with it in awhile. Remember you can select books by grade level. Each book is tagged with a range of levels (one book may be tagged as 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade) so a search for a particular grade is more flexible and less restrictive that it seems.

Also, parents always want their kids to be "challenged" but it's good for kids to read a lot on several different levels. If parents are stressed out and not sure if a book is on a good level for their child, remind them that a variety of types and kinds and levels of books is a benefit. Books that are "easy" for children to read give them a chance to practice their fluency skills, build their confidence, and identify themselves as readers...all good things.

Reading Levels Rescue

Frequently a parent will approach us and say, "My son is reading at level C, where are the books for him?" Or it's, "Level 10" or "Lexile 400." How do we have any clue where to start?

The first thing is to know that there's no national standard for leveling books. Different publishers and different curricula use different assessment tools, so patrons will come in using a variety of different terms and codes, depending on their school situation. I did however, find this chart, which offers a comparison from system to system and may help you start to get your bearings.

The next thing to know is that we use a completely different kind of assessment on our Easy Readers to select whether they get a green, red, or yellow dot than publishers and educators use on their books and their students, so it's really pretty fruitless for us to try to graph Green, Red, and Yellow onto the chart I just gave you!

If anyone asks, though, you can say that the Easy Reader section as a whole ranges from material that's appropriate for preschoolers through 2nd or 3rd graders, and that the color dots offer a rough guide as to beginning, practicing, and more fluent readers. The Junior Fiction section overall ranges from books written at a 2nd grade reading level through about a 6th grade reading level. Often the most practical thing to do with a parent is to walk with them to the Easy Reader section and try to find together books that look similar to what the student is reading at school.

One site that may offer you some more help is the Scholastic Bookwizard. Lori Romero mentions it in her article, "Making Sense of Beginning Reading Lingo."

On the Bookwizard, you can search for books in a few different ways. A Quick Search lets you enter a title and find out a suggested reading level for it. The BookAlike Search asks you to enter a title, then choose whether you'd like more books like that book that are easier, harder, or just the same reading level.

Finally, the Leveled Search is a more advanced search that lets you put in separate information for reading level and interest level, as well as type of book, genre, or topic. So you can look for books for that 2nd grader reading at a 6th grade level by entering 6th grade for reading level and 2nd grade for interest level.

What is potentially very helpful for parents is that you can select one of four reading level systems to frame your search in: Grade Level Equivalent (a decimal such as 2.4 or 5.1--publishers sometimes give this as a reading level on the back covers of paperbacks--2.4 means 2nd grade, 4th month), Lexile (often given as a range of 3 digit numbers, like 400-500), DRA (even numbers 2-80), or Guided Reading (a letter of the alphabet).

Two other tools you might be able to use are:
Accelerated Reader BookFinder (AR uses both a reading level and an interest level)
The Lexile Framework Book Search

Basic Readers' Advisory Class

Speaking of Readers' Advisory, there's a basic class for PSSs being offered March 5, taught by Eileen.

It's a great way to brush up on tools and resources on our website and in the online catalog!

Check with your supervisor if you'd like to attend.

Good Reads on Good Reads

I'm passing along the recent invitation from the Web Team to participate on Good Reads, the online book-based social networking site. You can take part in a couple of ways!

You can create your own account, and start building your library with books you've read, are reading, and want to read. You can use tags to create "shelves" to sort out your books--by genre, by who recommended it to you, by whether or not you own it, any categories you want. You can add stars and reviews to the books in your collection. You can comment on your friends' updates and they can comment on yours!

Then you can choose to "friend" the ALD Good Reads account. When you do this, all of your updates about books you've added or reviewed are posted on the ALD Friend page. Anyone can click on the ALD Good Reads page and see your updates...ta dah...online readers' advisory!

The other way to participate is to log into the ALD Good Reads account directly. (Check StaffNet for the username and password, or email me.) You can add books you've read to the ALD shelves. Anyone who is a friend of ALD Good Reads will then get those books and reviews as updates on their own Good Reads pages!

Lastly, there's a challenge for you to accept! Broaden your reading by creating some "outside the box" categories for yourself for 2009. Here's my challenge as an example: I'm trying to read at least one new author in several different genres. Some of the genres will be easy, because I really enjoy them, like Romance, or Historical Fiction. Other genres will be harder for me because I don't prefer to read them, like Chick Lit or Thriller/Suspense. But that's the whole point of the challenge, to make sure I'm reading widely so I can do a good job on the RA desk.

What categories would help you broaden your children's literature reading?

Happy Valentines Day!

Celebrate with an award winner: The Cybils were announced today!

"Cybils" is a loose acronym for "Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literature Awards." It was developed a few years ago to try to combine "kid appeal" AND literary quality in one award, so as you might expect, their finalists and winners don't always match those of awards like the Newbery, Printz, or National Book Awards. However, this year's Middle-Grade Fiction award goes to...The Graveyard Book!

I think it's a neat list to keep an eye on, in part because of all the categories: Easy Readers, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Fiction, Non-fiction Picture Books, Non-fiction: Middle Grade & Young Adult, Poetry, and Young Adult Fiction.

The Rainbow List

Right on the heels of the big ALA awards comes the announcement of the 2nd annual Rainbow List!

The Rainbow Project is a joint undertaking of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. The annual Rainbow List presents current well-written and/or well-illustrated books, with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age.

Check out the titles on the 2009 list here.

Uncle Bobby's Wedding is included in the picture book section, as expected, but I am most intrigued by 10,000 Dresses...which is a picture book about a transgendered child!

Stories about transgender individuals are rare enough for teens (or even adults) so a picture book is a real step forward for inclusive literature. Boulder Public Library has a couple of copies in process right now, so as soon as I can I will order it & have a look.

Take a look at the list--you'll be ready when someone asks for help with this topic.

The Rainbow List joins The Lambda Literary Awards as a way to formally recognize & celebrate LGBTQ literature. The Lambda Awards will be announced in May, and include a Children's/Young Adult category: check here for winners in all categories for the last few years.

Coraline

Neil Gaiman's movie Coraline was released yesterday! Coraline was also released as a graphic novel...anybody read both and want to comment?

As you know, Neil Gaiman just won the Newbery for his new title The Graveyard Book, so interest is probably going to be high for his stuff for awhile now.

His books have a creepy but literary vibe...what have you been recommending to kids and teens who want more? Did you know he even has a couple of picture books?

The director of the movie is the guy who did Nightmare Before Christmas. Would Corpse Bride work for the Coraline crowd, or not? Who's seen it?

How Not to Be A Great Reader's Advisor

Check out this blog post by Carlie Webber at Librarilly Blonde.

She's talking specifically about email RA--like when people ask their colleagues on a listserv for help with finding books for a patron, or when we get requests via services such our email reference. But the post also serves as a quick reminder of the types of questions we should be asking our walk-in or phone-in patrons when they need recommendations.

What are your favorite "fishing" questions that you use to find out more about the patron, or the patron's children, to help zone in on the books they might like? What bugs you about reader's advisory? What do you love about it?