Where Do YOU Like to Read At?

People read all over the place. It makes me happy to see people out and about glued to a book.

My daughter and I recently had lunch at Del Taco. We were there about a half hour. The entire time there were two men who were not together that had a book in hand. They were already there reading when we arrived and they were still reading when we left. They really never looked away from their books. I just had to take a picture of that. I would have been really embarrassed if they saw me taking the pictures, but they really never took their eyes off the books.

I usually read in bed or on the couch. Sometimes I'll take a book to the park, but I can't do that in the winter. Other than that, I really don't read in public places. I think I'm just too distracted by noise and people. I have to read when it's pretty quite.

Where is your favorite place to read? Are you an indoor or outdoor reader? Where is the strangest or coolest place you have ever read? 

Leave a comment and your name will be entered in a drawing to win a $20.00 gift card from Barnes & Noble that can be redeemed online and in stores. I will draw and announce a winner on Wednesday, February 4. 

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

This book is an enjoyable thin-quirky-clever novel. Lowry pays playful homage to classic works of literature in this funny "old-fashioned" parody. She does a great job of weaving the characters into each other's lives. 

Take a look inside.

"Dearest?"

"Yes, dearest?"

"Do you like our children?"

"Oh, no," Mrs. Willoughby said, using her gold-plated scissors to snip off a bit of yarn that had made a snarl. "I never have. Especially that tall one. What is his name again?"

A few paragraphs down...

"I have a plan, " Mr. Willoughby said, putting his paper down. He stroked one eyebrow in a satisfied way. "It's thoroughly despicable."

"Lovely," said his wife. "A plan for what?"

"To rid us of the children."

It's really not a book about killing--I promise. It's just a very fun read!

ALA Winners!

Newbery Medal The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Caldecott Medal The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes

Early this morning I watched a live webcast as the ALA announced the winners for the 2009 ALAC awards. Here is a link for a list of the winners. 

You can also check out the individual award pages for more information.

Favorites From a Newbery Judge

Brigham Young University's education professor, Michael O. Tunnell, is a member of the ALA's 2009 Newbery Medal selection committee. He served on the committee once before in 1991. 

He read hundreds of books last year for his assignment as a committee member. I wanted to share part of an article that just came out today. I would link you to it, except it's not online yet. So here's a bit of what he said, as written by Amanda Lewis.  When asked what he's looking for, he answered:

"You've got to have a good strong plot on which to hang character development, on which to hang your beautiful language. It's the tree on which you hang the other ornaments. And I think we're not getting that as consistently as we used to." He went on to say, "There's a storytelling tradition-and it's gone back to the beginning of time-that I would argue is fundamental. It's never changed, and I think the crux of a good story will never change."

He has said that while some books were disappointing, he found others that are excellent. Some of his favorites from 2008 include:

Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

When the Sergeant Came Marching Home by Don Lemna

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

Here is a link to a list of children's literature recommendations compiled by Michael Tunnell and James S. Jacobs, another education professor at BYU. Book List

What a Wonderful School Project!

One of our local high school's creative writing class paired up with some kindergarten students from a near by elementary school for a book project. 

The high school students met with the kindergarten students they were paired up with. They interviewed them-asking questions about their interests, things they liked and disliked, etc. The teens took the information and wrote and illustrated a children's book for each student. They personalized each book by having the child be the main character in the adventure. 

On the day the books were presented, each author read his or her story to their young partner. Some stories were chosen to be read aloud by the authors to the entire class. Some of the books had titles such as, "Carter Versus the Evil Broccoli Man," "Ashley's Day at the Zoo," and "Savanna's Crazy Dream." Later the teacher decided to read all of the books aloud to the class. 

This project was very positive for both sides involved. The recipients were delighted to receive a book with illustrations starring themselves. The authors, although the work was hard, said that they loved it and would do it again. One senior wrote a book titled, "Sarah Saves Happiness," and figured that he spent about eight to 10 hours working on it. About the project he said, "The best part was seeing how happy all the kids were."

Little Skink's Tail by Janet Halfmann

To escape from a hungry crow, Little Skink snaps off her bright blue lizard tail. Now, although she is gratefully alive, she misses her tail. Seeing all the animals that live around her, Little Skink wonders what it would be like to have each of their tails. She visualizes her tail's new look on each page of the book. 

"A porcupine's tail: "Too stickly-prickly," she said. An owl's tail: "A lizard with feathers?" she exclaimed. "I don't think so!"

Of course, none of the tails were right for her. While realizing this, she is on a sunny rock and sees her shadow. Guess what? Her shadow had a tail. The book ends with her seeing a bright blue tail that grew back on her.

This is a colorful picture book that not only will be exciting for children to see and read, but it will inform them about different animals. This book would go very well with a science curriculum on this subject. 

After the story ends, there are a few pages of informative activities. "For Creative Minds" is an educational section that may be photocopied or downloaded. There is a footprint map activity with questions, a map grid, as well as a trail matching activity. As a parent and a teacher I appreciate the scientific accuracy as well as the enjoyment factor these offer. My daughter loved doing the "For Creative Minds" section after I read her the book. 

There are additional resources available on their website www.SylvanDellPublishing.com. I was able to quickly go there, choose the book, look up related websites, click on one about deer tails, and see pictures of real deer with information. They also offer English and Spanish audio readings online for free, as well as many other free services. 

I definitely recommend this award winning book!

Save Money--Visit the Library

Katie Couric did a report for one of her "Notebook" segments on CBS News about how, 

"Americans are saving money, and keeping the looming recession at bay, by going to their local libraries to rent books, CD's, and DVD's"

It was reported that borrowing is up 35% in Chicago and 16% in New York from last year. However, bookstore sales are down. Barnes & Noble lost 18 million dollars in the third quarter.

ALA President Jim Rettig said, "During tough economic times, people turn to libraries for their incredible array of free resources, from computers to books, DVD's and CDs, for help with job hunt or health information. The average annual cost to the taxpayer for access to this wide range of resources is about $31, the cost of one hardcover book. In good times or bad, libraries are a great value!"

Yes, libraries are a great value, but there are still so many people out there that just don't take advantage of them.  ALA reports that only two-thirds of us have library cards. Do you have yours?

A former librarian, and current first lady (though not for long), Laura Bush, stated that libraries are "community treasure chests loaded with a wealth of information."

I know that I get a lot of use out of my public library, which in turn saves me a lot of money.