August 2002

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Events for Children's Librarians

• Thurs., Sept. 12, 2002 ACL Meeting, 9:00a.m., Oakland Public Libr.
• Thurs., Oct. 10, 2002 ACL Meeting, 9:00a.m.
• Oct. 10 & 20, 2002 Calif. Indian Story-Telling Festival, San Leandro PL
• Nov. 15-18, 2002 Calif. Library Asso., Sacramento, www.cla-net.org

Esphyr Slobodkina, Dead at 93:

The author and illustrator of Caps for Sale and many other classics of children's literature died in July at her home in New York. She was 93 years of age. First published in 1938, Caps for Sale is still a best-seller. Many adults remember hearing the story read by Captain Kangaroo on his television program. She was also a founding member of American Abstract Artists, and her paintings are in many museums. She was born in Siberia and moved to the United States when she was 20. She entered the world of children's books through Margaret Wise Brown, for whom she illustrated several books including The Little Fireman and Sleepy ABC.

2002 California Young Reader Medal:

The 2002 California Young Reader Medal winners have been announced:

Primary: Hooway for Wodney Wat! By Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.
Intermediate: The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman.
Middle School/Junior High: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.
Young Adult: Bad by Jean Harris.
Picture Book for Older Readers: Westlandia by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.

The California Young Reader Medal is presented by the California Library Association. The books are nominated by librarians, but voted on by students in schools where the books are read as part of class projects.

Frank Remkiewicz Exhibit: Frank Remkiewicz, the illustrator of Jonathan London;s "Froggy" series as well as several other picture books, has a traveling exhibit available. The collection of original illustrations,preliminary drawings, dummies, and mockups cover a wide range of the book-making process. The 40 pieces are available for 5 week periods for $800. Contact curator Sylvis Nissley at 941-922-3648 for more information.

Lewis Carroll Photos on Display: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is hosting a display of the photographs of "Alice in Wonder" author Lewis Carroll. "Dreaming in Pictures: The Photography of Lewis Carroll" features 76 photos through Nov. 10. Call 415-357-4000 or see www.sfmoma.org for hours, address, etc.

"Harry Potter" Challenged Again: The Pampa School District (Texas) received a petition signed by 750 parents protesting the use of the "Harry Potter" books in the classroom. The school board decided to keep the series in school. Sue Scothorn was the parent who led the petition drive, stating "It's a subtle introduction to witchcraft for children and all 19 points of witchcraft are contained in these books." Okay, I'll bite, what are the 19 points of witchcraft?

SPECIAL MUSIC FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Malladi, Shanti. FIGURE 8 SUITE FOR A FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME. Words and Music by Lori and R.J. CD $23.98, 2002. www.kidsgroove.com

Shanti Malladi is an occupational therapist who specializes in helping autistic children and other children with special needs. This CD is specially designed for therapists, teachers, and parents working with autistic youngsters, with music and instruction specifically researched and designed to help these children achieve brain growth and new motor skills.
Malladi is on the board of the American Pediatric Therapy Association, and works as a therapist with the Fremont Unified School District. She has worked at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, and in India and Nigeria.
Music has been used for physical therapy with children for some time, but this CD is unique in that it is specifically designed for use with a set of exercises that build upon one another to reach a goal. The Figure 8, or Infinity Pattern, gets autistic children to cross the midline, which some have great difficulty in doing. The music with the exercise gets them to focus and achieve this goal.

Malladi and Lori and R.J. of Cotton Candy Express worked for 8 months on this project, field testing all the music in physical therapy situations so that it is tailored to best meet the therapy goals. These include vestibular control (control of posture), balance, increase in eye contact, tactile senses, sensory integration, and motivating children to use both hemispheres of the brain. Three different segments, in different musical styles including Doo-Wop and Country, contain a complete workout. The music is enjoyable for both the parent and the child.

The CD features a spoken introduction by Malladi, and the musical portion features verbal instruction by Lori and R.J., similar to a dance instruction or exercise instruction recordings. Parents can use this with their special needs kids, including children diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, learning disabilities, as well as autism. Even wheelchair users can replicate most of the movements. The instructions are easy to follow and the music really inspires movement.

Books of Interest to Children's Librarians

Paley, Vivian Gussin. IN MRS. TULLY'S ROOM: A CHILDCARE PORTRAIT. Harvard Univ. Press, 2001. $19.95. ISBN 0-674-00632-1.

Those librarians who conduct toddler and lapsit storytimes will really appreciate this look at an innovative school in Chicago. Paley, a specialist in early education, has written several other books, including White Teacher, The Kindness of Children, and Wally's Stories. They all document her experiences as a Kindergarten teacher, where she involved children in telling their own stories.

Paley also advocates for more creative teaching techniques, like the elimination of the "time out" chair when it was concluded it did not change a child's behavior. In "Mrs. Tully," Paley talks about a private preschool, run by a teacher in Chicago, who offers her students a loving, secure environment. As is the case in many urban preschools, the students come from all types of backgrounds: one boy is a Russian immigrant, a girl is originally from India and shy about speaking, several students are African-American (as is Mrs. Tully), several come from European or Latino American families. Mrs. Tully's husband, a 5th grade teacher who is white, is also an active participant in the school.

Tully has used the same storytelling techniques that Paley has written about in her previous book, and in this book, we can see how they work and how beneficial they are. Even two year olds can get up and tell and act out stories. Most are very personal, involving their parents, pets, siblings, classmates, and immediate environment. Many are symbolic: a very shy girl, Allegra, talks about the girl no one noticed. Thea, a class leader, helps the others who are too shy to tell their own stories.

How can we apply this to our library storytimes? Certainly, we can have our small listeners help tell stories by acting them out, like we do with the classic "The Enormous Turnip." The only variation is that we may need to use much briefer stories for our two-year-olds. Or, as Mrs. Tully does, we could have our listeners tell their own stories - they are usually a minute in length, according to the experiences described by Tully and Paley.

Even if you don't end up having your toddler audience tell stories, you will find this book an inspiration. We all know how valuable our work is to our students, but it is nice to hear it in books like this that verify our feelings.

Read-alongs: Book and Cassette
Duos for Kids

Many long-time children's librarians know the importance of the picture book and cassette readalongs. It helps the emergent reader get confidence and enjoy books, even when there is no adult around to help. In fact, when I was a kid, I had books with 45 records! Currently, children who speak English as a second language are one of the biggest audiences for these book and cassette packages. Several elements go into making a really good readalong: good plot, pleasant illustrations, a capable narrator, sound effects when appropriate, and ease of use (can children figure out where to start, and when to turn the page?). Here are some new releases in the readalong format:

Numeroff, Laura. If You Take A Mouse To The Movies, illustrated by Felicia Bond. HarperFestival, 2001. Cassette and small hardbound book: $11.95, ISBN 0-694-70105-X.

One of the more unusual readalongs, this features the talents of Jason Alexander, better know as "George Constanza" from the television show "Seinfeld." On side one of the cassette, Alexander reads the accompanying picture book in an energetic but straightforward manner. There are no page turning signals on the first side of the cassette. Then, two new songs are included. The first is an adaptation of the "Twelve Days of Christmas," with the mouse giving different things, like a chocolate chip cookie or "Five boxer shorts." The other is an adaptation of several classic carols, including "O Christmas Tree" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," but with original, humorous lyrics. Performed by the a cappella singing group, The Fezziwigs, men and women who are very accomplished and add a lot of humor, these carol spoofs are very engaging. Too bad the lyrics weren't included so kids could sing along.
The book that comes with the cassette is a small, hardbound version of the original picture book, not a paperback. The miniature size doesn't diminish the book in anyway. Bond's illustrations are very charming, showing the mouse and her boy at home, putting up a Christmas tree, and playing in the snow.
Side two of the cassette features Alexander reading the story with page turning signals that sound like chimes. This package would make a very nice gift, as well as working as a readalong in a library setting. Alexander's reading and commentary, the popular Mouse character from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, and the songs and performance by The Fezziwigs, makes this a very entertaining package.

Hoff, Syd. Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp, illustrated by Syd Hoff. HarperChildren's Audio, 2001. Cassette and paperback: $8.95. ISBN 0-694-70110-6.

Danny and his popular Dinosaur are back in this pleasant story, which is shorter than the original. The story involves Danny and his dinosaur going to summer camp, where they race, row, hike, and toast marshmallows. The paperback book that is included features Hoff's signature, cartoon illustrations in full color.
Here, the accompanying audiotape is narrated by Charles Mintz in an engaging style. As is customary, one side features a "chime" sound to let the reader know when he should turn the page, and the other side features the narration without any page-turning signal. Both sides feature electronically-produced music, which doesn't really add anything except noise. However, overall I think this is useful and enjoyable, since Danny and the Dinosaur are such well-liked characters.

Capucilli, Alyssa Satin. Bathtime for Biscuit, illustrated by Pat Schories. HarperChildren's Audio. Cassette and paperback: $8.95. ISBN 0-06-444299-3.

"Biscuit" stars in this pre-reader, a very brief easy reader with lots of repetition. Biscuit the puppy runs out of the bath to chase neighbor scotty dog Puddles. Lots of "Woof!" and "Bow Wow!" will make this a book even a preschooler can try to read. But it has a few drawbacks. The colored pencil illustrations have a greeting card look, and the story isn't very original.
The readalong cassette has some problems as well. The female narrator is a little too sweet, almost with a "baby talk" kind of voice. And the electronic background music is annoying. One side of the cassette has the page turning signal, and the other doesn't, but overall, I don't know if this will really engage children.

Rey, H.A. and Margret. Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory, illustrated by Vipah Interactive. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Cassette and paperback: $9.95. ISBN 0-618-21618-9.

In both text and illustration, this George is in the spirit of the original books by H.A. and Margret Rey. The full color illustrations have a lot of white space, with black-outlined watercolors. The story involves George and the man in the yellow hat, who visit a chocolate factory. George strays from the tour, and before you can say "Lucy and Ethel," George tries to box up an increasing in speed conveyor belt of candies.
The narration is clear and distinctive, by a male voice, and the background music is equally professional, with a variety of instruments. A saxophone is the main standout. The page-turning signal sounds like a xylophone; and there are no page turning signals on side two of the cassette. Both the story, illustrations, and the audio adaptation will appeal to Curious George fans.

Yee, Wong Herbert. Fireman Small, illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Cassette and paperback: $9.95. ISBN 00-618-21619-7.

Fireman Small saves a kitten up a tree, a bunny down a well, and puts out a fire at a bakery in this rhyming story. Fireman Small works alone, but young preschoolers will enjoy both the rhyme and his firetruck. The watercolor illustration and text are very pleasant, but not especially memorable.
The narration, by a male announcer, is capable, but the electronic background music is annoying. One side of the cassette features a page-turning signal that is a little like a siren, and the other side has the narration without any page turning signal. This will be especially popular with kids who like stories about fire-fighters.

Penny Peck,
San Leandro Public Library