BayNews June 2003

NEWS AND NOTES

BAYA Program with Kathryn Reiss:

BAYA, the Bay Area Young Adult Librarians, will present their annual author symposium on Tuesday, July 22, 2003, 11am, at the Mill Valley Public Library. Guest speaker is author Kathryn Reiss (Paint by Magic, Time Windows, and others). Teens admitted free; others $15. Go to www.baya.org for more information.

GLBT Teen Author Symposium:

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Teen Author Symposium will be held on Sunday, July 13, 2003, 2:00-4:30pm at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St. Speakers scheduled to attend include Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys, Sara Ryan, author of Empress of the World, and Marilyn Reynolds, author of Love Rules. Books will be available for purchase and autographing.

Gryphon Award:

The Center for Children's Books at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the Univ. of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, has established the Gryphon Award for children's literature. The $1,000 prize will be given annually to the author of a children's book, in English, for grades K-4, as a way to focus attention on the need for transitional reading books. The first recipient will be announced in Spring 2004.

HARRY POTTER PARTY

Recently, Lin Look, of the Contra Costa County Public Library system, posted this collection of "Do It Yourself" programming ideas, perfect for a "Harry Potter" style library program, to the PUBYAC listserv. With the fifth "Harry Potter" book due on June 21st, many libraries are planning summer activities relating to the boy wizard. Here are some of the suggestions Lin received from the listserv users:

1. "On the Kids Domain website I found a cute trio of projects: a wizard pencil box and broom and wand pencils. I would be tempted to do the pencils as brooms and use pens for the wands with colored ink. The pencil box looks like a book - they gave it the title Caring for Enchanted Objects. The brooms are just a tuft of raffia tied onto the end of a pencil with star garland or another strip of raffia and the wand just had a tuft of star garland on the end (to look like flying sparks). The pencil box was just wrapped in construction paper or something a little stiffer so that it would stick out a bit like a cover and lines were drawn on the edges to look like pages. How about making one of those cup and ball games with your snitches? Depending on how old your kids are you can make it hard or easy by changing the size of the cup, it is really hard to catch the ball on a cup just about the same size as your ball. If you have a hand shaped diecut you could even have the kids wrap a pair of hands around the cup so it would look like the seeker had caught it."

3. "If you're still looking for craft ideas, I have one for you: Witches' and Wizards' hats. If you have money to spend, you could buy plain-colored cone party hats (try www.orientaltrading.com). If your budget is tight, you can make the hats out of construction paper or cardstock. Have your young muggles decorate the hats with crayons, markers, stickers, die cuts, etc. If you really want to get fancy, you could attach curling ribbon to the top of each hat. Punch holes in the sides and tie yarn or string through them to keep the hat on your head."

4. "Make a wand and eat it up? Each child takes a large pretzel rod onto their paper plate. Cover the pretzel rod with canned icing of any flavor.
Shake different types of sprinkles onto the icing (moon, stars and other magical shapes are available). Admire wand and then eat it before leaving table and moving to another station. Please have water nearby for those who get thirsty. You might also have another table serving "butter beer" which is apple cider with caramel topping swirled into it."

5. "Sparkling snakes? Precut spirals using Ellison die, or find a spiral snake pattern available in many paper craft books. You can cut them from oak tag paper or fun foam. Each spiral snake needs to hang from a string through a hole in the snake's head (the middle of the spiral). Markers may be used to design the snake and put on an eye. Cover the top side of the snake with glue wherever you would like
glitter to stick. Then place the snake into a box top (to control the mess) and shake glitter onto the glued areas. Shake off the extra glitter and admire your sparkling snake."

7. "What we did at our Harry Potter party is make little drawstring bags to hold Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (known in the Muggle world as Jelly Bellies). I purchased some fabric that was purple with gold stars and cut it into circles (about the size of a dinner plate) with pinking shears. I then made pairs of little slits about every three inches or so around the circle, about an inch and a half from the edge. I also purchased stretchy gold cord and precut it into 1-foot lengths. At the party, the kids threaded the cord through the slits and drew it up into a drawstring bag, then tied the cord in a bow. I had made up little packs of about 20 Jelly Bellies wrapped in Saran Wrap and tied with curling ribbon and gave each of them one to put in their bag. My daughter still has hers and keeps different things in it."

8. "You can make parchment paper for scrolls. Take a piece of paper (I think they said preferably onion skinned but can't remember). Tear strips off the edges to give it that jagged look, crumple it into a ball then smooth out. Next, rub with a sponge that has been dipped in a coffee & water solution, this will darken it. We then toasted them in a toaster oven, about 30 seconds to a minute, with a supervisor doing the toasting and watching to make sure they don't burn (if you are worried about fire hazard then you can always try a hairdryer, although I don't know if it will give it that aged, brown crispiness!) Finally, roll them into a scroll and tie with a ribbon. The kids loved them! Also, you can make wizard hats. We made silk hats here by covering card stock stapled into hat form with cheap silk that we sponged stars and moons on, but for my son's B-Day we did a less time consuming version by buying black and deep blue posterboard, prestapling them into hat cones, then decorating them with metallic markers (really cool look!) and different colored and shaped foil stars. Have fun."

The Golden Kite Awards, given by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, announced their annual Golden Kite Awards this Spring. The awards are given to works published in 2002.
Fiction: JaQra Placide for Fresh Girl, Random House.
Nonfiction: Elizabeth Partridge for This Land Was Made For You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie, Viking.

Picture Book Text: Sarah Wilson for George Hogglesberry, Grade School Alien, Tricycle Press, illustrated by Chad Cameron.

Picture Book Illustration: Marla Frazee for Mrs. Biddlebox, HarperCollins, written by Linda Smith.
Honor Fiction: Jessie Haas for Shaper, Greenwillow.
Honor Nonfiction: Beverly Gherman for Ansel Adams: America's Photographer, Little Brown.
Honor Picture Book Text: Sarah Wilson for Sophia the Alchemist's Dog, Atheneum.
Honor Picture Book Illustration: Ponder Goembel for Sailor Moo, Cow at Sea, Atheneum.

Best General Fiction: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot, HarperCollins.
Best Historical Fiction: The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac, Dial.
Best Humor: The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky Press.
Best Adventure: Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye, Putnam.
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements, Philomel.
Best Mystery/Horror: Beware! R. L. Stine Picks His Favorite Scary Stories by R.L. Stine, Scholastic.
Best Hands-on: The Only Coloring, Puzzle, Game, Dot-to-Dot Activity Book You'll Ever Need! by the Editors of Klutz, Klutz Inc.
Best Entertainment/Biography: Disney: The Ultimate Visual Guide by Russell Schroeder, DK.
Best Book of 2002: The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky.
Best Book of All Time: "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling.

Special Anniversary Editions of Old Favorites

Steig, William. Yellow & Pink. Illus. by William Steig. FSG, 1984, 2003, $10.00, ISBN 0-374-38671-4.
On the surface, this story about two wooden dolls, one pink and one yellow, seems to be over the heads of the picture book audience. Like characters in "Waiting for Godot," the two dolls debate their existence - did they evolve, or were they made by something bigger than themselves? But for younger children, the story seems much simpler - how did I get here? This 20th anniversary release keeps the same format and palette: the simple pen and ink, with pink and yellow highlights. Who is the audience for this book? I'm still not sure, but libraries needing replacement copies will want to get this.

Lobel, Arnold. The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose. Knopf, 1986, 2003, &19.95, ISBN 0-679-88736-9.
First issued under the title The Random House Book of Mother Goose, only the title has been revised to celebrate the late author/illustrator, best know for the "Frog and Toad" easy readers. More than 300 rhymes are illustrated with Lobel's full color, energetic paintings. Often, the settings, costumes, and characters look as if they live in Victorian England, which suits the rhymes. A classic collection.

Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. Illus. by James Ransome. Knopf, 1993, $15.95. ISBN 0-679-82311-5.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, "Sweet Clara" is a young field hand who gets transferred to the main house because of her skill as a seamstress. She makes a map disguised as a patchwork quilt, that helps many slaves escape to the North, including herself and Young Jack. Very popular with 5th grade social studies teachers, this longer picture book for older readers smoothly tells this true story. This anniversary edition is the same as the original, no changes in text or illustration, but libraries may want to purchase it to replace lost or worn copies of this popular title.

Carlson, Nancy. Loudmouth George and the Sixth-Grade Bully. Illus. by Nancy Carlson. Carolrhoda, 1983, 2003, 15.95, ISBN 1-57505-218-0.
Although on the surface many of Carlson's brightly colored cartoon picture books may seem didactic, her messages are subtle and enhanced by humor and realistic situations. In this "Reading Rainbow" title, George is bullied by a bear who steals his lunches. Harriet helps George deal with the problem, although they don't get any adult to help them. The original size was approx. 8 inches tall, this new version is a few inches bigger, so this is a great time to replace lost copies. Although Carlson's life lessons aren't my first pick, many teachers and parents find her books very useful.

McPhail, David. Sisters. Illus. by David McPhail. Harcourt, 1984, 2003, $9.95, ISBN 0-15-204659-3.
Still a small 6 inches tall, this charming picture book now features full color watercolor wash on the original pen and ink drawings. Sisters have things in common as well as differences, but they obviously love each other. McPhail's small books, including Emma and Fix It!, always were popular in my library, even without the full color watercolors. This is a nice addition.

Pilkey, Dav. The Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog. Illus. by Dav Pilkey. Harcourt, 2003, $15.00, ISBN 0-15-204708-5.
Originally done as five board books, this volume collects the stories into five chapters. The hilarious, easy -to-read adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog feature subtle, tongue in cheek humor that will appeal to babies, toddlers, pre-readers, readers, and adults. Pilkey's cartoon color illustrations focus the perspective on the dogs, often featuring the people just from the neck or waist down; truly a dog's eye view of the world. A must for all libraries!

Henkes, Kevin. All Alone. Illus. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, 2003, $15.89, ISBN 0-06-054116-4.
Henkes' first book is being reissued, and the first thing you may notice is that the striking, loose, moody watercolor and pencil illustrations are nothing like his signature cartoons, seen in Owen, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and other books starring his mouse characters. All Alone is a mood piece about the contentment of being alone, allowed to let one's thoughts take flight. Done when Henkes was 19 years of age, this is a find debut and deserves to come back into print.

Stolz, Mary. Emmett's Pig. Illus. by Garth Williams. HarperCollins, 1959, 2003, $16.89, ISBN 0-06-028747-0.
Originally released as an easy reader, this new version of Emmett's Pig is now formatted as a picture book, approx. 12 inched by 9 inches. It also now has watercolor wash by Rosemary Wells, applied over Williams' original black-line illustrations. This attention to detail keeps the charm and spirit of the original, while opening the book up for a wider audience. This story of a city boy who wants a pet pig still has resonance and meaning. The telling is modest but graceful, and I can see this appealing to modern audiences.

Kerr, Judith. The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Illus. by Judith Kerr. HarperCollins, 1968, $16.89, ISBN 0-06-051781-6.
Best known for her children's novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Kerr's delightful picture book is back in print. A girl and her "mummy" have tea with a tiger who eats all the food in the house. A definitely British house, as the text refers to biscuits (cookies), tins, Daddy's beer, and other subtle references. Not a book with wide appeal, but fun.

Lionni, Leo. The Greentail Mouse. Illus. by Leo Lionni. Knopf, 1973, 2003, $15.95, ISBN 0-375-82399-9.
Long out of print, this 30th anniversary edition makes one of Lionni's many mouse stories available again. The full-color picture book tells the story of a mouse who describes Mardi Gras, and the other mice get masks and play until they realize they are afraid of the masks' fierce teeth. The story, about "playing nice," may seem a little heavy-handed to today's kids, use to violent TV and video games, but libraries may want to purchase this to complete their collections.

Illustrated Folktales from Afghan Author

Many Bay Area librarians want to include more Afghan or Middle Eastern folktales in our collections, to reflect our diverse families. Hoopoe Books for Children has issued eight picture book folktales written by Adries Shah, and illustrated by a variety of San Francisco artists. The titles I examined included The Farmer's Wife, The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water, The Magic Horse, The Clever Boy and the Terrible, Dangerous Animal, The Silly Chicken, Neem the Half-Boy, and The Boy Without A Name.

Most of these folktales are brief enough to appeal to a preschool storytime audience, with attractive illustrations and strong plots. Even though these all have a "message," because they are adapted from Sufi Muslim teaching stories, they don't seem heavy handed. In fact, some are funny and will have a very wide appeal. In "The Lion Who Saw Himself In The Water," the lion learns not to be afraid of his reflection.

Because several Bay Area artists are used, the books have a variety in appearance that keeps them from looking "cookie cutter." Each story is matched to an illustrator whose style suits the plot. A great success is "The Farmer's Wife," illustrated with deep cartoon color illustrations by Rose Mary Santiago. This cumulative story features the wife in traditional Muslim dress and head covering. Storytime listeners will enjoy the humor, repetition, and plot similar to "The Old Woman and the Pig."

These picture book folktales don't include source notes, except to mention that Shah "collected such Sufi teaching stories from oral and written sources," and adapted them for Western audiences. "The Magic Horse" was the longest story, and the one that seemed to have the least child appeal , about two brothers with very different interests.

The publisher's website, www.hoopoekids.com, has full order information, reviews, and other helpful information. There are also teacher/parent manuals for using the books in a classroom. Most of the books are available in hardback and paperback. Check their websites for prices, ordering information, etc.

Penny Peck,
San Leandro PL

Melling, David. Five Little Monkeys: Best-Loved Action Rhymes. Illus. by David Melling. Dutton, 2002, $14.99, ISBN 0-525-46788-2.
Ten fingerplays are exhibited here, each with a sliding figure. For example, in "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," the cardboard spider can slide down the waterspout. Each rhyme includes a diagram of how to do the finger shapes. This could be fun for storytime! Other rhymes included in this collection are "Wheels on the Bus," "Mulberry Bush," "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," "Five Little Ducks," "I'm A Little Teapot," and "Pat-A-Cake."

Faulkner, Keith. The Tallest Shortest Longest Greenest Brownest Animal in the Jungle. Illus. by Rory Tyger. Dutton, 2002, $11.99, ISBN 0-525-46868-4.
Various jungle animals debate who is the biggest, longest, etc. in this brief, humorous story that features flaps opening to show the animals. This will be lots of fun at storytime, with its colorful cartoon illustrations and the one-up-manship of the animals. The flaps are as sturdy as those in Eric Hill's "Spot" books, so this may hold up to library circulation.

Thomson, Emma. Felicity Wishes: Friendship and Fairy School. Illus. by Emma Thomson. Viking, 2002, $14.99, ISBN 0-670-03593-9.
Each of the girls at Fairy school have a calling: Polly wants to be a Tooth Fairy, Holly wants to be a Christmas Fairy, but Felicity doesn't know what kind of Fairy she wants to be. She helps all her friends achieve their goals, and realizes she is destined to be a Friendship Fairy. Little envelopes open, flaps unfold, and small paper pieces keep this from being a library book, but it will make a nice gift book for a 5-7 year old girl. The story is very strong, and could be reconfigured as a traditionally formatted book by the publishers for library circulation.