August 2007

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Events for Children's Librarians

• Fri, Sept. 14, 2007     ACL Meeting    9 am    Berkeley PL
• Sat., Oct 6, 2007     Painted Words     Cal State Fresno   www.arnenixoncenter.org
• Fri, Oct.12, 2007    ACL Meeting    9am    Berkeley PL
• Oct. 26-29, 2007     CLA Conference       Long Beach, CA      www.cla-net.org

NEWS AND NOTES

Painted Words and Spoken Pictures: A conference titled "Painted Words and Spoken Pictures" is planned for Saturday, October 6, 2007, on the Fresno State campus. Presented for authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, collectors, and fans of children's and young adult literature, the conference is sponsored by The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature at California State University, Fresno, and the North Central California Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Conference speakers will include: Aliki, Karen Cushman, Yuyi Morales, and Carolyn Yoder. The cost is $85 with discounts for members and for early registration. Manuscripts may be submitted for critique for an extra charge. The deadline for submissions or early registrations is August 6. For information send e-mail to anc@listserv.csufresno.edu or call (559) 278-8116. Web site: www.arnenixoncenter.org

MR. DAVID’S CD LAUNCH PARTY: SEPT. 1 Everyone is invited to come (it’s free). Bring a blanket or lawn chair (low ones please) and enjoy an outdoor concert in the Santana Row’s Park Valencia (the one where Mommy & Me is typically held). It’s going to be great fun. When: Saturday, September 1. Where: Santana Row (Park Valencia next to Starbucks). Time: 7:00- 8:00 pm. Come early to get your seat--around 6:30 pm--we think this one is going to be full. Price: FREE. “We’ll be giving away prizes, including signed copies of the new CD, t-shirts, Mr. David balloons and more! We’re also donating 20 percent of all CD sales during the launch party to a local nonprofit for kids (we’re still finalizing the details on this, but will let you know).” Jump in the Jumpy House goes on sale August 25th at CD Baby, Amazon.com, MySpace, The Pokey Pup, and other retailers. Visit www.mrdavidmusicworks.com for a complete listing.

Illustrator Bruce Wood Dies: The son of writing/illustrating team Don and Audrey Wood, Bruce Wood passed away in July and is survived by his wife, daughter, and parents. He illustrated several alphabet books using vibrant, computer-generated color artwork.

BayNews needs you! BayNews welcomes any articles, news, ideas on storytime or programs, etc. Just send any articles as a Word attachment to email, to Penny Peck at Pikly@aol.com. Thanks!

Kate Greenaway Medal: Meg Rosoff's Just in Case has won the 2007 Carnegie Medal, and Mini Grey's The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon has won the Kate Greenaway Medal. Follow the link to the site to read about these and the other books that were on the shortlist. http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/2007awards/

ACL Spotlight Review

Occasionally there will be a review we believe should be highlighted – a book so extraordinarily well done, or a book with such egregious errors, that ACL will spotlight the review in BayNews. This month, we highlight a book because of its world-wide interest:

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Illus. by Mary GrandPre. Scholastic, 2007. Fiction, 759 pages, Grades 7-11. $34.99, ISBN 9780545010221, PLB $39.99, ISBN 9780545029360.

High Additional

Rowling’s decade of writing about Harry Potter is reflected in the final book of the series. While there are several funny moments and a generous portion of angst, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is chiefly noteworthy for its grim and determined march to the conclusion. Rowling is skilled at creating a mood, and the dramatic subject matter is a good showcase for her skills. Harry’s despair when he finds himself in difficulties over the Horcruxes and the wizard community’s response to Voldemort’s ascendance are well-described. The parallels to Germany under Hitler cannot be accidental; readers with any knowledge of Nazi Germany will find that the weight of those recollections adds tension to Rowling’s tale. Most mysteries from earlier books in the series are resolved in this book, which even includes an epilogue that describes events nineteen years later. This epilogue is one of the weakest parts of the book; it shows a rosy future that is in stark contrast to the rest of the book. Not all of Rowling’s explanations are adequate; in particular, Rowling fails to convincingly explain one character’s return from the dead. Still, given the difficulties of writing the final volume in such a phenomenally popular series, Rowling’s work is sound.

Allison Angell,
Benicia Public Library

Professional Reading

Goldberg, Dana, editor. On My Block: Stories and Paintings by Fifteen Artists. Children’s Book Press, 2007. $16.95, ISBN 978-0-89239-220-9.

Ten years ago, Children’s Book Press released two anthologies celebrating the diversity of the illustrators at their publishing house. Honoring Our Ancestors (1999) and Just Like Me (1997), each had a painting and a brief one-page essay by fourteen illustrators. On My Block continues that tradition, focusing on the childhood homes of fifteen of their illustrators.
Children may appreciate this collection, but teachers and librarians are the most logical target audience. Art teachers can use the diverse styles and media used, as well as the cultural diversity of the illustrators, to demonstrate that art can be in many different forms and by people from around the world. The essays seem more attuned to an adult audience who will relate to these reminiscences. Of course, any school or library hosting a visit from one of these artists will also appreciate this book.
San Leandro resident Carl Angel’s page has wide appeal. The action-packed, colorful illustration shows him as a kid in Hawaii going to the movies. The real world boy and his popcorn are shown morphing into characters in a science fiction film. His essay talks about the movie theatre being one of the first places he could go by himself without adult supervision; something a lot of kids will relate to.
Each essay is accompanied by a small photo of the artist as an adult. They represent Filipino, Native American, Cuban, Mexican, African-American, and other cultures, as well as various areas in the United States, from Brooklyn to San Francisco. There are men and women artists, and some look young enough to pass as teenagers. The two or three paragraph essays just give a flavor of each artist’s childhood home, but combined with the illustration, the reader gets a good sense of how each was influenced by their neighborhoods.

Do-It-Yourself Programs: Roald Dahl Party!

Need an inexpensive programming idea? Hold a Roald Dahl program! The late author’s birthday was September 13th, so it could be a great alternative to a “going back to school” library program, since he is still one of the most popular author with kids in grades 4-6! Here are some ideas adapted from a recent PUBYAC listserv posting:

Icebreaker
Have kids write their names backwards on nametags as they enter the party. Display Esio Trot on the entrance table to show what inspired the backwards nametags.

Games
Play "Pass the Peach" using “hot potato” with a peach, use a paper mache and painted balloon for a 'giant' peach. From James and the Giant Peach.

Good Egg/Bad Egg (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory): do the egg on the spoon relay race in honor of Mr. Wonka’s Educated Eggdicator.

BFG Scavenger hunt and hide oversize items for the kids to find.

Arts and Crafts
Design a wrapper or other packaging for a dream candy bar.

Make Mr. Twit's Beard (from The Twits) Supplies-Pattern of beard, brown construction paper, glue sticks, miscellaneous colored paper,
stuff to put in beard: i.e. cereal, fruit loops, yarn, dryer fuzz, twigs, small leaves, etc., hole punch.

Design a dream jar (from BFG) Supplies-baby food jars, tissue paper, paper cups with water/glue mixture, fancy paper, markers.

Websites
http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens/roalddahl/day/resources.htm