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Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: International Books on May 5, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:49:16 -0400

Introduction of Speakers

Elizabeth Bird started the Children's Literary Salon, as usual, with an introduction of the speakers: Constance Vidor, Sharon Elswit, Pnina Moed Kass, and Rebecca Linde. Linde is the director of sponsorship and marketing for the New York International Children's Film Festival. She explained that the program would be started by a presentation on the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) from Constance Vidor, who is the director of library services at the Friends Seminary.

Then, Bird would have a panel discussion with Kass, author of Real Time, which has been translated into German and French, and Elswit, author of The Jewish Story Finder and The East Asian Story Finder. Then, Rebecca Linde would do a presentation on the New York International Children's Film Festival. Bird included information on upcoming Children's Literary Salons, which will occur on June 2, September 15, October 20, October 27, November 3, and December 1, 2012.

International Board on Books for Young People

Vidor then gave a presentation. She stated that one of her earliest recollections was of attempting to read Babar in French at age 5. She could not read, and French confounded her, but she very much wanted to decode the strange symbols and understand the story. On the projected screen was the home page of the IBBY, which she talked about. She stated that the book Ferdinand was banned in Germany in 1946, as were all books that were not Nazi propaganda. Consequently, kids in Germany did not have many books. So, a lady associated with the IBBY ran thousands of copies of Ferdinand for kids in Berlin. The mission of IBBY is to "share literature across borders." IBBY encourages the translation of children's literature into different languages, and also wants to make books available to kids about other cultures. It has been expanding foreign books beyond folktales and fairy tales. There are 76 national sections of IBBY, including Azerbajan and, of course, the United States of America.

The US, like other developed nations, likes to bring authors and illustrators from other countries to us. There is an element of social consciousness in the children's literature that IBBY makes available. For example, there was a book about children who were made to work in coal mines. IBBY also brings books to children in crisis (eg, Haiti). Vidor mentioned that the IBBY has an international conference every year, and the United States Board on Books for Young People also holds a conference every other year.

Bird mentioned that Anne Carroll Moore, the New York Public Library's first head of children's services, created a wonderful world languages children's literature section that we still have today at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Panel Discussion with Elswit and Kass

Bird began the panel discussion with Elswit and Kass by mentioning that the two come from completely different perspectives, and that she planned to leap between the two by alternately addressing questions to them. She wanted to demonstrate the wide range of discussions that are possible about children's literature that is written in different countries, and how translations and editing choices can affect how the messages in literature are communicated to the audience.

Merging of Cultures

Bird directed the first question to Elswit. She mentioned that there had been a merging of cultures of different groups. For example, folktales from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s comprised African myths from tribes that were mushed together. Stories were created from tribal myths, and people were at a loss as to which tribe the stories came from. She asked Elswit if this crossover and cross-polination still occurs today.

Elswit responded that yes, there is an author who took a Jewish story and presented it as an Arab one. However, the mashing of tribes together into one amorphous entity occurs less today. If it says that a story is from Africa on the cover, one will discover which country (eg, Ghana) the story is from upon examining the inner pages of the book. In fact, she works on multicultural Little Red Riding Hood story with her classes. She is with the Manhattan Preparatory School.

Cultural Differences in Editors

Bird directed the next question to Kass. She stated that Kass had some books that were published simultaneously in Israel and the United States. Bird asked her if she had had different editing experiences in the two countries.

Kass said that she had some books that had been published in Israel but not in the US. She stated that she had a young adult novel in which a suicide bomb exploded in Jerusalem, and people wanted to know who had been injured. An editor suggested alphabetizing the list, but Israel is a small country and citizens would not bother alphabetizing such a list; they just wanted names. This is a cultural element to the story that the editor did not understand. Kass has also had books translated into French and German.

Elswit stated that she had a story that contained fairies, but there were none in Japan. The work was geared to speak to English and American audiences. Now, she lets other people decide about translation and editing options for her work.

Bird stated that NYPL has some old Native American stories with fairies. She mentioned that Hans Christian Anderson stories have had many translators and/or editors, many of whom provide completely different interpretations of his stories.

Decline of Folktale Publication?

Bird mentioned that there is a perception that folktales are not published as much nowadays. She asked Elswit if there seemed to be less interest in that type of literature today, or not.

Elswit responded that there has been a resurgence in oral storytelling. However, she heard that in 1998, there were 44 titles of folktales, and only 12 in 2011.

Kass added that the economic recession could be affecting the book industry, and that the budgets of libraries have been slashed. She also mentioned that ebooks exist now, and that could also be contributing to the decline of print folktales.

Elswit mentioned that we still have gems in our library collections. It is the job of librarians to give people access to the stories. It seems that librarians go to the same stories from certain cultures over and over. One interesting thing that she would love to do would be to go to the hills of Tennessee and listen to storytellers in October at the National Storytelling Festival. It is the responsibility of librarians and teachers to provide access to the materials that authors wrote so that people could enjoy and learn from them. At her school, there is composting, and some students persisted in dropping liquid into waste bins. So a staff member asked her for a book about cheating to teach the students proper behavior. Elswit also added that you can now find many books with Google and on the Internet.

Ebooks in multicultural children's literature

Bird inquired as to whether Kass was becoming involved with ebooks.

Kass stated that she just signed a contract with her Israeli publisher. The book involves a male character who is slow, shy, and involved with special education. Pnina encourages reading stories in any form. If a child reads a story on the back of a cereal box, that suits her. She has worked on two audiobooks for kids who are at the age of listening to stories. She is for stories in "any shape and form that ignites the imagination of a child."

Bird asked if the panelists believe that the future of children's literature is in ebooks.

Kass mentioned that Israel is a very isolated nation, partially because of its politics. They have many ebooks in other languages in Israel, as well as children's books in other languages. She is beginning work on an app with a snail character. Sometimes, it's time to "put your pen aside, put a mouse near your hand, and go with it." Don't fight it, she says.

Myths versus folktales

Elswit mentioned that many books are coming in as 398.2 (folktale Dewey Decimal call number) rather that 292 (mythology Dewey Decimal call number). She has always wondered about the folktale/mythology distinction. She asked librarians if they were recataloging materials when they arrived, and she learned that librarians like to keep the books distinctly in the two categories.

Bird stated that she has seen many mythology books arrive incorrectly cataloged as 398.2 (folktale call number).

What's on the horizon

She asked the panelists what is new that they are currently working on.

Kass responded that she has three projects that are currently circulating on the desks of various editors. One is a graphic novel for junior high school students. One is a teen novel that borders on adult that includes a confrontation between religion and science.

Elswit responded that she is working on a book about Latin America, which can get very political. She stated that she needed to include Tibetan stories under stories about China, because otherwise citizens of China would never see the stories. On the advice of a teacher, she included the Tibetan stories under the heading China so that they would be circulated and read in that country. She is currently seeing more folklore that are published in Spanish/English bilingual books coming into libraries.

New York International Children's Film Festival

Linde then gave a presentation about the New York International Children's Film Festival. In 1997, the festival started. It has grown to accomodate 25,000 audience members in 2011, and the festival is now one month in length. Out of 3,000 submissions, the best 100 are chosen for the festival. She gave a presentation of clips from a variety of films with music that was projected onto the wall of the Margaret Berger Forum. Then, we saw a more detailed story of a boy and his Grandpa who were cooking fish for dinner. The boy begs his grandfather to tell him the story about the boy and fish. His Grandpa at first declines, then starts telling a version which the boy corrects.

Bird thanked the participants and panelists for attending. Thanks to Betsy Bird for coordinating and moderating another enlightening Children's Literary Salon at NYPL.

Future Children's Literary Salons

Children's Literary Salons are held nearly every month on a Saturday from 2 p.m. - 3p.m. at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library.

June 2, 2012 - Formed in 1987 by a group of Brooklyn illustrators to share publishing information and industry experiences, the Children's Book Illustrators Group brings together artists with an interest in producing exceptional artwork and books for children. Join Donna Miskend, President (Exhibition Curator), Vicky Rubin (Webmaster, Listserve Manager), Maria Madonna Davidoff (Postcard Designer) and others in a discussion of the group's accomplishments and future goals.
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Margaret Berger Forum, Room 227
September 15, 2012 - Patti Lee Gauch: The picture book has long been a favorite of both children and adults. But why do some picture books stand transcend? Do they begin, as an Act of Mischief - with design and color as well as idea? And what about the creators themselves? Did the mischief begin with them? Using examples from some of the most best loved picture books, Patricia Lee Gauch, editor of three Caldecott medal winning books, will bring new understanding to this popular genre.
October 20, 2012 - Bullying in children's literature with Frieda Wishinsky.
October 27, 2012 - Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature. An illustrated talk, focusing on Johnson and Krauss in the 1950s, the period in which they reinvent the modern picture book, and the FBI places them under surveillance. Working with legendary Harper editor Ursula Nordstrom, Johnson publishes Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), and Krauss begins her decade-long collaboration with Maurice Sendak, creating the groundbreaking A Hole Is to Dig (1952), A Very Special House (1953) and six others. And FBI builds a file on Johnson, opening his mail, monitoring his bank account, and noting the names of people who visited or phoned. Drawing from the biography (forthcoming September 2012) that shares its title with this talk, Nel offers a story of art, publishing, politics, and the power of the imagination.
November 3, 2012 - Independent Publishing in an Age of Mass Marketing - While huge companies like Scholastic, Macmillan, Harper Collins, etc. may have seemingly unlimited funds to promote their materials, smaller independent publishers have found niche areas missed by some of their bigger competitors. Join Cheryl Hudson (Just Us Kids), Claudia Zoe Bedrick (Enchanted Lion Press), and others for a conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of being a David in an era of Goliaths.
December 1, 2012 - Jonathan Yamakami, the designer behind Tara's I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tale, and other designers in New York.

Descriptions provided by Betsy Bird, Youth Materials Specialist

A Fuse #8 Production
Google ebooks about multicultural children's literature
TumbleBooks (ebooks that are offered in languages other than English)
Databases for kids
Multicultural books for kids
Folklore ejournals
Children's Literature Association

Booktalking "Black Storm Comin'" by Diane Lee Wilson

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:05:59 -0400

Black Storm Comin' by Diane Lee Wilson, 2005

12-year-old Colton first becomes entranced by the Pony Express when travelling in the 1860 westward expansion on a wagon train. A horse and clinging boy sped past him and did not look back. Got him to wonderin' what kind of excitement it would be to taste that speed and urgency. So, he tries his luck and gets hired (even tho' the manager would have preferred if he were 14 years old). And to prove his meddle, he tames a black demon. But that demon ends up waking Colton up when he was 'bout to die of hypothermia. Horse wasn't much to look at, but Colton says the following about him:

"We were still blood and bone and heart and muscle, and it didn't matter what the world saw when it looked at us. Long as we knew who we were and what we could do."

Racism, freedom papers, Lincoln becoming president, and 12-year-old boy Colton (25% Colored), "passes" as white. His ma is half colored and his pa is white, and Colton strives to deliver an important message to his mother's sister, who is tantalizingly close to the Pony Express route, but not attainable. Here's how Colton conceptualizes the races that mix together in his arteries.

"I hated any talk of how one of my folks was white and one was mixed blood, like they were some kinda dogs, purebred and mongrel. They were just folks, is all."

Black Storm Comin' by Diane Lee Wilson

Booktalking "Gravity" by Leanne Lieberman

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:14:45 -0400

Gravity by Leanne Lieberman, 2008

Ellie, a 15-year-old Orthodox Jew, is happy to go to Bubbie's (her grandmother's) cottage this summer to learn about the flora and fawna. There, she meets Lindsay, a beautiful, provocative blond girl, whom Ellie is attracted to. Unlike boys, whom she is supposed to like, Ellie is captivated by Lindsay. They swim together in a canoe, and she visits Lindsay at her cottage.

However, Leviticus 18:22 states: "A man should not lie with a man the way he lies with a woman. It is an abomination and they should be put to death." This does not bode well for thoughts of a positive relationship with Lindsay.

In fact, as Ellie dreams of marrying Lindsay, she imagines a likely response from her Jewish relatives, "Lightning will leap down from the heavens, rivers will flood, tornadoes will spin. There will be locusts, hail and fire. First born children will suddenly perish, which means Abba (her father), Ima (her mother) and Neshima (her sister) will all die slow and agonizing deaths."

As she thinks of famous pairs, such as Romeo and Juliet, they all seem to consist of one male and one female, not two females or two males. When Lindsay and Ellie return to their homes and resume school, Ellie pursues Lindsay and they begin visiting each other at their houses. When Ellie asks Mrs. Lowenstein (her sex ed teacher) about lesbian attractions, she is informed that "Evil impulses are often just like a bad habit." Ellie fervently attempts to banish thoughts of girls from her head; she even creates a bald spot on her head by punishing herself for such thoughts. However, she is unable to stop thinking about females, and the more Ellie thinks about how gay attraction is frowned upon in Orthodox Judaism, the less enthusiastic she is about the religion. Ellie's sister Neshema is also pulling away from Orthodox Judaism as she moves towards college. Bubbie supports both Neshema and Ellie in their quest for their identities as young women in the world.

Gravity by Leanne Lieberman

Cataloging Gay Community Center libraries: I have greatly enjoyed cataloging the gay community center library in Dublin, Ireland, the Outhouse, and also the gay community center in Albany, NY. Neither of the libraries had a cataloging system. I used index cards and put the pertinent information (title, author, publication date, publishing co., etc.) on each card. I rearranged the books on the shelves so that they were in subject areas. I was also interested to discover the content of such libraries. There is much more written on gay male than on lesbian romance. However, I was happy to discover books on lesbian romance for teens in the collection of The New York Public Library. I have found the gay community to be very welcoming as well.

Booktalking "A Taste of Perfection" by Laura Langston

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:16:20 -0400

A Taste of Perfection by Laura Langston, 2002

Erin was ecstatic about her chance to volunteer at the SPCA over the summer, only to learn that her father had been laid off and she was to spend the summer at her grandmother's kennel, with black and yellow Labrador Retrievers. On the positive side, at least she gets to see her friend Cassie, who is about everything horses, and her sister Treena, who help her embark on a major makeover for seventh grade. Like any teenager, Erin is very self-conscious, in particular about the warts on her hand, the hair on her legs, and her height. Luckily, Erin's grandmother is very understanding and convinces her mother to let her shave so that she can wear a skirt in the show ring with Mr. Lavender Blue, the black Lab that she is lucky enough to get to train.

Erin was allowed to train Blue because her grandmother is busy helping Duchess, a yellow Lab, whelp her puppies. Unfortunately, one of the black puppies is born with a club foot, whom Erin names Twister. The veterinarians try to correct the problem with braces. Erin is fortunate enough to be trained on how to train dogs by one of her grandmother's associates. Erin desperately wants two things, in addition to seventh grade, to have her own dog and to volunteer for the SPCA. Will she achieve either one?

A Taste of Perfection by Laura Langston

Walking Dogs in My Childhood: When I was growing up, I loved talking walks in the woods, and I noticed that our neighbor's dog was often chained outside, so I asked permission and I started taking her along with me. It was exciting to enjoy the outdoors with an animal. Now, I enjoy taking trail rides in the Bronx on horseback. I loved walking dogs. My high school best friend had a collie that looked like Lassie, and I always bugged her to take her dog for a walk while I was there.

My Experience with pit bulls: In my adult life, I wound up volunteering for about 7 different shelters over 6 1/2 years in 3 different cities. This hobby started while I was in library school in Albany, NY. I walked dogs at the same shelter that I adopted my first cat from. In fact, I did not even know what a pit bull looked like until I was walking one. I knew that people feared them. Someone yelled out, "Oh my God! She's walking a pit bull!" I momentarily feared an imminent attack and I looked at the dog, but he just kept nonchalantly walking. I have since walked many pit bull terriers. I realize that some are bred and raised for fighting and that those pit bulls are aggressive, but I have enjoyed walking many overly affectionate, very rambunctious pit bulls. In fact, Vivienne at the Pennsauken, NJ shelter was one of the sweetest dogs that I have ever met. She eventually got adopted by a woman who frequently visited her at the shelter.

Pennsauken, NJ Animal Shelters: In Philadelphia, I primarily sought out dog-walking at the shelters since I was not in a financial position to be able to afford horseback riding. I volunteered at 4 different shelters in the city and in the surrounding areas. I loved going to the Pennsauken, NJ shelters on weekends and working with the other volunteers there. It was a country setting, and the dogs were incredibly pleased and eager to have a break from sitting in their cages or outdoor pens. It almost seemed like an animal liberation video playing over and over in my mind: me opening the cage door repeatedly and dogs springing out to freedom. I loved their joy, and I felt bad that they didn't have homes, but I wanted to make them happy.

There, I met Bob, a tri-colored border collie, who just did not seem to belong in an animal shelter. Soon after I met him, he turned around in his pen and picked up a toy and brought it to me. He just belonged in someone's back yard. Most of the dogs were nice dogs and I enjoyed walking them, but I did not personally feel miserable over every dog's situation. Bob was different. I loved him, and I really wanted him to find a home. Sometimes I would take him on extra-long walks through the woods, which he very much enjoyed. He was adopted once, then returned for jumping over fences. The no-kill shelter was slated to close, and I was worried that he wouldn't find a home in time, but he was lucky. He finally got adopted before the shelter closed, and the facility lost a little bit of its vitality after that. I was glad for him, but I missed him.

Philadelphia Animal Shelter: I also volunteered at a shelter in Philadelphia, where I met Misty, a Malamute. She was gorgeous and calm, and she was very gentle with children. I used to take her out and sit with her on the front lawn. (Everyone thought that she was mine.) They tried to find a no-kill rescue organization to take her, but that did not happen. Sitting with her face-to-face was like looking at a wolf and being really close to a wild animal. She had one brown eye and one sky-blue eye. I loved seeing her and spending time with her.

Volunteer Opportunities with Dogs

Laura Langston Books

NYPL books on Booktalking

School Library Journal's A Fuse #8 Production blog

Pit Bulls and Parolees TV show

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Book Reviewing on April 7, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:31:27 -0400

At a Day of Dialog a couple of years ago, an employee of School Library Journal asked me if I wanted to review books for the journal. I did not quite get into it until I started blogging last year. One post about a book Firehorse turned into a booktalk/review about the book because the writing was so superb. I have also read numerous book reviews on A Fuse #8 Production, Betsy Bird's blog. I was very curious to see what goes into writing book reviews.

At the salon, we were greeted with free issues from Kirkus Reviews, along with the usual arc (advance reader copies) cart with free pre-published books for audience members to take. It was very interesting for me to look at Kirkus Reviews, since I had never seen a print copy. (I think I may have taken a look at the online version once or twice.)

We were lucky to have Trev Jones from School Library Journal (SLJ) and Vicky Smith from Kirkus Reviews on the panel, which was hosted by Elizabeth Bird, Youth Materials Specialist at The New York Public Library. The event was held in the Margaret Berger Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The event was a panel discussion followed by audience questions.

Bird started off by explaining that, as a Youth Materials Specialist, she relies heavily on reviews of books. She asked how difficult it is to time the review of the book to its publication date.

Smith stated that she handles book reviews for children and teens. Kirkus Reviews started in 1933. At that time, it marketed itself mostly to libraries. It was one of the first journals to publish reviews, and the journal strives to publish reviews as far in advance of publication as possible. As soon as publishers get the materials to her, she assigns the work as needed (more pressing reviews go to faster reviewers, etc.)

Jones stated that SLJ mostly markets itself to libraries. She stated that mainstream publishers tended to get materials to them later. They review 400 books per issue. It is really important to get the materials as soon as she can, so that all of the books get reviewed and that things are not lost due to missed publication dates.

Bird mentioned that Kirkus pays reviewers while SLJ does not. She asked the panelists how they find reviewers.

Jones said that people like Bird give her names of people that they recommend to be reviewers. She also goes to library school professors and asks for the names of really good students.

Smith would like to culturally diversify her roster of reviewers. She needs the following skills in a reviewer: the ability to read, judge, and write excellent copy. She would like the staff to reflect the authorship of some of the books that are reviewed. She stated that someone who understands a culture intimately would be more likely to catch something about a book that is from a certain culture than someone who doesn't have a wide familiarity with the literature.

Jones said it's great to have reviewers to say that this book would give a collection depth. It's good to say that a book is fine, review it, and say how it would fit into a collection.

Smith stated that Kirkus has a direct consumer audience and libraries.

Bird stated that sometimes there is a large amount of work on a single topic (eg. 100 angel books). She asked the editors if they edit the reviewers' reviews.

Jones stated that SLJ edits, but they never change a reviewer's opinion. If they disagree or need clarification, they get back to the reviewer right away. However, SLJ does cut a lot. There is a lot of back-and-forth communication, especially if something is not clear. For example, they need to talk if it is not clear if a recommendation is being made, if the reviewer is saying that the book was god-awful but not explaining why, etc.

Smith stated that while it is important to honor the intent of the review, she also attempts to ensure that the meaning is clear. If a reviewer made a hazy comment and seemed hesitant, she will ask the reviewer to clarify and make explicit exactly what causes him or her to have reservations about the particular book. She shortens sentences, changes syntax, and makes an attempt at having a unified voice. Kirkus likes to standardize their reviews.

Jones stated that SLJ, by contrast wants the individual reviewers to retain their voices and style, and that they try to avoid standardization in their reviews.

Bird commented that when she wrote a gushing review and did not recommend a star, she received an email asking why.

Smith stated that she sometimes sees a book whose review she doesn't agree with. It is usually written by a new reviewer who is not comfortable criticizing a book. Oftentimes, a conversation with the reviewer will reveal that the reviewer also did not like the book.

Jones stated that she tells reviewers in that case that they need to be honest about what they think about the book or SLJ cannot use them.

Bird stated that she oftentimes gets requests from independent publishers to include their books in the NYPL collection. Her response is that they need to get the book reviewed. Bird asked if the panelists review books that were independently published.

Jones stated that she was more likely to publish books that look professional. It is their policy that they do not review independently published work, but they will make exceptions. For example, if the publisher has published 3 or 4 of their own books, books by other people, and they have an artist on staff, she is more likely to agree to review the book.

Smith stated that the business model of Kirkus was to not review independently published work. Kirkus used to rely on subscriptions for its revenue. However, circulation of the journal started decreasing. In 2005, at the time when self-publishing was becoming more accessible, Kirkus created a separate fee-for-service review section for self-published work, "Indie." However, they subject these works to the same rigor as the other books, and they do not guarantee a positive review of the book.

Bird asked how much time she spent figuring these things out.

Smith responded that she spent way more time than she would like.

Jones mentioned that she once reviewed a book written by a 13-year-old girl, and the review was negative. The mother called up complaining that she reviewed a book that was written by a child. Jones responded that they generally don't, but the mother had been calling up every week begging her to review the book. The mother kept calling and saying that she had spent her life savings on this book. Jones compromised and removed the negative review on Amazon so that the girl would not have the negative review following her around for life. The next day, she got a huge bunch of roses from the mother.

Bird stated that everyone wants stars on their books. Everyone hopes for six-starred reviews, which happened twice last year. That is very unusual. She asked the panelists how they handle stars.

Jones stated that they mark books that they will consider for stars, then a committee discusses which books should get stars. They also talk about how a book fits into a collection. Sometimes books will get starred so that they don't get forgotten. They don't want books to get lost. For example, The Wicked and the Just is a story about 13th Century Wales, which she didn't think would be highly read. Likewise, My Family for War is another Holocaust story, but it is extraordinary. Nonfiction titles can be easily ignored, but they could be fantastic work. For example, Temple Grandin, by Sy Montgomery is the story of a woman who was diagnosed with autism, who is a pioneer for the humane treatment of animals, in particular farm animals. There are no set rules for which books get starred and which don't.

Smith stated that she relies on her reviewers' recommendations. She spends extra time looking at those books to ensure that she agrees that they need to be starred. Sometimes her reviewers will include a note to her explaining why they think a book does not deserve to be starred. She stated that books that make her laugh out loud are rare; therefore, if they accomplish that, they get starred.

Jones agreed and pointed out a book that made her laugh out loud. (She had physical copies of many books to show the audience.) She stated that reviewers have individual voices. Therefore, a book with a glowing review may not have a star if the editors did not like it. Likewise, a review written by a reviewer who did not express her or himself well, may get starred if the editors liked it.

Bird spoke about the challenges of reviewing apps. She asked how the panelists handle reviewing them.

Jones stated that she handles books and doesn't know much about apps, but she read from notes from someone who did app reviews. She stated that it is important to consider what an app offers that a book doesn't, and it is important to check to see if updates have been made subsequent to a review's criticism of it.

Smith stated that Kirkus has been reviewing apps for 18 months. It can be time-consuming and tedious to have the update installed, then check to see if the problem that the review pointed out has been corrected. She stated that she hopes the Kirkus website will become more malleable, so that published reviews can include a note addressing any improvements that have been made in an app since the publication of the review. It is the reality of the digital age that sometimes content is changed. She mentioned a book that had illustrations of gorillas. In the app, the animals had long tails that made them look like monkeys. Then the app removed the tails, which made the creatures look like chimps.

Jones stated that in order to properly review apps, it is necessary to have a full-time person reviewing apps. At present, they have one person reviewing three apps a week, which is as many as she can do, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Bird mentioned that publishers are creating more electronic galleys nowadays. She asked the panelists to describe the difficulties of dealing with electronic versus print galleys (advance reader copies).

Smith stated that the physical book serves as a reminder to review the work. Digital galleys (eg, NetGalley) require users to browse electronically, which is harder to remember to do. The interfaces of some digital gallery repositories are not easy to use. However, from the publishers' point of view, print galleys are expensive to produce, and she thinks that publishers will become more and more inclined in the future to publish digital-only galleys in order to save costs. However, this could be detrimental in the case of picture books, which do not fit easily into a digital format due to the size of the books and their illustrations. In some cases, the physical format does not translate well into e-format.

Jones said that she has not even attempted to utilize e-galleys in reviewing, since they are too hard to keep track of.

Bird asked the panelists what direction they see book reviewing moving in the future.

Jones stated that she predicts that there will be more and more pressure for publishers to move into digital-only format for reviews. However, she stated that some people still prefer the print format.

Smith stated that we will probably keep the print, since some people do not like the digital. She used to be a public library director. When interviewing employment candidates, they used to ask them which section of the newspaper that they read first. One candidate stated that he or she did not read the newspaper, and the candidate listed all of the places that they could find news information. Smith stated that she wanted to hire the candidate since he or she had a wide knowledge of nontraditional information sources.

Bird stated that kids are versatile and move easily between the electronic and print format of books.

Bird then opened the floor to questions from the audience.

One audience member asked how the reviewers could stay relevant to the consumer audience if they were reviewing books for libraries that were out-of-print.

Smith stated that the electronic version of Kirkus also points to similar books to cater to people who do not want out-of-print books. She pointed out that one could go to the library and check the book out. She stated that she works with reviewers to make the reviews more explicit and honest. For example, she encourages reviewers to use direct quotes in books with foul language, in context, to authentically describe what the book is about.

Jones stated that it is difficult to serve the entire world in its diversity. SLJ strives to meet the needs of customers, which include parents, students, libraries, etc.

Another audience member asked how many books do the reviewers not review.

Jones stated that when she started at SLJ, 95% of books would get reviewed, or about 2,600. Now, they review 6,500, out of the 15,000 or so titles that are published each year. Most of the reviewed books are from mainstream publishers. Oftentimes, not all of the books in a series get reviewed due to the sheer overwhelming amount of material that is published.

Smith stated that reviewing decisions are sometimes made on the timeliness of the publication. For example, she stated that Kirkus reviewed the 6th Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, which she did not think was necessary. Kirkus used to not review paperbacks, but now they do. They would rather do reviews of a title that might be missed than the 16th Froggy book, for example.

Bird stated that more books are being published, yet publishers say that they have decreased funds to produce picture books.

Jones stated that the publication of picture books is decreasing, and the production of teen novels is increasing.

Smith stated that the publication of picture books is decreasing, but the quality is increasing. It is almost as if the mediocre picture books are on the decline. There are a lot of angels and zombies in teen novels.

One audience member asked why Jones didn't think people would want to read a book on 13th Century Wales.

Jones responded that readers want books that are relevant to their lives, the here and now, and that many kids may not even know where Wales is.

Jones stated that if there were no more questions, she would like some feedback from the audience about how they felt about the publishing world going digital-only.

One audience member stated that she was offered a digital-only catalog, and she didn't like it.

A teacher from Brooklyn in the audience stated that the kids liked going from the front cover to the back cover — that was an integral part of the process.

Another audience member stated that ebooks need to focus on making the interface reflect the physical book. For example, she would like an easier, more intuitive interface that has options to circle and mark pages.

Bird stated that perhaps if the electronics change and morph into more user-friendly features, perhaps that would change the ereader landscape.

The audience member stated that it would be useful to have a user login and be able to change user capabilities and preferences.

Another audience member asked if librarians review books for their own collections. Bird said that we have committees create lists for The New York Public Library, such as the annual 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. NYPL has a wiki that is a venue for sharing information and debating the merits and demerits of particular works. They used to type up reviews, but now use the wiki. In the past, the ability to be on the committee was more limited, but now any information professional can join. Bird can recommend people that she meets from these committees who are good writers to Jones from SLJ.

Future Children's Literary Salons

May 5, 2012 - Hear a panel of international authors discuss the worldwide state of children's literature and publishing. Panelists will include Sharon Elswit, the anthologist of The Jewish Story Finder and the East Asian Story Finder, Pnina Mode Kass, the author of REAL TIME, translated into German and French, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Sydney Taylor, and others.
Location: Margaret Berger Forum Room 227
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

June 2, 2012 - Formed in 1987 by a group of Brooklyn illustrators to share publishing information and industry experiences, The Children's Book Illustrators Group brings together artists with an interest in producing exceptional artwork and books for children. Join Donna Miskend, President (Exhibition Curator) Vicky Rubin (Webmaster, List serve Manager), Maria Madonna David off (Postcard Designer) and others in a discussion of the group's accomplishments and future goals.

September 15, 2012 - Patty Lee Gouch - author and editor

October 20, 2012 - Bullying in Children's Literature

October 27, 2012 - Philip Nel - American Scholar of children's literature

Books on book reviews

Book review journals

Poetry Writing With Adult New Readers, Strategy 1: The List Poem

Hilary Schenker, Seward Park Library — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:18:07 -0400

You have not crossed the bridges I have crossed.
You have not listened to the music I have listened to.
You have not been in the top of the World Trade Center the way I have been there.
You have not seen the waves I have seen.
You have not fallen from horses the way I have fallen.
You have not felt the guns on your neck the way I have felt them.
You have not been in the sea with a big storm in a little boat the way I have been.

—Excerpt from "Don’t Give Me Advice," by Luis Marin, Tompkins Square CRW

This month is National Poetry Month, and here at the Center for Reading and Writing (CRW) some students are experiencing poetry for the first time. Writing a poem for the first time can be intimidating, but there are many possible ways to get started. In this post I’ll talk about just one of them, which is a list poem.

Defining a Poem

The first step when introducing poetry to students is to define poetry. Show what a poem looks like on a page. Explain that a poem is usually short, and that each line has a fixed length. It uses carefully-chosen language to express a feeling, and sometimes uses rhythm, rhyme, or repetition. One CRW student defined a poem as "few words, big meaning."

Writing a List Poem

A list poem is a poem in which each line begins the same way. List poems are wonderful for beginning writers especially, because the start of each line is provided, creating a comfortable way in (at least I have this part that I can write, and know I’m spelling it correctly). A list poem can be simple and powerful. One student, who struggles with depression, wrote a poem in which each line begins, "I love" followed by one thing that makes her feel happy.

5 Tips for Writing a Successful List Poem:

Read poems together as a group, to get students familiar with the sounds and rhythms of it. After reading a poem, ask if there is any line that students like or find interesting. Ask why they like it, what makes it stand out. Keep your ear open for things students say—does something sound like a list poem? "Every morning I..." "I want to read..." "If I had a million dollars I’d..." "I love the way..." The possibilities are endless.

When students are ready to begin writing, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Be specific

Help students bring their poems to life by including specific details. In other words, show, don’t tell. "I wake up early," becomes, "I wake up at 3:00 am every morning to go to work." Instead of "I cook Chinese food" help the student write, "I cook catfish with spicy sauce."

2. Five senses

Can you see this poem? Can you hear it? Smell it? Feel it? Taste it? Is this poem bringing a world to life? If not, think about describing with the five senses.

3. Order

Pay attention to the order of the list. Does it have a beginning? A middle? An end? Does it need an additional line to bring it to a close?

4. Word Choice

Think about word choice. Could another word be more effective? Sometimes beginning writers want to use the word "beautiful," but write "nice" instead because it is easier to spell. Help the writer actualize the poem in her mind.

5. Edit

Don’t be afraid to edit. 'Make it Messy' is a good mantra for first drafts. They should have crossed out parts and additions. Are any items in the list extraneous? Are there unnecessary repetitions? Help students build the confidence to edit themselves.

Happy poetry writing to all! I’ll leave you with this list poem by Joseph, a student at the Tompkins Square CRW. The title is, "She Is Full of Life:"

When she smiles, life comes out of her.
When she walks down the street, she has a smile on her face,
people all around her look at her and see life.
When she comes into a room, she brightens up the room itself.
When people see her, they are also happy to see her smiling.
She makes the day.

Booktalking "A Horse for Mandy" by Lurlene McDaniel

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:37:09 -0400

A Horse for Mandy by Lurlene McDaniel, 1981

Best friends forever, frenemies, or worse, nothing at all. Laura and Mandy used to be tight, real tight. All of that changed when Mandy got a horse for her 13th birthday, a lifelong dream. Suddenly, there was tension. Laura trained her Tennessee Walker, Diablo, for the show circuit that summer... but alone, not with Mandy as usual. Mandy spent all of her time with her beloved Paso Fino, Solana. Things get worse when Solana accidently gets out of her stall, into the sweet feed, and develops laminitis (or founder), which can be fatal. Then Diablo and Laura disappear, and friends and family convene to search for them. Can the friendship of Laura and Mandy survive the jealously caused by the new horse? Will Laura and Diablo be found? And, also, there's a new boy in town, David, who knows horses. Could he come between them?

Learn about the gaited horses, Tennessee Walkers, with their running walk and distinctive head nod, and Paso Finos, with their rack, both 4-beat gaits with each hoof hitting the ground separately. The height of horses is measured in hands, or 4 inches at the withers (where mane ends and the back starts). Paso Finos range in height from 13-15 hands. Equines 14.2 or 14 1/2 hands or greater are called horses, while equines shorter than 14.2 hands are deemed ponies.

My love affair with horses: I have had a lifelong love of horses. As a preschooler, I did the requisite pony rides at the apple picking farm, etc., but I didn't really get into horses until I was 9 years old, and one of my friends expressed an interest in taking horseback riding lessons. I really did not want to do that; I could not see the point of getting dirty and sitting on a horse, but my mother prevailed, and so I started riding lessons with a 92-year-old teacher in an indoor arena. I never had helpers lead my horse around the circle. I was on my own, and honestly, it kind of scared me that I did not really know how to communicate with the horse, and I was not confident that I could stop the horse, if necessary. However, I just hoped for the best. I knew that the very quiet school horses I rode were good natured and would never hurt me purposefully. I never rode ponies for some reason, even though I was young; I always rode horses. That was my first barn. My instructor died about 6 months after I started there.

Barns where I rode: I rode at several other barns. My next barn was a dressage barn; the Lippizaner stallions do dressage at a very high level. Do not worry; I was not doing any advanced dressage moves. I did Training Level dressage tests, and I believe I may have done a few Level 1 dressage tests there. Dressage is characterized as dancing with horses. The owner of the barn was fabulous; she used a lot of imagery and sports psychology to teach me how to communicate with the horse and position my body properly. She also taught me about equine psychology and how to communicate with the partner who is working with you and for you. I also ended up taking some hunt seat lessons from a woman I met through 4-H. Her mother was my horse bowl coach. She was very smart, and she managed to run a riding school and teach lessons in a wheelchair with the help of her mother. They also did a little bit of breeding and they trained the foals. I also rode at a saddleseat barn that I became aware of through 4-H and was close to my house. I met a lawyer there who had three horses, including a 2-year-old named Luke, and a grey warmblood, London Fog, whom she let me ride because she didn't have time. That horse was big and a little bit spooky. I remember her taking off in the outdoor arena one time just after her owner went into the barn because it was very windy outside, and that spooks horses. Her owner came out soon and helped me calm London Fog down. She was a spectacular horse and very good-natured. Lastly, I ended up at a hunt seat barn taking private lessons on Linus and Starflight for a couple of years. I really liked this last instructor because she had a psychological handle on me and an ability to motivate me that really helped improve my riding. (I might as well admit it, I'm a little bit lazy.) Anyhow, I ended up taking a total of 7 years of lessons, or roughly 250-300 hours of instruction on horseback, which I am very grateful for because now I have the skills to handle any basically trained horse and I can solve some behavioral problems that I have not encountered before or discussed before just on the virtue of my understanding of equine behavior. It makes working with horses very convenient and much safer for me.

Why I love horses: I thought that I would not like it, but I loved the tactile nature of the sport with an animal much bigger, more powerful and faster than me. It is so much fun! I can fly with the help of the horse! I love animals of all types; horses are somewhat shy, yet affectionate, and mostly quiet. I sometimes get very into my horse when I'm riding him or her. It's a kind of silent communication and camaraderie that is way different from communicating with other animals or people, I think. They are so gentle, and it is so much fun to see them have a great time while galavanting on the trails. They are doing what comes naturally; horses want to run and race through the forest sometimes. I love getting to know their personalities and how to communicate with them. At some point when I was riding in the Bronx, I felt like I became fluent in horse language. I was riding an Arabian mix, and he is such a good mover. He has a classic rocking-chair canter, and I started thinking of my equitation in terms of simply avoiding interfering with his movement. He was moving perfectly, and I consequently did not want to throw off his balance. Because he was moving so well, I tried to just sit there. Think of it as running with a backpack; it's helpful if the backpack is not bouncing all over your back. It is easier if the backpack is tight and is remaining in place. I love riding in the Bronx. The horses are interesting, the trail is beautiful, and it's great to experience nature and do something totally different than my day job. It's just interacting with another living being and going on a ride together.

Hippology and horse bowl: When I was young, I was involved in 4-H in order to learn about horses. I competed in hippology (the study of the horse) and horse bowl. Hippology involved the identification of horse equipment, feeds, etc. Since I had never cared for a horse, I was much better at horse bowl. Horse Bowl was a jeopardy-like contest quiz show about horse knowledge. Breeding, riding, racing, driving, horse care, medical care, nutrition, horse equipment, training, famous horsepeople and horses, etc., were all topics that could be explored. Luckily, I had the desire to learn about horses and study thousands of horse bowl questions and answers, and, very importantly, I had quick reflexes. There were 4 people on a horse bowl team who competed against another horse bowl team. Some questions were open to anyone, and some were open to only #1 players, #2 players, #3 players, or #4 players. I was very good at this game, and I studied and practiced a lot for it. In 1995, I was the #1 individual in New York State, and our team was also #1 in New York State. We went to the national competition at the Kentucky Horse Park, and I was quite fascinated to visit the museums, full of information about horses, with life-size statues of horses. Everything horses, horses, horses! What could be better?

My stint as a hotwalker: When I was studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, I thought it would be fascinating to work at a racetrack. I was considering a career with horses. I decided to ask around at the stables of Royal Randwick. I must have gone to 5-10 stables before I got hired by the husband of a famous racing businesswoman. I was a hotwalker: a worker who walks horses between the stables and racetrack. I worked 4:20 a.m.-8 a.m. so that the horses could be exercised in the cool of the morning, and sometimes 12 p.m.-2 p.m. to walk the horses in the afternoon for exercise. They were thoroughbred racehorses, and I walked two at a time between the stables and racetrack. I had to hold both hands high separate from each so that the horses would not nip at each other in front of me. One time, my supervisor gave me a filly to walk alone; she was about 3-6 months old. I was trying to use leverage and body weight to keep her from bolting, but she was a little bit frisky, so he told her from me.

Giving Trail Rides in Sydney, Australia: When I was in Australia, I very much wanted to ride, but could not afford to pay for it. So, I went to the stables in Centennial Park and offered to volunteer. Luckily for me, one of the stables was willing to hire me as a volunteer to help give trail rides around the park. I couldn't be happier. In addition, I got free lessons from the owner in exchange for volunteering! On Sundays, I used to take the bus to the park, and either back up or lead trail rides around Centennial Park. There was a paint Quarter Horse that I loved to ride because he liked to work and he was very forward-going and also very adorable. However, he was very nervous and did not trust people. One day, I was riding him and had not secured the lead rope properly on the side of my saddle and the horse took off. I could not stop him, and I estimate that he galloped half-way round the park, which is approximately half a mile. I did an emergency dismount because I knew that he was going through the intersection to get to the barn, because that is their home, what horses run to when they are scared. He arrived, shaken but unhurt at the stable. I endured a minor concussion and sprained ankle.

Working with horses in Scotland: When I went to work abroad in Scotland, I was still unsure as to whether I would like to work with horses as a career, so I thought that this would be a perfect time to find out. I actually interviewed at a barn near Edinburgh to be a groom and exercise rider. I did not know how to dress up for an interview with a horse barn, so I dressed up as if I were competing in a hunt seat show, with riding pants, boots, white shirt, navy blue or black sports jacket, and showed up, ready to ride. I have never ridden in an interview, but it couldn't be much different than showing, and being judged on my riding ability. They gave me a really easy horse to ride, and if I remember correctly, the ride was uneventful, but not spectacular. We also walked around the barn, and the interviewer asked me some questions. That barn didn't end up hiring me.

However, a woman from Craobh Haven, a small hamlet, did hire me over the phone to work in her barn. When I arrived in Craobh Haven after a long bus ride from Edinburgh, one of the boarders from the barn picked me up. She owned a chesnut Arab mare named Giah. I liked her mare, but most of the barn horses were leopard Appaloosas. I felt as if I had woken up into a nightmare. 20 horses that looked like dalmatians! How was I supposed to tell them apart?! However, after a week or so had passed, I noticed that they were different sizes, and I got to know their spots. I did a little bit of training on a grey Scottish Highland pony named Gillie. That was the most adorable pony; he was stubborn, but he was stubborn about stuff that, after I thought about it, made sense. He was trying to stay safe. I did a lot of mucking out stables in freezing cold, wet weather in January, six days a week. I got one weekend off a month. However, I did get to stay in a country cottage for a week, and I would jog at sunset down the country road after work listening to music, and there is nothing like the tranquility and beauty of the countryside, especially at sunset. Once, my supervisor and I saddled up to ride to the country store. I'm not kidding! We saddled up for a trail ride, left the barn, rode to the store, tied up our horses outside, entered the store, bought something, untied our horses, and rode home! That is definitely not something that I thought I'd experience in my lifetime! It feels like something straight out of the 18th century!

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Apps for Kids on March 24, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:06:21 -0400

I love a lot of the topics for the Children's Literary Salons at The New York Public Library. They always seem to include discussions about cutting-edge topics in technology or children's literature. I was very excited to hear what the children's author/illustrator and employee of One Hundred Robots, an online apps for kids store, had to say about this topic. I don't have an iPad or an iPhone, but I am a little bit familiar with application software and its function. Luckily for me, the presentations, panel discussion, and audience questions elucidated this matter for me to a high degree. I went from having a fuzzy understanding of apps (I have discussed them a little bit with people) to understanding more about how people use them, the incredible amount of work that is behind producing them, and the panoply of professions involved with application production.

Picture Books Turned into Apps

Elizabeth Bird informed the packed Margaret Berger forum audience members that the program would begin with a slide show presentation from Roxie Munro (author/illustrator), Matt Bassett would present a slide show, a panel discussion would take place, and then the panel members would accept questions from the audience members.

Munro's slide show presentation

Munro has done two apps, Roxie's a-MAZE-ing Vacation, an interactive adventure, and Roxie's Doors, which is a book turned app. She stated that apps are designed for specific devices (KindleFire, nook, iPad, etc) and specific platforms.

Roxie's a-MAZE-ing Vacation

Munro showed us slides of the process of creating 16 screens for the application. She actually drew the map on a huge piece of paper. She then inked the map and added colors. It was a landscape with many waterways, roads, trees, and vehicles. The drawing took three months to produce. She worked with OCG Studios, a developer in the Netherlands, who worked on each app for four to six months. Munro visited them in the Netherlands for three days so that they could do the music and testing. She took the finished drawing to a sophisticated scanning company in New York City. The scans were then emailed to the Netherlands. The size of the big drawing was 800 megabites. The producers in the Netherlands added sounds and music. They tested the device on elementary school kids. In the Netherlands, 60% of these students had iPads at home. I do not believe that that is the case in the United States.

One of the most difficult aspects of producing an app is marketing and getting reviews of the application in the professional literature. The maze app is wordless, and it sells in 67 countries. Munro showed us a trailer of the app, which showed a balloon flying over the city and a red car trucking along. The most spectacular feature of the trailer was the colorful objects from the maze streaming out of the black-and-white pages of an open book towards the user.

Roxie's Doors

This is a book turned app: Doors by Roxie Munro. Munro pointed out that additional drawings need to be made to produce an app, since animation requires white space that was previously behind static objects to be drawn in. The app is narrated by Dirk Kennedy. It was produced by a developer. Munro showed a trailer of the app. It included a dalmatian barking and moving his head. It also included the sounds of the red fire engine siren wailing.

Bassett's Slide Show Presentation

Hildegard Sings

Bassett stated that 100 Robots builds apps for kids, so far, 2 from existing print books and 1 from original content. He wanted to present an app that was created from the children's book, Hildegard Sings, which was published in 1991 by author/illustrator Thomas Wharton. The music and sounds can be left on or turned off. He stated that apps are where creativity meets technology. Publisher's Weekly has a review of the app. It is the story of a hippo who dreams of becoming an opera singer. Bassett reiterated the importance of working with high-quality content and art. The developers of the app worked closely with the author/illustrator, who created new work, and tweens (in between frames). 100 Robots wants to avoid too much interactivity, which can detract from the work and be distracting to the user. They want to enhance the work and make it fun. This app was built for a iPad with a touch screen. Not only does 100 Robots want to focus on quality, but they also want to retain and enhance the storytelling process.

Book to app transformation: Unique challenges are presented for the process of turning a picture book into application software. The format of an iPad is not changeable in terms of screen size. There are two options: landscape and portrait. Certain types of artwork (eg spreads) will not translate easily to an iPad format. Large books may not have the same look with a much diminished size for the iPad. Some picture books are too long (36 pages) for effective translation into an app. 24 pages is a better length for the attention span that the typical app user has. People seem to have a diminished attention span for apps. The experience of using applications is very different from reading a print book. You have to ensure that the pages will turn in a seamless, intuitive, easy way for kids to operate. Apps are a cool format in which to bring a story and artwork to life with animation, sound, and interactivity. When creating an app, it is important to contemplate how kids would want the pages to turn and what things kids would want to touch and tap.

In apps, vigilant attention must be paid to proper flow and pacing of the story. Restraint and control of the animations, interactivity and sound must be practiced. Audio, graphics, and animations must be fun, funny, and unexpected. 100 Robots had a brainstorming session to determine how the kids would want pages to turn, what kids would want to touch, and what would be funny, to an extent. They used a platform and gaming engine to create the application. Bassett stated that there is much talk nowadays about "gamification" (in that people expect books to play like games). They do have matching and throwing games (tomatoes at poor Hildegard as she is performing in a dream) at the end of the book.

Developer and author/illustrator working closely together: Luckily, the author/illustrator and the developer of the app had a great relationship. Wharton gave 100 Robots complete creative freedom on the animation. He also educated the developers on opera and music and how it could be used to effectively enhance the story with sounds and animation. He had the original watercolor art that was used to produce the story. It was scanned, retouched with color correction (to make the illustrations appear much more "punchy" on the iPad screen), and sometimes redrawn on the computer. Wharton created the animations and "tweens" (in between frames).

There were voice-overs, voice narration, and voice actors involved with the production of the app. 100 Robots worked on coding to produce the animation and interaction, while retaining a focus on the story. The app for Hildegard Sings took four months to produce from start to finish, not including marketing. Involved professionals included a creative director, animators, sound designers, a marketing director, and voice actors.

Hildegard Sings trailer: Bassett showed the trailer for the app, which began with Hildegard singing with a dark backdrop of thunder and lightning. Hildegard liked singing more than anything. Well, almost. She might have preferred eating. You see animation where you can feed Hildegard a feast, including turkey and cupcakes. You can jump to any page. You see the throwing game at the end of the app, where you can throw tomatoes at Hildegard while she is performing in a dream. At the end, a mouse jumps out of a box, and Hildegard's voice box overflows with a long resonant opera tone, and this is the climax and end of the story, as shown in the trailer.

The app is getting great reviews. Kids go for both books and apps. Both things can work with each other.

At the conclusion of the two presentations, Bird invited the presenters to join a panel discussion.

Panel discussion

Bird said that she loved how the presenters had illustrated exactly how much work goes into producing applications. She stated that she sometimes is under the impression that people believe that apps are magically whipped together at the blink of an eye, without much effort, and that some people think that apps are ephemeral. She asked which Bassett and Munro thought was easier: turning books into apps or creating an app from scratch.

Bassett said that neither is easier, that they each present unique challenges. Munro agreed.

Bird stated that she thought it was a good idea to put the games at the end of an app. She stated that she has seen picture books apps that have a big game in the middle. She stated that it somewhat disrupts the story and that one does not want to continue the story after the game. She asked if the panelists could discuss the role of games in picture book apps for kids.

Munro stated that the Roxie's a-MAZE-ing vacation app is a game. She stated that the Roxie's Doors app is not a game, but it is a very interactive book. She stated that she agreed with Bassett that it is important to control the animation. There have been research studies that conclude that with too many bells and whistles, kids stop reading and do not retain the information that they read.

Bassett stated that having games at the end help users focus on the story. However, iPads are blurring the lines; you now see games that tell stories, etc. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish and what the kids and parents like. It is important to have a good balance of elements in an application.

Bird stated that she noticed that 100 Robots worked well with Wharton, the author/illustrator of Hildegard Sings. She asked if there are occasions when developers would choose to not work with the author of a book to be turned into an app.

Bassett stated that 100 Robots was lucky to have such a good working relationship with the author/illustrator Wharton. He said that there are definitely occasions where it is preferable not to work with the author. It depends on the personalities involved and the intent of the work.

Bird asked what makes a successful app.

Munro stated that a good concept and story makes books interactive. For example she stated that the sound in the Hildegard Sings app makes the story beautiful. Not all books make good apps.

Bassett stated that there are different types of successful apps. (Apps are different than books.) It also depends on how success is defined. Some people are interested in awards and recognition. Others are more interested in achieving blockbuster sales levels. 100 Robots is very concerned with producing high-quality work. The customers (parents and kids) also decide what they like. With picture apps for kids, it is preferable to keep functionality simple.

Bird then opened the floor to questions from audience members.

Audience discussion

One audience member asked how much apps sell for.

Bassett stated that they can be free to $6.00 or $7.00. 100 Robots changes its prices periodically.

Munro commented that it costs much more to develop apps than ebooks. However, ebooks sell for much more than apps.

Another audience member asked what the budget is to produce an app and what the general revenue share is.

Bassett stated that revenue share can be anything. Apple takes 30% of the profits from an app.

Munro commented that there are programs that help you make your own computer applications easily, but the quality produced by these programs will not match the quality of apps produced by professional developers. Marketing for apps is exceptionally difficult. Unlike amazon that exists to sell books and is easily search-able, no comparable company exists for computer applications. It is difficult to get the information to consumers who would be interested in buying the product. Apps are also made for specific devices, but they do not have to be shipped all over the world. They can simply be downloaded.

Bird made a point about professional reviews for apps. She stated that reviews for apps are not as important, since app producers can change their apps to address concerns raised in reviews, only to make the reviews out-of-date almost as soon as they are written.

An audience member asked how application developers get compensated for apps that they produce for free.

Bassett stated that 100 Robots has a very popular free app that was based on a Cinderella story. It has 16,000 downloads per day. The exposure and discover-ability of producing free apps is priceless because marketing is so difficult. Free apps "gets your customer hooked." When people like an app that a company has produced, they are curious about what else the company has created.

An audience member asked how many apps the developers produce in a year.

Bassett and Munro concurred that it was about 3, since producing them is very time consuming. Bassett commented that it also depends on the size of the company producing the apps.

Bird also mentioned that public libraries are buying apps, and reviews are helpful if they mention which apps are best.

I found this Salon particularly enlightening, since I always strive to improve my understanding of emerging technological trends in the field of information science. It was always extremely helpful to hear about apps from the people who develop them. I hope that you can join us at one of the future Children's Literary Salons to hear first-hand about emerging topics in children's literature. Thanks to Betsy Bird for hosting and organizing this Children's Literary Salon at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building ("the library with the lions") of The New York Public Library.

Future Children's Literary Salons

Click here for a calendar of events.

April 7, 2012 - Join book review editors Trev Jones (School Library Journal), Diane Roback (Publishers' Weekly), and Vicky Smith (Kirkus Reviews) for a conversation about the highs and lows of reviewing materials for youth in an era of digital changes.

Location: Margaret Berger Forum Room 227

Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

May 5, 2012 - Hear a panel of international authors discuss the worldwide state of children's literature and publishing. Panelists will include Sharon Elswit, the anthologist of The Jewish Story Finder and the East Asian Story Finder, Israeli Pnina Mode Kass, the author of REAL TIME, translated into German and French, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Sydney Taylor, and others.

Booktalking "Firehorse" by Diane L. Wilson

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:41:33 -0400

Firehorse by Diane L. Wilson, 2010

Imagine a world where horses pull fire engines, hoses and firemen, galloping to fight fires and save lives. Imagine a place where "ready-made" clothes are the talk of the town, and women gasp at the prices, where dalmatians nip at the heels of horses to make way for the fire horses, where a working "woman writer" at the Bostonian newspaper Argus is scandalous, and Rachel's father wonders who is taking care of the children, and who is cooking for her husband. The women of the family counter that he does not even know if she's married. Girls are not supposed to witness births, get dirty, or ride astride (sidesaddle is ladylike). Girls are not supposed to witness the devastating effects of fire on the fire horses, and they are definitely not supposed to assist the vet in saving horses. Riding astride is not decent, and Rachel's father insists that she should at least wear shoes. Girls are supposed to wear corsets, cook, and take care of men. Such is the world of Rachel, 15-year-old fire-haired girl, in America in 1872.

Rachel loves the fresh air and freedom of her Saturday races on Peaches, her favorite chestnut horse, with the train. The sound of galloping hooves, the feel of her horse beneath her, gives Rachel a sense of peace that is lacking elsewhere. When her father loses his job, and the family moves to Boston, Rachel and her 19-year-old brother James become entranced in the world of the fire house and fire horses. Rachel meets a fire mare who pulls the fire engine in her mind all of the time, yearning to spring to action in case of fire. She is volatile and hostile at times, and a burning ember fell on her from a burning barn because the driver parked her too close to the flames on a fire call. Will Rachel get through to the mare, and will the mare's own resilience pull her through to recovery when the best horse of the fire engine company is reduced to a burned, swollen miserable thing?

Firehorse by Diane L. Wilson

The writing level in this book is superb, the complexity of which is probably meant for 11th or 12th graders. The concept is unique, and I love the historical fiction aspect of this novel, which is set in the late 19th century. It's incredible to think that what we take for granted now was so much work and worry for humans that lived not so long ago. Now, if I leave the light on accidentally when I go to sleep, the only thing I have to worry about is wasted electricity. In 1872, Rachel worried about accidentally leaving a lamp on, engulfing the house in flames and bringing her entire family down with it. She checked multiple times, even though she knows that she already checked to see if the lantern was off. An oil spill from the lantern in the dark of night in the barn immediately ignites on the floor, which a quick-thinking lad immediately suffocates with buckets of water. Life seems a lot safer nowadays.

Rachel's love for horses is awesome and elemental. She relates to horses in a way that one cannot relate to people; the relationship is qualitatively different. I can definitely relate to her connection with animals, given that I have been riding and interacting with both horses, cats, and dogs for years, and I similarly feel a love for the connection with the being that is fundamentally different than humans.

Interestingly enough, the book has some autobiographical elements, since the author is red-haired and currently has a chestnut Arabian mare. In addition, it is a historical novel about the Great Boston Fire of 1872 in the Victorian Era. Diane Lee Wilson read many historical novels in preparation for writing Firehorse, and she also was able to use the diary of a 14-year-old girl who lived in Boston during that time for information about daily life then.

The novel is wonderfully descriptive; you can almost feel the fire that Rachel gallops through to save the veterinarian's horse, and her descriptions of her own nausea and burns almost made me want to vomit or faint. In the novel, strangles (or distemper), which is a highly contagious, deadly equine disease, spreads through the city. It is very interesting to me how the city of Boston literally comes to a standstill without the horses, which pull the horse cars (like modern day buses or trains), transport milk and ice (people cannot eat perishable food without the horses), and pull the fire engines (the fires then endanger people's lives like a wildfire since they spread if the fire equipment can't get to the fire to quell it). People take to walking as a new mode of transportation, eating preserved food, and fearing for their lives. Fires of livery barns where horses live definitely do not help the situation, and word on the street is that it is a case of arson. The book includes talk of love between brother and sister, a girl and her grandmother, and a lot of a girl and veterinarian with their horses. It also includes the mystery of the arsonist's identity and a possibly conspiracy between the arsonist, the editor of a small newspaper, and the firefighter who begged for the badly burned horse Governor's Girl's life.

"Everything was wrong. Firemen were setting fires and journalist were printing lies and Mother was cooking for people who would never arrive. And even though this was the quietest of November evenings, with stars just beginning to poke through the graying sky, I knew a storm was brewing. I just knew it."

Diane Lee Wilson books

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Read for Your Life: Resources for Teaching Health Literacy to Adults

Hilary Schenker, Seward Park Library — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:01:48 -0400

A woman came into the Library's Center for Reading and Writing, where she was enrolled in a basic literacy class. Visibly shaken, she pulled a staff member aside and confided that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue in the class. She had felt some pain in her breast, and her doctor had recommended that she have a mammogram. Not having any idea what a mammogram was, she understood it to mean that she had cancer. The staff member showed her how to find information about mammograms in library books and online. After consulting these resources, she went to her next doctor's appointment knowing what to expect and what questions to ask.

Since 2003, the Surgeon General has emphasized the critical importance of basic health literacy. An adult with a chronic condition must take charge of her own health. To begin, this requires researching, reading, and understanding medical information and the complex vocabulary that comprises it. It requires reading other types of materials, such as nutrition labels and medicine bottles. A patient must be able to speak with doctors, ask pertinent questions, navigate hospital maps and signs, fill out complicated forms, and keep track of her own medical history. She may even need to read recipes and learn to cook in a new ways.

Health literacy skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and math are critical. Adults with limited literacy may become passive when interacting with doctors, lacking confidence, losing rights, and ultimately becoming incapacitated by poor health. So what specific skills are needed, and how can we address these needs in the adult literacy setting?

The following is a list of essential health literacy skills we can address in the adult literacy classroom:

Reading and filling out forms.
Speaking with doctors and asking questions.
Reading medicine labels and instructions.
Learning to research important medical information.
Building the confidence necessary to demand medical rights and pursue services and help where needed.
Organizational skills, such as record-keeping, list-making, and writing down questions in advance.

Books for adult literacy learners addressing health issues:

Faine, M (1993). Lan is Sick. This is a basic literacy story, with pictures, about a woman going to the doctor and picking up a prescription. The story promotes discussion on a range of health care issues.

Gould, L. (2000). Stress. This is a picture-based beginning literacy story about one woman dealing with stress.

Kita-Bradley, L. (2008). Fad Diets. This is a picture-based beginning literacy story about a man trying to lose weight.

Reiff, T. (1992). Handle With Care. This engaging fiction book tells the story of a nurse who has trouble reading and the difficulties she encounters working at a nursing home (59 pages).

New Readers Press Health Stories: The three Health Stories student books and workbooks (introductory, low beginning, and high beginning) from New Readers Press offer interesting stories to learn about common illnesses, medical procedures, and the U.S. health care system. Workbooks offer additional practice on vocabulary, listening, and reading comprehension.

What To Do series: A series from the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, written for readers between a third and fourth grade reading level. Texts are organized in a format of question and answer.

Mayer, G., & Kuklieris, A. (2002). What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick. Whittier, CA: Institute for Healthcare Advancement.

Mayer, G., & Kuklieris, A. (2000). What To Do When You’re Having a Baby. Whittier, CA: Institute for Healthcare Advancement.

Online teaching resources for health literacy:

MedlinePlus Interactive Tutorials
From the website: “MedlinePlus presents interactive health tutorials from the Patient Education Institute. Learn about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for a variety of diseases and conditions. Also learn about surgeries, prevention and wellness. Each tutorial includes animated graphics, audio and easy-to-read language.”

Talking with your Doctor
This resource from MedlinePlus includes links to resources on how to talk with your doctor, including sample questions and videos.

ESL Flow: Lessons for Teaching the Human Body
This is a variety of worksheets and activities for health vocabulary and dialogue. Worksheets are available at different levels. A tab at the top of the page for “Food/Eating” leads to worksheets on nutrition topics.

The Virginia Adult Education Health Literacy Toolkit
From the toolkit: “This toolkit is a resource to help adult education instructors and administrators better understand the problem of health literacy as it affects their learners. It is designed to support creative approaches to help learners increase health literacy as they engage in sound, productive adult literacy instruction.” The toolkit also includes one-page picture based stories on health topics, such as taking the right doses of mediation, depression, stress, talking to doctors, and eating right. A cleaner copy of the picture stories is also available online.

We Are New York
A series of nine engaging half-hour television shows each with accompanying workbooks, produced by the Mayor's office of Adult Education and the City University of New York, Office of Academic Affairs. Five of the episodes deal with health themes: No Smoking, New Life Cafe (diabetes), Asthma: The Soap Opera, Stop Domestic Violence, and The Hospital.

English for your Health
The Queens Library offers some resources for adults who speak very little English to learn about health topics.

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Bookworm Occupations on February 4, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:22:54 -0400

On February 4, 2012, supervising librarian Elizabeth Bird hosted a meeting of the minds, bringing a school librarian, public librarian, bookseller, parental blogger, and an author/illustrator together in the Margaret Berger Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The Children's Literary Salon is a monthly meeting in The New York Public Library for anyone interested in children's literature. It usually occurs on the first Saturday of the month from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Check here for information about upcoming salons, and please feel free to join us. There is great conversation amongst the panelists, and audience members have a chance to ask questions.

We were privileged to have a panoply of representatives from bookworm professions come together in a conversation about books. They are working together across different professions to help kids to enhance their learning, literacy, and appreciation of the world. The panel was introduced by Bird.

Public Librarian: Marilyn Ackerman is a public librarian working for the Brooklyn Public Library. I love public libraries, and I have worked in and visited countless branches in different cities. The freedom of access to information is terrific. Even those who can't afford to buy books or computers can access the information for free with a local library card. Not only can you access great books, DVDs, CDs, and more — public libraries also have great programs for kids, teens, and adults.

School Librarian: Barbara Auerbach is a school librarian. As a librarian for The New York Public Library, one of my favorite things to do is work with school librarians to set up class trips, visits to the schools, and promote libraries and reading.

Parental Blogger: Erica Kylander-Clark is a parental blogger. Parents are invaluable in developing a love of reading in their children. It takes devoted parents to visit the library and encourage reading in their children.

Clark's parent blog: What Do We Do All Day?
Clark's book blog: Storied Cities

Bookstore Manager: Rebecca Fitting (Greenlight Bookstore) runs an independent bookstore.

Bookfinder database

Author/Illustrator: Melanie Hope Greenberg is an author and illustrator. We would not have anything to read without authors. For that, librarians are greatly indebted to them.

Author/Illustrator Presentation: Greenberg started the program with a short 10 to 15 minute presentation about the work of authors. She talked about the need for self-marketing and what is expected of authors and illustrators. She provided a list of what it takes to sell books. She has been in the industry for 25 years and has been involved in the production of 16 books. She discussed author/illustrator visits to schools as a way to spread the love of literature to kids, but as a way to make money too. She talked about etiquette — for example, she stated that thank yous for opportunities are very important, and replying to comments on social networking sites (such as Facebook) are also important, since the communication needs to be going in multiple directions.

Then Bird invited the panel to come to the front of the room. She asked the members how they find the best books for kids and where.

Where to Find Kid Book Gems: The school librarian stated that she finds them anywhere books are sold, including bookstores and museum shops. She stated that her customers are teachers and students: she finds the books teachers need and the books students want. In addition, book reviews, School Library Journal magazine, and blogs are good sources for books. The public librarian stated that e-mails from other librarians, parents, and kids; publisher previews; galleys; newsletters; and conferences help her find books. She likes to go to conferences hosted by Book Expo America, the American Library Association, School Library Journal's Day of Dialog, and the New York Library Association. The bookseller stated that sales representatives help put her in touch with new books. The parental blogger reads blogs, lists, and goes to libraries, and likes to look at library displays to find out what librarians find interesting. She reads parental blogs. She likes to go to book fairs for parents, which are sometimes held at museums, in conjunction with other children's events. There was some consensus that the book professionals are more likely to go to conferences in New York City due to money and time constraints.

Bird stated that all of the members of the panel were the gatekeepers to books. She was interested in hearing a discussion between the public and the school librarian about the relationship between public and school libraries, and how they have changed. She is under the impression that historically, the two professions did not intersect, but due to budget constraints, the two are working together more these days.

Partnerships Between Schools and Public Libraries: The school librarian mentioned that she had worked with a public librarian from a panel held in the 1990s under Connecting Libraries and Schools Programs (CLASP). This helped get authors and programs in schools, and the kids were so happy to meet famous authors. The author/illustrator added that she has provided presentations at schools that were paid for by libraries. The public librarian mentioned that some public libraries, including NYPL, offer an educator card, which provides extended borrowing periods in order to encourage teachers to use the public libraries more. She also mentioned that summer reading lists come out each year (www.summerreading.org) for kids, teens, and adults. The public librarian mentioned that there is room for growth in the partnerships between schools and public libraries. She sometimes wonders why one particular Junie B. Jones book is needed when she feels that any one title from the series might do. Also, sometimes parents wait until the last minute for school assignments, and the books needed are already checked out. Sometimes an entire class is assigned the same topic, which makes access to the books difficult.

Schools and public libraries working together benefit children's literacy and enjoyment. Teachers can contact neighborhood libraries in the Bronx, Manhattan, or Staten Island if they would like to arrange a visit to the Library to get library cards, go on Library tours, do research for classes, or participate in story times. Teachers can also request visits from NYPL representatives. NYPL staff can talk about Library services and summer reading programs, and sign students up for library cards. Kids are in school during the day, and then they go to their public libraries for after-school programs, such as gaming. They also populate the Library during the summers and school holidays, so we need to work together to keep them reading the books they love!

Bird then posed a question to the bookseller. She asked which events the bookstore participates in, and how does she decides which events to attend.

Independent Bookstore Events: Fitting stated that she runs an independent bookstore, and it is still in its infancy (it's only two and a half years old). She has participated in a conference for two years now. She has limited resources, and she needs to find the right fit for the independent bookstore. She has been involved with events with schools and libraries. She heard a lecture at a conference regarding how to partner with public libraries effectively. The school librarian pointed out that Greenlight Bookstore has teacher nights with refreshments. She states that the teachers have tremendous power in kids' lives regarding what they read. She stated that if a teacher reads a book during class or recommendeds a book, the kids really wanted to read it. The bookseller stated that she loves it when sales representatives talk to booksellers. It builds an "intangible buzz" or synergy that makes us all work together better to provide the best product for kids and engage them with literacy.

Bird asked the parental blogger how often she had been approached by authors and/or illustrators.

Blogger's Contact with Authors and Illustrators: The parental blogger responded that authors or illustrators had only contacted her twice. She likes to write about all books — not just the ones promoted by publishers, but she thinks more contact would be a helpful way for her to become aware of upcoming books to be published, since she doesn't know if parents have a good awareness of what books are on the horizon next.

Bird then opened up the floor for questions from audience members.

The first audience member talked about authors starting blogs about nonfiction children's books, which are talked about less than fiction children's books.

Bird asked the panel how they let people know about good nonfiction children's books.

Good Children's Nonfiction Books: One of the members of the panel said that that's what we're here to figure out. The bookseller stated that there is not as much information available about children's nonfiction books. She stated that this is a small section of her bookstore and it is one of the hardest sections to develop. There are many books on dinosaurs and history, but it is difficult to determine which aspects of history will be of interest to customers. She often eavesdrops on parents to find out what books they would like to buy for their kids. The school librarian stated that the Board of Education is presently making a big push now for children's nonfiction books. However, she stated that nonfiction in schools is sometimes narrowly defined. For example, nonfiction titles must sometimes include a table of contents, index, be large and oversized, and have many pictures. And any book with animal characters, even with true content, would sometimes not be classified as children's nonfiction.

It was another great Children's Literary Salon. It was nice to see how the professions intersect in the service of connecting kids with books in order to provide enjoyment, information, and enrich lives. It was scintillating conversation, and we definitely hope that you will join us next time.

Upcoming Children's Literary Salon programs:

*Descriptions provided by Elizabeth Bird, Youth Materials Collection Specialist

March 24, 2012 — What is the current state of picture book apps for kids today? How are they made? How do you balance technical concerns with kid-appeal and educational benefits? Author/illustrator Roxie Monro and Matt Bassett of One Hundred Robots tackle these and other issues in the brave new world of apps.

Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman building (the "library with the lions" at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street)

Margaret Berger Forum, Room 227

Time: 2 to 3 p.m.

Click here to see NYPL's online calendar for the next Children's Literary Salon!

April 7, 2012 — Join book review editors Trev Jones (School Library Journal), Diane Roback (Publishers' Weekly), and Vicky Smith (Kirkus Reviews) for a conversation about the highs and lows of reviewing materials for youth in an era of digital changes.

May 5, 2012 — Hear a panel of international authors discuss the worldwide state of children's literature and publishing. Panelists will include Sharon Elswit, the anthologist of The Jewish Story Finder and the East Asian Story Finder; and Israeli Pnina Mode Kass, the author of Real Time, which was translated into German and French and won the National Jewish Book Award, the Sydney Taylor, and others.

June 2, 2012 — Formed in 1987 by a group of Brooklyn illustrators to share publishing information and industry experiences, the Children's Book Illustrators Group brings together artists with an interest in producing exceptional artwork and books for children. Join Donna Miskend, president and exhibition curator; Vicky Rubin, webmaster and listserve manager; Maria Madonna Davidoff, postcard designer; and others in a discussion of the group's accomplishments and future goals.

New York Then and Now: Social Studies Resources for Upper Elementary Students

Melissa Cardinali, Central Collection Development — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:52:33 -0500

We hope to get you and your students in a New York state of mind with these non-fiction resources about the Big Apple! There are so many great books on this topic, so please feel free to add to this list as you see fit. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Nonprint

Interested in New York current events? Search this database for full text articles from New York State newspapers. Need to spruce up your NYC history lessons with some historical photos? Search NYPL's Digital Gallery, including our historical postcard collection. Students learning about immigration into NYC will enjoy NYPL's Immigrant City, an online exhibition. Use it to find pictures and Voicethreads, contribute to a Google map to point out special sites, share immigration stories, and find/share lesson plans. Also available are several themed resource packets, which can be printed and distributed for student use: Three Worlds Meet in Early New York, Early New York, and The Lower East Side. Not to be missed is the Schomburg Center's online exhibition Harlem 1900-1940!

In case it's picture books you're after, here is a list of some of my personal favorites — especially great for read alouds!

New York: The Empire State by Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas, illustrated by Jon Messer. This is a great introduction to different regions of New York State. Beautiful illustrations make this a good choice for students who would like to learn more about New York history and geography.

With Lady Liberty: A Biography, Doreen Rappaport hoped to "show readers how the statue personified for so many the enviable concepts of freedom and self-government." Based on primary sources, this picture book tells the story of how “the lady” was created from the perspectives of some of the people who made it happen.

Elaine Landau’s The Statue of Liberty is an appealing, informative resource for students who have questions about Lady Liberty. Fun facts, photographs, and timelines make this easy to read book a great choice for independent reading.

Several years ago, architect Matteo Pericoli illustrated the buildings and structures along the east and west sides of Manhattan in two 37 foot scrolls. See the City: The Journey of Manhattan Unfurled captures these drawings in a switchback format children’s book. (The blue cover indicates the west side and the red cover — or part two — is the east side.) Students will enjoy recognizing familiar sights and, after taking in Pericol's interpretation and reading his musings, may even see Manhattan a bit differently. It's a beautiful and worthwhile resource for students (or anyone) interested in taking a new look at the sights of Manhattan.

Richard Platt’s New York City: An Illustrated History of the Big Apple presents the history of New York City chronologically with two-page spreads of information, illustrations, and maps. It's a great resource for the big-picture view of the evolution of Manhattan. Check out other other books in the Through Time series.

Larry Dane Brimner’s Subway, The Story of Tunnels, Tubes and Tracks offers an easy-to-read, chronological account of how the NYC subway system came into being. For a more sophisticated resource, try Building the New York Subway by Andrew Santella or A Subway for New York by David L. Weitzman, which is especially great for budding mechanics, engineers, or students interested in the technical aspects of how the subway works.

Discover more books about the subway >>

Did you know that Grand Central Terminal was “born from the ashes of a tragic train wreck?" Appreciate the grandeur of NYC’s terminal with Ed Stanley’s Grand Central Terminal: Gateway to New York City. Also recommended is William Low's Old Penn Station, a compelling tribute.

A Short and Remarkable History of New York City takes the form of an annotated timeline with illustrations from the Museum of the City of New York. It's great for history buffs or students studying a specific decade or time period in Gotham’s 400-year history.

Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924. Deborah Hopkinson provides a fantastic overview of who came to New York during that period, what they found when they arrived, and why they left their home countries in the first place. The history lessons take narrative form and are personalized by the stories of five different immigrants. This is perhaps a bit sophisticated for fourth graders, but it's a worthwhile resource for educators and students doing research or trying to learn more about this time period in New York’s City history.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire by Elaine Landau is a solid non-fiction choice for students. For a fictionalized account of this tragedy, check out Margaret Peterson Haddix's Uprising. Visit this blog post for a more comprehensive list of resources on this topic.

Wild Lives: A History of the People & Animals of the Bronx Zoo by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. Beautiful photographs and an interesting narrative make this historical overview of the Bronx Zoo a great student reference.

Neil Waldman’s They Came from the Bronx: How the Buffalo Were Saved from Extinction is a fictionalized account of how buffalo were reintroduced to the plains of Oklahoma by a journey that started at the Bronx Zoo. This is a great read aloud to teach students about endangered species, the history of buffalo in the U.S., and the purpose of conservation societies, like the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Searching Databases for African American History Month: Frederick Douglass

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:27:43 -0500

February is African American History Month! The New York Public Library's databases have loads of information on influential African Americans. Let's take a look at Frederick Douglass as an example.

The African American Experience
This database explores the history and culture of African Americans.

Type "Frederick Douglass" in the bar labeled Quick Search. Click on the link under Topic Guides to get an overview of his life. To the left of the page you will find links that will provide time lines, primary documents, and lesson plans.

Biography in Context
Provides biographical information on more than 335,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines

Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar. You will find biographies, websites, magazines, and newspaper articles about him.

Grolier Online
Includes access to the Encyclopedia Americana, New Book of Knowledge, and Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, as well as Roget's II: The New Thesaurus and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar for results. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page to the teachers link to find lesson plans that include Frederick Douglass.

U.S. History in Context
Has a variety of historical data from primary sources and reference documents, including photographs, illustrations, and maps

Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar for results. You can scroll down and at the bottom right you will find a video on Frederick Douglass’s life. This database also has a Resources link, where you can find lesson plans.

The Black World: Research Tools from the Schomburg Center
These selected sites offer access to free, high-quality research tools, and large databases of books, articles, oral histories, images, maps, interviews, and television programs. Some sites are specifically devoted to Africa and/or the African Diaspora, while others are more general, but include materials of interest to research in the history and cultures of the black world.

Booktalking "How They Met & Other Stories" by David Levithan

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:30:18 -0500

The way that I have been inspired to read teen literature tends to be from meeting authors, listening to them talk about their work, and then getting curious about what they wrote. This happened to me first with Walter Dean Myers, then with David Levithan. I heard Levithan discuss his work at a Teen Week event at The New York Public Library and was inspired to read How They Met and Other Stories. Levithan seemed very interesting to me. I have read some of his other works, but I am impressed by the variety of perspectives he has on love stories in this particular work. Explore more of Levithan's work in the Library's collection >>

The following is a booktalk that I wrote for high school students:

How They Met & Other Stories by David Levithan, 2008

Ever get stuck babysitting a six-year-old who turns out to love Starbucks, only to find out a dreamy guy who works there decides he wants to hang out with you?

What about stepping up to be interviewed for college by an alum who just happens to be your closeted boyfriend’s father?

Or bringing your date “Glinda the Good Witch” to the prom, when your strongest desire was to artfully dodge her bold attempts to ensure that there was absolutely no air between you two?

How about dating a “startling boy,” the son of one of your father’s business partners, and you don’t even know what business they’re in, let alone who this Andrew Chang is. By your account, he appears to be a clone of his father... and he definitely can’t move his feet in a coordinated manner on the dance floor.

What about desperately trying to get your family to accept your dancer boyfriend and allow him to attend your Bar Mitzvah? You’re lucky if you have a brother who will stand up to your parents on your behalf and defend your right to be with your love on that special day.

From gay men and/or women who haven't yet realized that they’re gay to gay and straight stories of romance, Levithan writes from a cornucopia of perspectives in this eye-opening collection of romantic short stories.

Booktalking "Lockdown" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:13:04 -0500

Yes, it is one of my blog posts about a Walter Dean Myers book... again. I have a thing about Walter Dean Myers after hearing him speak a couple of times, and he seems very interesting. We also have a shared interest in teenagers and the criminal justice system. Anyhow, here is another one.

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers, 2010

With names like Icy, Toon, Play, and King Kong, you might wonder what's happening. Icy... is a trip. At nine years old, she is glad that Hillary Clinton didn't win the presidential election, since that affords her the opportunity to be the first female president. As a back-up plan, she'll settle for attending Princeton University and a career as a doctor or lawyer.

Reese, a teenager in a juvy (juvenile) jail called Progress, is in for illegally selling prescription drugs. He made the astute observation that inmates who didn't like "silent" lockdowns were the same guys who were on the meds lines in the morning. They probably liked the noise to drown out their auditory hallucinations. Lockdowns require the inmates to be locked in their cells. They are unpredictable and can happen at any moment, and inmates are expected to return to their cells immediately. Lockdowns could be ordered in response to any security threat, including a fight or the discovery of contraband (any substance that is not allowed in prison, including cash, which is considered to be dangerous as a result of the items that it can buy.)

Police brutality; a racist nursing home resident at Evergreen, where Reese is lucky enough to work at in order to break up the monotony of prison life; fights that you simply get caught up in; Icy's grey kitten Sheba with a white spot on her neck; the failed suicide attempts of inmates... How you do break free?

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers, 2010

Booktalking "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:13:20 -0500

By now, everyone probably knows how much I love Walter Dean Myers as an author. So, here's another booktalk of a very highly decorated book in terms of awards:

Monster by Walter Dean Myers, 1999.

Here's the scene: Mr. Nesbitt is a bodega (convenience store) owner who keeps a gun in his store to protect himself and the store. Supposedly, a young man goes into the store prior to a burglary for the purpose of ensuring that no cops are present. Two other young men then rob the store owner. In the course of the burglary, one of the young men gets ahold of Mr. Nesbitt's gun, then kills him with it. This is the story of the trial of the young man who "cased" the store (made sure that no police officers were present) — he's on trial for felony murder.

Monster is written in the style of a screenplay. Steve Harmon, accused of casing the store prior to the burglary, is writing a movie of his trial experience: scenes of the trial interspersed with his personal diary entries. It's courtroom trial drama at its best. Steve is a 15-year-old boy who stands to lose his freedom for the foreseeable future. The content includes conversations between Steve and his lawyer, Ms. O'Brien; scenes of past times with his friends; scenes from juvy (juvenile) jail; and his personal thoughts about the entire process. A man was killed, but is there sufficient evidence to send Steve away for life?

Was Steve an innocent party, wrongly accused by guilty boys simply attempting to save their own skin? Did he enter the store on December 22, the day of the murder? Was he "checking out" the store to ensure that no cops were present? Did he want to, or agree to, participate in a burglary? Or was he a good boy simply working on a film project for a teacher who obviously thought highly of him?

Want to see what a murder trial might be like? You can read closing arguments, questions by prosecuting and defense attorneys, and answers by witnesses, including the testimony of a defendant on his own behalf!

This book has won the Printz & Coretta Scott King awards and has been named a National Book Award finalist.

Teaching World War I: Treaty of Versailles (Databases for Use in Creating Lesson Plans)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:05:17 -0500

To help in your lesson planning, we've highlighted some databases that feature information on the Treaty of Versailles:

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia — type in "Treaty of Versailles" or search "World War I" for more results
Grolier Online — Type in "Treaty of Versailles." In the list of results, you'll find a document that includes extracts from the military, reparations, and financial clauses.
Kids Search — type in "Treaty of Versailles" or search "World War I" for more information
Middle Search Plus — Type in "Treaty of Versailles." The list of results will include reference articles, government documents, and images.
U.S. History in Context & World History in Context — both databases will provide information on the Treaty of Versailles and World War I
The Great War: Evaluating the Treaty of Versailles (from the National Endowment for the Humanities)

Discover a World of Information on Explorers

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:39:23 -0500

The New York Public Library’s databases will unveil loads of information on these pioneers.

BookFlix — Go to the “People and Places” link. On the last page, you will find a story and lesson plan on Christopher Columbus.
Kids Search — Type in "Explorers" and you will get results like “Name the Explorers Crossword Puzzle.” Also, click on the “Books & Encyclopedias” and “Biographies” links to get more information.
Searchasaurus — Go to the “Encyclopedia” link, type in "Explorers" and you will find information on various voyagers.
World Book Online — Click on the “World Book Online for Kids” link and type in "Explorers" to see a list of results. From Lewis and Clark’s expedition to Henry Hudson, there is enough information here to include in your lesson plan.

Teaching Prohibition: Databases for Use in Creating Lesson Plans

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:26 -0500

To help in your lesson planning, I've highlighted some databases available at the Library that are related to Prohibition.

Grolier Online — type in "Prohibition" and find articles on the topic in various reading levels and in Spanish.
Kids Search — click on the “images” link and type in "Prohibition." You will find primary source information on the topic.
Middle Search Plus — type in "Prohibition" to find various articles. To find information on the Volstead Act of 1919, click on the “primary source documents” link (on the left side of the screen).
U.S. History in Context — type in "Prohibition" and you will find a quick overview, including images, audio recordings, and related topics.
Teaching with Documents: The Volstead Act and Related Prohibition Documents (from the National Archives)

Booktalking "Game" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:40:50 -0500

Game by Walter Dean Myers, 2008.

Drew's mom sees inner city kids shot dead outside and wants him to stay out of the street. He does, but he also goes to legal hearings about other kids in trouble. Other guys without the smarts, or guys that get into trouble with drugs or the law — they don't make it. Maybe they don't have support from someone like Drew's mother.

Luckily, 6'5" Drew excels at basketball and has no dreams of wasting his life for nothing. On the contrary — he wants to play for the NBA. His sister Jocelyn wants to be a star in Hollywood or attend Harvard University. Drew has a coach named House, who is detail-oriented to the point where he insists that the centers shoot within six feet of the rim because more baskets are statistically made at that distance. House was courteous enough to issue everyone tape measures so that they would be familiar with the distance.

Want to know what really happens in sports practice? Do you know what a "wing drill" is? Game is full of three-second violations, penalties, and ball court drama. As Drew states, "[It was] just me and what I knew: the court, the hoop, the sound of the ball on the floor." The choreography of the game is a kinesthetic artistry. It's like a dance, a relationship, an athletic strategy. It's how the team lives. They love the game. They have to play it because they love it, for themselves. What do you care about that makes a conversation, a life, or a pastime?

Explore Walter Dean Myers books at The New York Public Library

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