NYPL Blogs: For Teachers

Booktalking "Bug Boy" by Eric Luper

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:48:26 -0400

15-year-old exercise rider Jack Walsh hopes and dreams that someone will promote him to "bug boy," a.k.a. apprentice jockey. However, in no way, shape or form did he aspire to take advantage of the misfortune of Showboat, the leading jockey at his barn. 116 pounds is much too heavy for a jockey; ten pounds to lose in two days. Endless frantic running, eating and drinking little of anything, wrapping oneself in a heavy blanket in the middle of summer, and vomiting up anything that will come up. One hopes that his fate does not mirror Showboat's.

The cutthroat world of horse racing where rules are not always enforced, deadly injuries and the dangerous dieting that riders engage in to "make weight," especially for the better horses that are not assigned "handicaps" (extra weight in the saddle to even out the odds of horses winning).

Luckily or not so luckily, Jack meets Elizabeth, a debutante who turns out to be a bookie. High excitement for a 15-year-old in 1934 to have $559 in return for his overnight success in the races. The fame, riding at the Saratoga race tracks, everyone talking to him, and a little girl asking for his autograph. Next to the star by his name in the program, he draws a cartoonish bug and signs his name. Nice to be noticed.

Fireside, the stable's star horse whom everyone hangs their hopes of success is Jack's mount in one of the races. Numerous people urge him to "sponge" the horse (stick a sponge up one nostril of the horse) to "throw" the race. Will Triple Cherry, Skee Ball or one of the other horses win? Will anyone even tamper with Fireside?

Bug Boy by Eric Luper, 2009

The racing industry is cutthroat, and I was a little bit surprized to learn of the extreme weight-control measures that jockeys take. Some of them are blatantly unhealthy, and some can be life-threatening. I was also surprised to find out the dangerous ways that cheating can occur in the industry.

At several points in the story, the horses are said to "buck" during the walk to the starting gate. I have watched some Thoroughbred horse racing, and I have never seen Thoroughbreds buck before a race. I have seen many of them rear. Bucking is usually done in playfulness, anger, or when horses are in pain (during rodeos, people place a bucking strap really tight over the horse's stomach. This causes the horse to buck. Note that the horses continue bucking after the rider falls off. They are not bucking because of the rider, and this is animal cruelty.) Most horses rear out of fright; Thoroughbreds are "hot-blooded" (high-strung). When stallions fight over mares, they will rear and bite at each other.

Also, at one point, Jack clenches the mane and leans forward during the buck. I have ridden horses for over twenty years, and many have bucked. You lean backward when the horse kicks up his hind end off of the ground to maintain your balance. One must lean forward during a rear to maintain one's balance. Rearing is very dangerous because the horse can flip over backwards when they lift their front end off of the ground.

I worked as a hotwalker at a track near Sydney, Australia, and it was quite an experience. The hours were from 4:30 a.m.-8:00 a.m., and I walked horses back and forth from the stable to the track. It was usually dark when I started—a cool temperature for the horses to work out in. Occasionally, I would also walk horses from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. for exercise. Once, they had me take one of the horses into the pool for exercise, it was dark, and they stressed the importance of staying in front of the horse or the horse could drown. I was very nervous and very glad when they never asked me to do that again.

I have enjoyed riding Thoroughbreds (TB). There was Synergy in Brooklyn. I asked the manager if there was anything I should know about the horse before I took him out by myself. He said that he was "off the track" (an ex-racehorse) and that he might try to take off on me. I was glad I asked. My aunt's horse is 3/4 TB, and she is a dream to ride.

Booktalking "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller, edited by Roger Shattuck

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:45:23 -0500

At 19 months of age, Keller loses her sight and hearing. A girl spends five years in darkness and silence, yet she runs with strength and is healthy and vigorous. Frenetically, she reaches into everything, is fascinated by people, and is in constant gestural communication with her mother and family members. She remembers the layout of the house, so she is able to freely run through it. She loves being with her dogs and her pony, but she cannot grasp sophisticated meaning from her limited world until her teacher, 21 year old Anne Sullivan, arrives in 1887 to greet the 7-year-old Keller.

Keller is not used to following the directives of anyone else, and there are some epic battles between these two strong-willed individuals. Sullivan isolates Keller from her indulgent family to live with her in the cottage house to teach the young girl obedience, while she continues finger spelling words into Keller's hands to elucidate the world to her. Arguments between Sullivan and Keller last hours; the 7-year-old knocks out at least one of her teacher's teeth. However, Keller eventually realizes that she will not win, and she is pleasantly distracted by the light of knowledge.

When Sullivan explains the meaning of "water" at the well and Keller understands, she becomes ecstatic. She realizes that everything has a name, and she begs her teacher to label every object she can think of to satisfy her inquisitive mind and give her the greater and more specific tool of language to communicate with other people.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, edited by Roger Shattuck, 2003

Why I Love This Version of Helen Keller's Life, Psychology, Education and Intellect

This is a brilliantly edited volume. From reading the Foreword, I learned that The Miracle Worker contains an inaccuracy regarding the well water scene. Helen said "wa-wa" to signify water prior to losing her sight and hearing at 19 months of age. Keller spent her childhood in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the time of the well water scene (when Keller was seven years old), she did not speak. Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 and died in 1968; while she was living, people thought that her story was a hoax.

I loved the short chapters of this book that had distinct ideas. I read the book's section in the following order: Foreword, Helen Keller's The Story of My Life, Helen Keller's Letters, Anne Sullivan's account, John Macy's account, Appendix, and Notes. I wanted to read the material by Helen Keller together. Sometimes she despairs at the darkness and silence in which she lives, but then she casts aside the bitter thoughts to explore her world.

This edition, edited by Roger Shattuck in 2003, includes Helen Keller's The Story of My Life, supplementary accounts by Anne Sullivan, her teacher, and John Albert Macy, assistant to her teacher (and husband, for a time). The Foreword, Afterward, Appendix, Notes and Helen Keller's letters are also worth reading.

In her adult life, Helen lived with Anne Sullivan, her teacher, and John Macy, married to Sullivan, until his drinking broke up the marriage. Helen Keller became a staunch advocate for blind and deaf people, and she wrote some spiritual books as well. The most intriguing excerpt from this book is from Helen Keller's Teacher, published in 1955 when Keller was 75 years old. Teacher describes a more elemental Keller, who was impulsive, demanding, and suffering from a disconnect with the world. It contains none of the airy, positive dreamy feel of The Story of My Life, which was published when Keller was 23 years old. In The Story of My Life, Helen is optimistic and full of flowery language about all that is good in the world.

Helen Keller's The Story of My Life

At the age of 19 months, Keller was struck with an illness that plunged her into a dark and silent world. For five years, Helen communicated as best as she could until she met Anne Sullivan, her teacher, when she was seven years old. Laura Bridgman was also a deaf and blind girl who was helped before Keller. Apparently Keller's parents were wealthy and resourceful enough to find the appropriate people to talk to and they were able to pay for a private tutor for their daughter.

Anne Sullivan was 21 years old when she met 7-year-old Keller. Sullivan was in for a shock, and she probably did not anticipate exactly how exhausting it would be to teach Keller to listen to her authority. Right away, Sullivan began finger spelling words into Keller's hands to facilitate some connection to and meaning about the world. Keller was grabby and lacking in manners, but she was also very curious, frenetic, and in good physical shape. The girl rarely was still. Sullivan reached the conclusion immediately that one of her first tasks would be to teach Keller discipline and get the girl to obey her. She believed the obedience was at the root of both learning and love. Sullivan would show her love and be her eyes and ears, constantly finger spelling the world into her hand.

Helen Keller was friends with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. Bell recommended the school that sent Sullivan as a tutor to Keller. Keller visited Niagara Falls with him and wondered at the majesty of nature. He explained electricity to her. Keller also knew Samuel Clemens (aka "Mark Twain").

In October of 1896, Keller entered a prep school (high school) prior to her study at Harvard University. Sullivan assisted her in the classrooms with seeing and hearing girls. A few people in the school learned sign language (including the principal and German teacher). Keller also learned French. Her younger sister Mildred joined her at the school, and she received honors in English and German. Keller also learned algebra and physics. She played solitaire and chess (she could feel the differences in the pieces.) Keller found it much more pleasant to teach herself than be taught in a classroom. She produced higher quality work and learned much faster by herself. After all, she was used to a private tutor. It seems that she studied how she learned so that she could expedite her own discovery of the world.

Keller found mathematics particularly challenging to decipher. Not many books were printed for the blind, so she needed many books to be spelled into her hand. Her ideas about human memory, cognition and learning ring very true to me. She started reading at age seven and she learned much from books that she could not learn from sight or hearing. She was a bibliophile, and she was very grateful to people who helped her get her textbooks embossed into Braille. Her sense of touch was more developed than that of sighted people. When taking exams that she was typing on her typewriter and were not allowed to have read back to her, she would keep the essay in her short-term memory. If she finished before the end of the time alloted, she would type corrections at the end of her essay.

Helen Keller's Letters: Light in Her Darkness

On June 17, 1887, 7-year-old Keller wrote a letter to her cousin Anna in pencil declaring what she was doing. Most of her letters are very positive. She told everyone how happy she was to be writing them, and her love of life shines through. Readers can see the progression of her thought patterns and literacy skills as they scan her letters throughout her young childhood and teenage and adult years. One can see how her intellect developed. Keller learned to speak by putting her hands on the throats of speaking people and feeling the location of their tongues and the vibrations. During her adulthood, Sullivan persisted in correcting Keller's pronunciation of words. Keller went to historic battlefields and museums to learn about culture and the world.

An excerpt from Teacher, which was written by Keller in 1955 as a 75-year-old woman depicts a lost soul angry at the world. From 19 months until the age of seven, Keller referred to herself as "no-person" and phantom. Keller was dissociated from the person that she was and did not feel as if she existed or that she was a real person after she was plunged into darkness and silence. "A sorrier situation never confronted a young woman on fire with a noble purpose." Phantom's parents interfered with any discipline that Sullivan tried to give her, so Sullivan took Keller to a cottage house near Ivy Green. They rearranged furniture so that Keller would not recognize it. Keller recalls that it even smelled different than the cottage house that she remembered.

Keller marveled in this account that Sullivan was willing to risk her personal safety by being alone with her. (Keller knocked out at least one of Sullivan's teeth in a struggle.) Keller often got hurt from trying to escape restraining arms. At the time, she was not aware of how much time and effort Sullivan put into bringing her under control without breaking her spirit. Keller had many power struggles with Sullivan, which were completely omitted from The Story of My Life. At the time of its publication, she was a happy 23-year-old woman who sugar-glazed the past.

When the pair returned to Ivy Green, Keller still struggled with her anger. The phantom became angry at Sullivan because she could not understand the distinction between the water and the mug. However, on April 5, 1887, Annie was able to explain the well water to Keller, who then begged her teacher for the words to everything that she could think of. Keller was ecstatic that someone could lead her into a deeper understanding of the world that her intellect craved.

Anne Sullivan's Account: How to Tame This Wild Child

Sullivan (1866-1936) became half-blind at five years of age, due to trachoma, and her sight was partially restored later in her lifetime. Her predecessor, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe taught a blind, deaf girl, Laura Bridgman, who also lacked a sense of smell, and paved the way for Sullivan and others like her. Due to Sullivan's poor sight, there is little documentation by her of her teaching methods with Keller, other than letters written from 1887-1994. The letters that we do have from Sullivan are invaluable since they give us insight into her perspective of Keller's psychology and education, and they reveal just how remarkable Sullivan was. The newspaper accounts of her work with Keller at the time were sensationalized.

Sullivan strived to improve Keller's manners. When her teacher would not let her put her hand into her plate, Sullivan ate her breakfast for 30 minutes while Keller kicked and screamed on the floor. Every time Keller pinched Sullivan, she slapped her. Sullivan requested that Keller use her spoon, then that she fold her napkin. That developed into another one hour-long struggle. Sullivan had to have the family leave the dining room and lock the door to prevent Keller from leaving. Keller repeatedly threw her napkin on the floor. Finally, when Keller acquiesced, her teacher let her out into the sunshine while she went upstairs, threw herself onto her bed exhausted, and cried. She anticipated many battles before she was able to teach Keller obedience and love. Later, for a little belated discipline, Sullivan threw Keller's napkin onto the floor, then would not give her cake. When Keller agreed to have the napkin on her, her teacher gave her a larger slice of cake than usual.

Sullivan found that Keller's family allowed her to do exactly as she wanted to, with the occasional exception of her brother James. Unfortunately, Helen became stronger and more violent as she got older. Sullivan took her to the cottage house to teach her obedience so that she could learn; she also wanted to girl to feel dependent on her. At first, Keller would not let her teacher kiss or touch her. The first night was a two-hour struggle to get Keller to bed. After nine days together, Keller learned obedience and allowed her teacher to kiss her. Now, it seemed as though a shake or nod of the teacher's head (to signify "no" and "yes") were facts of life to Keller like the difference between hot and cold or pain and pleasure. Sullivan found Keller so bright and delightful. She declined the family's offer of a nurse for Keller since her teacher found it easier to live with her in the same room and teach her at odd moments. Sullivan used no particular theory or system to teach Keller.

John Macy's Account: Living with Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller

Macy was married to Sullivan for a time until they divorced because of his drinking. Keller's personality was whimsical and adventuresome. There is an illustration of Keller's teacher reading to her in this section of the book. Sullivan holds the book with one hand and finger spells into Keller's hand with the other. Keller endured much pain when she went up against Sullivan's strong will, but Sullivan would not sacrifice any of the progress that had been made. Keller became more loving following disciplinary episodes with her teacher.

Blogging About Nonfiction Books!

I finally did it! I was able to blog about a nonfiction work. I have been blogging about fiction books for over a year now, and I have often wanted to blog about the less-talked about wonderful nonfiction books that are out there, but until now have not been inspired to do it! Helen Keller is an amazing woman. In terms of the time frame of her life, I was interested to realize that she actually died while my parents were alive. Keller is such an altruistic figure, so positive in her perspective and in love with life and with people that it is impossible not to be charmed by her. Her inquisitive nature, intellectual life, love of learning and the things that she was able to accomplish despite her particular challenges also surprise me. Keller's psychology and her theories of human cognition, learning and memory are fascinating to me.

I was sufficiently interested in this book to write about it so that others could become more aware of the content of this brilliantly edited volume. Perhaps some will be inclined to read it, but if not, at least they can learn more facts about Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, and John Macy that have not been reported many times by the media.

Booktalking "Chains: Seeds of America" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:00:48 -0500

Isabel Finch thought she was getting her freedom upon the death of her master, as indicated in his will. Afraid not. Not when a man grabs her and sells her and her five year old sister Ruth to the Locktons. "Madam," as Anne Lockton insists she be called, took the liberty of renaming Isabel "Sal."

Ruth, tortured by fits of epilepsy, a brain tumor, or some similar affliction, is treated as an ornament to be seen and not heard. And when she becomes too much trouble, Isabel must hide her in the basement. One day she disappears, and Isabel rages and runs away; Madam takes the reins and instructs the judge on which punishment she prefers to inflict. Madam elects to sear an "I" for Insolence into Isabel's cheek.

Isabel laments that "Melancholy held me hostage and the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul."

Isabel struggles to control her impulses to grab a kitchen knife and go at the woman who causes so much pain in her life. Isabel heard that Madam's previous girl had her arm mangled by Madam, who then sold her because she considered her to be useless. Madam hit Isabel across the face and shoulder with her riding crop when she suspected that Isabel was engaging in loyalist activities. At Christmas, Isabel was told that her day off began after serving the midday meal, then after she brought in wood and did the dishes.

Isabel can read, and Isabel can understand what Elihu Lockton discusses with other Tories. They talk about things there that they would not speak about in front of white servants. Isabel may follow orders from the Locktons, but she knows that they cannot chain her soul. Isabel retains her spirit.

Chains: Seeds of America by Laurie Halse Anderson, 2008

I like how Anderson has short chapters with the days listed at the beginning of the chapter; each chapter has a poem that illustrates the tenor of the times and prevalent thoughts about race and the war. Since each chapter often designates only one day, and some chapters are labeled with the same day, it really gives the reader a sense of how time seemed to drag in 1776 with all of the uncertainty about the war and leadership of the nation. People were nervous about their own safety being very much in jeopardy because of the fighting.

The cover art on this book is very symbolic and appropriate to the story, which is something that you do not see on all book covers. It is really beautiful and encapsulates the themes of the book. The word ANDERSON is in burgundy and slightly reminiscent of bronze, which is similar to the color of Isabel Finch; she's a spy for the loyalists of the Revolutionary War. The profile of her face is horizontal and she is looking up to the sky with hope. Her arms are raised upward vertically, and her wrists are held together by a cream banner labeled CHAINS. She has a blue bird approaching the left of her wrists with a red and white British flag on its torso, and a red and white striped bird with stars on its neck and head approaches her wrists from the right.

Anderson did research for this book at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library, the Bird Library of Syracuse University (my parents have undergraduate degrees from the school), and the New York Historical Society (which has a library and is a great resource for research about Manhattan).

Books by Laurie Halse Anderson

Booktalking "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:00:58 -0500

Lia lives in a world highlighted by food. Never mind her parent's divorce, or her friend Cassie's death of a ruptured esophagus for binging too much. None of that is important if she can control her food intake; hopefully, she will not pass out again at the wheel of a moving vehicle. Only problem is... her parents keep hospitalizing her. When she does not have enough energy to get medication for her sister; her stepmother shoves a gigantic oatmeal cookie in her face and tells her to stop being so selfish.

Along the way, at least she has a shrink, Dr. Parker, who seems to overanalyze every stray thought she has. Through the mist of her cloudy thinking, she realizes some of the dysfunction of her family and the "help" that the mental health community offers to her. Dr. Parker, her physician mother and professor father, who have million hour a week jobs, should be on the same page regarding her treatment. Lia slides down the precipice of drowning her mind in maladaptive thoughts to the detriment of her corporeal existence.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, 2009

The writing is quite lyrical with food always upstaging life. When discussing breakfast, Lia states:

"Here stands a girl with a knife. There is grease on the stove, blood in the air, and angry words piled in the corners. We are trained not to see it, not to see any of it."

Anderson 's use of crossing out words, as though editing the book, is a stark indication of Lia's constant self-censure. She does not want to think about closeness with her family or a ravenous appetite gnawing at her insides. She trains herself to think that she does not want food that is bad and dirty, and every food item is simply a caloric calculation. Her sister Emma is ashamed of Lia's appearance and actually told her soccer coach that Lia has cancer.

At 93 lbs, Lia passes out while driving and narrowly circumvented death. At 85 lbs, she grows lanugo, or "fluffy monkey hair" that appears on the faces and bodies of emaciated people to help retain body heat. At 105 lbs, she wants to be 100 lb; when she achieves 100 lbs, she wants to be 95 lbs, always less, the only acceptable weight for her is 00.00 lbs, size 0 - the land of nonexistence. Her problems will not disappear so maybe she feels that she needs to.

It does not help that her best friend Cassie is dead, the friend who understood her views about her body and food:

"The body of Cassandra Jane Parrish is in a cold silver box. They'll dig a hole in the ground and plant her on Saturday."

Cassie used to color code her binges (eg, Dorito orange) so that she could tell when to terminate her purges. Lia's mother told her about Cassie's autopsy; it revealed liver damage, and her stomach was distended to three times its normal size. Cassie's ghost still accompanies Lia on her journey through food.

Lia cuts food into tiny pieces and wants to be a puker but her obstinate throat closes and refuses the dirty task. When she is in a room and cannot achieve other goals in life, at least she is the thinnest one there. She is constantly assessing other people's body weight, as if that determines their worth in her eyes, as it does for her own. She feels superior to those who cannot lose weight; at least she can succeed at something. Everyone is defined by what they eat; she calls a person who eats thin noodles Spaghetti, and so forth. Food rules the world; food is something other than the problems she avoids.

Through body dysmorphic disordered eyes, Lia considers herself to be obese and disgusting. She attempts to hide her pathology from her parents and doctors by stating normal views about food and sewing quarters into the robe that her stepmother weighs her in. She purchases a killer accurate digital scale for herself. She spills food in the microwave to simulate meals that she never consumes. Thinness is equated with purity and cleanliness. She has lots of clothes and blankets on her but still feels a chill due to a lack of body fat.

In most novels that I have read, food is rarely mentioned, but Lia's brain cannot leave the topic. She fixates on every nuance that other people would not notice or consider significant. While she is talking with other people when they eat or drink, the food or drink is at the foreground of the conversation for her. Every sip of coffee, muffin crumbs, fried eggs, pieces of toast: she loves thinking about them, and equates her ability to resist as a strength unique to her, not a death wish. Lia dreams of gorging herself; she is so hungry that she could eat her right hand. Her grades drop due to her foggy brain and overemphasis on the subject of nutrition or lack thereof.

Anderson uses a remarkably stunning strategy of filling two pages of the novel with Lia's mantra:

Must. Not. Eat. Must. Not. Eat. Must. Not. Eat.

Food is a battleground in both her father's and stepmother's and her mother's house. Lia's parents try to control her food intake; Lia retaliates, and uses food to deal with pain. She fears losing control and eating everything. She uses laxatives and diuretics, and attempts to hide her condition with bulky winter clothes. The 18-year-old woman craves the epinephrine rush of caloric restriction; it makes her believe that she can do anything, but she feels sick and weak all of the time. After the forced weight gain of hospitalization, she always seems to near the danger point in a nonsensical suicidal cycle.

The cover art on this novel depicts a sense of coldness and her nebulous sense of self. Cassie moved in across from her house the winter that they were in third grade, hence the title Wintergirls.

I have not found myself so riveted by an author since reading books by John Douglas, pioneer of the psychological profiling unit (Behavioral Sciences Unit) at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). I am blown away by Laurie Halse Anderson's works, and I will read every book of hers that I can get my hands on. (I even read her story of runaway hair in first grade: The Hair of Zoe Fleeferbacher Goes to School. ) She is fantastic, and a varied author. She does terrific research so that her books can be medically, psychologically, and historically accurate. Unlike many authors who tend to write many similar books, each of her books is unique and awesome. Interestingly enough, she attended Manlius Pebble Hill School (MPH) ; I used to ride the bus with MPH students on the way to my prep school.

I have a master's degree in psychology, and I find the subject fascinating. Wintergirls was the best fictionalized version of eating disorders that I have found. Anderson wrote this book because many girls wrote to her about their struggles with eating disorders, and a physician urged her to write it. She consulted with a psychologists who specialized in treating eating disorders for over four decades. It is rare that an author, especially one who may not have experienced the disorder herself or had a close family member with it, sets the tone of the problem exactly correctly. Lia is the natural personification of how a teen with anorexia thinks. This book is brilliant, and Anderson's research for it is superb.

Booktalking "Sugar and Ice" by Kate Messner

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:14:49 -0500

The Silver Blades Scholarship lands unassuming skater Claire Boucher in Lake Placid. No longer is ice skating a winter activity in the neighborhood skate center that she affectionately refers to as "Cow Pond." No longer is skating an ancillary activity to the rest of her life. Four-hour long practices dominate Claire's life as she perfects jumps and attempts to please her new coach, Mr. Groshev. Claire is his "next big talent." Her best friend Natalie resents being "dumped" by Claire for ice and all of its glory.

Claire loves the ice and the music and the skates. It is all a blur during competition. Claire isn't used to such intensive training — black spots dancing before a skater's eyes when she unsuspectingly crashes into ice... being yelled at by Groshev to make the jumps cleanly... then being told not to jump for two weeks and focus on the moves that she already knows. At least Claire makes friends with Tasanee, and she may experience sabotage by another jealous skater. Does Lake Placid beat "Cow Pond" as the place to skate?

Booktalking Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner, 2010

Ice skating in the summer?! Last year, I finally made a trip to all-year ice rink when it reached 103 degrees in New York City. It was an interesting experience, but I was lulled into a false sense of security by the figure skates that harbored a nasty toe pick. I am not a fan of toe picks. That's why I decided to stick with hockey skates this year, which have blades the same length as the boot and do not have toe picks. Toe picks are for launching into jumps and spins, none of which I do on the ice, and I may never do them on the ice, but at least I will not have toe picks tripping me up.

I grew up roller skating, and I actually took some figure skating lessons on wheels when I was about 5 years old. I love roller skating, and I somewhat knew that I would probably cave at some point and get with the program in NYC, which includes blades, not wheels. I insist on having indoor rinks, and there is currently only one roller rink in NYC, on the southern tip of Staten Island, Roller Jam USA. I have been ice skating a few times this summer, and I quite like it as a refreshing reprieve from the hot summer sun.

11 Free Websites to Practice English at Home

Hilary Schenker, Seward Park Library — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:29:49 -0500

At the New York Public Library's Adult Learning Centers, where adults work on basic English and literacy skills, we're often asked for recommendations of websites for adults to practice English at home. Below you'll find eleven sites, some with a focus on listening, some on vocabulary, others on grammar, and some with a range of activities. Happy learning!

Easy World of English
easyworldofenglish.com
An attractive, user-friendly website including grammar, pronunciation, reading and listening practice and an interactive picture dictionary.

Many Things
manythings.org
This website includes matching quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer-assisted language learning activities. The site also includes a special page on pronunciation, including practice with minimal pairs. Not the fanciest or most beautiful website, but with lots to see and use and no advertising.

Dave's ESL Cafe
eslcafe.com
A forum for both ESL teachers and students around the world. Includes quizzes, grammar explanations, and discussion forums for students. For teachers, includes classroom ideas on all subjects as well as discussion forums.

The California Distance Learning Project
cdlponline.org
Read and listen to a news stories on topics including working, housing, money and health, then work on activities based on the stories including matching pairs, vocabulary, and quiz questions. Some stories also include videos.

BBC Learning English
bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
An array of wonderful activities for practice, some relating to current events. Includes videos, quizzes, vocabulary practice, idioms, crosswords, and much more, though all with British accents.

Activities for ESL Students
a4esl.org
Grammar and vocabulary practice for all levels, including many bilingual quizzes for beginners. Also includes a link for teachers, with conversation questions, games, and many other ideas to put to use in the classroom.

ABCYa
abcya.com
This is a website for kids, but who says adults can't use it, too? The site includes educational games organized by grade level, from 1st to 5th, and is particularly good for spelling and phonics. There are games to practice vowels, uppercase and lowercase letters, Dolch sight words, synonyms and antonyms and more.

TV 411
tv411.org
This site includes videos with native speakers explaining key reading concepts like critical reading, summarizing and scanning, and key life skills like signing a lease and reading a medicine label. Following each video is a comprehension quiz. Click on the blue tabs across the top lead for lessons on reading, writing, vocabulary and finance.

GCF Learn Free
gcflearnfree.org/everydaylife
A well-designed site with interactive tutorials for everything from operating an ATM machine to reading food labels. If you click on the main page icon and then click on reading, the site has resources for English language learners as well, including stories to listen to and read along, and picture dictionaries.

Language Guide
languageguide.org/english
This is an online picture dictionary, with everything from the alphabet to parts of the body to farm animals.

Oxford University Press
elt.oup.com/learning_resources
This site from Oxford University Press has activities to practice spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and listening. A bit difficult to navigate, so more suitable for advanced learners and savvy internet users.

Also, don't forget YouTube. Whatever you'd like to learn — an explanation of a grammar term, idioms, a set of vocabulary — enter it in the search field and an array of videos are sure to come up. I hope some of these sites prove useful. Enjoy! And please add your own favorite sites in the comments.

Kid Lit Con Part 2: Critical Literary Analysis on September 29, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:50:04 -0500

We were lucky to have Betsy Bird and NYPL host the Kid Lit Con on September 29, 2012. Kid Lit Con is an awesome experience, and I completely recommend it.

The afternoon session on Critical Book Reviewing was especially scintillating and enlightened me to realities inherent in the author-reviewer relationship that I was completely unaware of. I previously was unaware that authors contact reviewers and try to sway them into not being critical about their work. I think that is unethical.

I strongly believe that honest positive and negative constructive criticism helps readers and authors alike improve and pick out the gems of literature that exist in the world. This conference spurred me to take the plunge and jump into the foray of being more critical with the comments I post about the books I read. Previously, I was too timid to post critical comments, but I now realize the value of doing so; it makes for a much more informed audience about the work of literature in question. The panel was moderated by Jennifer Hubert-Swan, and the panelists included Betsy Bird of NYPL, Liz Burns, Monica Edinger, Sheila Barry, Maureen Johnson and Marjorie Ingall.

Liz Burns mentioned the difference between a blog post and a blog review. A post is a reader reaction and an explanation of what the blogger likes. A blog review is critical literary analysis.

One of the panelists stated that she worked as a matchmaker for the books she blogs about.

Are Book Reviewers Too "Nice"?

Swan said that book reviewing these days can be too "nice," meaning that literary analysis is only practiced when the reviewer likes the book, and important criticisms of the work are not mentioned, to the possible detriment of the blogger's audience.

Barry stated that there are many back scratchers out there. She has had authors ask her to write a good review of their books, which makes it much more difficult to be honest about the literature.

Johnson mentioned that her books get reviewed on blogs, and all of the reviews are definitely not nice. A lot of people write nice reviews, but some reviewers want to watch the world burn. Authors get good, bad, and indifferent reviews.

Burns acknowledged that there is a difference between knowing what someone writes in the social media and knowing them in real life. Also, some people think that if a review is retweeted, that is going to affect the review, but that is not the case.

Bird said that she knows of some reviewers who will not post critical reviews. However, that is not reviewing if the reviewer will not mention anything critical about the literature.

Ingall stated that she posts positive reviews because she wants to engage kids with reading.

Can Reviewers Critique Friends?

Swan asked the panelists if they could critically review a book authored by individuals that the reviewer knows on a social level.

Burns said that she had no problem reviewing books from authors that she had been to Kid Lit Drink Night with, but that she could not review books written by friends. If reviewing a work written by someone she knew, she would reveal the relationship up front, so that people would be aware.

Bird asked Edinger if she could critical review Phil Pullman's work.

Edinger said that she knows Phil Pullman and that would be difficult. She did not start blogging to review books; however, now she posts reviews on her blog. She separately writes paid reviews. Different reviews are for different audiences, so she writes for the specific audiences. There are ongoing feuds and animosity about bad reviews out there. There is a lot of conversation about "nice" and "not nice" reviews.

Swan pointed out that she mostly posts positive reviews because she wants teens to read.

Johnson mentioned that teens are very critical, and a lot of teen blogs are for general audiences. She has no feelings about reviews. They exist; they are like stars in the sky, but she does not read them. Reviews are really for readers, not for authors. Once books are published, they cease to belong to the authors. Each reading experience is unique, and each reader brings something new to the experience. She usually does not read reviews of her own books because they would make her crazy. She has a master's degree in fine art, which was useful. For two years, she got an earful of criticism. It helped her to determine what is constructive criticism and which criticism is not useful. Of course, in the theatre, you can change content, and in books you cannot.

What is a Critical Review?

Swan asked the panelists who read reviews to define a critical review.

Bird said a good critical review is thoughtful and critiques the literature without being nasty. It is particularly important to be careful and not nasty even in a very funny way if the reviewer feels personally offended by the book's very existence. Nastiness is not helpful, and it generally makes people who like the book mad. She asked what is the point of a review.

Edinger said that she did not write many critical reviews. However, when there is a significant problem with the book, she does mention inaccuracies in that particular book review.

Barry mentioned that reviewers should not cavalierly criticize books without being thoughtful.

Ingall said that the book reviewer's primary focus should be the reading audience of the work.

Burns stated that critical reviews can be positive. Constructive criticism is not necessarily negative. Reviewers can discuss why elements of the book work, as well. Sometimes she reads reviews of books that the reviewer does not like, and then reads them and likes them because what the reviewer does not like, she likes.

What Reviewers Do the Panelists Read?

Swan asked the panellists what book reviewers they read and why.

Bird reads a lot of other book reviewers because she wants to know what other reviewers say about the literature she will review. She has been yelled at by authors for her reviews; one author yelled at her about a review she did for amazon.com.

Burns says that she likes to read other reviewers to determine what everyone else is saying about the book and specifically not include that material in her reviews because she wants to add new information to the online discussion about the work.

Johnson likes blogs with a lot of news and shiny bits that she can cling to.

Ingall likes librarians a lot; she reads a lot of librarian blogs. She likes anyone with breadth of knowledge. She is predisposed to read anyone who is funny or who is a very good writer.

Bird likes a blog that she always seems to disagree with. It is amazing how often they come up with opinions that are diametrically opposed to her own. As a reviewer, she said, there is nothing that makes her heart drop more that receiving an email from an author that she has reviewed because she never knows what they are going to say. She says that she gets responses from authors who she has reviewed about 25 percent of the time. She also gets responses from family members, including spouses and children. She has gotten emails and postal letters regarding the reviews.

Burns stated that most of what she writes is playing matchmaker and matching the reader to the book. People can disagree with what bloggers write about their work. However, she believes that writers should be able to tolerate reviewers disagreeing with certain elements of their work.

Edinger stated that it is very hard for her to give a book a negative review, but if the book is completely flawed and she feels a need to discuss that, she will write a negative critical review of the work, so that people are aware of them. However, she is a teacher and she wants to be nice.

Authors Contacting Critical Reviewers

Swan asked the audience members if they have ever been contacted by an author about a negative review, and what did the author say.

One audience member said that the author mentioned that the blogger was wrong about the part that she did not like.

Barry said that she knew of an author who would try to visit people to explain how the author disagreed with the review.

Swan said that the nature of the relationships between and among publishers, authors, and reviewers have changed with the advent of social media. She asked if there should be some rules for the relationship, and if publishers could go over ground rules so that authors could learn how to act if they get negative reviews.

Burns stated that social media can sometimes be "not so nice." However, social media can help people become aware of what they might like to read. She likes to be balanced in her reviews. She will review authors who are not on social media.

Ingall stated that it is important for reviewers to fully disclose any social relationships that they may have with authors.

Swan believes that authors should never contact reviewers about negative reviews. However, maybe she will feel differently if she ever publishes a book.

Advance Reader Copies (arcs) Enable Book Reviewers

Swan asked if arcs (advance reader copies) undermine critical reviewing. She asked if providing free copies of a work are given on the assumption that reviewers will provide positive reviews. The general consensus was that this is not the case.

Burns gets such a high volume of galleys (arcs) that it would be impossible for her to read them all. However, she does track how many books she reviews from each publishing house. She reviews books from small and large publishing houses; she wants to spend time on all of the publishing houses so that her reading audience can see what authors and books are out there for them.

Bird also keeps track of which publishing houses the books she reviews come from, and she tries to even out how much attention she gives to each publisher. She reviews galleys. However, if the review is critical, she may wait until after the publication date of the book to post her review so that it is out there with all of the other reviews of the work. This can be a problem with galleys. Reviewers can get a lot of criticism for publishing a first review of the book if it is critical.

Johnson mentioned that the purpose of arcs is to provide reviewers with the material so that they can review books. This is the function of arcs: to be reviewed by potential buyers, librarians, and reviewers. Some kids think that they can get free books, but this is not the case.

Bird mentioned that a few people coming up with "the rules" of how authors should respond to critical reviews could generate a lot of negative feedback.

Burns has heard panel discussions in which authors were told that they have to communicate with bloggers who review their books. They are told this is part of self-promotion, and that they should be re-tweeting, even to very critical reviews.

Authors Can Contact Publishers About Social Media

A publicist from the audience said that her publishing house disseminates information to the authors about what to expect from the social media, and she advises her authors to bring any complaints about critical reviews to the publicist.

Book Reviewers Write for the Book's Audience

Jeanne Lamb asked if reviewers give special consideration to being especially careful with the wording of critical reviews for authors who are just starting out.

Edinger stated that bloggers do not write for authors; they write for potential readers of the literature.

Burns mentioned that if authors are published (even self-published), they are putting themselves out there. They should be aware of the industry, and bloggers may not post positive reviews if they find fault with the authors' first books.

Johnson said that this is one of the reasons that she tells teenagers not to publish a book.

Edinger recently reviewed a book that was written by a teenager; fortunately, it was quite good.

One of the panelists mentioned that some reviewers write negative things about books written by teenagers.

One of the panelists mentioned that authors can be pressured into having web sites. However, if they are going to do it badly, they should not have web sites. For example, one author did not have his or her three most recent books on his or her web site.

This panel on critical literary analysis was one of the most interesting panels I have attended. We had a variety of authors on the panel, a librarian, and publicists in the audience who gave us their perspectives. Kid Lit Con was definitely a success in New York City!

Blogging Links

Kidlitosphere: The Society of Bloggers in Children's and Young Adult Literature
Future Children's Literary Salons
A Fuse #8 Production blog by Betsy Bird
A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy blog by Liz Burns
Educating Alice blog by Monica Edinger

Books by the Panelists

Children's Literature Gems: Choosing and Using Them in Your Library Career by Betsy Bird
The Field Guide to North American Males by Marjorie Ingall
Books by Monica Edinger
Books by Maureen Johnson

Kid Lit Con Part 1: Reviewing Graphic Novels on September 29, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:37:29 -0400

I was extremely excited when I heard that Kid Lit Con was coming to NYC this year, and that it was to be held in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building ("the library with the lions"). I could not have been happier. I do not travel much for conferences, so I was very happy to be able to experience a conference just for bloggers about children's literature. Thanks to Betsy Bird and NYPL for hosting the conference on September 29, 2012. Betsy Bird gave the official welcome. She said that blogging used to be considered the ultimate self-indulgence, but now it is simply what we read. Publishers are interested in what bloggers have to say. Blogging has not replaced print reviews, as was feared, but it supplements them.

The first panel that I attended was Reviewing Comics and Graphic Novels for Kids.

The panelists and audience members went around the table and introduced ourselves. One audience member said that she did not understand how to review art. Another audience member was considering writing graphic novels. There were quite a few school librarians in the group, and someone came from Tucson, Arizona.

The panelists included Janna Morishima, Dorothy O'Brien and Alex Simmons. Simmons has been in the comic book market for 12 years, and he has been a provisional writer for over 20 years. Morishima has been out of the publishing industry for a couple of years, but she was a former editor for Scholastic. She mentioned that graphic novels are an entirely different category of publishing that includes many genres. Graphic novels are a completely different way of telling a story, and all genres exist in comics. O'Brien mentioned a graphic novel Lio that is pantomime and includes no dialog. She mentioned that graphic novels and illustrated novels are completely different animals. An illustrated novel includes interspersed illustrations.

Any Genre Can Be a Graphic Novel

Morishima mentioned that you can organize graphic novels by genre and fiction and nonfiction, if you have a large collection of graphic novels.

Simmons mentioned that romance, westerns and superheroes also occur in comics.

An audience member mentioned that graphic novels seem like print versions of movies.

Morishima explained the difference between graphic novels and illustrated novels in this manner. She said that if you take the pictures away from an illustrated novel, you could still understand the story. However, if you omitted the pictures from a graphic novel, there is no way that you could understand the story. Visuals are essential in graphic novels.

Comics or Graphic Novels?

Simmons mentioned that the term "graphic novel" sounds more sophisticated than the term "comics."

An audience member said that people sometimes interpret the term "graphic novel" differently. She had a parent say to her, "Oh my God; for my seven-year-old?"

Simmons said that ideally, text and images should work in sync in graphic novels. He has read online reviews by kids who have said that the text is terrific, but the illustrator can't draw to save his or her life. The two elements are supposed to work together, but sometimes it does not work out.

Art and Text

For Morishima, writing is paramount. She ended up writing a rejection letter for a children's graphic novel because she did not like the art. It turned out to be Baby Mouse. The art in that comic is a simplified child-like style of drawing, but it works for the story. This was an epiphany for her. There are many different styles of art in children's graphic novels, including art characteristic of what is typically utilized as illustrations in classic children's literature.

Simmons said that some kids love the art and are blown away by it.

Someone mentioned that Harry Potter was turned down by 13 publishing houses before it was published.

Morishima addressed the audience member who asked how to review art. Using Bone as an example, she explained how the artwork tells the story in conjunction with the dialog. In one passage, the characters are discussing where they are going, and we (the readers and audience) can see the evil character watching them. The color palette of the art can also affect the mood that audiences infer from the visual images.

How to Review Graphic Novels

Simmons stated that the job of reviewers is to view the story and analyze what works and what does not work. Some art can irritate your eyes, and that is not be effective. Like some TV shows, some graphic novels have no dialog. The producers of the TV show he was thinking of were convinced the show would be a flop. However, the background music and pantomime sets the mood. Saying what is good and bad about a particular work of children's literature could be the way that educators discover materials and how to use them.

Morishima said that the term "graphic novel" is an upwardly mobile way to make graphic novels more palatable.

Simmons mentioned that the illustrations in illustrated novels are used to highlight the most effective points of the story, to accent certain moments. To him, comics is an okay word to use.

Morishima stated that since there is a bias against comics, the use of "graphic novels" as a term can help the situation.

An audience member mentioned that 30 years ago, there was a horrible bias against comics, and that the situation has improved since then.

Simmons said that comics are one more tool in the toolbox used to reach an audience (the students). It is important to realize their value and keep that tool in the box. Since fads exist, and graphic novels might currently be viewed as the "savior" to make kids read, it is vital to keep them alive and not let graphic novels die as a fad.

Nonfiction Graphic Novels

An audience member asked if the panelists could speak about nonfiction graphic novels.

Simmons said that nonfiction graphic novels can be relevant works. Some people belittle this, but they are real, valued ways to tell stories. Reviewers should write about what they like and dislike. Some material is not good, and we need to know about it.

O'Brien asked the panelists how they evaluate imagery.

Simmons said that literature is about the overall experience. He mentioned that DC Comics has a character in one of its books, Starfire, who is falling out of her costume at the beginning of a series. However, within a few months, there was a dramatic development. She was suddenly shagging (having sex with) any boy she came into contact with. Originally, the audience was middle grade girls, but the series shifted so dramatically, that the sequence of actions in the work was no longer relevant to its originally intended audience.

Morishima said that this is what made her leave traditional comic book publishers.

Simmons said that this is something that reviewers can address in their print or online reviews/blogs. If works are wonderful, reviewers should tell the public that, but he does not want reviewers to shy away from holding the industry to task about producing quality literature. Reviewing is about informing people of the good, bad, and the indifferent, and letting them be free to make their decisions based on that information.

Morishima said that she would like to see more scary books because kids love it. Horror and mystery are sadly underrepresented in comic books for kids.

Simmons mentioned that there seems to be a homogenizing influence on books. However, some kids do not wish to read manga (too much violence and sex). Some kids skip over the mainstream stuff. The industry can sometimes underestimate what stimulates a young mind and imagination. Kids read up a level, and good reviewers often make comparisons between and among two or more pieces of children's literature.

Graphic Novels Recommended by Panelists

An audience member asked if the panel could recommend the "best of the best" in children's graphic novels.

Morishima liked the Courtney Crumrin series, which is full of creepy things.

Simmons likes graphic classics. Graphic novelists have made adaptations of African American classics that are set in the 1920s to 1940s. He particularly likes one that is set in WWI in France. It consists of a dialog between a black and white soldier. Adaptations like that one create a lot of material that can be discussed.

Morishima likes humor, Dance Class by Beka and Crip (personally, I thought that there is too much drama and too little dance in that book, like in the TV show Dance Moms), and Aya. She also has a lot of recommendations for adults, including Stitches, etc.

An audience member mentioned that Owly is a wordless graphic novel. The graphic novel is done with wordless symbols, so that people think about and infer the context from the visual cues.

Graphic Novels for Kids

Kidlitsophere: The Society of Bloggers in Children's and Young Adult Literature

Future Children's Literary Salons

Booktalking "Shelter" by Harlan Coben

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:48:51 -0400

Shelter by Harlan Coben, 2011

Dealing with a dead father, a mother in rehab and a missing girlfriend might sound like a drag. The false promises and the perfection that you want to believe can happen in the fit-and-start world of rehab just lead to more disappointments. However, getting a true friend like Ema shines a light into all of this darkness. Ema has a suspiciously large number of tattoos for a 14-year-old. She says that getting parental permission is key.

Spoon, so nicknamed because he offered Mickey a used spoon in the school cafeteria when many new spoons were available, is another of Mickey's friends. Together, Spoon, Ema, and Mickey search for the missing Ashley. They have a lot of adventures in the process and get acquainted with new people. Among these are the local police chiefs, which is not exactly the smartest idea.

The kids also had fun in school. A description of Physical Education class reads as such:

"Mr. Owens, a PE teacher with a smile that looked like it'd been painted on by a drunk clown, started off by trying to fire us up."

Part mystery, at times it reminds one of Perry Mason, MacGyver, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, or the Boxcar Children mysteries. The lighthearted humor reminds me of the Princess Diaries series.

Shelter by Harlan Coben

One of my teens recommended this as a "really good book" to me, and I was hooked on the very first page by the first mention of the Bat Lady. I knew that this kid must have the same ridiculous sense of humor that I do.

My Interest in Crime: I have always been fascinated by crime. It probably didn't hurt that I had a father who was a true crime buff, and there were plenty of true crime novels in the house I grew up in. Too many, my mother said on more than one occasion. He also worked as a sort of auditor of financial institutions, so he was privy to fraud and criminal activity in his professional life as well. I am fascinated as to why people commit the crimes that they do.

This led me to take criminology classes as an undergrad. I had an undergraduate internship with cops, and I have visited several jails in different cities. I was an intern as a psychotherapist for psychiatric inmates while I was pursuing a master's degree in forensic psychology, as well. Talking to murderers and wife beaters as a 21-year-old? You know that I wasn't turning that job down for the life of me. I still watch true crime shows, such as Body of Evidence: From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman. Dayle Hinman is an FBI-trained profiler. I also served on a grand jury last autumn. I am a big fan of books of the pioneer of psychological profiling in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), John Douglas.

Booktalking "Sniper" by Theodore Taylor

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:58:56 -0400

Sniper by Theodore Taylor, 2007

Imagine lions and tigers in your backyard and a house cheetah to guard your family. Thanks to an endowment from a wealthy widow his parents met in Africa, this is Ben's home.

Fifteen-year-old Benjamin Jepson lives on a zoological research preserve specializing in big cats. Crazy people go in and out of the cat compounds on dares, and staff enter the compounds to fraternize with the cats or switch their locations in order to prevent boredom. Ben's parents are researching and photographing the big cats in the African Serengeti and leave him in charge. His parents' lives inextricably wound around cats, Ben is on his own. Shortly thereafter, the cats are on the loose, and lions Daisy and Helen are found dead, killed by single gunshot wounds. It reminds one of Jurassic Park.

Ben goes into the compound with his father's favorite, Dmitri; 900 pounds of Siberian tiger; ten minutes of stillness and zero eye contact pass before the tiger finally moves. Felt like an hour. Ben also takes the lions for walks.

What about having parents who kicked the nine-month old Great Dane-sized lion our of your bed to the company of his peers? Ben finds his favorite lion Rocky, whom he bottle-fed, dead from a single gunshot wound. Another victim of the feline serial killer. Suspects in this thriller include people not keen on the idea of big cats in their neighborhood. Ben doesn't really know who did it, but the grief of losing his cats, including Rachel the house cheetah, found dead outside in her run, overwhelms him. How many more cats will die or will Ben be killed by the maniac? Ben's parents are in the African Serengeti.

Sniper by Theodore Taylor

Adopting my first cat: I am totally an animal person, and if I had to pick a favorite animal, it would have to be cats. I was fortunate enough to grow up with cats, and we had 2 or 3 cats at all times when I was growing up. Sad to say, the hardest part about leaving for college for me was missing the cats. It was 6 long, hard years without the cats until I adopted my first cat, a 2-year-old American shorthair. I decided to adopt at this point because I was going to stay in the United States, after study abroad in Australia, and work abroad in Scotland and Ireland. I did not want to have animals if I was going abroad.

My shelter cat friends: While I was living in Philadelphia, I volunteered at a shelter in New Jersey, and I hung out in the cat rooms there. I had cat friends in New Jersey that I visited on the weekends. There was Oreo, a black-and-white cat who had feline AIDS, and they had cats in the feline leukemia room, as well. Oreo was so gregarious, but I couldn't adopt him because my cat at home did not have feline AIDS. I also hung out in cat rooms in a shelter in lower Manhattan, as well. Just before I left Philadelphia, I adopted a 2-year-old Egyptian Mau mix, mainly to keep my other cat company. A couple of years later, I adopted a 5-year-old calico/tortoiseshell/striped Exotic mix. (Exotic cats look like shorthaired Persians; they are Persians crossed with American shorthairs.) Unfortunately, my first cat got sick later that year and died in the following year.

Black magic: Just recently, I adopted a 5-year-old black Mandalay cat. I cannot describe the sheer glee I feel when I tell people that I am a witch and I have a black cat at my house to prove it. She likes to decorate my broomstick at night and accompany me as we cast spells across the land. Actually, there are some interesting things about living with a black cat that I never knew before. For example, I am careful now, but she is easier to trip over, especially if it is dark and she is in the shadow. The inside of one of my cat carriers is black, so I have to look for her gold eyes to make sure she's in there. When I see her on my forest green couch, it's a little bit freaky because she blends right in. She has a patent leather-like shiny fur coat, and it makes her seem a little bit mystical or majestic, except when she's playing and acting like a crazy cat.

Booktalking "Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:35:41 -0400

Booktalking Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff by Walter Dean Myers, 1975

Somehow he became known as "Stuff." Anyhow, one of the funniest things he ever observed was Cool Clyde, aka "Claudette" jiving with Fast Sam, who was "getting into his thing" on the dance floor in a competition. One by one, couples were asked to sit down by the announcer jovially saying, "Hey, hey. Let's give a big hand to..." and then he announced the couple's names. The pace of dancing would rise to a frenetic pace in the few seconds before the announcement, each couple throwing a few more daring moves in fervent hope that it would not be them to drop next. As the dance floor thinned out, Claudette, with her wig, and Fast Sam were giving the music a run for its money until there were only two couples left on the floor. Could Claudette retain her wig long enough to win?

Sam, Clyde, Stuff, Gloria, BB and Angel are not too cool to form a club to help them weather the storm when something bad happens to make them feel little. It's nice to have the "Good People" to count on. Soul kissing and boys and girls discussing sex, partying with people that they barely know, and going on a field trip with Dad to the local precinct? This is the life of Stuff. His father said that some people just want to mess with kids. Clyde's grades in jeopardy and Sam trying for a full scholarship in basketball to attend a university. At least there is something better to aspire to.

Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers is awesome, and this book is a fun, relaxing read. If you love dance and the art of growing up, this book is a winner. Despite the publication date of this book, it is as relevant today as any contemporary teen novel.

Matt Myklusch at Dream Big: Imagination Academy on July 31, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:53:36 -0400

We were very lucky to have Matt Myklusch, author of the Jack Blank adventure trilogy, speak at the 67th Street Library's Dream Big Imagination Academy on July 31, 2012. He delivered a 60-minute talk about his story (how he came to be a writer) and his Jack Blank Books: The Accidental Hero, The Secret War, and The End of Infinity. He then answered questions from the audience. The kids then took a short break, then received help from Myklusch in developing their characters and stories in their own fiction.

Knowing Matt as a Kid: When I was a kid and then a teenager, we would visit the Myklusches in New Jersey. I remember swimming in their circular above-ground pool, and sleeping in their basement with my sister. How did my family and the Myklusches get to know each other? My mother teaches special education and his mother teaches art to kids; they became best friends. I always had fun at their house with their family. After a few minutes in the car, barely out of the driveway, every time, without fail, I would brace myself, waiting for my mother's inevitable comment: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. My mom thought it was so cool that we were about to have the four gospels together in one place. My brother Luke, my father Mark, and Matt and his brother John Myklusch. Every single time, without fail. We could not go to the Myklusches without hearing those words, at least a couple of times.

Matt's an author, I'm a librarian: So, a couple of years ago when my mother gave me a copy of The Accidental Hero, formerly known as Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation, you might think that wheels would be turning in my head. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Luckily, my brother mentioned to me a few months ago that Matt might be interested in my kid lit salon blogs. That led to Matt being invited to be a part of Dream Big Imagination Academy. Who would have thought that one of my mother's friend's kids would turn out to enter a parallel profession to my own. How perfect! How cool! It was really awesome to see his books in my libraries of NYPL. I know that guy!, I would think to myself.

Matt impressed me with his enthusiasm for children's literature in the emails that we exchanged prior to the event. He was enthusiastic, positive and engaging with the kids at the 67th Street Library. Matt showed a power-point presentation replete with images of his books, including an illustration of Empire City of the Imagine Nation, where much of the actions of his books takes place. He also includes photographs of himself, some of his previous MTV jobs, and celebrities that he worked with there.

The message of his books is that it is vital to believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Myklusch has his dream job now: writing books and telling stories.

Life at MTV: He used to work for MTV, where he was the Director of Ancillary Business. He showed a copy of his former business card projected onto the wall. He asked if everyone who did not know what a director of ancillary business is to raise their hand. Almost everyone in the room, including Matt, raised their hands. He said that whatever was on fire and was a problem, he took care of it, for ten years. At MTV, he produced interviewed with Ben Affleck, Kelly Clarkson, etc. He helped launch MTV U, which was the college MTV. He managed spring breaks as well, and he showed photographs of spring break beach destinations that were projected onto the wall. However, he quit his job at MTV in 2011 to pursue what his loves, writing books and telling stories.

Jack Blank: The main character in his trilogy, Jack Blank, is called that because he does not write his last name on papers in school. Jack Blank does not really know who he is or what he is going to be, so he takes a test to determine what the future holds for him. He discovers that he will be cleaning toilet brushes for the rest of his life — not an optimistic prospect. However, the book is not about toilet brush cleaning, because that would be boring and a little bit gross. Myklusch asked the kids what careers they wished to pursue, and they told him. The answers ranged the gamut and includes veterinarian. Myklusch said that all people should have a fulfilling job, and it is unfortunate that some people hate their jobs. Some people may tell you to take a safer path, but it is important to hold onto the things that are important to you.

Do You Want to Be a Librarian When You Grow Up? I have read that most people do not aspire to be librarians; it tends to be an accidental profession that people fall into. I started my undergraduate work as an accounting major. One semester later, I switched to psychology. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology, and a master's degree in forensic psychology. I then turned to social work classes before I switched to library science.

Imagine Nation: Myklusch said that Jack Blank really wanted to escape the bleak future that awaited him as a toilet brush cleaner, so he went to the Imagine Nation, which is where Jack is from. Imagine Nation is a secret nation that moves around the world freely. You have to believe in it and go looking for it. Empire City is a central place in the Jack Blank trilogy where much of the action occurs. Empire City is filled with heroes and robots. Different areas of the city are for different types of superheroes. In Cognito, one of the neighborhoods, the streets rearrange themselves into new formations frequently. Some of the neighborhoods are based on certain periods in history (e.g., feudal Japan or medieval times). The city is a mash of different cultures.

Matt's Art: Jack's future is about what he decides, not about what other people tell him. Myklusch wanted to be an artist when he was a kid. He showed a photograph of little Matt Myklusch projected onto the wall proudly displaying one of his drawings. He loved comics, including the Transformers and G.I. Joe. Matt then showed a sampling of his drawings. He named his characters. One superhero was called Mole because he could tunnel underneath the earth. Another was called saw because he had a circular saw for one hand and a chain saw for the other hand. Matt did not know how the character would go to the bathroom; he did not think about that when he drew him. He supposed that perhaps the character could take off his saws to expose hands, or something like that. He was still a fan of X-Men in 7th and 8th grade, and he is still a fan.

Myklusch continued to read comics even as a tween. However, at some point, he put all of his comics in the attic, and he did not draw. No drawing or comics for a year. He asked the kids if they thought that was a smart decision. Myklusch said that he did not think that was a smart idea. He asked the kids what saved him. He said that he was in a bookstore and he saw a comic rack that had Uncanny X-Men. (Interestingly enough, the guy who drew the cover is now a co-publisher of DC Comics. The artist made $17 million, which proves that some artists do well.) There is so much action in the illustration, and the characters are bursting off of the page. Seeing this comic gave Matt the inclination to pick up a pencil and start again. He drew animals and backgrounds. He copied the style of others to learn. Myklusch showed some of the drawings he created when he was older, and it was neat to see the progression from little kid approximations of heroes to more polished and sleeker drawings when he was older. I was impressed by the detail and clean sophistication of his later superhero illustrations. (Some guy showed me his illustrations, which were similar to Myklusch's, in a hostel somewhere along the eastern coast of Australia.)

Follow Your Dreams: From this, Myklusch moved into creating his own characters. He wanted to do something creative in his life and now he is doing that. He told the kids that possibility and hope for the future exists in all of them, and it is important for them to follow their dreams.

Myklusch then opened the floor to questions.

The first kid asked what The End of Infinity is about. Myklusch said that it is a book in which Jack battles against evil. (In the first two books, Jack tried to win people over.)

The second kid asked which world Myklusch was talking about in his books - the real world? Myklusch said that Imagine Nation is an island that floats around the world and it is a sanctuary for unbelievable things. Jack Blank is just a kid in all of this. Harry Potter was a big influence on Myklusch. Harry Potter was the chosen one in that series. Jack Blank is just the opposite. People think that Jack is going to kill them. There has to be a conflict in a book to make an interesting story. Otherwise, the book would be boring. Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation and The Accidental Hero are the same book. The publisher wanted to change the title. Sometimes publishers like different titles and cover artwork. (I noticed that the covers for Myklusch's trilogy are yellow, green, and blue, somewhat like Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Myklusch also has a similar idealism as Kinney, and he has a very inspirational way of speaking with the kids about their dreams and goals in life.)

The third kid asked if Jack Blank ever is required to return to the orphanage. Myklusch mentioned that the battleground of the trilogy is Empire City.

Another Book on the Horizon?: The fourth person asked if there was another book coming after The End of Infinity. Myklusch stated that the trilogy was complete, but he was considering writing spin-offs for different characters in the trilogy. He mentioned that Allegra was from the alien borough of Empire City, and she turned to jelly when she was scared. He said that the superheroes' powers were based on beliefs in themselves. He would possibly like to write a series on each of the kids, and he is working on some pirate stories. Myklusch has always been a big fan of comics, and the Jack Blank trilogy is a cross between Percy Jackson and the Avengers. It is important to create something new, and he has never seen a book with so many superheroes. Usually, there is one hero is stories (e.g., Spiderman and Batman).

A Graphic Novel Adaptation?: I asked if he had ever considered writing a graphic novel. He said that if a graphic novel were to be produced, it would most likely be an adaptation of one of his novels, and he would prefer to be very involved in the process of choosing which material to include and which artist is chosen. Graphic novels are very condensed versions of novels, and it is challenging to decide which material to include and which to exclude.

Another audience member asked which of Myklusch's books is his favorite. He said that The Accidental Hero, superheroes and comics are close to his heart. He wrote a lot of material, including three screenplays and another book, which did not sell, perhaps because they were aimed at young men, who do not buy many books. The publishers finally accepted one of his creations, The Accidental Hero. He was trying to write what he thought other people would love. Now he writes the stories that he loves but he also thinks about what will sell and the business aspects of publishing books.

Someone asked his to encapsule the themes of the books in his trilogy. Myklusch stated that The Accidental Hero introduces the crazy world of Jack Blank, The Secret War contains much of the action, and The End of Infinity wraps the adventure up.

Superheroes that Influenced Matt: A kid asked if he had Harry Potter in mind when he wrote the Jack Blank trilogy. Myklusch stated that the story structure is similar to Harry Potter in that a magical world is hidden away from reality. Star Wars is also a special world, in which a superhero, Luke Skywalker, has special powers. He could decide to turn the tide and save the world or use his powers destructively. Jack Blank, Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker are all cut from the same cloth. The similar story lines are told in a different way. The creativity is in the execution of the story. Original is refreshing and bright; he told the kids to be conscious of what they write because boring is not fun.

Empire City: Someone asked which borough of Empire City was Jack born into. Myklusch stated that he cannot give away everything that he knows about the story, but he could tell them this: When Jack went to the Imagine Nation for the first time, he went to the robot borough. He also loves Cognito because he thinks that it is so terrific that the streets move around, and he is amazed how Jack finds his house every day. The streets move because people are not supposed to find hiding places.

Someone asked what the object on the left side of the graphic representation of Empire City was. Myklusch replied that it was the landing and pointed out the docks for Empire City. He told them that there are docks for the boats and launches for the space ships. Myklusch pointed out the Seasonstill Park in the center of Empire City. There is Winter Wind Way, and summer, fall and spring quadrants of the park. This way, he told the kids, they could play in whatever kind of weather they wanted to at any time.

Another kid asked what happens if the kid in Empire City falls off the precipice. Myklusch responded that hopefully a superhero would catch you, but if not, you would probably die, as you would in real life, like if you fell off of Niagara Falls. However, he reminded the kids that anything is possible.

Someone asked if there was anything around the waterfall. Myklusch responded that open sea surrounded the waterfall.

A girl asked if everyone in Imagine Nation is bigger than real people in our world or the same size. Myklusch said that some superheroes are bigger, but not as big as statues, like the statue on the cover of The Accidental Hero. Jack is in the shadow of the hero on the cover, who he looks up to.

A boy asked what the things flying around in the sky on the cover of The Accidental Hero are. Myklusch told him that they are spaceships.

Someone asked if Jack's parents ever show up. Myklusch said that Jack's desire to find his parents is a huge part of the story. People do not know much about him, and his desire to find out who he is drives the story.

The kids asked terrific questions, and I was impressed by their analytic thinking about the books. Myklusch was very patient and thorough and he answered all of their questions. One of the parents was asked Myklusch for other stories that her son might be interested in, and he provided a fantastic readers advisory session. I was so impressed; that is a skill that we ask librarians to develop, and he is better at it than me! The kids then had a writing workshop so that he could help them develop their own fictional creations. The art on his websites is fantastic, as well.

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Illustration on June 2, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:46:02 -0400

I was delighted to hear from members of the Children's Book Illustrators Group in New York City (CBIG-NYC) in the Margaret Berger Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on June 2, 2012. I do not draw that well, but I appreciate art. I love photographing my cats, and my drawing teacher in college told me that I have a good eye for composition. My mother also takes good photographs. CBIG-NYC was founded by Brooklyn illustrators in 1987 as a forum in which to share publishing information and industry experiences.

Presentation of Illustrators' Art: First, Donna Miskend, President of CBIG-NYC, gave a Power Point presentation about members' work. She stated that they had recently had an exhibition at the Jefferson Market Library on dragons. She showed illustrations for various Aesop's Fables works, including "Fox and the Crow," "Fox and the Grapes," "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and also "Magic City." The group does illustrations for upcoming exhibitions, chapter books, and picture books.

Panel Discussion with Author/Illustrators: Then, they had a panel presentation with Miskend, Vicky Rubin (webmaster, listserv manager), Maria Madonna Davidoff (Postcard Designer), H Ruth Karpes (author/illustrator), and Diana Ting Delosh (author illustrator), all members of the CBIG-NYC. Betsy Bird, Youth Materials Specialist for NYPL, moderated the program.

Bird asked how the group started.

Karpes said that some people were talking in a bookstore. A clerk mentioned that there were a lot of children's book people. They had dinner together in 1985 or 1986. The group met informally and talked about their projects. CBIG-NYC meets six times a year, they have dues, and all of their meetings have a speaker. Members can have their portfolios reviewed. It is a chance for members to network. Once a year, they have a big portfolio review with editors and one-on-one meetings. She is about to sign her first book contract.

Bird mentioned that a lot of similar illustration groups exist. She asked what sets CBIG-NYC apart from the crowd.

One of the panelists stated that the group is small, and it has, at most, 60 members. It is a great way for members to meet publishers, art directors, and editors in members' apartments during the bimonthly meetings. It is a personal, small group.

Miskend mentioned that conferences and seminars in larger organizations such as the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) can really help members understand the industry. Their organization focuses on illustrators, and illustration is a very competitive field.

Delosh stated that the group gives members opportunities to succeed. They have members from other parts of the country that can participate online in their blog or exhibits, but the organization is based in NYC.

Revamped Website: Rubin mentioned that the group had recently revamped their website. Access to the website and the ability to create an account is free with the membership fee, and members can place their portfolios on the website. Members can also see a calendar of events, and they also archive the minutes of the meetings. They also have a blog.

Bird asked how many groups like theirs exist around the country, and if they have been contacted by any other groups.

Delosh stated that there is another CBIG group in Minnesota, but that she had never heard from them.

Miskend mentioned that members can use the group to market their illustrations, but they can also market themselves individually.

Publishing Houses: Large or Small? Bird wanted to discuss publishing houses. She asked if panel members preferred to publish with smaller or larger publishers.

Davidoff mentioned that she started in Asia. She said that there is more money in big publishers, but small publishing houses are more intimate and illustrators have more say in the process. There is more interaction between the publishers and writers. However, the economy has caused some of the smaller publishers to close.

Read Davidoff's blog.

Rubin stated that the smaller publishers are easier to work with than the big ones, which are more bureaucratic, but they have more marketing clout.

Karpes said that when illustrators are marketing a book, they are glad to have anyone publish it.

Bird asked if there was an advantage to being an illustrator in NYC versus elsewhere.

A panelist mentioned that with illustrators, it does not matter, since publishing houses work with people globally. However, being in NYC is convenient because the speakers, editors, agents, and art directors are all right here.

Publication in Books versus Magazines: Bird mentioned publishing in books versus magazines. She asked how illustrators came to do this, would they do it again, and had they worked with Ladybug and/or Cricket.

Delosh said that sending the text and art or just illustrations works the same way. However, magazines only accept a certain number of pieces per month, which significantly increases an illustrator's chances of getting published. Magazines may publish ten times a year, which gives the illustrators multiple chances per year to get published. It is much easier to get published in a magazine, and there are less upfront costs in magazines versus books. Publishing in magazines is a good way to get started, and this shows the publisher that a person has been published.

Rubin said that she did an entire poetry collection of animal rhyming poems, which she submitted to a magazine. She sent seven, and two got published. Someone else illustrated the poems, and they were actually published a couple of years after submission, since the magazine published thematic issues. The magazine edited the poems a little bit. Publishing in magazines is a great way to break into the business.

Bird mentioned that she wants to do a children's literary salon panel on magazine publishing, but no publishers, like Cricket, are here in NYC.

Moving from Publishing to Illustration: Bird mentioned that some children's book professionals have moved from working in publishing houses to illustration. She asked if Karpes could speak about the transition, and was it more or less difficult to be an illustrator for people who had previously worked in publishing.

Karpes said that she had interfaced with publishing houses and she learned what happens behind closed doors. The bottom line in writing and illustrations is the person's talents.

Day of Dickens Events: Miskend stated that CBIG-NYC is promoting its exhibitions online. This exhibit, titled Dickens: a Celebration in Pictures: Illustrations by the Children's Book Illustrators Group at the Yonkers Riverfront Library in Yonkers includes Day of Dickens Event Days. On September 13 and October 13, 2012, there will be artist demonstrations for little kids, a program on graphic novels, a panel discussion, and a performance reading of Dickens' work. The artwork spans a range for all children's books from picture books to young adult books. For a schedule, view http://www.cbig-nycexhibits.blogspot.com/.

Bird mentioned that a lot of people do not talk about how exhibits can be used to promote art.

Miskend said that this is the third year that they are doing the exhibit, which is a challenge for the artists, and it is easier to see the range of talent when there is a similar theme across the work.

Audience Questions: Bird opened up the floor for audience questions.

The first audience member asked if the theme is chosen and the artists create the work especially for the exhibit.

Delosh said that the theme is chosen by CBIG-NYC just as the theme for the blog is chosen by the group.

Name Your Price: The second audience member said that she had a comment about working for small versus large publishing houses. She submitted her illustration to a small publishing house and the organization asked her to name her price for the work. The illustrator named a price, to which the publisher asked, "That's all?!" She stated that a large publishing house would probably not ask what an illustrator would like to be paid for his or her work. She advised illustrators to do research ahead of time so that they can have an idea of what is the norm in the field and what is a fair price. She said that illustrators can negotiate price with small and large publishing houses.

Davidoff said that she worked with a large publishing house in Scandinavia who asked her to name her price. She retained the copyright on her work and the publisher will use her illustration in a historical scene in a work which will be published in 2012.

A third audience member said that she was a member of CBIG-NYC, and that it was a very supportive group which will always answer questions.

A fourth audience member asked if CBIG-NYC is a nonprofit organization.

Miskend said that it is a volunteer-run organization.

Illustration in Textbooks: Bird wanted to discuss publishing illustrations in textbooks. She knew of one author whose work had been used for testing purposes, and some of it had been changed.

Delosh said that she had worked with education. They give you a list of what they want and illustrators work to the list. Sometimes they ask you to change things.

Davidoff said that you can get royalties or not, depending on what the contract says. She likes working with education because it is varied and illustrators can achieve international and national exposure.

How Images Influence Text: The fourth audience member asked how images can change the intent of the work. Children are very visual. She asked if the panelists knew of any studies about this.

Miskend said that there are books with interviews with illustrators about the illustration process in children's books. Illustrations have changed and they are not just illustrating the text exactly to the letter nowadays. The illustrator tells part of the story visually. For example, they can have characters in their pictures that are not in the text but that tell part of the entire story.

The fourth audience member mentioned that, in theory, the more interaction that there is with the student, the more that the student retains the information.

Delosh stated that the work in magazines for infants to five-year-old kids is much simpler than the intricate artwork in magazines for older students, such as Ladybug and Highlights.

Miskend mentioned that artwork in European countries utilizes a color palette that is considered more muted than what is often used in the United States in addition to the typical bright colors that are associated with children's illustrations. In the United States, illustrations are much more influenced by Disney and the Warner Brothers in style, and they have much brighter colors.

Bird stated that the publishers in the US can also afford the brighter colors, which are more expensive.

The second audience member asked if illustrators and writers can get things published together.

Bird said that she heard that David Letterman's au pair got her work published together with an illustrator, but that this does not happen very often.

Miskend said that any chance that illustrators have to expose their artwork is good and publishers appreciate seeing the illustrators getting their work out there.

Advice for Aspiring Illustrators: Bird asked if members of CBIG-NYC had any general advice for illustrators who are trying to get their work published that people might not know.

One of the panel members said to never give up.

Davidoff said that it is good to write down your ideas on an iphone or piece of paper as you have them so that you will not forget.

Delosh said that illustrators should keep sketching every chance that they get so that they can create as much as possible. Ideas can feed off one another.

Miskend said that it is a good idea to look at other books, including the classics and more modern, trendy books. Illustrators can also take art classes at colleges or art schools. It is a good idea to learn about SCBWI and the industry so that illustrators know how the field operates.

Karpes said that it is important not to take rejection personally. The publishing house may already have something similar that they are planning to publish, and they may not want the illustrator's work to compete with that.

Thanks to Betsy Bird for organizing and moderating another scintillating Children's Literary Salon.

Future Children's Literary Salons

September 15, 2012 - Acts of Mischief: Editor Patti Lee Gauch and the State of the Picture Book
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.
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Margaret Berger Forum, Room 227

October 20, 2012 - Bullying in Books for Youth
Join author Frieda Wishinsky and a host of other authors as they delve deep into the topic of bullying and its presence in literature for children and teens.

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. The 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.

Philip Nel is Professor of English and Director of Kansas State University's Program in Children's Literature. His most recent books are Keywords for Children's Literature (co-edited with Lissa Paul, 2011) Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (co-edited with Julia Mickenberg, 2008), The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (2007), Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004). Forthcoming, fall 2012: a double biography of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss, and The Complete Barnaby, Vol. 1 (co-edited with Eric Reynolds), which collects the first two years of Crockett Johnson's influential comic strip. He also blogs and tweets.

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 - Design and the Picture Book as Object
Join Jonathan Yamakami, the designer behind I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail, and other children's book designers for a discussion of the unique challenges and opportunities affording to this one-of-a-kind book type.

2013

January 5, 2013 - Ethics
February 2, 2013 - Middle Graders
March 2, 2013 - Diversity

Descriptions provided by Betsy Bird, Youth Materials Specialist at NYPL

Booktalking "The Cruisers: Checkmate" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 07:58:47 -0400

The Cruisers: Checkmate by Walter Dean Myers, 2011

Alexander, "Zander" for short, is a student at the elite Da Vinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented. There, he belongs to a club known as the Cruisers that publishes an alternative newspaper, The Palette. Each member of the Cruisers has a special talent. Kambui, Zander's best friend, is into photography. LaShonda designs clothing, Bobbi is fascinated with numbers, and Zander wants to be a writer.

When their beloved teacher, Mr. Culpepper, enlists the Cruisers' help in getting through to Sidney, Zander does not hesitate. Of course he's willing to help the boy who stood up to Thuggy Butt for him when he entered the school. Sidney is in trouble with the law for attempting to buy a controlled substance. When the Cruisers see Sidney's father hit him at a chess match at the Brooklyn Public Library, Zander is concerned. All havoc breaks loose when one of the Cruisers gets a text message from Sidney looking for money but he does not specify for what purpose. All this is mixed up with Caren, Mr. Culpepper's daughter, who is making the moves on Zander.

The Cruisers: Checkmate by Walter Dean Myers

I have always liked chess. It is a board game that is quiet, yet requires lots of strategical thinking. However, it has never exactly been my forte. I loved the movie about the prodigy chess star, Searching for Bobby Fischer. In Edinburgh, I saw some talented people play chess in a chess club. The teens at the Edenwald Library loved the chess program, and I once observed a librarian teach kids how to play chess at the Soundview Library. It is awesome that the library provides a venue for kids to test their skills against each other.

Booktalking "Bunheads" by Sophie Flack

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 07:09:18 -0400

Bunheads by Sophie Flack, 2011

19-year-old Hannah is a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet company. Jacob is her musician boyfriend who goes to NYU, and Otto is the one who hands out promotions and demotions to the dancers in the company. He's the one to impress. Like all of the other dancers, Hannah jockeys for a prominent position in the dances. Glimpse in this world the injuries of the uninitiated, the stress fractures and the illness-producing dieting.

Interestingly enough, Hannah finds ways to accomplish such feats as carrying on a conversation with Zoe, the rich smoker and dancer, during a dance. They talk like ventriloquists with their lips still so as not to be chastised by Otto. The dancers are not quite so keen on The Nutcracker, since they dance it every year and the audience never gets tired of it. Hannah struggles with the work that she puts into the ballet, her relationships with Jacob and rich Matt, who also emerges as a prospect, and whether she can put even more work into the ballet and struggle to get promoted. In the process of all of this, Hannah finds a love of teaching dance to little girls at the Delancey Dance Academy.

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

I really liked this book. This book is unrelated to the TV show Bunheads. I thought it was really neat to see what the life of a dancer is like: the all-encompassing practice, with no time for relationships, the physical maladies such as sprains and injuries and emotional hardships like eating disorders.

In this semi-autobiographical novel, Flack presents Hannah, which is her real life younger sister. The author was also in a ballet company before she became a writer. (Flack lets Hannah attend NYU with Jacob while studying creative writing. As Hannah is pursuing a more balanced life, including college, which formerly was reserved for "pedestrians" or the non-dancing public, she makes the provocative statement, "My name is Hannah. Don't call me a ballerina.")

Booktalking "All the Right Stuff" by Walter Dean Myers

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:18:36 -0400

All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers, 2012

Paul DuPree figures that working in a soup kitchen over the summer isn't a bad gig, especially since he gets to mentor a kid on Friday mornings. Little did he know that there's more to just throwing some ingredients together because someone has got to eat it, and the kid he's mentoring, 17-year-old Keisha, has a toddler girl of her own, and she wants to improve her hoops, not her grades. Paul meets Elijah in the Soup Emporium, who educates him about the social contract, a philosophical construction of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. People who are in jail, Elijah tells him, "wipe their feet on the social contract."

Paul wonders why Keisha has a 2-year-old daughter when she's still a teen, but Keisha informs him of the difficulty of dealing with parental arguing in the house, lack of a room to study in, and then she informs him that she no longer needs his basketball expertise. Why? She says that the college will accept her if it wants to; she is too depressed and hopeless to continue the basketball lessons. Paul puts the social contract into action by using Keisha's daughter CeCe and explains what Keisha will be teaching her if she quits in life.

Carpe diem — Latin for "Seize the day."

All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers

After hearing Walter Dean Myers speak at the 2012 School Library Journal's Day of Dialog, I was inspired to revisit his work and read more of his books. I was surprised and delighted to see that he is still writing fantastic books at the age of 74. I have heard Myers speak before, and I think that I may have heard some of the comments he made at other presentations, but they are definitely worth repeating here.

Reading Levels on the Decline: Myers mentioned that the reading and writing levels of kids have dropped over the years. He used to be able to determine what age and grade level a kid was at simply by looking at the sophistication, or lack thereof, of the writing style. Nowadays, he cannot separate the letters from the elementary kids from the letters of the high school kids. He says that adults constantly tell kids that they need to read to succeed and get ahead in life, and that the kids concur and know what the right answers are. However, Myers said, unfortunately, the kids do not believe it, as is evidenced by the school dropout rate and the lack of reading and writing skills in even older kids, like teenagers. He said that he meets 25-year-old and 30-year-old people today who are not literate.

I was somewhat shocked by this, but I probably should not have been, since I am well aware that the high school graduation rate in many areas of the Bronx and other parts of New York City is around 50 percent. I was also saddened and dismayed by the fact that kids will tell us what we want to hear, and we may tell them to read and study, but kids do not believe in it. That is what I have said to classes to attempt to get kids engaged with reading. If that does not work, how are we going to get through to them? What can we say and/or do to help kids succeed in life?

What Makes a Survivor? Myers mentioned that he grew up as a poor kid in Harlem, and he often wondered why he was able to emerge from the upbringing and obtain a better life for himself. He spoke of an author who studied why some concentration camp inmates survived the Holocaust and others did not. The author formed the conclusion that the survivors were able to mentally remove themselves from the horrible situation and find light, happiness, and hope somewhere. Myers speaks at many juvenile detention centers to get kids motivated to read and improve their lives.

I have heard before that kids do not like to read. However, my experience volunteering in the Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn in 2001 did not bear that out, probably because the kids wanted to have my attention. There were a group of five or six elementary-age kids who would read picture books together with me. I asked if they wanted to read, and they knew that I valued and liked reading. They took turns reading; they did not want to be passive participants and listen to me read. I was delighted that they were so involved with developing their literacy skills. They argued over the books; if one child read a page with few words, he or she would say that he or she deserved an extra page to read. The kids were delightful.

Couldn't Put it Down: All the Right Stuff. I'll have to admit that I was very impressed with this book. I found it riveting, in fact. Most books today do not capture my attention like that. (However, I did quite like the historical fiction and horsey flair of Firehorse by Diane Lee Wilson.) I was fascinated by the philosophy of All the Right Stuff, and that the vast majority of the book took place in a soup kitchen and consisted of conversation between a youngster and Elijah, who was not just making soup, he was improving the lives of his clientele. I like the critical thinking that is inherent in philosophy, and I actually tutored a guy named Prince in philosophy while we were undergraduates.

TeenLIVE at the NYPL in Retrospect: Jermaine Browne on May 23, 2012

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 08:56:42 -0400

Jermaine Browne: We were lucky enough to have a dance talk at the Mulberry Street Library on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. I love dance, so I was very excited to meet an international choreographer, dancer, and teacher, Jermaine Browne. Respect My Step is an online community where teens and people of all ages can post their one-minute YouTube dance videos. No comments are published so that negative comments are not made about the dance videos. Chris Shoemaker, Young Adult Programming Specialist at NYPL, introduced the speaker. Shoemaker asked the audience, "Are you ready to move? Are you ready to shake?"

Browne began by mentioning that he was originally from Georgetown, Guyana. As a young kid, he arrived in shorts and flip-flops to the snow and cold of New York City. It was a different experience than Guyana, and NYC is a great place for him to be creative.

Working with the Stars: Shoemaker mentioned that he has worked with Christina Aguilera, choreographed for Victoria's Secret and worked with Justin Timberlake.

Browne said that it has been a weird journey. He has done fashion films, and recently had the opportunity to work with Mick Jagger. His days keep changing, and he is enjoying the ride. He has done hip-hop to rock. He loves his job; he gets to inspire dancers and teach them. NYC was the catalyst for his dance career.

Shoemaker asked what it is like being a young professional working with Mick Jagger and big celebrity names.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Browne started off dancing for Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. As soon as he became a part of the show, he knew that he wanted to choreograph it. However, when he watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on TV, all of the male dancers were cut out. Only the female dancers were retained since it was a girls' show. Then, someone asked him to be an assistant choreographer for the show. His supervisor then named him co-choreographer based on the work that he was doing. A couple of years later, someone asked him to be choreographer of the show, and he has been choreographing the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for five years now. He keeps ideas in his head for what he wants to do with the stars.

Browne mentioned that he is self-employed, and it is a roller-coaster ride. There are times when he has work, and there are times when he is not working.

Breaking into Dance: Shoemaker asked how Browne broke into the dance world.

Browne stated that his mother taught him dance in the Caribbean. He danced at a Sweet Sixteen party. Someone saw him and asked him to join a dance company. Then he was on a television show and someone asked him to take ballet classes and learn moves. He loves dance and movement, but he did not want to learn how to dance like a girl. However, he got through it. While holding hands with 10-year-old girls, they counted 1-2-3 Jump over the puddle! He has always had a strong drive for dance, and luckily he has found mentors to help guide him through the process.

Teaching Dance: Shoemaker mentioned that Browne originally wanted to be a preacher and a sociologist. Those two professions are very keyed into human psychology. Shoemaker asked if this interest in people helps him in dance.

Browne mentioned that in some cultures dancers do not want to touch each other. In this society, dancers want to be on TV. In order to entertain a television audience, people must be very boisterous and outgoing. In teaching dance, he breaks students down and consequently allows them to be free. The job of dancers is to take audience members out of their seats and transcend them into another world. Browne mentioned that he was teaching in Spain a couple of years ago. He says that teachers must find ways to get through to people. They try different methods and change their approaches based on the students.

Communicating Through Dance: Shoemaker mentioned that dance is a language for Browne. He asked how dance helps Browne express himself.

Browne mentioned that dance does not have to be one language. From Guyana to Vienna, dancers can create their own movement and be open-minded. His style is Jazz, Funk, and Hip-Hop (JFH). He mentioned that dancers should not try to emulate dancers too closely. This can stifle their talent and limit how far dancers can go. Dancers can use role models as a guideline and tool, but it is important for dancers to be original and spread their own wings. Copying the style of others is not as helpful to the world.

Shoemaker asked if dance is the field which allows Browne to express himself best.

Browne said that dance is his life. If he feels melancholy, he can dance through it. That becomes like dance therapy.

Shoemaker stated that people look for creative outlets. He asked if dance is easier for someone who wants a more tangible way to be creative.

Browne said that dance is definitely not an easy field to enter. People think that it is easy because of the recent proliferation of TV shows about dance (eg, So You Think You Can Dance?). Dance is work; dancers can use movement to show energy, melancholy, longing, etc.

Learning Dance Skills: Shoemaker mentioned that some people cannot get to NYC to meet with some of the bigger dance personalities. He asked if youtube and online social media is an effective tool for dancers to get exposure to talented artists.

Browne stated that watching YouTube videos does not allow viewers to experience a personal critique of the dancers' particular moves by talented professionals. Video is an acceptable way to learn dance technique, but it is difficult to learn artistry from YouTube videos or get honest, vital and helpful critiques from qualified dance teachers. When Browne was not in NYC, he found dance classes in small studios with talented people. Finding dance teachers may be harder for people do not reside in large urban centers, but it is doable. Those dancers may simply have to work a little bit harder. There are ways to find dance classes.

Shoemaker asked if there was a particular age group that Browne preferred to work with.

Browne mentioned that he used to work with professional dancers, who would do what he asked, but sometimes with some resistance. Then, he started teaching kids who could not come to the city. It is necessary to adapt teaching styles to kids. He is impressed with kids who really want to dance, and they push themselves hard at an early age. He does not have a preference for any particular age group.

Respect My Step: An Online Dance Community: Shoemaker said that dance TV shows are big right now (eg, The Dance Scene). Dance is at the low end of celebrity shows. He asked why dance is on the bottom and how it can be elevated.

Browne said that he is not exactly sure. Dancers train for longer than athletes, and their bodies accomplish amazing feats that are not natural (eg, leg coming up really high). He says that people tend to go for other forms of entertainment. In order to put dance more into the forefront of the public's attention, he would like the dance community to connect. People need to start telling their stories so that others can understand. Browne decided that he wanted to create an online community called Respect My Step. This is a website (respectmystep.com) where dancers can post youtube one-minute videos of dance of all types to showcase who they are as dancers. Dancers have a variety of venues (eg, on the beach, near the Eiffel Tower). After their dances, the dancers state their name in their language, and then say "Respect My Step" in English. Comments are not posted since he wanted to keep the site positive.

The website is helpful to provide exposure to various styles of dance (eg, a mother dancing around the house with her son, as his mother did in the Caribbean).

Submit a dance video to RespectMyStep.com

We watched a preview of the site. We saw a flamenco dancer, a hip-hop dancer, and a ballerina dancing on concrete. Browne wants to remove dance from its stereotypical home (eg, Lincoln Center). He wants people in professions other than dance to view the website and perhaps have a dance put a smile on their faces while they are drinking morning coffee. He wants dancers to avoid being intimidated by other dance videos that they might view on the Respect My Step website. He said that dancers could simply sit in chairs and do something with their arms. When he was a young child, a dance online community such as this did not exist.

Shoemaker mentioned that there are amazing teens that are looking to develop their skills. Negative comments can destroy kids' confidence when they are just trying to figure themselves out. He thanked Browne for creating a safe space online for kids to display their dance skills.

Browne mentioned that there is so much that people can do. It just depends on how people open their eyes and use what is right in front of them.

Dance Therapy: Shoemaker is aware of Browne's other interviews. He saw a clip where Browne stated, "When people failed me, I danced." It sounded like when other people disappointed Browne, he used that energy to create Respect My Step.

Browne stated that there had been times in his life when people had done bad things to him, even though he thought they were nice people. Also, sometimes he faced rejection. For example, sometimes he did not get other jobs as a dancer, and he did not know why. At these times in life, it is important to have confidence in oneself and a caring support group in order to keep going and succeed at one's goals in life. Respect My Step originated from his love for dance. He has choreographed for the stars and he was looking for his next project as a dance professional. He thought about what he wanted to say about dance. He decided to just let the public speak the language of dance and say what they wanted to in an online community. He got a video for Respect My Step from a 14-year-old boy in Poland who was doing hip-hop in the snow. It was thrilling to hear the joy in his voice and see the joy he felt in what he was doing. Sometimes it is good to hear the dancer's voice.

Shoemaker said that he was excited to see how NYPL teens can connect with Respect My Step.

Browne said that people could use the books at the Library to learn more about dance.

My love of music: I absolutely love music and dance. I love music and singing, as well. I played cello from third to sixth grade, and flute from fourth to eleventh grade. I even competed in a flute competition while I was in high school. At one point, I was the 1st first flute in my high school band. (We had first and second flautists, and these were also ranked.) I also love singing, and I sung in choruses throughout school. I was lucky enough to study with a voice teacher in Albany who had studied at The Julliard School while I was in a barbershop choir, and she really helped me develop my voice by utilizing my diaphragm more effectively. I also took voice lessons with another instructor in Albany.

My love of dance: When I was a little girl, I took tap dance and ballet, prior to horseback riding. I also took ballroom dance classes in Sydney, Australia and modern dance classes in Albany. I loved my undergraduate dances, including the annual Snowball, which was held on my 18th birthday. I danced all night on New Year's Eve 1999 at the Sydney Opera House. Don't worry; they played, "Party Like It's 1999" while we watched fireworks fall over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I also went crazy over the Ceilidhs (pronouned "kay-lees", it is a Gaelic word meaning "Scottish dance party"), where frenetic Celtic music and step dancing predominated the scene. I went to three Ceilidhs and I was in Scotland for five months. I even named one of my cats Ceilidh because I love the "dh" spelling and the Gaelic word, and that cat is like a party. She is very mischievous, and half of her face is black and half is orange, as if she is wearing a mask at a masquerade party. Nowadays, I love my music CDs and just mainly dance to them.

Thanks to Chris Shoemaker for organizing and moderating this very intriguing TeenLIVE event!

Future TeenLIVE and KidsLIVE Events

TeenLIVE Presents Young Dancemakers Company
July 28, 2012
New York Library for the Performing Arts
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Teens take to the stage and perform their own original choreography in this exciting performance at the Library for the Performing Arts. Watch the moves and see the steps before you have a chance to ask questions. After the performance, a lucky few teens will have the opportunity to create their own dance and perform it onstage with the dance experts.
All KidsLIVE and TeenLIVE programs are sponsored by the Katerina and Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Endowment for Young Audiences.

Description provided by Young Adult Services

Booktalking "The Black Stallion and the Lost City" by Steven Farley

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:55:58 -0400

Booktalking The Black Stallion and the Lost City by Steven Farley, 2011

The waiting... waiting... and more waiting. That's the central theme of this Black Stallion novel set in the middle of a movie production... Alec aboard the temperamental Black, of course — Alec being the only person who can ride the Black. Alec plays Alexander the Great, and the Black is Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse. The Black, of course, does not want to wear his race costume, and some of the other animals do not always do what their trainers want either. Lots of different animals inhabit the tents on the set when they are not being used for scenes.

Drama ensues when two horse collide during a race scene and they go into a river. The Black and Alec slip into the water. The Black then pursues a phantom albino mare, and Alec follows. They end up in an adventure and in a magical place where the Black is stabled in a stall bedded in fine grass sprinkled with colorful flowers. His water bucket and hoof pick are plaited in gold. Alec is intrigued with a girl from the movie set, Xeena, and he sets out on the Black to find her when she goes missing. With Xeena and Alec double-riding the Black, injuries on all sides, Alec and the Black never knew that this movie set would be the least of their adventures in this foreign spectacular place.

A Horse-Crazy Girl: I grew up inhaling the aura of the terrific Black Stallion novels that were written by Walter Farley. I was a horse-crazy girl, and I could not get enough of the fantasy of a boy and his horse stranded on an island who became the best of friends. I also watched the movie and the television shows. Walter's son, Steven Farley, continued the tradition by writing his own Black Stallion novels, which seem very similar to his father's books. The stories are very intriguing, and always include the wild, temperamental Black as the focal point.

Booktalking "To Ride the Gods' Own Stallion" by Diane Lee Wilson

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:33:33 -0400

To Ride the Gods' Own Stallion by Diane Lee Wilson, 2000

In 640 BC, in an ancient Assyrian kingdom, 13-year-old Soulai created horses and other animals out of clay and decorative harnesses. Soulai's father said that he should never have been born, and continues in that vein when he sells Soulai to a king in order to repay a debt. His father's apology does little to mollify Soulai's shock and pain as he is wrenched away from his family. It is every boy's worst nightmare, sold into slavery at age 13 and freed at 18. Five years of bondage to repay a father's debt. Beaten and bloodied, Soulai nurses his wounds. Five years of looming incarceration weigh on his mind. However, at least Soulai gets to care for horses, including a beautiful parti-colored stallion with one blue eye and one gold eye. Ti, one of the stallions, is a sliver of sunlight in the hell that Soulai suddenly finds himself in.

Ti is ornery and evades Soulai's attempts to show affection to him, but Ti is brave and fights with lions. Mainly, he is the mount of Habasle, a prince who gives Soulai orders. Funny, he looks so much like Soulai. It's almost an accident of birth to determine who is a prince and who is a pauper. The slavery is hard to take. Soulai runs away on Ti and returns to his parents' abode, only to find that he no longer fits in there. Finally, he returns to the kingdom with Ti. Will he find the money to buy his freedom or just simply try to survive until his 18th birthday?

To Ride the Gods' Own Stallion by Diane Lee Wilson

Booktalking "Duchess" by Ellen Miles

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:54:09 -0400

Booktalking Duchess by Ellen Miles, 2011

In the wonderful Kitty Corner series by Ellen Miles, Mia and Michael and their family foster cats and kittens who need a temporary home, much like people foster children. Mia met Duchess through her friend Logan, who alerted her to the fact that Duchess's owner Abby was moving to Iceland, and she did not want to subject the gorgeous white Persian to weeks and weeks of kenneling. Mia and Michael's parents let them foster cats to determine if they are ready and willing to accept the responsibility of caring for a permanent cat.

At first, Duchess, unfortunately, is not thrilled to arrive at Mia and Michael's house, due to her longing for her previous owner Abby. During the first night, she does not emerge from her carrier. She does not play with Mia right away, and she does not eat for four days. However, Abby helped by recommending feeding Duchess in her favorite special bowl, and luckily she resumed eating. She got happier, and was tried in a home with rambunctious kitten Boone, who she did not get along with well. What other homes will Duchess try before finding the right one?

Duchess by Ellen Miles

My Foster Cats: My experience with fostering cats dates back to my graduate education in Albany. I made the mistake of agreeing to foster a cat family, a queen (female cat) and several kittens, who I believe were a week or two old. Unfortunately, I was really worried that my studies were going to suffer because all I wanted to do when I got home from class was play with the kittens. They were adorable though. Some months later, I fostered an orange-and-white tabby who was suspected to have rabies. Later, I fostered a matching gray mother and kitten.

Ready to Adopt? Originally, I fostered cats to attempt to determine if I wanted to adopt a cat or cats. After these fostering experiences, I adopted an American short hair cat in 2002. I adopted an Egyptian Mau mix in 2008.

A Tuxedo Kitten: At that point, I thought I was done fostering, but then I fostered an adorable black-and-white kitten I named Smudgie for the ASPCA in New York. He just needed to gain enough weight to be two pounds so that he could be neutered and adopted. He was so cute; I kept him for a week.

Adopting Again: Then I adopted an Exotic mix (basically a short-haired Persian) from Brooklyn in 2010. Again, I thought I was done fostering, since I had three cats. Think again.

Kitten season: This spring, a friend came to me for help with his cats, since he knew that I liked cats. He had a queen and three kittens, all matching orange-and-white ticked tabbies. He invited me to see them and they were completely adorable. Of course, as soon as I saw them, I was plotting to get them into my care. I nonchalantly offered to foster them in my apartment until the kittens were ready to be weaned, and I would find homes for the kittens. My friend agreed, and chaos ensued in my house.

Ankle biters: I already had three cats, so the cat family lived in my bedroom. During the first week, one of the kittens hissed at me, and they ran away when I tried to touch them or pick them up. The kittens were three or four weeks old when I got them. After a couple of weeks, they warmed up and got to appreciate being petted. Everything they did was adorable. They sometimes sat up like big cats and groomed themselves. They jumped on their mother and nursed. Their relationships with each other were precious. They licked each other and bit down upon each other's necks.

Rug rats: I dreaded looking in the room every morning and evening to find out what messes they had created. Sometimes I observed babies swimming in the water bowl. Water all over the floor near the water bowl. Other times, I saw two kittens mountain climbing in the closet. Then, I saw the mother, Ginger, leading them. I was so frustrated with her. I expected her to provide a good example for her kittens, and she was not doing that. Oh, well. I pulled them out and shut the closet door securely. "There are too many kitties in the closet!!!", I told them. The ideal number being zero. Every time I entered the bedroom, I braced myself because a kitten might come flying at me. The girl kitten, my favorite, had a habit of running to the door every time I opened it with her tail up and eyes bright. The kittens dragged my socks about the room and shredded my Con Edison bills. They always found something to do. They were so soft, and they loved exploring the world. It was pandemonium in my house with seven cats.

Kittens Get Adopted: I gave one of the boy kittens to my veterinarian, who knew a family who was looking for a kitten. I went to the vet's office a couple of weeks later, and he said that the kitten was doing very well and the family really liked his temperament. I gave the other two kittens, a boy and a girl, to the ASPCA a couple of weeks later, when they were seven or eight weeks old and they had finished nursing. I was fascinated by watching them grow, develop, and interact with each other, but I have to admit that it was a huge relief, and a lot less work, not to have them.