Versatile Blogger

I'm sending a heartfelt "Thank You" to Tammy Flanders from Apples with Many Seeds for recognizing me as a Versatile Blogger!

This recognition comes with three important responsibilities:

• Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog. 
• Share 7 things about you. 
• Give this award to up to fifteen bloggers.  Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news.

Here are 7 things about me as a writer.

1. I began my career writing for regional and national periodicals.

2. My work as a Library Media Specialist surrounded me with children's literature and eventually caused me to switch a portion of my writing efforts to children's books.

3. My family pioneered their way West by covered wagon to Arizona and I grew up surrounded by Western culture which is why it is often reflected in my work.

4. I feel a personal and professional responsibility to share what I know about my craft with my fellow writers.  With that thought in mind, I've co-chaired Young Authors Conferences, provided in-service training/seminars for teachers, and taught writing workshops for children and adults.

5. I'm passionate about doing research.  I have shelves and shelves of books on a variety of topics related to the craft of writing, history, folklore, etc.  I favor primary sources for history whenever possible and some of my books are from the 1800s.

6. Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway have influenced me through their body of work, but also through their perspectives on the craft of writing.

7. One of my favorite quotes from Mark Twain is: "To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement.  To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence, is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself . . . Anybody can have ideas -- the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph. -- Letter to Emeline Beach, 10 Feb. 1868

I would like to recognize the following Versatile Bloggers -- listed below in no particular order:

Tales of the Rushmore Kid

The Miss Rumphius Effect

Teaching Authors

The Happy Accident

Adventures in Children's Publishing

School Visit Experts

The Librarian Writer

Jen Robinson's Book Page

Do you have a book to sell? Part 5. After time out for Memorial Day, here is the last in this series on selecting books for my library collection.

How do I whittle down my list to the Must-Haves? In part 4, I discussed the fiction collection. Now it's time to give non-fiction equal attention. My goals are similar.

• Engage all the students as readers. In this case, I'm going to need books across the K-6 reading levels to introduce topics and provide in-depth information for research, and report writing.
• Develop appreciation for the ways in which information can be organized. I'm still looking for exemplary writing, but in non-fiction I want students to see organization, clarity, and careful research modeled in the books they utilize.
• Support the curriculum: I want titles that support the instructional standards and content for grades K-6.

Once again I will turn to reviews to help me sort out my preferences from among the dozens of books that exist on each topic. How well does the book attain its stated goals and work for its intended audience?

• I'm watching for key words and phrases such as: well-researched, thoughtfully structured, evenhanded, comprehensive, current, uncluttered, easy to read, and yes, entertaining.
• Along with the quality of the writing, I'm looking at the organization of the book as a whole: table of contents, index, illustrations, quotes, primary source material, timelines, tables, charts, grafts, maps, glossaries, bibliographies, and related websites (where appropriate to the subject) can provide added value.

How does your book measure up?

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "The trouble with running away is you know what you're leaving behind, but not what's waiting up ahead,," from the Coretta Scott King Honor Book, The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes.

Do You Have a Book to Sell? Part 4

Will your book make the cut when I whittle down my book purchase list to the Must-Haves? Today, I'll focus on the fiction portion of the collection: Easy readers, beginning chapter books, and fiction. Here are the goals I must meet as library media specialist:

1. Engage all the students as readers. I need books of varying levels -- titles to attract reluctant readers, high-interest, low-level books for my struggling readers, and challenging literature for my advanced readers.
2. Develop appreciation for literature. Provide students with exemplary writing by collecting both the classic children's books and the best new material by debut authors.
3. Support the curriculum: I want copies of the books that are excerpted in the language arts anthology or read by the teacher for class discussion. I'll also provide State Reading Award nominee books to read and discuss with the students in library as preparation for voting later in the school year.

When it comes to item three, those selections have already been made for me. So I will focus here on one and two for which the search process is the same.

My first choice when it comes to making selections is to read the book. I spend a lot of time browsing through bookstores and school book fairs. Does that picture book hold my interest to the last page? How will it sound read aloud? Does the first line, paragraph, or page of a chapter book hook me? Does the blurb on the cover intrigue me? I'd love to read everything that sounds promising, but I can't.

In order to sort through the hundreds of new books that are published every year, I read the reviews.

The Synopsis: Does the story sound engaging? How similar is the theme or premise to other books I have in the collection? This determination can work for or against a book. If it is something that the students are still eagerly pulling off the shelf, then another fairy book, sports mystery, vampire tale, or ? will provide additional reading options. On the other hand, if interest has waned then I don't need more of the same.

The Assessment: What does the review have to say about the writing - plotting, pacing, characterization, word choice, etc? How well does the book attain its stated goals and work for its intended audience? I'll look for key words and phrases.

• Pros: clarity, wit, fresh twist, rewarding choice, natural for book talks, adept pacing, well-drawn or memorable characters, genuine emotion, lively humor, original concept, honest, universal -- to name a few.
• Cons: flat, lecturing, intrusive narrator, heavy-handed, above its target audience, stretches credulity, tries to tell the story in rhyme, but doesn't succeed, stereotypical, forced, insipid, predictable.

If you are hoping for your book to make the cut then consider which of these remarks describe your writing. Library books generally have a much longer shelf life than books that are purchased for home use. The titles that make it to the collection must have enduring quality and themes that will remain relevant over time. I hope your book is one of them.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "Now, Bix Rivers has disappeared, and who do you think is going to tell his story but me?" From Newbery Honor Book The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks.

Do You Have a Book to Sell? Part 2

Last week I touched on the two most serious considerations when purchasing school library books: money and shelf space.

Today, let's just suppose that here I am...a librarian with money to spend. It might be $500.00. Maybe it's $1,000.00...oh lucky me! In any case, the process is the same -- sorting through the myriad titles that are available and making my selections.

I'm going to need some help and a simple way to begin is to look at award winners and nominees. There are numerous national book awards and lists: Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, Charlotte Zolotow Award, Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Notable Children's Book List, Parent's Choice, Coretta Scott King Award, and the Cybils to name only a few.

And I certainly will want to take a look at the state awards. In California it's the California Young Reader Medal. In Arizona there's the Grand Canyon Reader's Award and so on. These
awards are particularly valuable because of the way in which the winners are selected. Generally, the books are nominated by parents, teachers, librarians and students from across the state. The list is usually narrowed down to 3-5 and then the students read and vote for their favorite books. I don't always agree with the results, but I can be sure that all the nominees are worth careful consideration.

By the time I've looked at all these possibilities, I probably already have a pretty healthy list of books, but I'm not done yet. Next week I'll talk about additional great resources for finding children's books.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "On the banks of the river Nagara, where the long-necked cormorants fish at night, there once lived a poor widow and her son." The Boy of the Three-Year Nap, Caldecott Honor book written by Dianne Snyder, illustrated by Allen Say.

Following Monday's post, I've been enjoying a lively discussion on the topic of who wields the most influence over the purchase of children's books -- the child or the adult?

Here's my take on the subject. Do adults lean toward books that stir warm childhood memories? Yes! Are children influenced by books with popular media tie-ins? Sure!

However, in my experience as a library media specialist and literacy advocate, I see quite an astute audience out there in the market place. I meet with hundreds of children every week. The vast majority are looking for quality literature and their parents are pretty savvy about new titles and authors. Parents usually want to provide the best reading material available and communicate with their children and literacy professionals like myself at school and public libraries as well as teachers to find material. In addition, I certainly wouldn't underestimate the impact of book reviews by the knowledgeable children's book bloggers in the Kidlitosphere. And there are Amazon. com reviews for that matter. The librarians I know make liberal use of the numerous professional reviews in Kirkus, Horn Book, School Library Journal, etc. in our quest for the best.

Last and certainly not least...word of mouth is always at work to elevate quality work or eliminate the inferior.

I see the child/adult issue as more of a collaboration than a contest. I've observed parents and children at countless book fairs and other book-buying venues. I see parents who are eager to introduce their favorite authors and stories to their children. And at the same time, most parents are not only willing, but eager to consider their child's suggestions with regard to new titles and authors and most often draw the line at purchasing based on the appropriateness of the subject matter and the quality of the writing. Best case...it's a win/win for both.

Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted today by Great Kid Books. As a Mom to several canines and Foster Mom to a score more, I'm offering up "Stanza," a picture book in rhyme --written by Jill Esbaum and illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Stanza and his two brothers spend their nights harassing city folks, but once his siblings are asleep, Stanza secretly indulges his poetic side. Of course his secret is found out, but the turmoil over his double-life is eventually resolved and his bullying brothers, Fresco and Dirge discover their own artistic talents.

Friday's Famous First: Can you name the title and author of this children's book? "On the banks of the river Nagara, where the long-necked cormorants fish at night, there once lived a poor widow and her son."

Do you have a book to sell? As a library media specialist, I'm part of your market...along with thousands of others in schools all over the country and across the world.

Ever wondered how books are selected for a school library book collection? Today, I'm introducing a new series on how school library collections are developed.

Before I even consider the actual books, I have two major restrictions that come into play: budget and space. In this time of cut-backs, I must make every dollar count which basically means I want library books to serve multiple purposes. Does that Picture Book that I'd love to read to classes also fill a niche in the curriculum? Just the fact that a book is currently popular is almost never reason enough for a purchase. Particularly when I factor in my second restriction which is shelf space. Library shelf space is a valuable commodity and I have to determine if a book deserves a share.

How I make those determinations will be the topic of future posts.

Meanwhile, today's post at Editorial Anonymous titled: Children vs Adults is well worth reading. The article discusses the balance in appealing to children who are the audience, and adults who hold the purse-strings. Publishers must weigh those two points of view when considering projects.


Here's the answer to Friday's Famous First: "Fingers trembling, eyes on the man at the cash register, Mongoose snatched the Milky Way bar and stuck it in his coat pocket." The Library Card by Newbery Award winner, Jerry Spinelli.

For my librarian friends -- Here are two of my favorite library-themed books.

My students always find it funny, but not surprising that one of my favorites is titled Book! Book! Book! by Debroah Bruss with illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke.

And because not every library is found within walls I love to share: My Librarian is a Camel: How Books are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "In SPRING,/ Red sings/ from treetops:/ cheer-cheer-cheer,/ each note dropping/ like a cherry/ into my ear." Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors written by Joyce Sidman, Illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski. For all you illustrators out there you will find an interview of Pamela at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

It feels like a potpourri sort of day so here are some interesting bits.

Happy Birthday to The Miss Rumphius Effect - three years old this month. A wonderful source of information about children's literature and teaching.

Wild Rose Reader is hosting The Poetry Friday Roundup.

A favorite story told in rhyme for this season is Dav Pilkey's humorous take on the classic "Twas the Night Before Christmas." In this updated story, turkeys and a bus-load of school children conspire to create a unique Thanksgiving. It wouldn't be November without this read-aloud in library. "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving" by Dav Pilkey.

Acquaint yourself with editor Marilyn Brigham at Marshall Cavendish Children's Books by reading the interview by Terry Pierce at the blog that carries her name: Terry Pierce: Children's Author.

Here are Friday's Famous Firsts:
1. "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
2. "When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news."

Can you identify the title and author for each of these first lines?

October is Cookbook Month so let's take a look at child-friendly cookbooks.

If you are fan of cooking shows, you'll recognize the author of Paula Deen's cookbook for the lunch-box set. Television's down-home cook, Paula Deen, has organized her recipes by event: sleepover, picnic, bake sale, etc. and provided instruction for eight-year-olds and up.

Web-savvy preteens will enjoy The Spatulatta cookbook: recipes for kids, by kids from the James Beard award-winning Spatulatta Web site. This a companion to Spatulatta.com, the cooking website of two young sisters, Isabella and Olivia Gerasole. The recipes range from easy to complicated and include ingredient lists along with equipment required and a glossary. This would be a great addition to a child's cookbook collection once they've mastered some of the more basic skills.

It is October after all, so I had to include Wormy Apple Croissants and other Halloween recipes by Brekka Hervey Larrew. Here you will find easy to follow recipes for deliciously creepy fare.

Last, but not least, here is Cooking by the Numbers by Cecilia Minden. This is one of several books in the Real World Math series discussing math in everyday situations by this author. This volume looks at how math is utilized in the kitchen when measuring ingredients or making adjustments to recipes. It helps answer a question teachers hear so often, "Why do I need to learn this?"

And now the answers to Friday's Famous Firsts:

1. "Where's Papa going with that ax," said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

2. Tuesday eveing, around eight. Tuesday by David Wiesner

Thanks to all of you who emailed me first lines from some of your favorite books. You'll be seeing more Famous Firsts each Friday. Answers are at the end of my post.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month so here are five library related books I'd like to share. One of my favorite read-aloud books for my very young students is Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss -- Left alone on the farm after the children go back to school, the animals decide to visit the library to find something to read. The story is simple but engaging as the various animals take turns trying to get library books and there is a surprise ending that always earns giggles!

For older readers, there is the lovely non-fiction book My Librarian is a Camel: how books are brought to children around the world by Margriet Ruurs. Bookmobiles are great, but how do you get books to children in remote parts of the world? Ingeniously is the answer and this book describes some of those methods including by camel, elephant and boat. A nice reminder that books are cherished and readers will find a way. This book always makes my students think twice about telling me that getting a library book is too hard.

Librarians wear several hats; they tell stories, educate, and manage the collection. Here are three picture book titles that take an entertaining look at the way librarians do their job. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen is the tale of a Lion who wonders into the library and is allowed to stay, but only if he's quiet. He forgets to use his "library voice" but it turns out he had a good reason.

The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy is a very funny look at one well-meaning librarian's attempt to care for her collection with dire consequences for her patrons.

What makes a perfect librarian? That's the question in Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything! by Toni Buzzeo. New student, Robert has been warned about Mrs. Skorupski, but he soon discovers that although she won't hand him every book he asks for, she does something even better.

As Promised here are the title and author answers for last Friday's Famous Firsts:
1. "Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away. "
From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
2. "There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." from Holes by Louis Sachar
3. "The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another..."
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world,
I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.
- Maya Angelou -

One of the on going conversations that I have with my students in library is the importance and value of being well read...to step outside the comfort of always reaching for the familiar author, or genre, or subject and explore something different. Our library is young, our school new, but nevertheless, the collection is diverse...and one of the saddest phrases a student can utter is, "I can't find anything to read." What the child usually means is that they can't find another book exactly like all the other ones they've read. I spend a great deal of time looking for ways to tempt my readers into new territory.

A favorite activity is something I call "Famous Firsts." I read the first line of a book to each class and challenge students to tell me the title and author of the work. Sometimes half the hands go up. Sometimes I'm lucky to find one or two students who know the work. Occasionally, I find a book that is totally unknown, in which case I'll read a few pages to tweak their curiosity. I'm no longer surprised by the sudden popularity a book attains from even so brief an introduction.

We're all about children's literature here so why don't you give "famous Firsts" a try?!

Can you name the title and author of each of these books? Resist the urge to Google. I'll list the answers on the next post.

1. Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away.

2. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.

3. The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another...

I invite you to share the first lines from some of your favorite books.

If I had to name the number one fiction genre currently the hit with the fifth graders, it would undoubtedly be Fantasy. Here are three fantasy books that are favorites with my readers.

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud, published 2009 by Disney/Hyperion Books is the story of young prankster, Halli Sveinsson. When a practical joke goes too far, Halli is forced to set out on an epic quest that is layered over those of his heroic ancestor, Svein. Both adventures are set in a medieval world flavored with a dose of Norse mythology. The narrative moves seamlessly back and forth between Halli's adventures and the legendary Svein's providing a double dose of excitement.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, published 2005 by Penguin Books, is an historical fantasy/fairytale set in a seventeenth century London where magic and fairies are mingled with the harsh realities of everyday life. In Cinderella fashion, Coriander is left in the care of her abusive stepmother, but unlike the fairytale Cinderella, Coriander must orchestrate her own rescue. Told in first person by the heroine, Coriander relates her childhood struggle to use the magic powers inherited from her mother to protect herself and the fairy world where her mother was born.

The People of Sparks, sequel to the very successful The City of Ember, by Jeane DuPrau, is a far cry from the historical realm, taking place instead in a post apocalyptic world where resources are scarce and civilization is on the brink of destruction. Lina and Doon, the intrepid protagonists from the first book, lead the survivors of Ember to the town of Sparks where they seek refuge and form an uneasy alliance that is soon endangered by suspicion then sabotage. New characters are introduced and minor characters from The City of Ember emerge to continue the story and bring new tension to the narrative.

To check out reviews by youthful readers visit Scholastic's Kid's Page.

"TV...if kids are entertained by two letters, just imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six." Anonymous
What could be more fun than reading?

I spend a lot of time in bookstores...one of my few weaknesses...particularly the children's section. I'm never alone. There are always a few parents gazing at the sea of shelves with a bewildered expression. The librarian in me can't resist asking if they need help and inevitably the response is something like this --

"I have a (six-year-old or third-grader or ??? you get the picture). What would be a good book for him/her?"

Here are a few favorites from the students at my school.

A first-grade favorite is "Froggy Bakes a Cake" by Jonathan London because of all the onomatopoeia and personification. It's also really funny.

Among my second-graders the Caldecott Medal Book "Officer Buckle and Gloria" by Peggy Rathmann is a hit. Officer Buckle is a safety officer who doesn't have much success attracting an audience until he's joined by a police dog named Gloria. Gloria makes the presentations entertaining, but her antics almost end their partnership. Of course, it all works out in the end. The children think the story is hysterical.

Third-graders enjoy "The Bubble Factory" by Tomie dePaola. Twins accompany their Grandfather to a Bubble Factory to see how bubbles are made -- hijinks follow. It's good for giggles.

You may notice a theme here. Kids love to laugh.

Every year at the beginning of school, the kindergarten classes go on the hunt. Sometimes they are looking for the Gingerbread Man, or it might be a search for Corduroy's missing button. This year - it's treasure. The children love the hunt, and in the process they explore the school...office, health center, playground, cafeteria and of course, the library.

It's always a wonder to see those wide-eyed youngsters as they get their first peek at our library and if I'm lucky, the teachers have allowed some time for me to read a story before the little ones return to their rooms. This year I treated them to one of my favorites -- Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley.

We talked about the dedication page which reads: "To my Dad who loves cornflakes," (I might be paraphrasing, but I think I have that right). Then we look for ways that cornflakes appear in the story. One of my favorite scenes is the mouse using a fork to rake up cornflakes and then jumping into the pile. Those clever kinders can always draw a parallel between that scene and raking leaves. They also have no trouble making a similar comparison between the mouse's brown sugar castles and their efforts at the beach or in the sandbox.

The vibrant colors add another delightful layer to the story and the rhyming text provides just the right clues to enable my audience to predict the last line of the story -- which is always fun.


First Books -- 39 days and counting.
Okay folks! If you haven't clicked over to First Books and voted for "What Book Got You Hooked?" You need to do that -- vote daily and help determine which state will receive 50,000 free books for children in need.


More about Corduroy and its author Don Freeman.

Check out PBS Parents new Show and Tale on Tuesdays at Booklights.

The question of the day is: What's your favorite picture book and why?
Of course, I couldn't pick just one.

Here is my response: One of the favorite read-alouds in my library is Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley. It is one of the first books I read to the first-graders during their visits. They love the colorful pictures of the mouse doing everyday activities using kitchen utensils - raking up cornflake leaves with a fork, bathing in a teacup. The rhyming text is an added delight. Most of all, the children love being able to predict the ending by using the rhyming words as their clues.

August 1st always leads me to think of school and the library I'll be returning to in a few short weeks. The children I see on a daily basis as Library Media Specialist, love their library - every section, every shelf is a favorite for someone among my voracious readers. As a new library in a new school, we are in the process of building a collection and there are always more requests from students, teachers, and parents than can be met. No matter how successful we are in adding materials...no matter how large our collection grows...I hope that eagerness is never lost.

Poetry is big and I'm always happy to find new titles to add. If you are a fan of poetry you might want to check out: The Negro Speaks of Rivers - a picture book based on a poem written by Langston Hughes with watercolor pictures by E.B. Lewis. You can find complete reviews at A Patchwork of Books, Kids Lit, and Poetry for Children.

The poetic Water Dance by Thomas Locker also deserves your attention. Locker works in oils and his books are a beautiful blending of art and science. Some of his other nature inspired books include: Cloud Dance, Mountain Dance, Where the River Begins, and Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art.

Worth a visit is Poetry Friday, hosted this week at the Poetry for Children blog written by Sylvia Vardell - author of Poetry Aloud Here, Poetry People, and Children's Literature in Action. You'll find lots of new original poems and links to many of your favorite poets.

I've been meaning to start this blog for a while...quite a while actually, but there was always an excuse to wait. A manuscript to submit, or revise, or write. A new idea for a book that needed researching or outlining. The next project that I wanted to undertake as Library Media Specialist. Book signings to attend, writing workshops to give, literacy events to support with my time and energy. Finally one of the those little voices in my head shouted, "Enough!"

The light came on...Why do I do all that I do?

My passion for words and the music of language? Maybe it's being Irish -- that ancient Celtic tradition of storytelling when the bards could weave spells with their words. No doubt that's part of it. But not all...

There are the children I will see this coming school year as Library Media Specialist - the eager primary students, the third and fourth grade children - so curious and ready to explore, the fifth and sixth graders looking for a challenge. And always, sadly, the students who regard books with disinterest or worse - dread. And there are the educators, parents, and community members that I work with in our continuing goal of making literacy a fact for everyone.

Ultimately, the why is about sharing the passion, the magic, the eagerness, the curiosity and the challenge.

It's all about the books. Yes. That's why I do what I do. I read for the magic that is a storyteller's art. I write because I have to tell the stories. But the greatest joy for me is in the sharing. And now this blog will let me share with all the readers and writers I've had the good fortune to know and perhaps with a few new folks as well.

Wow! Look at the time. I'll be blurry-eyed tomorrow - no - today, but I did it! You all know that quote about the long journey. This is one more step.