Wordless Books

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a firm believer in wordless books. I like them because they allow a child to “read” the book; a child who may not be able to read at all. It helps children “tell” a story using the narrative skills, an early literacy skill. The child uses the picture clues to tell the story they want. The story can change every time it is told, the vocabulary can increase by who tells the story, and the book has a timeless appeal that evolves with deepening comprehension of life situations. Lastly, for the child working on writing skills, it helps to have the pictures as a prompt for an essay.

Suzy Lee has taken three simple elements to create a visual tour de force with Wave. We have a sunny day, a curious little girl, and a playful wave. The book is black and white (and shades of gray) with blue. The color blue is, of course, the wave, the water, and the action. There is one other piece of action and that is the “gutter” of the book. Oh, to have a child on my lap talking about this book! Check it out. If you spend any time at the seashore, you must purchase it! ~Joyce Laiosa

The Gates

Have you ever tried to explain a piece of art to someone? It depends upon the work, itself, what you would say, or how you might explain it. I know a little about art, but not enough to explain one of the most beautiful works of art I ever saw. It was called The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and it was displayed for 16 days in February 2005.

A new book by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan does a wonderful job of shedding light on the work of Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude. We learn of their European background and how World War II shaped their young lives; his in Bulgaria, hers in Paris. The art developed over time from wrapping up small objects all the way to encasing islands in Biscayne Bay, Florida.

Every project begins with drawings by Christo. The Gates began in 1979, but New York City had to approve the project because it was going to be outdoors in Central Park. It took 26 years for the project to be approved and it transformed Central Park. I remember taking the train to NYC to see it. My husband and I walked up to the park from Grand Central Station. Crowds filled the sidewalks. Before we knew it, we were swept up into the park with the crowd, our eyes drawn to the bright orange (salmon) color and flapping fabric over our head. We were part of the art experience as we walked through the park, around the lake, and over the rocks.

This experience is vividly remembered because of the book Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond. The photographs are stunning and reminds me of the wonderful day when I saw The Gates. What is art? I couldn’t explain it, but this book will help young people understand this beautiful piece of art! ~Joyce Laiosa

Sibert Medal Winner

Do you love baseball? Spring training is about to begin in warmer climates than here in the northeast. But if you are thinking green grass, breezes blowing the sweat off a brow, and the crack of a bat, have I got a book for you!

This year’s best work of nonfiction (which was awarded the Sibert Medal) is We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson. Nelson’s artistry has been recognized with his past Caldecott honor awards and Coretta Scott King Illustrator awards. This is the first time he has been honored for both words and pictures. First and foremost, the illustrations are rich, beautiful oil paintings. The colors resonate right off the page while you dream of sitting on the grass yourself. There is a double spread of a night game that takes you back to a simpler time. The night sky has a few stars, the lights barely shine on the outfield, yet you can’t take your eyes off the page. You are there, in that game, trying to follow the pitch that has just been thrown. In other paintings you notice that the players stand tall with absolute dignity. These men were left out of major league baseball, yet the endured hardships are history.

Each chapter is an inning, and each starts off with a quote. Nelson writes the book from the point of view of an “everyman” player. The title of the book is from a quote by the founder of the Negro National League, Rube Foster. “We are the ship; all else the sea.” The book is well researched with a bibliography, endnotes, and an index. All baseball lovers will want to read this, but for the youngest T-ball players, please read it to them! ~Joyce Laiosa

Best Books of the Year

I’ve been reading a lot recently. For every three books I read, only one has been a standout. Here are some recent picture books that I absolutely love:

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck; Illustrated by Tricia Tusa.
I can only say that I found this to be a perfect book. It is a good-night book, with a charming little girl talking about her blue room, yet we can see from the pictures that she does not have a blue room. As she is tucked into bed, and the pictures give us the wide view, we see that she does, indeed, have a blue room. It is earth. This is an excellent book for the Early Literacy Skill of Print Motivation as a child will want to turn the page to see the blue room. Where is it? Delightful!

Bear’s Picture by Daniel Pinkwater; Illustrated by D.B. Johnson.
First, you must understand that I’m a huge fan of D.B. Johnson. He has written and illustrated three books based on Walden and Henry Thoreau (done as a bear). The books are Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, Henry Builds a Cabin, and Henry Climbs a Mountain. It is a known fact that Daniel Pinkwater is a champion of these books from his commentary on NPR. Together they have teamed up to present a bear who paints. It is wonderful to watch bear’s painting come together while two very skeptical grown-ups fail to see what bear sees. They are NOT art critics! Again, this presents a wonderful book for Print Motivation as a child watches bear create.

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson; Illustrated by Beth Krommes.
I find black and white illustrations extremely imaginative. This book is done in black and white with gold/yellow accents throughout. The story is a reworked Mother Goose rhyme. It is a very striking book that I can see a child looking for clues on every page. It is an excellent book for the Early Literacy Skill of Dialogic Reading. The parent/adult can ask “what” questions of the child to help with comprehension and Narrative Skills to retell the story. The design is lovely. I can see a child asking to have this read every night and never tire of it. There is so much to see, to think and to dream about in this book.

Season's Readings

Looking for gift ideas? Well, look no further than Voorheesville Public Library’s famous “Season’s Readings.” Each year our librarians come up with recommendations in and out of their specialties. I try not to make my list too long, but I believe that my recommendations need to be tailored to each reader: child, teen or parent. Take a look at the list online or stop by the library for a copy. While at the library you can purchase (at the Amazon.com price) a copy of what you want. If we are out-of-stock you can purchase these recommendations at your local bookstore, or from Amazon.com. If you are wondering why we mention Amazon so often, it is because a portion of the sale comes back to us and our Friends of the Library group. How can you order through Amazon and help the Friends? Good question. Just click on the Amazon icon from the Season’s Readings page at our website. Then start shopping. If you are a regular Amazon shopper you can still be at “your” account, but Voorheesville Public Library will be credited. So, let’s go shopping at http://vplgiftguide.blogspot.com/.

The Underneath

I just finished The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. Beautiful, lyrical prose tells the story of an old hound dog, Ranger, chained to the house of his evil, evil master. Along comes a pregnant cat that gives birth to two kittens. It is a survival story interwoven with a Caddo legend (Caddo are the ancient people of the bayou and East Texas). The legend is similar to the selkie/seal/turtle/ etc. that is seen throughout the world: an animal takes the form of a human, but can not return to the animal form unless it is forever. Gar Face, the evil master reminded me of the hard-drinking pirates from Treasure Island, while the poetic language was reminiscent of The Wind in the Willows.

I highly recommend this book, but it is one for upper level elementary into middle school. I think it would work well as a read aloud so that difficult passages from the Caddo legend to the evil Gar Face can be discussed.

Kathi Appelt has written many picture books, poetry and nonfiction. I’m going to check out her other books. I know I’ve read some of her picture books, but they didn’t really stick with me. I loved her book, Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky. It is about the librarians who delivered books to patrons during the depression in Appalachia. Yes, I loved it because it is about librarians!

Music Weekend

Christmas countdown continues with music! This weekend will be a busy one throughout the Capital District. First and foremost is the FREE celebration at the plaza through New York State’s Office of General Services. There will be the lighting of the state tree, holiday sing, arts and crafts for kids, and fireworks. To view the complete schedule take a look at the OGS press release here: http://readme.readmedia.com/news/show/OGS-Kicks-Off-Holiday-Season-With-Annual-Tree-Lighting-Ceremony/17051.

The Albany Symphony has three performances this weekend. Take a look at the schedule here: http://www.albanysymphony.com/index-main.html. I’ll be at the concert on Saturday night to see my friend Kerry Anne O’Neill with the Campbell Dancers. It should be a great holiday event.

Another big concert this weekend is the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I’ll also be at that with a big group of my family, all TSO fans. (This will be my first concert with TSO. I’m a little nervous. Everyone tells me they are very loud!)

Don’t forget the Victorian Stroll in Troy, a performance of Sleeping Beauty (kabuki style) at the New York State Theatre Institute (http://www.nysti.org/beauty.htm) and First Friday activities (http://www.1stfridayalbany.org/) that are free! So, music, shopping, art, and friendship are all here for one busy splendid weekend. Gee, I wish there was a little snow!

Christmas Countdown

It is exactly 25 days until Christmas. I’m feeling overwhelmed by what I did not finish this year, as most years. I don’t get too upset by the shopping, wrapping, baking or planning. I tend to dwell on the pile of books I still haven’t read! One way that I deal with this yearly dilemma is to take out my special stack of Christmas books and place them around the house.

I’ve been collecting Christmas books for many years. I have pop-ups, many different illustrators for The Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol by Dickens, and some absolute classics that I delight in every year. I still remember the first time I read Chris Van Allsburg’s Polar Express. There I stood with my son next to me, tearing up in the store, as I read the book. We went home with it that very day.

Start your own memories of the holiday with a special book collection. Come to the library and look over old and new books. You could read a new book every night. Along with the reading tradition, start a paper chain in red, green, gold, silver or white paper. The chain can represent the days until Christmas or the number of books you read.

This month we have a family storytime on December 10th to celebrate many different holiday customs. Come prepared to enjoy latkes with applesauce, Lucia buns, and a few other delicious items. The stories will feed your imagination; the food will enhance the experience!

School bells are ringing!

A new beginning, a new school year, a fresh start; these are my thoughts every September. I have some favorite school stories that I think everyone should read or reread every year. Start off with Officer Buckle and Gloria. Here is a story about safety (very important) and a story about friendship. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1996. John Lithgow narrates the film by Weston Woods which is so much fun to watch.

Check out another Peggy Rathmann title: Ruby the Copycat. Every child wants to succeed in school and Ruby is no exception. Unfortunately she takes it too far and almost loses her way. Ruby is so imaginative you will empathize with her creative solutions to being ‘just like Angela.’

Kevin Henkes is another author to check out. His titles range from Owen to Wemberly Worried to Chrysanthemum and his favorite mouse, Lily. Lily stars in a number of books. These titles all deal with children wanting the security of home, feeling unsure, coping with school and making friends. These books will help children understand the universality of their feelings and let parents open up a dialogue with children.

Come by the library for other school stories, all out on display. Reading every day is a great way to start off a new school year. ~Joyce Laiosa

Catch the Reading Bug

The summer reading program is about to start. There is so much going on, here at the library, that it is hard to make up one single document that tells everybody (all ages) about everything. This year we are advertising to the elementary school kids with a flyer, but the main program calendar is the “program calendar.” It can be printed off the SRP web page and posted on the refrigerator: every home’s bulletin board!

First and foremost is that registration is online for everyone. Just go to our web page at http://www.voorheesvillelibrary.org/. It can be done from home or the library beginning Monday, June 16th and no email address is necessary. The fun part of the registration is to keep track of the books and print off their list to bring to school in September. It’s a good way for everyone to keep track of their reading. So, as we say this year, “Catch the Reading Bug!”
Don’t forget to check out the major display table with easy picture books, readers, fiction and especially nonfiction books about bugs. From Charlotte’s Web to Diary of a Spider we hope you will bee sure to read.!

Middle School Writing Club

School is almost finished; kids are studying for finals; and I’m getting ready for my marathon visits to the elementary school to promote the summer program. One of the happiest moments is this Thursday. The Middle School Writing Club (mostly 8th graders) has been meeting regularly, twice a month, to work on poetry, fiction and nonfiction pieces, and even a picture book submission to Scholastic Publishers. This was an entry for a contest on the theme of environmental awareness. A group of eight girls wrote the text and drew the pictures for their book, The Boy Who Saved the World from His Own Backyard.
This Thursday is the unveiling of the final work product. All the students contributed to a "zine." Mrs. Susan Podgorski and I were the editors. It has been so much fun to work with these kids, see their enthusiasm, and to encourage their writing. ~Joyce Laiosa

Newbery Honor Books

The second tier of books or honor books, are usually wonderful books that just didn’t make it into the top spot. Reading this year’s honor books I can see wonderful stories. I am pleased by these choices, proud of the committee work, and happy to recommend all three titles without reservation.

In Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis, Elijah is the first free-born child in Buxton, a Canadian community of escaped slaves, in 1860. With grand storytelling, humor, and poignant insight into the realities of slavery and the meaning of freedom, Curtis takes readers on a journey that transforms an 11-year-old boy into a courageous hero.

In The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt, seventh-grader, Holling is convinced his teacher hates him. Through their Wednesday afternoon Shakespeare sessions she helps him cope with events both wildly funny and deadly serious. “To thine own self be true” is just one of the life lessons he learns. This, too, is historical fiction that takes place in 1968 on Long Island.

Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson, tells the story of how a new boy's arrival in a sixth-grade classroom helps Frannie recognize the barriers that separate people, and the importance of hope as a bridge. Transcendent imagery and lyrical prose deftly capture a girl learning to navigate the world through words.

Each one of these authors has won Newbery Honors before, as well as the Newbery Medal for Curtis. They write characters that stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Check out Jacqueline Woodson’s web site to learn more about this author and her other books. It’s a great site! http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

Newbery and Caldecott Announcements

It was the like Golden Globes - only better!! ALA held their press conference to announce the winners of all Youth Media awards. That includes picture books through middle grade readers to young adults, plus film and audio books. There was a webcast of the event, which I had trouble getting, but I did get some of the slides and felt a part of the proceedings.

I'll be giving you my feedback on the awards for the next couple of days. I'll start with the two top awards. The Newbery and Caldecott medal winners were both bold and excellent choices. GoodMasters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a fabulous book, so different in style from most winners. I read it a couple of months ago and have been mentioning it to everyone as a potential winner. What makes it so unique is "the voice." You can picture a real medieval town. Imagine Voorheesville residents telling us about their jobs and their life. Through the monologues you observe a town, the adults, the peasants, the children, and the upper class. The design of the book is beautiful,too. The illustrations help define the times, and there are definitions and explanations of words and phrases. It does not need to be performed. Reading it was a delight!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is a book to carefully read the text and the pictures. You can't have one without the other. The book begins with many illustrations as Selznick brings you into the book, into the story, into Paris, into the world of a young boy. The black and white illustrations have a softness about them that gives the characters a vulnerability. And there is wonder in the broken down machines we discover. It is a very different type of Caldecott medal winner. I think young people from third grade and up will enjoy this book, and look at it over and over again. Joyce Laiosa

So Many Books, A New Year to Read

I haven't made any new resolutions for this new year. I tried very hard in 2007 to create routines/habits that should stay with me forever. I have been swimming fairly diligently at the Y. I'm up to a half-mile swim, now. I am reading more than ever. This isn't hard to keep because I love to read, but sometimes I sit in front of the TV and forget to actually turn it off, even when there isn't a single thing I am interested in watching!

I finally finished Sharon Draper's new historical fiction, Fire From the Rock. It is about the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. I think Draper captured the time period very well. I liked Sylvia Patterson, the protagonist in the book. She is a good student, a typical eighth grader, and a girl who has the opportunity to be one of the first African-Americans to integrate Central. Will she do it? Or will pressures from her family and friends make her choose to stay in her own high school? Check out the book, and look for other books by Sharon Draper. Her web site is http://sharondraper.com/home.asp where you can check out her other books, and the area (under homework help) where she answers lots of questions about herself, writing and her books. Draper is considered a YA writer. I consider her appropriate for middle school students and up.

Joyce Laiosa

Lapsits for Babies

This Thursday (December 6) is our last Lapsit for the year. That is for 2007. Next year we are going to start offering the lapsits twice a month, the first and third Thursdays of the month. Lapsits are different than storytimes because babies (ages 0-24 months) do not always have long attention spans. That doesn't mean we aren't using our 'Early Literacy Skill Building' techniques. We want children to start learning the joy of books but with the intimacy of holding the child in your lap and introducing board books. We especially want parents and caregivers to talk to their child, use rhymes, and nonsense words that rhyme, songs and chants. All of this helps a child's brain develop.

Play is another important part of the lapsit. Our rhymes, songs, chants, and bounces take up only a small part of our program. The rest of the time is for parents to play with their child with our toys, board books, puppets, and rolling balls. It is also a time for adults to enjoy meeting other parents and perhaps making new friends.

Books for babies are important. Even though they may want to 'eat' the book, they listen to the adult voice as you are reading to them. They start to learn that you turn page after page and that there is a beginning and an end to a book. Babies love to look at babies. Many board books use photos of babies. These are so much fun to have around. You should always have a good Mother Goose book in your home library. This is a good parent reference and will be used over and over again.

My favorite Mother Goose books are Sylvia Long's Mother Goose, Here Comes Mother Goose (illustrated by Rosemary Wells), and Nina Crew's The Neighborhood Mother Goose. There is a new Mother Goose illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon called Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose that I also recommend.

Come to the library for our lapsits. Sign up for December 6 or call for our dates in 2008!
Joyce Laiosa

Found My Desk

Buried under all the work of the summer, booklists to review, and plans for the coming months was my desk. What a mess! I've been tossing paper, summer reading logs, and anything that looks old and tired (except me!) in the bin. Wonderful weather has made me pine for an outdoor job, but it is time to chase away the summer dust and begin a new creative plan. I love fall, warm sunny days, cool nights for sleeping and moon watching.

Back to work...I had a great bunch of babies and their mothers this morning for a lapsit. They were such a great group. Watching the babies made me miss my grandchildren, so I had to call and check up on them as soon as I had finished the stories/songs part of the program. I love singing to children and having them move to a beat, jump, wiggle, or clap and tap. I used a couple of new books: How Do you Make a Baby Smile? by Philomon Sturges and You and Me, Baby by Lynn Reiser. Wonderful books for babies! The best part of lapsits are the rhythm and rhymes to get kids moving. From "5 little monkeys," to "The Noble Duke of York," there was a rhyme for everyone. Of course, I had to do my favorite nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle, Diddle." If you don't have a nursery rhyme book in the house, check out a whole bunch from the library and choose your favorite. Buy one, or better yet, let it be known to grandmas and grandpas that this would be a great gift! (And they always want to buy something, trust me.) Joyce Laiosa

Two More Days

The wait is almost over and I'm getting very excited. It looks like the library's Harry Potter Birthday Party is filled with a waiting list. It's hard to not be overwhelmed with publicity about the final installment of this series. Kids, adults, parents, teachers and librarians are filled with wonder. It's a wonder that this series caught on with the public - driven by children clamoring for the book. It's a wonder that our interests haven't waned as we waited. It's a wonder how rich J.K. Rowling is. It's a wonder if we'll all keep reading and looking for books about wizards, magic, war, love, death and life. As you are wondering - here are my thoughts. It is actually quite brilliant that this story caught the public's interest, children's interest and never left us. The movies kept nonreaders just as interested. Even if a young person outgrew the series, new readers found it. We all can find out how rich J.K. Rowling is almost anywhere you find information. (A librarian can find this very quickly!) The amazing thing isn't HOW rich, it is that she is richer than the Queen of England. That fact staggers me! And lastly, I am not worried that kids won't keep on reading. They will find books, or ask for recommendations, that will take them to the same places they've been with Harry Potter. No, they won't be at Hogwarts, but they will find it. After all, we found it. We found justice, cruelty and morality with Atticus Finch. Doesn't he remind you of Dumbledore? You can find wisdom, life, love and death with a spider named Charlotte and a friendship with a pig named Wilbur. You can find wonder with a boy named Peter and a place called Neverland. I could go on, and I might....but think of your favorite books and remember how it felt to close the book on the last page. If it was a great book, you were still thinking/crying, /laughing and thinking. Harry will live forever between the covers of his books, and in the hearts of readers.

Graphic Novels and Center for Cartoon Studies

My son is at cartoon camp. OK, not really. But he is having such a wonderful time and learning so much that it could be a camp. He is actually at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. (Check out their website at http://www.catoonstudies.org/. ) In this picturesque town, there is a school offering one- and two-year courses of study and summer workshops. He is taking both summer courses. He has been wowed by Steve Bissette, a cartoonist for 20 years and a collaborator of Alan Moore.

I met James Strum (founder of CCS) at the recent ALA conference, along with illustrator/cartoonist Nick Bertozzi. CCS has recently published Houdini: The Handcuff King, written by Jason Lutes and illustrated by Nick Bertozzi. I highly recommend this book to anyone that like comics, graphic novels, and comic strips. It is a short story, but well done and if a person is interested in Houdini there is a lot of information in the back of the book, including a bibliography for further reading. Check out the book and budding cartoonists should check out CCS!

Joyce Laiosa

Summer Reads! Summer Fun!

Is your reading still fun this summer? Have you bogged down with books you aren't really loving? Are you just waiting for H.P. #7? If you have answered 'yes' to any of these questions then let's revive the old reading lists - the bibliography! And get yourself over to the library to be inspired by displays.

For a quick read, try Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It is brilliant storytelling that is a fast read because the storyline includes wonderful drawings. So you feel that you are reading a graphic novel and a regular book. I highly recommend this book.

"Get a Clue @ Your Library" is the theme for the summer reading program here. We had a first great week that followed an amazing (in attendance) kick-off program with ventriloquist Sylvia Markson and a fun ice cream social. The kids seem very excited about their reading and books are flying off the shelves. But I'm not worried about the kids that come to the library in the summer. I worry about the kids that don't get to the libray. I worry about kids who go to the mall and pick out books because they like the covers. I worry about the kids that get these books home and then don't like the stories. They get discouraged about reading because it seems pretty boring. Good books really are a great way to escape. But every book isn't a "good" book. Check out the library lists, check out more books than you have time to read and maybe in that group you'll find the one that makes a difference. Joyce Laiosa

ALA

I've just returned from the American Library Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C. What a wonderful opportunity to meet librarians from across the country, listen to award-winning authors, and see the latest, newest books. The weather was most unusual for D.C. It was perfect with absolutely no humidity for the first three days I was there. It was a perfect for sightseeing and walking.

I was impressed by the many award ceremonies I attended. The Newbery-Caldecott banquet is always a highlight at the conference. David Wiesner won the Caldecott Medal for Flotsam, his third medal. The only other person to win three times is Marcia Brown. Looking at Flotsam one would never guess that the gem of an idea for this book came from Wiesner's childhood which he related to us in an eloquent speech. Susan Patron, a librarian, won the Newbery Medal for her book, The Higher Power of Lucky. Her speech was funny and revealing. I must reread the book now that I have new insight into the author.

My favorite moment in the conference was the speech given by Gene Luen Yang, who won the Michael L. Printz Medal for American Born Chinese. This is a graphic novel for teens made up of three plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang weaves these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are. The speech was also powerful in Yang's high regard for librarians.

These are only my first impressions from ALA. Let me know what you think of these books, from the gorgeous illustrations of Flotsam to the power of bigotry in American Born Chinese.
~Joyce Laiosa