My World Tuesday--Let's Read

Reading has always been an important part of my world. I have done my best to pass that love along to my own kids, to my grandkids, and to hundreds of kids when I was teaching and operating the school library.
So when I was asked to help with our local library's summer reading carnival, I was ready and willing.
Volunteers manned a dozen small carnival games after a story time in the library.

Kids had to read a number of books to be eligible to participate. They were pretty excited about some of the prizes.

See the world according to bloggers from just about everywhere through the links here.

"Mrs. S, I have a question..."

With kids, it is seemingly always from the blue.

What brings up the questions they might ask?

~

Why?

~
Why?

~
Why?

~
Why?

~
Why?

~

Why don't they every stop asking why?

~

And all the other questions...

The ones that leave you standing there with your mouth open in wonder...

~

Yesterday at school I was making my selections at the salad bar when a kindergartner left his table and came up to me.

~

"Mrs. S, are you dead when you are 100?"

~

I responded that many people are dead before they reach 100 but some people are still alive then. Apparently satisfied, he went back to his seat.

~

Moments later a different kindergartner approached Tanya as she was getting her lunch.

~

"Mrs. B, can you be dead when you are 100?"

~

Apparently my response, or the retelling of it, did not satisfy. I still am wondering what conversation inspired this interrogation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kindergartners again--sometime last year:

~

I went across to the art room to ask the art teacher something about schedule or books or something. The kindergarten class was doing art.

~

As I spoke with Mrs. B, a boy walked up and waited patiently till I was finished.

~

"Mrs. S, what is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?"

~

As it happened, I had enough of an answer to satisfy his curiosity: "One's snout is rounded and the other is pointed. There is something about the teeth, how they fit either inside or outside the lips. But I don't remember which is which."

~

"Thank you."

~

I was not left wondering where that came from for a very long. I told the kindergarten teacher about it and she said she had told the kids that if they had questions about things they should ask me because librarians can find answers to all sorts of things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That takes us to the library. My goal in the library is to make students independent library users, able to find what they need, critically aware of information sources, how to identify bias in information. I teach each grade level to use the tools of the library that are appropriate for their needs. (Toni Buzzeo has a great picture book that illustrates this philosophy--it's called Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything.) So basically, when a student asks a question, I try to get them to problem solve to figure it out for themselves.

~

So, when a fifth or sixth grade student walked into the library and blurted out:

"Where is the Little House on the Prairie?"

~

My immediate answer was: "Somewhere in Kansas."

~

But I promise that after enjoying the look on her face, I did offer her this: "...but if you mean the book by Laura Ingalls Wilder, look back in the fiction section in the Ws."

~

Look at all those books!

My school library is a long classroom with two doors to the hall. The main door is the one that is usually used by students. Coming in that door one sees immediately my desk, the library tables, the circulation desk just to the left of the door, and as you come further in you see a space for a class of youngsters to sit on the carpet, and the picture books and easy readers surrounding this area.

Beyond a low shelf in the center are the stacks--the meat and bones of the upper elementary and middle school library--though the catalog (still a card catalog--I will admit it) and encyclopedias are directly opposite the main door.

I had the back door open yesterday--the one that goes directly into the stacks-- as the kindergartners came by on their way to lunch. The two most remarkable comments from these wiggly five year olds were:

"Wow! Look at all those books!" and "I didn't know we had two libraries!"

Authors Are Fascinating

Probably the best part of the Washington Library Media Association Conference was getting to hear these three children's authors speak. Every author I have ever been able to listen to or visit with has a story to tell. Well, obviously they do or they would not be authors!
T. A. Barron is an avid hiker and started out writing nature books. (His children are all named after mountains. and they have visited each of their mountains--including the one in Antarctica. See, I told you they have a story!) His Lost Years of Merlin series is very intriguing and popular among our middle schoolers. I am intrigued to learn about his other series, as well.
Patrick Carman's Land of Elyon series also really moves in the library. He gave a presentation about how he builds the worlds of his fantasy novels from a sketch to a model before he inhabits them with his characters. (He's showing us how big his first model of Atherton was.) His places really are another character in his books, so it obviously works!
Do you see that little animal on the cover of Judy Schachner's book? That is Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese cat who thinks he is a chihuahua. Judy led us through her colorful home, introduced us to her pets--including Skippyjon, a real Siamese whose ears did seem to be that big. Sadly, Skippyjon died just two weeks ago, so talking about him was difficult for Judy today. Judy also told us about the Viking ship her daughters pooled their piggy bank money to buy. Did I mention that authors are fascinating and have interesting stories to tell?
The Skippyjon Jones books also sail off the shelves.