ACL Debuts New Website and Blog; It’s Time to Switch Over!

Dear Loyal BayViewsandmore Readers: 

New Website and Blog
The Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California has a newly designed online presence; we are so excited to introduce you to our new website and blog!  The blog you are reading right now, BayViewsandmore, will no longer be updated, because we have switched over to a new blog that we created to make finding our great resources easier!  Now our website and blog are all together at bayviews.org, so you can find everything you need in one place.  You’ll still find all of our great news, read-alikes, reviews, programming ideas, and much more on our blog (and website), and we hope you’ll discover new things, like our extensive storytime ideas collection, as you peruse the many resources we have for librarians, teachers, parents, publishers, and anyone else interested!

Time to Switch
One important point, if you are subscribed to this blog, and want to continue to get email updates from ACL, you will need to sign up on the new website, simply go to our new home page and scroll down a little and you’ll see a green bar across the page where you can sign up for daily or weekly updates.  We don’t want you to miss any of our great content, now made easier to find and navigate, so sign up today!

We hope you enjoy our new blog and website!

Sincerely,

Penny, Annabelle, Meredith and the rest of ACL Blog Team

Screen Shot of our NEW Blog!

Outstanding – April 2016

Every month, we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ and nominated for our Distinguished List at our previous month’s meeting. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the April edition of BayViews.

BOARD BOOK

My Heart Fills with Happiness, written by Smith, Monique Gray & illustrated by Flett, Julie; Orca Book Publishers 2016

In this joyful board book, children describe what fills their hearts with happiness, including walking barefoot on grass and listening to stories. It is in Flett’s deeply colored illustrations where we see the First Nations people, not the text, showing a costumed girl dancing, a boy sitting on his father’s lap while the father drums, and other things that indicate the community being celebrated. (B/T-K)

 

FICTION

Raymie Nightingale, written by DiCamillo, Kate; Candlewick 2016

When her father runs off with a dental hygienist, Raymie plans to enter and win the Little Miss Central Tire competition so her father will see her picture in the paper, realize his mistake, and come home. Also entering the contest are Louisiana, who needs the prize money, and Beverly, who plans to sabotage the event. Slowly learning to trust each other as their stories are revealed, the girls embark on an adventure to rescue a lost cat and end up saving each other. An extremely satisfying read, this is DiCamillo at the top of her game. (4-7)

A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers & Other Badass Girls, written by Spotswood, Jessica; Candlewick 2016

This fresh, inclusive anthology of historical fiction and fantasy showcases fifteen fully-realized short stories told through the diverse eyes of strong, adventurous American girls. Written by an equally strong sisterhood of female authors and steeped in some of America’s most memorable settings, readers will find the collection well-researched and empowering. (9-12)

The Wooden Prince, written by Bemis, Jean Claude; Disney-Hyperion 2016

The characters and plot elements of the fairytale of Pinocchio, the puppet who becomes a boy, are thrilling twisted in John Claude Bemis’s charming middle grade fantasy set in an inventive, steampunky Venetian Empire. (5-8)

 

POETRY

Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph, written by Orgill, Roxanne & illustrated by Vallejo, Francis; Candlewick 2016

This collection of 21 new original free verse poems celebrates the landmark photograph of jazz greats, taken in Harlem for Esquire magazine in 1958. The artwork combines pastel and pencil sketches with acrylic paint, clearly depicting the historical time period as well as the facial features of the well-known participants. (4-8)

 

NON-FICTION

Platypus, written by Whitting, Sue & illustrated by Jackson, Mark; Candlewick 2016

Marvelous mixed media illustrations put readers in the world of the unusual platypus. It’s a wonderful introduction to the platypus and his environment. These illustrations reveal an environment that photographs may not succeed in capturing. (K-3)

Christian Robinson at Pittsburg Library May 21

Join the Pittsburg Library, Saturday, May 21 @ 10:30 am, Farmers Market in Historic Downtown Pittsburg for a visit from Christian Robinson as we celebrate our StoryWalk featuring the award-winning Last Stop on Market Street.  Visit http://ccclib.org/ for more information about the StoryWalk events happening during the month of May, or call the Pittsburg Library, 925-427-8390.

Last Stop Poster

ACL Meeting Reminder, Lindsay Elected ALSC Pres.

ACL Meeting Friday, May 13, 2016:  Just a quick reminder for our Bay Area members!  Please join us for our ACL Meeting on Friday, May 13, 2016, from 9am–1pm at the Oakland Main Library.   We will have our usual Book Reviewing and a discussion of Distinguished Books.  We will also have a Professional Development session on Baby and Toddler Brain Development and Early Literacy, from Julie Barton. For more information, see: www.bayviews.org/calendar.html#meetings.

Nina Lindsay Elected ALSC President; Nina Lindsay, children’s services coordinator, Oakland (California) Public Library (OPL), has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Nina is a long-time ACL member, too!

“It’s an exciting time for ALSC, and I am honored to be elected to serve,” Lindsay said. “I’m looking forward to listening to and learning from members and stakeholders, who work so hard every day to ensure that libraries serve all children and their caregivers. I’m grateful for the opportunity to advocate on their behalf, and to work for effective collaboration toward this goal.”

Lindsay earned an MLIS in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She began her career as a children’s librarian in 1996 at OPL, where she later served as manager of the Main Library Children’s Room before taking on the role of children’s services coordinator. Congratulations to this great leader.

New Website to Debut Soon! ACL’s new website and blog will debut next week. Thanks for your patience.

Matt De La Pen~a to Speak at San Francisco Public Library

Newbery Medalist Matt De La Pen~a to Speak at San Francisco Public Library:

Join Mo’Magic and the San Francisco Public Library as they host a visit from author Matt de la Peña, winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal for Last Stop on Market Street, a children’s picture book, and best-selling author of six young-adult titles, including Ball Don’t Lie and Mexican WhiteBoy. He will be there on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 5:30-7:00pm.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-visit-matt-de-la-pena-tickets-23447011643

New ACL Website, Review of “Raymie Nightingale”

Greetings to all our Blog visitors!  The Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California is revitalizing our website (http://www.bayviews.org/)  and blog. The new version of both will be unveiled in May 2016, so you might find us offline for a few days. Don’t worry – we will return soon and bigger and better than ever!  Special thanks to Josh Rees for his work on our original website (for years!). He is “retiring” from that volunteer duty but we want to thank him and acknowledge his importance in our online presence.

Review of the Week:

DiCamillo, Kate. Raymie Nightingale. Fiction. Candlewick, 04/2016. 263pp. $16.99. 978-0-7636-8117-3. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 4-7.

When her father runs off with a dental hygienist and as a result her mother withdraws emotionally, Raymie plans to enter and win the Little Miss Central Tire competition so her father will see her picture in the paper, realize his mistake, and come home. Also entering the contest are Louisiana, who needs the prize money, and Beverly, who plans to sabotage the event. Enrolled in the same baton-twirling class, the Three Rancheros, as Louisiana names them, have all suffered loss and are working on learning to cope. Slowly learning to trust each other as their stories are revealed, the girls embark on an adventure to rescue a lost cat and end up saving each other. Using simple yet evocative language, DiCamillo builds a well-meaning but distant community around these three children and key adult characters are as fully realized as the children. An extremely satisfying read, this is DiCamillo at the top of her game.

Eva Volin, Alameda Free Library

Spring 2016 Board Books, Part II

Spring 2016 Board Books, Part II

Last month we looked at new individual board book titles, and new entries in series. Now, let’s examine board books that are adapted from picture books.

Board Books Adapted from Picture Books

Banks, Kate. Close Your Eyes. Illus. by Georg Hallensleben. FSG, 2002/2015. [34p.]. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30101-9.

With deeply saturated full color illustrations, this translates well as a board book because the artwork still pops. A mother tiger coaxes her baby to sleep by describing what can be seen using the imagination. The straightforward text contains some repetition that will appeal to toddlers, who will be reassured by the story.

Bloom, Suzanne. A Splendid Friend, Indeed. Boyd Mills, 2005/2015. [32p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-62979-408-2.

This board edition of the Geisel Honor title is complete, just smaller in size than the original picture book, making it appealing to toddlers as well as emergent readers. A goose sees a white bear and tries to engage in conversation that is at first one-sided, but soon they become friends. The very brief text has a joyful energy, relying most on the goose’s dialogue. The full color pastel chalk illustrations focus on the two characters, and set them against a blue wall on a green rug, indicating they are indoors. Sure to be popular in the board book format.

Clement, Nathan. Job Site. Boyd Mills, 2011/2015. [32p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-62979-407-5.

Using full-color digital art that is photo-realistic, readers will see a park under construction. The African American boss directs several vehicles to do various jobs; unfortunately all the drivers appear to be male. But the vehicles are identified and we learn what they do, making this a book many children will seek out.

Dale, Penny. Dinosaur Rescue! Nosy Crow, 2013/2016.[24p.]. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-8000-8.

The brief repetitive text with onomatopoeia shows dinos rescuing a truck stuck on the railroad tracks. Pairing lots of vehicles and realistic-looking dinosaurs, (two popular toddler topics), this has great appeal although it is too small to use with a group.

Diesen, Deborah. The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark. Illus. by Dan Hanna. FSG, 2010/2015.[32p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30189-7.

A fish offers to find a clam’s lost pearl in this rhyming story that is too long for the board book format. With four lines per page, set in small typeface, this just doesn’t work. Also, the theme of self-doubt and the abundance of characters is too complex for the board book audience. Stick with the picture book version.

Gibbs, Edward. I Spy on the Farm. Templar/Candlewick, 2012/16. [24p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-8530-0.

Die-cut holes allow readers to see part of the illustration on the next page, giving a hint as to what animal is coming next. This barnyard guessing game works just as well in this board format as the original, although the larger picture book is preferred for storytime use. The brief text has a repeated phrase, “I spy with my little eye,” which invites audience participation, as does the animal noises and calling out the answer to the animal name from the picture clue. Sure to be a hit, and deservedly so.

Greene, Rhonda Gowler. Firebears: The Rescue Team. Illus. by Dan Andreasen. Holt, 2005/2015. [28p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-62779-240-0.

Clothes-wearing brown teddy bears work at the fire station in this rhyming story. The rhythmic, brief text and the artwork showing how fire fighters work will have broad appeal, and is successful in the board format.

Guion, Melissa. Baby Penguins Love Their Mama! Philomel, 2014/2015. [28p.]. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-399-17552-7.

On each day of the week, the baby penguins learn a new skill from their mama: swimming, waddling, preening, etc. The watercolors on white backgrounds add humor to the narrative, but where is the father penguin that took care of the egg? Still, a nice supplementary purchase.

Opie, Iona, editor. One, Two, Three, Mother Goose. Illus. by Rosemary Wells. Candlewick, 1996/1999/2016. [24p.].  $8.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-8766-3.

Fourteen Mother Goose rhymes that focus on counting have been collected into this oversized board book. The rhymes and artwork were originally part of the best-selling collections featuring Wells’ charming animal characters. Although this hasn’t been published as a collection before, this repackages material previously published. The board book version is perfectly suited to babies and toddlers, and would make a great baby gift as well as a purchase for libraries. Also look for the companion board book collection published in Fall 2015, Snuggle Up with Mother Goose.

Parenteau, Shirley. Bears in the Bath. Illus. by David Walker. Candlewick, 2014/2015.[30p.]. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-7946-0.

Four colorful bears (who resemble Care Bears) receive a bath from big brown bear in this simple rhyming story. Both the story and the color artwork are well-suited to the board format. In fact, since the story seems aimed at babies and younger toddlers, it could be argued that the board version is preferable to the picture book.

Schories, Pat. Jack Wants a Snack. Boyd Mills, 2008/2015. [32p.]. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-62979-406-8.

In this wordless book, a dog joins a little child’s tea party. The dog is interested in the popcorn being served, but soon is distracted by a chipmunk. The child could be a boy or girl, which makes this very accessible to all, and parents can use it to help children tell their own versions of the story. The illustrations appear to be done using colored pencil and light watercolors on white backgrounds, and the board version contains all the same material as the original picture book.

New Series Inspired by Books

Rinker, Sherri Duskey. “Steam Train, Dream Train” series. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle Books, 2015/16, [20p.]. $7.99 each.

1-2-3. ISBN 978-1-4521-4914-1.

Colors. ISBN 978-1-4521-4915-8.

Inspired by the bestseller Steam Train, Dream Train (2013), these two books successfully use illustrations from the original to convey the concepts of counting and colors. A page with text faces a page just with the deeply colored pastel chalk artwork. The text is brief: “PURPLE. A purple engine! Off it goes – the bell rings out, the whistle blows!” Along with the concept in each title, the text also describes the animals pictured and the name of that type of train car. A nice adaptation of the picture book, these stand on their own as useful board books, appropriate for toddlers.

Wang, Jack and Holman. “Cozy Classics,” Chronicle Books, 2012/16, [24p.]. $9.95 each.

Great Expectations. ISBN 978-1-4521-5243-1.

Moby Dick. ISBN 978-1-4521-5246-2.

Pride & Prejudice. ISBN 978-1-4521-5244-8.

War & Peace. ISBN 978-1-4521-5245-5.

Parents may get a kick out of these nearly wordless interpretations of historically classic novels, but these should just be baby shower joke gifts, not wasted on toddlers. Each book is illustrated with color photos of felt dolls, posed in felt scenery, along with one word per page describing what we see: “Soldier, friends, girl, dance, goodbye…” is the text of the first five pages of War & Peace (the ampersand is the publisher’s choice, not mine). Save your money and buy a real learning toy.

Penny Peck,   SJSU iSchool

Steve Sheinkin Wins Empire State Award, Handbook for Storytellers Review

Steve Sheinkin Wins Empire State Award: The Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association is excited to announce that the winner of the 2016 Empire State Award for Excellence in Literature for Young People is Steve Sheinkin.  Mr. Sheinkin will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, November 4, 2016 during the Association’s annual conference in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Steve Sheinkin is a resident of Saratoga Springs and an award-winning author of nonfiction for children and young adults.  He began his career writing textbooks, including one-page biographies, skills lessons, and entire chapters.   In 2009 he wrote his last textbook and walked away never to return.  Following his departure from the world of textbook publishing, he released the graphic novel series, The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, and eventually his first nonfiction work, King George: What Was His Problem?, which is a look at the stories of the American Revolution that would not be published in the textbooks he used to write.

Two of his books, Bomb: The Race to Build —and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon and The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights were both National Book Award finalists.  In 2013, Bomb was a Newbery Honor book and won the Sibert Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children.  His most recent work, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War is a National Book Award finalist and was this year’s winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

First awarded in 1990, the Empire State Award is given to an author and/or illustrator currently residing in New York State to honor a significant body of work in the field of literature for young people.  Past recipients of this award include Maurice Sendak, Madeleine L’Engle, Vera Williams, Donald Crews, Jean Craighead George, Jerry Pinkney, Joseph Bruchac, Linda Sue Park, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Bruce Coville, Laurie Halse Anderson, and last year’s honoree, Vivian Vande Velde.  The Empire State Award committee is pleased to welcome Steve Sheinkin to this group.

Books for Professional Reading:

Freeman, Judy and Caroline Feller Bauer. The Handbook for Storytellers. ALA, 2015. 394p. $65 (paper).  ISBN 978-0-8389-1100-6 (paper). 

Many years ago, it was standard that a children’s librarian could perform memorized stories as well as use read-alouds and songs for storytime. Many of us had storytelling training, from voice projection to story selection. But with all the newer duties assigned to youth services librarians, storytelling became a skill fewer people were required to have. This book can remedy that for those storytime presenters who would like to add storytelling to their repertoire.

Judy Freeman has updated the late Bauer’s earlier book, first published in 1977 and later revised in 1993, but she captures Bauer’s well-known energy and enthusiasm for the subject. A talented storyteller herself, Freeman is also an adjunct professor at Pratt, and a former children’s librarian so she knows the subject well. It is clear she is supportive of anyone interested in learning to tell stories to children and this book gives clear instruction as well as moral support for the endeavor.

The earlier editions contained so much information that the new version is actually two separate books. This review focuses on the new storytelling book, Handbook for Storytellers.  The other book focuses on library storytimes, not the performance of stories: Handbook for Storytime Programs by Judy Freeman and Caroline Feller Bauer, ALA, 2015, 616p., $65 (paper), ISBN 978-0838912652. This reviewer has not seen the book focusing on storytime programs.

The author begins with some basics of setting up a storytime, publicity, and other nuts and bolts of program planning the reader can apply to storytimes that don’t include storytelling. For example, the chapter on publicity includes information on flyers and press releases as well as newer social media venues for promotion, such as Twitter and Facebook. The next chapter offers advice on using props and other visuals at a storytime or at storytelling sessions. But the following three-quarters of the book covers the skill of performance storytelling.

The fourth chapter, entitled “Selecting, Preparing, and Telling the Story” does just that – advice on choosing a story, techniques on learning the story, tips for vocal projection and gesturing, and lots of other information. Choosing a story that you relate to is key, along with basics for being comfortable in front of an audience. We all have seen professional storytellers at our libraries who are wonderful actors, but you don’t have to “act out” the story. But learning to speak clearly, avoid pacing back and forth or using distracting gestures, can really help the audience focus on the story.

The rest of the book contains annotated lists of stories to learn, with the emphasis on folk and fairy tales. There are even full-text short tales to learn, to get you started. There is also a section on stories from around the world, so you can choose some from your own cultural background, or offer stories from any area to show the diversity and richness of stories. These chapters will come in handy once you have tried telling a few simple stories, and want to add to your repertoire.

Even though Bauer died in 2013, the text often refers to the authors by saying “we recommend” or “our experience” which is fine, as Freeman was trained by Bauer and wants to honor the work of the earlier editions. The book’s tone is very friendly and supportive, which will be a great confidence booster to new storytellers. And the two-thirds of book containing tales to tell and lists of stories will be useful even to experienced storytellers. The book ends with subject, author, and title indices, which are quite helpful. Larger libraries will want a reference copy for staff training, but circulating copies may also be helpful for teachers if you make them aware of this book.

Penny Peck, San Jose State University’s iSchool

ALSC Cancels Conference, Review of “No Better Friend”

ALSC Cancels Conference: The Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, is canceling the upcoming National Institute that was scheduled for September 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina, in protest of that state’s new anti-LGBT laws. In a press release, ALSC said:

“The cancellation is a response to the passage last month of North Carolina’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (House Bill 2), which repealed all LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances across the state. The law contradicts the core values, purpose, and diversity work of ALSC and undermines civil rights and the fundamental principles upon which libraries are founded.”

For more information about the cancellation, including refund procedures, go to: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/alsc-board-votes-cancel-national-institute-charlotte/

Review of the Week:

Weintraub, Robert. No Better Friend: A Man, A Dog, and Their Incredible True Story of Friendship and Survival in World War II. Non-fiction. Little, 05/2016. 283[+4]pp. $16.99. 978-0-316-34467-8. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 5-ADULT.

Judy, an English Pointer, was one of the most celebrated heroes of WW II in postwar England. As a puppy she survived by her wits in the streets of Shanghai. During the Sino-Japanese War and WW II, she was looked after by a series of English naval men and took great risks to protect them—again and again— when their ships were bombed and sunk. Just before the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, a shy 22-year-old sailor, Frank Williams, took over Judy’s care. The two bonded with such force that together they survived near-fatal scrapes with prison guards; starvation; illness; and exhaustion in a POW camp in the Sumatran jungle. The author includes sidebars of historical wartime events and back matter with a timeline and bibliography. No Better Friend brings the Pacific Theater of WW II to life through the moving true story of a wily and big-hearted dog. Review based on an ARC.

Katrina Bergen, Berkeley PL

Beatty Award Goes to Eggers, Follett Buys Baker & Taylor

2016 Beatty Award Recipient: This Bridge Will Not Be Gray written by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Tucker Nichols, and published by McSweeney’s  has been selected as the 2016 recipient of the California Library Association’s John and Patricia Beatty Award.

This Bridge Will Not Be Gray tells the story of how the Golden Gate Bridge came to be its distinctive orange color with simple text and vibrant cut paper artwork.

Dave Eggers is the author of many books, including The Circle and A Hologram for the King. He is the cofounder of: Voice of Witness, an oral-history series focused on human-rights crises; 826 National, a network of writing and tutoring centers; and ScholarMatch, which connects donors and under-resourced students to make college possible. As a longtime resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s seen the Golden Gate Bridge just about every day for 20 years. Tucker Nichols is an artist whose work has been featured in many museums, galleries and publications. He is the co-author, with his brother Jon Nichols, of the children’s book Crabtree. He also lives and works near the Golden Gate Bridge.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/70004-follett-corp-buys-baker-taylor.html

Follett Corp. Buys Baker & Taylor

In a huge deal that consolidates the publishing industry’s wholesaling segment, Follett Corp. has acquired Baker & Taylor for an undisclosed price. According to a release form Follett, the combined company will have sales of $3.6 billion and will offer “librarians, patrons, educators and students unprecedented access to the best curated physical and digital content wherever learning and reading take place in the community.”

Follett, with annual revenue of $2.6 billion, is a provider of technology, services and print and digital content to PreK-12 libraries, schools and higher education institutions and is one of the country’s largest operators of college stores, while B&T has focused on distributing books, video and music products to public libraries and institutions. The purchase includes B&T’s Bookmasters unit.

Follett said B&T will remain based in Charlotte, N.C., and will continue to operate as before, serving customers through its existing management team and business operations. George Coe, B&T CEO and president, will continue to head B&T, reporting to Ray Griffith, president and CEO of Follett.

“Acquiring Baker & Taylor marks a major milestone for Follett that expands the possibilities of our two businesses,” said Todd A. Litzsinger, chairman of Follett, in a statement. “Through our support of schools, public libraries, colleges, local bookstores and retailers, our teams are uniquely positioned to help communities everywhere strengthen literacy and learning.

In a note sent to publishers, David Cully, president of retail and executive v-p of merchandising, wrote:

There are no plans to integrate the two companies at this time, which means both will continue to operate as before.

To ensure a seamless transition, the existing partner relationships and processes each company has in place today will largely remain unchanged for now.

If you have relationships with both companies today, expect to receive the same high level of service and attention without disruption going forward.

As in the past and in keeping with our commitment to your business, we will keep you informed of any relevant changes or developments.

Following the announcement, Follett said that Nader Qaimari has been promoted to president of Follett School Solutions, reporting to Coe. Qaimari was named general manager of Follett’s PreK-12 business in October of 2015.