Category Archives: Summer reading

Summer reading

Just three weeks to go…

Somehow, maybe because of all the heat and humidity, this summer reading program has seemed the longest ever.  I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way: we’ve had a lot of great events and storytimes and book groups and kids coming in to get their prizes.  But I keep thinking we must almost be done, and then we’re not…

Like every other summer I’ve worked at the library, I’ve been working like a dog, often staying late (and yes, I stay late for free – there’s no overtime, no worries) and only finishing dinner at 8:30 or 9:00 at night, especially if Jim is at band practice that night.  At some point, I promise that I will sit down and write a good lengthy post on each of the performers who has come this summer, but so far I’ve only found the time to write about Yo-Yo People and the World Class Frisbee Show.

For today, my plan is to read tomorrow’s 6th Grade Book Group book, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.  I had actually forgotten that I needed to read the book for tomorrow until about ten minutes ago – ooooops!  And then tomorrow starts the beginning of the third-to-last week of summer reading!  Hooray!!!!

Library events, Summer reading

World Class Frisbee Show and Playshop

On Tuesday afternoon, we had a fantastic outdoor program: the World Class Frisbee Show and Playshop with two-time World Freestyle Champion Todd Brodeur.  Todd was upbeat, educational, and inspirational, and I’ve had dozens of adults and kids talk to me about how much fun they had at his show.

First Todd did some cool tricks, like rolling a Frisbee along his arms, juggling Frisbees, and catching Frisbees in increasingly difficult ways.  Then he showed off some of his collection of Frisbees, including an original tin pie plate.  And then he loaned Frisbees to everyone in attendance, and taught everyone some tricks.  Once the show was over, he sold different types of Frisbees to the crowd for very reasonable prices, and signed each that he sold.

And along the way, he delivered some really excellent messages to the kids in attendance, including: when it comes to the sport of Frisbee, girls and boys are on equal footing; Frisbee doesn’t require special equipment like some sports; and Frisbee is a great way to have fun with your friends.  Most importantly, in my opinion, Todd personified physical fitness, and it’s clear that his physical fitness comes not from playing a standard competitive sport, but rather from an alternative sport that can be a lifelong passion.

During his show, I kept looking around at the field of 150 attendees and thinking “What better way could there be to spend a warm, sunny summer afternoon than hanging out on a beautiful green field playing Frisbee with your friends?”  Thanks, Todd, for a great show, and for inspiring all of us to stay fit and have fun doing it!

Library events, Summer reading

Yo Yo People

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Today’s performer at the library was  Yo Yo People.  Rebecca had hurt her ankle that morning, so John came and did the show alone – and it was fantastic!  I had a fantastic time, and everyone I spoke to who was in the audience had a fantastic time, too.  How many times can I use the word fantastic in one paragraph?  But it was!

We lucked out with the weather, too, and were able to hold the show outside in front of the original main entrance to the building.  Not too sunny, so no baked audience members, but also no rain (and there are torrents of rain predicted for tonight).   A quick note about the stress and misery that Jennifer and I went through trying to figure out if it was going to rain at 3 PM today or not:  we both studied the online weather forecasts from various sources, and ultimately couldn’t decide what the weather was going to be today, since one of the sources kept telling us there was a 100% chance of rain at 3 PM.  Finally, at 2 PM, that source changed its tune, and said there was only a 10% chance of rain at 3.  Typo, mayhaps?  Annoying, for sure.  But who cares, since it all worked out and we were able to have the show in the best possible spot – outdoors. 

So, obviously, the weather forecast isn’t what’s important here: the show is what matters.  John is extremely professional, and presents his material in a way that makes you feel like he’s just doing it for the first time.  That’s a real skill, in my opinion, and the mark of someone who is a born performer, since the only way to do a great show is to rehearse and practice ad nauseum.  If you can still make the audience believe that your material is fresh and exciting, despite having rehearsed and performed it dozens of times – well, then you’re pretty good at what you do.

Lot of kids (and one adult) from the audience got to participate as volunteers, too.  One second grade girl showed off her impressive hula hoop prowess (I’m not kidding – she was great!).  A fifth grade boy served as unicycle assistant, steadying John as he got on to his unicycle.  A fourth grade boy helped out with a very cool yo yo trick, then treated us all to an awesome dance (I think the music was James Brown).  A brave dad held out a match, which John lit with a flick from a yo yo, then balanced a quarter on his ear, which John knocked off with a yo yo – without hitting the dad.  Wow.

And, of course, there were the yo yo tricks.  Pretty darn cool stuff – things that I never knew you could do with yo yos.  Throw a yo yo in the air and catch it in your pocket?  Awesome.  Make a yo yo and its string look like a bow tie or the Eiffel Tower?  Wicked pissah.  Ride a unicycle while working two yo yos?  Amazing.  At the end of the show, lots and lots of kids were clamboring to learn yo yo tricks from John, who very kindly stuck around to teach them.  What better way to spend a summer day than learning yo yo tricks?

For any of you children’s librarians looking to book a great show, Yo Yo People are tons of fun and an absolute crowd pleaser.  Totally worth it.  And now I’m going to drag Jim in to Faneuil Hall someday to see them perform…

Summer reading

Crazy time

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You’d think, since this is my fifth summer reading program, I’d not be feeling crazy stressed out right now…but no matter how prepared I am for the start of summer reading, there’s still always a ton of niggly-piggly details that need to be tended to: buying the ice cream toppings, printing out the prize signs, creating the signs for all of those great summer programs, etc. etc. etc.  You get the idea.

So I’m taking the next couple of hours off to read a book (The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan) and relax before I go in to get everything ready for this evening’s family movie night. I’m looking forward to seeing Where the Wild Things Are, and if I have time I’ll post a review of it this weekend.

Until then, happy reading to me!

Etc., Summer reading

My head spins right ’round, baby, right ’round…

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Like a record, baby, right ’round, ’round ’round…

(A gummi frog – virtual or real, depending on your proximity to me – to the first person who correctly identifies the name of the song, the album, and the band that I just ripped off with my post title.  And, yes, I DO own an album by this band – on cassette, not record or CD, which should be a big hint.)

At any rate, I stayed home yesterday, and had to leave at 1:00 and go home today because of a weird virus that has taken control of me.  A dizzy-virus.  Things started getting bad Monday afternoon, then worse Monday evening (standing in line at Idylwilde with Jim, I asked him “Do you feel the floor shaking?”  He raised an eyebrow, then said, “No, hun, that’s YOU shaking, not the floor.”).  Then while saying goodbye to Jim yesterday morning, I had to sit on the floor of our foyer because the dizzies took over…and they didn’t show signs of going away, so I stayed home and in bed all day.  This morning seemed better, so I went in to work, but barely made it through the infant storytime.  There’s a lot of movement in that storytime, and everytime I moved my head I felt wicked woozy.  (This was especially bad during the songs where I “rock” Pepper the storytime puppet in my lap – that side-to-side motion just about did me in.  Oooof.)  Even reading two stories to the Kindergarten class that visited was tough, since reading aloud involves looking at the words in the book, then looking at the kids who are listening, then looking back at the book…blech, I’m getting woozy again just thinking about it!

Luckily, I can feel pretty sure I’ve got a weird virus, not some dread disease, since someone else I know has the exact same symptoms.  But I do wish this stupid virus would GO AWAY and leave me in peace to finish my preparations for summer reading – I’ve got less than two weeks before the Ice Cream Social, and no time to waste on being dizzy!  Grrrrrrr.

And don’t forget to play my little song-album-band naming game!

Librarianship, Summer reading, Teaching

School visits

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I had a fabulous time last week visiting classes at the elementary school.  As the week went on, the visits got better and better, culminating in the terrific last day where I actually got to read to the kids in their classrooms (the school library was being used for another purpose).

I LOVE being a children’s librarian, but visiting those classes made me think (not for the first time in my life) that I would also love to be a classroom teacher at the elementary level.  To spend a whole year, day in and day out, with the same group of kids, really getting to know them and teach them and see them progress intellectually and socially – it’s got to be a cool feeling.  Hard work, for sure, but also rewarding work. 

But back to my visits.  I chose a bunch of newer books to read to the kids this year, and a lot of them were very well-received.  This year’s favorites include: 

For the 1st graders:  I Lost My Bear written and illustrated by Jules Feiffer.  Ok, so this isn’t a “new” book, but it’s a fantastic readaloud, and most of the kids had never heard it before. Then Help! A Story of Friendship written and illustrated by Holly Keller.  An oops on my part worked out just fine – I remembered that this story was a hit last year, so I brought it out again this year.  What I didn’t remember is that I read it to the Kindergarteners last year, and to the first graders this year – in other words, I read it a second time to the same kids.  But it was actually ok, and the kids loved it just as much this time as they did last time.  Then, the last story for the 1st graders was Lissy’s Friends written and illustrated by Grace Lin.  I really love this story, as do the kids, and it gave me a chance to show off one of our freshly-signed Grace Lin books.

For the 2nd graders:  Cupcake: A Journey to Special written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper.  Such a fun story – and great for 2nd graders, because they could slap their foreheads in frustration as the candle and the cupcake totally miss the obvious.  Then we read Not Last Night, But the Night Before by Colin McNaughton, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark.  At first the kids thought it was too young for them, then they’d realize the subtle humor and the cameo appearances of fairytale characters, and then they’d smile and laugh and enjoy it.  Cool book, just right for 2nd grade.  And then we read Bad Bears Go Visiting by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater.  This is a fun book, good n’ silly, and we all enjoyed it.  I just have one beef with this book:  Pinkwater overuses the word “says” in his dialogue, which isn’t too noxious on paper, but gets pretty tedious when reading out loud.  It’s weird, too, since it doesn’t go with the variety of the rest of Pinkwater’s writing.  Maybe he did it intentionally, but that doesn’t make me enjoy reading “says” out loud fifteen million times…

For the 3rd graders:  Timothy and the Strong Pajamas written and illustrated by Viviane Schwarz.  I LOVE this book, and the kids do, too.  It’s wise to start off with this book and end with quieter books, I’ve found, because the kids get pretty riled up by this story (a good thing, if you ask me).  Mid-way through the book, I usually mention that Monkey reminds me a bit of Yoda, and the kids go “Oh, yeah!!!!!”  Another favorite for the 3rd graders was Why Epossumondas Has No Hair On His Tail by Coleen Salley and illustrated by Janet Stevens.  The kids usually started off skeptical about this book (obviously thinking it was too young for them), then were transfixed by the end.  Then, if there was time, I also read Too Many Fairies: A Celtic Tale by Margaret Read MacDonald and illustrated by Susan Mitchell.  I love MacDonald’s books, but have to admit this is not my favorite of her works.  It’s ok, though, and the kids enjoyed it pretty well.

For the 4th graders:  A Giraffe Goes to Paris by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris, illustrated by John Cannell.  The kids loved that this was a true story, and it definitely kept those mature almost-fifth grade minds fully engaged.  They also loved Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Story of a Girl Who Floated by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Lane Smith, which is just silly enough and mentions Royal Underwear just enough for this age group.  And, on Friday, I also read to them What Really Happened to Humpty: From the Files of a Hardboiled Detective by Jeanie Franz Ransom, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen.  I had held off on this book earlier in the week, because I thought perhaps it wouldn’t resonate with the kids, that they wouldn’t “get” the detective jargon, but in fact they loved it and laughed at all the sly allusions to fairy tales.  A big hit!

I didn’t get to see the 5th graders this year, sadly, because their schedules are too tight, and I’ll be seeing one of the Kindergarten classes next week (hopefully the other three Kindergarten classes too, we’ll see).  It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve read a bunch of awesome books together.

Library events, Summer reading

School visits today!

It’s a great day for me – today I begin the week-long school visits at the elementary school to promote the library’s summer reading program.  I already visited one class last Friday, a great group of fourth graders, but today begins the real deal.  I’ll see four classes today, three tomorrow, four on Thursday, and four on Friday.  Then a couple of more classes next week to finish these visits off.

At my visits, I read a story or two to each class, then talk to them about summer reading.  Then, depending on the availability of the computer lab and the age of the students, we might also go in to the computer lab and have each student log on to the library’s website and follow the link to the ReadsinMA page in order to create an online summer reading account to track each student’s reading hours.  Given this summer’s theme of “Go Green at Your Library,” these online accounts seem particularly appropriate this year…though obviously we’ll still have the clock-face paper logs still available (and I can’t deny the educational value of the clock faces for the younger children, since they help them visualize what fifteen minutes of reading looks like on the clock, and also help with those clock-reading skills – a skill with which today’s children seem to be struggling).

Speaking of that theme of “Go Green,” I have one gripe.  I had a GREAT idea of wearing a t-shirt with a big recycling symbol on it to each of my class visits, and ordered two shirts, one green and one black, from an online t-shirt company.  I had visions of making a real statement about the environmental message in this year’s program.  This seemed especially key, since I’m asking that attendees for the Ice Cream Social consider bringing their own non-disposable bowls, cups, and spoons to the Social in order to reduce the amount of trash created (with over 400 attendees at last year’s Social, I felt a little ill as I hauled away trash bag after trash bag of used styrofoam bowls, paper cups, and plastic spoons).  The cool t-shirt would really get the message across, as the recycling logo stared at the kids through the whole storytime and into my spiel about the summer program.

But, alas, apparently the women’s fitted t-shirts on this t-shirt site were made for a twelve-year-old girl and not an actual woman.  Even though I bought size large, I still could only barely squeeze into the shirts.  And it’s not like I’m a really big girl, either – maybe I need to lose seven pounds, but that’s no excuse.  It was a huge disappointment when the shirts arrived in the mail on Friday, too late to order replacements.  The only option now is to wear plain green shirts all week, which still works but isn’t nearly as cool.  In defense of this online t-shirt company, though, they sent me an email saying I will be credited for the full purchase price, and I can keep the two t-shirts.  Since the shirts don’t fit me, I think I’ll make them summer reading raffle prizes for the kids…

At any rate, I’m still very pumped for this week’s class visits, and I’d like to publicly thank Mrs. Harvey, the most awesome Media Specialist around, for making me welcome and putting up with the piles of summer reading bags all week.  Thanks, Mrs. Harvey!!

Librarianship, Summer reading

Before you know it…

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…also known as “Oh, &*%*$*@!!!”

My first school class visit is THIS FRIDAY afternoon.  Then the class visits begin for real – the big time – next Tuesday morning, June 1.  Yikes.  I’m sitting at home right now finalizing the summer calendar, parent letter, and summer reading guidelines, all of which need to be photocopied en masse and stuffed into the summer reading bags before I visit the school.  And if all that photocopying weren’t enough to give me heartburn, there’s also all the tweaking of the ReadsinMA website that needs to happen, the printing of posters for summer events, the creation of sign-up sheets for the summer events, the ordering of the summer prizes, the donation request letters, calling Firefighter O. to ask if the fire truck can visit the summer reading finale picnic in August, the creation and printing of the donation voting tickets, the en masse copying of the old-fashioned paper clock face time sheets, the purchasing of multiple cases of bottled water for movie nights, the purchasing of lots and lots and lots of bags of popcorn for movie nights, the shopping for all the fixin’s for the Ice Cream Social (not to mention the purchasing of and storage of the actual ice cream, which gives me heart palpitations), the choosing of some great new stories to read at my class visits…if I don’t stop there, I might totally freak out.

Oh, and now I can’t have lunch with my dad on Friday, which bums me out.  (Hey, Dad, can we reschedule for Monday?)

Wish me luck – I’ll need it to get through the next couple of weeks.  Though you know I’ll be having a good time despite being a stress-bucket.

Summer reading

Burnt out? Me?

Yes, it’s true, as any of you who read this blog might have already guessed from the lack of entries lately: I’m a bit burnt out.  Just a bit – not dreadfully, horribly so, but a bit.

The summer reading program has been going fantastically well, which means that I’ve been fantastically busy.  Lots and lots of children and adults have been coming in to the children’s room to check in with me about their summer reading, and I’ve also had lots of conversations with library patrons about summer in general.  I’ve definitely noticed that many more families stayed in town this summer than in the past three summers, and as a consequence the library has been significantly more busy than ever before.

I love people, and I love talking with people, but I am definitely an introvert: I regain my mental energy from time spent alone, even though I love being social, too.  Yesterday evening I got home about 7 PM, and at first I was disappointed that Jim wasn’t home yet (mostly ’cause I was really hungry, but also ’cause I kind of like Jim).  And then I settled down belly-first on our bed, next to the open window, with the freshly-delivered newest copy of This Old House magazine, and realized that what I needed more than anything was a little bit of quiet time after nine hours of busyness at the library.  It was great (that and the junk food dinner that I talked Jim into once he got home) and I felt more refreshed than I have in a while.

But I’m definitely ready for a vacation – and summer vacation starts for me next Friday.  I’ll be taking two weeks off in a row for the first time ever in my working life, I think, and I can’t wait to restore, rejuvenate, and refresh over those two weeks.  And as my whim dictates, I’ll be posting summer reading entries to this blog, filling in those gaps that I’ve missed over the past few weeks: summaries of great performances at the library, comments on the books I’ve read, updates on the book groups that met over the summer, and any summer anecdotes that come to mind.

And now I’m going to indulge in the ultimate antidote for a burnt-out children’s librarian: I’m going to take a nice, long walk on this stunningly gorgeous day.  By myself, of course!

Cats Dogs Plants Animals, Library events, Summer reading

Winston the therapy dog

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Today was the first visit from Winston the therapy dog at the library.  He did a great job, and two very happy families got to hang out with this gorgeous and sweet pooch.  Winston is a golden doodle, and he’s very tall and very soft and (despite the golden) pitch black.  He’s one of the coolest looking dogs I’ve ever met, and he is very, very well behaved.

In case you’re not familiar with the use of therapy dogs in libraries, the idea is to provide children with a non-judgemental listener to whom the children can read aloud.  Dogs don’t speak English, and they certainly don’t read, so they don’t know if their child reader friend has just mis-read a line from the book.  All the dog knows is that he or she is happy to hang out with his or her young literary fans.  And the kids who read to a therapy dog come out smiling and happy and with renewed reading confidence.

It’s a terrific program, and I’m so glad that Julie, Winston’s owner and handler, came to me with the proposal of doing a program at the library.  And I’m really looking forward to the remaining four “Paws and Read” sessions that are scheduled for this summer.