Library & Literary Miscellany

Storytime Plan: Bears Theme

Created by: Laura Baas
Age Group: Preschool
Time: 30 minutes
Note: The following storytime plan can be as flexible as it needs to be; feel free to make as many additions, substitutions, and customizations as suits your purposes. Another Note: If you wish, you could advertise that the kids should bring in a teddy bear if they have one and then spend a few minutes introducing each others’ bears.

Introduction and Song (5 minutes)
Introduction: Welcome to the all-about-bears storytime. Some bears up north are probably still in hibernation right now, but I’m glad that you decided against hibernation today and that you have come out for storytime to hear about bears.

Song: Bear (To the tune of: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Bear, bear, bear, big bear,
Hunting near the trees.
Feasting on the honeycomb
Made by busy bees.
(bzzz, bzzz, bzzz)
Bear, bear, bear, big bear,
Wading in the lake.
Fish is your favourite dish:
Which one will you take?
(swish, swish, swish)
Bear, bear, bear, big bear,
Resting in your den.
Sleeping through the winter
Before you’re out again.
(zzz, zzz, zzz)

Read Aloud Bear Books:
Choose one or two of Karma Wilson’s Bear Books (they’re all short, fun, and well-done…plus, the rhyming and repetition are sure to make them a hit):

1. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Mouse, Hare, Badger, Mole, Wren and Raven decide that they’d rather face the bear than the weather as they seek shelter from winter in bear’s cave…as the bear snores on. When bear does awaken, the other animals are in for a (pleasant) surprise.

2. Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
It’s spring and bear is hungry. While the previous book’s refrain is about snoring on, kids will be sure to chime in for this book’s “But the bear wants more!

3. Bear Stays up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Bear’s friends wake him up on Christmas Eve and engage him in several engaging activities in order to keep him awake for a Christmas full of celebration and surprises.

4. Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Who is this mystery creature that the bear hears? Kids will likely delight in they mystery and in the repeat refrain “And the Bear asks, ‘Who?’”

5. Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
It’s reassuring to have friends surround you when you’re sick, or at least it is in this book where “Bear feels sick.” His friends do everything they can think of to get bear back on his feet.

Song for in-between books: You are my Teddy Bear (To the tune of: You are my Sunshine) Note: this song works particularly well if a bear puppet is available and/or the kids have brought in their own teddy bears
You are my teddy bear
My only teddy bear
You make me smile dear
You are my friend
You’ll never know dear
How much I like you
I’m so glad you’re my
Teddy Bear today.

OR

T-E-D-D-Y (to the tune of: B-I-N-G-O)
There was a boy who had a bear
and Teddy was his name-O
T E D D Y, T E D D Y, T E D D Y
and Teddy was his name-O.

OR

Bear is Sleeping (to the tune of: Are You Sleeping?)
Bear is sleeping, Bear is sleeping.
In a cave, In a cave.
I wonder when he’ll come out,
I wonder when he’ll come out.
In the spring, In the spring.

More Bear Read-Aloud Books:
1. The Bear Came Over to My House by Rick Walton and James Warhola
Spinning off The Bear Came over the Mountain, this book will keep kid’s engaged and guessing from the first line (The bear came over to my house to see what he could see. . . . And what do you think the bear saw? ME!).

The following books all feature Eddie (the bear) and his teddy:
2. It’s the Bear! by Jez Alborough
A boy and his teddy bear meet bear and his teddy bear once again in this charming sequel to Where’s my Teddy.

3. My Friend Bear by Jez Alborough
The third book showcasing Eddie and his teddy has Eddie learning about facing fears and friendship.

4. Where’s my Teddy by Jez Alborough
A teddy bear mix-up provides the foundation for this story about a small boy and a giant bear who are both searching for their lost teddy bears. In the end, both small boy and big bear find comfort as the lost is found.

Song and Conclusion:
Song: Hug, Hug, Hug Your Bear (to the tune of: Row, Row, Row your boat)
Hug, hug, hug your bear
Squeeze him very tight
Hold him high
Help him fly
Then hug with all your might.

Departing Song (optional):
It’s time to go home, It’s time to go, home, Wave good-bye to everyone, It’s time to go home.
Additional Verses: We had a happy day, It’s time to go home

Time Fillers:
How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear? : What are Homonyms and Homophones (Words are Categorical) by Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable

OR

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? (Stories to Go!) by Nancy White Carlstrom and Bruce Degen

OR

Craft Options: Search the web for a simple Bear-related craft such as the ones found at DLTK’s Teddy Bear Craft Page and at First School’s Teddy Bear Page.

OR

Technology links: If you have a projector and a way to connect to the Web, show kids around National Geographic’s Creature Features that feature bears such as the Polar bears and Brown bears. Show kids the pictures they can view and the videos they can watch. Perhaps even watch one of the videos. Another option is to choose from some of the bear-related resources compiled by Kennesaw State University’s Education Department for kids.

Other Bear-Related Picture Books to Consider for Display:
Addis Berner Bear Forgets by Joel Stewart
Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do you See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle
A Bear and His Boy by Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy
Bear in a Square by Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter (interactive rhyming book: teaches shapes and counting)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle
Dog and Bear by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Jamberry by Bruce Degen and Peter Fernandez
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? (Stories to Go!) by Nancy White Carlstrom and Bruce Degen
The Large and Growly Bear by Gertrude Crampton
Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson and Stephen Savage
A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley and Jim LaMarche
Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle and Matt Phelan

For more ideas regarding recently published books for the juvenile audience that are about and/or including bears, see my WorldCat.org list: Bears.

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In addition to the wealth of information and training that’s offered to librarians through sites like WebJunction, other organizations and librarians are providing free e-learning opportunities to be aware of (some states also offer librarians training such as Illinois’ LibraryU). Some sites to try if you want to e-learn more for free include:

InfoPeople: InfoPeople “moving libraries forward” provides materials used in its past training freely. They state that those who use the materials in the Past Workshops section should credit the author and the funding source.

Learn More: Run by Steve Campion at Library Stream, the “Learn More is a series of self-paced discovery entries for library staff interested in venturing out on the social web.” Topics covered thus far include avatars, Flickr, Delicious, YouTube, tags and tag clouds, LibraryThing, wikis, social networks, Twitter, and blogs.

Learning 2.1: Expanding on the original Learning 2.0 23 Things, this site currently features things 24-47 and includes discussion around such useful tools as Animoto, LiveMocha, Photobucket, LetterPop, Zamzar, and Jott.

Learning 2.0: Learning 2.0 is “an online self-discovery program that encourages the exploration of web 2.0 tools and new technologies, specifically 23 Things.”

Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL): “OPAL is an international collaborative effort by libraries and other organizations to provide web-based programs and training for library users and library staff members.” As such, OPAL offers a wide variety of online training sessions (e.g., pertaining to books, civic engagement, health, history, LIS, music, general training, etc.). View the schedule of upcoming events to attend a future live session or visit the archive of previous OPAL events for links to the slides and audio from past training sessions.

A useful list of e-learning opportunities is also available at the LibSuccess wiki on its Online Training Resources for Librarians page. The page discusses and links to both free and fee resources.

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Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy (2007)

“Now, as I was saying, my focus on giant pumpkins started when I was six.”

Five years later, eleven-year-old Mildred maintains her focus, which, as she sees it, is not so unusual. Other girls her age are focused on clothes or boys: “It just so happens that my thoughts are consumed with something out of the ordinary.” Yes, that’s right, she wants to grow a giant pumpkin.

You see, Mildred lives in Circleville, Ohio where every October ushers in Fall but also the annual pumpkin festival. Mildred’s late mother had wanted to grow a giant pumpkin and enter the giant pumpkin contest, but she never got around to actually growing one before she died. Mildred resolves to fill part of the hole left by her mother’s absence by planting and cultivating pumpkins.

Unfortunately, growing pumpkins is one thing; growing a prize winning giant pumpkin is another. Mildred has spent that past few years trying and failing as a prize winning pumpkin grower due to one unforseen obstacle after another. Fortunately, Mildred’s one determined (obsessed, focused, you name it) girl, and she continues to throw her heart and soul into the task.

All of the time Mildred spends in devotion to her prize pumpkin growing goal makes her Aunt Arlene nervous; Aunt Arlene fears it will cause Mildred’s heart to break yet again. But Mildred’s father recognizes that each person’s grieving process is unique and needs to be left free to run its course, and he supports Mildred in her pumpkin growing efforts. Aunt Arlene does not give up easily, and she tries to distract Mildred with boys and clothes.

Finally, Aunt Arlene insists Mildred take a vacation away from her beloved pumpkins. Mildred must trust her father and friend to take care of them for her for a few days. Although she does feel anxious leaving her precious pumpkins behind, she learns about trusting others, letting go, accepting help, and supporting friends and family.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen goes into great detail about the process of growing giant pumpkins, but along the way it also reveals a great deal about loss, about one girl’s process for going about living after loss, and about the slow process of healing.

A few other recent books that lack giant pumpkins but that also tackle the subjects of father/daughter relationships and grief after loss include Mary Amato’s The Naked Mole Rat Letters, Amy Hest’s Remembering Mrs. Rossi, and Jenny Lombard’s Drita, My Homegirl.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen is Marlane Kennedy’s first book. She’s a member of the Class of 2k7, so you can read more about her at her page on the Class 2k7 website.

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You may have noticed I added a link to my Library & Literary Miscellany Tumbles on the sidebar of this site; here’s a brief explanation of where you’ll go if you click on that link.

This link is to what is known as a lifestream (it happens to be my lifestream at Tumblr, although I haven’t added many streams to it as yet). Word Spy defines a “lifestream” as:

An online record of a person’s daily activities, either via direct video feed or via aggregating the person’s online content such as blog posts, social network updates, and online photos.

Various tools exist through which you can create your own lifestream. The Lifestream Blog has created a nice long list of these tools with examples, some reviews, and links to the home pages of the sites. While I recently started using Tumblr, you can see that many options exist. Jaiku, having recently been acquired by Google, is likely to be another service to watch. As others have pointed out, Tumblr is noteworthy for its simplicity (see melange’s Tumblr, a Different Way to Blog for a well-written post with links to other posts pertaining to Tumblr’s offerings).

As with other lifestream offerings, Tumblr enables users to specify social media services that they use—such as del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, LastFM, Twitter, YouTube, and personal blog(s)—and to output those feeds together all in one place. Basically, where a feed exists, you can have it display on Tumblr.

Any changes you make to any of the services you have included into your lifestream—adding a link to del.icio.us, updating your Facebook status, writing a new blog post—will be reflected in your stream. A lifestream service such as Tumblr exists to aggregate your content into your own customized stream of information.

You can also add content directly to Tumblr that will not be fed in from any of the other services you have linked to your Tumblelog.  For this purpose, Tumblr offers seven types of posts: text (title and body), photo (browse for file or add URL and caption), quote (quote and source), link (title and URL and description), chat (title and dialogue), audio (file and description, limit one per day), and video (embed or upload file and caption). The Tumblr bookmarklet (accessible via your Dashboard under Account–Goodies) makes it quick, easy, and painless to add content that you tumble upon to your Tumblelog.

Tumblr offers other customizations (e.g., change the theme, have your URL point to a domain other than tumblr.com) as well as social features (e.g., follow others, be followed, create a group). Tumblr can be used for a wide variety of intents and purposes.  Some users have migrated their sites over to Tumblr (e.g. the Rocketboom blog (http://www.rocketboom.com/blog/) has moved to a new Tumblr platform at http://rocketboom.tumblr.com/); others use their tumblelogs as a supplement (e.g., me).

Regardless, Tumblr does provide an easy way to record and aggregate online activity.  I’m finding it useful for including information I run across that I don’t necessarily want to mention or discuss on my main site, but that I still find interesting enough that I’d like to include said information in my tumbles.

For more-detailed looks at lifestreams in general and Tumblr in particular, see the following posts:

LifeHacker’s Gina Tripani: Instant, no-overhead blog with Tumblr

Melange: Tumblr, a different way to blog

The Butter Room’s Todd Wickersty: Tumblr 101

ReadWriteWeb’s Richard MacManus: Lifestreaming: a ReadWriteWeb Primer

Wikipedia: Tumblelogs

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The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (2007)

“He didn’t question what he was being told…This was the time of brainwashing”

There may have been a time when Peter Sis did not question what he was being told, but The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain stands as a testament to the fact that today Peter Sis is an independent thinker (as well as a talented artist). By sharing his story, Sis gives us a textual and pictorial front seat view into communism in Czechoslovakia from the beginning of the Cold War to its end.

Throughout The Wall, Sis is shown trying to make sense out of the life and the culture that lies before him. He knows he wants to be an artist, but self-expression and personal identity are frowned upon in favor of complete conformity and communal identity. He struggles with what he is being taught versus what he feels in his heart, “He stopped drawing and was left with only his dreams. But he had to draw. Sharing the dreams gave him hope.”

Sis makes the atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and lies relevant to children by telling about the Czech government’s policy that encouraged young children to inform on family and friends. Limited freedoms and limited choice is reflected in Sis’ stark text and illustrations. His black and white pen and ink illustrations fill most each page; when color is used, it is largely communist red. With 56 pages (more than the traditional 32 pages found in most picture books) and cartoon like panels, The Wall amalgamates the best of the picture book and graphic novel formats.

While it contains only a mere five paragraphs, Sis’ introduction provides a lucid synopses of the Cold war and sets the stage for his memoir. He writes, “The Soviet Union and the Western nations managed their territories in different ways. The Western Bloc countries were all independent democracies, while the Eastern Bloc was tightly controlled by the Soviet Union.” He notes that Europe was divided “symbolically, ideologically, and physically…I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side–the Communist side–of the Iron Curtain.” The story then opens with the Soviet’s closing of the Czech borders in 1948; it ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Sis’ explanation of how difficult it is to put into words the Cold War. Sis has overcome this difficulty by putting his story and the story of these years in world history it into words and pictures while also incorporating other elements such as a historical timeline and excerpts from his journals.

Sis’ book deals with a complex and politically-charged time in world history. On the one hand, adults may need to help younger readers navigate the timeline and make it relevant to life today; on the other hand, the complexity encourages discourse and questioning of different value systems and ways of being. The Wall takes readers outside personal circumstances into recognition that other individuals and people’s of the world have hopes, dreams, and realities as real as their own. The Wall also enhances appreciation of freedom–freedom to draw, freedom to be, freedom to choose.

Sis has won awards for other works (e.g., Starry Messenger as winner of the 1997 Caldecott Honor). The Wall has earned him a couple of additional distinctions, recently winning the Robert F. Sibert Medal and a Caldecott Honor. So my final take on The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain:

Reading this book
COMPULSORY
Failing to read this book
PROHIBITED

(Not that I’m advocating conformity or coercion…but, I’m SUGGESTING this will be popular among students of history and with those who enjoy non-traditional book formats.  It will also come in handy for teachers and students facing Cold War era curricula.)

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The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers (2004)

My Dearest King–

You will be glad to learn that I am still available for any quest, adventure, or dangerous mission for which you might need a champion or knight-errant. I specialize in dragon-slaying, but would be happy to fight pirates or invading barbarians if circumstances require…

So begins the story of Aidan Errolson, a boy with a big imagination and an even bigger heart. The Bark of the Bog Owl, the first book of Jonathan Rogers’ Wilderking Trilogy, is at a basic level a retelling of the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, but Rogers moves far beyond this basic level in creating a unique story about a boy who is called upon to do great things flanked by a motley collection of comrades and a series of unusual occurrences.

Although there are some parallel characters, Aidan Errolson (David), King Darrow (King Saul), Bayard the Truth Speaker (Prophet Samuel), Greidawl (Goliath), Rogers also creates some original ones such as Dobro of the fascinating Feechiefolk. Even the parallel characters have been developed so that readers gain a new sense of what their experiences must have been like and the courage that it must have taken for a small boy to face not only a giant but also the derision of his own brothers and people.

When Aidan doubts himself, Bayard tells him, “Live the life that unfolds before you.” The story pits small Corenwald and the one God against the mighty Pyrthens and their many gods. As Aidan prepares to face Greidawl he proclaims, “If I am defeated tomorrow, I want to die as I have lived–a shepherd boy, with the sun on my forehead and the breeze in my hair. But if I overcome, everyone must know that the One God, and not Aidan Errolson, is the Champion of Corenwald. Neither arms nor armor can deliver Corenwald–only the arm of the One God.” Now those would make some great famous last words, but, fortunately, they aren’t his last words as everyone knows that David defeats Goliath (or in this case, Aidan defeats Greidawl).

Although Aidan’s choices and the ending are somewhat of foregone conclusions, Rogers moves the story along and keeps it interesting by throwing in some humor, adding characters, creating increasingly grand action episodes, and changing of scenery. As Aidan’s adventures increase in scope, the setting shifts easily from Tambluff Castle, to Feechiefen Swamp, to Bonifay Plain, and beyond. Plus, the inclusion of a giant helps along the cause of getting the blood pumping and the pages turning.

The first book in the Wilderking Trilogy, The Bark of the Bog Owl speaks to love for God and country, faith, bravery, and overcoming seemingly impossible odds. The remaining two books of the trilogy appear promising to do more of the same (book 2: The Secret of the Swamp King (2005) and book 3: The Way of the Wilderking (2006)).

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It’s been awhile since I came across Erik Kastner’s Spell with Flickr, but it’s such a fun and user-friendly tool that I thought I’d highlight it.

Basically, you can just type in the letters, characters, words, and/or phrases that you’d like to have spelled into the Spell box and click spell. Almost immediately you’ll get your letters, characters, words, and/or phrases returned to you created out of fun images that are available on Flickr. You can then embed the code on your website or blog or you can be more creative.

Also, if your aesthetic sensibilities lead you to desire to replace a particular letter or character, then that’s as easy as clicking on that image. Spell with Flickr will replace that image with another. You can do this until you are satisfied with your results. My Spelling examples are below (first, displaying each letter as a separate image with the code directly from Spell with Flickr and then collapsed together into one image):

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The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian (2007)

Double Bind (definition from Dictionary.com)

n. A psychological impasse created when contradictory demands are made of an individual, such as a child or an employee, so that no matter which directive is followed, the response will be construed as incorrect.

Laurel Estabrook is nineteen years old when her life is irrevocably altered by a brutal attack. She was riding her bicycle on the roads of Underhill, Vermont when the attack happened, and she has subsequently given up bicycle riding and she avoids any and all mention of Underhill. Not only does she give up bicycling, but she also withdraws from life in many other respects. She occupies herself with “safe” pursuits–her photography and her work at BEDS, a homeless shelter in Burlington. It is at BEDS that Laurel meets the fifty-six-year-old transient Bobbie Crocker.

Bobbie’s claims of past fame were regarded as those of a mentally ill man when he was alive. It is not until his death when he is discovered to possess a photograph collection that supports his claims. BEDS workers (Laurel, in particular) begin to wonder who Bobbie was and where he came from. The collection contains old photographs with famous people–musicians, sculptors, and more–as well as more recent photographs from Underhill. Mysteriously, a few of the photographs show a dirt road and a girl on a bike. Also in the collection are photos of a mansion–the home of Pamela Buchanan Marshfield, daughter of Tom and Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby fame.

Bohjalian’s complex and enigmatic intertwining of the stories of Laurel, Bobbie, and Pamela renders the ending as a surprise but also as an ending that, in retrospect, makes complete sense. He augments the significance and mystery of his story by playing off the plot of The Great Gatsby such that as Laurel digs into Bobby’s past the secrets of the Buchanans become increasingly central.

If you like psychological thrillers where you have to dig and keep reading to uncover the real story, then Bohjalian’s The Double Bind will be a good pick. The book does skip among characters and perspectives and time frames, so it can be confusing. In the end, you may still not know what constitutes the real story, but through turning the pages of Laurel’s story you may have an increased insight into the dire straits of the homeless, the vulnerability of the mental ill, and the long lasting scars from past trauma.

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Mouse Guard Fall 1152 by David Petersen (2006)

“The mice struggle to live safely and prosper among all of the world’s harsh conditions and predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed.”

When you’re little, the world can be a dangerous place. Fortunately for mice, who happen to be quite little indeed, they have the Mouse Guard on their side. The Mouse Guard are the “escorts, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts and body guards for the mice who live among the territories”. In other words, The Mouse Guard keeps mice travelers through the territories as safe as possible and investigates when said mice go missing.

So it is that three of the best of the Mouse Guard–Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon–are sent out to discover the fate of peasant mouse that went missing while delivering goods among the territories. What they find (in addition to a hungry snake) is treachery from within mousekind.

As more of the plot against the Mouse Guard unfolds they discover that it is a mouse claiming to be of Black Axe renown that seeks to overthrow Lockhaven (the Mouse Guard’s home) and the Mouse Guard itself. Mouse Guard Fall 1152 follows these three mice as they investigate the treachery and fight to eradicate its source, so that they can once again focus on external threats to their species from “all the creatures that eats us” [mice, that is].

At book’s end, Petersen has included maps, guides, and assorted extras in which the mouse territories mentioned in the Mouse Guard’s adventures are more fully developed. Petersen’s text and pictures are replete with details that enhance the story. For instance, in describing Barkstone he proclaims it to be the “destination for the best in glass, furniture, and other goods” while Lockhaven is the Home of the Mouse Guard. He couples these proclamations with intricate drawings that reflect each locale’s uniqueness.

Each chapter begins with some exposition, but the captions on the panels themselves are relatively sparse making it an attractive choice for reluctant readers. Peterson employs diverse panel arrangements, color, line, and perspective to create the illusion of action and to drive the story forward.

Readers who enjoy Mouse Guard Fall 1152 will look forward to Mouse Guard Winter 1152 coming out in its collected edition in Winter 2008. In the meantime, other books to suggest to those who enjoyed talking mice historical fantasy adventure aspect include: Kate Dicamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux, Robert C. O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, Robin Jarvis’ Deptford Mice series. More mice fantasy adventure can be found in Michael Hoeye’s Time Stops for No Mouse and The Sands of Time, Avi’s Poppy stories, and Geronimo Stilton’s Geronimo Stilton series. Other books with less daring do but with talking mice that I can’t seem to stop myself from mentioning because they’re so much fun include: Beverly Cleary’s Ralph Mouse chapter books and Jennifer Holm’s BabyMouse graphic novels.

As for readers who don’t necessarily require mice, but nonetheless like the adventure and the anthropomorphic animal aspects, there’s no shortage of these kind of books. Just to name a few, you might try Erin Hunter’s Warriors series (cats), Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwing (bats), Kathryn Lasky’s Guardians of Ga’Hoole series (owls), or Richard Adam’s Watership Down (rabbits).

Mouse Guard Fall 1152 is a story replete with intrigue, adventure, survival, and courageous mice. Mice should be able to rest easier knowing that the Mouse Guard is on duty, and fans should rest easy knowing another volume is on its way.

Another interesting book review pertaining to rodentia is in the Times, Amanda Craig’s Varmints and Vermin in Children’s Fiction where she discusses Tumtum and Nutmeg by Emily Bearn and Nick Price and Barnaby Grimes: Return of the Emerald Skull by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.

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Some recent book-related links for your perusal:

The Edge of the Forest Volume III, Issue I January 2008 is up with thoughts on resolutions, interviews, and more.

Haven’t heard, read, seen, or otherwise-absorbed enough about last weeks ALA awards?  Find all things awards-related at The January Carnival of Children’s Literature: Book Awards by Wizards Wireless.

We book lovers know the power of books to affect our emotions and, subsequently, our lives.  Read about the rise of bibliotherapy in The Guardian’s The Reading Cure by Blake Morrison.

And finally, for additional reading pleasure, read about reading for pleasure at The Telegraph :

• If children are to become readers for life, they must first love stories (Michael Morpugo)
• 100 books every child should read: The Early Years
• 100 books every child should read: The Middle Years
• 100 books every child should read: Early Teens
• Pick of the children’s audiobook’s (Carol Mansour)
• How shall we tell the children? (Nicolette Jones discusses the challenges of writing children’s books about the Holocaust)

Have a great week!

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