Librarian Leaps: February 2019

Thursday, February 28, 2019

We Made a Difference Today

Nine 6th graders plus

Assemblyman Breslin with students from Albany HS, too!

Two 7th graders plus
Three 11th graders plus
Two 12th graders plus
A principal plus
Two librarians plus
A dedicated library volunteer
EQUALS the Schodack Central School District contingent to the New York Library Association Advocacy Day 2019 (#NYLAAD19).

Their powerful young voices shared how important it is to them to have a certified school librarian at the elementary school (not mandated in New York State). And, in the high school, to help prepare them for college and beyond.

They enthusiastically shared how the library is their safe and happy place for readers at all levels.
They listened and nodded and agreed and screamed "LIBRARIES" at the conclusion of each visit.
And even if they didn't understand all that we were advocating for, they nodded and participated and were eager to speak to up and let their voices be heard.
At the rally, they found legislators that they connected to ("the guy from Brooklyn"), clapped often and proudly waved their homemade signs advocating for libraries and school librarians.

Meeting in Assemblyman Tague's office

Meeting in Senator Jordan's office

They could have said it was boring. They could have complained about the sitting around and waiting and yet, they knew it was worth it. It was fun and they felt good inside. They made a difference today. WE made a difference today.

Meeting with Assemblyman Ashby

Thursday, February 14, 2019

LOVE

(Warning: You will need at least 15 minutes to get the most out of this post 💙 but it will be worth it.)

A couple of weeks ago I heard this on the radio:

Just by sharing it on our announcements, a couple of kids wrote poems.

But I wanted more.

So on Monday morning I shared Matt de la Pena and Loren Long's beautiful book, Love, to the whole third grade. I played the last two minutes of the above NPR segment and challenged kids to write their own love poems. WOW.

I recorded each student saying one line from their poems to form a class LOVE poem.

I submitted the class poems to NPR thinking they were awesome and how cool would that be for us to be on the air. Well, little did I know over 2000 entries were received! This was aired today:

Leave it to Kwame--that crowdsourced poem is GOOD.

So even though we didn't make it on the air, I still feel like we are winners all around. Winners for writing beautiful poetry. Winners for listening to beautiful poetry. And winners for loving. love is love. Love is poetry. Love is everything. 💛

PS-Mrs. Fowler, the 7th grade English teacher participated, too. Here are a couple of her entries from students.

Love is teal,

mysterious like the ocean;

Love is a tulip,

growing, gentle and sweet;

Love is a dog,

loving and listens;

Love is a fire truck,

coming here for you when you feel down or broken;

Love is a lullaby,

Soothing you to sleep;

Love runs everywhere,

Making everyone feel happy;

Love is there when you need it most!

-CT

Love Is

Love is yellow,

Happy and smiley;

Love is a flower bud,

Ready to burst open with happy laughter;

Love is a panda,

Happy and positive;

Love is an ice cream truck,

Playing a happy song as it goes along;

Love is a jazz song,

Relaxing and calm;

Love is a not knowing when happiness is there,

But knowing it is there when you need it;

Love is my best friend,

Love is my Grandma!

-CC

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

To Night Owl from Dogfish

To: You
From: Me
Subject: Re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Happy Book Birthday to To Night Owl from Dogfish!

I still remember my Counting By 7s Newbery book group. Those kids are sophomores in HS now. And the Skype! Holly Goldberg Sloan was out on her veranda in Southern California and we were bundled in sweaters with snow outside our window. We all pinky sweared that if the movie ever came out from the book, we would go together. That's my Holly history. Loved her then and love her now.

Pair her up with Meg Wolitzer and here's a sweet story "to explain something." What is that something? Friendship, family, theatre, camp, coming of age, adventure...a whole LOT of somethings.

12 year old Bett Devlin lives in California with her Dad. Avery Bloom lives in NYC with her Dad. Unbeknownest to the girls but their dads are dating. When Sam and Marlow book a summer motorcycle trip around China, they send the girls to the same camp in Michigan. Neither of the girls knows each other until Bett finds Avery's email and thus the online correspondence begins prior to the start of CIGI (Challenge Influence Guide Inspire).

Camp could be disastrous and the book could quickly go downhill from there. Yet with twists and turns, a "Lady Gaga" grandmother, a famous mother, Palindrome BOB, a collection of pressed flowers, Javier the dancer, and ultimately a wedding (I'm not saying whose), the complete cast of characters (with the help of Holly and Meg of course!) definitely "took lemons and made them into [gallons] of lemonade."

This book surprised me. I could not stop reading. What was going to happen next? I was SO rooting for the romance between Sam and Marlow and, for Avery and Bett, too, who Avery (Night Owl) so appropriately called it, the "Juliet and Juliet" of friendship. This book is like a modern day Judy Blume novel--first menses, middle school crushes, lip gloss, friendships, family. I liked it for its sweetness; its innocence; its vulnerability and just plain FUN.

P.S.

I just read this article in the New York Times today and it reminded me of Avery and Bett and how families come in all shapes and sizes.

What's a 'Normal' Family, Anyway?

Undefeated

I asked Mr. Reischer if he would kick off our "Phenomenal Black History Month People Poem Project" (say that 5X fast) by reading Kwame Alexander's latest NYP* book, Undefeated. At first he was hesitant because how do you read an F&G aloud? With difficulty, of course. But he figured it out and read it to all his classes without a hitch. Just a couple of months (April 2, to be exact) and we won't have to worry about that anymore.

This book is gorgeous. GOR-GEOUS. Kwame's POWERFUL text paired with Kadir Nelson's incredible photo-like paintings make this one book you will want to read over and over again. I listened to Mr. Reischer read it three times today and I could have listened 30 more.

You can't read the book without the author's note. Kwame started this poem in 2008 the year his daughter, Samayah, and our fifth graders were born. If they didn't have a connection to Kwame before, they certainly do now. I think about the past 11 years and then hate to think about. All the horrific things that have happened in the world since these kids were born. Way too many.

But now we are surrounded by the "undiscovered." The ones born in 2008. And before. And after. Our future is in their hands and I am hopeful.

The artwork in the book is stunning. One student even commented that she thought they were real. Next time I see Kwame I want to ask--Who made the decision to make one page completely blank for the ones "who didn't"? Or the images for the "unspeakable"? We wondered if Kwame advised Kadir or did Kadir paint them on his own. Either way, the message is clear. Speak up. Black lives matter.

After the reading, students browsed picture books about famous (and not so famous) African Americans. They also looked through anthologies and the back of Undefeated at the mini biographies written for the people mentioned or illustrated in the book. Students chose a figure they wanted to spend a little time with this week. By Friday we should have 75 meaningful poems written about LeBron James, Harriet Tubman, Jackie Woodson, Katherine Johnson and many more.

WE are one of the lucky ones to receive the F&G. Fortunately, April 2 isn't too far away and you will be a lucky one, too.

A few of the books students are using for inspiration for their poems.

*not yet published

Sunday, February 10, 2019

2019 Youth Media Awards Recap

Third grade Everett with his teacher Mrs. DeMassio and their golden medal cookies.

HELLO 2019 YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS!

I must believe that if I put off writing about our Youth Media Experience, that it didn't actually happen and therefore, it's not technically over.

HOWEVER, it has been nearly two weeks. Lives have changed. Kids have declared "my book won" and we must now emotionally be ready to move on. I read my first 2020 contender in 2019 and am now working on my second. Wake up, Stacey (slaps face). The 2019 award season is over and it is time to. move. on.

Here's a small recap:

Merci's #1 Fan!

The WHOLE day of January 28 was dedicated to the love of literature. We celebrated, cheered, leapt, held our breath, drum rolled, screamed, smiled, bit our nails...all in anticipation of the award announcements. We wore t-shirts expressing our favorite books and authors. Our friends hugged us when our books won and theirs didn't. And we all ate golden medal cookies.

We watched performances from Newbery contending books (AND the Newbery medal book and honor book). We viewed sculptures and read reasons why books should win the Sibert medal and were thrilled when our books were announced for both the Sibert and the YALSA Nonfiction award.

SO many of the books we were championing won awards. Check out this bulletin board I made outside the library with EVERY book we read in one grade or another BEFORE the awards. Every book posted had at least one fan, most had more.

Last April we threw book birthday parties (with Skypes) for Alma and How She Got Her Name and Hello Lighthouse. I was informally observed in November while sharing one of the books that won a Caldecott Honor (A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin--gorgeous!). It was a win-win-win year all around!

January 28, 2019. It was a day to remember. I'm sure Meg, Sophie, Juana and many others will agree.