A First Time for Everything, by Dan Santat, is a perfect tween book. It’s funny, sweet, honest, sometimes poignant but not sad. It’s a gentle comfort for every kid who has ever felt awkward and different, and an incentive for everyone who is afraid to try new things. It’s a
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wmtc: "the secret pocket": children’s books on residential schools, reading for reconciliation, and other library things
This post started as a standard “what i’m reading” post. But as I thought about it, I realized that it touches on several other themes that are important to me: history, Reconciliation, libraries, readers’ advisory… and maybe some others I’m not seeing yet. The Secret Pocket In September, for National
Continue readingwmtc: worlds collide: more notes on "gods of the upper air"
Gods of the Upper Air, by Charles King, which I recently wrote about, highlights several books that were highly influential in their time, for good and for ill. In The Passing of a Great Race, published in 1916, a man named Madison Grant foretold the extinction of the “Nordic” race and their
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the leak: great junior graphic for the young activist in your life
It starts with a trip to the dentist. Ruth Keller swears she brushes her teeth and flosses daily, yet the cavities are piling up. The dentist lectures, her mom scolds. No one believes that Ruth takes proper care of her teeth — but she does. Then Ruth and a friend
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: gone to the woods, a riveting memoir by author gary paulsen
Gary Paulsen wrote some of the best children’s literature, most famously Hatchet. The tale of a boy who must survive on his own in the woods until he is at last rescued, Hatchet (published in 1986) is a go-to book for librarians facing the challenge of a reluctant reader, and many kids’
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: build early literacy with storytimes
Build Early Literacy with Storytimes – Every Day in Port Hardy In a year when we desperately needed good news, the Port Hardy branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) had the best news: a huge increase in hours. And one of the best things about those new hours
Continue readingwmtc: a childhood book and a dream for humanity: in henry’s backyard (1948)
When I was a child, my family had a book called In Henry’s Backyard. My siblings and I read it repeatedly. The book tells the story of a man who learns that all the “races of man” are equal. Over many years and decades, my brother has mentioned this book,
Continue readingKersplebedeb: True Cost of Coal – Interview with Beehive Design Collective members
We reached out to the creators of the True Cost of Coal rhyming narrative & activity book to learn more about the beautiful book and why they decided to make it. What is the Beehive Design Collective? The Beehive Collective is a collective of artists, activists, educators and organizers who work
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: sometimes you have to lie: the life and times of louise fitzhugh, renegade author of harriet the spy
Until very recently, I didn’t know anything about Louise Fitzhugh and had not thought about her at all. Of course, as a child I read and loved Harriet the Spy, Fitzhugh’s iconic and groundbreaking children’s book. For a good portion of my life, I dreamed of writing a similar book.
Continue readingwmtc: beverly cleary, rest in peace, and thank you
Beverly Cleary, who died last week at the astounding age of 104, was a pivotal figure in the world of children’s literature. Her books are treasures; her influence can scarcely be measured. Cleary was one of the first authors to feature young characters who were realistically imperfect. If she was
Continue readingwmtc: "at your library" in the north island eagle: kids bogo at the library
Kids BOGO At the Library September is Literacy Month in BC, and your library will be celebrating in a big way. During the month of September, we are offering “Kids BOGO”. BOGO usually means “Buy One, Get [Another] One”, but this BOGO is “Borrow One, Get One”. When you borrow
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: prairie fires: the american dreams of laura ingalls wilder
I read Little House on the Prairie when I was very young, and eventually went on to read the whole Little House series. I didn’t know any other girls named Laura — there were at least five in my Master’s program, but it wasn’t a popular name back then —
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #29
It’s TIHATL, Summer Reading Club edition! Summer Reading Club is in full swing in Canadian libraries. In more than 2,100 libraries around Canada, kids are earning prizes and recognition for reading. Thanks to Toronto Public Library and a certain sponsoring bank, we all have lots of free stuff to give
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the golden compass by philip pullman
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, has been on my to-read list since it was first published in the mid-1990s. Although I generally don’t read fantasy fiction, after reading an outstanding review in The New York Times Book Review, I was very intrigued. Thanks to the Teen Book Club I facilitate
Continue readingwmtc: the so-called "y.a. debate" rages on, but doesn’t a debate have two sides?
In June of this year, Slate ran a now-infamous piece called “Against YA,” in which Ruth Graham argued that adults shouldn’t read young-adult fiction, and should be embarrassed if they do. A flood of posts and essays were written in response; my own response is here. In the short term, as far
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #13
A boy, maybe age 8, was confused about what he needed. He said he needed “chapter books about the human body,” which sounded to me like two things – books about the human body for a school project, and chapter books, meaning junior fiction that is not a picture book,
Continue readingwmtc: youth books, children’s book edition #10, and the best part of my job
I thought readers’ advisory was the best part of my job, but that was before I began running our library’s teen book club. Once a month, I spend an evening with a group of teens who choose to spend their evening at the library, talking about books. We hang out,
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading, children’s books edition # 9: wonderstruck
Over the summer, I wrote about The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, a children’s book with a suspenseful, convoluted story, lavishly illustrated with Selznick’s beautiful pencil drawings. (I scanned several of those images into my earlier post.) I’ve just finished Selznick’s most recent book, Wonderstruck. Wonderstruck is filled
Continue readingwmtc: my favourite customers and two-way readers’ advisory
The children’s library where I work services a huge age-range of young people and their caregivers, from birth up to around age 12. I enjoy the full range – helping parents understand the importance of reading to their children, helping kids find fun books to read, finding material for school
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 8: the invention of hugo cabret
In the aftermath of the flood and with our impending move, when I’m not dealing with those events, all I want to do is read and blog. If you enjoy my “what i’m reading” posts, you’ll be happy. If not… * * * * I’ve long wanted to read The
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