It's Julie!

In December each year, our group of Youth Services people presents our Caldecott Medal predications. Julie at the Walt Branch Library was this year's winner, bringing "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" to that meeting.

I owe Walt Branch Library cookies--the prize for the winner of our Annual Caldecott Prediction being cookies for their library. And really, I'll get on that this weekend, Julie!

The talk that swirls around the annual prize announcements reminds me that there's still plenty of energy about books and reading--reading may seem a solitary pastime, but it becomes VERY social when people start talking about what they read, whether in-person or virtually.

I'll bake to that!

Snow Day!

School's called off today in Lincoln, due to snow.

I was tempted to take the day off, too, especially when I took a good look at the couch, the pillow, and the quilt.

I've been pulled into "The White Darkness" by Geraldine McCaughrean, this year's Michael L. Printz Award winner, for young adult literature. There's something perfect about reading a story set in Antarctica while the snow blows outside. Haven't gotten to the end yet, but I'm pretty well creeped out by "Uncle" Victor.

Got me thinking about characters who wear people down--like Charles Boyer in the movie, Gaslight. I'm looking for ideas of others from the world of children's and YA literature...who are they? And what triumphs over them?

Thanks, Mrs. Barrilleaux!

I'm scheduled for a presentation at the Eastern Nebraska Reading Council in Seward this evening, along with my buddy at the Nebraska Library Commission, Sally Snyder. The weather may have an impact on this plan, so you never know....

I'm delighted with the chance to talk with teachers--a passionate teacher creates a forever impact.

I'd point to Mrs. Barrilleaux, my fourth grade teacher in York, Nebraska. When Mrs. Barrilleaux read aloud after lunch, she made magic. She'd embrace each book as she prepared to read it, telling us what a great book it was, and how happy she was to read it to us. My sister had Mrs. Barrilleaux the year before me, and so I knew all about "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" and "Nancy and Plum." I can still hear Mrs. Barrilleaux's voice saying, "Brighty! Brighty!"

And the first thing she taught us that year was how to spell her name!

"Teacher Books!"

Over the weekend, I read "Your Own, Syliva, a verse portrait of Sylvia Plath" by Stephanie Hamphill, and "The Poet Slave of Cuba, a biography of Juan Francisco Manzano" by Margarita Engle. They're fine books about poets well worth knowing.

The Plath book is classified as fiction, the Manzano with the nonfiction in biography. Both are written in verse form. While I applaud Hampill and Engle for writing these books in the form in which their subjects wrote, I wasn't sure their talent at verse accurately reflected the talent of their subjects (a daunting prospect, to be sure).

Here at the public library, we struggle to find the readers for books about poets.

When it comes down to it, we don't have as many chances to hand-sell books like these as we'd wish. Keeping them on display helps, but even then sometimes these books languish. We sometimes refer to these as "teacher books." That is, many of our teachers have a sense for which of their students would love a book like these. These teachers our best hope to get these books into these readers' hands.

I'll be part of a presentation to teachers tomorrow evening. I'll include these books--with my fingers crossed that a teacher in the audience will immediately think of the students who would be their perfect audience.

Elijah of Buxton!

I picked up Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis in preparation for a book talk I'm presenting to teachers next week.

I didn't get into it quickly--the colloquialisms and slapstick aspects just didn't pull me in. Now, however, I'm pulled! I'm nearly to the end and sad to see how few pages remain.

I'm eager to get this into the hands of teachers--and from them to the hearts of some young readers.