Children’s DVDs that Entertain and Educate

November 27, 2015October 13, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Kids seem to love anything they can watch on a screen. We often feel guilty if we let them watch too much, but there are more and more fantastic selections of movies, television shows, and documentaries aimed at children that are also highly entertaining. Public Broadcast Television has led the way, but National Geographic and many other publishers have continued the effort to make entertainment that also teaches. Here are some of the great television series that have been a hit with my two children, while also catching my attention (in a good way).

Wild Kratts
Creature teachers Chris and Martin Kratt will take families along on extraordinary animal-powered adventures. The show transforms the Kratt Brothers into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and showcase key science concepts.

Classic episodes of The Electric Company.
Hilarious, educational and groovy, the 1970s educational television show and cultural phenomenon The Electric Company ran zany comedy and music acts designed to teach kids reading and arithmetic. A re-imagining of this show, with an all new cast and crew, airs regularly on PBS and can be steamed from various outlets, but is not currently on DVD.

SciGirls
A weekly television series and educational outreach program for elementary and middle-school children based on proven best practices for science, technology, engineering and math education for girls.

Peg + Cat
Follows the adventures of a young girl named Peg and her sidekick Cat as they use math skills to solve a variety of problems.

Disney’s Animal World
Stunning live-action wildlife clips of animals in their natural habitats are combined with footage from Disney’s animated classics to introduce youngsters to the world of animals.

More great, educational dvd’s for children include: Dinosaur Train, Super Why, WordWorld, Sid the Science Kid, Reading Rainbow, Martha Speaks, Cyberchase, Magic School Bus, Bill Nye the Science Guy, LeapFrog DVD’s, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That, Octonauts, Schoolhouse Rock!, and the Eyewitness DVD series.

Weeding Through the Holiday Wish Lists at the Library

November 23, 2015October 26, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

With the holidays quickly approaching advertisements for toys, gadgets, and all sorts of hot items are increasing and seem to keep getting brighter, louder, and more insistent. My kids are certainly taking notice and chiming in with regular rounds of “I want that!”

Thankfully, with the marketing and tie-ins that most companies are doing these days there are plenty of books about the latest obsessions that can help explore the most popular product lines. From Minecraft to Disney movies, there are novels, picturebooks, and guides that could inspire a love of reading and some serious research. Here are some books you might want to take a peek at or test interest levels with the intended recipient, before purchasing as a gift.

Minecraft
Minecraft Blockopedia by Alex Wiltshire, Minecraft Essential Handbook by Stephanie Milton, Minecraft Redstone Handbook by Nick Farwell, and The Ultimate Player’s Guide to Minecraft by Stephen O’Brien.

Legos
The LEGO Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination or LEGO Play Book: Ideas to Bring Your Bricks to Life by Daniel Lipkowitz, The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide by Allan Bedford, The Lego Adventure Book : Spaceships, Pirates, Dragons & More!, The Lego Movie: the Essential Guide by Hannah Dolan, The LEGO Build-it Book. Amazing Vehicles Amazing Vehicles by Nathanaël Kuipers and Mattia Zamboni, and Building Robots with Lego Mindstorms: the Ultimate Tool for Mindstorms Maniacs! by Mario Ferrari, Giulio Ferrari and Ralph Hempel.

Star Wars
Star Wars: the Visual Dictionary by David West Reynolds, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: the Visual Dictionary by James Luceno, Star Wars: Absolutely Everything you Need to Know by Adam Bray, Kerrie Dougherty, Cole Horton, and Michael Kogge, Star Wars: the Original Trilogy Stories based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas, The Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton, and LEGO Star Wars in 100 Scenes by Daniel Lipkowitz.

Disney (Frozen, Avengers, and so on)
Frozen: the Essential Guide by Barbara Bazaldua, Frozen: the Junior Novelization adapted by Sarah Nathan and Sela Roman, The Avengers Storybook Collection, Avengers, Age of Ultron: the Junior Novel by Chris Wyatt, Inside Out adapted by Suzanne Francis, Disney Pixar Inside Out: the Essential Guide by Steve Bynghall, Disney Princess: Little Golden Book Favorites, Disney Storybook Collection, Thor adapted by Elizabeth Rudnick, Captain America. Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection and Knowhere to Run: Starring Star-Lord by Chris “Doc” Wyatt.

As always, these are just suggestions and a starting point. There are so many great books out there, and that is especially true of hot topics. There are graphic novels, novels, picture books, easy readers, and non fiction guides related to just about everything on the wish lists your family might be working on. Why not take a look at a library copy before adding a new book to your home library, or do some research on the newest game or topic that monopolizes discussions in your home?

Hidden Treasures and Tips for Exploring the Children’s Room

November 18, 2015October 13, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

As someone who spends most of her working and non working hours surrounded by children and children’s books, I am pretty savvy with how our children’s room is organized and what all the stickers and categories mean. However, not all of it is obvious and I want to share some of the small pockets of the children’s collection with you so that it is easier for you to find just the right book. We have updated our signage to make it easier to find the right section, but there are still some nooks and crannies that you might not know about.

Parents Shelf
If you are looking for books to help you manage the joys of parenthood, including everything from pregnancy to how to have tough discussions with older children, then this area is a great resource. There are non fiction books for parents, DVD’s, and some books to share and read with your children on a variety of topics. Whether you are facing the wonder of potty training or the teen years, there are books here to help. There are also Parent’s Magazines and publications that are free to take. This shelf is right before the play area, so parents can browse with little ones still in sight. The call numbers for these materials all begin with Parent.

Older Picture Books
These books typically look like the average picture book. However, they are shelved after the chapter books and tend to have more words and/or subject matter that might require more explanation or discussion than expected from a picture book. These are great options for readers who are ready for chapter books but do not want to leave behind picture books or easy readers. The call numbers for these books all begin J OPB.

Easy Nonfiction
Trapped between the nonfiction books and the picture books are a couple rows on easy nonfiction. You can tell these nonfiction books apart from the rest because of the bold red E under the call number. These are non fiction materials especially suited for Kindergartners through second graders to explore on their own or for reading together. The text tends to be simple, with glossaries for the harder words, and plenty of pictures. The call numbers for these items begin with J E followed by a number.

Fiction and Nonfiction with a Yellow Dot
When exploring the fiction section (including series, science fiction, and mystery) and the nonfiction section of our children’s room, you might notice that some of the labels wear an extra yellow dot. This dot means that it is a transitional or easy chapter book. These books are not quite as easy to read as the easy readers wearing the blue stickers (shelved over by the picturebooks) but are great for the readers who are venturing into the world of chapter books and might be intimidated by the sheer size and lack of pictures in some. The these books tend to have a large font, lots of pictures, and less words on a page that other chapter books.

ABC’s and 123’s
Between the Easy Nonfiction and the Parent’s Shelf lies a small section of picture books and easy nonfiction books that help teach numbers and letters. All of the books that specifically teach numbers have a yellow 123 sticker on the spine, and the alphabet books have a red ABC on the spine. The call numbers for these items begin with an ABC or 123 as appropriate.

There are a few more special stickers and sections in the children’s room. Please, come explore the room, and if you need help finding anything or want to know what any of the labels mean, stop by the Children’s Desk and we will be glad to help!

Happy Birthday to Neil Gaiman! (November 10)

November 9, 2015September 28, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

As of November 10, 2015 Neil Gaiman is 55 years old. He is a supporter of libraries, the arts, and is everything that this librarian could want in an author. Neil is the author of books from a wide range of genre’s, and for every age group. His body of work is extensive, and includes many groundbreaking volumes. He is also the father of three children from his first marriage, now grown adults, and a new baby just born on September 16 with his wife Amanda Palmer who is a singer, song writer, performance artist, and author. To make him even cooler in my eyes, he is also good friends with singer/songwriter Tori Amos and godfather of her daughter. I am admittedly a bit of a fangirl.

Gaiman began his writing career in England as a journalist. His first book was a Duran Duran biography that took him three months to write, and his second was a biography of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic: The Official Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion. Soon afterward he collaborated or creating in graphic novels such as Violent Cases, Black Orchid, and Sandman. Over the years he has added picturebooks, children’s fiction, adult fiction, television, film, and theater to his body of work. This includes writing for one of my favorite shows, Doctor Who. He also does the narration for most, if not all, of the audiobook versions of his work.

Neil and his works have won many nominations and awards over the year. A few of the awards include: Kurt Vonnegut Jr Award For Literature, Boston Public Library Literary Lights For Children, CBLDF Defender of Liberty, The “Galaxy” Award (China) for Most Popular Foreign Author, Horn Book Honors, Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books, ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, Hugo Award, IndieBound Award, and many, many more.

Here is a sampling of his works, though far from comprehensive. They are in no particular order.
Picturebooks:
Chu’s Day
Chu’s First Day of School
Chu’s Day at the Beach
The Wolves in the Walls
Blueberry Girl
Crazy Hair
Instructions: Everything you’ll Need to Know on your Journey

Children’s and Young Adult Books:
Fortunately, the Milk
M is for Magic
The Graveyard Book
Coraline
Hansel & Gretel: a Toon Graphic
Odd and the Frost Giants
Interworld
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
The Books of Magic
Marvel 1602

Adult Books:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Make Good Art Speech
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
Anansi Boys
American Gods
Stardust
Good Omens
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice. Vol. 1

My Most Frequently Recommended Children’s Authors

November 4, 2015October 5, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about working in the library is getting the chance to do reader’s advisory. This is librarian jargon for answering questions about what book a patron (or their child) might enjoy reading next. On our part it involves discovering what the reader is most interested in, and what kind of books they usually enjoy most. While I might occasionally get stumped in the adult fiction category, when it comes to books for children (or teens) I could go on for hours. We all have our favorites, particularly if given free reign to mention any genre of book we enjoyed, or when we find a patron that has enjoyed some of the same books that we loved as well.

There are several authors that most parents, librarians, and parents think of first and fondly, such as E.B. White, Beverly Cleary, C.S. Lewis, Judy Blume, Lemony Snicket, Roald Dahl, Kate DiCamillo, and more. Once the typical go to books have been read, or dismissed by the young reader since the parents suggested them, I have several of my own go to authors that I usually recommend. Here is my “short” list.

Tamora Pierce has several series, all connected by the fantasy world they are set in and some overlapping events and characters. You do not have to read all of the series to enjoy the others. The first series is Song of the Lioness, about a young girl who defies all the odds to become a knight. She has books in both the children’s and young adult sections of the library. Other series include Beka Copper, the Daughter of the Lioness or Trickster series, Circle of Magic, and Protector of the Small.

Michael Buckley has one stand alone novel (Undertow) for young adults and two wonderful series for children. The Sisters Grimm is a mystery series about orphaned sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm who are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother, who just happens to live in a town with a variety of fairy-tale characters. NERDS is a series that combines all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school. The series features a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities!

Tom Angleberger has a selection of fun and fast paced books that are great for reluctant readers. There is Fake Mustache, the Origami Yoda series, the Qwikpick Papers series, and Horton Halfpott. All of his books have silly humor, illustrations, and realistic characters in less believable situations.

E.D. Baker tends to writes books that take our assumptions about princesses, magic, and fairy tales and makes us look at them with new eyes. First came The Frog Princess which started a series. Soon after came The Wide-Awake Princess and its follow ups. There is also the stand alone (at least so far) A Question of Magic and the start to another series with The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker.

Other great authors, that rarely disappoint readers willing to give them a chance include Avi, Shannon Hale, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Stroud, Gail Carson Levine, Ben Hatke, Jennifer Holm, Vivian Velde Vande, Holly Black, Matt Christopher, Diana Wynne Jones, Lois Lowry, Louis Sachar, Jerry Spinelli, Andrew Clements, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Cornelia Funke, and so many more. Still looking for suggestions, or need a specific recommendation for you or your child? Swing by the Children’s Room and any of us will be glad to help and share our favorites!