You Wouldn't Want to Be a Worker on the Statue of Liberty: A Monument You'd Rather Not Build

You Would Want to Be a Worker on the Statue of Liberty: A Monument You’d Rather Not Build

Author: John Malam  

ISBN: 0531207005

Publisher: Scholastic Children’s Press, 2008

Age: 8 and up

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: In 1871 Edouard de Laboulaye, a French politician, commissions Frederic Bartholdi, a French sculptor, to create a monument for the United States.  He wants it be large, and done before 1876 for their 100^th birthday.  After a long voyage and tour of the U.S. Bartholdi and his assistant head back to France to begin work.  He chooses copper because of its chemical compound (it doesn’t rust), and plans to attach the formed copper sheets to a large iron frame.  They plastered, then built wood frames from the plastered forms, and then formed the copper sheets.  The pieces were transported to the U.S. on ships and it was assembled there.  It was finished in October of 1886, 21 years after the idea began. 

Read A-likes: You Wouldn’t Want to Be a: Inca Mummy; Aristocrat in the French Revolution; Boston Tea Party; Mary, Queen of Scots; and Roman Soldier. (To name only a few)

Personal Thoughts: This book is part of a series for young children entitled “You Wouldn’t Want to Be”.  Though considered a bit young for a ‘tween’ these books are incredibly popular with the tween and even teen set.  Fun and engaging to read, they also impart quite a bit of information in an interesting manner. 

Can You Find It? America

Can You Find It? America

Author: Linda Falken

ISBN: 0810988909

Publisher: Abram’s Books for Young Readers, 2010

Age: 8 and up

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: This book consists of 20 works of art, which includes paintings to 18^th century needlepoint, and the goal is to find the provided list of items within each work of art.  All the artwork in this book was created by American artists, and is on display at the American Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Read A-likes: Can You Find It?; Can You Find It Inside?; and Can You Find It, Too?

Personal Thoughts: This is fabulous way to teach children about art by making it fun and interesting!  Similar to a “Where’s Waldo” book, but the pictures are actual paintings from history, and the reader needs to find certain things within the painting.  This would make a great travel book. 

The Scandinavian Vikings

The Scandinavian Vikings

Author: Louise Park and Timothy Love

ISBN: 0761444459

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009

Age: 9-12

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: Who were the Vikings?  Where did they come from?  These are the first of many questions asked and then answered in this book.  Within its pages you learn about Viking social classes, their longships, raiding, key historical figures, Viking longhouses, the roles of men and women, clothing and jewelry, armor and weapons, religion, and burials and funerals.  A brief history of Leif Eriksson is also given along with a look at Viking expansion in the world.

Read A-likes: The Japanese Samurai; The Medieval Knights; The Roman Gladiators; and The Spartan Hoplites. 

Personal Thoughts: This book is part of a series written by the same authors entitled Ancient and Medieval People, and each book highlights the heroes of the day, spotlights key historical events, timelines, and quick facts.  Well presented information in a fun and easy format for young kids to enjoy. 

Girl's Life Magazine

Girl’s Life Magazine

Publisher: October/November 2009 issue

Age: 11 and up

Genre: Periodicals

Summary: This popular teen magazine is strictly for girls, and includes many things such as fashion picks, makeup hints, hairstyles, celebrity news, quizzes, advice columns, advertisements, and even workout routines.  There are articles about eating/diets, deployed parents, anger, and how to deal with stress.  There are lists of suggested movies, books, and music; as well as a plug for YALSA’s Teen Read Week.    

Personal Thoughts: A fun and interesting look into teen popular culture.  Even though it was a year old, much of the information inside is still useful and interesting, even to an adult.  There are advice columns where girls can write in with their concerns in an anonymous setting that allows them to get answers without judgment.  I don’t know that I would suggest this to every teenage girl, but at least is has some useful information presented as well. 

Eyewitness: Costume

Eyewitness: Costume

Author: L. Rowland-Warne

ISBN: 0789455862

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Children, 2000

Age: 9-12

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: A fascinating look at the history of dress and costume. It is similar to other books in this series in that it includes full color photographs of period clothing and accessories as well as brief snippets of information explaining what each item is and its significance.  Includes sections on hats, swimwear, children’s attire, bridal garb, and more.  

Read A-likes: Eyewitness: Knights; Eyewitness: American Revolution; Eyewitness: World War II; and Eyewitness: Medieval Life.

Personal Thoughts: A fun look at dress and costume from beginning of time up to more recent times.  There are a lot of pictures of real preserved pieces of clothing from history, as well as reproductions. This book is very much like a mini museum in the pages of a book.   It’s browsability is amazing and the pictures on the cover draw a reader in to see more.

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Author: Catherine O’Neill Grace

ISBN: 0792261429

Publisher: National Geographic, 2003

Age: 9-12

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: This fresh account of the voyage of the Mayflower is illustrated with photographs taken on a 2001 cruise of the Mayflower II.  The story of the Mayflower, her crew, and passengers is presented in a brief and accurate portrayal of the difficulties of life at sea.  The author illustrates the planning, preparation and skills that went into a voyage during the 1600’s, and discusses the difficulties that arose, or more than likely did arise, between so many people of differing backgrounds and beliefs.  

Read A-likes: 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving; Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl; and Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times.

Personal Thoughts: This book was a brief and yet well presented fresh look at the voyage that began the settling of a nation.  It was interesting to get a different view on a familiar story in history.  The real-life photographs included made it feel much more real and recent rather than something that simply happened in the past. 

The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin

The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin

Author: Cheryl Harness

ISBN: 0792278828

Publisher: National Geographic, 2005

Age: 4-10

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of a youngest son for five generations, and because of this his father was sure he was special.  His father’s intention was for Benjamin to become a preacher, but finances prevented his further formal education.  Young Ben was a lover of the water and an avid learner, something that never changed.  He was apprenticed to his uncle, a printer, and he spent his spare time reading.  This is where young Ben discovered the freedom of speech, and set the course for his future. 

Read A-likes: George Washington; Thomas Jefferson; Revolutionary John Adams; and Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington: 1837-1865.

Personal Thoughts: This book is a fascinating and marvelously done glimpse into the life of one of our country’s founding fathers.  The illustrations are very engaging, and included on each page is a well known quote from Benjamin Franklin.  A fun and interesting way for kids to read a biography.

Teens/Tweens and Researching...

Something that’s been on my mind this week is teens/tweens and their research abilities.  As I’ve been working on my e-portfolio I decided to use a paper that I had written for a LIB244 about whether or not teens have online researching skills.  One of the articles I used in this paper pointed out that most teens, when given an assignment requiring research, would immediately either Google or Wikipedia the topic rather than put any effort into looking elsewhere.  Now most people in the world would simply shrug their shoulders and wonder what’s wrong with this scenario.  On an adult level I would probably say nothing.  I use Google nearly every day myself for one thing or another, but when it comes to research, I usually only use it as a jumping off point, if even then.  The problem with tween/teens using this as a first and only resource is that the information retrieved is not always correct, useful or reliable.  Most people believe that because tweens/teens are so exposed to technology, and their usage of it is so high that means they must know how to use it to retrieve anything.  As I stated in my paper, “Constant exposure to technology does not necessarily denote advanced knowledge and understanding, simply maneuverability.”  The problem stated and suggestions made in both the articles and paper is training.  Teaching tweens/teens not only how to research, but how to determine the usefulness or efficacy of the information they are retrieving is paramount.  Most, not all, teachers assign research projects, papers, etc and simply expect students to competently research and write an intelligent and useful reply.  Now from what I’ve experienced and from what I’ve seen with my younger siblings and nieces and nephews, there isn’t a lot of instructing taking place on online researching.  How do the teachers expect their students to automatically know the whys, where’s, and how’s of research without any instruction?  I suppose what I’m getting at is that so many of the tweens and teens entering our library doors are horribly unprepared to do any but the most basic research, and it frequently falls upon us, as librarians, to teach them how to find and disseminate useful information.  My next question is…how do we do that?  (To be addressed in next posting…)

Watkins, K. (2008). Return of the Google game.  School Library Journal, p 46-48. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6555545.html

Bullying

There has been a lot of articles and stories done in the media lately about bullying, and as I was browsing in Professor Harlan’s posts on Twitter I saw the post made today with a link to a blog post about bullying.  Bullying has always been a sensitive topic with me.  We moved around a lot when I was younger, which did not promote close friendships with neighbor kids.  Hence, I was not a popular kid.  I, in fact, had no friends for a very long time.   But let me go back a ways…I was rather unremarkable as a kid, not fat, sick, ugly, no glasses, etc.  And yet I was a favorite target…I have since figured out that it was because I was usually the “new” kid which meant fresh meat.  I may not have been a big kid, but I grew up with three older brothers.  Three very rambunctious brothers that loved nothing more than teasing, wrestling, and thumping on one another, and me.  I learned very young how to defend myself with incredible success.  They weren’t hard and mean, just tough and determined that I should be tough too.  When I got to elementary school I saw older kids picking on the younger kids.  It made me mad.  So, so, so, so mad.  I got in “trouble” regularly…not for bullying kids, but for beating up the bullies.  I was fairly small and I was fast, and I had survived Yarrington boys 101, which meant I was a dirty fighter.  The principal of my elementary school soon became one of my best friends because I spent a lot of time in her office explaining why I had beat up some 6^th grader again. 

              But enough of my recollections.  Bullying is an ugly disease that is getting worse and worse in the schools and not only in elementary, but also in junior high and even high school.  School staff is limited because of society’s way of suing first and asking questions later, so many of these bullies are allowed to run pretty much unchecked.  And if there is one thing I learned from elementary school (besides that I still hate my 6^th grade teacher) it’s that kids are mean!  Mean and nasty…especially to each other and those they deem weak.  What can be done?  As librarians, honestly, there isn’t much we can do except be prepared to offer help, encouragement and, of course, friendship to any young kid looking for it.  A child that has a good self esteem and knows they are loved is less likely to be a true victim of bullying.  My personal opinion is that kids caught bullying should be checked…hard.  There is no excuse for it, and the current punishments in place have obviously not worked…since when is getting a day off (suspension) an intelligent punishment?  The punishment should be something nasty…like cleaning all the bathrooms in the building…every day for a month, with a toothbrush!

The Dangerous Book for Boys

The Dangerous Book for Boys

Author: Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden

ISBN: 0061243582

Publisher: Collins, 2007

Age: 8-14

Genre: Non-fiction

Summary: This book is an intentionally old-fashioned, politically incorrect eclectic collection of boy appeal facts and activities.  It includes dozens of short, randomly placed, chapters that cover a large range of topics. Simple instructions for coin tricks and paper airplanes alternate with excerpts from history including famous battles, astronomy facts, and information about the ancient world.  The dangerous aspect is more apparent in such chapters as Making Cloth Fireproof, and Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit. 

Read A-likes: The Daring Book for Girls; The Boys Book of Survival; How to Be the Best at Everything; The Double Daring Book for Girls, and The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys.

Personal Thoughts: This is one of the most requested and well loved books for young boys in our local library.  This book is endlessly interesting to young boys, adults, and even girls.  Some of the chapters include very useful information including Five Knots every Boy Should Know, Fishing, First Aid and Navigation.