"Get a Clue" Preschool Storytime Ideas

Ruhama Kordatzky Bahr of the Burlington Public Library and Carissa Christner of the Madison Public Library presented some great storytime ideas at the WAPL conference. Among them:

Sensory Mysteries Using Books:
All Senses: Rain (Stojic)
Sight: Bus Stops (Gomi)
Sound: Too Much Noise (McGovern)
Taste: Lunch (Fleming)
Touch: Feely Bugs (Carter)
Smell: Whose Nose Is This? (Lynch)

Curious George Program:
Games:
Banana Hunt
Puzzle (Goes to the Hospital)
Chocolate Guessing Game

Crafts:
Paper Boats (Rides a Bike)
Swinging Monkey

Food:
Banana Things
Featured in the Book: cake, spaghetti, chocolate, pizza


They also talked about Reader's Theatre, party ideas, letterboxing and more. Please let me know if you would like any of these hand outs!

Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program for Public Libraries

This is a great starting point for librarians who have never written a grant. The application is only two pages and is very simple. Libraries can receive $500 for their project. The deadline is September 15, 2007 and announcements will be made in December. For more information go to the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Click on Programs, then on The Ezra Jack Keats National Minigrant Program for Public Libraries and Public School Libraries.

~ Barb Huntington, May 2007 Posting for Youth Services Liaisons 

Grants Available to Celebrate Wisconsin Literature

Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak Communities can celebrate and explore the literature of Wisconsin with its authors and illustrators. The Wisconsin Center for the Book will award up to
ten grants of $250 each to qualifying organizations wishing to sponsor a Wisconsin author or illustrator at a public event.

The event must be free of admission charges. Wisconsin Center for the Book defines a Wisconsin author or illustrator as any author or illustrator who has lived in Wisconsin for a significant period of time, including someone who may no longer be living in the state. The honorarium will be paid
directly to the speaker. This program is made possible through the cooperation of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and generosity of donors.

Wisconsin nonprofit organizations interested in books and reading are eligible to apply. Collaboration among groups is preferred. Such groups may include, but are not limited to, public libraries; public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; community organizations; and places of worship. Libraries are encouraged to look beyond their Friends
groups for partnerships.

Applications will be judged on the basis of
* Community outreach and collaboration,
* Thoroughness of planning, and
* Rationale for the choice of speaker.

Time line
* July 1, 2007: Applications due; if mailed, they must be postmarked on or
before this date.
* July 30, 2007: Winners will be notified by this date.
* September 1, 2007 - April 30, 2008: Programs must be scheduled between
these dates. A final report must be submitted within 10 days of the event or
the honorarium will be forfeited.

The application can be found online here. Send five completed copies of your application to Sarah McGowan , WAIS 2007-08 Chair, Wisconsin Center for the Book, W13679 Liner Road, Brandon, WI 53919. If you have questions, please contact her at 920-346-2784 or windsong@centurytel.net.
 --from the April 18th, 2007 edition of NewsFlashes, the Indianhead Federated Library System electronic newsletter.

Detective Ike @ Kohl's

Detective Ike LaRue Stuffed Toy and Mark Teague Books Are Available for $5 at Kohl's Department Stores Ike LaRue, Mark Teague's canine hero of this year's summer reading program, is available as an incredibly soft stuffed toy at Kohl's department stores for only $5. (He even comes with an eponymous heart-shaped dog tag.). Copies of "Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters from the Investigation" and "Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters from Obedience School," are also $5 each. According to Kohl's, all net profits "will be donated to support health and educational opportunities for children nationwide."

--from Rhonda Puntney, Lakeshores/Mid-Wisconsin Systems, and Chris Moesch,
2007 New York State Summer Reading Program Coordinator

Inexpensive Bug Items @ Target

Target stores currently have great bug items. In their area known as "The Dollar Spot," they have a bunch of bug-related items - all for a dollar! There are puzzles, coloring books with crayons, wind-up bugs, pull-back bugs, soft (like stuffed) bug key chains, rubber bugs in two sizes, pencils and more. Hit them now for next year's summer program!!

--from Tami Chumbley Finley, Youth Services Manager, Bettendorf Public
Library, Bettendorf, IA via Barb Huntington's Posting for the Youth Services Liaisons

Free Parenting Guide Available in Spanish and English

The National Institutes of Health has released ¿Qué Significa ser Padres? (What Does It Mean To Be Parents?), a free Spanish-language publication geared toward Hispanics who are seeking advice on parenting.

"We are very pleased to announce the release of this booklet, especially during the time of the year when parents are being celebrated," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). " ¿Qué Significa ser Padres? is an educational tool that offers valuable parenting information for first-time parents and grandparents alike."

¿Qué Significa ser Padres?—a Spanish-language version of the NICHD’s “Adventures in Parenting” booklet—offers parenting strategies based on scientific research that can be used for children of any age. The booklet gives practical suggestions for successful parenting that parents can adapt for their own lives and situations. It also includes real-life examples of how some parents have incorporated these strategies into their own day-to-day parenting activities. For free copies of /¿Qué Significa ser Padres?/ call 1-800-370-2943 or visit this site.

~ from "Yen of Youth," E-Newsletter from the Indianhead Federated Library System

Step Up to the Plate @ Your Library

Mark passed along that ALA just posted this information, for anyone who is interested!

As the temperature rises and the school year draws to a close, it is time to batter up for summer reading.  Help your community's kids and teens beat the heat this summer with Step up to the Plate @ your library(r).

Developed by the American Library Association and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the program brings together two of America's favorite pastimes - baseball and libraries - to encourage reading.  Children and young adults between 9 and 18 years of age are invited to go to their library, check out a book about baseball and describe how their favorite character inspired them.  One grand prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2007.

You can register now for free tools to help libraries promote the program locally.  Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. 

Kids are not the only winners in Step Up to the Plate. The library that brings in the most entries will win a $100 bookstore gift certificate, and three runners up will be awarded a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate. All four will also receive a copy of Lawrence Hogan's Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball (published by National Geographic Society).   

The Step up to the Plate @ your library program was officially launched during National Library Week in Peoria, Ill., with program spokespeople and Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith. Both appeared on field before a Peoria Chiefs game as the team announced the program and Sandberg, who is the Chiefs' manager, also spoke to students a local junior high. 

First-place prize packages also will be awarded (five in each of four age categories: age 9-11; 12-14; 15-16 and 17-18) and include a commemorative hardbound copy of the Hall of Fame Yearbook; Hall of Fame t-shirt; commemorative set of 20 Hall of Fame baseball cards; DVD copy of the classic baseball movie, "The Sandlot;" miniature souvenir Akadema Pro baseball glove; and a Jackie Robinson History Lives poster from ALA Graphics.

The program concludes September 1, 2007.

Step up to the Plate is part of The Campaign for America's Libraries, ALA's public awareness and advocacy campaign about the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Campaign Founding Partner. Supporters of the Step Up to the Plate program include the American Association of School Librarians (AASL); the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC); the Public Library Association (PLA); the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; and REFORMA, the Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, an affiliate of the ALA.

CCBC Wrap Up

The Outstanding Books for Children and Young Adults presentation was a great success yesterday!
View some photos on Nic Bits.
Next week the winner will be drawn for the promotion in conjunction with the Northwest Children's Book Conference. Please let us know by today if you are interested in being in the drawing!