Nannies Take Over Storytime

Check out this neat little radio story from NPR's Intern Edition. It's about the changing nature of children's story times in public libraries, specifically in one D.C. neighborhood.

LOLbooks

There has been some debate in the last year over whether the Newbery Medal-winning children's books of the last decade are really that great. They're just so...not fun. Do they scare kids off reading? Are they written more for adults than children? Perhpas. My solution is to break out the guaranteed laughs. So here are some of my favorite funny books for kids 8-12:

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

...and any book by Daniel Pinkwater or Roald Dahl (that pretty much goes for all of these authors, acutally).

Some of My Favorite Picture Books

Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss

Is there anything more fun to read aloud than Dr. Seuss? Horton is just one example of his genius, which was all the more remarkable for being accompanied by kindness and humor. In this book we learn that "after all, a person is a person, no matter how small" (which is a moral a little kid can really get behind).





The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill and Russell Ayto

On a farm filled with special cows, Marjorie feels so blah until a Charlotte's Web-esque turn of events brings her fame (and scrutiny). This is a funny and colorful book that I love to use at story times. There are no biology lessons in here, just an underdog (undercow?) with a big heart.





Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

Many great picture books, like great songs, have refrains that get pleasantly stuck in your head. In this book it's: "Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats!" Millions of Cats brings you a sweet story with a catchy hook, and Wanda Gag's unique style.



Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak

To be fair, my love for these books comes from the television special Really Rosie. I used to check it out from the Burien Public Library all the time when I was a kid. It features Carole King as Rosie singing all of the great little stories in this collection: "Alligators All Around," "Pierre," "One was Johnny," and, of course, the beloved "Chicken Soup with Rice."








George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends by James Marshall

These stories are all very short, sort of like little absurd poems that illustrate the true nature of what it means to have a best bud. The hilarity, profundity, and absurdity are captured perfectly in James Marshall's illustrations. G&M will live in my heart forever.




Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie

The exquisitely illustrated Toot and Puddle are two very different little pigs. One goes off to see the world, while the other stays home, but their friendship endures through love and postcards. Totally adorable. Many sequels.





Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Vorst and Ray Cruz

This is the like the picture book version of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts." When you're having a hard day, you connect to it and you just feel better.




The Monster at the End of This Book

I have such clear memories of reading this book when I was a little kid. It always made me giggle. Grover begs the reader not to turn the pages because he's scared of the monster at the end of the book. (Even when I was a child I appreciated meta-fiction. Break down that fourth wall, Grover!)

Better Presentations, Please

I have heard/read so much great advice on how to give presentations that it baffles me when I see someone get up in front of a group and ignore all of it. Just the other day I sat through a long PowerPoint presentation where the presenter basically read out loud what was written on the slides. No! There is a better way!

For my own reference, and for yours, dear reader, here are some great resources about how to make your presentations sing. Trust me, your future audiences will be grateful if you take this advice:

HOWTO Give a Good Presentation (from Walking Paper)

Presentation Zen (from Garr Reynolds)

Presentation = Speech + Slides (from In the Library with the Lead Pipe)

4 Way to Spice Up Your Presentations (from iLibrarian)

And finally, if you have been the victim of bad presentations, this should make you laugh: