When I was Litle

For my last book of the year I read When I was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis. It is a cute book and a great beginning memoir for children. I Chose this book because I had checked out the Children's Lit book this semester from App and I had to turn it back in. My library had few children's memoirs, but I am glad to have picked this one. I like to see what t is about children's books that make them great sellers and I haven't yet picked it out totally but I can now recogize it even if I can't put my finger on the definition of it.

Dr. Nita,
If you read this...thanks for a great year!

sad to leave

I just got word a week ago that my husband has recieved a job in KY. So therefore I won't be able to finish my MLS here. They say they may transfer in 9 hours but I have 15 so far. That's ok I guess but I will hate to leave all the great people that I have met in this cohort. The profesors are wonderful. I have learned so much from this program. I will be leavign in June so there is no reason to be in summer classes. So sad to go but new opportunities await my husband. Thank you Dr. Nita for all you have taught me!

Epistemology

It is undersndable that the nature of knowledge comes in different ways, hence the various theories of learning. I did my unit plan a kindergarten science lesson that could be done in a library setting. Cognitivsm can me seen in the lesson as we repeat the vocabulary and also show pictures of the different types of weather each day, and students are encouraged to ask qusetions and be given answers by classmates and librarian. Behaviorsim is the interraction of the students with different media and temperature/weather gathering sources. The activities are structured from day to day with a concept that is introduced...guided practce, individual practice, discussion and observation are all part of my plan - though I don't come out and call it these things. And finally, constructivism - the whole lesson grows as children construct their learning from prior knowledge of computer skills, reading skills, and temperature/weather skills that they have learned. The librarian doesn't always tell the children what to do and allows individual learning. Students are encouraged to find out for themelves how to tell the temperature how to know what to wear on a rany day, etc. I really enjoyed doing this lesson/unit plan and learned a lot from it.

Controversy?

The book I just read, The Bronze Bow, could stir up controversy over the religious context. The book is about a young boy Daniel Bar Jamon and is a spiritual, physical, and emotional journey. It won a Newberry which I thought was appropriate to chose seeing as we just spoke with Dr. Naylor about the selection process and being on the comittee for Newberry awards. It was a wonderful book in my oppinion as the history and descriptons of the Holy Lands seemed accurate and wonderful. Some of the criticisms are that the writer is a Sunday School teacher and that her views and characters are swayed, as they follow Jesus. However, being someone who myself follows Jesus, it doesn't bother me.

At my father's funeral his boss spoke about how he did his job so well but above all he was a Christian. His did what was right in the workplace but never did anything to undermine his Christianity. I think that even though I want to be a librarian who is completely fair and knowledgeable about book selections, well, above all I want to be a Christian doing it. Therefore, I think that I am probably not the best person to ask about keeping this book in a library if it is controversal. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm Glad I'm Me

This poem is totaly written for my husband...

I’m Glad I’m Me
by Phil Bolsta

I don’t understand why everyone stares
When I take off my clothes and dance down the stairs.
Or when I stick carrots in both of my ears,
Then dye my hair green and go shopping at Sears.
I just love to dress up and do goofy things.
If I were an angel, I’d tie-dye my wings!
Why can’t folks accept me the way that I am?
So what if I’m different and don’t act like them?
I’m not going to change and be someone I’m not.
I like who I am, and I’m all that I’ve got.

Phil Bolsta, “I’m Glad I’m Me” from Kids Pick the Funniest Poems, edited by Bruce Lansky (Minnetonka, Minn.: Meadowbrook Press, 1991). Copyright © 1991 by Phil Bolsta. Reprinted with the permission of the author.Source: Kids Pick the Funniest Poems (1991).

Cute Children's Poetry

Deep in Our Refrigerator
by Jack Prelutsky

Deep in our refrigerator,
there's a special place
for food that's been around awhile . . .
we keep it, just in case.
“It's probably too old to eat,”
my mother likes to say.
“But I don't think it's old enough
for me to throw away.”
It stays there for a month or more
to ripen in the cold,
and soon we notice fuzzy clumps
of multicolored mold.
The clumps are larger every day,
we notice this as well,
but mostly what we notice
is a certain special smell.
When finally it all becomes
a nasty mass of slime,
my mother takes it out, and says,
“Apparently, it's time.”
She dumps it in the garbage can,
though not without regret,
then fills the space with other food
that's not so ancient yet
Text © 2000 Jack Prelutsky. Used by Permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

This sounds like my grandmother. I like the light hearted humor of this poem.

Publish Children's Book

http://www.booksurge.com/content/Google_Childrens.htm?cid=publish_childrens_book&gclid=CKCvmoiFrZkCFQxhnAodZx5qJA

I just mentioned in my last blog about wanting to write children's books. Yeah, I probably won't do that but I did find this site that says you cna publish your works with its help.

This is what it says, "BookSurge, part of the Amazon group of companies, offers a broad array of publishing services to help you craft the book of your dreams, as well as promotional tools and resources to help you gain an audience for your work. Our most popular package for children's book authors includes a customized interior and cover, complete with full-color illustrations to bring your vision to life.
We recognize that selecting a publishing partner and path is an important decision. Once you submit your information in the form below, you'll have access to the following free resources available from Brian Jud, book marketing guru and bestselling author of Beyond the Bookstore:
"Why Self-Publish?," an article evaluating the publishing options available to authors today
"Get Your Word's Worth: 555 Tips for Improving Your Book's Promotion," an eBook filled with low-cost and no-cost promotional techniques."

Pretty cool