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Quarterly Journal of the Youth Services Section

North Carolina Library Association

Message From The Chair It’s Spring and I know I am ready for it. Good-bye snow! This time of year gives you that “Twilight Zone” feeling, as you look at stats from last year for budget purposes, program in the present and make plans for Summer Reading 2010 all at the same time. Maybe the Twilight Zone is a little too old school; many of you will not remember it. For you youngsters just think “LOST”— boy, is that show aptly named! I never know if I am flashing forward, flashing back or sliding sideways! I am excited about Summer Reading this year, Making a SPLASH @ Your Library sounds like so much fun. Here we are planning to partner with our Parks & Rec Department to offer swim tickets as prizes. Also, a local seafood restaurant is providing free kid’s meals for those who complete summer reading. Summer Reading in Greensboro is truly a community effort, as it should be! I hope your plans are going well. I have seen lots of posts on NCKids about performers and programming. Don’t you just love the way children’s specialists across North Carolina pitch in to help each other? We are truly fortunate to have such great resources at our fingertips, literally! That brings me to another of our incredible assets, the Youth Services Section biennial retreat. On October 7 & 8, children’s specialists from across the state will converge on the Caraway Conference Center in Randolph County for two days of intense networking, sharing of ideas, and a little R&R. This year’s theme is Rested, Relaxed & Ready to Run! We are saving a place for you so let your bosses know this is something you just can’t miss.

Volume 69, Spring 2010

We have kept the cost low, same as last year, and there will be something for everyone: multi-cultural programming, using social networks to benefit the library, booktalks for urban lit and even a mystery theater. You will get to meet Heather Harden from Martin Memorial Library in Williamston—talk about fingertips flying; she is a wealth of knowledge. The conference center will be dressed in its fall splendor and the weather will be gorgeous. Make plans now to join us! Cindy Dye Greensboro Public Library

North Carolina Children’s Book Award The North Carolina Children’s Book Award (NCCBA) is sponsored by the North Carolina School Library Media Association and the North Carolina Association of School Librarians & the Children's Services Sections of the North Carolina Library Association. The purpose of the award is to encourage students in grades K-6:

• To become better acquainted with the best writers and illustrators of contemporary books with outstanding literary appeal. • To broaden students’ awareness of literature as a means of personal satisfaction and lifelong pursuits. (Picture Books) • To promote reading aloud with students in the early grades as a means of introducing reading as a pleasure. (Picture Books) • To promote reading aloud with students as a means of extending the concept of reading for pleasure; (Junior Books) • To give recognition and honor to their favorite books, authors, and illustrators.

The first Picture Book Award was given in 1992 to In a Dark, Dark Room and other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz and the first Junior Book Award was given in 1995 to The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In March of this year the children of North Carolina selected the following books as the winners for 2010: Picture Book - Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery Junior Book - Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadahota Beginning in November and running through August children in grades K-6 nominated their favorite titles published during and after 2007. On Saturday, May 1, the NCCBA selection committee met and chose the following books from the nominations. The NCCBA Nominations for 2010-2011 are:

Picture Book Category

Bluemle, Elizabeth. How Do You Wokka-Wokka?

Brown, Peter. The Curious Garden. Fucile, Tony. Let's Do Nothing.

Greenstein, Elaine. The Goose Man: the Story of Konrad Lorenz. Kajikawa, Kimiko. Tsunami!

Lithgow, John. I Got Two Dogs. MacDonald, Margaret Read. The Great Smelly,

Slobbery, Small-tooth Dog : a Folktale from Great Britain.

McNaughton, Colin. Not Last Night But the Night Before.

Perlman, Janet. The Delicious Bug. Piernas-Davenport, Gail. Shanté Keys and the

New Year's Peas. Thomas, Jan. Rhyming Dust Bunnies.

Van Dusen, Chris. Circus Ship.

Junior Book Category: Carmichael, Clay. Wild Things. Clayton, Sally Pomme. Persephone. Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration and the Meaning of Home. Davies, Jacqueline. The Lemonade War. Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 Cows for America. DiTerlizzi, Tony. Kenny and the Dragon. Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Kehoe, Tim. The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow. Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. Philbrick, Rodman. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. Winter, Jonah. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? Woodson, Jacqueline. Peace, Locomotion. For more information about the NCCBA you can visit Bookhive at http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/NCCBA/ or contact: Lisa England Middle Fork Elementary School 3125 Williston Road Walkertown, NC 27051 email: fooster5@aol.com Jane Deacle Cameron Village Regional Library 1930 Clark Avenue Raleigh, NC 27605 email: jdeacle@wakegov.com

Yoga Storytime While it may seem like a bit of a stretch at first, storytime is a great opportunity to introduce yoga to kids! I completed my yoga teacher certification August 2009 and was eager to share what I learned with our library community. Even though I am the Business Reference Librarian, Youth Services welcomed me to storytime.

Storytime is offered once a week in 20-30 minute sessions for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Yoga Storytime took place on two days during regularly scheduled storytime. Registration was not required. It was simply advertised as a special treat and comfortable clothing was suggested. No mats or props are needed, just the floor! Attendance was consistent with regular storytime.

Each session began with calming poses and relaxing music. I read three stories to each group. After each book we practiced one or two age appropriate yoga and yoga inspired poses. The book themes were Tens and Monkeys. I used the themes as a guide when selecting poses, but did not feel bound by them. We held some poses for a count of ten and stretched like monkeys. I demonstrated each pose first and then demoed with a stuffed animal. Many ideas for the baby and toddler poses came from the book Itsy Bitsy Yoga by Helen Garabedian and required interaction

between parent and child. For example, during “Toes to Nose,” the child sits in the parent’s lap and the parent gently guides the child’s toes to the nose! The favorite among the kids (and best workout for the parents) involved deep wide-legged squats on an exhale breath while holding the child with their back to the parent’s chest. Expect lots of smiles and laughter. For the older kids, we practiced more traditional poses such as down dog and tree. The following link has excellent photographs and descriptions of poses from the book Storytime Yoga: Teaching Yoga to Children through Story by Sydney Solis http://www.storytimeyoga.com/lotus/resources/asanas.pdf . Over time yoga can have a calming effect and improve concentration. This can enhance literacy skills. Yoga can add a little fun, movement, and variety to storytime while fully engaging kids and parents. If you want to try a similar program, start by searching your own collection for yoga resources and ideas. Parents may want to check out yoga books and videos to follow up at home. Contact local yoga studios, many yoga teachers are happy

to volunteer their time for a good cause. Yoga was a well received addition to regular storytime for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. The photographs are priceless! We have received excellent feedback from parents, with the most common question being, “When are you going to do this again?” Now we are left with the welcome challenge of working out a regular schedule and including our branch libraries as well. Namaste! (Sanskrit salutation) Susan Wood New Hanover County Public Library

Keep Them Going to the Dogs! Four years ago, we began a read-to-a-dog program, “Paws to Read,” at Hickory Public Library. While not the first or last library to do this, we have adapted the idea to our own needs. At times it is easier to begin a program than to keep one going; particularly when volunteers, children, and appointments are involved. This article will share a few ideas about maintaining “Paws to Read.” Some principles we established from the beginning:

1. Dog volunteers and owners must be registered therapy dog teams with one of three organizations: “Therapy Dogs Incorporated,” “The Delta Society,” or “Therapy Dogs International.” All three are on the world wide web. 2. A staff member will be in the room with the volunteer, dog, and child; or directly out-side of a smaller room that has a window. Of course, it is a good practice to check out the volunteers’ backgrounds, as we should with any adults who work with children. 3. The child must be able to read most words in a book all the way through; although a few children have “told the story” via the pictures, which is an early literacy skill. Many preschoolers are too unfocused to participate and do not have appropriate behavior with dogs. These therapy dog owners are some of the best people I have ever known. They have become friends as well as volun-teers. We have created a small community that is great fun, and I believe the children sense that and benefit from it. I once heard a dictum about volunteers: “thank them, thank them, and thank them again.” People volunteer for many reasons: generosity, altruism, desire for community, even boredom. Whatever their motivation, everyone likes to be appreciated. Some simple ways to do that: send an email after their session with a photo of the child and dog (that can only be re-used with parents’ permission.) Stay in touch by email with dog articles, news about the program, and by sharing one another’s fetching dog pictures. Find out a volunteer’s book preferences and save her favorites for the next appointment. Meet a group of volunteers and dogs at an outdoor café that allows dogs. If your library has the funds, invite them all to a brunch at the library on a Saturday morning. One suggested dog menu item: chicken tenders thrown into the crock pot the previous night. Feed them to the big dogs in small bites only, if you want some left for the little dogs! A few ways to attract volunteers include: contacting a local dog obedience club; referrals from a hospital therapy dog program; newspaper articles by staff about the program, and word of mouth among “dog people.” Volunteers must be willing to complete the therapy dog application process, which includes updating vet records,

passing obedience exams, and paying a fee to the organization. The fee buys the dog/owner team some liability insurance, and that is a necessity for such work in a public library. The second part of program maintenance is getting kids to make appointments. The magnetic bond between children and dogs takes care of a lot. Still, there are times when participation may wane. Since we have constantly marketed our program, this has occurred rarely. When it did, we rekindled interest by sending brochures to public school teachers of the appropriate age group (1st – 3rd grade.) Since appointments picked up immediately after sending them to two schools, we stopped sending brochures immediately as well. This was simply an effort to balance the number of desired appointments with the number of dogs available. Most children who have participated in our program read to dogs for several months, then stop or return later. We have not limited appointments to kids who have problems with reading, because many good readers just enjoy being with a dog. They also benefit from the kindness and attention of our adult volunteers. Some children are not able to have a pet in their apartments or public housing. They seem to adopt the therapy teams to be part of their own family. In this way, the program’s impact goes far beyond literacy. Reading to the dogs can do a lot for a library and its users. Maintaining the program, through encouraging volunteers and children to participate, is an ongoing effort that occasionally requires a boost. This work reaps benefits for all involved: readers, dogs, volunteers, and community. Nancy Brown Children’s Librarian, Ridgeview Branch Hickory Public Library

Twilight Saga Premiere Party Event With the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on June30 [squeeeeee!!!!!!], we thought we’d share a program we put on for the DVD release of New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight Saga. Our local Barnes & Noble and Borders stayed open until midnight to sell the DVDs, making a real event of it, so we decided to make an event of it as well. The program was billed as a New Moon Premiere Party. Let’s set the stage – after passing through a door decorated with the ALA READ poster of Bella & Edward/KStew & RPattz, attendees saw on a movie screen a constant slideshow of images from the movies Twilight and New Moon, plus photographs of the characters/actors in the movies. Music from the two soundtracks played—and could have included music from the playlists from the goddess of tween romance herself, Stephenie Meyer – found at http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_playlist.html and http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/nm_playlist.html and http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ecl_playlist.html .

Pink roses decorated the refreshments table, much as they did in the ill-fated birthday party thrown by Alice Cullen for Bella. A bowl of red apples tempted attendees as well as platters of “new moon” cookies [cookies dipped in chocolate – get it?!?!] and a bowl of blood-red punch. Attendees had their pick of buttons made with a button maker and featuring Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Bella pictures and slogans that had been printed off a color printer – these had been scattered artfully around the refreshments table. While a vampire fashion show was advertised to be a part of the program [wolf whistles encouraged!], only one attendee showed dressed as her favorite Twilight character – Alice. There was also a trivia contest with questions pulled from the first two novels [email for the questions: brandon.bensley@greensboro-nc.gov ] with prizes given - silver packages wrapped with pink ribbons. Finally, all who attended were sent off with a pink rose and a red apple – and perhaps a last lingering look at Bella & Edward/KStew & RPattz clutching a copy of Twilight… Cindy Dye, Hemphill Branch and Brandon Bensley, Glenwood Branch Greensboro Public Library

Mother Goose Poetry Party For three years running, we have held a Mother Goose Poetry Party for families, specifically families with preschoolers, as part of our celebration of National Poetry Month. While librarians often include nursery rhymes in regular story-times, having a yearly celebration of Mother Goose is a wonderful opportunity to point parents and kids toward “her” full cannon and emphasize the benefits of nursery rhymes to kids of all ages. From infants responding to the rhythm of nursery rhymes to toddlers building confidence and motor skills by performing the action rhymes on cue to preschoolers picking out the rhyming words and building vocabulary and memory skills with rhyme recitation – children at all stages of emergent literacy have something to gain from nursery rhymes. Additionally, parents can enjoy the fun of playing with words with their children and with a repertoire of favorite rhymes can have access to instant, toy- and prop-free entertainment for fussy children waiting in line or on car trips. At the Greensboro Public Library we are incredibly lucky in having Judie Davie, former Supervisor of School Media Specialists for Guilford County, as a friend of the library. She comes dressed as Mother Goose [mob cap, long dress, white apron AND a shepherd’s crook] and shares several story versions of rhymes, plus the traditional songs and fingerplays. If you are not so lucky as to have a Judie Davie in your community and do not care to dress up, you could share the stories and rhymes as yourself with perhaps a goose puppet as Mother Goose’s elected representative. After about 20 to 30 minutes of stories, songs and rhymes, we adjourn to do crafts and games and enjoy snacks – all nursery rhyme-themed, of course. In fact, each station/snack/activity is labeled with the rhyme from which it was inspired. Finally, we encourage parents and children to browse a book display of Mother Goose collections and picture books based on the rhymes. Some of the books that Mother Goose could draw her storytime from:

1, 2 Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker The Eensy Weensy Spider adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman Fiddle-I-Fee by Will Hillenbrand Fiddle-I-Fee: A Barnyard Song for the Very Young adapted by Melissa Sweet Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker The House that Jack Built by Diane Mayo The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Lorianne Siomades The Itsy Bitsy Spider as told by Iza Trapani Little Bo Peep adapted by Paul Galdone Mary Had a Little Lamb adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera This is the House that Jack Built by Simms Taback The Three Little Kittens illustrated by Paul Galdone Crafts and games that were enjoyed: Jack Be Nimble Jumping Game – place a very wide, low candle on a dish on the floor & chant the rhyme, replacing the child’s name, and encourage them to jump over the candle Pin the Curl on the Little Girl – a version of pin the tail on the donkey with a large pic-ture of a little girl [preferable laminated] and looped yarn with library tape on the back for her curl to be pinned “…right in the middle of her forehead…” Missing Sheep and/or Mittens Scavenger Hunt – place cutouts of Little Bo Peep’s missing sheep and/or The Three Little Kittens’ missing mittens around the room or the library for the children to find Humpty Dumpty Puzzle – you can make several versions by coloring humpty dumpty coloring sheets [found on-line], gluing them to cardboard [cereal boxes] and then cutting them into shapes to make homemade puzzles

Baa Baa Many-Colored Sheep – have a cutout sheep that stands up for the children to color and glue cotton balls onto – here is a pattern http://www.daniellesplace.com/images/cottonsheep.gif and if you place the dotted line on the fold of folded-in-half cardstock or construction paper, you make a stand up sheep!

Itsy Bitsy Spider Necklace (or Bracelet) – have a cutout spider shape which can be colored and legs which can be glued on [I put black construction paper through our shredder and it made the perfect little skinny legs] – thread yarn through punched holes to make a necklace [or you can put pipe cleaners through to make a bracelet] Refreshments included: Little Boy Blue Juice [one of several blue Hawaiian punches] Milk from the Cow who Jumped Over the Moon Little Miss Muffet Cheese Curds and Whey-at Thins [cubed cheese and Wheat Thins] Pat-a-Cake cupcakes [mini-cupcakes from the grocery bakery] Brandon Bensley Glenwood Branch Greensboro Public Library