My eyes are watering. My nose is red. I can’t breathe. I have a cold. In five minutes my first class will arrive in the library. I will entertain them with a fabulous story and share some of the germs they so generously gifted to me.

Book ready. Tissue ready. It’s library time!

One of these books might be the best medicine of all.

Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney (Viking Juvenile, 2011)

The Sniffles for Bear written by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton (Candlewick, 2011)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2010)

Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick; Send for the Doctor Quick, Quick Quick by Remy Charlip and Burton Supree and illustrated by Remy Charlip (Tricycle Press, 2001)

Bear Feels Sick written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman (Margaret K. McElderry, 2007)

It’s always exciting to see who the winners are. In my “Anticipation” post, I blogged about my choices for the Caldecott and Newbery. Although none of my choices won the top prize, I was happy to see Inside Out and Back Again written by Thanhha Lai was a Newbery Honor Book, and Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco and Me … Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell were Caldecott Honor Books. Me … Jane also won the Charlotte Zolotow Award.

Another impressive book I was pleased to see win an award was Balloons over Broadway:  The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade written by Melissa Sweet. It won the Sibert Award for the most distinguished informational book for children.

Browsing through the list of winners tells me I have a lot of great books to read. There’s no time to lose. I’m off to the library to see which books I can pick up. Ta, ta for now!

Poor Miss Teapot has fallen to the floor and can’t get up. With catchy one-line rhymes, the objects in the kitchen persuade an ant to help.

 “Push her up,” said the cup.

 “I can’t,” said the ant.

Never fear! With encouragement from the kitchen objects and cooperation from the ant and his friends, Miss Teapot is mended and lifted to safety.

Red is the color of choice for the illustrations, and the text is done in olive green. The color palette is a bit limited compared to today’s picture books, but the rhymes make the book sparkle. Read it once. Read it twice. Read it again. You and your listeners will be repeating the one-liners over and over!

Think of the fun you can have making up your own rhymes and drawing pictures to go with them. This classic book never loses its appeal!

There are many ways to remind students to return their books on time.

A Poster:  Tuesday is library day. Return your book.

Verbal reminders.

Written notices.

Letters home.

Last resort:  Bribes

In each of my library classes, there is at least one student who forgets to return his/her book. Some of the excuses are farfetched, but it’s always a treat to hear what comes out of the mouths of babes.

 There is one boy who is a habitual non-returner. He’s a great kid, but I think he needs a little organization in his life. Here is his latest reason for not returning his book. “The bus ride home subtracts me from remembering my library book.”  

Subtracts? Hmmm …

If I added up all the overdue fines this child has incurred and subtracted  the amount from the cost of the books he’s lost, maybe we’d come out even. Silly me. That will never happen because our library doesn’t collect fines. There is positive spin on this. The youngster must be reading those overdue books. He incorporated a new vocabulary word into his excuse, albeit incorrectly. We’ll work on that, too.

Overdue book? What’s your excuse?

Check out these books:

Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book written and illustrated by Alexander Stadler (Harcourt Children’s Books, 2002)

Stella Louella’s Runaway Book written and illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2001)

Getting children excited about books and reading is one of the most important parts of my job. Doing this isn’t always easy. I pick and choose different genres and give a pep talk about each book, trying to peak interest from preschool to middle school students. I read picture books, passages from nonfiction books, and excerpts from chapter books. I’ve done experiments from science books, and I’ve given academy award-winning performances in order to instill excitement about reading. In short, I do what every librarian does who loves books and kids.   

It’s rewarding to see children excited about books. The younger students never seem to have a problem finding a “just right book.” The downside is when you have that one student, usually an intermediate or middle grade student, wandering from shelf to shelf unable to find a book. No matter what you do or say, nothing seems to interest him. My next step is to find out what the student’s likes and dislikes are and tell him to come back later after I’ve pulled some books that might peak his curiosity. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Librarians do what they need to do. 

My motto is never give up and keep on smiling!      

Here are some popular authors in our library:

Sara Pennypacker, Rick Riordan, Lenore Look, Gary Paulsen, Lisa Yee, Rachel Renée Russell

There are so many excellent books out there. Choosing is difficult. I’m not an expert, but I know what I like. Here are some of my choices.

For the Caldecott Medal:  A colorful group.

Blue Chicken written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman (Viking Juvenile, September 2011)

Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco (Hyperion Book CH, May 2011)

Red Sled by Lita Judge (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, November 2011)

Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, June 2011)

Me … Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April 2011)

For the Newbery Medal: 

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart written by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade, February 2011)

The Mostly True Story of Jack written by Kelly Barnhill (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, August 2011)

Inside Out and Back Again written by Thanhha Lai (HarperCollins, February 2011)

Okay for Now written by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books, April, 2011)

Bigger than a Bread Box written by Laurel Snyder (Random House Books for Young Readers, September 2011)

Will one of these books be an award winner or will the selection committee surprise us all?  What do you think?

Take the answer given to me by a second grade student when I asked him to name the part of a book that has a list of the chapters. With a bit of thought, he answered, “table of conscience.” I gave him a smile and thumbs up for a good try.

After class, I got to thinking. What if there was a book with a table of conscience? Instead of being faced with the prospect of feeling stressed or guilty about a choice we have to make, we could refer to the book.

Suppose you’re on a diet and you’ll totally die if you don’t have a tiny piece of cake. In the Table of Conscience Book, turn to the chapter called “Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too” for advice. Or what if your friend wants to fix you up with her cousin who has a “nice smile?” What do you do? Go to the chapter called “In the Eye of the Beholder” for help. And what about that to-do list you don’t want to do because you’d rather watch the football game? Go to the “Hail Mary Pass” chapter for the answer to this conundrum. Is that little white lie you’re about to tell right or wrong? Check out the chapter on “Swear to Tell the Truth.” It will tell you nothing but the truth. 

With a slip of the tongue, I think that young student is onto something. The Table of Conscience Book could be the answer to all our worries.

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? Whether you did or you didn’t, here’s a suggestion that’s cheap, simple, and rewarding for all.

Resolve to read in 2012! Be a role model for those around you. Read! Read to yourself. Read to your kids. Read to anyone who will listen. Resolve to make reading exciting for young children so they learn to love reading as teenagers and adults. Read! Read! Read!

Here are a few books to ring in all types of New Years and share with children:

Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution written by Pat Miller and illustrated by Kathi Ember (Albert Whitman & Company, 2010), Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008), The Runaway Wok:  A Chinese New Year Tale written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Sebastia Serra (Dutton Juvenile, 2011), Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas written by Gail Piernas-Davenport and illustrated by Marion Eldridge (Albert Whitman & Company, 2007)

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.”  ~Author Unknown

Opening the door of the refrigerator proved to be a turn-your-stomach experience. Leftovers from a Christmas made merry crammed the corners and shelves of the refrigerator. Foil wrapped plates, odd sized containers and jars, covered pots, and plastic storage bags held mystery food inside of them. I discovered…

Twelve crumbling cookies

Eleven stale sausage balls

Ten smokies in hot sauce

Nine almond clusters

Eight baby shrimp

Seven stuffed olives  

Six shriveled potato fries

Five brussel sprouts

Four potato skins

Three green peppers

Two brown bananas

And oyster stew in a soup pot.  

I’m tired of cooking. I’m tired of cleaning. There’s only one solution to this colossal mess. Get ready for Dinner Surprise!