Yahoo! Blog is No More

I don't know why, but I started a Yahoo! Blog not too long ago and I was posting stuff about work: art activities, books I really enjoyed, etc. I just went to go type up another post and found out that they are officially discontinuing blogs. Boo. So, now I'm doing what I should've done in the first place, posting them on my, now considered, perma-blog. Just in case you're curious, the Yahoo! blogs are in different fonts. Add a little curry powder, toss and enjoy.

Cool Find! Library of the Living Dead

I don't know about most librarians, but I'm always struggling to explain how the library works and how to use it to patrons and during class visits. Many people just don't get it. So, its always nice to find fun new ways to teach it. Case in point: Library of the Living Dead. A graphic novel that extols the library and briefly explains how to use it. Great for teens and those comic-loving kiddos.
http://blogs.mcpherson.edu/library/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Library-of-the-Living-Dead-Online-Edition.pdf

Quick and Easy Art Activities

This is the beginning of a new effort on my part to collect art activities that are incredibly easy to organize, but can still offer kids the opportunity to be really artistic. Many easy crafts look pretty crappy and therefore end up being the next meal for their home trash bin, if the finished product even makes it out of the library!
At a meeting of children's librarians a few months ago, I received a ready-to-go art activity for fall. It included 15 giant construction paper leaves, a bunch of fall colored tissue paper squares and 15 lengths of yarn. Bring your own glue and Voila! You've got a tissue paper fall leaf mosaic. Incredibly easy? Check. Opportunities for creativity? Check. Possibility for immediate trashing? A bit higher than I would like, but with the yarn to hang up the leaf, it will probably survive a little longer.
Another idea that I've come across for quick & easy art activities is the game Who What Where, Jr., which doesn't really result in an art piece to take home, but allows different levels of creativity to combine with gaming strategy for a really fun activity. Our Friends group bought one for the library and I'm looking forward to sharing it with the kids.

Books That Might Make Good Storytimes

Little Gorilla by Bornstein Cute, easy and fast. Good for little kids.
Lola Loves Stories by McQuinn I like the Lola books for little kids and getting them excited about libraries.
Grumpy Bird by Tankard Grumpy Bird gets ungrumpy thanks to his animal buddies. Cute, great pics, wide range of ages.
Are You a Horse? by Rash Great for 1st and 2nd graders, maybe even really smart kindergarteners. A boy gets a saddle for his birthday and goes around asking different animals if they're a horse. Fun!
Read to Tiger by Fore A really good reading and sharing story for wide age range.

Storytime Books That Worked

City Dog, Country Frog by Willems Cute friendship and loss story.
Franklin's Big Dreams by Teague Great story for older kids because its a bit longer and uses bigger words. A boy dreams of travel adventures.
Dragon Stew by Smallman Hilarious tale of five bored vikings who go out in search of a dragon to put in some stew. I had a class of 3rd graders (the ones that think they're too old for storytime kind) rolling with this one and...
Interrupting Chicken by Stein Another hilarious story. Its little chicken's bedtime and she wants her dad to tell her a story, but guess what happens every time he gets started? A great way to start or end this book is by telling my favorite knock-knock joke: KNOCK! KNOCK! Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting co... MOOOO!!