Category Archives: Books

Books, CMLE, Resources

Books in the Spotlight: Astronomy

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Sometimes CMLE will highlight several books that have some factor in common. We hope they will give you ideas for your collection, or influence an activity, lesson plan, or display!

Since last weekend was Earth Day, and Astronomy Day is just around the corner on April 29th, we thought it would be fun to highlight a few books and activities that focus on planets, moons, stars, and space!

  • Read all about constellations:
    Once Upon a Starry Night by Jacqueline Mitton, illustrated by Christina Balit
    “Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky, and learn how the heavens pay tribute to the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. Once Upon a Starry Night explains the ten ancient figures whose legends are written large across the universe. Every page shines with Christina Balit’s vibrant art, studded with shiny stars, and provides the perfect backdrop to Jacqueline Mitton’s poetic text.”

Be inspired by the book to make some marshmallow constellations!

Continue reading Books in the Spotlight: Astronomy →

Books, Children's services

Books about jealous new siblings!

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Passing this on from a library listserv:

“An author has written to me through one of my children’s book blogs and I am hoping to help him find children’s books about children who are jealous of the new baby in the family. I found a book called Geraldine’s Baby Brother on WorldCat, but do you know of any others? Books with non-human characters would be a plus for this author, but I’ll still take human characters as well. ”

Here were the suggestions offered; do you have others? Share them in the comments section!

Books, Communication

Twelve Things That Happen When You Read for 24 Hours Straight

Bibliotecaestantes

This article is from Book Riot, by Danika Ellis. We are not having an official CMLE 24 hour readathon this April – but we would love to hear from you about the books you are reading!

In Minnesota, this event starts Saturday at 7:00am; so as you read books this weekend, use to connect with the larger community around the world, and to connect with us! Sign up at the official website, and let’s read!

“(If you’d like to follow my journey through these 12 stages, I’ll be live tweeting @DanikaEllis!)”

“Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is–well, self-explanatory for the most part. It takes place every April and October, and it is a huge internet book party! I love it! (Unsurprisingly, because I’ve written about it a bunch.) There is a misconception about the readathon I’d like to address, though. For some reason–who knows why!–people seem to think you have to read 24 hours during the 24 hour readathon. You can, of course! But you can also just read as much as you want to. I’ve stayed up the full 24 hours before, though I did take breaks during a few of the hours. I usually regret it, though. Here is my experience of reading for 24 hours: Continue reading Twelve Things That Happen When You Read for 24 Hours Straight →

Books

James Patterson is donating money to schools for books!

James Patterson

From the Miami Herald (Click to read the entire story!)

“James Patterson is giving away more money to get kids reading. And your school library could get some.

In the third installment of his School Library Campaign in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club, Patterson — author of books for middle grades and adults — is donating $1.75 million to school libraries around the country.

This time around, the plan focuses on teachers. Patterson will award $500 grants to 3,500 teachers in grades pre-K through 12 in U.S. schools to improve their classroom libraries. The funds can be used to buy new books, expand programming or even build more bookshelves, if that’s what’s needed.

“Many kids rely solely on their classroom bookshelves for reading material, particularly in schools without a library,” Patterson said in a statement. “I’m excited to expand the reach of the program, and make a positive impact on teachers who are working with students all day, every day, in every school in the country.”

Here is the application. Pass this on to your teachers; and we can help with any part of it!
Books

This weekend: Sunday, April 23 is World Book Day

This coming weekend is going to be a big one! After you celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, you can look forward to celebrating books on Sunday, which is World Book Day! As library people, not only do we love books ourselves, but we love to share our love of books with others, and this is a great day to do that!

World Book Day was created in 1995 at UNESCO’s General Conference, “to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.”

Here are some suggestions for celebrating World Book Day:

  • Amazon is participating with their page promoting the day and featuring links to charitable organizations that provide books.
    • You can also use the hashtag #LoveToRead to share your book happy moments on social media!
  • Check out these awesome and adorable World Book Day costumes (or make your own!)
  • Play this free printable World Book Day Game (aimed at kids but could still be fun!)
  • Or simply curl up with a good book and enjoy! 🙂