"A library book, I imagine, is a happy book." Cornelia Funke

"Everything puts me in mind of a story." Ben Franklin

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Books for a Winter's Storytime

Picture from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bubbo-tubbo/


Here are some titles that I'm considering for my Pajamarama Family Storytime:



  • Duck Skates by Lynne Berry, Illus. by Hiroe Nakata

  • Frozen Noses by Jan Carr, Illus. by Dorothy Donohue

  • Diamond in the Snow by Jonathan Emmett, Illus. by Vanessa Cabban

  • Is That You, Winter? by Stephen Gammel

  • Danny's First Snow by Leonid Gore

  • You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest, Illus. by Anita Jeram

  • The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

  • Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara

  • Don't Wake Up the Bear! by Marjorie Dennis Murray, Illus. by Patricia Wittmann

  • A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann

  • Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle, Illus. by Matt Phelan

  • A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart, Illus. by Chris Riddell

  • Red Sled by Patricia Thomas, Illus. by Chris L. Demarest

  • Hello, Snow! by Hope Vestergaard, Illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott

  • Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, Illus. by Jane Chapman

  • Dinos In the Snow! by Karma Wilson, Illus. by Laura Rader

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Show Off: How to Do Absolutely Everything...


If you're looking for a fun book for the teens in your life, give Show Off: How to Do Absolutely Everything. One Step at a Time. by Sarah Hines Stephens and Bethany Mann a gander. I'm absolutely impressed by the variety of things to do that it provides. When I was a bored kid I would have loved it.

Targeted at young people ages 10-14, it offers 224 projects and activities categorized under Amaze, Investigate, Create, Explore, Cook, and Move. Every page is in color and each activity is broken down into simple steps. There truly is a wide scope here, from "fake a cheek piercing," "light up a lava lamp," and "cook campfire candy apples" to "read kitty's body language" and "skate a back crossover." Though at times the information seems a bit minimal, this book is a treasure for inspiration. I'm showing it to my Teen Advisory Group to see what they think of it.

As for me, I might try to "make a hive for mason bees," "make a compact disco ball" or "make a dessert aquarium"!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Let's Eat! Family Storytime

  1. Vintage dollhouse food from Juliet Pain


    Let's Eat!



    As always, I like to have a big pile of titles to choose from, but I usually only get in 3 or 4 at my evening storytime.



    I will definitely highlight Monster's Don't Eat Broccoli, which contains this charming refrain: "Fum, foe. fie, fee, monsters don't eat broccoli!". I think that the kids will love it!




    The Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg & Bruce Ingham
    Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt
    Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks, Illus. by Sue Hendra
    Badger's Fancy Meal by Keiko Kasza
    All For Pie, Pie for All by David Martin, Illus. by Valeri Gorbachev
    Stone Soup told by Tony Ross
    Sheep Out to Eat by Nancy Shaw, Illus. by Margot Apple
    Fast Food! Gulp! Gulp! by Bernard Waber
    Two Eggs, Please by Sarah Weeks and Betsy Lewin

    "Vegetable Soup Song", courtesy of Preschool Education

    Sung to: "Farmer in the Dell"

    The soup is boiling up
    The soup is boiling up
    Stir slow-around we go
    The soup is boiling up.

    First we add the broth

    First we add the broth

    Stir slow-around we go

    The soup is boiling up.


    Now we add some carrots

    Now we add some carrots

    Stir slow-around we go

    The soup is boiling up.


    Continue with whichever vegetables you children want. Have the children stand around a large imaginary pot pretending to stir the soup.

Friday, November 6, 2009

National Book Award Finalists: Young People's Literature



Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

David Small, Stitches

Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times



Young People's Literature Judges: Kathi Appelt, Coe Booth, Carolyn Coman, Nancy Werlin, Gene Luen Yang

Click the names above for book descriptions.

I have only read Stitches so far, and I think that it is very interesting. I have mentioned before that I'm not generally a graphic novel fan, but this one bowled me over. I am familiar with David Small through his children's book illustrations, and even met him and his lovely and sweet wife Sarah Stewart back in the early 1990s. So, I might be slightly biased, but I think that his story of childhood trauma and recovery is tops.

I also have (have had prior to this finalist announcement) a request in for Laini Taylor's new book. I read her fantasy novel Blackbringer from the Faeries of Dreamdark series and I thought it was original and memorable, so I want to see what else she's cooked up.


I plan to read the other finalists. Have you read any?

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Unshelved's Pimp My Bookcart Contest Entries

Click to enlarge strip

Are you familiar with Unshelved, the comic strip about libraries? It is done by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum and for the last four years running, they have sponsored a Pimp My Bookcart contest. Contestants find a crummy old cart, pick a theme and pretty it up.

Here are a few of my favorites, but don't forget to go to Unshelved and find your own!








Where are the Wild Things? by Beaumont Branch of the Lexington Public Library


Horton Hears a Who by Monroe County Public Library (Bloomington, IN): Collection Services



Wild About Reading by Mount Laurel Library

Thursday, October 22, 2009

"What's your name?" Family Storytime




Tonight, we are doing stories about and including proper names. We will use:


  • Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold


  • My Cat Jack by Patricia Casey


  • Bark, George by Jules Feiffer


  • Let George Do It! by George Foreman


  • Daisy is a Mommy by Lisa Koppler


  • There Are Cats in This Book by Vivian Schwartz (We will name the cats, despite of the fact that they are named on the jacket flap)


  • The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown by Teri Sloat , Illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott


  • Sixteen Cows by Lisa Wheeler, Illus. by Kurt Cyrus (Mudskipper! Sissy Nell! Sassafras! Maisie Bell...)

We will also say:

Higgelty, wiggelty, bumblebee

who can say their name for me?(child says name)

let's all say it (name)

Let's clap and say it (name)

Let's whisper it (name)

Monday, October 12, 2009

Kid's Halloween Read: Half-Minute Horrors


Half-Minute Horrors, edited by Susan Rich, is a timely new collection of 71 very short, fun and scary stories. This is an excellent variety of authors known for writing for adults (Faye Kellerman, Gregory Maguire) teens (Libba Bray, Melissa Marr), and of course, kids (Lane Smith, Lemony Snicket). All kinds of frightening topics are visited, such as creatures under the bed, alien takeover, unpleasant babysitting gigs and (shudder) clowns. Some of my favorite tales include "Grand Entrance," by James Patterson, "The Legend of Alexandra and Rose," by John Klassen, "Chocolate Cake," by Francine Prose and "The Final Word," by John Greenhut and illustrated by Brett Helquist.

This is a very quick read and would make good read aloud material for families and classrooms!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Scary Reading Plans for October

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/merciewinters/



I seldom read Horror, except for in October. Then, I read only creepy, scary books. True, some are for children, but that is about my speed. I also prefer ghost stories and Gothic tales to monsters and slasher stories. Some I've read and enjoyed during Octobers past:

Teen/Adult:



  1. The October Country by Ray Bradbury

  2. Cat in Glass by Nancy Etchemendy

  3. Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

  4. It by Stephen King


Kids:


  1. Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge by Kathryn Reiss

  2. Breathe by Cliff McNish

  3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman


This year's possibilities:



Teen/Adult:


  1. The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

  2. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

  3. The House of the Lost Souls by F.G. Cottam

  4. The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett

  5. Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

  6. Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris



Kids:

  1. Seer of Shadows by Avi

  2. All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn

  3. Half-Minute Horrors edited by Susan Rich

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Family Storytime begins again: Owls

































Suggestions for an Owly storytime:




  • "I'm Note Cute!" by Jonathan Allen
  • Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins
  • The Owl and Pussycat by Edward Lear, illustrated by Jan Brett
  • Whoo-oo Is It? by Megan McDonald, illus. by S.D. Schindler
  • Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Jen Corace
  • Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illus. by Patrick Benson
  • Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illus. by John Schoenherr

and a owl cameo:

  • Dog's Noisy Day by Emma Dodd

and a song:

Owl in the Tree (Sung To: Skip to my Lou)


Submitted by an Unknown Friend

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who

Who, who, are you? (point to a child and have them say their name)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Keturah and Lord Death

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt, is a must for my Fairy Tale related book collection.
This was a National Book Award finalist ( in my opinion it should should have won the Young People's Literature category)and gives us an exciting, mysterious story with a brave and tenacious heroine.
Following a seemingly enchanted hart into the forest, Keturah soon becomes lost and, after several days, is close to death. Yet when she meets Lord Death, she is able to strike a bargain with him that may save her village from plague, give her friends and family their heart's desires and provide her with a chance to find her own true love. To accomplish these tasks, Keturah must deal with the village witch, hostile townsfolk, many possible loves, and her own uncertainty, not to mention the handsome and imposing figure of death.
Levine subtly references several tales, and I greatly enjoyed picking them out. I noticed :

  • similarities to Scheherazade's suspenseful storytelling in One Thousand and One Nights
  • a character with the sight to know if someone will live or die as in Grimms "Godfather Death"
  • willful boasting spurring action such as in "Rumpelstiltskin," where the maiden's father brags that she can spin straw into gold
  • a potential but frightening lover and the good woman as in "Beauty and the Beast."

There may be more. What can you find?

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Best Books for Young Adults Nominations



In the delightful struggle that is trying to keep up with new teen books, I always keep tabs on the nominations in the Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) list, compiled by the ALA.

Here are some of this year's choices that I'm anxious to read (descriptions come directly from the list :

  • Anderson, Laure Halse. Wintergirls. Lia is haunted by her best friend's death from anorexia, as she struggles with the same eating disorder.
  • Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. Cameron knew there was something wrong when he started seeing pillars of fire and angels, but he never imagined he had mad cow disease.
  • Brooks, Laurie. Selkie Girl. Sixteen-year-old Elin Jean, ostracized because of her webbed fingers, discovers the reason for her mother's unhappiness after finding evidence of her own mysterious origins.
  • Davies, Jacqueline. Lost. Essie, 16, sews all day for pennies at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to help feed her fatherless family and now to forget her little sister's death. Then the fire happens.
  • George, Jessica Day. Princess of the Midnight Ball. When the decade long war ends, professional solider Galen finds work as a gardener in the king’s garden, only to help solve the puzzle involving twelve dancing princesses.
  • Livingston, Leslie. Wondrous Strange. Faeries, pixies, Janus guards, and struggling actresses populate this fantasy that weaves Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream with a contemporary New York City setting.
  • Meminger, Neesha. Shine, Coconut Moon. Samar (Sam) is a Sikh ostensibly Americanized, until her uncle shows up, igniting her interest in her culture and past in a post-9/11 world.
  • Pike, Aprilynne. Wings. Laurel discovers she is a faerie when a beautiful flower blossoms out of her back, and she and her friend David seek to find out her place in the world.
  • Rapp, Adam. Punkzilla. Jamie has run away from his family, military school, and his troubled past. He sets out via bus to visit his dying brother, writing letters along the way.
  • Ryan, Carrie. The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary’s village is protected by a fence keeping out the Unconsecrated-who are undead craving human flesh-until a massive breach launches the teenage girl into a fight for survival.
  • Simner, Janie Lee. Bones of Faerie. Liza is caught in a world where magic is deadly and her powers lead her on a quest to find her missing mother.
  • Stiefvater, Maggie. Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception. Shy and ordinary Deirdre finds herself caught up in an ancient struggle in the faerie world when she meets Luke, a sexy musician with a very dark past.
  • Stoffels, Karlijn. Heartsinger. Mee, the singer of sorrows, and Mitou, the merrymaker, are destined to meet and change the life of a princess. Can they change one another?
  • Thompson, Kate. Creature of the Night. Juvenile delinquent Bobby resists his mother’s plan to move to the countryside, but his anger becomes fear as he learns about local history and the creatures who rule the fields.
  • Whitcomb, Laura. The Fetch. Calder, a 350-year old "Fetch" that accompanies souls to heaven, breaks all his vows for a woman, wreaking havoc in the world of lost souls.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

No Choirboy: Murder, Violence & Teenagers on Death Row

I have to confess that I didn't really want to read No Choirboy. It's dark subject matter, and I get plenty of that in the teen novels that I like to read. This is non-fiction, and I thought that it just might be too much, or else written with so much restraint that it would be dry and impersonal. But, it is on the reading list for a Minnesota reading camp that I'm counseling at this summer, so I took it home. I'm so glad that I did, because it is excellently done: compelling, heart wringing and ultimately hopeful.

The men in this book were accused of murder and sentenced to death when they were still teens. Each chapter gives voice to a different person. The focus is not on the crimes committed, but of life afterward. Three prisoners talk about their experiences, regrets and hopes for the future. One chapter is devoted to an executed man's family: the feelings of his mother and younger brother. Another is from the points of view of the siblings of a seventeen year old employee senselessly killed in a fast food restaurant robbery.

Overall, I found the stories interesting and moving. It put a human face on the issue. These people were not necessarily given fair trials. Some had no criminal records and were successful in school and life prior to their crimes. In prison they try to do more than just survive. I was especially impressed with prisoners Roy and Nanon trying to grow and improve themselves as much as the system allows.

Even if this is not your typically reading material please give it a look, especially if you work with teens. It's worth the time.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Greeting Card Crafts











Last Thursday, eight teens came to our library to make cards. I think that they did an amazing job, as you can see above. So creative!




Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Snuggles for stray pets

Daisy Mae from Feline Rescue

Kitty photo from the Snuggles website.


Last Thursday, eight library teens , my lovely and talented co-worker Suzie and I spent an hour learning to knit or crochet a Snuggle blanket for local homeless cats. Suzie is super at both needle crafts and got the teens into it. I can muddle by with crochet, and showed them the rose and pink Snuggle I had produced over about three Desperate Housewives episodes the night before. We intend to donate our handiwork to a no-kill cat shelter in Saint Paul called Feline Rescue. Another library friend, Amy, is a shelter volunteer and tells me about the lovely kitties who live there, such as Daisy Mae (above).

The patterns for Snuggle making can be simple and don't require much yarn (mine took 1 skein) and cats and dogs aren't critical of your stitches. In spite of my imperfect handiwork, my cat Thelma at home was crazy to try out the Snuggle as it emerged.

For more information, visit the Snuggles Project.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Amazing Read: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I haven't been so shocked, sickened and fascinated by a vision of the near future since reading M. T. Anderson's gritty teen classic Feed. It's made me an instant fan of Shusterman, and I'm definitely going to catch up on his many other titles. Unwind will definitely grab your teens and get them thinking and discussing.

It's after the United State's second Civil War, and if you're a certain kind of teenager, you had better watch out. If you've broken your parents' hearts, or taxed the system's resources a little too long, or if your parents believe in tithing with all that they value, you might learn first hand about a new process called Unwinding. In this society, abortions may no longer happen, but unwanted teens are scrapped and put to a new use, as organ donors. Every piece of them is kept alive within other humans. This may have satisfied the warring factions of the Life Army and the Choice Brigade, but for runaways Connor, Risa and Lev, it is not just a political move that ended a war, it is their horrifying intended fate. Follow them through this thriller and witness storking, clappers and the eerie urban legend of Humphrey Dunfee, whose family had him Unwound... but, in spite of regrets, couldn't put Humphrey together again.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Books for Creative Teens


I put together these suggestions for my sadly unattended book group.


Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thing 47: Evaluation

What can I say, I loved doing the Things, from 1-47. It was great fun learning about tools I otherwise probably wouldn't have known about. Unsurprisingly, my favorite Thing was Books 2.0!

Thing 37: Picnik

Zoe and Mama: 1960s filter
Duo-Tone

B & W Focal



Infrared Filter



Neon



Orton-ish


Pencil Sketch


With Stickers

Wow. I love Picnik . What a fun photo editor and so easy to use. The above photo is the day I got engaged, showing off my garnet ring and Zoe, my new doggie by marriage.






Monday, June 1, 2009

Thing 46: WebJunction Minnesota

I registered at WebJunction Minnesota, friended one person and joined the group MN Early Career Librarians. I figure a 5 year librarian counts as early in her career, even if she isn't so early in her life. :) There haven't been any new discussion since April, but that's okay.

Looking over the events calendar, the 30th Annual Children's Literature Workshop looks interesting, but it is held in Saint Cloud and I'm no longer a Children's Librarian. Just the teens.

Some of the courses look good, such as Reader's Advisory and Reaching Teens. I think that they will be most helpful for me. I would like to talk to my supervisor to see if I can get the green flag to enroll in a couple.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Thing 45: Cloud Computing

Photo by Paul Glover at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ni2sml/

Apparently, Cloud Computing is something I'm already a part of. I use Photobucket, Flickr, Facebook, Library Thing, Yahoo, Delicious etc.

Data Backups:

This is way beyond the scope of my personal need, but here is PC Magazine Editor's Choice for best back up.

Web OS:

I briefly looked at g.ho.st, Desk Top Two and Glide Digital. These sites let you set up a personal digital desktop. That seems like a good idea to me, if you could be sure that the site was secure. I don't think that I need one at present, but it sounds helpful for patrons without computers who come in to use our library's.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Something's Fishy About This Storytime



Photo from Vivikas Felt Creatures

Get hooked on this book list:

  • Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins
  • Click, Clack , Splish Splash: a Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin
  • Swimming With Dolphins by Lambert Davis
  • The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illus. by Dan Hanna
  • The Three Little Fish & the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist, illus. by Julia Gorton
  • Trout, Trout, Trout! (a Fish Chant) by April Pulley Sayre, illus. by Trip Park
  • I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
  • Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood, illus. by Bruce Wood

We will sing :

Three Little Fishies (Itty Bitty Pool)
Words and music by Saxie Dowell

Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool

Swam three little fishies and a mama fishie too

"Swim" said the mama fishie, "Swim if you can"

And they swam and they swam all over the dam

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

And they swam and they swam all over the dam

"Stop" said the mama fishie, "or you will get lost"

The three little fishies didn't wanna be bossed

The three little fishies went off on a spree

And they swam and they swam right out to the sea

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

And they swam and they swam right out to the sea

"Whee!" yelled the little fishies, "Here's a lot of fun

We'll swim in the sea till the day is done

"They swam and they swam, and it was a lark

Till all of a sudden they saw a shark!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Till all of a sudden they saw a shark!

"Help!" cried the little fishies, "Gee! look at all the whales!"

And quick as they could, they turned on their tails

And back to the pool in the meadow they swam

And they swam and they swam back over the dam

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!

And they swam and they swam back over the dam.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thing 44: The Economy

Cool piggy bank from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/endlessstudio/



I have to admit it, this topic is the most unappealing one yet. Reality...ugh.

Educational Tools:

My Money is a government site that has all types of financial information, on topics from retirement to starting a small business to home ownership and lots more. It has a credit card repayment calculator, among other types, a mortgage help line, and a "My Money" orderable tool kit. Dry, but useful.

Banking 2.0:

I've got this covered and don't care to join anything or blog about it. For the sake of this Thing, I looked at What Bills and it looks promising as an organizational tool.

Ways to Save:

Feed the Pig : To begin with, I think Benjamin the Talking Pig is terrifying. I don't like pig/people mutations. It's something about the eyes.

That aside, I looked at the "Me, save?" section and it was kind of fun. I chose the personality "Not So Frugal Foodie," listed my bad spending habits (lunch out, dining out in general, bottled beverages, and makeup) and it showed me how much I'm spending and what I could have if I saved it over 5 years. I also got 9 out of 12 on the "Beat Your Brain Quiz." It was interesting to learn that there is also a "Feed the Pig for Tweens."

Driving:

Gas Buddy looks good because you can compare gas prices in your area. Now I can see whether it's cheaper to buy gas by my home or work.

E ride Share is a great idea; it finds you local carpools. Sadly, it turned up nothing for me for a ride share to work.

Fuel Economy is a government site that lets you find out your car's energy impact score, among other things. It tells you the car's air pollution score and carbon footprint. This could be a good tool if you're car shopping and want to compare vehicles.


Cell Phones:

My Rate Plan lets you compare cell phone plans. You can type in a phone type, or filter by phone features and compare the results side by side. I'm not looking for a phone or plan, so I don't have much of an opinion on this.

General Penny Pinching:

Seems like I'm seeing more and more articles like this in my magazines at home.

Frugal Dad has 75 money saving tips. He is so right about meeting friends after dinner. We spend money like crazy eating out with friends. We already do thirteen of his tips. There's lots of room for improvement, but some of them didn't apply, since I'm a non-smoking, non-meat eating, child free person.

Yay for tip # 56:
"Rediscover a local library. To replace the time previously spent watching television develop a reading habit, and support your local library while you are at it. Can’t find the book you are looking for? Don’t rush out and buy it. Many times libraries are networked and can request a copy of a book from another library. "

Also helpful is Top 50 Frugality Bloggers . This is divided into subcategories such as "Family Life," "Home and Garden," "Fashion and Shopping," etc. Some that I find interesting are: Ask the Frugal Decorating Diva (though it apparently hasn't been updated since 2007), Frugal Cuisine, and A Frugal Living Blog By a Frugal Guy .

Sell Your Stuff:

I have a membership pending in the local Freecycle group. It's awaiting monitor approval. It seems like great idea though; if you have something that you don't want anymore, you post it and then someone else takes it. Free.


Shopping:

Ooh, I love a good estate sale and I bet I'll use Weekend Treasure sometime. I just entered my zip code and it listed some upcoming sales. Also, The Thrift Shopper brings up local thrift stores, including library book sales!


Coupons:

Okay, I know that not everybody has a mom like mine who sends me grocery coupons through the mail. So, I looked at Retail Me Not . You can search by store and also by item category. In the areas I saw, it looked like the coupons are mostly for online shopping, although I did see some printable grocery coupons. I pretty much struck out on the things I looked for: Red Lobster, Oil of Olay, Dress Barn, and Ikea.


Self-Sustainability:

Raising Chickens:
I'd love to do this, but my daschund, Zoe, would be a danger to them. I don't eat meat (only fish), but I do like eggs. Plus, I'd like to have pet chickens, if it was a small number of hens. Maybe Ruby Lavender has rubbed off on me (see Love, Ruby Lavender).

ChickiWicki is a how-to guide for raising the feathery friends. It helps you choose a breed, build a coop, eat up the eggs in yummy recipes and provides a photo gallery of chicken beauties.

Here's an article on Raising Chickens in Minneapolis .

Gardening:
I love gardening, as you can see in Thing 39. I prefer flowers, but we are also trying a number of vegetables this year.

Revive the Victory Garden speaks of planting a backyard or container garden to reduce global warming. Food is right at home and doesn't need to travel to you, nor do you need to go out of your way to get it. :)
Minnesota Gardening is a forum covering many gardening issues.

University of Minnesota Extension Center Gardening Information offers yard and garden news, information on Master gardening, information on plants, trees and wildlife and diagnostics: What's wrong with my plant?, What insect is this? and Is this plant a weed? It's a great site!

Thing 43: Online TV and Video

Still from the video "take On Me" from http://www.flickr.com/photos/teahaile/

I have to begin this Thing by saying that I am not a general TV viewer. I don't have cable, and there is only one show that I watch: Lost. I pretty much have a TV so that I can watch video and DVDs. That being said, though, I do watch complete TV series on DVD: Gilmore Girls, CSI, Six Feet Under, Heroes, etc. I just like to feel like I'm making a choice and not being assaulted by commercials.

I don't think that I will use Internet viewing much, if at all. I have a subscription to Netflix, and when I watch things it's usually in a semi-social way, like relaxing with my husband or friends. If I'm alone and on my usual schedule, I'd many times over rather read a book.

So, the one thing that I would like to see, if I can find them, would be music videos from the 1980s. Early MTV. Ah, nostalgia.

I signed up for an account on Joost , and I joined the group "Gilmore Girls." There's not too much activity there though, and only three members. I had only a little success looking for my 1980s videos, but I did get to watch A-Ha's "Take on Me," Cindy Lauper's "She Bop," 'Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry," and the Eurythmic's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This"). I was able to find more when I clicked the tag "80s." So, that was fun. But, I was hoping to find more and of greater variety.

I don't think that my view habits will change, and, because the experience is different, I don't think that Internet viewing will hurt broadcast TV.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Things 41 and 42: Mash up your Life and Music

Thing 41: Mash Up Your Life

Frankly, I was exhausted just reading about this. For me, a single site like Facebook, Twitter or especially Myspace can be overwhelming enough. I don't want to combine everything together and mix my social networks. Thanks, anyway.

Thing 42: Music

I started an account on Pandora, and it was pleasant. I made my own radio station, excitingly called Donell's Radio. It was very easy to do. I chose music I like, such as The Tannahill Weavers, Areosmith, Abba, Kate Bush, the soundtrack from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, etc. and it added similar music to the playlist. Then I could give the songs it picked a thumbs up or down. So, very nice. It didn't seem to mix the music types up very well, but maybe that comes after you listen more and review the music.

This is completely new to me. I still listen to music on CDs, rather than an MP3 player or Ipod. But, I'm planning to get an Ipod so I can listen to music while I work out at the YWCA. The problem for me with Internet music is that I'm not really that type of multitasker. I don't like to listen to music when I read or surf. I play it when I do housework, in the car, and when I specifically sit and listen to it (or stand and dance to it).

I made a music "quilt" on Last FM of 1940s tunes. I could not get it to show in this post, but if you page down to the bottom, you will see it. Billie Holiday, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, and Squirrel Nut Zippers, for a start!

Yes, I'm a Masher

Great Books for Teens
Great Books for Teens by cleery on Polyvore.com

Edwardian Beauty
Edwardian Beauty by cleery featuring 1928 jewelry


I created these collages on Polyvore and I had a great time doing it. I just wish the second one was larger.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

More Thing 40

From http://www.flickr.com/photos/spixworth/, 1903 photo found on Life In Grayscale


Another Flickr mashup I enjoy is Life In Grayscale. It searches old photos in Flickr, based on the years that interest you. You can browse pictures on a sliding timeline from 1900-1970. This is heaven for a history loving browser such as me. Once you find a picture that you like, you can save it under your Flickr favorites. A couple of things keep it from being perfect, however. Many of the photos that come up aren't really in any way connected to that particular year. Luckily, you can flag those pictures to be reassigned. More frustrating, though, is that once you enlarge a photo to view it, there seems to be no way to close only that window. When you close it, you close everything, and you have to entirely reenter the site. Still, it's interesting enough that I'll have lots of viewing hours ahead of me.


The Flilliustrator illustrates stories that you create. I collaborated with Carol Has Her Nose in a Book on this one and our "story" is "the gorgeous librarian fell in love with an ass." We like the results, which won't post here. It went The (photo = attractive green fly), gorgeous (dramatically lit arched train station), librarian (woman with her head on a stack of books), fell (mountain & lake scene), in (guy sticking his head out of a subway car), love (black & white street scene, kissing), with (bearded soldier with white cat), an (striped green caterpillar), ass (this one caused problems, but we clicked through a donkey with a couple kissing in the background). It had a save option and it may have worked, but the directions were very vague.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Thing 40: Mashup the Web

The first Flickr Mashup toy that I played with was depictr which is "A toy that analyses song lyrics and poetry to create a mosaic of appropriate photos." I plugged in some lines from "The Lady of Shalot" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

There she weaves by night and day A magic web with colours gay. She has heard a whisper say, A curse is on her if she stay To look down to Camelot. She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott.

"The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes:

The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding-- Riding--riding-- The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.

and

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard, He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred, He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord's black-eyed daughter-- Bess, the landlord's daughter-- Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

and okay, even some lyrics from Duran Duran's "The Chauffer":

And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress - all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time
With your beating heart
Way down the lane away, living for another day
The aphids swarm up in the drifting haze
Swim seagull in the sky towards that hollow western isle
My envied lady holds you fast in her gaze

The results were mixed. It was fun to see what would up, but they were pretty much a far cry from the moods of the words. The only one I liked was for "The Highwayman", the second verse I tried, but again, I couldn't figure out how to post it here. Still, it was useful to get you thinking about how you would illustrate the verses. It would be a good creative exercise for teens.

Similarly, Flickrscape allows you to enter a favorite word and then gives you a slide show to go with it. I had good results with "chandelier", "buttercup" and "toadstool", but less so with "acquiesce." If I could figure out how to post the show to this blog, I would really like it.

Flickr's Dog Friendly Hotels was a bust. It took me to a hotel search that had nothing to do with dogs. :(
More to come!

Thing 39: Digital Storytelling--My Garden Choices



Photo credits and/or places to purchase:

Sarah Bernhart Peony from http://www.touchofnature.com/
Peaches n' Dreams Hollyhock from http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/

Silverado Iris from http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/index.html

Lady's Mantle from https://www.anniesannuals.com/

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories from http://www.parkseed.com/

Sweet Dreams Catmint from http://www.naturehills.com/

Indian Springs Hollyhock from http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

Spring Beauty Cottage Pinks from http://www.burpee.com/

Biedermeier Mix Columbines from http://www.perennialfavoritesnursery.com/

Angel Tiger Violas from http://www.parkseed.com/

Bowle's Black Pansies from http://www.seedman.com/

Breakers Iris from http://www.vanbloem.com/

Stairway to Heaven Iris from http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/

Ultima Baron Mahogany Pansies from http://floriculture.osu.edu/
I created the above scrapbook using Scrapblog. It was very easy to do and there are many fonts, backgrounds and other fancy stuff to choose from. Some of it costs money, but for my simple job, I did it all for free and I'm happy with the results.
I can definitely see using digital scrap booking with the library teens, or at least on the library web page, if the county allowed it.

Thing 38: Screencasting


I put this thing off because I was completely intimidated by it. When I was reading about screencasting, I somehow couldn't get my mind around it. Then, I made a silly little screencast on Screencast-O-Matic . I attempted to show how to add books that you want to read to your Visual Bookshelf on Facebook and mark them as read when you're through. Here is the link:
It was much easier to actually do than read about. Some things that I will remember and try to improve for next time:
  1. I chose not to do audio because I hate the sound of my voice, but I think that it would be much easier to follow with a narrative.
  2. The waiting time between clicking and opening a new page took a long time. Next time, I will pause while the page loads.
  3. Probably a little outline of my intended steps prepared ahead of time would make my clicking less awkward.
In fact, I think I'll do another screencast later this week with the above changes.
I think that screencasting will be super helpful to libraries in doing tutorials on catalog searching, databases, library web pages on Facebook or Flickr, etc.
Update 6/3: I made a new screencast, to try and do a better job. Here it is at http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cQ1el8eRH
It is to find themed books for storytime on NoveList. I tried and failed to use the microphone. I even checked my computer setting as instructed, and all seemed well, but it failed to record. So, we have no sound. This time around though, I added pop-up notes to make things clearer. I wrote down my steps ahead of time, so I hope the mousing is less jerky. I think with practice you could make pretty nice tutorials.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Love, Ruby Lavender

Years ago, I heard that this was a special book. When we recently received the audio book, narrated by Judith Ivey, I thought that it was time to give it my attention and I loved it! Ruby is a funny, plucky, imperfect nine year old with a loving and supportive grandma, a newly "liberated" small flock of hens, and a curly-haired, tappity-shoed enemy, Melba Jane. When Miss Eula (her grandma) decides to leave their town of Halleluia, Mississippi and take an open-ended vacation to Hawaii, Ruby thinks that her summer will be miserably boring. But, that is before she meets Dove, an aspiring anthropologist, prepares for new arrivals in the Pink Palace greenhouse, squares off with Melba and reports it all in her frequent letters to Miss Eula. I loved the memorable characters, the gently-handled theme of forgiveness and Ms. Ivey's amusing delivery of Ruby and company.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Thing 37: Photo Tales

I finally started working on this Thing on 6/10/09. Check out the posts!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thing 36: Comic Relief

From http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/graphics/READ_Mini_Posters.cfm

\Toon\

http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/165456

From http://www.imagegenerator.net/browse/bad_comment/date/1462/ Pink is my favorite color.

From http://www.addletters.com/disneyland-sign-generator.htm



Me, courtesy of http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/




Fairy Name Generator



Your fairy is called Oak Rainbowglitter

She is a fortune bringer.

She lives in forests of oak and lime trees.

She is only seen in the light of a shooting star.

She decorates herself with leaves and berries. She has multicoloured wings like a butterfly.

Get your free fairy name here!

My Hobbit name: Iris Boggy-Hillocks, from http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

My Elvish name: Alateriel Amandil, from http://www.chriswetherell.com/elf/



Comic Strip Generators


My two favorite were:Make Beliefs Comix and Historic Tale Construction Kit . I made scenes (comic and tale) on both, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to display them here, and crashed my computer trying. In Make Beliefs, I did a book blurb for Sharon Lovejoy's Sunflower Houses: Gardening Discoveries for Children of All Ages. I got to use animal characters such as a dapper alligator (crocodile?), a rat, a kitty girl and a cute little bee woman with gardening tools. I also learned that I'm no cartoonist. I really liked Historic Tales probably because it was more like doing a book illustration than a cartoon. The scene has a textile appearance and your text looks embroidered on. Even though there is only one female character, and a lot of the pictures are war related, a managed to make a little scene that pleased me. I titled it "Helping the Princess," and said princess is speaking to a small lion who is offering to help her with an impossible task, in fairy tale fashion.

Shelf Check aside, I didn't like most of the cartoons I saw on Toon Doo. They seemed pretty lowbrow and frequently scatological. I also didn't like the art options. The only cute thing was the searching ferret. Therefore, I won't be setting up an account there for this Thing.

See my other (brief) thoughts on generators Here .

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Thing 35; part 2

Russian Folk Tale illustration from the Vintage Children's Book pool on Flickr, courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenivec/


Audio Book

How cool is it that you can volunteer for Librivox ? They provide free audio books from the public domain. They currently have 1325 works of fiction both for adults and youth, and that is the only category that I searched. To volunteer, "All you need is your voice, some free software, your computer, and maybe an inexpensive microphone". How nice would it be to help others out by reading?

Book Swaps


Swap Tree has me jittery with excitement! You can trade books, music and DVDs. You just make a list of things you want and things that you have. I would like to try it eventually, and I will report back on this blog.

BookCrossing

I don't have any books I want to send out at present, but I'll keep you posted.

Book Reviews

Book Browse : When I saw Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls as one of the week's featured hardcovers, it immediately made me trust this site. You can browse and search through teen and children's books alone. You can search by setting, time period, and themes. That much alone made me want to join. but there is a fee (29.95 for a year) and I am cheap and fairly well informed due to all these other options. The only site I pay for is LibraryThing. Apparently, libraries can subscribe and then patrons can use it, but our system doesn't subscribe.

The One Minute Critic! looks like a fun blog to browse. In fact, I added it to my Blog list (see and visit it below). Quickie videos review books and audio books. Spoiler alerts are given. A variety of books are reviewed. It's free! What's not to like?

Children's Books

Clearly a favorite topic of mine.

Vintage Children's Books on Flickr is something I've played with before this Thing. Gorgeous old book illustrations (Folktales, classics) and nostalgia (Little Golden Books, Dick and Jane). Love it! Any Flickr member can join the group and add to the pool.

Lookybook, which was a recommended resource, has closed due to lack of funds. When I tried Storyline, I received a message that the page can't be found :(

Just One More Book has podcast reviews of books and author interviews. I like this one too, and I've added it to my bloglist below. A selling point for me was a new interview with Leslea' Newman, author of Heather Has Two Mommies and numerous other books for children and adults. I'm a fan of her adult story collections like A Letter to Harvey Milk, Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear and The Femme Mystique, a number of true stories that were very personally important for me. Go Leslea'!

Tonight's Bedtime Story is of great interest to me, because they have 79 classic fairy tales on PDF. I was skeptical about the illustrations, but they are by such masters as Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane and Gustav Dore. Also, they offer computer wallpaper of some of their tales!


Book Rental

Book Swim rents paperbacks, hardcovers, and textbooks, apparently in a manner similar to Netflix. I doubt I'll need that service (as I work in a library, for crying out loud), but I can definitely see how patrons might be interested in textbook rental.

Facebook

I added the book application Great Children's Books, which allows you to send covers of classic children's books to your friends. I sent Anne of Green Gables to my great friend Carol Has Her Nose in a Book.