Big Wheel

Supporting transgender youth: SCLS libraries, programs, and resources

(Catherine Baer, Rosemary Garfoot Public Library, Cross Plains, WI, reading I Am Jazz. Photo courtesy Shauna Koszegi, Sun Prairie Public Library)

Public libraries have become an important venue for community discussions on sensitive topics. By providing education and reliable information, we can foster dialogue and transform our communities.Our colleagues, Catherine Baer from the Rosemary Garfoot Public Library in Cross Plains, and Shauna Koszegi, from the Sun Prairie Public Library, are finding success by partnering with schools, local government and organizations. They have kindly shared their tools and resources to help us develop successful programming around topics that may be outside of our comfort zones:

• Resources  Support Community Conversations, Baer and Koszegi (pdf)
• A Day of Learning Booklist, Baer and Koszegi, (pdf)
• A Day of Learning Packet, gsafe, (pdf)

 

 

SCLS Youth Services meeting, 10/5/18

Whitney, an SCLS office dog, welcomed guests to the annual Fall meeting of SCLS Youth Services Librarians, which was held at SCLS headquarters on Friday, October 5, 2018. 

Meeting highlights: topic - early literacy programs

Speakers and their topics:

• Kristine Millard, Lodi Women's Club Public Library, Every Child Ready to Read and Planning Early Literacy Programs (presentation)
  •   The Five Practices and The Early Literacy Components Support Each Other handout (Saroj Ghoting) 
  • An example of Kristine's planning outline; she organizes program books and activities by Every Child Ready to Read early literacy skill:
• Ruth Sias, Madison Public Library, Central, Baby Gym
  •     DIY prop instructions:
    
    • Calm down bottle instructions
    • Sensory mat instructions
    • Crocheted bee pattern
    • Sewn bowling set pattern
  • Cleaners for toys:
    • Shaklee Basic-G
    • Clean Smart Toy Disinfectant (chemical free)
    • Chlorox Anywhere Spray
    • DIY tea tree oil cleaner (Shawn recommends adding a few drops of dish detergent to this - shake it up!)
• Brittany Gitzlaff, Waunakee Public Library, What Shall We Do With a Tiny Baby? baby programs (presentation)
  • Storytime bookmark, complete with "Tips for a Successful Storytime" message for adults attending programs with their children.
  • Some of Brittany's go-to resources for program ideas:
    
    • Storytime Underground FB group
    • Flannel Friday 
    • Jbrary, songs and fingerplays YouTube
• Anne Horjus, Baraboo Public Library, Hands-on early literacy activities
  • 600 Black Spots, by David Carter (abstract art program)
    
  • Tinyville Town: I'm a Librarian, series by Brian Biggs
  • Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamont-Cohen
  • Mrs. Perky Bird welcome song (sorry!  this isn't a video of Anne's performance!)
  • Choo choo greeting
• Andrea Schmitz, Monroe Public Library
  • Pre-program Powerpoint that includes a slide for adults about storytime expectations
    

Phi Bao, author of A Different Pond, wins 2018 Charlotte Zolotow Award

Bao Phi is the winner of the 2018 Charlotte Zolotow Award for his picture book A Different Pond. The award is given by the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC), a library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin.

Acclaimed poet Bao Phi delivers a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.

 

The 2018 Zolotow Award committee named five Honor Books:

• Baby Goes to Market written by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank (Candlewick Press)
• Buster and the Baby written by Amy Hest, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Candlewick Press) 
•  Herbert’s First Halloween written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Steven Henry (Chronicle Books)
• Jabari Jumps written and illustrated by Gaia Cornwall (Candlewick Press
•  Niko Draws a Feeling written by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Simone Shin (Carolrhoda Books).

           

The 2018 Zolotow Award committee also cited eight highly commended titles:

• All the Way to Havana written by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Mike Curato (Godwin Books / Henry Holt)
   
  
• Before She Was Harriet written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome (Holiday House) 

• Big Cat, Little Cat written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper (Roaring Brook Press)
  
• In the Middle of Fall written by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins) 
  
  
• Little Wolf’s First Howling written by Laura McGee Kvasnosky, illustrated by Laura McGee Kvasnosky and Kate Harvey McGee (Candlewick Press) 
  
  
• The One Day House written by Julia Durango, illustrated by Bianca Diaz (Charlesbridge) 
  
  
• Round written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 
  
  
• When’s My Birthday? written by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Christian Robinson (A Neal Porter Book / Roaring Brook Press).

 

Please read the complete press release announcing this year's Zolotow Award, Honor, and Commended Titles for more information.

The Charlotte Zolotow Award is supported by the Friends of the CCBC.

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Guest post: S.T.E.A.M. storytimes, 9 week series outline

Beth Hays, children's librarian at the Ruth Culver Memorial Library, works in a gorgeous building on the shore of the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac, WI.  Seriously - she and her colleagues are treated to breath-taking views of the natural world every single day.  It is no wonder, then, that she creates and presents meaningful S.T.E.A.M youth programs at her library; and, lucky for us, she shares her program outlines and ideas!

Please check out Beth's program outline for the 9-week science series she presented during the summer of 2017. 

Thanks, Beth!

Do you have ideas to share?  Please send them to Shawn Brommer for future Big Wheel posts!

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Kindness Storytime, created by Julie Harrison, Verona Public Library System

Julie Harrison's blog, Verona Story Time: Story Time Ideas from the Verona Public Library, is filled with great program ideas and program outlines.  Her August 4, 2017 post provides an outline for a Kindness Storytime program that is perfect to use in preschool story times or whenever you want to spread a little kindness.

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End of summer reads

 

 I savor late summer.  I love cricket song, ripening tomatoes, and the shifting light of late summer afternoons. The buzz of back-to-school energy makes me appreciate summer celebrations with family and friends.  I've appreciated this mild and soggy summer and am going to soak in every moment of the coming weeks.  Here are a few recently-published picture books that inspire us to sit back and relish the remaining days of the season.

 

Jabari Jumps, by Gaia Cornwall. Candlewick Press, 2017.

Jabari has finished his swimming lessons, has passed his final swim test, and now is ready to jump off the high diving board. Thanks to steady and gentle reassurances from his dad, Jabari musters his courage and identifies personal strategies for trying new things and taking giant leaps.

 

John Deere, That's Who!, by Tracy Mauer. Henry Holt, 2017.

This picture book biography of John Deere introduces young readers and families to the American blacksmith and inventor whose name is synonymous with farm life.  Through lyrical language and playful text, readers learn about Deere's trials, errors, and eventual innovations.

 

This Beautiful Day, by Richard Jackson

Rainy days often are welcome breaks during sweltering summer months. In this picture book, which is great for group sharing, three siblings dance, spin, and swirl indoors before they grab umbrellas and take their celebration outdoors where they meet neighbors for a parade and celebration of the parting clouds and sunshine.

 

 

What are you reading during these late summer days?

 

 

 

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Youth services librarians as helpers and heroes

I’m glad that you are here. You are welcome and invited and wanted here at Big Wheel, a blog for youth services librarians, which is sponsored by the South Central Library System and moderated by Shawn Brommer, Youth Services and Outreach Consultant.

In this very first blog post, I encourage you to reflect on the places we hold in the lives and hearts of the community members we serve.  Over the years I have spoken with countless community members who tell me, time and time again, that they **love** their children’s librarians.  They trust their children’s librarians and they know that the information, services, and programs that we provide are high-quality, thoughtful, accurate, and inclusive. We are viewed as community leaders and, at times, as heroes.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Mister Rogers and his famous quote from his mother reminding him to “Look for the helpers” when he saw scary things as a young boy.  I first heard this quote in the days after September 11, 2001, when I was glued to the television, repeatedly viewing scenes from the attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania.  For years, I associated these helpers with firefighters, first responders, police officers, EMTs, and other emergency personnel.  And I still do… and… as our communities evolve and our profession transforms to support community culture and life, I recognize that public librarians are identified as key community helpers and heroes.  We connect community members with essential information, resources, and organizations that provide emergency housing and nutrition. Our organizations step in and become employment resource centers when local job centers are permanently closed. Public libraries provide spaces for community members to come together to read and discuss books that celebrate individuals and families. We provide safe spaces for vulnerable youth and homeless families and, in communities such as Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD, public libraries keep their doors open to welcome all and to provide shelter and respite during traumatic times.

We are the helpers that Mrs. Rogers described to her son. We are community heroes who model compassion and dignified service. We help community members explore ideas and connect with one another. We help parents and caregivers talk to their children about images and ideas that are frightening, disturbing, and, destructive. These are difficult roles to play and often are ones for which we did not audition. And here we are… helpers… heroes.  And we’re doing it. We’re rising to the challenge and we’re thoughtfully and fiercely taking on these roles with integrity.

We have the resources and the experience. We have the well-earned trust of our community members. And we have each other. We have the strength of our shared knowledge, skills, and wisdom. We are connected to colleagues and organizations who have identified resources that help children and the adults in their lives cope with scary images and difficult questions and ideas.  Please consider visiting these organizations' websites to view the resources they recommend.  Read and share the recommended books and articles.  Display them.  Purchase them. Recommend them. Let’s talk about them with each other and with the community members we serve.

Anti-Defamation League: 

Books Matter: Children’s Literature that instills empathy, affirms children’s sense of self, teaches about others, transports to new places, and inspres actions on behalf of social justice.

Association for Library Service to Children:

Comforting Reads for Difficult Times

Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Selected Resources:

50 Books About Family (Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers)

Images of Community: Selected Books for Children and Young Adults

KidCitizen Engagement: Selected Books for K – 5 about Community, Conflict Resolution and Voting

Reading & Resilience: Selected Books for Children and Teens About the Trauma in the Lives of Youth

Thick-skinned, Thin-skinned, The Skin I’m In: Books about Bullying, Teasing, Relational Aggression and School Violence

Welcoming Schools

Answering Challenging Questions

Diverse Books for Your School

Teaching Tolerance resources:

Race and Ethnicity

Religion

Ability

Class

Immigration

Gender & Sexual Identity

Bullying & Bias

Rights & Activism