Blog Review

Title: ALSC Blog

Author:Various ALSC members contribute to the blog, but Mary R. Voors is the blog's overall manager.

Publisher: Association for Library Service to Children

Year: The blog offers recent postings and is updated on a daily basis.

Format: The blog is available online via a Wordpress site. It is available at http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/.

Summary:
The blog is full of various articles of interest and relevancy to librarians that work in children's services. The content posted in the month of April includes the following: book lists for STEAM programs, updates on the ALSC 2016 Institute, information about state standards and how school librarians and public librarians can help interconnect their resources and activities to support learning, after-school programs for school-aged kids, booktalks with meaningful ways to utilize the featured book in children's programming, and how to build and utilize tinker labs for preschoolers.

Audience:
The ALSC blog is definitely geared to librarians that serve children whether in public or school libraries. It focuses much more on teaching, curriculum development, collection development, and pedagogy than simple reviews of materials (that might be of more use to parents and children). 

Strengths:
The blog provides the following things:

• Relevant material that addresses current needs, interests, and problems facing children's librarians
• Varied content and voices from different writers (races, genders, locations)
• User-friendly format: easy to read articles, searchable content, short-mid-length articles, intuitive layout, good use of white/blank space in website design, tagged submissions
• Calendars 
• Opportunities for guest postings
• Contests
• Professional networking
• RSS feed 
• Highlighted subtopics throughout articles with links for further reading
• Credible, authoritative governing body to ensure accuracy and peer-reviewed material

Weaknesses:
 Some potential weaknesses of the blog:

• Reads a bit more like a scholarly journal, so it lacks some of the humor, creativity, and personal touches of blogs like "The Daring Librarian."
• Since it is geared for children's services in general, you might have to sift through several articles before you find one that directly applies to your personal situation (private/public school library, etc.)

Programming Connections:
The ALSC blog is useful for staying fresh and current in the field. It provides easy access to information related to teaching and library services. It is a great resource for anyone working in the field.

Awards:
The ALSC provides the awards for nearly all the notable pieces written and/or produced for children. If a librarian does not know about ALSC, then he or she is out to lunch. This is without doubt, one of the first places to go to find book lists, award winners, credible information about the industry, grants, and scholarships.

Overall Rating:
I would give the ALSC blog 5 out of 5 stars for providing great content that is relevant to my job as a librarian who works with children. It offers just about everything, and I know that while I will not necessarily agree with all its publications, I can certainly breathe easy about the content and knowing it's trustworthy and of high quality.

Video Review

Title: Anna, Emma, and the Condors

Producer/Director: Katja Torneman 

Year: 2012

Format: DVD; 20 minutes (Available through Passion River Films)

Summary: 
Anna, Emma, and the Condors follows the Parish family's efforts to save and sustain the struggling Condor population in the wilds of California. The video highlights the family's philosophy concerning environmental stewardship, and how they raise their daughters to be independent caretakers of the wild as well.

Audience:
This short film would be appropriate for students grades 3-7. It is short enough to work for the attention span of younger children ages 7 or 8, but offers enough deep thought for older ones ages 12-13. It would also be appropriate for families to watch together.

Strengths:
This documentary possesses the following successes:

• Quality footage; cinematography that captures the beauty of the land and the power of the condors themselves
• Intentional music that adds drama to the visuals.
• Meaningful voice overs and narration that speaks to children's interests and intelligence (while the narrative is straightforward, it also asks the audience to ponder Thoreau-esque ideas about nature, free thought, and humanity's role in the world).
• Haunting music that reflects a Native-American sensibility.
• Focus on activism and great shots of the young girls doing meaningful things to make a difference in the environment, which might inspire young children to do the same.
• Great tie in of themes about family, responsibility, and adventure. 

Weaknesses:
The film does contain the following weak areas:

•  More emphasis could be given to the audience about how they could get involved to help with condors, or some other endangered species in their own area.
• The film could be a bit longer. I was left wanting to know a bit more about what the young girls hope for the future, including their roles as guardian caretakers.

Programming Connections:
I think the topic of this documentary is perfect for current discussions about our planet. Sustainability, ecology, and environmental stewardship are important issues to address with our young people. This film would work well with studies about endangered species and what "normal" people (even kids) can do to help save them.
 

 Awards:

• The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival 2012 Audience Award Winner
• Official selection at International Wildlife Film Festival Missoula 2012
• Best Picture Zaki Gordon Film Institute Film Festival
• 2013 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video 

Overall Rating:

I am not very familiar with films made intentionally for children, so I do not have much to compare with for this documentary. On the whole, I enjoyed the story line and felt as though it encouraged young children to pursue worthwhile activities that promote healthy communities and environments. I would encourage teachers to show this film in their classes and I would award it 4 out of 5 stars.

Early/Easy Reader Book Review

Title: There is a Bird on Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

Author: Mo Willems

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Year: 2007

ISBN: 978-1423106869

Format: Print, hardcover, 64 pages

Summary: 
Piggie tries to help her best friend Elephant deal with the fact that there is a bird on his head. However, as the story progresses, Elephant finds that more is on his head than the two originally thought. When they finally figure out how to get rid of the bird, Piggie then finds out that she has a bird on her head!

Audience:
Scholastic, Amazon, School Library Journal, and Google Books all list this easy reader as intended for children PreK-kindergarten. I would agree. The simple dialog, funny pictures, and repetitive story line are appropriate for children 3-5.
 
Strengths:
There's a Bird on Your Head! has many strengths including the following:

• Two lovable, main characters (Piggie and Elephant) that are drawn simply and are easily recognizable
• Repetitive dialog that includes counting skills
• Slow-building story line that offers small children opportunities to infer what might happen next
• Humorous ending with the birds and nest re-locating to Piggie's head
• Great mix between dialog (written on comic-style dialog boxes), white space, and characters
• Text-free pages interspersed for guessing, thinking, and predicting 
• Funny story line that is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face
• Teaches polite manners (Elephant asking the birds to move in a nice way)
• It's part of a series of easy readers

Weaknesses:
This book does not have an abundance of weaknesses, but here are some areas where it could improve a bit:

• A bit more detail to the character's faces to create more emotion
• A fun question posed to the audience or readers: What would you do if you had a bird on your head? Or something similar asked by Piggie. I think little children would have fun coming up with their own ideas of how to get rid of the birds before Piggie suggests that Elephant ask them to move.

Programming Connections:
This book would be fun for reading aloud during story-time in a children's library. The pictures are simple and the story is straightforward. You could easily read it while showing the pictures. The dialog is simple, so it wouldn't be hard to memorize and create different voices for the characters. It would also be a good book to read when reviewing counting basic numbers and teaching about problem-solving. The repetitive dialog would help young readers learn and memorize new vocabulary.
 
Awards:
This book has earned the following honors:

• Geisel Medal
•  Favorable reviews by The Horn Book and Publisher's Weekly

Overall Rating: 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this children's book. It possesses a universal quality that would make it appropriate for children across the globe. Piggie and Elephant are fun characters and I can see why the series certainly sparks a love for independent reading among young children. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. 

Graphic Novel Review

Title: Smile

Author: Raina Telgemeier

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Year: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-545-24182-3

Format: Print; Paperback, 214 pages

Summary:
Smile is a memoir about a young girl's coming-of-age experiences. It recounts the author's struggles with braces, boys, and tumultuous friendships. Young Raina journeys from middle school to high school and learns life lessons (often hysterical ones) along the way. Lots of drama and even an earthquake help make this story interesting, powerful, and memorable.

Audience:
This book is perfect for students grades 5-8, or ages 10-14. The experiences of Raina certainly speak to middle grade adolescents struggling to find identity and self-acceptance. Scholastic, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and School Library Journal all list the target audience of this novel as middle grades.

Strengths:
Smile succeeds in many ways:

• Interesting and funny illustrations that perfectly match the text to add meaning and emotion
• Humor to deal with difficult situations, but not too silly or over-the-top
• Wonderful theme of empowerment and overcoming obstacles (Great scene near the end where Raina stands up to the bullies and decides to make new friends)
• Captures the angst, longing, and frustration felt by so many adolescents and teenagers as they grow up: the paradox of wanting to be noticed and wanting to fit in at the same time
• Personal and vulnerable story about embarrassment and dealing with common issues like braces
• Terrific ending that concludes with Raina finding herself and accepting herself rather than simply acquiring a boyfriend or popularity...loved the message about throwing yourself into your own passions to find meaning and purpose!

Weaknesses:
Smile does not have that many weak areas. The only areas where I have criticisms concern:

• Girl-centered: While I think this is great and a central part of the story, it does possibly limit the potential range of audience. I am not sure if boys will enjoy it as much.
• The novel never says what happened to the "Tiny-Tot" sixth grade boy that had a crush on Raina.

Programming Connections:
Smile would be a great book to use when discussing bullying, self-acceptance, and other issues related to peer-pressure and dealing with society's expectations. This book would also work well with reluctant readers since it is in graphic format. I would love to read this book with a group of middle school girls and then talk about the pressures they face and how they deal with them.

Read-alikes:
Smile is similar to the following titles:

• Sisters (also by Telgemeier)
• Awkward (Chmakova)
• Drama (also by Telgemeier)

Awards:
Smile has received the following honors:

• NYT Bestseller
• Eisner Award
• Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade & Children's Title
•  Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor for Nonfiction
• YALSA Top Ten Graphic Novels
• Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
• Amazon Bestseller distinction
• Excellent reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher's Weekly

Overall Rating:
I thought this book was absolutely terrific! I would encourage all my middle-aged students to read it, especially girls. The graphic format added meaning and nuance. The facial expressions of the characters and the embarrassing situations combined for powerful images and made me think back to my awkward years. I think the story worked exceptionally well as a graphic novel. I would give it 4.5 out of 5 starts.

Children's Magazine Review

Title: Zoobooks

Author: John Bonnett Wexo

Publisher: Wildlife Education, Ltd.

Date: March/April 2016

Format: Print; 18 pages

Summary:
Zoobooks is a magazine for children that teaches about wildlife. Each issue features a different animal. All the articles will be written about that particular animal and all the photos will highlight that animal. Articles address things such as habitats, subspecies, little known facts, predator-prey relationships, and family relationships.

The featured animal for this particular issue of Zoobooks is the parrot. Articles mention "talking" parrots, which ones make the best pets, where different species are located, how their feet/talons work, what their skeletons look like, how they use their beaks, and how they build their nests and care for their young.

Audience:
The audience for this magazine is children ages 6-12. Amazon, Zoobooks themselves, and Parent's Choice Reviews list it for this target range. I would agree. Vocabulary is fairly simple, layouts are colorful and easy to comprehend, and the content material is something that would resonate with small children and relate to topics that they study in school.

Strengths:
Zoobooks performs well in the following areas:

• Colorful and interesting layouts/spreads that make good use of captions
• Small blocks of text and plenty of white space so that information is not overwhelming or difficult to read; Simple and straightforward.
• No advertisements which create a clutter-free feeling as you leaf through the pages. It also means that there are less distractions.
• Themed issues that teach about a single animal reinforce comprehension.
• Interesting spread in each issue that asks children if they would like this animal as a pet. Then the writers discuss what it would be like, which materials the children would need, how much food they would need, etc. which makes the animal come to life.
• Beautiful full-color photo spreads that could be used as posters after the magazine is read; lots of photos without wording superimposed on them that would work for cutouts for collages as well.
• Often includes puzzles, charts, maps, etc. that are relevant and helpful for informational text.
• "Explore Even More" section on the back of the magazine which offers links, Q&A, jokes, and suggestions for further reading/research.

Weaknesses:
Zoobooks would be a better read if:

• The text is set in Times New Roman, which is a bit dull and formal for small children, and the text font does not vary throughout the magazine.
• It could make better use of inserts and special stories that highlight children interacting with the particular animal of the month.
• The layouts are very basic. Much more could be done with graphics to enhance images, create more interesting backdrops, etc.

Programming Connections:
This magazine would pair well with any kind of study about animals: biomes, reproduction, biology, ecology, environment, science-related subjects, etc. It would also work well with units covering responsibility, pet ownership, and human-animal-environment systems. It would be a great tool for small "research" projects with young children. They could read the magazine and then do short presentations that teach the class about their animal.

Read-alikes:
Some similar magazines include the following:

• National Geographic Kids
• Ranger Rick
• Ask

Awards:
Zoobooks has received the following honors:

• Parent's Choice Gold Award 
• Amazon Bestseller distinction for children's magazines and magazines about animals
• Longevity: It has been published for 35 years and counting

Overall Rating: 
On the whole, I would give this magazine a 3 out of 5 star rating. While it does not match up to National Geographic Kids or Ranger Rick in terms of visual appeal and the variation of content material, I think its single theme and simplicity offer something unique. The magazine offers few distractions, which I think is very important sometimes for young readers. I also like it that children can go more in-depth about a particular animal of interest to them.

Picturebook Review

Title: Pink and Say

Author: Patricia Polacco

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Year: 1994

ISBN: 0-590-54210-9

Format: Pint; Paperback, 48 pages

Summary:
Pink and Say tells the "true" tale of Sheldon Russell Curtis and Pinkus Aylee (two Union soldiers) that meet by chance during the Civil War. The two boys form a special bond as they rescue each other from danger. After Pink's mother dies from a gunshot would from marauders, the two boys are captured and never meet again. The story is about the boys' friendship (one is white and the other is black) and what it means to be soldier during the Civil War.

Audience: 
According to Booklist, this picturebook is for readers ages 5-9, or grades 1-4. I would disagree with this categorization, however, given the amount of text that is on some of the pages. The book is actually quite lengthy for the attention span of the average first grader. In addition to the lengthy narrative, the book is filled with rather difficult vocabulary for first graders such as "marauders."

Scholastic suggests that is it for grades 3-5, which seems more appropriate.

Strengths:
This picturebook does the following things well:

• Introducing young readers to diction (Example: "Lord, Lord, I never thought I'd see my dear boy again," she said as she hugged him. "I been gittin' along, though, Pinkus. Warm things got left in the big house when the family left. Dry goods, too. The rest I been gittin' from the woods. They's a freshwater spring. Still have some chickens, even got an ole cow out back that still gives." pg. 13)
• Realistic illustrations that do not sugarcoat the truth: wounded soldiers, blood, anguished facial expressions, etc.
• Powerful expression using hands and gestures: the black and white clasped hands that are being torn apart at the book's conclusion is especially powerful and moving.
• Opening pages that offer full-spreads depicting the departure of each boy from his family. These images certainly raise questions given the disparities between the families.

Weaknesses:
Pink and Say demonstrates weaknesses in the following areas:

• Clearly Defined Target Audience (I'm still wondering exactly which ages would resonate with this piece. The ending pages that talk about the brutal fates of the two men would certainly sit uneasy with certain parents and educators.)
• Controversies surrounding the "truth" of the tale. A simple Google search reveals that much of the story is inaccurate, especially the park about Say being illiterate. This is problematic, since Polacco tells her reads "I know this story to be true" on page 46.
• Complicated themes (or perhaps just too many themes in one book) for the intended audience: This book attempts to look at slavery, the Civil War, race relations, vigilantes, bravery vs. cowardice, and the power of literacy. This seems like a lot to tackle in a picturebook for small children. 
• Abrupt transitions between events. One minute they are on a battlefield. The next page they are in Moe Moe Bay's home.

Programming Connections:
There does not seem to be many books available for teaching about the Civil War in this format, so this book certainly serves a need in those regards. With the right group of children, I could see this title working well with a study on the Civil War, soldier life, and race relations, which resonates with current events in the lives of children today.

Read-alikes:
The following titles are similar to Pink and Say:

• Chicken Sunday and January's Sparrow (also by Polacco)
• Henry's Freedom Box (Levine)
• Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (Hopkinson)

Awards:
This picturebook won the 1997 West Virginia Children's Book Award and the 1998 Mid-South Independent Booksellers for Children Humpty Dumpty Award

Overall Rating:
On the whole, I would give this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars. While I was moved by the boys' friendship and the final scene where they are taken away from each other, I was left with more questions and a feeling of incompleteness. I am just not sure with whom I would read this tale.

I chose this title because I saw it on several lists when researching for our historical fiction genre clinic. Since it appeared on several reading lists, I thought it would be worth spending time on for the blog.

Nonfiction Book Review

Title: An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Author: Jim Murphy

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Year: 2003

ISBN: 978-0-439-69389-9

Format: Print; Paperback, 165 pages including all back matter

Summary: Murphy recounts the terrible 1793 Yellow Fever Epidemic that ravaged Philadelphia. The story follows several key doctors (Benjamin Rush for example) as they attempt to deal with the outbreak. The book concludes with a brief history of the disease at it struck notable cities, and then speculates what the future may be like if the disease returns.

Audience:  
The intended audience for this book is youths ages 10-12, or grades 5-7.  According to Scholastic, the book's interest range is grades 5-9, with a reading Lexile of 1130L.

Strengths:
An American Plague certainly possesses strengths that directly relate to best practices when it comes to crafting nonfiction.

• The book opens with an attention-grabber: great opening incident to draw in readers and set the state for the drama. This line particularly speaks to Murphy's descriptive detail: "No one knew that a killer was already moving through their streets with them, an invisible stalker that would go house to house until it had touched everyone, rich or poor, in some terrible way" (9). What a cool way to anthropomorphize the plague!
• Chapters are 10 pages or less (not too overwhelming in terms of details).
• Each chapter includes pictures or original news clippings with captions to add visuals for increased comprehension.
• Interesting map in the front of the book to pique curiosity and for a reference point as the story progresses.
• Written almost as a nonfiction novel; great use of narrative to teach.
• Tightly focused narrative that follows a select cast of characters while still teaching about all the key people and incidents involved in the tragedy.
• Helpful back matter: index, source citations, information for further reading, etc.

Weaknesses:
While An American Plague earns its honors through quality scholarship and literary merit, it does posses some weaknesses.

• No glossary, bold terminology, subheadings, or footnotes for unfamiliar vocabulary. This could be an obstacle for struggling readers.
• Small font
• A rather terrifying closing chapter that discusses the potential of the disease to resurface in modern time...while this information is certainly true and worth noting, it could cause young readers much anxiety. I think this is more of a caveat than an actual weakness, though.

Programming Connections:
This book would pair well with Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793. These two titles would work well for teaching students about a topic while using multiple genres (Fever is fiction). This book would also work for studying the development of science, health, and medicine. 
  
Read-alikes:
Some similar titles to An American Plague include the following:

• Black Potatoes
• Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America
• The Great Fire, Truce, and other nonfiction titles by Murphy
• The Children's Blizzard
• Quite a bit of work from Steve Sheinkin such as The Notorious Benedict Arnold or B.O.M.B.

Awards:
An American Plague has received the following honors:

• Newbery Honor
• National Book Award Finalist
• Robert F. Sibert Medal
• Starred reviews by Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal, Horn Book Magazine, Bulletin for Children's Books
• Featured on NPR

Overall Rating:
I thought this book was quite fascinating. I was not aware that the federal government virtually shut down during the epidemic. Overall, Murphy did a wonderful job of creating an interesting, captivating, and informative narrative. I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars for informational text.