ALA Annual Conference: Reading the Art in Caldecott Books

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Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books
What Makes a Picture Book Distinguished?

Gail Nordstrom
Coordinated Mock Newbery and Caldecott discussions
2002 Newbery committee, 2011 Caldecott committee
Heidi Hammond
School Librarian
Appointed to 2011 Caldecott committee

You must be a member of ALSC, and you must volunteer!
Wrote a book: Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books: A Guide to the Illustrations

“Nothing happens accidentally in a picture book.” — K.T. Horning
The Adventures of Beekle, by Dan Santat
Notice: Dust jacket and book cover differ.
End papers have images — a variety of imaginary friends. Beekle’s purpose isn’t clear.
Color is important in Beekle. Full color in the imaginary world. Real world is dark and grim.
Playground is colored.
Beautifully balanced color in the tree.
Change of perspective. Detail, like tape on Beekle’s crown.
At the end, we learn Beekle’s purpose.

2014 Caldecott Medal: Locomotive
In this book, artistic expression as a whole.
Pen & Ink with water color — amazing detail.
Sense of speed. Tones give a sense of place and time.
There’s a second visual narrative in the illustrations.
Train has a diagonal line of energy. Great detail. Even bolts on the locomotive. Night scene. Coming right at you.
Font is used effectively.
Amazing end papers in this book.
Again dust jacket and boards have different images.

Elements of Art
Flora and the Flamingo: Color
Effective use of negative white space.
Line: Straight vertical line causes us to stop.
Molly Idle was an animator before illustrator — flaps add motion.
Diagonal line suggests movement.
Tree branches add balance
Color does evoke feeling and mood.
Creepy Carrots has a totally different feel.
Also minimal colors in One Cool Friend and use of white space.
Patterns used consistently.

This One Summer
Also minimal use of color. Indigo gives us a nostalgic feel.
Multiple images to suggest movement.
A variety of page and panel layouts.

Creative Spirits
Viva Frida — A new kind of art. Stop motion puppets, paint, photography, digital manipulation
Color is vibrant and intense.
Much texture
Begins with puppets and evolves into a dream world of acrylic paints.

The Right Word — collage and water color
Interesting shapes right from the start
Focus of each page is on a book cover
3D collage — lots of texture.
End papers goes from cluttered to ordered

The Noisy Paint Box
Expressionistic art — acrylic paint and paper collage.
Starts formal – art explodes with emotion later
Text becomes part of the illustrations

Dave the Potter
Light streams down on him.
Collage elements cut out of glossy photographs
Element of shape — roundness as he creates the bowl

Journey, by Aaron Becker
Different perspectives
Endpapers show different modes of transportation throughout the ages
Details of her room show her longing for travel

Me… Jane
Jane also makes a journey
Me… Jane is a circle story and first and last pictures reflect that.

Nana in the City
Vibrant colors
Spread before book begins lead to the city.
Grandma’s red accessories make her stand out.
Vignettes show action in quick sequence.
Page turn with boy marching right off the page.
They stand out from the crowd but blend in with the city.

Mr. Wuffles!
Water color and india ink
Layer upon layer to get the dimensionality of the cat.
Long thin panels with varying perspective
Mounted a camera to a broomstick to get a cat perspective
Color value change when we focus on the aliens. Different sense of space.
He worked with a linguist to develop a new language
Dust jacket and boards of books are totally different.

Sleep Like a Tiger.
Lots of pattern — acrylic paint on board, collage, digital manipulation.
Repeating motifs
Tiger is important
On moon, collage is the text of Tyger, by William Blake
Shape — rounded and comforting. Snail shape

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
Shape is very important here, and negative/positive space
Colors change subtly as they dig.
Visual vertical motion where they fall.

This is Not My Hat
All hand-lettered
Horizontal format
In the sea, but grounded with the tops of plants.
The images tell a very different story than the narrative.
Clear movement across the page toward the page turn
Has the unusual movement “backwards”
Opposing narrative — completely different from the narrative

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Blue end papers match blue of Amos’s house. Red letters match red of balloon. Horizontal line carries action through.
Flourish at end of each line, different each page.
Vertical lines cause us to pause.
Woodblock printing causes texture.
The animals aren’t humorous, but have dignity.
Text balances the image.
Amos is touching almost every animal in the story.

Now groups talk about picture books.

ALA Annual Conference: YALSA Shark Tank Program Ideas

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YALSA Shark Tank Program Ideas

This was a Young Adult Library Services Association program where members submitted ideas for programs, and “Sharks” critiqued them. (They were awfully nice sharks, but these were good ideas!) I didn’t stay to find out who won funding for their idea, but all had great potential!

Sharks:
Susan Del Rosario
Crystle Martin
K-Fai Steele
David ten Have

Program Ideas:
Pitch 12: Teens and Technology: Interactive 3D display
Virtual world of Minecraft brought to life in 3D.
Project: Have teens create 3D pieces for a display they curate.
Each piece printed on 3D printer and put into a display the teens curate.
Goals: Strengthening STEM skills and increasing engagement with the library
Outcomes: How many teens involved and what they learn.
Sharks: Using Minecraft to scale up to 3D modeling, etc. Takes their interest and builds on it.
Hope you’ll find some way to celebrate what they make.
One-on-one time and small groups to teach kids the software.
Want it to be super collaborative. Help them learn teamwork.
Seeing their pieces will be satisfying.

Jennifer Bishop from Maryland, Carroll County
Use subscription box model — crates exhibited on the public floor for exploration.
TABs will create videos on monthly crate unboxings.
Teens will learn new skills.
Ideas have teens come and innovate through play.
Open access exhibit model along with program model.
Will evaluate success based on surveys.
Plan to run for one year for around $1500.
Sharks: Encouraging teens themselves to promote on social media.
Have you thought about teens determining what is in the crates?
Part of survey will determine future crates.
Do librarians get to play with the crates, too? Staff is trained, too. Someone on each branch can assist.
How will the items survive? Need to get them into the hands of everyone. Teens have been very careful with them.
There will be sheets with some things you can do with each crate.
Encouraging other librarians: There are many resources out there to learn. A lot is trial and error. We can learn along with our teens. You don’t have to be an expert to start.

Katie McBride, Mill Valley Public Library, California.
Building History in 3D
Teach kids 3D modeling skills to build a historically accurate model of their town 100 years ago.
Time Walk project.
Use local history to get community engagement.
Building history in 3D will also impact the Mill Valley community.
Great example of how libraries can be curators.
Will engage students in the past and give them technological skills.
They’ll have groups of teens work on one building at a time.

Kristin Phelps, Whittier Middle School, Oklahoma
Make Your Library Space
They have a variety of borrowed tech toys. Do have access to experts.
Have teens decide what would best meet their learning goals.
Create a Makerspace environment.
Sharks: Use other people’s money as much as possible!
Teens loved the Littlebits. They tried things out before they decide what to purchase.
Has access to university professors, collaboration with university.
More important than tools is relationship with the teens.
Think about collaborative projects when building a makerspace.

Rika, Napa County Library, California
Incorporating Digital Literacy with College and Job Readiness
–Teens are entering the workforce without critical skills
–Youth unemployment is at an all-time high.
Talked and surveyed their teens in interests and what information they needed.
There was a felt need for what colleges and jobs are looking for.
Creating climbers — space in the library — symposium reaching out to community partners to supply this information.
Sharks: How does digital literacy fit into it?
Trying to show them how it links together. Where to go? Will try to have peer teaching, which builds leadership skills.

Shanna Miles, South Atlanta High School
American’s Next Top Maker
90% of kids are economically disadvantages.
10% of class of 2015 are the first in families to graduate from high school.
Many students have outside responsibilities.
Program involves creative competition.
Incentivize digital play in the library.
Students will apply, 6 best ideas will go to next round
Will have maker packs for the next level.
Categories: App development, music production, writing, game development
Final judging will be an assembly with the student body.
Prizes are opportunities toward entrepreneurship.

Sharks will consult on winners.

ALA Annual Conference: All Hands on Tech

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All Hands on Tech
Explore, Play and Imagine Interactive Tech Time in Kids’ Library Programming

Rachel Nard, Mary Beth Parks, Amy Tooley from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Children are growing up with a wide variety of tech that can support learning.
Not all tech is great. They did research.

Developed a plan, selected equipment, created app guidelines, integrated technology, evaluated the programs.

Build your case first. Look at community need.
Wanted to provide more than just access.
Wanted staff to communicate how they could support learning.
Wanted staff to be media mentors.
Began the project at locations where staff were comfortable with the technology.
Learned about best practices and research.

You can start small. It was scalable.
Developing a Plan
Looked at Fred Rogers Institute statement — was the basis for all their work.
Also used Littleelit as a resource.
Used ALSC resources related to digital media.
Set goals — wanted to create a tech team or a digital librarian position.
Wanted to have developmentally appropriate programs.
Identified outcomes and evaluation.
Researched equipment — selected iPads because of selected access.
Purchased an iPad, headphones, big grips for little hands, screen wipes.
Begin with a purchase, but start small.

Created App Selection Guidelines
Professional reviews
Recommendations/reputable sites
Cost & value
Use & accessibility

Approved App: Daisy the Dinosaur
Reviewed by SLJ. No ads. Free. User friendly. Easily integrated into existing programs. (Robotics program)
It’s a coding app.
Clean interface. Simple coding.

Unapproved App: Reading Rainbow
Peer recommendation. No ads. Fee-based beyond initial free download. User friendly. Easily integrated into existing programs. Ongoing pretty heavily fee-based.

Integrating technology: Programming
Created formal lesson plans for each program as they were starting out.
Very intentional about the use of iPads in the program.
Have used them in Early Literacy storytimes to many other programs.
Use them a lot during outreach.
After the program, check if the learning goals were met.

Program Exploration: Felt Board
Use in any way you’d use a physical felt board. You don’t have to cut out each piece.
Also works well for a storytelling app.
Always tells parents it’s not the app that helps the child learn, but the interaction with the parent that helps the child learn.
Always tell parents they need to be using apps with their child.

Make a Scene Farmyard (Free)
Good for a farm storytime. No gimmick or game, just putting animals in the farm.
Can be used during the storytime or give to families afterward. Always emphasize to parents what early literacy skills apps help.

Toca Robot Lab (school age)
STEM Super Science Program
With Pete’s Robot — ebook
Have used a Bee-bot — a basic, interactive robot
Toca Robot Lab has a maze to send the robot through.

Imagination Builders & Build and Play App
Works on drag and drop skills.

Gardening Thyme & Gro Garden App
Example: composting program and used Gro Garden app to explore how compost works.

Homeschool Explorations program & Leaf Snap app
Leaf Snap identifies leaves for you, with lots of info.

They’re trying to merge the creative with the analytical.

Summer Reading program and Word Girl app
Summer Reading Extravaganza and Code Fest
Had a technology tent with tech for all ages.
Hosted a CodeFest Jr. program
Used LittleBits.

Program Resource: Guided Access
Keeps the iPad locked on a single app.
Increases focus. Controls features. Password controlled. Timer function.

Program Evaluation
Based on evaluations, they did change some processes and accessories.
Phase 1: Did 470 programs reaching 10,597 children/caregivers.

Surveys throughout
Children’s Specialists Feedback

Planning for the future:
Ongoing professional development
Expanding use of technology
Seeking additional funding

Tips & Tricks:
Standardize passwords across all devices.
Choose iPad cases carefully.
Guided Access may be the key to your sanity.
Changed to Autobox cases. iPads are more durable than you’d think!
Managing devices takes longer than expected
Never underestimate the attraction of iPads for all ages.

Their website is carnegielibrary.org/kidstech

Evaluating programs made it easier to get funding.
They’re now using an app management system.

ALA Annual Conference: Libraries and Book Collections as Essential Cultural Institutions

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Libraries and Book Collections as Essential Cultural Institutions:
A Historical and Forward-Looking Perspective

These are notes from a Saturday afternoon session at ALA Annual Conference.

How do we preserve what we have, and how do we move forward into the digital era?

Authors:
Sasha Abremsky: The House of 20,000 Books
Truly interesting and informative account about his grandparents — an expert on Jewish and socialist history. A vision of stewardship

Scott German: Patience & Fortitude: Fight to save a public library
Efforts to gut the NYPL Like a nail-biting corporate thriller

Matthew Battles: Library: An Unquiet History
Polipsest: A History of the Written Word
Writing is constantly evolving.
Our brains have changed all the time, anyway.

Preserving and going forward:
Sasha: Approaching it from his grandparents’ library. His granddad amassed one of the best private libraries on modern Jewish history.
The importance of the library as the fabric of civilized life.
His grandfather got fascinated with the web of ideas behind socialism.
He started collecting anything printed, anything illuminated, and on it went.
Contacted more and more collectors. Included handwritten notes by Marx, Lenin, etc
Yiddish texts, books written in the 1500s.
Wasn’t just utilitarian. Was concerned about the texture of the page. Was interested in mistakes in the printing techniques. Fascinated by the minutaie of printing. They told him stories.
Where it was printed told him where there were centers of intellectual life.
The grade of paper told him about the intended audience.
Granddad collected books and grandma collected people. Conversations developed around the great ideas collected in those rooms.
The rooms had different intellectual trajectories with how they were laid out.
You gained an understanding of a world vision.
He took it for granted that his granddad would grab a book to prove a point.
All of that was the physical texture of the library.
A library is a place that nurtures conversations and a world view.
How do you preserve libraries as cultural institutions?
A library is inherently a public thing. In a house, it tells you about who that person is. Provides an opening point for an interesting conversation.
Online, there would have been no way to spark those conversations.
In the house the books were the social lubricant.
Online preserves things that would otherwise die, which is good.
Don’t forget the majesty of paper or vellum or parchment or cuneiform. They provide a public entry point to a conversation. And all those nonverbal clues to history.
Paper is still an important, vital, and wonderful part of knowledge.

Scott German heard that stacks were going to be destroyed at NYPL. Heard they’d be “removed” not “demolished.” He was there when they got $100,000 for renovation. of the 42nd Street building. 88 branch libraries. For centuries NYPL has been cash starved. They planned to sell branches to raise money.
In early 2012, the plan became controversial.
His book outlines the battle. The stacks are still there, but they are empty — books had been removed to make way for demolition.
What is the best way to preserve?
For government officials to regulate it before the trustees destroy it.
Librarians need to learn to manage trustees.
Trustees see librarians as serfs. Librarians weren’t consulted. The plan came from the mind of a real estate developer on the board.

Matthew Battles: Widener Library at Harvard. His job involved spending lots of time in the stacks. Part of the structural support of the building itself.

Layers of social history are written into the shelving of the books. LC system and also the Widener system. It was topical in nature. A proverbs class, Moliere class, war, Descartes, etc… They told the story of the institution and how the people from the past were in dialog with our own time.
Started working the same time the card catalog was being converted.
Forensic traces of history of the use of the collection on the cards.
He was seeing marks of previous disruption to the schemes.
They’d used printed bound catalogs before the card catalog.
Interested in the archaeology of the library.
Libraries have been many things materially, socially, culturally…
The library has never been one thing. Yet it’s also an archetype.
When we wonder about the future of the library, we do well to look to the past.
There were libraries before there were books, if we mean things that look like these.
Remember out history and it’s a road to a rich and diverse future.
Librarians preserve, but we also shape collections. Should we be selling that more?
Remember libraries don’t have the same meaning for everyone.
Ethics of librarians developed and evolve.

Sasha: When you catalog something, to an extent you depersonalize it.
One of the greatest joys of a library is the unpredictability.
The more you digitize, the less it becomes unpredictable.
Matthew: That depends on the way it’s done. Gave a story about a finding aid that was digitized that allowed you to discover more.

Guy asked a question who wrote a forthcoming book about public library. He talked with library users. Look at why people love public libraries.
Public discourse around the library is so vital.
We should cultivate a sense of ownership in the public.

Canada: Asking auditor general to declare libraries and holdings as cultural resources.
Relationships between writer, publisher, libraries, shift with every technological change.

Leadership and ALSC

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Leadership and ALSC

#LeadALSC

I’m taking notes on the programs I’m attending at ALA Annual Conference. This one I was invited to because I’m going to chair ALSC’s Grant Administration Committee this coming year.

Here are my notes!

Media Mentorship White Paper — get a copy!
2016 Bill Morris Seminar coming up next Midwinter
Applications due August 13, 2015 Joining with colleagues at CSK committee.
2016 ALSC Institute coming up in Charlotte
New semester of ALSC online courses available. Start Monday July 13.
ALSC book lists ala.org/alsc/booklists
Building STEAM with Dia
Summer Reading Lists
Graphic Novels Reading List
ALSC Professional Awards Applications due Fall 2015.
2015 ALSC Awards Presentation Monday 8-10 3006(W)
Membership Meeting 10:30-11:30
Monday 1-2:30 President’s Program about common core – Melissa Sweet and Julie Cheatham
Look at Usbby.org for conference in NYC.
Met everyone!
Thank you for saying Yes!

Kevin Maher — Washington Office Update
Appropriations bills moving through Congress now. House bill was bad for education, cutting funding for education. IMLS was level funded, though. Library funding slight boost to leadership grants. Eliminated some programs. Head Start gets a boost. Innovative Approaches to Literacy kept funding. IDEA gets a boost.
After this, becomes murky. This is just appropriations bills. Controversial things get added to this. There will be fights over appropriations bills.
e-rate funding — need to get ready to apply for it.
FCC has proposed expanding the Lifeline program. Broadband to low income.
Sen Jack Reed — Effective School Library program bill in the works. Allow schools to spend money in library programs. Include library and librarians in definitions.
Probably won’t see a final bill this year. Regulations will probably come from a new administration.

Lisa Guernsey, author of Screen Time
Authors of white paper on media mentor (Cen Campbell, Amy…)
Lisa was their inspiration.
Mentoring can be like planting a seed.
We may not always see the results.
Important, worthwhile work.
What better place to find media mentors than at your library.
Amy Poehler — Main takeaways
“It is a fundamental …”
We tend to be attuned to our communities.
Children and families are using digital media in increasing numbers.
Content developers are marketing digital content to children more and more every day.
Experts in child health and development have been weighing in on appropriate use.
We’re not necessarily seeing those three things overlap.
Some informed children and parents and some less informed.
Parents and children need support to make the best use.
It’s a chaotic, emerging field.
What families need is a guide. Think librarian!
Affirms vital role of librarian in media advice.
Children require mediated and guided experiences.
Kids need mediated access, even with alphabet books.
Media mentors support children & families in their media decisions.
Lisa Guernsey:
A constant and continual supporter of libraries and librarians.
Commitment to action in the Media Mentorship white paper is inspiring.
Literacy and Equity:
The Critical Role of Media Mentors
Equity needs to be at the core. We need to reach all kids.
Ability to be creators and expressors.
Edcentral.org — from New America, a thinktank in DC. (Education policy)
new book: Tap, Click, Read, with Michael Levine
What does it mean to be literate in the digital age?
2 years of research on this book.
Michael Levine is on Joan Ganz Cooney Center
The Quiet Crisis: So many kids today are struggling to learn to read proficiently.
numbers have been flat since 2009 — 2/3 of American 4th graders are not reading proficiently. Numbers for children of color and children with free & reduced lunch — over 80%

Even if you look at state tests, still in 40-50% range.
Technology can be the elephant in the room when we’re talking about this.
How do we bring that in?
Four principles:
1) When it comes to literacy, becoming literate isn’t just the skill of decoding. Also need knowledge.
2) Parents are critical in children’s lives, though they don’t have to be strong readers themselves.
3) If we were to ignore where technology fits, we’ll miss opportunities to reach them.
4) If we think technology is the answer, we’re lost. It’s an assistant to human beings.
What parents get instead: Mixed messages.
Look at all these apps! Or NO! Don’t expose young children to that!
Middle to upper income strata worry about it and grapple with it.
Lower income want tools for their kids.
Touchy subject — American Academy of Pediatrics statement. (Some really good stuff) Recognizes need for families to have a media plan. They discourage screens under age of 2. This is based on research for Passive Media Use.
What about skyping with Grandma, interactive media use?
Start grappling with these issues!
Media overload? Apps in itunes store — over 1 million apps now
Education section — 80,000 apps.
“Educational” apps explosion.
What Science Tells Us —
Ecological Perspectives on Development — idea that there are many different pieces that come into children’s lives. Many different layers.
There’s more research than you might think.
It’s about a lot more than time limits.
3 Cs framework: We have to recognize the Content, Context, and the individual Child and what they need.
Content: A lot of studies now on educational TV.
Even Barney helped kids interact better — were more civil to each other on the playground.
Plenty of research that shows adult content is not good for little kids. Kids between 1 and 3 with a lot of exposure to adult programs are performing worse on executive function. Controlled for economic level.

Straightline storytelling (helps)
Participation – where children can talk back
Labeling on screen
Engagement
Repetition, review, routine
Non-violence
Not as much research as you’d think, because it’s unethical to put violent content in front of children
A long way to go in the research about what interactive content even means.
We have learned if the interactivity is tied to what you’re trying to teach them, that helps. Not indiscriminate clicking!
Context:
Avoid background TV!!!! Distinguish between purposeful foreground media use.
It affects the way children are playing and parent-child interaction.
Promote good sleep. Light from screens isn’t good.
Hour before sleep shouldn’t have a lot of light on their eyes.
Other healthy routines (like physical play!) How do you want your child’s day to go?
Think about the whole healthy routine for a child
Interact with Media together! This may be critical for young children
Dialogic questioning techniques with reading
Parents can be distracted by cell phones — not good for kids.
A lot of judging and judgment calls that go into this.
Is it spoiling kids to give them constant attention?
Individual Child:
Under Age Two:
Can they learn from screen media without an adult around? Can they learn from a children’s book without an adult around.
A few studies: a mixed bag. Mostly, they need adult interaction.
Tune into individual needs!
Science is still evolving, but needs to underpin what we do.
The Field is Responding (of Early Childhood)
“Take a Giant Step” — about early childhood teachers.
“Strengthening Teaching and Learning”
*NAEYC — “Position Statement on Technologies” guidepost for the field.
Be professionals. Think about what you’re using
“Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years”
Paper out from 0 to 3.
“Pioneering Literacy in the Digital Wild West”
Evaluating Apps & ebooks.
Looked at a sample of apps from a two-month period. Do some analysis
Many are aimed at 3 to 5 year olds (55%)
Most say they’re teaching basic literacy skills. (list of 23 literacy skills and looked for evidence)
Alphabet apps especially high. Narrative and story-telling, not as much.
App developers gave almost no info about who they were. Less than 5% mentioned any literacy or language expert.
Putting Human Interaction (not Tech) first.
Allow technology to be an assistant.
atlas.newamerica.org
Texting, video, and tablets — Using new tools to encourage families to talk & learn together
Ready Rosie — video modeling for parents
Media Mentors
A new position for the 21st century — help families find these things!
Children’s librarians can become that!
A lot of organizations are trying to play this role. (Commonsense Media – but they’re not in communities, working with families directly.)
Public Resources – We should be making sure all families have access and can find these resources.
Powerpoint is available at mediamentorship under ALSC.
Questions: Crucial to be interacting with the parent. For under twos, it’s the joint moments that are so important.
Reading on screen versus reading a book: Research is mostly on people who already know how to read.
Highlighting words might help with fluency. It’s not clear how long to use them.
We’re at the beginning of some very interesting questions.
Another issue: Learning to keyboard versus learning to print and write.
National Association of Media Literacy Education meeting – Finland is phasing out cursive writing.
Keep the interpersonal in interactive! Say this to parents! (Saroj Ghoting)

2015 Printz Program

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imageMichael Printz Award Program

I made it to ALA on Friday and got registered and witnessed the Running of the Librarians — the opening of the exhibits. My roommate and I tried to go to Saroj Ghoting’s program at 3:00 on Friday afternoon, but there was no room whatsoever — people standing at the doors trying to listen. So we got to the conference, registered, found some food, and then tackled the exhibits.

I showed more restraint grabbing ARCs than I did at Midwinter. Though I’m still going to have to manage to get them home by mailing them.

I’m used to the Printz program being held on Monday night, rather than Friday night. I don’t think I’m going to last very long, still on East Coast time.

Daniel Kraus & Diane Colson moderated.

Jenny Hubbard — And We Stay
Jessie Ann Foley — The Carnival at Bray
Andrew Smith — Grasshopper Jungle
Mariko and Jillian Tamaki — This One Summer
Winner — Jandy Nelson — I’ll Give You the Sun

Jandy Nelson gave a speech first:
Happy Historic weekend in San Francisco
Lunatic screaming when she got the call.
The greatest honor of her life. “Because of you my heart’s bigger than a blue whale.”
First thank you for the librarians in the room.
It was books that secretly subversively taught me to fly.
Books open the world to young people. They find the books because of librarians.
We make libraries the lighthouse for so many young people.
What is the inspiration for the book?
Process was odd — in a black room. A book about color and light.
Took a stone carving class to better understand the characters.
She talks about all kinds of crazy and complicated love.
What she really thinks inspired it: When writing The Sky Is Everywhere, about devastating grief, kept sliding into ecstasy. She discovered writing fiction.
Grief and love, grief and joy are inextricably conjoined.
Art and healing go together.
Has always liked mystics.
Got to thinking about creation as a mystical process.
Began to think about the ecstasy of great artists. Looked at their creative processes.
Meant to write a nonfiction book about ecstatic mysticism of artists.
We are indeed remaking the world, people. No time to waste; nothing to lose.

Panel (Daniel Kraus)
Was there anything that felt different about this project?
Jandy: Characters had more agency, and she had less control.
Her character appeared in a dream. A collaboration between her and the characters.
Mariko & Jillian: A literal collaboration (they’re cousins) Mariko got excited when she saw the drawings.
Emotion overflowing. No hiding behind people.
Andrew: What was different: Unemployment. Planned to get out of the writing business. A lot more reasons to stick with something than turn away from it.
Jessie: First novel she’s written, but not first she’s started. Excited motivation stayed with her throughout the process. It was a difficult year teaching — but the writing kept her sane.
Jenny: She couldn’t write when she was teaching. Started in the dark and moved to the light. First drafts were too depressing! But it slowly moved to the light. Was always haunted by Columbine and the side stories we didn’t hear about.

DK: What happens after you finished the first rough draft?
Jenny: Didn’t have the luxury of letting it sit around. Was under the gun to produce this second novel. Started the book over from a different point of view. Had been from the sister’s perspective. Switched to the girlfriend’s perspective. It opened a new avenue.
Jessie: Does her rewrites chapter by chapter. First person she gave it to was her husband, who is Irish. She was most nervous to have him read it.
Andrew: I don’t draft. I just write it, and then I’m done with it. Like a house, when I’m done, I want to live in it.
He let his son in college read it.
Jillian: Mariko writes as a dialog, not panel-by-panel. Jillian does a sketch version of the whole book. She can’t imagine not being horrified by the first draft. Then they edited it.
Mariko: In comics, you get this really incredible first read. The people become more real.
Jillian: You have to be not precious about what you hand over. Jillian fleshes it all out from a skeleton, but Mariko allows herself to be surprised about what’s layered onto it.
Jandy: Sick with jealousy over Andrew Smith and one draft. She does hundreds of drafts. Wrote Noah’s story start to finish, then Jude’s story start to finish. Then intertwined. Didn’t combine the narratives for 2 1/2 years, and didn’t show it to anyone until then.

DK: How do you approach emotional scenes?
Andrew: Because I don’t outline either, I”m so involved in my characters and their psychologies, emotional scenes are organic. When he wrote a crushing scene, it was crushing to him, too.
Jessie: One scene in particular was really hard to write. Reminded her how difficult it is to be a kid. Her editor asked her to rewrite it and heighten the emotion. Each time it got more difficult.
Jenny: She treats an emotional scene like a little play and says it out loud. A fine line between melodrama & drama. She mostly is backing herself up. Felt strangely bereft when she finished the book.
Jillian: Books are often about communication and non-communication. Some of that explodes in this book. She likes ambiguity in figures — this was harder to draw the strong emotions. It’s hard to let your characters not be nice people.
Mariko: I’ve done enough therapy now that I can cry when my characters do sad things. When she saw the pictures, it hit her a lot harder.
Jillian: She hates things to be too literal in the images.
Jandy: I love writing emotional scenes, with her heart racing and sweating. If she feels it, she thinks her readers. Mostly has to take down the emotion.

DK: Is there a new or fairly recent book you’d like to recommend.
Jenny: An adult book called “Some Day This Pain Will Be Useful to You,” by Peter Cameron. Felt like she did when she read Catcher in the Rye the first time.
Jessie: She loves books about music. “Scar Boys” by Len Vlahos. Sequel next year, “Scar Girl”
Andrew: Doesn’t like answering this question. But he does have a book coming out in September. Stand Off.
It’s your job, not us!
Jillian: read an old biography of a sumo wrestler
Mariko: Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian
When Everything Feels Like the Movies
Jandy: The Snow Child — but don’t read the blurbs or the back of the book.
Now reading A Tale of a Time Being

Thank You, Friends of the Library!

Conference Corner 2

So, the reason I got to go to ALA Midwinter Meeting? Registration and Hotel were paid for by the Friends of the George Mason Regional Library. Airfare was paid for by the Friends of the Virginia Room.

I am so thankful!

What did I get out of the conference?

Well, it’s hard to explain the energizing effect of hanging around a huge group of book people. Attending ALA conferences always leaves me proud to be a librarian and excited about my job and my calling. Truly, these are my people!

I do get ideas of things to do and new programs, I find out about lots and lots of new books, I make professional connections, and I hear some great speakers.

Some of those connections included the folks at the Bedtime Math booth! They knew who I was, since I have been featured on their website. 🙂 They also sponsor the Crazy 8s Math Club program we do once a week at my library.

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I also got to meet two of my fellow Cybils judges, Brandy Painter and Maureen Eichner, for the first time in person. We had a lovely dinner together while the blizzard was raging outside.

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Speaking of the weather, I even got to experience an historic Chicago blizzard — from the warm comfort of a hotel and a shuttle bus and the convention center.

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I’m going to summarize the sessions I went to with links to my reports. I’ll intersperse them between the snow pictures.

Friday night began with the Graphic Novel Author Forum.

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And after a binge at the Exhibits, I went to a USBBY meeting.

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Saturday morning brought more time in the Exhibits and an Abrams Book Buzz.

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Saturday afternoon was the Women in Geekdom panel.

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And after more time in the Exhibits, I finished up Saturday listening to a talk by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

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Sunday (the day of the blizzard) began with LeVar Burton!

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Lunch on Sunday was compliments of publisher Boyds Mills Press.

Sunday afternoon, I went to a panel on Young Children, New Media, and Libraries.

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Sunday finished up with an inspiring talk by Mick Ebeling.

The final day of the conference, besides helping the publishers unload books, was taken up with the Youth Media Awards and the YALSA Morris and Excellence in Nonfiction Awards Ceremony.

And all that time in the Exhibits? I ended up gaining and shipping home 140 books.

Loot

No, I won’t get them all read. But I will get many read. And I will be familiar with many more because of this. And I will have many to give away as prizes at my Brain Games programs.

And in the meantime, the piles of books are making me happy. 🙂

So Thank You, Thank You, Friends, for a wonderful conference! Thank you for learning and connections and ideas and new energy and lots and lots of new books!

ALA Loot

Conference Corner 0

I try to restrain myself at ALA! Really I do!

But it’s been more than a year since I went to an ALA conference. My self-control is ebbing.

The first night, I picked up 37 books:

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The second day, with a trip back to the hotel in the middle to drop off books — I got 42.2 books. I’m calling a Naomi Novik booklet with the beginning of her new book a tenth of a book, and same for a CD sampler from Guys Listen! with excerpts from various audiobooks.

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This includes several signed books. Let’s see:

From the graphic novels panel, I got an ARC of Out from Boneville, Tribute Edition, signed by Jeff Smith

Nina in That Makes Me Mad!, a Toon Book by Hilary Knight, signed by Francoise Mouly, editor of Toon Books

A copy of The Shadow Hero signed by Gene Luen Yang

Then from the exhibits yesterday:

The Terrible Two, signed by Mac Barnett and Jory John

Channing O’Banning and the Turquoise Trail, signed by Angela Spady (who was very excited that my son goes to William & Mary, as does her daughter)

Today I got While Beauty Slept, signed by Elizabeth Blackwell, a book I’ve been meaning to read for some time.

Poison Fruit, signed by Jacqueline Carey

An ARC of Dark Debt, signed by Chloe Neill

Ben Franklin’s Big Splash, signed by Barb Rosenstock

And the only books I paid for ($6 each): Infidel and Nomad, signed by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Some other books I’m very excited about include:

The third Princess Academy book by Shannon Hale

The sequel to Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

A new book by Jessica Day George

A new Clementine book by Sara Pennypacker

Two books by Clare Dunkle (one with her daughter), which I had already preordered

The Chosen Prince, by Diane Stanley

Nightbird, by Alice Hoffman

A Dangerous Place, by Jacqueline Winspear

And much, much more!

And there’s still a day and a half to go! (Though I also have to figure out a time to ship the books.)

ALA 2013 – Printz Awards Reception

Conference Corner 0

Every year I go to ALA Annual Conference, I can think of no better way to finish it off than attending the Printz Awards Reception. Unlike the Newbery-Caldecott Banquet, all the honorees give a speech. They’re good authors, so you’re in for some eloquent speeches. The Printz Award is open to any English-language book, so you usually get to listen to some wonderful accents!

Before I cover the Printz Reception, here’s a wrap-up of all my ALA 2013 posts:

Caldecott Preconference Reception
A Wild Ride: 75 Years of the Caldecott Medal
Friday Night Exhibits (Books, Books, Books!)
Saturday Sessions
Sunday Excitement
Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet (with costumes!)
Monday Meetings

One thing I enjoy about the Printz Reception: I get to see my YALSA friends, who weren’t necessarily at the earlier ALSC events I attended. (YALSA is for service to young adults, and ALSC for service to children. As a public librarian in Fairfax County, we have them grouped together in “Youth Services.”) I got to sit next to Liz Burns and got to talk to others at the reception.

But the speeches!

It was quite unfair that Benjamin Alire Saenz, author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe went first, since he had much of the audience in tears with his heartfelt speech.

I haven’t (yet) read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, but I gather it’s about a boy discovering friendship and romance with another boy.

Benjamin Alire Saenz said that this book was written out of his own journey, which was conflicted and difficult.
He “came out” at 54.
“What are a few wounds to a writer?”
His character, Ari, is on the brink of manhood, but also on the brink of self-hatred.
His characters’ fears and apprehensions too closely mirrored his own.
“There should be road maps out there for boys who were born to play by different rules.”

To those who say homosexuality is a choice, he asks:
“What madman would make such a choice in a world such as this?”

“It is no accident that many gay men have to struggle to love another man — and themselves.”

“Men and boys like me are neither demons, nor are we deviants. We are just men.”

He went on to thank the committee for choosing to honor this book. It was published on the day his mother died. So he wasn’t able to celebrate the book’s publication. Honoring Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe gave him back his book and gave him a chance to celebrate it.

Elizabeth Wein, Honor for Code Name Verity:

“Friends make exceptional teams, but help from angels is always appreciated.”

“Julie is born to be a novelist, but this is her only chance.”
“Julie also writes because there is power in it. Words are her weapon of choice.”
“Inventing the code sequences is what keeps Julie going.”
“In times of stress, or fear, or boredom, we invent stories.”
“Julie writes in the present tense. She is eternally writing.”

This book makes people cry, but it also makes them laugh.
“The paradox of the power of words: They can be wielded, like all dangerous tools, for good or for evil.”

Terry Pratchett, Honor for Dodger, via his editor, Anne Hoppe:

The book was undertaken as a tribute to Henry Mayhew, who wrote London and the London Poor.
The poor had freedom — to starve.
“Authors tend to have pack rat minds, and my mind has more rats than Hamelin.”
“Everything in the book is real except the plot.”
“You don’t have to make much up if you read a lot of social history.”

Beverley Brenna, Honor for The White Bicycle:

These conferences are a great opportunity to share stories.
Stories can change people.
Diversity can create walls or take down walls.
People with disabilities don’t often travel in YA novels.
Librarians make connections between people and reading.
“Librarians are partners with authors in a deliberate quest to achieve social justice.”

Nick Lake, Printz Award for In Darkness:
(Just when I thought we weren’t getting cute accents this year, Nick Lake had a marvelous one.)

His theme involves Circles, which protect against the evil eye.
“The ordinary world really is magical and wonderful.”
“Infinity is not necessarily big.”
“Toussaint and Shorty are inside each other.”
“From the perspective of genes: Nothing is ever lost.”
“Even in darkness, there’s the possibility of light.”
To him, it’s about goodness.
“Loss isn’t real and can be overcome.”
The magical power of the book is about the possibility of wonder in the everyday.

“Almost all YA novels are about a spirit journey.”
The characters enter a liminal world and an adventure that changes them, followed by a return.
It’s Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.
The concept of the eternal return – time when direct communication with God was possible – We long for that time.
We re-enact the eternal return by rituals and rites of passage.
Rites of passage are about moving into the adult world.
Which is not easy.

“We live in a world where boundaries between the young and adult are constantly eroded.”
“Reading fiction is an example of the eternal return.” – Vicarious initiation rituals.
“Books help young adults navigate the path to the adult world. They help them to grow up well.”

And so, deeply inspired, we moved on to dessert — cupcakes and popcorn.

I schmoozed a little bit, talked to friends, and got one more picture with Elizabeth Wein:

It was a nice end to a fabulous conference!

ALA 2013 – Monday Meetings

Conference Corner 0

I’ve posted about almost all of ALA 2013 Annual Conference now. Still to report: One last day of meetings, and the Printz Awards Reception in the evening.

There was one thing from the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder Banquet, however, that I didn’t notice until I was packing up to go home.

I don’t know about your libraries, but at our library, we put out those golf pencils and have to replenish them every single day. They disappear because people take them without thinking about it.

At the Caldecott Banquet, honoring the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal and this year’s winner, Jon Klassen, author of This Is Not My Hat, they handed out a Bingo contest with Caldecott trivia. They handed me a golf pencil, and I didn’t get the chance to refuse because I’d rather use a pen. When I was packing up to go home, I found the pencil in my purse and was going to throw it away. But then I looked at it:

I laughed and laughed! Here’s the full view:

For the record, I did not throw it away!

Monday morning, the first meeting I’d planned to attend was too packed to enter. So I headed for the ALSC Awards, which were scheduled a little later, so I was on time for a change! They award the Sibert Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Batchelder Award, and the Geisel Award at this event.

Some notable quotes:

Steve Sheinkin (Sibert Medal winner):
His story started with the story of a diamond mine scam. He couldn’t find sources, so switched to an obscure spy, “and so it began.”
“If Shakespeare could write one historic play about an American, I think it would be Oppenheimer.”
When he found out about the Norwegian spies, he thought of them as “Indiana Jones on skis.”

Katje Torneman (Carnegie Medal winner):
She began making films to spread awareness about the environment.
“We can make a difference in the world.

Dial Books representative (Batchelder Award winner):
When the book was being translated, she only got to read a chapter at a time.
It’s a story of duality, a girl who has nothing, but has everything.
(Note to self: Must read My Family for the War)

Ethan Long (Geisel Award winner):
The big banner in his mind: “You beat Mo!”

After the celebration of the award winners, it was back to the exhibits for a bit. I saw these two Odyssey Award narrators being interviewed by Booklist:

On the left is the narrator of the latest Artemis Fowl, and next to him is Elliot Hill, the narrator of Cornelia Funke’s Ghost Night. I could listen to both of their wonderful voices for hours, and, come to think of it, I have listened to Elliot Hill for hours. (It’s maybe just as well that I didn’t know while I was listening that he’s cute, too!)

After a little time in the exhibits, I went to the ALSC membership meeting. That’s the children’s services division of ALA. Among other things, they talked about the Common Core and the importance of play.

I’m a member of two other divisions — YALSA, for young adult librarians, and PLA, the public library association. But my heart is with ALSC, and that’s where I’m trying to get involved. I just finished two years on ALSC’s Children and Technology committee, and have begun serving on the Grant Administration committee. And I’m hoping that some day, somehow, I’ll get to serve on the Newbery committee.

Then it was back to the exhibits. I went straight to the Booklist booth to hear Elizabeth Wein speak, but she wasn’t there yet. I heard that she was still signing — and I immediately went to find her, since I figured they might be giving out ARCs of her new book! Sure enough, I didn’t get it signed, but I did snag a copy of Rose Under Fire!

And then I got to hear Elizabeth Wein speak, so it was a Win-Win morning!

At the Booklist interview, she talked about writing Rose Under Fire. Her introduction to Holocaust literature was the same as mine: reading The Hiding Place. She became obsessed with it. Both Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire are based on a story she wrote when she was 12. The story was not written, but she made pictures. It started with spies and went on to a concentration camp, so Rose Under Fire is the second part of that.

There’s a part of her that says, “I have no business telling this story.” But she didn’t deprive herself, because she knows her characters, and the real people they’re based on, wouldn’t wish that kind of hardship on anyone.

“Both books are about the Power of Words.”

Julie’s process of writing was very self-indulgent for Elizabeth Wein. She had to rein herself in for Maddie.

The importance of poetry in Rose Under Fire comes from a survivor account.

Each of her books is about something specific.
“Rose Under Fire is about hope.”
“Code Name Verity is about friendship.”
“My first book [The Winter Prince] is about jealousy.”

“Fly the plane” comes from flight instructors. When you’re up there, you can’t think about anything else.

There’s more of her in Rose than any other character she’s written.

After that, I had lunch and then tried to get out of the exhibits. But I was pulled inexorably into the free books line at the Simon & Schuster booth. I got four free books (the EXACT number so that my brother Robert correctly guessed that I’d come home with 92 books), but then managed to NOT get back in line.

The final program I attended was “Think with Your Eyes” about Visual Thinking.

The man leading it was modeling Visual Thinking Strategies. He had a work of art up on the screen and asked three questions:
“What’s going on here?”
“What do you see that makes you say that?”
“Thank you. What more can we find?”

“Something about VTS encourages scaffolding — building off each other.”

“Don’t start by asking ‘What do you see?’ Start with ‘What’s going on here?'”

Image selection is a critical part of the process.

“Provide a space where you have a multiplicity of right answers.
This matches real life.”

You can also use this method with poetry.
Kids get used to no wrong answers.

Evidentiary reasoning: “What do you see that makes you say that?”

“‘There’s one answer to everything.’ is the opposite of creativity.”

Paraphrasing responses clarifies and validates.

The facilitator also points out linking — “You’re building on what Joe was saying.”

The hard part: Teaching educators to remain neutral.

Participants learn that other people think differently than you.

It’s very similar to the Scientific Method, only less directed.
Meta-cognition — becoming aware of how you think.
Collaborative, not competitive.
There’s not consensus, but everyone listens and hears the multiple perspectives.

Find out more at the VTS website!

The VTS images become more complex with time.
Teaches silent looking — a valuable skill.
“Gives students a format for civilized discourse.”

Next speaker, a teacher, uses VTS with Caldecott books.

I want to try those questions the next time I use a wordless book in a storytime. It’s a great model!

That was my last session of the day. I needed to get back to my hotel early, so I could ship my books before going to the Printz Awards Reception. Here are some of my piles:

Those were the books I got on Monday. So much restraint compared with the other days!

I used my wheeled bag plus a tote bag to get the books to the post office. Here’s the tote bag stuffed full:

And the remaining books that I need to put in the wheeled bag:

The good news was that I got ALL the books except one into four Flat-Rate boxes and shipped them successfully. I was all ready to go to the last event, the Printz Awards Reception!