Summer Reading Highlight: Books for Grades K-1
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
The new school year may be just around the corner, but at the Library our Summer Reading mission to space is still underway! If you've got a young one about to enter Kindergarten or First Grade in the fall, we've got a great selection of books to help them practice and engender a love of reading. Rocket into your local branch to pick up the great suggested books bellow, or other great titles from our Universe of Stories and beyond! And while you're there, make sure to sign up for our Summer Reading Challenge: Earn space-themed stickers for reading and participating in other literacy…
Book Talk: 2019 Mock Awards
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Every year, at the American Library Association's annual Midwinter Meeting, a slate of awards are handed out to the best and most notable books for children and young adults that were published the preceding year. In anticipation of this announcement, libraries across the country hold their own "mock" awards for some of the major categories. At Brooklyn Public Library we hold three of these mock events: for the Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz. (While I have participated in previous years in the Mock Printz discussion—for Young Adult literature—I sat out this year's and will only be focussing…
Book Talk: More Picture Books in Translation
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Last year I put together a list of "some of the weirdest, wonderfulest, most beautiful and baffling books" that I had been sharing in my storytime programs, books from around the world that had been translated into English. Open your mind and find yourself a comfy reading spot, because here's another batch! From Morning to Night written and illustrated by Flavia Ruotolo From French. Subtitled "a book of hidden shapes," bold two-color illustrations are transformed in unexpected and delightful ways. Each pair stands on its own, but also work one to the next to tell the story of a…
New Back to School Reads!
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Just like new school supplies, there is something exciting about being the first person to read a brand-new book. These back-to-school titles were all published in 2018. We promise that you will be among the first to read them! Adventures to School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World written by Baptiste Paul Children all around the world go to school. Whether they're from Japan, Ukraine, Pakistan, or the United States, all students have the desire to learn about our world and shape the future. Check the Catalog It's your First Day of…
Summer Reading Highlight: Middle School Books
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Are you a middle school student (or the parent of a middle school student) who put off doing summer reading until the last week before school starts back up? First, we recommend of course that you read consistently all summer. But if that ship has sailed, we've still got you covered with some great middle school appropriate titles from our Summer Reading Booklist. And there's still a smidgen of time to visit your local library branch and pick up a Summer Reading gameboard. Collect stickers for reading books, attending library programs, and participating in other music-themed activities, to…
Summer Reading Highlight: Books for Toddlers
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Got a toddler who's tearing up the place this summer? Looking for some fun books to read together? We've got you covered! Check out our Summer Reading Booklist for some titles sure to please you and your little one! If you haven't stopped by your local branch yet, make sure to visit and pick up our Summer Reading gameboard. Collect stickers by reading books with your young one, visiting library programs, and doing early literacy building activities this summer, and you will be entered into our grand prize bookset giveaway. Alphabet Family Band by Sarah Jones In a celebration…
Book Talk: Spring New Books
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Twice a year, in the spring and fall, the Children's Book Showcase Committee holds a meeting to present some of the highlights of recently published kids' books. Committee members each choose three or four titles from a subcategory of books: picture books, fiction for younger readers, fiction for school-age readers, graphic novels, non-fiction, etc. See below for some of the highlights of the highlights of this spring's picks. Neither written and Illustrated by Airlie Anderson In the Land of This and That, everyone is either one way or the other. Neither does not fit in. So Neither…
Book Talk: Growl
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Here at the BKLYN Kids Blog, we endeavor to post new content every Thursday. The reason that this post is going live just over the wire (it is 12:44am on Friday as I am about to hit "publish") is not entirely because I am a procrastinator, but because it has changed form, changed tone, grown and shrunk a number of times since I started working on it a few weeks ago. It began, when in the lead up to the Academy Awards, I saw an infographic illustrating the percentage of lines in Oscar winning films spoken by men vs those spoken by women. The results are unfortunately not hard to surmise but no…
Book Talk: Mock Newbery and Caldecott Awards
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
The Newbery and Caldecott Awards (the "Oscars of the children's book world") are presented annually by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The John Newbery Medal was established in 1922, and is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children up to the age of fourteen. It has customarily been given to works of fiction for middle-grade readers, but in recent years has been awarded to graphic novels, picture books, works of poetry, and nonfiction as well. The Randolph Caldecott Medal was…
Book Talk: Notable Books of 2017
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
There are books that move us, others that make us laugh and some that provide us with endless inspiration. As the year is coming to an end our children's librarians look back on some of the most notable books of 2017. These books show great artistic appeal, are creatively put together and encourage children to explore their interests and relationship with reading. Younger Readers Before & After by Jean Jullien Graphic artist Jean Jullien cleverly illustrates a series of situations where there is a “before” and “after” and sometimes even an “in-…
Picture Books in Translation
Beanbag Children's LibrarianChildren's Librarian
Storytime is my absolute favorite time of the week in the library. I love discovering weird, wonderful, beautiful, baffling books and then getting to share them. And I've found that some of the weirdest, wonderfulest, most beautiful and baffling books are those that have made their way into English via translation from another language. I'm excited to share some of my recent finds with you! A Most Mysterious Mouse written by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Lisa D'Andrea, translated by Antony Shugaar From Italian. An industrious cat spends all his time thinking of mice: a mouse…