It's a good day when . . .

. . . Phil Bildner comes to visit and he's just as AWESOME as you anticipated. 

It's a great day when, one week later,

 you're still "high" from his visit!

Extremely Grainy Pic from Liberty Lady

I used to think, "Author visits, take em' or leave em'." Authors, I thought, share their craft and work ethic, but their words are often lost on young students. I witnessed many students (boys, mostly) tune out during an author talk.

Then we hosted Trenton Lee Stewart, Toni Buzzeo, and Patricia MacLachlan. All in one school year. GAME CHANGERS!

Students recently shared with me their love of this yearly event. One boy told me it's the highlight of his year. Who knew? (Not me, I'm the dope.) Obviously, I get bogged down by the planning and then hold my breath until presentations are made--meanwhile forgetting to ENJOY the visit.

Phil rocked our library world this year. Boys were cheering for books. Girls were cheering about writing. Teachers were cheering for Phil! Phil's energy is contagious and his message was clear: you CAN write, you SHOULD read, and BE yourself.

Image from TitlePeek

Image from TitlePeek

My favorite is the "Sluggers" series by both Phil and Loren Long. I suppose it took me by surprise. Expecting a "boy" book, I was taken instead on a family baseball journey that was written with warmth and humor. Suddenly, I was barnstorming with Griffith, Graham, and Ruby. Magically, I was holding that special baseball.

Image from TitlePeek

Be sure to check out Phil's books, they are the real deal. Know that author visits make an impact on students . . . and me too, if I slow down and listen.

Librarian Sucked into Wormhole!

I'm not cool enough to write for an authentic newspaper, so I created my own headline:

Thanks to The Book Chook (@BookChook) I can be as cool as I want. Plus, I get to make crazy stuff up using this newspaper generator at fodey.com

Newspaper treats to share with a friend:

The Daring Nellie Bly by Bonnie Christensen

Image from TitlePeek

Fearless Nellie Bly bucks the system when she becomes a newspaperwoman. After a challenge by a leading editor, Nellie becomes the first female to use her given name and revolutionizes newspaper journalism. 

Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary

Image from TitlePeek

Paper newspapers might be vintage in today's world, but readers will still enjoy Henry's efforts toward independence gained through his paper route.

Max's Words by Kate Banks

Image from TitlePeek

Max learns all about storytelling when he creates a collage of words from newspapers, magazines, and other print materials.

Do you have any favorite treasure books about words, newspapers, or publishing?

TEACHthinking

I have big questions. They'll not be answered in my lifetime, but I keep asking. Why am I here? What is my purpose? What gives my life meaning? What is the right thing to do?

It's my opinion that all people in all walks of life ask these questions. In fact, children ask these questions. I've been reading the following books to help me help children ask questions--usually in response to literature--and seek kernels of truth.

The If Machine by Peter Worley

Image from The Philosophy Foundation

Philosophy for Kids by David White

Image from Barnes & Noble

A great place for ANYONE to start:

Zen Shorts by Jon Muth

Image from TitlePeek

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

― Albert Einstein

Lady Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

~"New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus

Photo by Liberty Library Lady

Oh, how I loved Emma Lazarus' poem and the Statue of Liberty. (Still do!) My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Nighsonger, must have impressed upon us the peril Lady Liberty faced after a century in New York's harbor. She must have explained well what the statue meant to thousands of immigrants arriving to America. Mrs. Nighsonger must have inspired us well--I still appreciate the symbol of freedom for which Lady Liberty stands.

As a class, we saved pennies to send for the statue's restoration. Just like schoolchildren a century before us, we contributed to Lady Liberty's existence in New York's Harbor. The photo above is a picture of the penny bank Mrs. Nighsonger gave to me 30 years ago. (Thanks, Mrs. Nighsonger. Your teaching changed my life.)

Liberty's Voice by Erica Silverman

Image from TitlePeek

The story of privileged Emma Lazaras, who grew up to advocate for the poor and oppressed.

Building Liberty: A Statue is Born by Serge Hochain

Image from TitlePeek

The building of Lady Liberty is chronicled in this book, which follows the part four fictional craftsmen take in her creation.

Looking at Liberty by Harvey Stevenson

Image from TitlePeek

Recounts the creation of the Statue of Liberty from inspiration to installation in New York's Harbor.

Liberty! by Allan Drummond

Image from TitlePeek

From the perspective of the young boy selected to signal sculptor Bartholdi, this book tells about the 1886 dedication of the Statue of Liberty.