2011: A Look Back

I’m starting off 2012 with a look back at 2011:

January:

Having just returned from Hawaii, where I performed at the Honolulu Aquarium & the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, I kicked off 2011 with a weekend of professional development at the Asilomar Reading Conference in Monterey County.  A new year of storytimes for toddlers, preschoolers & family groups begins at the Livermore Public Library; I marked my first performance of 2011 at Children’s Fairyland; and I did some classroom storytelling in San Francisco.

February-March:

More storytime fun in Livermore, including a few Baby Storytimes, which are always a sweet change of pace.  I had the pleasure of sharing more stories on the Emerald City Stage at Children’s Fairyland, and I also got to perform at a couple of my favorite events—Family Reading Nights—at elementary schools in Brentwood & Fremont.

April-May:

I began a series of performances at branches of the San José Public Library, and I also got to perform twice for the Sunnyvale Library: once on my own, and once as a part of its annual storytelling festival.  More library fun: I got to do my thing in San Leandro, and of course there were the ongoing storytimes in Livermore.  There were also storytelling sessions at preschools in Milpitas, Palo Alto & Santa Clara; another trip to Children’s Fairyland; and I visited Livermore elementary schools to tell students about the library’s summer reading programs.

June-August:

Summer is always my favorite time of the year—and not just because I thrive on the warm weather & long days—it’s Summer Reading season!  At the Livermore Public Library, I get to shake up my regular routine by presenting School-Age Storytimes (as well as the evening Family Storytimes I love), AND I book & present a season of very special family programs.  This year, I also made time for a nice variety of storytelling appearances: preschools & school-age groups in Alameda, Danville, & Lafayette; a gym daycare; a Girl Scout Day Camp in the East Bay hills; another San José Library; and my first storytelling trip to Palo Alto’s famous Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital!  And yes, I was even able to fit in a weekend at my beloved Children’s Fairyland.

September:

The end of the Summer Reading Program is always a huge letdown for me, but this year I had something big to look forward to: a trip to Asia to attend the Singapore International Storytelling Festival & Asian Congress of Storytellers! Professional & personal development time, as I was exposed to hundreds of teachers, storytellers & other early childhood professionals & volunteers from throughout the region & also far-flung locations including Australia, Spain & the U.S.  The seminars were very much like teachers’ conferences I’ve attended over the years right here at home, as were many of the concerns & questions brought up by the attendees.  The festival portion of the event included one of the most amazing storytelling performances I’ve ever seen: the epic Indian tale of the Ramayana, told by six very different tellers.  So glad I finally made it to this big event; hope to be finding myself back!  I also took a lot of time to explore as much of Singapore as I could, and took advantage of a Hong Kong layover on the way home to explore that island for a couple of days—and even briefly took in the local Disneyland.  This was a fitting end to a trip that in fact did reinforce that people are so much the same—it’s a small world, after all.   Within a couple of days of my return, I was back to storytimes in Livermore!

October:

Another first-time event for me: storytelling at a mall! I also conducted a course in classroom storytelling for preschool & elementary school teachers, and shared stories for families at an Oakland preschool’s Halloween party.  Of course, I also did my thing at Children’s Fairyland & the Livermore Library!

November-December:

Winding down the year with classroom storytelling in Pleasanton & San Jose, a final pair of events for Children’s Fairyland (the second a special performance for the park’s annual “Fairy Winterland” celebration), and the last storytimes of 2011 at the Livermore Public Library!

So what’s ahead for 2012?  January kicks off with another round of professional development in Asilomar, another visit to Children’s Fairyland, and a new year of library storytimes in Livermore.  Beyond that?  Stay with me & find out!

Happy New Year!  Wishing you much health & happiness in 2012.

Read Up: Jojo Eats Dim Sum

 

 

Jojo is so lucky! She gets to have her favorite breakfast every Saturday.  It’s not pancakes she wants; she doesn’t care for cinnamon rolls or sugary cereals, either.  What Jojo loves to eat is dim sum!  I love dim sum, too, and I love the new book Jojo Eats Dim Sum, by James Kye.

The book is oversized: not wide, but extra-tall so it can accommodate large orders of dim sum and tall appetites. The super-sized pages let the reader’s eyes move hungrily around the page, taking in the food and the action--not to mention the delicious art.  Whimsically-drawn cartoon people interact with perfectly-photographed food, sharing space on pages where words grow and shrink as characters in their own right.  Together, author/illustrar Kye and designers Janet & Edwin McKelpin have created a work that’s exciting to look at, whether or not one can read the words on the page.

Jojo Eats Dim Sum packs a lot not just visually (and in the dim sum carts); there’s a lot going on in the story, too.  There’s the trip to the dim sum restaurant, with its particular atmosphere and foods; within that, we get subtle lessons on the Cantonese language, being willing to try new foods, and learning new cultures.  Something not put into words--but made clear to me in the illustrations--is that Jojo’s mother seems to think Father’s habit of reading the newspaper at the restaurant table is very rude.  I agree!

A newspaper, in case you are too young to remember, is what people utilized to ignore one another at meals before the smart phone was invented.

But I digress.

The way the book ends, and the way the its title is presented, lead me to believe that there may be more culinary adventures with Jojo to come.  That’s fine, but this single serving is satisfying all by itself, and I recommend it highly.

 

I want every single thing this lady has in her cart, and I want it right now, mm goi!

 

Wonderful words

"You are a joy to watch and do a tremendous job with the children.  Livermore Library is lucky to have you and so are we!  Have a wonderful holiday!  Thanks for being you."

     Some days, it's really worth the effort to come to work.  Actually, I'm lucky enough to love my job almost every day, but to be the recipient of the wonderful words on the card given to me last night by one of my regular storytime families-- my heart feels full.

Read Up: Back to Bed, Ed!

     Sure, Santa Claus made an appearance at my Family Storytime last night, but I think the REAL star of the show was Sebastien Braun's book, Back to Bed, Ed! 

     The book's subject matter is a situation with which I think most families can relate: a young child having a hard time transitioning to sleeping in his own bed.  Every time I read it, I flash back to the nights when I would be so tired from the struggle I'd somehow fall asleep down the hall next to the little bed--and to the mornings when I'd wake up with an extra little someone in my own bed!  The yelling at the door, the feet in the face--the events in Back to Bed, Ed may not measure up to the high drama you might've experienced in your own household, but I think they will ring true & take you right on back!

     For families going through "the change" right now, I think this is a great book to read & maybe even keep around.  There are no bad guys in the story; it just seems like Ed is facing a challenge, and that he may need time & a little help.  As I share this book at storytime, I ask the children, "will Ed stay in bed this time?"  We talk about whether those things Ed sees under his bed are real, and I point out how tired poor Daddy & Mommy look.  The discussion as we make our way through the story helps build empathy for all three parties, & I think by the end, everyone is rooting for Ed to stay in bed!  Will he?  Ever?!?

Braun's illustrations are simple & effective.  Just look at Ed, with a foot in one parent's ear, and an arm pushing the other parent off the bed!  And with a baby in a crib at the foot of the bed, you know those grownups might not be getting a decent night's sleep for QUITE some time...

A Book on Every Bed

     Lucky me: I grew up with a father who read to me, living in a home where the books always threatened to crowd out the people (pound-for-pound, we were always outnumbered).  This situation, of course, predisposed me toward having a houseful of books as an adult, and toward reading to my child regularly (as well as accompanying him to library & bookstore storytime events whenever possible).

  Lucky me.

   Other children are not so lucky: at least half of this country's children don't get read to regularly, and many don't even have books of their own at home.  This was pointed out by nationally-syndicated advice columnist Amy Dickinson in her December 8, 2011 column.  The facts she was highlighting are bleak, but her point was to offer a solution: A Book on Every Bed.  Here's Dickinson:

Introducing books and reading very early in life will write indelibly on a child's future. Here's how it works:

Take a book.

Wrap it.

Place it on a child's bed so it's the first thing the child sees on Christmas morning (or whatever holiday you celebrate).

That's it.

Well, I think it's brilliant, don't you?  It starts at home, and it starts with one book at a time--brilliant and simple!  "A Book on Every Bed" is an initiative of the New York-based Family Reading Partnership, a community nonprofit promoting early literacy.  Although the organization does accept donations to provide books, Dickinson makes it clear that is not the point of her column:

This is not a fundraising appeal. This is not about selling or buying books (the book you give can be passed down). "A Book on Every Bed" is an appeal to spread the love of reading from parents to children. We also want to encourage families to share books by reading aloud.

    Whether that gift of a book is going on a bed or under a tree, on December 25 or (insert random date here), it is a very powerful, important gift. The book may have been free to you, but that additional gift of reading it aloud with a child is absolutely priceless.

     I think this can be a very fun new tradition.  And I think it can be even more fun: let's put the every in "every bed!"  Sure, every child should get a new book--but so should every adult!  Whether the books are coming from a local bookseller, your favorite online new or used bookstore, or the local Friends of the Library Sale, keep the adults in mind as well as the kids--and don't forget yourself!  Even if it means wrapping a book for yourself and "sneaking" it onto your bed before you turn in for the night, do it!

     Check out the video of Amy Dickinson celebrating "A Book on Every Bed" with her granddaughter, and please let me know: do you have any traditions (holiday or otherwise) surrounding books?

Same, Same but Different

     Do children still have pen pals?  Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw's Same, Same but Different makes a wonderful case for restarting the trend!

     Elliot lives in the U.S., and he starts trading notes & drawings with Kailash, who lives in India.  We get to see both of their worlds--how different they are, and how very much the same.  Kostecki-Shaw's art--a combination of drawing, painting & collage--draws us beautifully into each child's world.  You may end up wanting a pen pal of your very own!