November is Picture Book Month

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. In this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love. And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.

If you’ve ever sat with a child on your lap, and shared a picture book, you know the magic that happens. Picture books are like a portable art exhibit, one with 32 pages of art to have wherever you take it. How do we celebrate Picture Book Month? Over at the ValleyStorytime blog, I  will be featuring new books each week this month. Our libraries will have loads of picture books on display. I will be hosting a “Best Picture Books of 2016” event at the Middleton Library on November 22. This event is geared towards adults who want to know about new picture books – we invite teachers, parents, grandparents, child care providers, university students, anyone who wants to see the newest and best books for kids. Bring your notebooks and make lists – picture books make amazing gifts for all ages! 

At the Kingston branch, I will be sharing my favourites on November 10 at 11 AM; in Hantsport, come to Picture Book Palooza Storytime on November 23 at 10:30 am. I will be sharing picture books at the Box of Delights Bookshop in Wolfville on November 25, and in Bridgetown, we are planning a Picture Book Party on November 29 at 3:30 PM. 

If you can’t make it to any of these events, I’ve put together some great blogs you can visit for even more picture book ideas. I just love to explore these sites to find new and exciting books for kids (and, I admit, for myself). Picture books can be enjoyed by anyone, young or old. So dig in, find some new books, or share your old favourites. Just enjoy the magic of picture books this month! 

 

RainCity Librarian https://raincitylibrarian.wordpress.com/

There’s A Book For That https://thereisabookforthat.com/

The Logonauts http://www.thelogonauts.com/

Picture Books Blogger https://picturebooksblogger.wordpress.com/

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

International Children's Book Day

Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books. Each year, it is sponsored by a different chapter of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). This year the sponsor is Brazil, and the theme is Once Upon a Time.

Around here, we LOVE children's books. Children's books have a way of opening us to the world unlike any other books. A simple picture book can take you right to another country, take you into another time or place, or put you into a new situation. For some examples, try the 2016 Outstanding International Books -- chosen by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY). These books represent the best in children's books from around the globe, allowing children to see their world from other points of view. We've put together a booklist of the ones we own to make it easy for you to get them. The books on this list are great for teachers, parents, families, and even adults.  Take a look at this list and find a new perspective.

Some of my favourite books are wordless books. I was recently in Halifax for a display of wordless books from around the world -- the exhibit was called Silent Books. It inspired me to create this booklist of some of our best wordless titles. I love the idea that you can read these, regardless of what language you speak or read in. Share one of these books with a child (or with your best friend, no matter what their age).

I also blog about picture books over at ValleyStorytime. I love picture books so much I just can't help myself. You can ask my co-workers. I longingly look at the unopened boxes that arrive because I know there are children's books in some of them.

So, no matter who you are, what your age is-- pick up a children's book (or ten) and celebrate International Children's Book Day on April 2.  Remember what Once Upon a Time is all about!

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Picture Book Month

November is Picture Book Month, an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. On the Picture Book Month website  they state, “In this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love. And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.”

I can’t agree more. Last year, I served on the Caldecott Committee, which awarded the best picture book published in the United States to The Adventures of Beekle, the Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat.  I spent the year completely immersed in picture books. I read over 500 books—and many of those I read over and over. I looked at the art, how it interpreted the story, how well it was done, how it appealed to a child audience. I spent many hours soaking up the beauty of children’s picture books.  This year I will be watching from the sidelines, making my own predictions and seeing what others think. One great place to visit is the Horn Book blog, Calling Caldecott. Check out their list of books they will be discussing. There are some great choices on that list!

Ask any child—picture books are fun! Even if you are an adult who has no children to share these fantastic works of art with, you can still enjoy picture books. I recommend picture books over on my blog, ValleyStorytime in case you are looking for a few good titles to while away the hours. And if you want to really get immersed in picture books, I have compiled some blogs & sites that celebrate the form on this Pinterest board.

We have a few programs scheduled this month where you can come and look at some of the books that I am loving this year. Picture Book Palooza will be held in Middleton, Annapolis Royal, and Bridgetown. We are also having a contest—take a picture, tag your favourite picture book with #AVRLpicturebook on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and you’ll be entered to win a bag of picture books! Contest ends November 30.

Tell us your favourite picture book in the comments. Read picture books to kids. Look at the art, share your favourite with others. The picture book is a portable art form that can be shared just about anywhere.  Find some of these wonders in your local library !

--Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

November is Picture Book Month

Why spend a whole month celebrating picture books? There are so many reasons! How many of you can right now name a book you loved as a child? Who knows a toddler that can recite Goodnight Moon by heart? Picture books open our eyes, become our friends, and take us to new worlds. On the Picture Book Month site,  you can read testimonials from picture book creators on why these books mean so much.  If you have a young child, or have had, that feeling of holding them in your lap while sharing a book: that is why we love picture books.  That moment when a child can “read” the book to you because you’ve shared it so many times: that is why we love picture books. When your child points to a word, and actually reads it, that moment. These are warm fuzzy moments that only a picture book can bring. What do picture books mean to you? What are your favourites? We’d love to hear your comments!

I love picture books for the art. As a member of the 2015 Caldecott Committee, I have been looking closely at the art in books since January. I’ve looked at many books over and over (and over and over)- applying the Caldecott criteria to each one. I’ve probably read at least 300 books so far this year!  I’ve looked at art books, read about great art, and translated that knwoledge to picture books. And the one thing that keeps coming back to me over and over is that by sharing a great picture book with a child, we are sharing great art. It is like a mini art gallery that you can tote around with you wherever you go. In fact,  The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is all about the book as art. There are exhibits of picture book art in art museums. Picture books are art!  Some picture books are pure art, as you can see from the works on The Illustrated Forest. I just discovered this website and it is one that I will return to again and again. And for looking closely and learning about picture book art, you can’t miss Picturing Books—this website, and The Picture Book Primer by the website's creator, are tools every teacher should put in their back pocket.

So, whether you feel like curling up with a child and sharing a picture book, or want to feel like a child again by looking at your favourites, grab a stack of picture books on your next visit to the library.  Browse the picture book shelves and find a new art gallery to grace your home for the next 3 weeks, and celebrate Picture Book Month.  If you need some help, we’ve got plenty of lists. Start with our 100 Books to Share, and go from there!

--Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

StoryMob in Wolfville!

There's a StoryMob happening in Wolfville tomorrow! On Saturday, September 7, at 11 AM, We'll be doing a StoryMob with Green Eggs and Ham at the Wolfville Market. We will meet on the patio outside the Wolfville Library at 10:15 AM to get ourselves organized and to make sure all our readers are in attendance. Then we will walk over and read the book together! The list of readers is here.

If you've signed up to be a reader, please meet at the library patio by 10:15. If you didn't sign up to read, you are still encouraged to come join the StoryMob - meet us at 10:15 to practise or to grab a prop.  We'll have a few extra props in case you don't have time to prepare.


Bring your children, too, so they can get in on the fun and be ready to celebrate Green Eggs and Ham! You are encouraged to make your own props if you like—as easy as bringing along a box or a picture of a house, dressing up in green, or wearing a Seuss-like hat.  Props and actions and more details can be found on our webpage. It is sure to be a rollicking fun time, so come see it even if you aren't participating.  Bring a copy of the book if you have one, and just come along for the fun of celebrating reading!

This just in from our partners in Toronto who created StoryMobs (and where they will be doing a StoryMob tomorrow as well!) -  Last minute StoryMob prop tips: Bring a train whistle for the train section. Bring a horn for the car section. Dress all in green. Dress in the colours of the illustrations (red, yellow, green, blue, pink). Bring any fun noise-maker you have and choose a place to use it in the story. Bring a cardboard box...easiest costume ever! Or just bring a copy of the book...the most logical prop of all!

Sincerely,
Sam I Am

African Heritage Month

Every year, African Heritage Month is a time for people and communities to come together to celebrate African Nova Scotian history, culture and achievements. February is a time to reflect and to look forward, and we have books that you can share with your children to help with this. 

How can reading children's books help us learn about African Heritage? In Dorothy Perkyns' book, Last Days in Africville, we can put ourselves in the shoes of a 12-year old girl about the lose the only home she's ever known, helping us to understand a little bit of Nova Scotia's history. Reading Christopher Paul Curtis' novel Elijah Of Buxton gives us a glimpse into what life was like for slaves and their families who escaped into Canada. Read Fifty Cents and A Dream by Jabari Asim to step into the world of Booker T. Washington, or Viola Desmond Won’t be Budged to remember a Nova Scotia woman whose actions gave strength and inspiration to Canada's black community.

Picture books like Ellen's Broom can teach even the youngest about some old traditions; Jacqueline Woodson's brilliant Show Way gives us a little history lesson about the use of quilts. This book is available as a short film as well, and includes a wonderful interview with the author. 

Contemporary stories such as Shauntay Grant's Up Home and Jen C. Johnson's Seeds of Change show us the strength and beauty of community. Shana Burg's recent novel, Laugh with the Moon takes us to a modern-day Africa where a city girl has to learn to live in rural Malawi. Books can lead us down many paths and into journeys we never expected. 

Find these books and more on our list of African Heritage books for kids here,  and for a Black History timeline, visit this website from the Dominion Institute.

 --Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services