An Amazing Place to Start a Story-[John P. Holt Brentwood Library, n.d.]
I chose, Parker Curry Looks Up by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry for my reading with a book recording. Reading a book for an audience is something that I’ve done before when I volunteered at our local library and something I do for my youngest nephew often, but somehow doing it for the camera seemed extremely difficult. Since it was a slightly larger book, I had some difficulty finding a good position to hold it one-handed and steady so it wasn’t wavering all over the place. I also wanted to be close enough to the camera that the viewers could see the pictures but also needed to be able to crane my head around the book so I could read the story. And even though I’d read the story several times over, I still stumbled where I didn’t intend to so I wound up starting the recording over about 10 times. Once I was almost at the end of the story and managed to miss a page so started it again.
In my recording, I felt a need to explain museum because I think most younger children’s experiences with museums are history related and they get to see dinosaurs or have an opportunity for hands-on experiences. And this story only had pictures in its museum.
But at least I didn’t have
little ones restless, needing to run off energy and wanting to poke each other
and talk while I was trying to read the story.
I really enjoyed listening to and watching the other story readers and
I was able to get different viewpoints on reading to the audience, alongside
the ones read for Cocky. Some used emphasis on different words and changes in
voice and to facial expressions to better express the story, which I thought
really worked. There were a couple who also did voice changes for the
characters, and even though it’s not something recommended by Greene and Del
Negro (2010), I thought it worked for the story they were telling and it is
something I often do when I read to my nephew.
Learning that reading aloud is still encouraged for teens and adults was a surprise, as outside of my high school classroom, I don’t really remember anyone reading to me and I’m relatively positive that there was no storytime program for young adults at my local library. Setting up something to provide them an opportunity to discuss a story they found fascinating or had problems understanding would be great. I think it also offers an opportunity to meet others who have similar interests so the teens don’t feel so isolated and alone.
The article about Drag Queen Storytime (Barriage, et al, 2021) is telling of our society, I think. Where different must mean perverse and shouldn’t be allowed around children. Those that were able to have a successful program, I applaud their diligence and ingenuity for advertising it in such a way that the protestors didn’t have time to get organized. And recognize based on the article that it’s also important to advertise in your target audience’s locations. Even though much of my program work has spoken to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the importance of it being reflected in our materials and programs, I’ve read too many articles over the last two years that show how much of a battle that continues to be.
I feel devastated for those school librarians who have been threatened with incarceration for providing age-appropriate material for their students and I know that some of that has also headed for our public libraries as well. LGBT displays have come under attack and one library was threatened with the vote to defund rather than have “those types of materials” on display (Cantor, 2022). People are offended that their taxpayer dollars go to purchase such materials but don’t seem to recognize that someone else who needs or wants the materials, their taxpayer dollars went into the purchase as well. What happened to libraries being a safe place for everyone? And how can a librarian select a story that speaks to our differences when something so benign as “And Tango Makes Three”, is considered offensive (Harris & Alter, 2023)?
Books This Week:Legends
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” (Doyle, 2016). It is a quote I’ve heard numerous times, stated like it’s a fact but it comes from the words of a literary character. I couldn’t decide whether Sherlock was a legend or a folktale because he’s treated as though he was a part of human history. Even if they are not the original stories, I’m glad today’s children have an opportunity to experience him in some form or fashion. But I also had a chance at a refresh of some of the other stories I remember growing up with, both for children and young adults.
Sherlock
Academy by F. C. Shaw
What Do We Know About the Loch Ness Monster? By Steve Korte
Big Foot and Little Foot by Ellen Potter
Disney’s Tarzan: Jungle Adventure by Liane Onish
Folktales wound up a little harder for me as some are so intricately
entwined with fairytales it’s hard for me to see the difference. This week I
leaned more towards ghosts on accident, but my older nephew enjoyed the Ghost
Patrol series a few years ago and it sprang to mind.
Ghost
Patrol: The Haunted House Next Door by Desmond Cole
Boo Stew by Donna L. Washington
Fat
Cat: A Danish Folktale by Margaret Read McDonald
Holy
Mole! By Caroline McAlister
Stone Soup With Matzoh Balls: A Passover Tale in Chelm by Linda Glaser
See what we're reading next week!
References
Barriage,
S., Kitzie, V., Floegel, D., & Oltmann, S.M. (2021). Drag Queen storytimes,
Public library staff perceptions and experiences. Children & Libraries. https://doi.org/10.5860/cal.19.2.14
Cantor,
M. (2022, August 5.). U.S. library defunded after refusing to censor LGBTQ
authors: ‘We will not ban the books’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/05/michigan-library-book-bans-lgbtq-authors
Doyle,
S.A. (2016). The sign of four. CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Platform. https://bookriot.com/sherlock-holmes-quotes/#:~:text=Sherlock%20Holmes%20is%20one%20of,is%2C%20appeared%2C%20was%20in%20P.G.
Harris,
E.A. & Alter, A. (2023, June 20). Authors and students sue over Florida law
driving books bans. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/books/book-bans-florida-tango-makes-three.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20removed%20access%20to%20'And,Owens%20said%20in%20an%20email.
Image Credits
All images were obtained via Amazon.com unless credited separately.
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