New and Notable

Did you know that the LP library has more than 200 new books this year?  Mrs. Helton has been busy keeping abreast of all of the new and notable children's books and bringing them straight to your child.  To see the complete list of new books, become friends with LP Reads on www.goodreads.com.  Sign up with Goodreads and then send a friend request to LP Reads!*  If you have any questions about how to sign up, see the note below or email lpreads@gmail.com and we'll help you get set up.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the library's newest additions:





*Note: Once you set up your account, you will find LP Reads by clicking on the "Add Friend" tab and then entering LP Reads in the right side column box that says "find or invite members."  LP Reads is not a group on Goodreads.

Vacation ... Poetry to the Ears

There is nothing like a week off of school -- no work, no drop off/pick up, no after school activities, no homework --- to take things down a notch.  Whether you are off on a far away adventure or enjoying some R&R local-style, it seems like seven days off the daily circuit is just plain nice... And it can't be a coincidence that breaks like these take place in April -- National Poetry Month.  Vacation is simply poetic, isn't it?  Whether you're looking to read less/think more or read more/think less, poetry seems to fit the bill.

For kids, the poetry classic Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is of course an entertaining way to introduce the genre.  I can still remember the substitute teacher I had in 6th grade who always read a sampling of Silverstein's masterpiece. More recently, books like Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face by Jack Prelutsky, continue the tradition of keeping the genre funny and full of unexpected reasons to giggle.



Over at ScopeNotes, Travis Jonker (an elementary school librarian and reviewer for The School Library Journal),  confirms that poetry is not only fun to read, it is fun to create.  To kick off this month, students from Jonker's Michigan school have created poetry using the spines (titles) of books.  His 2011 Gallery showcases some of their work and is worth browsing, especially if you find yourself looking for inspiration for a fun family game to play with all ages during the break.

There are also other bloggers engaging in activities for National Poetry Month that might be worth following, like 30 days and 30 poets at GottaBook and Poetry Friday, which is hosted by a different blogger each week.  Details about what children's literature bloggers are doing are summarized over at Kidlitosphere.

Finally, don't miss the local opportunity for your kids to become published poets!  The Storyteller in Lafayette is hosting a series of workshops for poets:

April 9th: Smiling Cats: Playing with Personification

April 16th: Waterfall of Words: Using Sounds in Poems

April 30th: Picture Pieces: Art and Imagery

Sessions cost $25/ea ($65 for all three) and include a notebook, light snack, multiple writing activities and a chance to publish in The Storyteller's literary journal, Word Waves.  Writers ages 8-10 meet from 4-5pm and writers 11 and up meet from 5:15-6:15pm.

Contact The Storyteller directly to sign up.

Happy National Poetry Month!

Good Sports, Good Books

With the NCAA Tournament and the NIT kicking into gear this week, sports are certainly in the air at our house.  We've dabbled a bit in sports books by Jake Maddox and Matt Christopher, but I've wondered what else might be out there for young sports enthusiasts.

Turns out, Dean Schneider offered some ideas in his article "What Makes a Good Sports Novel?" (pp. 68-72) in the January/February 2011 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.  For Schneider, "all good sports novels start --- with the game"  --- as well they should!   He notes that for older teen readers, sports books need to be "honest novels with mature content ... that ... reflect the world as they are beginning to experience it."  For the younger set, he believes that sports books "work best when they even more closely mirror the age, lives, and interests of their fans."  He calls for authors of sports novels to write "with an emphasis on active verbs and concrete nouns and spare sentences that dance" and he points out that such "writing can demonstrate the power of story, the power of good writing on subjects kids care about."  Ultimately, he thinks that the best we can hope for for young readers are "stories by writers who care enough to make the words matter."  Yes please!

So what does Schneider recommend?  Here is a sampling for the 9-12 age group*:

Girl Protagonists:



Youngest readers in the age group (2nd, 3rd Grade):



General 9-12 Age Group:



*As with all books for children, these titles should be reviewed for content by parents to be certain that the ideas/issues discussed are acceptable in your family.