Yaacing Summer 2015

YAACING Summer 2015 5 Tips for On-Call Storytime Awesomeness

Putting STEM in the Library!

Graphic Novels for Elementary Aged Children

Summer Reading Club Blogs

NEWSLETTER OF THE YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S SERVICES SECTION OF BCLA

YAACING summer 2015

CONTENTS SUMMER 2015

4

Message from the Past Chair

5

Message from the Chair

6

Message from the Editors

NEWS 7

YAACS Award 2015

8

Summer Reading Club

13

Stellar Award Nominees

14

Red Cedar Gala 2015

15

PNLA YRCA Nominees 2016

COLUMNS 16

Dispatches From a Rural Librarian: Stay Sane by Staying in Touch, by Amy Dawley

19

We’ll Link to That!: Summer Reading Club Blogs, by Lindsey Krabbenhoft and Dana Horrocks

21 Who’s on the Felt Board?: Magical Rainbow Jam, by Taya Lawton

FEATURES 24 5 Tips for On-Call Storytime Awesomeness, by Jane Whittingham 26

Putting STEM in the Library!, by Carly Honeyman

29 The Stinky Cheese Man, by Sheila

Hammond-Todd, Julie Carter, Lee Losell 31 eBooks & Book Apps: Their Role in Literacy, by Sadie Tucker 36

Providing Service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Public Libraries—Specifically Children, by Kari Scott-Whyte

41

Graphic Novels for Elementary Aged Children, by Meaghan Smith

45

REVIEWS

47

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS YAACS (Young Adults and Children’s Services) is a section of the British Columbia Library Association.

Founded in 1980, our members include librarians, teacher-librarians and other library workers interested in services to youth in British Columbia.

Our purpose is to promote the exchange of ideas among library personnel who work with children and young adults.

YAACING is published 4 times per year.

Editors: Alicia Cheng

Stefania Alexandru Art Director: Afton Schindel If you are interested in submitting anything for publication, send it to yaacing@gmail.com Next Deadline: September 1, 2015 SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 3

Message from the PAST CHAIR Hello fellow YAACers!

The BCLA Conference has come and gone, a successful YAACS AGM has passed, and summer is here! And with summer comes the end of my term as the Chair of YAACS. I’m sad to be vacating the position, especially at this pivotal juncture of YAACS’ future as we start to put into practice some of the changes we’ve been talking about making for the last half of my term as Chair. I have really enjoyed being Chair and getting to meet so many amazing youth librarians and hear their inspiring ideas and passion for what we do, but I’m happy that I at least still get to be part of the Executive as Past Chair and be a part of these exciting changes. Not to mention it will probably start to get a little easier to keep up with my YAACS duties while taking care of my 2-month-old daughter! It has definitely been an adventure, having my term as Chair coincide with my pregnancy and birth of my baby, but everyone has been so incredibly supportive and understanding.

I am so happy to welcome Jon Scop as the new Chair of YAACS! His incredible passion for the value of youth librarianship and assertive approach to implementing improvements to what YAACS has to offer the children’s services communities are inspiring, and I know he will do a wonderful job as Chair!

And last but not least, I just wanted to comment on the amazing energy that I felt at our YAACS AGM this year. Not only were there a lot of interested participants, but everyone had such wonderful input and insight to contribute to our open discussion of YAACS’ future, and I am confident that the enthusiasm will continue and we will be able to better serve BC’s youth librarians. Every time I get together with fellow youth librarians I find it so inspiring; we all have such passion for what we do, and when we support each other and share ideas like we did at the AGM, it is so empowering!

Thanks again everyone for a wonderful term as Chair, and I can’t wait to continue working with all of you! Happy Summer!

Cheers,

- Kaylea Prime YAACS Chair, BCLA kayleancormier@gmail.com 4 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

Message from the CHAIR Hello all, I’m excited to begin my term as the new Chair of YAACS. I’d like to express my sincere thanks to Kaylea for the great work she’s done for us in the past year, while juggling plenty of life events—a change in location, jobs and, most importantly, the birth of her daughter!

I was very encouraged when almost thirty of us showed up at our AGM during the BC Libraries Conference. There is clearly an abundance of enthusiasm, creativity and initiative among children’s and teens’ library workers. We acknowledge that our field is of crucial importance to all public and school libraries in the province.

Yet we learned that a large number of the people in the room (as well as one appearing remotely) were not attending the conference itself, as the lack of many youth service–oriented sessions made it difficult to justify the expense to their employers. I value the open discussion we had about the importance of claiming our space in BCLA. With your assistance, I intend to do whatever I can to once again have our specialty play its deserving role within our organization.

A bit about me. I’m a children’s librarian at the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch of Burnaby Public Library. Despite being what could be described as an “old fart,” I’m relatively new to the profession. (In my former life I was an immigration and refugee lawyer in the States.) I have much to learn from my colleagues. I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

Each of us has contributions worth considering. I would like to remind everyone that the YAACS listserv is for all of us to use, and hope to see our ideas flow freely. Thanks!

- Jon Scop YAACS Chair jon.scop@bpl.bc.ca SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 5

Message from the EDITORS Happy summer, BC! We want to extend a warm welcome to Jon Scop, new YAACS chair, and say a fond farewell and thank you to Kaylea Prime, the outgoing chair.

In the midst of Summer Reading Club, we bring you a YAACING issue dedicated to children’s services, including book recommendations, reviews, and features on eBooks, storytimes, and more. Carly Honeyman shows how to incorporate STEM into your library, while Sadie Tucker outlines the role eBooks and apps play in literacy development. Kari Scott-Whyte tells us about providing service to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. For all the new grads starting out in children’s librarianship, some handy tips on managing storytimes as an on-call librarian from Jane Whittingham. And finally, great graphic novel recommendations for elementary aged children from Meaghan Smith.

We didn’t forget the usual suspects: Jbrary duo Lindsey and Dana have compiled a useful list of Summer Reading Club blogs to help you deliver the best SRC yet and Amy Dawley reminds us how important it is to keep in touch with fellow librarians.

Have a great summer, everyone, and we look forward to hearing all about your creative Summer Reading Club programming.

- Alicia Cheng and Stefania Alexandru YAACING Editors yaacing@gmail.com 6 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

NEWS

YAACS Award 2015

The YAACS Award Committee would like to announce that Jess Dafoe from the Terrace Public Library is the 2015 recipient of the YAACS award! Having worked at Terrace for over 13 years, she has been a tremendous force for her library and community. A tireless advocate, Jess promoted change and took her library’s service to every corner of her community in new and innovative ways. In the last year alone, she was responsible for 151 programs that reached well over 3000 members in her community. Jess made Terrace Public Library one of the first communities in the province to have initiated collaborations between 3 sectors of education: public library, school district, and academic libraries. She has created new ways to work with teens through volunteering and reach across generational gaps by planning baby storytimes in senior homes. The Award Committee cannot hope to cover all her accomplishments in such a small space, but we can acknowledge her and try to emulate her. Congratulations, Jess!

- 2015 YAACS Award Committee David C. Waddell Joanne Canow Sheila Hammond-Todd Jon Scop Jane Whittingham YAACSaward@gmail.com SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 7

NEWS

Evolving BC Summer Reading Club

Listening to the creative ideas (and solutions!), the thoughtfulness and the dedication so evident in both the questions and the answers, I couldn’t help but think how lucky the children of this province are to have you in their libraries!

“Inspiring”, “stimulating”, “fun”!—those were the three most common words used to describe Evolving BC Summer Reading Club, the inaugural training of the BCLA Professional Development Institute. On Wednesday, May 20, right before the BCLA Conference, approximately 50 SRCers from throughout the province spent an afternoon learning, exchanging ideas, and brainstorming future themes for BC SRC.

Lesli Boldt on How to Tell Your Story and How to Use Social Media

Guest presenter, Lesli Boldt (Boldt Communications, Inc.) taught us How to Tell [our] Story, including: what makes a great story, where to find them (your SRC is full of them!), how to ask someone if you can share their story, and concrete ways to share your story (including entering the SRC Community Story Award contest!). I especially loved this quote from Lesli, “telling your story inspires Panel: How to Run a Summer Reading Club people to go on the journey with you.”

Kate Adams facilitated the info-packed panel How to Run a Summer Reading Club. For We took a break (during which fruit kabobs, the first half of the session, panelists Kristen cookies, and hot beverages were happily Rumohr (VIRL), Morgan Peltier (FSJPL), Emily consumed!), and then it was time to learn How Olsen (TNRD), Tracy Kendrick (GVPL), and to Use Social Media. Lesli shared some helpful Maryn Ashdown (PMPL) did an amazing job of do’s and don’ts, and some strategic wisdom, sharing their knowledge and experiences. They including “If you have limited resources, focused on the areas of staffing, promotion, choose platforms with the most followers!” programming, incentives, and wrap-up. Kate then opened up the conversation to the larger (In the next few weeks, we hope to have some group. From Salt Spring Island to Fraser Lake, more of the content from the training up on from Sechelt to Nelson, from Prince Rupert to the SRC website as we move towards building Vancouver, it was fascinating to hear about the our SRC resources.) differences and the similarities.

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Serious Brainstorming!

Finally, SRC Chair, Kate Adams, led us through a (silent!) theme-brainstorming session and then a fascinating (and not-so-silent!) theme-grouping process. Each person was then assigned 100 points to spend on each of the possible “big idea” themes that had evolved (Arts & Crafts, Fantasy Diversity, Imagination, Movement, Sci-Fi, Natural World, Travel). The top three finalists were… Travel (560 points), the Natural World (525 points), and Sci-Fi (400 points). In June, we will send out a survey to help determine which of the three top-ranked themes will be used for SRC 2016 and SRC 2017!

Highlights from BCLA Conference What a wonderful time we had at the BCLA Conference this year!

The BC SRC booth drew visitors from all over the province keen to try their hand at the Jenga Challenge, to Build a Poem!, and to try to answer the infamously-challenging SRC Quiz (once again thanks to Quiz-tress, Randi Robin!).

SRC Booth Crew: Kate Adams (Chair), Andrea Brown (Past Chair), Miranda Mallinson (SRC Community Story Award Winner) SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 9

The Jenga Challenge

Melanie Au vs. the SRC Quiz!

Build a Poem!

Shayne Letain signing posters

10 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

Special Guest: SRC 2015 Artist, Shayne Letain Conference attendees were delighted by the opportunity to meet Shayne Letain—live and in-person—and receive a signed poster! (If you SRC artist, Shayne Letain and SRC Chair, Kate weren’t at the Adams conference, have Story Award Winner! no fear, there will be chances to win a signed poster throughout If you came by the SRC booth, the summer—watch for further you most likely had the pleasure details!) “He’s so talented and of saying hello to the 2015 so nice!” exclaimed one fan. We SRC Community Story Award couldn’t agree more!

Winner, Miranda Mallinson.

Miranda is from Vancouver Public Library and as the winner of the SRC Community Story Award, attended this year’s conference as a guest of RBC. This is what the judges had to say about Miranda’s winning story: “[it’s] a wonderful example of not only how the passion and enthusiasm that library workers have is passed along to SRC participants, but also how the accomplishments of each child matter to us, and make an impact on our lives, Miranda Mallinson, 2015 SRC Community too.”

2015 BC SRC Community

Story Award Winner

Miranda’s Story: Summer Reading Club Medals I’m a Library Technician in the Children’s Library at the Vancouver Public Library. I get to do a lot of amazing and profound things in my job, but honestly, one of the most inspiring and happy things I do all year is give out Summer Reading Club medals.

As a kid, “completion” was always an issue for me, so when a kid comes in with a Reading Record full of books that they’ve read, I go all out making a fuss over it. In that moment, nothing else exists. I look the kid in the eye, and express in the most heartfelt way I can, how proud and impressed I am at what they have done. What I want them to feel, in that moment, is that we, as grownups, as role models, think that what they have accomplished is fantastic. Yes, reading should be, and is, its own pleasure; but athletic kids, math kids, they get tangible rewards all the time for what they are good at. I want the kids who are into reading, and the kids who struggle with it, too, to know that we think they are awesome, just for doing what they do.

Today I had two kids come in, brothers, to collect their medals. I pored over their reading records, asked them about what they had read and told them how proud I was.

I wrote up their certificates, and then I came around the desk to give them their medals. When I do this, I always envision the Olympics Medal Ceremony in my head… that’s what it is for me “…on behalf of the Vancouver Public Library, it is my great honour to bestow upon you this medal for the completion of the Summer Reading Club of 2014. Congratulations.”

I shook their hands and applauded. And just at that moment, a gang from the Book and Writing Camp were going by. I called out to them, “Hey guys, these kids just got their medals for Summer Reading Club!”

“Wow,” said the campers, “that’s great!” and they applauded, too.

Maybe the young brothers will remember it, maybe they won’t, but they are readers, they love books, they told me so, and today a whole bunch of big kids and one goofy adult told them that that was very cool.

SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 11

NEWS

SRC 2015 Chair Kate Adams with Outgoing Chair, Andrea Brown

the Manual on the librarians’ website. And Miranda was formally presented with the a special thanks to Neil Firkins, our web SRC Community Story Award by SRC Chair, guy, for making it all accessible online at Kate Adams, at BCLA’s AGM on May 23, 2015 http://kidssrc.bclibrary.ca/. in Richmond.

Just a reminder that SRC is on Twitter! Send BCLA, in partnership with RBC, introduced us your SRC-related activities and events and the SRC Community Story Award at the 2013 programming ideas! We are happy to post Conference in order to recognize and honour them on the blog, tweet and retweet them. an individual whose story best demonstrates the impact of the SRC within their community.

A BC SRC thank you to Andrea As the summer unfolds, be sure to share your Brown! stories of how the SRC impacts your community by email with the subject line: SRC Community Many thanks to the Outgoing Chair of the Story Award. More details are available on the BC SRC Planning Committee: Andrea Brown.

SRC website.

Andrea is the Assistant Manager, Early Years, for Vancouver Public Library. She’s also served on the BC SRC Planning Committee for the The BC SRC Manual past 3 years. She helped us lift off in 2013 with Many thanks to our incredible Content Up, Up and Away!; in 2014 she got us into Creators, and their staff: Fatima Ferreira and some Funny Business; and this past year, she Victoria Neilson (GVPL), Susan McCowan sustained and supported us as we Buil[t] It! We (TNRD), Victor Or (SPL), Dana Ionson and are tremendously grateful for her hard work, Christine Conroy (FVRL), Tina Lee (BPL), her wonderful enthusiasm for the program, Morgan Peltier (FSJPL), Gina Gaudet (VPL) and her incredibly contagious laugh! Thank and, of course, our SRC Chair, Kate Adams you, Andrea!

(VPL). They worked incredibly hard this past - Cynthia Ford winter to create the wonderful booklists, BC Summer Reading Club Coordinator activities, and program ideas available in 12 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

NEWS

Stellar Award Nominees It’s that time of year again: voting for the Stellar Award is open! From May 1 to July 31, 2015, teens aged 13 to 19 can vote by emailing redcedaraward@gmail.com. They must have read at least five of the following nominees to cast a vote:

Graffiti Knight by Karen Bass Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell Until Today by Pam Fluttert War Brothers (graphic novel) by Sharon McKay The Color of Silence by Liane Shaw Tag Along by Tom Ryan Who I’m Not by Ted Staunton An Infidel in Paradise by S.J. Laidlaw Over My Head by Charles De Lint Slated by Teri Terry Power Play by Eric Walters The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

This year, lucky teens who submit a review have a chance to win an iTunes card or an iPod shuffle! No limit on the number of reviews a teen can submit. To submit a review, teens must register at the website. Spread the word in your library, and increase the exposure of Canadian young adult literature. Questions about the award or procedures may be directed to redcedaraward@gmail.com.

- Katherine Parker Chair, Stellar Award Committee SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 13

NEWS

Red Cedar Gala 2015

On Saturday, May 9 over 150 people gathered to celebrate at the Red Cedar Gala! The Gala featured skits and speeches by young readers, as well as readings by nominees W.C. Mack, Heather Stemp, and Nikki Tate. Nominee Norma Dixon was also in attendance.

The Gala celebrations included cupcakes, juice, door prizes and a surprise East-Coast style dance party (courtesy of nominee Heather Stemp). The party was MCed by young readers from York House Junior School in Vancouver.

Jessica Doyle from Abe Books (our corporate sponsor) announced the 2014 winners of the Red Cedar Award in the fiction and information book categories. They are:

Both winners will receive engraved boxes made of red cedar boxes, with a panel pipe design. The award boxes are based on the Northwest Coast First Nations’ ceremonial panel pipe used in special events.

They feature many figures that are the cornerstone of the Northwest coast artwork and culture.

Images and Gala commentary were captured on Twitter with the hashtag #redcedar2015.

Thank you to our sponsor Abe Books and co-sponsor Vancouver Public Library.

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Thank you to Thrifty Foods for donating celebratory cupcakes to the Gala, and Kidsbooks for donating $250 worth of door prizes!

Finally, to all our young readers, our wonderfully supportive librarians and teacher-librarians, and the Board and volunteers of the Young Readers Choice Awards Society of BC: a huge thank you for making this year’s Red Cedar a great one!

P.S. The 2015/2016 Stellar nominees will be announced soon! The Stellar awards are for those ages 13 and up. You can visit the new website at http://stellaraward. bclibraries.ca/.

- Cathy Mount President, YRCAS of BC

NEWS

PNLA YRCA Nominees 2016 The Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award is the oldest children’s choice award in the U.S. and Canada. The award was established in 1940 by a Seattle bookseller, the late Harry Hartman, who believed every student should have an opportunity to select a book that gives him or her pleasure. The provinces and states included in the Pacific Northwest are Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.

The next slate for the 2016 Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominees are as follows:

Junior Division (Grades 4–6)

Senior Divison (Grades 10–12)

Loki’s Wolves – Armstrong, K.L. & M.A. Marr The Colossus Rises – Lerangis, Peter Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – Grabenstein, Chris Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures – DiCamillo, Kate Middle School: My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar – Patterson, James Counting by 7s – Sloan, Holly Goldberg The Creature Department – Weston, Robert Paul Never Say Die – Hobbs, Will

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown – Holly Black Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell Graffiti Knight – Karen Bass Winger – Andrew Smith Altered – Jennifer Rush Steelheart – Brandon Sanderson Just One Day – Gayle Forman This Is What Happy Looks Like – Jennifer Smith

Intermediate Division (Grades 7–9) The 5th Wave – Yancey, Rick The Moon and More – Dessen, Sarah MILA 2.0 – Driza, Debra Perfect Ruin – DeStefano, Lauren A Corner of White – Moriarty, Jaclyn Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong – Shen, Prudence The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B – Toten, Teresa Navigating Early – Vanderpool, Clare

- Noreen Ma BC Representative, PNLA YRCA

SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 15

COLUMNS DISPATCHES FROM A RURAL LIBRARIAN

Stay Sane by Staying in Touch

By Amy Dawley There were many changes in my day-today routine when I moved from an urban, municipal library to a rural branch in a regional library system. There was the change of pace, the community, the broader service group.

The change I noticed the most right away was the change in the level of contact I had with my colleagues. At a library where everyone was under the same roof, I had the benefit of having easy access to so many of my fellow librarians and library staff to bounce ideas, collaborate, and share the everyday ups and downs of working together in a public library.

If I had a question about technical services stuff, I just walked upstairs and asked them.

If I needed to know more information about human resources–related things, I had the opportunity to go visit those folks in their offices. And if at any moment I found myself in a librarian conundrum, there were so many librarians right at my fingertips that I could easily ask.

For us rural librarians, these so-called “easy” interactions are not so easy. In my relatively short time as a rural librarian, I have realized the absolute importance of staying in touch with colleagues, no matter the geographical divide. Being the only librarian in a rural branch can sometimes feel isolating, especially when I’m trying to come up with new ideas or determine what the best course of action may be to tackle a particular programming dilemma.

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Fortunately, I’ve taken this new feeling in stride and have committed myself to making an effort to stay in contact with my network, whether they’re my new colleagues scattered all across Vancouver Island or people I’ve never met but follow on social media. Here’s a few tips to consider:

Make the Effort It takes one person to initiate the conversation, and as rural librarians, it often has to be us. Try setting aside a time every week to either pick up the phone to call a colleague or write a quick email to check in with them to see how things are going. If they don’t write back right away, don’t worry! People are busy.

Know that they got your email and read your words. Try following up with a phone call the following week. I find that I get a lot of peace of mind knowing that my colleagues know I am thinking about them and wondering how they’re doing.

Leverage Social Media I personally have a love/hate relationship with social media and often cheerfully describe myself as a bit of a social media luddite, but I won’t deny its usefulness in enabling folks to stay in touch. If you’re interested in being a content creator, consider starting a blog to chronicle your adventures, or better yet, create a Twitter account if you don’t already have one.

Twitter is a great way to see what’s being talked about in libraryland in small, manageable chunks. Even if you don’t tweet and are just a lurker (like me!), it’s still beneficial and will make you feel more connected to others who are in the same boat as you. My favourite thing about my Twitter feed is that it’s a one-stop shop to access blog posts, library news, and articles that I may have missed in my regular internet loop. My least favourite thing? The sheer amount of information is enormous, it moves super quickly (see above re: luddite), and therefore can sometimes feel overwhelming.

I’ve combatted this by just keeping my Twitter feed solely focused on professional and youth librarian contacts. That way, everything is interesting and relevant to my work in libraries. When I want to see what’s going on, I look at Twitter. When I don’t, I don’t. Behold, the benefits of being a lurker.

Take a Chance—Conferences!

If you are a new librarian or are just starting to develop your professional network, now’s the time to take a chance! Attend a library conference, or better yet, present at one. The most inspiring and energizing times for me thus far have been when I put myself out there to present at conferences or be part of a panel. It’s not as scary as it may look and the feedback from colleagues after presenting is always well worth it. I’ve made many librarian friends from presenting at conferences, and they are excellent resources to have in your life. We are very fortunate in British Columbia to have some excellent access to library conferences, and here’s a few I always keep my eye on: British Columbia Library Conference: an obvious one to attend, organized by BCLA.

The downside to this one is that it often privileges libraries and librarians in the Lower Mainland both in conference content and location, therefore making it difficult to get to for us rural folks. The plus is that it is a fantastic way to lift yourself out of your dayto-day isolation bubble and get a great look at what’s happening on the provincial level.

Beyond Hope Library Conference: just what it says, this is a conference for libraries that lie beyond Hope, BC, in the northcentral region of our beautiful province. This conference is always offered in Prince George and addresses issues that are important to small, rural libraries and those libraries serving populations outside of the Lower Mainland. It is an excellent conference to consider if you are a smaller library.

The downside is that Beyond Hope only happens every two years, so you have to plan accordingly.

Vancouver Island Library Staff Conference: a new conference to join the ranks this year, this conference brings together librarians and library staff from all across Vancouver Island for a one-day information exchange. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this year, but from what I heard it was a fantastic event and well-worth going to for those of us on the Island. Here’s looking forward to next time!

Cities Fit for Children: this conference is not exactly a library conference, per se, but many librarians have presented at Cities Fit (including me) and have found it especially useful. We all know that libraries are an integral part of any community for children, but having the opportunity to share our stories with public servants, city planners, SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 17

COLUMNS recreation coordinators, social services agencies, etc. through Cities Fit is absolute gold. I had the great fortune to participate on a panel on teen participation in municipal issues back in 2013 and it is definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. I met so many people who hadn’t thought about what role libraries could play in their own communities, and in turn saw the excellent work that was being done by like-minded folks in the parks and recreation departments and city planning divisions, who were just as dedicated to serving children in our communities as I was. Well worth a look if you are interested in libraries and communities on a larger scale.

New to libraryland or are just starting to grow your network of colleagues? Email me! Don’t be shy—I’d love to hear from you. Call me any time at 250-247-7878 or drop me a line at adawley@virl.bc.ca.

Alberta Library Conference: although it’s not in British Columbia, ALC is widely known as the conference to go to if you’re in western Canada. Only a four-hour drive away from Prince George in beautiful Jasper, Alberta, ALC may often be easier to get to than a BCLA conference for those in north-central BC. Amazing speakers, beautiful venue, the ALC has been on my librarian bucket list for many years. Be warned: the popularity of this conference means that rooms in Jasper often are booked a year in advance, so if you’re taking the plunge, plan ahead!

Whatever route you choose, please remind yourself that it is so important to keep in touch with others doing the work you yourself do. Libraries and librarians are social entities—we may deal with collections, technologies, and all the rest but at the core what we do is about people. No library or librarian is an island, so be sure to reach out and connect with those around you.

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Amy Dawley is the Customer Services Librarian II at the Gabriola Island branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library. In 2013 Amy received the British Columbia Library Association’s Young Adult and Children’s Service Award in recognition of exceptional service to children and youth in British Columbia.

COLUMNS WE’LL LINK TO THAT

Summer Reading Club Blogs

By Lindsey Krabbenhoft and Dana Horrocks

It’s Summer Reading Club time! We hope everyone’s having a great time with the Build It! theme this year. Though we are already in the thick of it, we thought we’d highlight innovative ideas children’s librarians across North America are implementing. Ever thought about ditching prizes? Want to get the kids more involved and active in SRC? Look no further than our 10 favourite Summer Reading Club blog posts.

Tiny Tips for Library Fun: In this six post series Marge pushes us to think past the “narrow lines of expected service.” She not only provides research and evidence, she also asks the tough questions about going prizeless, preventing staff burnout, and reaching the kids who aren’t participating.

This series made us think deeper about the why behind SRC. Don’t forget to check out her Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest board as well.

Abby the Librarian: Are you sick of giving kids cheap plastic toys for SRC prizes?

Then this is a must-read post! Abby takes us through

how she stopped giving away prizes and instead offered super cool Science Activity Packets. A balloon rocket?

Check. An exploding stick bomb? Check. The learning and fun shouldn’t stop at the library, and Abby demonstrates just how to make that happen. The best part is the kids loved it.

Jean Little Library: You want to make changes to SRC but how do you get everyone on board? Read Jennifer’s detailed summer proposal.

She includes excellent reasons for going prizeless, why to offer something for the little ones, and what other people are doing to simplify SRC. Her plan is aimed at making

it more accessible for each family.

Library Bonanza: Kelsey rebranded her summer reading club to the Summer Library Club. Kids are rewarded just for visiting the library! We love how this makes the library a destination for families and extends beyond books and reading. Books are used as giveaways and volunteers are heavily utilized to make this program an increasingly popular summer activity.

Hafuboti: Rebecca created wonderful summer reading club booklets as a way to get the kids in her community active. The booklets combine ⊲⊲⊲

SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 19

COLUMNS coupons to local businesses with a thematically related literacy activity on the opposite page. She also made bright, eye catching signs for businesses to put up that say “This Business Proudly Supports the Library.”

Another great example of a library going prizeless and working with community members to provide a literacy rich summer for families.

Summer Reading bingo cards which feature challenges or activities involving books, holidays or library programs.

Feedback from families was extremely positive and getting a new bingo card each week kept them coming back all summer long! Pssst, Lisa also links to her Lend a Friend program which we’re dying to try.

Growing Wisconsin Readers: We all know

Kids Library Program Mojo: Our guru Marge Loch- SRC is a time to focus and Wouters teaches a Power Children’s Programming course and her students came up big with ideas all about achieving a zen state during SRC. Impossible you say?

Read on for simple tips about staffing, engaging with the community and prizes (or lack thereof.) Marge writes passionately about that fine balance between maintaining your sanity and providing quality service to families and we love her for it.

Thrive After Three: Reading logs or reading records can start to feel a little old, especially for older kids. For this reason we absolutely love Lisa’s 20 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

program for school age children, but what about your younger crowd? In this post Abby writes about her Early Literacy Summer Library Program for children birth to four and their caregivers. Inspired by Marge (who we can’t talk enough about!), Abby created simple logs for families to record early literacy activities like pointing out print or playing a rhyming game.

ALSC Blog: This post talks about the latest trend in SRC programming: camps!

Detailing a very successful Geek Girl Camp, this post not only has lots of ideas for an awesome STEAM focused

camp but also makes an argument for why this model is so successful.

Bryce Don’t Play: As her library moved away from prizes Bryce was tasked with developing Summer Reading Game Cards and we’re so glad she was! In this post she writes about the activities on the card and how and why they develop literacy skills.

We saved this one for last as a hilarious treat, enjoy!

Do you have a favourite summer reading club idea that we missed? We’d love to hear about it, give us a shout at jbrary@gmail.com Dana Horrocks and Lindsey Krabbenhoft are a triple threat duo working as On Call Children’s Librarians at West Vancouver Memorial Library, the Vancouver Public Library, and Surrey Libraries.

COLUMNS WHO’S ON THE FELT BOARD?

Magical Rainbow Jam Felt Story by Taya Lawton Take an apple, put it in the pot.

Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.

Take it out. What will it be?

The prettiest red you ever did see.

Repeat with different fruits & colours.

Rainbow purple, Rainbow blue, Rainbow green, And yellow, too.

Rainbow orange, Rainbow red, Rainbow smiling overhead.

Come and count the colors with me.

How many colors do you see?

1-2-3 Up to green 4-5-6 Colors are seen.

Source: librarystorytimeabcs.blogspot.ca Taya Lawton is a Library Technician at the Vancouver Public Library. ⊲⊲⊲ SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 21

COLUMNS

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FEATURES

5 Tips for On-Call Storytime Awesomeness

By Jane Whittingham

For new librarians, dropping into an B.Y.O.B.—BRING YOUR OWN unfamiliar library and delivering a storytime BOOKS to an entirely new audience can be thrilling, There’s nothing worse than showing up at a but it can also be rather daunting. library, looking at their storytime resources, I have had some amazing experiences as an and realizing that you don’t recognize a single on-call storytimer, and some decidedly not-so- book. If you know ahead of time that you’re amazing experiences, as everybody does. Here going to be delivering a storytime, check out a are a few things I’ve learned along the way that few of your favourite picture books from your might help make your on-call storytimes even local library and bring them with you, so you’re more awesome. not left in a panic (try to pick up more than you think you’ll need—it’s helpful to have a few options in case your first choice goes over STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW. like a lead balloon). If you often find yourself Jumping into the unknown can be scary. covering for storytimes, consider investing Make it a bit easier on yourself by sticking in a few picture books if you can, just to have to the songs and rhymes you know the best. them on hand if you need them in a hurry (my This is not the time to reinvent the wheel. copy of Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes Feel free to bust out all the standards—those has more than paid for itself in the stress relief elements you could perform in your sleep it’s brought me). The same goes for felts or (including the songs you unconsciously hum puppets if you like using them in storytimes, while riding the bus, much to the amusement and even stamps and nontoxic stamp pads. of bystanders). Last-minute storytimes can be nerve-wracking, and you’re less likely to forget GO WITH THE FLOW the words to a song you know like the back of your hand. Plus, your audience will likely know Carefully planning your storytimes is these songs, too, and kids relish the familiar— important, but don’t let yourself become a “If You’re Happy and You Know It” has never prisoner of your plans. If something isn’t let me down so far! working, change it up! If you plan a storytime with three picture books, but your audience 24 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

isn’t used to this, and start bouncing off the walls, you could: a) stick to your plan and force your antsy audience to sit through another picture book (which would probably just make everyone miserable) or b) read the mood of your audience and adapt your program.

The same goes for audience requests—I’ve added everything from the Alphabet Song to I’m a Little Teapot to my programs because children have asked for them. Just remember, as long as the children are participating and learning, your storytime is a success, even if it’s not what you originally planned.

That’s just life, particularly for on-calls. Don’t let a bad experience sour your feelings about storytimes, or make you question your abilities.

Even a terrible experience can have value if it makes you a stronger (and hopefully wiser) person! You are an awesome library superstar, and don’t ever forget it!

STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS You are not the first new on-call librarian, and you certainly won’t be the last. Take advantage of the experiences of those who have come before you! I always have questions for my coworkers, and having worked in a few different professions, I can safely say that I have never met a more supportive, sharing and caring group of professionals than librarians.

If you’re struggling with on-call storytime success, or just want to keep learning and improving, ask for help. You can’t grow if you’re not willing to open yourself up to others.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your storytimes will just fall flat, or flat out fail.

Jane Whittingham is a Children’s There will be times that you’ll float out of a Librarian with the Vancouver Public Library. storytime feeling on top of the world, and times that you’ll crawl out of the room wanting to hide under a rock and never come out again.

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FEATURES

Putting STEM in the Library!

By Carly Honeyman

Literacy and information resource sharing are the cornerstones of library service; however, is this focus becoming outdated?

With the challenges facing our world today, creative solutions are needed and are rooted in STEM - an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Hopwood).

Can libraries make the leap from quiet learning places to dynamic makerspaces and creative commons learning environments?

In 2011, the American Library Association (ALA) embraced STEM promotion and public libraries across the United States began focusing on incorporating STEM concepts into their library programming (Hopwood).

A few years later, the ALA annual conference featured several programs devoted to STEAM - STEM concepts injected with “art,” adding more room for creativity and innovation (Koester). Although STEM may seem like an American buzzword, many countries are incorporating STEM/STEAM concepts into their library programming to appeal to a different demographic and offer more wellrounded activities. STEAM enables children to learn about the world in a cohesive way.

Children are able to dive deeper into the topic and make connections between science and humanities. Teaching children science using storytelling creates opportunities for children who may not otherwise have been 26 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

interested in the subject to become engaged (Kuchment). Stories “stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life” (Paul). By incorporating storytelling into science and the arts, subjects spring to life and children create connections. Libraries can provide storytelling opportunities that further enhance and strengthen a child’s knowledge.

Christine M. Cunningham, founder of “Engineering is Elementary” (EiE), states that “Children are born engineers - they like to design their own creations, figure out how things work, and take things apart” (Jaeger). Having a library space dedicated to making things, engaging children in hands on experiments and activities promotes creativity and innovation. These experiments and activities do not have to cost much, many of the materials can be found at the dollar store. As library budgets continue to shrink, librarians must be creative with available resources. Librarians can start small and set up a simple observation table with a few nonfiction books with questions caregivers and their children can explore (Koester).

The table can be as simple as white flowers in coloured water, a hair dryer with a ping pong ball, or paper airplanes. Other ideas for promoting STEAM at the library include make-and-take activities, such as weather journals, leaf-rubbing kits and constellation

guides (Koester). The stations can include simple instructions for using the projects at home, and questions for further exploration.

Librarians can also prepare activities with instructions for caregivers and children to take home and conduct their own experiments.

Even better is preparing take-home science kits, full of STEAM resources like fiction and nonfiction books about a certain topic, accompanied by a related DVD and an activity complete with instructions (Koester).

For libraries with preschool storytimes, a simple substitution of having an experiment instead of a craft can increase children’s knowledge and vocabulary on scientific topics.

Using counting rhymes, and incorporating measuring and sorting activities also encourage children to learn about math in an engaging way. Reading a book about making a cake can become a mini lesson in chemistry. Add some hands-on stations like mixing ingredients and dissolving, allows children to reinforce the concepts they learn (Koester).

When designing programs for school age children, one experiment is usually enough.

This allows the child time to fully immerse themselves in the activity, experiment using trial and error, and allow more time to make discoveries in an informal learning environment. Some ideas for programming include fort building, Popsicle stick catapults using pom-pom balls (Koester). Other STEAM programming ideas for the library include a LEGO club, knitting club, and coding club.

Librarians can also promote STEM apps for children to explore, and tie them in with real life applications of how science improves our lives and future advancement (Jaeger). Teaching

children how to dive deeper into research can also foster future engagement with the library, and add value to the child’s library experience.

Libraries can create a “makerspace,” or collaborative working area for the public to create things. Having tools, building materials, 3D printers, sewing machines, and other items can create a dynamic space in which library patrons are able to come together and share their knowledge and expertise while creating and engineering projects. Technology and tools are expensive, but libraries can create an equal access opportunity for patrons to be able to use materials that they might not normally be able to afford. Children can benefit by engaging in makerspace workshops, and learning STEM concepts while creating something by hand.

With the increased focus on technology, libraries can stay relevant by transforming themselves into dynamic learning environments, with makerspaces and handson learning opportunities for children.

Libraries can become resources hubs, not only for books, but also for tools, technology, and collaborative workspaces for children and adults alike. By expanding our concept of what a library is and what libraries offer, we expand our world by creating spaces for future innovators, engineers, scientists, and artists to spark their imagination and discover their passion.

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FEATURES Works Cited Hopwood, Jennifer.

“Initiating STEM Learning in Libraries.” Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Services to Children. 10.2 (2012): 53-55. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Jaeger, Paige. “STEM, eSTEM, and the Cybrarian: What Every Librarian Should Know.” Library Media Connection. 31.6 (2013): 10-12. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Koester, Amy. “Full STEAM Ahead: Injecting Art and Creativity into STEM.” School Library Journal. 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Koester, Amy. “Get STEAM Rolling!”

Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children. 12.3 (2014): 22-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Kuchment, Anna. “To Attract More Girls to STEM, Bring More Storytelling to Science.”

Scientific American. 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.

Paul, Annie Murphy. “Your Brain on Fiction.” New York Times. 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

Carly Honeyman is a student in the Library and Information Technology Program at Langara College.

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FEATURES

The Stinky Cheese Man: A Not-SoAppetizing—and Fairly Messy—Puppet Show Program

By Sheila Hammond-Todd, Julie Carter, Lee Losell

ORDER OF PROGRAM: 1. Your favourite opening rhyme/song 2. Book: My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman/Kevin Hawkes 3. Flannelboard song: Flip-Flap Jack (Anne Tasker, YAACING Spring 2012) 4. Puppet story More Spaghetti, I Say by Rita Golden Gelman, arranged for two voices by C. Eisenbeis, 2006

Hot glue gun Tacky glue Popsicle sticks Pipe cleaners Wiggly eyes Yarn Felt markers Fabric scraps Pom-poms, feathers, and other miscellaneous craft materials.

5. Activity scarves: Popcorn 6. Song: On Top of Spaghetti 7. Puppet show: The Stinky Cheese Man 8. Craft: Wooden spoon puppets

WOODEN SPOON PUPPETS: This craft is a big hit with kids, sparks imagination, and works well for all ages.

Supplies: 1 wooden spoon per child (from craft or dollar store)

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FEATURES ACTIVITY SCARVES: POPCORN For this variation on the traditional baby rhyme, have children stuff a scarf into their hands until it’s hidden from sight. The children act out the shaking with their hands, and toss the scarves into the air on the final ‘pop!’

Popcorn, popcorn, sizzling in the pot, Shake it up, shake it up, Pop, pop, pop!

MY LITTLE SISTER ATE ONE HARE This deliciously revolting story can be made more interactive by filling a paper bag with representations of all the items the little sister ate, throwing the contents out over the audience when you get to the page where she vomits everything up.

Thanks to Jbrary & Kristen Rumohr for the mashup!

MORE SPAGHETTI, I SAY! This story can be read (if you have the big book version) or performed as puppet show.

We think it’s most fun with one real person and one monkey puppet.

Use a container of shredded paper “spaghetti” as a visual throughout the story. It can be tossed over the audience when Freddy says, “Let me take that away now” (Make sure Freddy keeps some to eat).

Sheila Hammond-Todd is the Children & Youth Services Librarian at the Nanaimo Harbourfront branch of Vancouver Island Regional Library.

Julie Carter is the Children & Youth Services Librarian at the Nanaimo Wellington branch of Vancouver Island Regional Library.

Lee Losell is the Library Manager of the Qualicum Beach branch of Vancouver Island Regional Library.

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FEATURES

eBooks & Book Apps: Their Role in Literacy

By Sadie Tucker

INTRODUCTION More and more, children’s librarians and other educators are fielding questions about eBooks and apps. There are three main varieties of children’s apps: Entertainment or gaming apps, creation apps, and book apps (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2011). Children generally display a strong preference for gaming apps followed by creation apps, with eBooks being the least popular choice (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2011; Michelle M. Neumann, 2014). It is extremely important to understand what makes a good children’s book app and where eBooks fit in the early literacy picture.

The popularity of touch screen devices and their associated apps is not difficult to understand: They are portable and often feature intuitive interfaces. They are especially attractive to children, as smart phones and tablets are tactile and involve direct, unmediated interaction (Michelle M. Neumann, 2014). Neumann and Neumann (2014) claim that, compared to a stationary computer, the portability and accessibility of a tablet permits a child greater freedom to use it alongside other objects such as toys or books. These devices are so engaging that many children balk at returning to more traditional literacy activities (Parish-Morris et al., 2013). Indeed, many studies find that children prefer eBooks over traditional books

(Miller & Warschauer, 2014). In light of this, it is imperative that parents and educators be informed enough in order to ensure that children are accessing high quality apps that support their creative and intellectual development.

Parents generally believe that tablets can help children develop early literacy skills and that tablets are easy for young children to use, although most parents do not believe that children absolutely need touch screen devices to learn best (Michelle M. Neumann, 2014).

Parents less experienced with tablets often express more anxiety around their children’s use (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2011).

Regardless of their familiarity with tablets, parents generally have limited knowledge about what education apps are available and how to choose high quality eBooks for their children (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2011).

The role of educators, librarians in particular, is to stay abreast of current research and trends, synthesize the information we find, and then communicate it clearly and effectively to parents. This is, of course, easier said than done!

EBOOKS AND BOOK APPS The research on eBooks and book apps is still mixed, with evidence generally supporting the argument that touch screen technology can improve learning and play an important ⊲⊲⊲

SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 31

FEATURES role in early literacy. When reading with their children, parents often prefer physical books as they are familiar and provide more opportunities for interaction and discussion (Miller & Warschauer, 2014). In contrast, eBooks are seen as a good option when a child is alone and must entertain themselves (Miller & Warschauer, 2014). Book apps have the potential to engage reluctant readers and to support children who experience barriers to literacy, such as having a learning disability or being new to English, due to the presence of integrated features that aid comprehension (Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013; Miller & Warschauer, 2014; Parish-Morris et al., 2013). As such, many researchers suggest that physical books and eBooks should be seen as formats that complement each other and satisfy different needs rather than being an either/or proposition (Miller & Warschauer, 2014; Parish-Morris et al., 2013).

The ability for eBooks and book apps to scaffold children’s learning is perhaps one of their biggest advantages. In their literature review looking at children and ereading in educational settings, Miller and Warschauer (2014) found that interactive apps can be effective in supporting children’s developing literacy skills, especially when they are closely integrated with the school curriculum.

Segal-Drori et al. (2010) found that young students showed superior improvements in phonological awareness, concept about print (CAP), and emergent word reading when they read an ebook with an adult, compared to reading an ebook alone or reading a traditional book with an adult. Interestingly, there was no discernable difference between the outcomes of the latter two conditions.

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This may be largely explained by the fact that the eBooks were carefully tailored to the early literacy needs of the students, such as having individual words highlighted as they were read out and integrating features that permitted the children to hear the syllables and even sub-syllables of the words comprising the text.

Many studies have looked at early literacy and its relationship with book apps. Neumann (2014) looked at over 100 three to five year olds in Australia and assessed several facets of early literacy including letter recognition, ability to write one’s name, and familiarity with print concepts. Overall, a relationship was not found between the amounts of time spent on a touch screen device at home and early literacy skills, although access to such a device was positively related to a child’s ability to identify letter sounds and write their own name. The author suggested that the lack of correlation between time spent on these devices and early literacy skills is likely due to children spending most of their time on entertainment apps; although it is also entirely possible that the presence of touch screens in the home simply served as an indicator of families’ socioeconomic status, since poverty has been identified as a predictor of low cognitive assessment scores (Halle et al., 2009).

Parish-Morris et al. (2013) investigated electronic console (EC) books, such as Leap Frogs. While EC books are an older technology, the authors argue that they operate much the same as children’s eBooks. While EC books feature plenty of interactivity, Parish-Morris et al. point out that the interactions do not

promote dialogic reading. They found that parents made fewer distancing prompts while reading EC books and more behaviour-related comments (“Stop pushing the buttons”). For their part, when children were reading physical books with their parents they made more distancing utterances and fewer behaviourrelated comments, which seemed to be only partially attributable to their parents’ own tendency to make more comments pertaining to the story. Parish-Morris et al. also found that while three-year-olds were able to pick out characters and events from the story equally well, regardless of which format the story came in, the children who read the EC books were less accurate when sequencing events from the story or identifying objects or locales that were found in the book they had just read. These results support the argument that some electronic books’ bells and whistles largely serve as distractions rather than learning tools. Interestingly, five-year-olds did not seem to be affected by the difference in book formats at all.

ASSESSING CHILDREN’S EBOOKS AND BOOK APPS When selecting book apps, librarians and caregivers must keep developmental considerations in mind. Many researchers emphasize the importance of assessing an ebook’s plot, as well as ensuring that the ebook’s content is at an appropriate reading level for the child (Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013; Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2008; Miller & Warschauer, 2014). In other words, many of the considerations that go into matching a traditional book with a young reader still apply in the digital realm. Other facets of the

ebook must be developmentally appropriate, as well. The pacing must be slow as children require more time to process information than adults and the navigation should not be too complicated, as it is easy for children to become lost (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2008).

Beyond age appropriateness, the features that are included in a book app must be carefully assessed. Interactivity must add to the story, not distract from it. For example, Nosy Crow’s Cinderella: A 3-D Fairy Tale has speech bubbles that pop up when characters are tapped (Bircher, 2012). These bubbles provide a deeper look into characters, adding to the narrative. In their literature review, Cahill & McGill-Franzen (2013) reiterate that high quality eBooks must have features that advance the story rather than diverting a child’s attention away from the plotline, but they also promote a high level of interactivity in eBooks. Having a text that is simply being read by the narrator does not suffice. It is possible that book apps involving titles that a child is already familiar with may have more leeway when it comes to busyness (Bircher, 2012).

Segal-Drori et al. (2010) emphasize that ebook features must align with early literacy principles and support young readers’ ability to follow and understand the text. They identify several important considerations, such as the text being highlighted as it is read aloud, print size being large enough to be easily seen and identified, not having too much or too little text on the screen at once, and integrating features that support phonemic awareness. One may also wish to consider ⊲⊲⊲ SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 33

FEATURES the techniques used to draw attention to text, such as movement (animation), placing text in the middle of the screen, and the size of the font relative to other elements in the book (Michael Cohen Group LLC, 2008). It is important that there be functions in the ebook that support the scaffolding of the young reader’s literacy development. The ability to personalize an ebook (e.g., different narrators, font size), to control navigation, to interact with the text (e.g., by highlighting and repeating a word on the page over and over again), and to access a dictionary or glossary are all features to look out for (Bircher, 2012; Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013).

CONCLUSION EBooks and book apps present many opportunities to provide an enhanced early literacy experience for children. Features that promote interaction with text not only engage young users, but help them to gain a deeper understanding of what they are reading. This is not to say that eBooks are a replacement for traditional paper books. Research so far indicates that they have their own niche and serve their own unique purposes, such as being an activity that children can do on their own. That being said, studies have also indicated that adult interaction greatly enhances the learnings that children can gain from eBooks and associated apps. As with so many facets of child development, the quality and quantity of parent interaction is key and this must continue to be communicated to caregivers.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Bircher, K. (2012). What Makes a Good Picture Book App? Horn Book Magazine, 88(2), 72–78.

Cahill, M., & McGill-Franzen, A. (2013).

Selecting ‘App’ ealing and ‘App’ ropriate Book Apps for Beginning Readers. The Reading Teacher, 67(1), 30–39. http://doi. org/10.1002/TRTR.1190 Halle, T., Forry, N., Perper, K., Wandner, L., Wessel, J., & Vick, J. (2009). Disparities in Early Learning and Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort (ECLS -B). Washington, DC: Child Trends.

Retrieved from http://www.childtrends. org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/200952DisparitiesELExecSumm.pdf Michael Cohen Group LLC. (2008). Text on Screen: A Research Review. New York, NY. Retrieved from http://mcgrc.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/Text-on-Screen1. pdf Michael Cohen Group LLC. (2011).

Young Children, Apps & iPad. New York, NY. Retrieved from http://mcgrc.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/ipad-study-coverpage-report-mcg-info_new-online.pdf Miller, E. B., & Warschauer, M. (2014).

Young children and e-reading: research to date and questions for the future. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(3), 283–305. http://doi. org/10.1080/17439884.2013.867868

Neumann, M. M. (2014). An examination of touch screen tablets and emergent literacy in Australian pre-school children. Australian Journal of Education, 58(2), 109–122. http:// doi.org/10.1177/0004944114523368 Neumann, M. M., & Neumann, D. L. (2014).

Touch Screen Tablets and Emergent Literacy.

Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(4), 231–239. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10643013-0608-3 Parish-Morris, J., Mahajan, N., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., & Collins, M. F. (2013).

Once Upon a Time: Parent–Child Dialogue and Storybook Reading in the Electronic Era. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(3), 200–211. http:// doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12028 Segal-Drori, O., Korat, O., Shamir, A., & Klein, P. S. (2010). Reading electronic and printed books with and without adult instruction: effects on emergent reading. Reading and Writing, 23(8), 913–930. http://doi.org/10.1007/ s11145-009-9182-x

Sadie Tucker is an MLIS candidate attending the University of British Columbia. She has worked for the Vancouver Public Library for over twelve years.

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FEATURES

Providing Service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Public Libraries— Specifically Children

By Kari Scott-Whyte

As I have recently enrolled in an American the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.

Sign Language course to take place online in While not exhaustive, the following list is the fall, I have been researching and reading certainly a good start: about how the Deaf and Hard of Hearing ● BC Cultural Society of the Deaf communities are currently served by public http://www.bccsd.ca/ libraries, and how we may learn to serve them better. As with any specific group, views vary ● Children’s Hearing & Speech Centre and debate continues within the community of BC http://childrenshearing.ca/ as to their needs and preferences. Being cognizant of the issues presented by various ● Deaf Children’s Society of BC factions within the community is important. http://www.deafchildren.bc.ca/ Most importantly, though, any Deaf or deaf person is also representative of any number ● Intertribal Deaf Council of other groups they belong to—race, socio http://deafnative.com/ economic, gender, sexuality, etc. Therefore, a blanket approach is neither desirable nor ● MySignLink effective. As well, illustrated by the Canadian http://www.cats.gatech.edu/ Association of the Deaf on their webpage defining deafness, the very meaning of the word ● Provincial Deaf & Hard of Hearing deaf can be approached in a number of ways, Services (PDHHS) mainly split between medical/audiological and http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/pdhhs/ sociological/cultural definitions. Any library index.htm wishing to expand their inclusivity to this diverse group needs to be aware and sensitive As Carrie Banks points out in her article to these arguments “What’s Inclusion All About?,” all groups benefit There are a number of organizations/ from an inclusive environment—in this case, resources in British Columbia and online that both deaf and hearing children will be served would be valuable to include in any discussion well by exploring ways in which to develop around expanding services and programs to programs that embrace deaf/Deaf cultural 36 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

sensitivities and needs. In a pointed manner, we can look to studies of hearing babies and the benefits to learning ASL as discussed on the Centre for Accessible Technology website [CATS: n.p.]. This is certainly a trend I have seen firsthand among parents I know, as well as in baby storytimes at various libraries in this region. If this is something that librarians are embracing for a predominantly hearing audience, should we not be reaching out to the very community this unique language comes from?

EMBRACING THE SILENCE: HOW LIBRARIANS CAN HELP DEAF CHILDREN DEVELOP THEIR READING SKILLS

Linda Lajoie shares her experiences of including a deaf child in her summer reading club, and then subsequently learning sign language and volunteering at a school for deaf children. She stresses that the value of seeing librarians read aloud and participating in the group experience of a public storytime with Here is an annotated bibliography of relevant hearing children for deaf children is equal to articles. the value for the non-deaf child: “By seeing a librarian read aloud, deaf children learn to enjoy and value books. Kids who are deaf can share stories and gain knowledge if they’re BABY SIGN BUILDS IQ IN included in this activity.

HEARING BABIES. HOW ABOUT DEAF CHILDREN?

Lajoie also firmly believes in the necessity of including professionals (such as teachers from deaf schools, or interpreters accustomed to working with children) in the development of programs, and recommends that each library encourage some of its librarians and staff to take sign-language classes.

This short article looks at the benefits hearing parents and children have received from incorporating sign language into their early literacy and bonding behaviour: stronger bonds, higher IQ, and increased emotional development, in addition to earlier speech Lajoie, Linda. “Embracing the Silence: How skills. Perhaps not surprisingly, these same benefits are present among deaf children who librarians can help deaf children develop their learn to sign at an early age. It seems to me reading skills.” School Library Journal; August to be a good argument towards proactively 2003: 43. Web. 04 April 2015. including the community that this unique and beautiful language comes from.

GREAT BOOKS IN SIGN

“Baby Sign Builds IQ In Hearing Babies. How About Deaf Children?” Center for Accessible LANGUAGE Technology in Sign. CATS, n.d. Web. 09 April This review is a great introduction to a series 2015. of audiovisual adaptations of children’s picture books that libraries may wish to add to their collection when looking at being inclusive of ⊲⊲⊲

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FEATURES deaf children. This series had always included closed captioning, but children who have not yet mastered text literacy would have difficulty following along. The updated version added American Sign Language narrators who sign the dialogue and explain the action alongside the film’s characters.

McCaffrey, Meg. “Great Books in Sign Language.” School Library Journal; December 2004: 30. Reed Elsevier, 2004. Web. 03 April 2015.

THE MISSING LINK This article talks about the struggles deaf children have in learning to read, in part due to the inability to use phonics to “sound out” words in the way hearing children do. This can lead to a limited vocabulary which has a direct impact on reading comprehension and academic achievement. According to the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, most middle school students in their population of 220 are academically about three years behind their non-deaf peers, and some preschoolers arrive at the school with less than five words in their vocabulary. There are a number of factors that come into play as to why this is the case, but the focus of this article is on finding and creating technological tools to assist in closing the gap and expanding the vocabulary and reading comprehension of the deaf students. One major tool developed by technology specialist Harley Hamilton is the MySignLink online dictionary: type in (or cut and paste) any word and watch a video of a deaf interpreter signing the word. This tool is available free online, and libraries may want to explore its use within 38 YAACING | SUMMER 2015

their programming. Deaf and hearing children together can learn to communicate better with this tool, and it is equally useful to adults learning sign language.

McCaffrey, Meg. “The Missing Link.” School Library Journal; September 2004: 48-49. Reed Elsevier, 2004. Web. 30 March 2015.

MODEL BECOMES REALITY Much can be learned from the history of The River School, which focuses on adapting and accommodating children who are deaf and hard of hearing, and the special considerations needed for the growing numbers of children receiving cochlear implants. While there is some division within the Deaf community about this practice, it is a reality that a number of children will be newly hearing the world and “catching up” to their peers in terms of spoken vocabulary. Nancy Mellon argues for educating newly implanted children in an inclusive setting, and libraries could certainly play a role in this area, helping to develop language and support cognitive skills that “underlie spoken language development such as attention, memory, motor sequencing abilities, oral motor development, and social behaviours” by creating an optimal environment. This environment should pay attention to acoustic considerations to keep ambient noise low with carpeting and soft surfaces, and librarians delivering programs need to be aware of their pacing and intonation in speech, as well as the use of varied visual support. This environment and approach is ideal for deaf and hearing children equally.

Mellon, Nancy. “Model Becomes Reality.”

ASHA Leader; March 1, 2005: 7, 24-25.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2005. Web. 03 April 2015.

READING INCENTIVE PROGRAMS WITH PIZZAZZ

I chose to include this article in the readings for an unusual reason: other than in the opening paragraph where the setting for this reading program is given as the Virginia School PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) in Staunton, TO DEAF FAMILIES AND DEAF for Virginia, there is nothing about this program CHILDREN that would differ in a hearing environment.

Lindsay Slater has come to the conclusion, A summer reading club at any public library through researching existing programs and could host this amazing sounding Harry Potter communicating with the Deaf community in event with no changes.

Oregon, that “To better serve deaf children, Hall, Michelle. “Reading Incentive Programs libraries can improve their collections by with Pizzazz.” Library Media Connection; paying attention to cultural representation, can October 2009: 28- 29. Linworth Publishing, develop great programs through collaboration 2009. Web. 02 April 2015. with Deaf community, and can effectively market their services through a personal and proactive approach.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Slater gives some concrete examples of the types of programs and materials libraries should consider adding to their collection, and advocates strongly for reaching out to the local Deaf community, especially given that more deaf children are being “mainstreamed” by their hearing parents and perhaps less connected to the Deaf community. As well, the possibility for deafness to be an “invisible characteristic” could mean overlooked needs.

“Baby Sign Builds IQ In Hearing Babies. How About Deaf Children?” Center for Accessible Technology in Sign. CATS, n.d. Web. 09 April 2015.

Banks, Carrie, et al. “What’s Inclusion All About?” Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians Chicago Neal-Schuman, 2014. 3-12.

Print.

Canadian Association of the Deaf Website.

Slater, Lindsay. “Public Library Services to Deaf Families and Deaf Children.” OLA Canadian Association of the Deaf. Web. 09 Quarterly; Volume 19, Issue 3; 12-17. April 2015.

Oregon Library Association, 2014. Web. 02 Hall, Michelle. “Reading Incentive Programs April 2015. with Pizzazz.” Library Media Connection; October 2009: 28- 29. Linworth Publishing, 2009. Web. 02 April 2015. ⊲⊲⊲ SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 39

FEATURES Lajoie, Linda. “Embracing the Silence: How librarians can help deaf children develop their reading skills.” School Library Journal; August 2003: 43. Web. 04 April 2015.

McCaffrey, Meg. “Great Books in Sign Language.” School Library Journal; December 2004: 30. Reed Elsevier, 2004. Web. 03 April 2015.

McCaffrey, Meg. “The Missing Link.” School Library Journal; September 2004: 48-49. Reed Elsevier, 2004. Web. 30 March 2015.

Mellon, Nancy. “Model Becomes Reality.”

ASHA Leader; March 1, 2005: 7, 24-25.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2005. Web. 03 April 2015.

Slater, Lindsay. “Public Library Services to Deaf Families and Deaf Children.” OLA Quarterly; Volume 19, Issue 3; 12-17. Oregon Library Association, 2014. Web. 02 April 2015.

Kari Scott-Whyte is a recent graduate from the Library and Information Technology diploma program at Langara College, and works for both the Vancouver Public Library and West Vancouver Memorial Public Library.

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FEATURES

Graphic Novels for Elementary Aged Children

By Meaghan Smith

This annotated bibliography collects eight graphic novels for elementary aged children.

Both boys and girls can enjoy all of these books. All books use simple language to engage young readers and off-the-wall storylines and humour to keep them coming back for more.

chain of restaurants that will force people to adopt currency, which he will also provide, as a way to become the world’s richest man. The absurdity and the bright art style will appeal to children, while the irony and high concept humour will connect with adult readers.

Craddock, Erik. Stone Rabbit #1: BC Holm Jennifer L., and Matthew Mambo. New York: Random House, Holm. Babymouse: Heartbreaker.

2009. Print.

New York: Random House, 2006.

Print.

Craddock’s BC Mambo is the first book in the Stone Rabbit Series. The flashy art style and quick pace humour will surely delight child readers. The cartoonish style is reminiscent of TV show cartoons and has the capacity to engage reluctant readers in an easy transition from television to comic form. BC Mambo doesn’t shy away from body humour but instead revels in it. Stone Rabbit falls through a hole in his bathroom and is sent back in time to a prehistoric era where he must stay alive and foil the plot of an evil entrepreneur. The witty humour of this series allows a connection for adults who want to read the book as well.

Willie, a melonheaded Neanderthal plans a world domination that revolves around the barbeque sauce that fell through the rabbit hole with Stone Rabbit. He wants to create a

Babymouse: Heartbreaker is the fifth book in the Babymouse series.

The established tone of the series is hilarious for child and adult readers alike. Babymouse’s daydream fantasies, as well as the intrusions of the mean spirited narrator are funny and pair very well with the simple drawings. Holm only uses different shades of pink to highlight his black and white illustrations. The monochromatic illustrations feel very natural in Babymouse’s pink obsessed world. In this installation Babymouse is left trying to find a date to the Valentine’s Day dance. At first completely unsuccessful, she realizes that she does not need a date to enjoy the dance, though once she arrives that the boy of her dreams was standing right in front of her all along. She dances⊲ ⊲the ⊲ SUMMER 2015 | YAACING 41

FEATURES night away and has a fun time with her good friend. Like the rest of the series, Babymouse: Smith, Jeff. Bone Volume 1: Out from Heartbreaker, is filled with reference-heavy daydreams and fourth wall breaking that Boneville. Colours. Steve Hamaker. introduces young readers to metafictive New York: Graphix, 2005. Print. devices that allow for deep critical thinking.

In this new addition of Smith’s classic Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Lunch Lady graphic novel series Bone, Hamaker’s colour and the Cyborg Substitute. New York: updates and gives new life to the story while bringing it to a younger audience. Fone Bone, Knopf, 2009. Print. along with his cousins Smiley and Phoney The first book in the Lunch Lady series are exiled from their home and immediately introduces the reader to the titular character separated by a swarm of locusts. Fone Bone is in an action-packed absurdity-laden story. The then left to fend for himself in the forest of the main children of the story valley while being chased by rat creatures. hypothesize on the home Thanks to help from the life of their Lunch Lady only powerful Red Dragon, Fone is able to find a new friend, to discover that she is in fact Thorn, and reunite with a secret agent who uses her lunch lady tools as high tech his cousins. Volume one of Jeff Smith’s acclaimed Bone weaponry including: flying series introduces the reader spatula, sloppy Joe dispenser on the back of her Vespa, and to his imaginative characters, and sets up a fantastical expanding hair net. The silly epic situated in a magical humour is sure to connect with child readers. The art style is simple and only picturesque valley. Smith’s yellow is used to accent the black and white original black and white illustrations have a illustrations. In this installment it is up to slightly less sleek look through the addition the Lunch Lady to stop an evil teacher from of colour, but the eye-catching pages are sure replacing his competition for Teacher of the to be more attractive to younger readers.

Year with boring, homework-giving cyborgs. Although this is just the story’s introduction, The cyborg substitute is, of course, foiled and Smith gives readers just enough to entice them the bad guy imprisoned by the end of the book, along on his epic journey. Readers will race but I’m sure he’ll be back for more. The story, through this graphic novel and be hungry to which is mostly set in and around a school, is pick up the next volume. sure to engage children and have them think about the home lives of those adults they see every day.

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Spires, Ashley. Binky Takes Charge. Telgemeier, Raina. Smile. New York: Graphix, 2010. Print.

Toronto: Kids Can, 2012. Print.

Spires’ Binky is a fun take on the sassy knowit-all cat character. The cat’s mission and duties as a space cadet mixed with Spires’ imaginative drawings will leave readers giggling. The clean illustration style and appropriate use of colour gives the book a more polished feel than other digitally coloured books. Binky’s frustrations in his newest recruit Fluffy give a fun tension to the story and inclusions of toilet humour will surely endear this book to the child reader. Spires uses a shorter format that allows new readers access to the graphic novel format without overwhelming them with lengthy passages. Simple word choice and detail matching allows the reader to focus on both aspects of storytelling and gives way to new levels of interpretation, and encourages multimodal reading of the text. The lesson embedded in the book that each person brings a unique set of skills to a problem is not heavy handed and feels natural in the story’s world.

Children will be genuinely entertained by Binky and Fluffy’s exploits as alien killers.

Raina Telgermeier’s Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel that follows the narrative of Telgermeier’s teenage years through the lens of her seemingly neverending dental issues. She does not hold back or try to hide the awful things that she’s done or thought during this time, nor does she excuse herself for past indiscretions. The honesty of Telgemeir’s self-portrayal is one of this book’s greatest qualities. No child is completely angelic and by showing herself in a negative light, Telegermier relieves the pressure on the reader to be perfect all the time. The book’s art style is very cartoonish which gives great appeal to its grades 4–7 audience. Telgermeir gives visibility to the high number of children who will go through orthodontic work in their lives, and does not end on an absolute finality by showing that her teeth are still not perfect after all that work, but she is able to love her smile anyway. Telgermeier’s dialogue is witty and fitting for her characters. The book is geared more towards a girl reader, but the themes of acceptance, searching for identity, young love, insecurities, and painful orthodontic work is sure to connect with many readers regardless of gender or age. ⊲⊲⊲

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FEATURES Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Colours. Lark Pien. New York: Square Fish, 2010. Print.

Torres, J. Bigfoot Boy: Into the Woods. Illus. Faith Erin Hicks.

Toronto: Kids Can, 2012. Print.

This is the first volume in a graphic novel series that brings the fantastical writing of J. Torres and the anime-like style (very similar to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series) of Faith Erin Hicks together in a charming story about a boy who can become a Sasquatch.

Rufus, bored at his grandmother’s house, goes off into the woods and finds a talisman. The magical powers held within grant him the ability to turn into a Sasquatch and back again while also giving him the power to talk to animals. With the guidance of his new friend, a flying squirrel, he is able to save his new friend Penny from a group of wolves who have abducted her in hopes of stealing the talisman.

The book is just long enough that it is able to tell the story in a fast paced way without being overly long and difficult to read. Hicks’ art, although familiar to graphic novel readers, gives a First Nations twist to the magic behind the story. The style and subject matter are directed towards a slightly older child reader, but can be enjoyed by young advanced readers as well.

Luen Yang’s graphic novel American Born Chinese uses three different and ultimately related perspectives to explore the meaning of self and the desire to fit in. Jin, Danny, and the Monkey King all fight against their natural identities in order to feel more at home in their settings. Jin does not want to be associated with a new student from Taiwan after trying so hard to not be stereotyped.

Danny’s cousin Chin-Kee, a caricature of all Chinese stereotypes, disrupts every aspect of Danny’s life. Finally, Monkey King decides that in order to be great he must lose his monkey form. These three tales come together and teach Jin the lesson of compassion for yourself and others. Yang’s story is relevant not just to immigrant children, but all kids. This book sheds light on the very real struggle for a sense of identity that immigrant and secondgeneration immigrant children feel being split between their new and old countries. The drive to be accepted is strong in every child and teenager, lending the story to all readers. Yang’s illustration style is simple enough to be appreciated by young readers, but his storytelling tactics are strong enough that even older readers can appreciate the three parables.

Meaghan Smith is a student at UBC in the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature Program.

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REVIEWS

BOOK REVIEWS different facets of the story such as the likelihood of the mouse having really eaten the moon. More enthusiastic dialogic readers may choose to discuss the different feelings that mouse experiences throughout the story.

The book also presents the opportunity for non-immediate discourse such as different animals’ homes (both Little Mouse and Mole live in holes).

The Mouse Who Ate the Moon Review by Sadie Tucker

The illustrations are lovely and colourful, but do not boast bold outlines or starkly contrasting colours, making it difficult to discern the pictures from a distance. Part of the wonder of this book is how the cut-outs seamlessly fade onto the pages. The reader often does not even realize that there is a part of the page missing until they turn it. For these reasons, it is a book best enjoyed oneon-one.

Horacek, P. (2014). The Mouse Who Ate the Moon. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

This sweet story is sure to be a winner at bedtime. Little Mouse finds a piece of the moon (that looks suspiciously like a banana) and cannot resist taking a few bites. Her misery at the realization that the moon will no longer be round is wonderfully communicated and the reader cannot help but empathize. The story welcomes dialogic reading as the caregiver and child can discuss

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REVIEWS Stripes of All Types Review by Sadie Tucker Stockdale, S. (2013). Stripes of All Types. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

This book has it all. The book is composed of rhyming prose that flows beautifully off the tongue. While rhyming words help to promote phonemic awareness, it serves mostly to mesmerize the reader in this book. A short sentence is featured on each page and follows a simple pattern of verb-preposition-place, making the book easy for preschoolers to follow. The text has a notably high incidence of rare words which can be both good and bad: it exposes young readers to many words they have likely not run into before, but it may also pose a barrier to comprehension. Fortunately, the engaging cadence of the text and the portrayals of many different animals will go a long way towards keeping little ones’ attention. The pictures sport reasonably high contrast, although a large storytime group may find it difficult to make out some of the illustrations from the back. The text is simple, the pictures are large and attractive, and many of the animals will be new to young readers. All of this lends itself towards dialogic reading.

Depending on the age of the audience, the adult reader may find it beneficial to discuss stripes and the fact that many animals sport them before diving into the book. Older audiences may wish to discuss the purpose of stripes in nature. If reading during a storytime, it is highly recommended that the librarian familiarize him/herself with the animals’ names (provided in the back of the book) beforehand. One-on-one readers may find it a useful exercise to refer to the appendix with the child; demonstrating a basic information activity.

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SUBMISSIONS

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS YAACING is published four times per year and is always looking for submissions that might interest children’s and teen specialists in BC libraries. We accept news pieces, articles, program descriptions and ideas, conference reports, and much more. If you would like to write a regular column, send us a brief pitch.

Submissions should be no more than 2500 words, sent in an editable format (not PDF). Please include a byline with your job title and workplace, or for students: your school, program and class information, if applicable.

YAACING invites your contributions to our Reviews and Felt Story sections: Reviews: Please send us reviews of books, blogs, websites, or other resources. Submissions should be no more than 300 words. Longer reviews may be considered for publication as featured articles.

Felt Stories: Share your creativity! YAACING is looking for felt story patterns. Submissions should include a printable pattern, photograph of the finished product, and related rhyme or note about the origin of the story.

The deadline for the Fall 2015 issue of YAACING is September 1, 2015. Email your submissions to the editors at YAACING@gmail.com.

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