Volume 4, Issue 10
October 2005
Search Tip of the Month
This Month's Features
Spreading the News
"It's about time." How often have we heard or said these words? Here in the northern hemisphere October is a month that truly makes us think about time. The days are not as bright as summer since the sun does not get as high in the sky, and the length of the day has grown shorter. We will turn the clocks back at the end of the month. Since this is the tenth month of the year, we are reminded that there is not much left of 2005. I was reminded of that as I was asked my availability for dates in January and February. Boy, did I feel smug as I pulled out my 2006 calendar! (Right now you are saying, "It's about time you joined the 21st century and got an electronic calendar." Maybe so. But I digress…). The smug feeling faded fast for I soon realized that time is running out to get the best of the 2005 children's books read. Just this morning I was online at www.childrenslit.com searching for humorous books and mysteries that have been published this year. With the Best Books and starred reviews listed in the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD), it is easy to see which of the new books have been getting the most attention. Isn't it about time you subscribed to the CLCD? The time you save searching for books can be time spent reading them. Now that is a glorious way to spend one's time!
' If you use CLCD frequently then you probably already know that it is better to start your search with a fairly broad set and then use the qualifiers to narrow it down. For example, if you were looking for picture books about animals. Enter "picture books animals" in the search box and that will get you about 8,000 items-- much too many to look at. Next click on the modify search button and based on your needs you might want to specify an age range (for this example I used 2 to 3 year olds). That brings the number to down to about 3,000 -- still way too many. Perhaps I only want books that are nonfiction and I once again modify the search to limit it to nonfiction. Since I am looking at books to add to the collection, I could pick a publication year in order to be fairly confident that the book is still commercially available. In this case I chose 2003. Now I have less than 400 entries. All of that took me less than five minutes. I can now devote my time to the list, read reviews and select the items appropriate for my needs.
There are a number of fresh, new Halloween titles this year which you will want to share with the children at your school or library.
Refresh your display area with books from our features about Jewish Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot) and new titles of Jewish Interest.
Columbus Day is celebrated on Monday, October 10 this year. Be ready with recommendations from our reviews for teachers, parents and students.
Teen Read Week has become more and more popular each year, as Baltimore's Books for the Beast Conference can testify. Use the titles in this feature to create a general display or to give you ideas for genre displays and discussion topics.
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR FEATURES
There are new features about these wonderful authors:
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Michael Bania, author of Kumak's House: A Tale Of The Far North (one of the Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2003) and how she became acquainted with the Inupiat culture. |
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Allan Stratton author of Chandra's Secrets, a YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2005 and winner of the Children's Africana Book Award 2005 for older readers, as well as many other awards and acclamations. Allan will be a featured speaker at the Learning & Teaching about Africa & the Middle East Workshop. Information is also available online at: http://africaaccessreview.org/ |
We have updated the book reviews for our features about:
| Joseph Bruchac who has just published his newest spooky tale, Whisper in the Dark. |
| Stephanie Calmenson, whose new book, Kindergarten Kids: Riddles, Rebuses, Wiggles, Giggles and More! hits just the right note for these young and exuberant learners. |
| Chris Crutcher, whose most recent title for teens is The Sledding Hill. |
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Our monthly newsletter is now available to everyone within an organization, not just the primary contact. A new feature at www.childrenslit.com will provide you with a form allowing you to sign up for just the electronic newsletter. The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, updated mid-month, is your most complete source of information about children's books. Indeed, it is the next best thing to having the book in hand, and the best tool for leading you to the best books. All at a most affordable price. To subscribe to the CLCD or contact us, go to www.childrenslit.com.
CLCD Newsletter Editor, Sharon Salluzzo serves as a library and education consultant to CLCD. In addition, Sharon is a book reviewer, a storyteller, an editorial board member of Capitol Choices and a member of The Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC. She earned her MLS at SUNY Geneseo.
About the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database
The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database is your most complete source of information about children's books, audio recordings, and films. Indeed, it is the next best thing to having the item in hand, and the best tool for leading you to the best materials. All at a most affordable price. To subscribe to the CLCD, go to www.childrenslit.com.