March 2009
Search Tip of the Month
This Month's Features
Author Booking Service
Spreading the News
Like. It is a simple word with many meanings. How many times a day do you hear that word? Many students, like, say it, you know, like...a lot. Well for that matter, many adults, like, do so, too. But back to the students. I am certain you have heard them use it in a correct manner as well. When they come into the library and ask for a book recommendation they often use this word. If they have absolutely LOVED the book they just finished they will ask, "Do you have any other books like this one?" Remember when Harry Potter was all the rage? Librarians were scrambling to find titles that would satisfy readers hungry for similar fantasies. Here at the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) we told our subscribers to do a Search using the words HARRY POTTER. It gave a fabulous list of "like" titles because so many reviewers compared other fantasies to the books in this series.
CLCD does not rely solely on subject headings or pre-assembled lists for its searches. Our powerful CLCD search engine examines all of the words in the text of the reviews. The result? Titles you may have forgotten or did not know about. Many reviewers will compare a book to a well-known award winner. You can search with the word "like" and the title or simply put in the title. Of course you can also search using keywords about the book (such as orphans nineteenth century, for example). The CLCD can help you with your reader's advisory questions. It is unlike any other database in scope.
Quote of the Month
"The education students have been using the CLCD to look up reviews and to find children's books on specific subjects for specific grade or reading levels for their 3 methods classes. I use it for those purposes, and for compiling my subject bibliographies. I really like it, and so do my students. I think it's better than NoveList, easier to use, with more search options, and indexing more children's books."
Krista Hartman, Information Services Specialist/Librarian--Associate Professor
Mohawk Valley Community College Libraries, Utica, NY
Don't forget to use the B&N Button. It will provide additional information and current pricing for the books you are considering for purchase. In addition, should you decide to purchase through B&N, all CLCD subscribers get an extra 5% discount.
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Easter is April 12 this year. While this feature includes books about the Easter bunny and egg hunts, we have also included Christianity by Jane Bingham. It is an attractive and well-written reference book for ages 12 and up.
In honor of the birthday of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor we created a feature about her. We then decided to expand it to include titles about other justices and the workings of the Supreme Court. One of the books we have included is The U.S. Supreme Court by Anastasia Suen and illustrated by Matthew Skeens which will help young readers understand the role of the Supreme Court as part of the judiciary branch of the U.S. government.
Women's History Month offers an opportunity to learn about individuals in all walks of life who have overcome what, to many of us, seem to be insurmountable odds. I am in awe of the stamina and true grit of pioneer women and so I have chosen to highlight Best of Covered Wagon Women edited by Kenneth L. Holmes. This book will allow Junior High and High School readers an opportunity to read journal entries written between 1848 and 1864. To help appreciate this material from the past, I would suggest comparing them with blogging entries which are familiar to today's teens.
Author Features
Diane Z. Shore, co-author of This Is the Dream (2006) discusses her two most recent books, and why humor and nonfiction are her favorite genre styles. This Is the Feast came about because there was a need for more books about Thanksgiving. Our reviewer calls How to Drive Your Sister Crazy "A winner for beginning readers."
Author Tom DeFalco and illustrator Ron Frenz, the co-creators of the Spider Man comics, have been collaborating for over twenty years. In this interview they talk about the challenges of a monthly comic book and the creation of the character of May Parker for The Amazing Spider-Girl digest series. One of the books in the series is Turning Point
Don Wood, famous for his picture books such as The Napping House and King Bidgood Is In the Bathtub, has written a 176-page graphic novel, Into the Volcano. In this feature he reveals how he drew the pictures "by hand on a computer." He also explains "Tabies," and says, " The true lesson learned by reading a great story is not the obvious, or surface theme, but the empathy the story inspires."
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Children's Literature currently assists schools, museums, conferences and other organizations in identifying authors and illustrators for speaking engagements. Authors and illustrators provide valuable insight into their craft and connect their audience with the world of literature. In each issue we will highlight several of our booking service participants. To learn more about this service, please go to http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/bs-home.html
Katy Kelly
Make Junie B. Jones a couple years older; add red hair; lose the glasses; and toss in a passion for palindromes, and you've got Lucy Rose. Luckily for those of us who love to laugh, Katy Kelly makes sure that Lucy Rose faithfully writes down what happens in her "almost never boring life." A former journalist who grew up in Washington D.C. in a family of writers, Katy branched out into children's books a few years ago. Now she's got 4 Lucy Rose books under her belt, as well as a play based on the first (The Thing About Me), and a brand-new book just out this month featuring one of Lucy Rose's friends, Melonhead. Whatever the age, or gender, Lucy Rose and her "excellent-O" and "brilliantine" adventures are guaranteed to make you laugh-out-loud.
www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/kelly-katy.html
Sallie Lowenstein
If you're searching for something--or someone--a little different, look no further: meet author-illustrator-teacher Sallie Lowenstein. As befits someone whom, by age 10, had visited 17 European and Asian countries, Sallie and her books offer a unique perspective. From lively, humorous picture books about "dragon-hunting gone awry," to philosophical sci-fi books, in which 16-year-olds are genetically enhanced for a specific profession, to a haunting story about a family struggling with the aftermath of the Holocaust, Sallie's books are as memorable as they are unique. A case in point is her latest, In The Company of Whispers, a highly original work stemming from her childhood experiences in Burma, combining memoir with fiction, past with present, and photographs with words, which just won an Honor Award from the Society of School Librarians International. Once you've read any of Sallie's one-of-a-kind books, you'll be reaching for another.
www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/lowenstein-sallie.html
CLCD Newsletter Editor, Sharon Salluzzo serves as a library and education consultant to CLCD. In addition, Sharon is a book reviewer, a storyteller who often performs with The Genesee Storytellers, and a member of The Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC. Sharon earned her MLS at SUNY Geneseo.
About the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
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.