New York Friendly

New Yorkers, especially city people, have a reputation for being cold and unfriendly. Every man for himself. A dog-eat-dog world. On a recent trip into the city, I was reminded that this is simply not true.

On taking the subway from Penn Station to the Met, we managed to get on the wrong train and wound up in Brooklyn -- a far cry from where we planned to be. Oops. A few people overheard us discussing our plight and offered directions. One kind woman instructed us to follow her. She was going to work on Park Avenue. So, we did. We had to hustle to keep up with her as she hopped off the train, bounded up the escalator two steps at a time, and practically ran through the turnstiles to catch the uptown subway. And she was by no means young.

Later, we went to Greenwich Village to have dinner and once again, somebody overheard us discussing which subway we had to take and stopped to offer us directions. He said he'd walk us over there if we'd like. Both times we were astounded by how friendly and willing to go out of their way for others New Yorkers truly are.

Get New Yorkers into their cars, though, and it's a different story. On the roads and bridges, they don't give you an inch and it's back to being the dog-eat-dog people they're reputed to be.

Manic Monday

I'm home from work today with a cold and a sore foot with a blister that's infected. I can barely put a shoe on. Ouch! How did all this happen at once? Just when I'm busiest, I get sick.

So, I'm soaking my foot while I'm waiting to go see the podiatrist and meanwhile, blowing my nose. I'm miserable. Tomorrow I'm suppose to have my Books and Bagels Breakfast for the staff. I even bought something for a raffle (a Godiva chocolate basket). Usually I set up all the new books the night before but now, provided I can walk, I'm going to have to go in real early tomorrow -- like 6:30 am -- to set up. I don't want to postpone it any longer.

Why am I doing this? None of the other librarians host a new books breakfast. It costs me something and includes a fruit salad and a few other goodies besides bagels. I guess I just like to let the staff see the new books and have a chance to check them out before the kids get to them. Besides, before I left my old building, one of the teachers told me that the new books and bagels breakfast was her favorite school event and that she looked forward to it every year. I know there's other bookaholics out there.

Anyhow, it's always good to pay it forward.

A Portrait

Here's a portrait I worked on recently. Still needs work but I ran out of model time. It looks like her but sort of a cartoonish version of her (Cara). She doesn't really have her eyes closed. She was reading a book but I was going crazy trying to capture her hands and arms position (which changed constantly) so Robert finally told me to ditch the book, arms and hands. That was a study unto itself. Consequently, I couldn't see the bottom part of the painting so I had to guess a lot. I just didn't have time to go in and refine it. I also snapped this as it was beginning to get dark out. It looks a mite better in real life. I think.

Painting is always a humbling experience. Always.

Biographies For Kids

I'm currently doing a unit on biographies with my third grade students. I always enjoy this unit because I often learn something new myself. Last year, for instance, I read Flight, by Robert Burleigh, about Lindbergh's famous trans Atlantic flight. Since Lindbergh took off from Long Island (about where the Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall is now located), it also served as a little slice of Long Island history. The book is only a partial biography so I supplemented with some information from the internet -- where Lindbergh grew up, how his son was kidnapped and murdered, his interest in the environment and so on. The next time the kids came to library, one girl, Renee, raised her hand. Her great grandmother, she said, had worked as the Lindbergh baby's nanny. Wow. That was pretty fascinating.

When I read a biography of Neil Armstrong, one boy raised his hand to tell me that his grandpa had worked on the LEM that transported the first three astronauts from the Saturn 5 rocket to the moon's surface. Another little slice of Long Island history. Grumann, an aerospace company, used to be Long Island's biggest employer.

I do read some bios of a few dead white guys because, honestly, everybody should know who Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and James Madison were. Besides, the kids often learn they weren't perfect humans either. Thomas Edison got in trouble in school for gazing out the window and not paying attention. Ben Franklin ran away from home.

I also read some slightly offbeat bios. I like Kathleen Krull's biography of Wilma Rudolph, Wilma Unlimited, because it's as much about hope and perseverance in the face of unbelievable odds as it is about one woman's incredible life.

Another book I enjoy reading to the kids is Eleanor, by Barbara Cooney, about Eleanor Roosevelt's early life. As a child, she had such a sad life. Her mother was disappointed by her and died at a young age and her father was an alcoholic. Now and then, somebody questions if kids need to hear about all that. My answer is always YES. Who knows, maybe the disheveled boy sitting there in the back -- the one whose mother is an alcoholic and whose father is never around -- will take some heart in knowing that he's not the only one whose life is less than perfect.

Biographies not only give kids role models but they offer up hope and inspiration. Still, it's hard to find good ones that draw children in. A lot of biographies tend to be a little dry and laden with dates. A good biography brings a person to life for a child.

Anybody know of some great biographies for children? If so, feel free to share them.

The Banned Book Is Back

Okay, I finally had a chance to speak with my principal about the banned book, Blubber. As I expected, she listened carefully and agreed with me that we can't remove a book every time a parent complains. I explained the need to develop a district wide selection policy and a uniform method of handling complaints.

When a parent complains about a book in the library, the A.L.A. recommends that we listen attentively to the parent. After all, parents are taxpayers and have a right to air their opinions. Then we give them a copy of our selection policy explaining the criteria used in selecting books for the library. Finally, we give them a complaint form to fill out. Usually the complaint form asks for the title, author, if the person represents a group or sect, has he/she read the entire book and, if so, could he please summarize it. A reconsideration form should also ask the complainer to explain what he didn't like about the book, why he feels it should be removed from the library, if he's aware of what the critics had to say about the book and so on. Usually a reconsideration form is too much bother for most people. In fact, when the complainer gets to the question about whether or not he's read the entire book, he usually stops. The truth is, most of the people who have complaints about library books and materials haven't read the whole book. They usually stop reading when they reach the part they don't like.

Funny, I learned that most of the upper grade teachers (grades 3-6) have a copy of Blubber in their classroom library and, in fact, our school Prevention program uses Blubber when addressing issues of bullying.

Anyhow, I am relieved. Yay for intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights!

A Pumpkin Patch of Book Characters

This year I'm running a contest for the school where I work -- a pumpkin decorating contest. Children's Book Week is in November and in celebration, I invited my students to each bring in a pumpkin decorated as a favorite character from children's literature. So far, the results have been terrific and so creative and I expect a lot of kids will be working on their entry this weekend.

We have a Junie B. Jones pumpkin, the Little Mermaid, the three little pigs, Capt. Underpants, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Curious George, Chester the Raccoon from The Kissing Hand, Make Way For Ducklings (one of my personal favorites), the Cat in the Hat, Frankenstein, Arthur, the Rainbow Fish (another personal favorite), Cinderella and so on. At first only a handful of kids brought in pumpkins but when the kids saw what others were doing, many of them decided to get in on the fun, too. The rule is that it must be a character from children's literature -- no Sponge Bob Square Pants, Hannah Montana, WWF figures or characters from the Simpsons.

My favorite of favorites, I guiltily admit, is Capt'n Underpants. I know the student, Brianna, and she did her own work. I think it's fabulous. Anyhow, this is one fun way to promote children's books and to get the kids thinking about literature. Maybe in the spring we'll do Easter eggs.

Columbus Day

Last Monday was Columbus Day and the kindergartners spent some time learning about Christopher Columbus and his famous voyage. As a few of them waited for the bus in their Columbus style three cornered paper hats, I asked them a few questions.

"Do you know who Columbus was?" I asked.

"Yes," said Richie, "he was a guy and he discovered America."

"And he had three boats," offered Rocco.

"Why did he need three boats?"

"Cause," said Rocco, "he had a lot of stuff."

"Yeah," said Richie, "and a lot of friends who wanted to go with him."

Hmmm. "Do you know the name of his boats?"

"I do!" said Rocco, raising his hand (guess he forgot we weren't in class). "The Nina , the Tita and ...." He stopped to whisper a question to Richie. "And the Santa Margarita."

A girl sitting in the back of the line overheard him. "No, it's the Ninja, the Pinta and the Santa Marina. And everybody thought they were gonna go over the end of the world."

"You're right -- almost." Then the bus arrived and we had to put an end to our discussion. So goes a little slice of world history according to five year olds. I keep wondering when the teachers are going to explain Amerigo Vespucci to the kids. The only problem is, Vespucci didn't have a holiday named after him -- just a country and a continent.