The Wonder of Books

For as long as this librarian can remember the power of a book has just been magical; that is unless it was a required dry textbook better left as a last resort if stranded on a desert island surrounded by swarms of sharks.  Each room in my home (except for the bathrooms, believe it or not) houses stacks of and shelves of books to be read, kept as treasures to be read again and again or shared with others that have like interests.

Being plagued of late, literally at times, with symptoms of the latest respiratory flu bug, has found me lacking the ability to do more than sit for awhile or sleep.  And so began my exploration of Google Books.

In 2004 this site was launched under the name, Google Print.  In that short time Google Print has changed its name, digitized more than 15 million books from more than 35,000 publishers, more than 40 libraries and more than 100 countries in more than 400 languages.  This phenomenal undertaking is truly providing the right book to the right reader at the right time which was a mantra for all library science students attending college when I did.

Google Books offers the user the opportunity to search for content that matches a search word or words.  A list of books appears. Reference pages have been designed for every book. By clicking on About This Book readers can read a review or write a review, look through a selection of book covers of related titles, view selected pages, other editions,  a list of common terms and phrases, popular passages, references to the book on web pages, other books or from Google Scholar, notes about the author and bibliographic details. If it has been determined that a good number of quality locations are mentioned in the book, a map will be shown of those places in this section.     Depending on the type of view provided; full, limited, snippet or none, a varied amount of pages from the book is available to see.

A library where the book may be found, where it can be purchased from a variety of sources or whether it is added to Your Library are reader choices.  When I clicked on Find a Library it immediately took me to WorldCat.  This inter-connectivity is simple amazing. 

Popular passages or quotations can also by linked between books.

If a book is out of copyright Google Books has added a download PDF button where it can be read in its entirety at the reader's own pace. 

As if this was not enough this past December Google expanded this site to include Google eBooks. 

Even though I have a free Amazon Kindle app on my Samsung Android phone I can only download Amazon eBooks.  But using the free Android app at Google eBooks I can access all eBooks.  It was easy to download.  There was a QR code at the Google Books' web site which I scanned.  It took me to the web page where I was able to download this app.  It will take some getting used to but it is just another option to reading what, where and when one wants.

One final selection available through Google involving their books package is the new, in December of 2010, app called Google Ngram Viewer.  This device allows the user to enter in a term or terms seeing graphically how the use began, increased or decreased over time.  When a particular time slot is selected a list of relative books appears. 

The wonder of books in all its forms is marvelous.

Gone to the Dogs..



When the oil painting of Adam Gustavson is combined with his eye for layout, attention to detail and gift for creating an atmosphere appropriate to a time period the results are noteworthy.  The book's endpapers portray an aerial view of two mining camp layouts in dusty brown tones.  On the title page Dorsey is pictured stepping through a rocky opening saddle bags across his back.  When readers turn the page a lizard is watching the tail and back of Dorsey move out of view.  In those few pages Gustavson is conveying that a journey is taking place.

The story of Dorsey in this title, Calico Dorsey: Mail Dog of the Mining Camps, has been brought to readers with warmth, likely scenarios and just the right amount of facts by author, Susan Lendroth.  In the 1880s when the rush for gold and silver dictated whether a town would be built, Calico, California appeared.  At the time of this tale Everett Stacy ran the post office.

His brother, Al, discovered the border collie giving it a home.  Before long, Dorsey was a part of the daily life in Calico.  Later when Al went to the nearby Bismarck Mine to open up a general store, Dorsey followed.  What began as Dorsey disappearing for hours each day to visit friends in Calico developed into this dog actually carrying mail between the two mining communities. 

An author's note reveals further information about the two brothers and the border collie that they trained to carry the United States mail as well as an original photograph of Dorsey.
At the Legends of America web site further information can be found about Dorsey.  By going to this Official Ghost Town of California web site readers can gain insight into the process of making Calico the California State Silver Rush Ghost Town.

Battle of the Kids' Books

For some its the Super Bowl or for others its the Final Four or perhaps the World Series or maybe the Masters Tournament but this librarian will take  Battle of the Kids' Books  anytime, anyday.  School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids' Books is a competition between 16 of the very best books for young people of the year, judged by some of the biggest names in children's books.

Be prepared and ready; the Battle is about to begin for 2011.  The Undead Poll will close March 6, 2011 with opening ceremonies beginning on March 8, 2011.  In the three weeks following those ceremonies each of the three rounds will take place until on April 4, 2011, when the Big Kahuna casts the final vote. 

 
Given the titles and judges selected for this year it is going to be exciting to say the least.  Observe or participate as a student, classroom teacher or parent.  Read along with the judges.  See if you can pick a winner for each round.  Can you pick the final winner?
 
Click on the link beneath the image of the brackets to get a full size image.  I am still working on how to get a clear image so it can be printed at any size in case you would like to post it in your classroom.

http://sljbattleofthebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/BOB2011RND1BRACKET.jpg

Not Of This World...

Max would never forget that faraway summer when, almost by chance, he discovered magic.  So opens The Prince of Mist by  Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  Zafon states on his web site that this title launched his career as a writer in 1992.   It was not until May of 2010 that is was translated by Lucia Graves and printed in English. 

Maximilian Carver is moving his family away from the city to a small seaside village to avoid the inevitable effects of the war, World War II, 1943.  He has purchased a home on the beach whose former residents' lives were embroiled in tragedy.  Max, as the sole male sibling in the Carver family, finds that he resembles his father, a watchmaker and inventor of elaborate devices with purposes unknown, more with every passing day. That is why on receiving the news of their move, his mother and two sisters begin packing but Max just sits with his father wondering how his world could change so quickly.

Before even leaving the train depot at their new town, Max is aware that things are not as they should be; the clock at the station is moving backward and his younger sister, Irina, has quickly adopted a stray cat that appears to have been waiting for them.  Events rapidly unfold with Max's discovery of a unkempt, walled garden of circus statues; a clown at the center, Irina falling down the stairs; her injury placing her in a coma and strange dreams that plague his older sister , Alicia.
 
With his parents keeping vigil at his sister's bedside in town it seems that Max, his older sister Alicia and a new found friend , Roland are left to unravel the source of the darkness that is slowly gathering its forces.  Roland is an orphan living with his surrogate Grandfather, the lighthouse keeper.  His Grandfather was the only survivor of a shipwreck upon the rocks near this small community.  To thank the townspeople for finding him and saving his life he built the lighthouse himself.  He has kept watch all these many years but over what these three are soon to discover. 

The tale that is told here is not new.  When one is willing to sacrifice all for the granting of a wish or desire that is when Evil in its purest form starts to knock on the door.  When a bargain is made Evil will wait to collect, but collect it always will.  But what makes this story so eerie, so downright creepy is the writing of Carlos Ruiz Zafon; his choice of words is beautiful.  He is a master of atmosphere and capturing the range of human flaws and heroics.  A simple example of this is the name given to the character that represents Evil in this story--Cain.
Readers will be checking to make sure that all their doors and windows are locked while truly caring about the characters.  This reader has to admit to waking up about 3AM, not being able to sleep and picking up this book to continue with the story.  At just the right point in the book when the cat causes terrifying events that are very uncatlike, what should I hear outside but the yowling of a cat on my deck.  What are the chances of that?!  Creepy, very creepy...

If you dare to be scared this book is just the ticket.  It moves very quickly and will be welcomed by readers of all reading abilities.

She's a Grand Old---Flag

Each and every morning our elementary students, as most students do across the United States, face the American flag , place their hands over their hearts and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  On February 22, 2011 the online version of the SunSentinel posted a very informative, small interactive about our flag.  Users of the interactive gain facts about the images and colors used in our flag.  By clicking on a star with a state abbreviation in it, the flag is pictured as it was when that particular state was admitted to the Union.  Viewers are also shown the various changes that have transpired over the history of our Nation and its symbol that is a reflection of those changes.

Virtual Post-It Boards-There's Another One

Going through notes that I have jotted down I realized that there was another online bulletin board that I needed to try.  This is not a new app.  From reading entries on the site's blog it appears that this has been up and running for at least 4 years but to me it's new.  Stixy is in a class all by itself. 

To use this free organizer just enter in an email address and password.  When creating a Stixy widgets appear at the bottom of the page.  These enable you to post a note, photo, document or todo calendar.

You just click and drag the widget that you want to post. 

 When adding a note you can choose the style, add a link, font type, align the text or add a bulleted or numbered list.  Fonts can be in italics, bold, underlined or with a line through the center of the letters. 

An uploaded photo can have the effect, frame or rotation changed.

After a document is uploaded an icon will appear advising the user to click and load it.  The document does not appear in its entirety on the board.

The todo widget is like a single day torn from a calendar page.  Comments can be included.

All these widgets can be moved and sized by viewers unless you lock them. 

It's easy and impressive what this app offers but either my memory is having a hard time keeping up with all my moving about between apps, search engines and my desktop but twice my work just disappeared. 

To view the Stixy that I created follow this link:   http://www.stixy.com/guest/104625  As a guest the password is the name of my best furry friend.

You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky. AE

Shelley Tanaka and David Craig combine their considerable talents to give readers a fresh look at the life of one of America's most remembered woman pilots in the book, Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator.  



Craig's skill at bringing people and places from history to life is attributed to his attention to detail and accuracy.  At his web site it states that he spends as much time researching a subject as he does creating the image.  He was the first recipient of Lynne Cheney's James Madison Book Award in 2003 for his illustrations in First to Fly:  How Wilbur & Orville Wright Invented the Airplane.  (Our elementary library media center has a copy of that book.  This book is currently in the collection at the middle school media center.)

Placement of his warm, vibrant paintings along with actual photographs as well as the partial map with a compass rose at each chapter's beginning beckon to the reader; the manner that was employed in laying out the design and position of the graphics under and around the text makes the reader feel as if they are reading a journal created by Amelia that commemorates and chronicles her zest for life and flying. 

Leading off with Amelia's first sight of an airplane at the 1908 Iowa State Fair, Tanaka's conversational but well researched narrative (An extensive bibliography of books and articles, many of them by Amelia, and websites is included at the book's end.) encourages readers to enter into Amelia's world.  Each chapter is just the right length including insight and information that as pages are turned one's admiration for this amazing historical figure just gets bigger and bigger.  Actual quotes by Amelia and others are appropriately placed which increases the reader's sense that they are living in the same moment as the story.

Another technique utilized by Tanaka in this book, at which she is very adept, is side bars in each chapter that cover all aspects of flight and flying in general and as it relates to Amelia.  Shelley Tanaka is not without her share of awards for her contributions to nonfiction literature for children.  In 2009 The National Council of Teachers of English gave her the Orbis Pictus Award for this title. 

In the epilogue Tanaka reveals theories on Amelia Earhart's disappearance which to this day is one of America's greatest unsolved mysteries.  But more significant in her conclusion she says: Perhaps her most important legacy is what she has to say to all of us-male and female-about having the courage to take on challenges and pursue a dream.  Think for yourself, she would say.  Figure out what you love to do.  And then go out and do it.

As a girl and young woman I grew up repeatedly hearing my Mom talk about Amelia Earhart.  At the time of Amelia's disappearance Mom was 17.  I can only imagine how young women of that time felt about a woman with Amelia's accomplishments.  She was an inspiration then and having read quite a bit about her myself continues to be so today.  Shelley Tanaka and David Craig's contribution to the literary world about her stands out far above the rest.