Four weeks in, we had a breakthrough. Every kid sat still for the most of the story. Five weeks was even better. Every kid was doing the actions and most were singing along. Yes there are attention challenges, but with a few tricks I was able to get Storytime back on track. Here’s what I suggest:… Read More The Challenges of Post-COVID Storytimes
The Project by Courtney Summers (February 2, 2021) Aspiring journalist and nineteen-year-old Lo works as an assistant for a prestigious news outlet. She’ll never be more than an assistant… Unless she manages to scoop an exclusive expose. When she witnesses a gruesome suicide connected to The Unity Project, she becomes pulled back into a world… Read More Two YA Books to Watch For in 2021: The Project and You Have a Match
This board brings bold colours, fun textures, and a bright message to the children’s section, and I’m pretty pleased with it. In this space since early March had been a version of the Guess Who display. It’s a fun, interactive display. But there’s a problem with it. Kids love to reach up and trace their… Read More 3D Flower Bulletin Board Display
When COVID-19 hit, librarians around the world started offering virtual storytimes: some prerecorded, and some live. Many of us who opted for prerecorded have now shifted to live virtual storytimes, due to having less time to edit, changes in publisher copyright allowances, or because our website now has a full roster of storytime videos and… Read More How to Make Your Live Virtual Storytimes Sparkle
I recently had the pleasure of speaking on Middle Ground Book Fest‘s panel on Engaging Reluctant Readers. One of the questions was about strategies for reaching reluctant readers in the library. I went into detail about my one-on-one approach with readers, but I wanted to shed some light on another approach that I use: high… Read More Engaging Reluctant Readers During Book Talks
Librarians do not have to be mommies to their patrons. We can be caring, warm, helpful, and nurturing, yes. We can know what to say to calm a screaming toddler. We can captivate a room full of kindergartners. We might even love some of the kids that we work with. But we are so much… Read More No, You Don’t Have to Be a Mommy to Be a Good Children’s Librarian
What if the biggest threat to humanity wasn’t climate, disease, war, or monsters… but plants?
Thick, seemingly invincible black grass starts growing all over the world. It invades crops, destroys houses, and emits a dangerous pollen that everyone is allergic to. Everyone except for three young teens from British Columbia: Anaya, Petra, and Seth.… Read More YA Book Reviews: Bloom, Cinderella Is Dead, and Rules for Being a Girl
Middle Ground Book Fest is one bright, shiny, happy thing that’s in our library world right now. Let’s appreciate it, celebrate it, and lift it up. … Read More Middle Ground Book Fest: what is it, and why should you be excited?
Any children’s librarian can attest: one of the most common questions we get is “My kid loved Dog Man. What else can they read?” Dog Man is a wildly popular graphic novel series for ages 6 – 10, and if you’ve ever read it, you know why. They are full of silliness, adventure, and character… Read More What to Read Next: Books Like Dog Man
Six years ago I wrote a blog post. 10 Poems That Teenagers Might Actually Love. I was fresh out of an English Literature undergrad and midway through my library degree. I decided that for a poem to be appealing to teens it should meet two major criteria: Vivid imagery Relevant subject matter 10 Poems That Teenagers… Read More 10 Poems by Women that Teens Might Love
Ontarian Librarian 