THE BOOKMARK
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Summer 2005 Volume 46 Issue 3
S,LIBRARIE
S
,
The Professional Publication of the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’Association
2004-2005 EXECUTIVE
PRESIDENT Mary Locke VICE-PRESIDENT Angie MacRitichie
(CHAPTER RELATIONS)
S: 604-713-5403
SF: 604-713-5405
H: 604-224-4347
[email protected]
S: 250-632-7180
SF: 250-632-2543
H: 250-632-2480
[email protected]
SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT Randi Hermans
(ADVOCACY) S: 604-794-7533
SF: 604-794-3827
H: 604-792-3679
[email protected]
TREASURER Amanda Hufton S: 604-668-6269
SF: 604-668-6414
H: 604-272-9910
[email protected]
RECORDING SECRETARY Pat Parungao S: 604-713-5016
SF: 604-713-5244
H: 604-431-0786
[email protected]
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Daphne Elwick
S: 604-587-8559
SF: 604- 588-7762 H: 604-536-3280
[email protected]
WORKING & LEARNING Maryka Gregg CONDITIONS CHAIR
S: 250-638-0306
H: 250-638-0427
[email protected]
CONFERENCE CHAIR
S: 250-655-2700
SF: 250-655-2701
H: 250-656-0620
[email protected]
Bonnie McComb
CONTINUING EDUCATION Lynn Turner CHAIR
S: 250-635-9141
SF: 250-635-4293
H: 250-635-2943
[email protected]
PAST CO-PRESIDENTS
Joan Eaton S: 250-768-1889
SF: 250-768-3299
[email protected]
Kay Treadgold S: 250-762-2805 (Ext. 266)
SF: 250-861-4163
[email protected]
PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR
John Dryden S: 250-746-7845
[email protected]
LIAISON CHAIR Ann Lyle
S:
SF:
H:
[email protected]
BCTLA WEB STEWARD S: 604-713-4771
SF: 604-713-4773
H: 604-322-5643
[email protected]
Val Hamilton
THE BOOKMARK VOLUME 46, NUMBER 3
The Bookmark is the official publication of the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA). It is
made available to BCTLA members as part of their membership dues. Subscriptions are available.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IN CIRCULATION•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••2
EDITOR’S NOTES••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••2
BCTLA AWARDS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••4
EXTERNAL AWARDS WON BY BC
TEACHER-LIBRARIANS•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••4
CENSUS AT SCHOOL•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••5
PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD OF
SCHOOL TRUSTEES IN SD #68(NANAIMO)••••••••••••••••8
IN MEMORIAM: SHIRLEY ANNE STERLING•••••••••••••••••••11
WORKSHOP FOR BEGINNING AND STUDENT
TEACHERS•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••12
TEACHER-LIBRARIANSHIP BY DISTANCE
EDUCATION:MY EXPERIENCE•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••14
NEW WESTMINSTER SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS ARE SMARTREADERS••••••••••••••••••••••••••16
HISTORIC NOVELS: GRADE NINE SOCIAL
STUDIES••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••18
LES EXPLORATEURS:UNITÉ EN SCIENCES
HUMAINES 4E ANNÉE EN IMMERSION FRANÇAISE•••26
INTERMEDIATE ESL PRIME MINISTERS OF
CANADA UNIT•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••30
PROFESSIONAL READING••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••42
BEST BOOKS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••44
SUMMERTIME READING SUGGESTIONS•••••••••••••••••••••48
A NEW KIND OF LITERACY••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••50
NEW ON THE NET••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••52
BCTLA REVIEWS•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••64
SUMMER 2005
The Bookmark is the professional
journal of the British Columbia
Teacher-Librarians’ Association. As
such it:
1) acts as a communication
vehicle for ideas, trends and new
developments in the field;
2) supports a professional network of
teacher-librarians who are committed
to resource-based learning and
cooperative planning and teaching;
3) disseminates information on British
Columbia learning resources; and
4) promotes reading and the
development of literacy.
The views expressed in this
publication do not necessarily reflect
the views of the BCTLA, the BCTF, or
the editors.
Articles or correspondence can
be addressed to the editors of the
journal listed on the inside cover of
the journal.
Advertisements may be bought at the
current rates shown on the BCTLA
web page.
The BCTLA hereby grants copyright
permission to individuals who wish
to make a single copy of an entire
article, unit or bibliography for their
own use. Permission to make
multiple copies must be obtained
from the BCTLA’s Publications
Coordinator or from the Senior Editor
of The Bookmark. Written requests
should include pertinent information
such as intended use, number
of copies, pages required, and
audience.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
IN CIRCULATION
MARY LOCKE
This past year has been another busy one and my
last as your president. It has been an honour to
represent you wherever I go and I thank all of you
for your support and encouragement. As I reflect
on the past two years, perhaps the first thing that
comes to my mind is that despite all the problems
our profession faces, there is a surprisingly high
level of support for school libraries - in our cities
and towns, in our province, and across Canada.
Locally, there are now a few Friends of the School
Library organizations. We hope to see more. There
has been strong parent advocacy, most notably
from Victoria. We have dedicated and effective
provincial advocates in the BC Coalition which has
a wide and increasing membership. Recently the
BCTF and Childrens’ Writers and Illustrators of B.C.
have joined. There is also a growing number of
honourary board members, Roch Carrier and W.P.
Kinsella amongst them. Nationally, school libraries
have been strengthened by the amalgamation of
ATLC and CSLA into one organization - CASL. This
came about in large measure through the support
of CLA and OLA. The Canadian Coalition for
School Libraries continues to advocate for school
libraries at a national level. We are very grateful to
our supporters and look forward to our continued
relationships with them.
My particular efforts for the past year have been
concentrated in:
• working within my local and the BCTF,
• continuing to lobby government and trustees
whenever the opportunities present themselves,
working with the BC Coalition, and
• responding to and corresponding with trustees and
parents.
The support shown to school libraries by the BCTF
and by the BC Coalition has been very strong and
most appreciated.
It has been a great pleasure to work closely with the
fine teacher-librarians who have formed the BCTLA
executive, both this year and last, as well as with
the dedicated chapter councillors and individual
teacher-librarians who have been so have been so
supportive. Thank you again.
EDITOR’S NOTES
RICK MULHOLLAND
It is with great sadness that I write this issue’s
Editor’s Notes as this issue marks the end of my
involvement with The Bookmark. I am stepping
down as Senior Editor. I have thoroughly enjoyed
my years on The Bookmark’s Editorial Board and
have worked with a number of wonderful people
these past four years. A big thank you goes out to
the current editorial board. You have made my term
as Senior Editor an enjoyable experience and one
that I will remember for a long time. You are a great
team. Thank you for the opportunity to work with
you.
students and for your own professional reading.
To add to Rena Deusch’s “Professional Reading”,
I would highly recommend a book that I just read
– Leonard Sax’s “Why Gender Matters”. This is a
must read for everyone who works with children. It
is a thought provoking book that makes the reader
question his/her own teaching styles. Check it out at
your nearest library.
On behalf of the current editorial board, sit back and
enjoy!
This issue’s main focus is on reading literacy. We
have included a few ‘best of’ lists. These lists
provide you recommended books for both your
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
A division of the Canadian Library Association (CLA)
328 Frank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0X8
Tel.: (63) 232-9625
Fax: (63) 563-9895
Become a member of CASL!
Support CASL’s national initiatives!
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National School Library Day
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SLIC, School Libraries in Canada, CASL’s online journal
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SLiP, School Library Information Portal, the Canadian connection to school library
documents, and its French language counterpart PiBS
There are two membership categories within CASL, full CLA membership or the specially created
membership category, Corresponding Membership, for practicing or retired teacher-librarians, and school
librarians or teachers at the elementary or secondary school level, open to individuals only.
Joining CASL as a corresponding member at the $50.00 annual rate allows you to:
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receive Impact, a quarterly CASL newsletter, with current news of school library issues and conferences.
access National School Library Day initiatives, activities and programs at www.nsld.ca
serve on CLA and CASL committees, vote in CASL elections, and on CASL Resolutions at CASL Annual General
Meetings.
access the CASL eCommunity which, with your user name and password, allows you to keep on top of current
issues, access relevant documents and participate in online discussion forums.
join the CASL and CLA listservs, electronic national networks where CLA members can work on common issues,
share opinions, and inform and influence CLA policy and programs.
have a voice in CLA's advocacy efforts - representation to governments on the key issues affecting libraries and
library personnel and affect you.
access a collection of professional literature through CLA's monograph's publishing program and exclusive
distributorship of American Library Association (ALA) publications, and the international award winning Achieving
Information Literacy, Standards for School Library Programs in Canada.
To join CASL, complete the Personal Membership Application www.cla.ca/membership/membership.htm
Additional membership information is available on the CLA website www.cla.ca or by contacting Membership Services
by email at [email protected], or phone (63) 232-9625 ext 30.
Your advocate at the national level on school library issues
www.caslibraries.ca
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
BCTLA AWARDS
The following awards were given out at the April 30,
205 Annual General Meeting of the BCTLA:
The BCTLA Distinguished Service Award
•JoAnne Naslund, Friends of the School Library Chair
•Karin Paul, Teacher-librarian at St. Andrew’s School
•BC Coalition for School Libraries (Vice Chair Leo
Ferry accepted the award)
The British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association
recognizes the efforts of individuals other than
practising teacher-librarians who have made an
outstanding contribution in support of effective
school library resource centre programs in British
Columbia.
The Ken Haycock Professional Development
Award
Mary Locke
The British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association
recognizes the need to further the professional
development of a member of the BCTLA by giving
an award to be used for any credit or non-credit
courses, workshops, conferences or programs in the
field of teacher-Teacher-librarian.
EXTERNAL AWARDS WON BY
BC TEACHER-LIBRARIANS
At the upcoming Canadian Library Association’s
annual conference, the following BC Teacherlibrarians will be honoured with Canadian
Association for School Library (CASL) awards:
The Chancellor Group Conference Grant
Karen Lindsay
The Chancellor Group Conference Grant provides a
$500.00 travel grant to support attendance of newly
qualified teacher-librarians at the next conference
of the Canadian Association for School Libraries
(CASL).
The National Book Service Teacher Librarian of
the Year Award
Hazel Clark
The Canadian Association for School Libraries
honours, through this award, a school-based
teacher-librarian who has made an outstanding
contribution to school librarianship within Canada
through planning and implementing school library
programs, based on a collaborative model which
integrates library and classroom programs.
The Margaret B. Scott Award of Merit
Karin E. Paul
The Margaret B. Scott Award of Merit honours an
individual who has made an outstanding contribution
to Canadian school librarianship at the national level.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
CENSUS AT SCHOOL
MARION SMITH
Census at School
[www.censusatschool.ca]
How often do students have an opportunity to
experience a survey from both sides — to participate
as respondents and then as data analysts?
The Census at School project is designed to
allow students from grades 4 to 12 to have that
opportunity, first reporting their information and then
analyzing the raw data.
In this project, after each student has filled in an
online census form, the teacher can download a
spreadsheet of the class responses. Data analysis
activities available online are designed for a wide
range of learning opportunities. Younger grades
use the data to make bar graphs and pie charts,
study bias, and draw conclusions. Older students
can compare datasets, examine a hypothesis, and
explore relationships through scatter plots.
Student responses
Census at School isn’t just a math resource. The
questionnaires gather information on such issues
as time use, nutrition and bullying. An analysis of
class breakfast choices, for example, can be used
to discuss nutritional choices. Students in grades
9-12 reported consuming milk (44.1%), cold cereal
(42.2%) and fruit juice (41.9%) for breakfast. On the
other hand, 23.3% of secondary students had no
breakfast at all.
A time use question for the senior grades asks
students how much time they spend watching TV
or films, doing school homework, and reading. An
analysis of the responses from 2003/2004 indicates
that 47% of students in grades 9-12 read 1 to 3
hours per week. Of the rest, 16% read 4 to 6 hours,
6% read 7 to 9 hours, and 5% read more than 10
hours per week. Sadly, 27% reported not reading
anything in the previous week.
SUMMER 2005
What are the origins of Census at School?
Census at School, an international statistical
literacy project, is hosted in this country by Statistics
Canada. It began in the U.K. in 2000 and was
introduced in Canada in 2003. The international
database, now contains comparable student results
from the U.K, New Zealand, South Africa and
Australia (Queensland and South Australia) as well
as Canadian responses from 2003/2004. Currently a
Canadian database for the 2004/2005 school year is
being developed, to be released in the fall of 2005,
so students will be able to work with two years of
Canadian results.
In order to collect comparable international
data, some of the questions are common to all
participating countries. Other questions were
developed by a Canadian advisory panel of
teachers. Canadian teachers have provided most
of the learning activities on the www.censusatschool.
ca site, some of which relate to the Western and
Northern Canadian Protocol for Mathematics.
The success of Census at School
By March of 2005, over 17,000 students had
participated in the program, more than double the
number from the previous school year (2003/2004)
when Census at School was introduced in Canada.
If sufficient additional responses from each province
are collected by June 30 of this year, it would be
possible to publish a provincial breakdown of results
next fall. .
This is an ongoing program, so teachers can register
new classes each school year.
How does it work?
Step-by-step instructions are found on the Census at
School website.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
To participate, teacher-librarians and classroom
teachers register on the Census at School website
where they will find a drop-down menu of schools
sorted by postal code. Immediately after registration,
an automatically generated teacher-password is
sent to the teacher’s e-mail address. This password
is then used to register one or more classes. Each
class is automatically assigned a numerical ID
which, in addition to a class password chosen by the
teacher, allows each student access to the online
questionnaire.
Teachers can download their own class responses
using their assigned teacher-password. Downloaded
spreadsheets should be saved as read-only to
prevent changes to the data. Once this is done, parts
of the spreadsheet can be chosen for class analysis.
Random sample sets of Canadian and international
data can also be downloaded for comparison from
the United Kingdom website. [http://worksheet.
censusatschool.ntu.ac.uk/random2/index.asp]
Preparing to answer the questionnaires
Questionnaires for grades 4-8 and 9-12, plus
Teacher Notes, can be downloaded from the website
[http://www19.statcan.ca/01/01_000_e.htm]. It’s a
good idea to have students review the questions
and note their answers before going online. They
will have to take measurements in centimetres and
millimetres before answering certain questions, such
as their height, hand span, wrist circumference, and
foot length..
Help is at hand
Teacher-librarians or teachers who have questions
about Census at School can contact the toll-free
national help line at 1-877-949-9492 [http://www19.
statcan.ca/r001_e.htm] (5:00 am to 2:00 pm PST) or
their regional education representative [http://www.
statcan.ca/english/edu/reps-tea.htm].
Free Posters
Census at School posters and a reprint of the
Canadian Press article, “Count me in” are also
available through regional representatives. The most
recent edition of the broadsheet “Statistics Canada’s
Learning Resources” also includes an article on
Census at School.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
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THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD OF SCHOOL
TRUSTEES IN SD # 68 (NANAIMO)
KATHERINE MILLER
In March 2005, I requested permission to speak to
the Board of School Trustees in SD#68 about issues
around school libraries and librarianship. I was
given ten minutes to speak, but ran over my time
by several minutes. Then I answered questions for
about another ten minutes. I include a copy of my
presentation, in case anyone would like to adapt it
for use in your district. I focused on the role of the
teacher-librarian. If the trustees understand what the
job entails, they will also understand that we need
more time and money to do a good job.
Because my time was so limited, I had to leave
out some important issues. I also chose to use an
overhead, and not make a Power Point presentation,
as I didn’t want to be fiddling around with equipment
set-up. If I had been given twenty minutes to speak,
I could have given more specific and personal
examples, which seemed to have the greatest effect
on the trustees.
Issues and concerns that I left out of my presentation
include:
-the teacher-librarians’ concerns with parents
who, in some schools, are opening the library and
circulating books, in the absence of the teacherlibrarian. Parents should assist, not replace, the
teacher-librarian.
-in some elementary schools in SD#68, the teacherlibrarian has very little assigned time, (.2 or under)
and does not do prep coverage. In those schools,
the students do not see the teacher-librarian except
for a quick book exchange once a week, and
important library skills and information literacy skills
are not being taught. -the lack of clerk time means
that books and resources often wait 4 – 6 months,
or more, for processing. The role of the teacherlibrarian has been so diminished, that in many
situations it is no longer an attractive position, and it
will be increasingly difficult to attract qualified people
to fill these small and disjointed assignments.
In retrospect, I would/should have included some
success stories from our school libraries. It is
important to make people aware of the gravity of
the situation in most school libraries, but we need to
avoid whining, nagging and complaining. If we can,
somehow, maintain an optimistic outlook and present
positive solutions to our concerns, I think this will be
most effective.
I hope this will help others who may be
contemplating presentations to parent groups,
trustees and colleagues.
Presentation to the Board of School Trustees
School District #68
Presented on behalf of the elementary teacherlibrarians by: Katherine Miller
April 6, 2005
Thank you to the Board of School Trustees for
allowing me, on behalf of the elementary teacherlibrarians, to speak with you tonight. My name
is Katherine Miller, and I am presently teacherlibrarian at two schools, Wellington Secondary, and
Hammond Bay Elementary. My time is limited, so I will quickly outline what I
intend to say.
Firstly, a brief description of the role of the teacherlibrarian. Secondly, a quick summary of budget
issues surrounding school libraries. Finally,
suggestions as to how to improve the situation in
school libraries.
The Role of the teacher-librarian
The role of the teacher-librarian is pretty generally
misunderstood. People tend to view the teacherlibrarian as someone who signs out books, and then
returns them to the shelves. In fact, the job is much
larger than that. In SD 68, as in most other districts
in B.C., the librarian is first of all a teacher, with at
least five years experience, who has taken additional
specialist training in librarianship. This additional
training consists of between five and ten university
courses. These qualifications are outlined in district
policy, and are there for a reason, as the job of the
teacher-librarian is complex and is always changing.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
Today, the teacher-librarian’s role has three parts:
•Library administrator
•Information literacy leader
•Reading and literacy teacher
Part One: Library administrator
1. manage the budget, (such as it is)
2. train volunteers
3. set up seasonal and thematic displays
4. collection development (important and time
consuming)
5. circulation of books, tracking lost and overdue
items, and many other duties I don’t have time to go
into here.
A quick word about collection development. It is time
consuming. It involves assessing and evaluating
the library collection, which can number 10,000
books, videos and professional resources. It means
establishing a three or five year plan for acquisitions,
studying professional journals to stay on top of the
best children’s literature, knowing the strengths
and weaknesses of the collection as it supports
the curriculum from K – 7, continually building,
weeding and refocusing the collection. This takes
expertise and experience. I have been three years
at Hammond Bay, part-time, and I am just now
getting a feel for the collection, fiction and nonfiction. Continuity of librarians is important. Moving
from school to school does not contribute
to becoming familiar with the strengths and
weaknesses of a particular collection, and it makes it
difficult to develop a good working relationship with
staff. Now that I have been at Hammond Bay for
three years, for example, I know that teacher X will
do a unit on the human body, teacher Y will do a unit
on Viking explorers, and I can acquire resources to
support these teachers and their students. It takes
time to get to know staff, and to acquire resources
which will support them and enrich their programs.
Part two: Information Specialist and Information
Literacy Teacher
Many of the teacher-librarians in the district are also
the school’s computer lab administrator. Teacherlibrarians are up to date with information
technologies. It is said that we, in society, are living
on the information highway. Teacher-librarians
can help the students navigate this treacherous
path. Students are turning to the internet more and
SUMMER 2005
more frequently to find information. The amount
of information available is overwhelming, and the
quality is variable. If, for example, you do a Google
search on “Vikings” you will get 3,640,000 results,
and most of those are for sports teams. Students
need to be taught how to focus their searches,
and how to use search engines effectively. Most
importantly, they need to know when or if to use
a commercial search engine as, frequently, an
educational database is more appropriate, as is
a print source. They need to learn the difference
between a search engine and a database. They
need to know about ethical use of information,
intellectual copyright, plagiarism issues, how to
cite information (prepare bibliographies), how
to use reference materials, and they absolutely
must know how to use WebCat, our district’s
online library catalogue. Learning how to locate,
evaluate, use and cite information, from a variety of
sources, including print and online sources, is called
information literacy, and teacher-librarians know how
and when to teach this at age appropriate levels and
in collaboration with classroom eachers. Indeed,
collaboration with the classroom teacher is an
essential part of a good library program.
Part three: Reading and literacy leader
Teacher-librarians know how to locate good fiction
for children and young adults. We read professional
journals, and we are aware of what books are
winning awards, both in Canada and internationally.
We seek out these books for our students. We
also provide a broad range of reading materials,
fiction and non-fiction, at all grade levels, in different
genres. We get early chapter books for our grade
twos and threes, we look for books that will appeal
to boys, series books, books for reluctant readers,
books for voracious readers, fantasy, biography,
books on sport,.... we find them all. Unlike the
classroom teachers, who receive a new group of
students every year, in the library we get to see all
the students over a period of years, K- 7. We get
to know who is reading above and below level, and
what each student’s interests are. We promote
reading with games and challenges, we run book
clubs and reading circles, and we invite visiting
authors to the school. The school library is an
integral part of a balanced literacy program. Literacy
is one of this district’s goals, and libraries must
clearly play an important part in achieving that
goal. In some schools, the librarian is also the
literacy leader, and this is a very productive and
satisfying dual role.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
So I have concluded the first part of my presentation
which is to outline the multi-faceted role of the
teacher-librarian. How much time do you think a
person requires to fulfill this role and to do a good job
of managing the library, teaching information literacy
and supporting reading? I will tell you that I have about 4.5 hours a week of
assigned library time to fulfill my role. In the past,
schools have had significantly more time assigned to
teacher-librarians, as much as full time per school. I
have presently less than .2, or less than one day a
week, at Hammond Bay. I know that we can’t roll
back the clock, and that times have changed due to
budget constraints. In terms of library staffing, we
can’t return to the previous decade when Nanaimo’s
library program was the envy of other districts,
and Nanaimo was called the “Lighthouse District”.
However, if you understand the role of the teacherlibrarian as I have outlined it, you must see that the
time presently allotted is nowhere near enough.
The second part of my presentation is much
shorter. It concerns budgets. In the mid 1990’s,
school libraries received targeted, dedicated funding
from the provincial government, which at that time
was a little over $12 per student. In today’s dollars,
that would have to be at least $15 - $18 dollars per
student. However, school libraries in this district no
longer receive targeted funds. The amount given
to fund the school library varies from school to
school, and in this district, that amount varies from
a low of zero dollars per student to a high of about
$15, with the average being $6.90. In other words,
few increases in ten years, and usually substantial
decreases. You can’t buy a cheap paperback for
$6.90, much less a quality non-fiction book. These
varied levels of funding are creating huge inequities
in the quality and quantity of library collections
around the district. I’m very pleased that my
daughter’s school receives among the highest levels
of funding. What about your child’s school?
“We have listened to the parents and teachers
alike who have said we should add resources to
critical education services,” said Premier Campbell.
“With this additional funding school boards have
the money they need to plan for their student
populations and enhance library services, (... music
and arts programs, and special needs education).”
The BC Liberal government will require that school
boards work with educators, parents and school
planning councils to provide a plan
detailing how this added funding will be
allocated. These plans must ensure that every
students has access to:
School libraries and quality learning resources,
(Music and arts programs, support for special
needs...)
Teacher-librarians would like to be part of the
discussion. How much targeted funding has this
district received, and how will this added funding be
distributed?
Teacher-librarians are pleased to note that the
draft budget contains provision for an additional
1.8 teacher-librarians. This would translate to an
increase of between one and two additional hours
per week, per school, based on school size. This
is a welcome increase, but I think you can see,
based on my explanation of the role of the teacherlibrarian, that this will not go far enough towards
addressing the cutbacks experienced by school
libraries in recent years. I was present last week as
the draft budget was tabled, and I think I heard Mr.
Green suggesting that he had unexpectedly received
$400,000 dollars, which remains to be allocated.
It should come as no surprise to you that I have
several suggestions as to how that money could be
spent. Teacher-librarians still hope to be included in
these deliberations.
Additionally, I have numerous research studies
showing that well funded and properly staffed school
libraries have a significant and measurable effect on
student learning and achievement. (I don’t have time
to share these studies tonight, obviously).
Finally, my suggestions. Teacher-librarians were
pleased to hear the Premier Campbell has recently
announced more funding for school libraries. I quote
from his recent press release.
10
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
The decimal .2 seems to be a popular decimal in
this year’s draft budget. We see half a dozen .2 vice
principals, and a number of .2 literacy positions being
proposed. I would like to suggest the appointment of
a .2 library coordinator, to provide vision, leadership
and expertise as we begin rebuilding the school
libraries in SD #68.
I urge you to consider doubling the teacherlibrarian time, at the elementary level, with a view
to ultimately having a .5 teacher-librarian assigned
to each school. Doubling the assigned time in this
budget would still leave most of the elementary
schools staffed with less than a .5 teacher-librarian,
but it would be a start on the road to recovery. I also urge you to ensure that stable, sufficient and
equitable funding ratios are implemented across the
district for school library budgets at the elementary
level.
IN MEMORIAM: SHIRLEY ANNE STERLING
Shirley Anne Sterling (1948-2005), author of My
Name is Seepeetza, died after a two year battle with
cancer on Sunday, April 3rd at Merritt, B.C.
My Name is Seepeetza (Toronto, Groundwood
Books, 1992) was possibly Canada’s first publication
for children on residential schools. It won the B.C.
Book Prizes Sheila Egoff Children’s Literature Award.
Shirley was loving, strong, intelligent and kind.
She adored children, and believed in the value of
education, but particularly believed in the value of
instilling N’lakapamux values and philosophies in the
children. She acquired a Ph.D in Education from the
University of British Columbia. She was the recipient
of many awards, including academic scholarships
for her outstanding achievements. She loved poetry
and music. She produced her own CD whereby she
sang songs she wrote and loved. Some of her songs
appeared on APTN and BRAVO.
SUMMER 2005
Shirley touched the lives of many people, including
those in her own Nlakapamux community, the UBC/
SFU communities, and the Wetsuweten of Northern
British Columbia. She spent many years living in
Moricetown, B.C. among the Wetsuweten people,
from whom she was given a Hereditary Chief’s
name.
For further information, contact Shirley’s daughter,
Haike Muller at [email protected]
EDITOR’S NOTE: This obituary was provided to
The Bookmark by Dr. Judith Saltzman of UBC.
The Bookmark has not vertifed the accuracy of the
contents but has included as a acknowledgement
of Shirley Anne Sterling’s contribution to literature in
BC.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
11
WORKSHOP FOR BEGINNING AND STUDENT
TEACHERS
LYNN TURNER
This workshop has been designed for presentation
to pre-service and beginning teachers so that they
might have an understanding of the roles of a
teacher-librarian within the school, and of the ways
in which teacher-librarians and classroom teachers
can work as a team to deliver many aspects of the
curriculum to the students. The workshop can be
compressed into as little as 15 minutes by focusing
mainly on Section 3 or extended to about 90 minutes
by including the interactive sections. There is also
a PowerPoint presentation on the BCTLA website
that could accompany parts of this discussion, if time
permits.
3. CATEGORIES OF FUNCTIONS OF A TEACHERLIBRARIAN (Time: up to 30 min. - for a longer
workshop, enlarge on each topic - for a shorter
workshop, brief description)
1.THINK - PAIR - SHARE (Time: 10 min.)
B. COOPERATIVE PLANNING AND TEACHING
• providing ideas for teachers - ways to present
units/concepts
• providing resources for teachers
• planning research units with classroom teachers
• assisting individuals, small groups, and classes
• developing curricular materials to support IRPs
Think of a memory of your school library when you
were a student.
• good or bad
• elementary or secondary
Share your memory with another person.
Have a few people share with the group.
A. DEVELOPING A QUALITY COLLECTION
• selecting resources for reseach and for
recreational reading
• planning orders for resources
• managing a budget
• cataloguing the incoming materials
• weeding the collection to keep it current
• overseeing the circulation of materials
2.WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A
TEACHER-LIBRARIAN? (Time: 10
min.)
Have people generate ideas of what a
teacher-librarian does - develop a job
description.
Jot ideas down on chart paper/
blackboard/ overhead.
12
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SUMMER 2005
C. TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY
• teaching and reinforcing the steps of the
research process
• accessing and evaluating resources
• teaching note-taking
• teaching bibliographic format
• plagiarism - what it is and how to avoid it
• using technology efficiently and effectively
• CD-ROMS
• videos/DVDs
• internet
• developing multimedia presentations
• stressing critical thinking
D. PROMOTING RECREATIONAL READING
• promoting literacy and helping to improve
reading levels
• giving book talks
• reading and telling stories to classes
• designing contests
• organizing author visits
• assisting students with book selection
• organizing bulletin boards and displays
• managing reading programmes e.g. Accelerated
Reader, Sustained Silent Reading, etc.
E. LEADERSHIP
• developing a vision for the library
• organizing library personnel - professional,
clerical, and volunteer
• working with all staff and all students
• giving presentations and workshops for parents,
teachers, administrators, etc.
• developing an information literacy curriculum
4. SMALL GROUPS TO PLAN UNITS (Time: 10 - 15
minutes to develop unit - 15 minutes to present to
class)
Have participants work in small groups arranged
by grades / subject areas to come up with research
ideas for a unit that could be cooperatively planned
with a teacher-librarian. Try to include:
• originality
• critical thinking
• all aspects of research
• variety of presentations
• use of a variety of resources
marking scheme
Share research ideas with the entire group.
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
13
TEACHER-LIBRARIANSHIP BY DISTANCE EDUCATION:
MY EXPERIENCE
KATHERINE MILLER
In June 2004, I completed my M. Ed. in teacherlibrarianship through the University of Alberta. It was
an amazing journey! Quite a few colleagues, both
classroom teachers and other teacher-librarians,
have asked me about this program, and I’m happy to
share my experience with you.
History
I started teaching secondary school in 1980. I taught
mainly French as a Second Language, with some
English, Learning Assistance and ESL thrown in here
and there. By the late 1990’s, I knew I badly needed
a change. While shopping at Wal-Mart one day, I ran
into a colleague who told me that she had gone into
teacher-librarianship, having taken courses online
from the University of Alberta. I was intrigued. My
undergraduate degree is in English Literature, and
I love reading, so I thought being a school librarian
would be just the thing for me. I didn’t really have
a clue what librarians do, but how hard could it
be? I immediately phoned the University of Alberta
and had them mail me their catalogue. Telephone
and snail mail! Notice the significance of these
antiquated communication technologies. In the year
2000, this was the place from which I started.
Getting started
After a few missed deadlines, and some scrambling
to gather up the required paperwork, I managed to
register ( by mail) with the University of Alberta’s
Faculty of Education, diploma program. At that time,
I was just planning to take the 5 courses, or 15 units,
that my district nominally required for placement in a
school library.
I knew how to touch-type, and could write an essay,
but was otherwise a technological Luddite. I had
never used email, I didn’t know how to send an
attachment with an email, I didn’t know how to
copy and paste text, I don’t think I had ever used
Google.....I could turn the computer on, but that was
about it. I was on a steep learning curve.
In July, 2001, I started my first course: EDES 541School Library Collection Development. This was
an odd starting place, but the introductory course,
14
LIS 540- School Media Centres, was not offered
that session, so in I went. I was sent a password to
access the course online, and I did an online tutorial
on WEBCAT, the interactive course management
software. I also received the package of course
readings through the mail.
The readings captivated me. I was fascinated by the
research, the professional articles, the concepts...
I felt as if my brain had been reignited, after a
long period of inactivity. I was used to reading for
pleasure, but reading for information was a novelty. I
loved it!
On the technological side, for the first week, I was
completely out of my depth. I raged at the computer,
I couldn’t find the pages I wanted, I lost my way
around the course program, I couldn’t figure out how
to make the initial introductory posting, I panicked at
the list of assignments, I couldn’t retrieve screens I
had previously accessed, I wept with frustration and
I decided to quit.....it was all too much. Due to plain
pig-headedness, I persevered, and after a couple
of panicky phone calls to the instructor, I decided
to hang in. Thank goodness for the supportive
instructors.
I figured out how to navigate around the online
program, I enjoyed the interaction with the other
students, and I completed the course. I learned
how to use email, how to send assignments by
attachments, how to find my way around the online
resources, how to use search engines and databases- I joined the 21st century.
The logistics
To make a long story short, I was so energized by
that first course that I decided to go for my M Ed, and
do ten courses instead of five. I was able to transfer
my first two courses over from the Diploma to the
M Ed program. I took one course each semester,
while working about .9 at the same time. It was
not easy, and I was fortunate to have a supportive
husband and daughter. During my first year/first
three courses, I was still a classroom French teacher.
This made the courses a little theoretical, but no
less interesting. Due to a fortuitous retirement and
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
some staffing reshuffling, by September 2002 I had
been assigned to two library positions, one .5 at the
secondary level and the other .35 at my daughter’s
French Immersion elementary school. Now I could
really put what I was learning into practice!
I took courses in: collection development, resource
based learning, children’s literature, technology
in education, educational leadership, information
literacy, organization of school library materials
(cataloguing), reference collection development and
maintenance, educational research methods and I
also had to do a final capping paper. The one course
I couldn’t squeeze in was on graphic novels, and
I’m hoping to do that for my own interest, in the next
year. Completing the M Ed is not the end - there’s
so much more to learn.
There were usually between 10 – 15 students in
each course, from all over Canada, and from other
countries as well. It was wonderful professional
development to hear the stories of teacher-librarians,
and t-l “wannabies”, to learn about their working
conditions and the political situation in their schools
and provinces, and to benefit from their experience.
Online courses really require high-speed internet. I
learnt how to create a webpage and a webquest,
and I worked in groups with classmates from other
provinces and countries. When I took them, the
courses cost between $500 - $600 each, which was
tax deductible. I doubled up one semester and took
two courses at once- I don’t remember much about
that semester, but I know I did complete them both.
I did my course reading and participated in
online discussion during the week, and I did my
assignments on the weekend. I spent about
4 – 6 hours during the week and 8 – 10 hours most
weekends on my courses. I took Saturdays off, and
would work all day Sunday, from 11 a.m. until 9 or 10
p.m. Each course assignment had a strict due date,
but how and when I completed the work was my
choice, as long as it was done on time.
The great advantage for me, doing the program
online, was the flexibility. I set my own work
schedule. Sometimes I would take a few days, or
a weekend off, and make up for it later. I had to be
disciplined, and I had to work away at my readings
and most assignments in isolation. There was no
requirement to be online at a certain time. When I
went online, I would respond to the postings made by
the instructor and other classmates. The instructors
were supportive, helpful and knowledgeable. We
had guest “speakers” join our classes from time to
SUMMER 2005
time. Compared to some of the American M Ed
programs being offered, I appreciated the reasonable
cost of the program, the Canadian focus, and the
complete flexibility.
As a professional educator, I am far more
knowledgeable, motivated and enthusiastic than
I was before starting my M Ed. I love connecting
children and books, and I am committed to
promoting school libraries and teacher-librarianship.
On the financial plane, I am also enjoying the pay
increase that comes with having moved up to the
Master’s category, as well as the knowledge that my
pension will be substantially improved.
Downside
There were very few problems during my three years
in the program. The U of A bookstore was usually
late in getting the required texts, but I think this
situation is being adressed.
I did miss the interpersonal communication of the
realtime classroom, the give and take of question
and answer, the different signals of body language
and intonation, the immediate feedback from
classmates and instructor. The virtual classroom is
great, but it does have its limitations. Having said
that, I would do it again, in a heartbeat!
For more information
Here is the URL for the program. All your questions
will be answered. If you are interested, make
inquiries sooner rather than later, as I understand
enrollment is skyrocketing.
http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/tl-dl/
Consider taking a single course or several. Do
you need to be dragged kicking and screaming
into the 21st century? Take EDES 545- Information
Technologies for Learning. Want to know more
about cataloguing? Try EDES 547- Organization of
School Library Materials.
I am still working in two libraries, from K – 12, in
French and English. I’m out of my former rut, and I
love what I’m doing. In some ways, I would like to
take all the courses again; knowing what I know now,
I could get so much more out of them. ....hmmm,
maybe not. To fill the void left after completing
the program, I have started Yoga and Scottish folk
dancing. I just don’t have the time.......
Good luck to those who decide to pursue teacherlibrarianship online - it was a wonderful experience
for me.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
15
NEW WESTMINSTER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
ARE SMARTREADERS
SARAH WETHERED
An exciting scene is becoming more and more
commonplace at the New Westminster Secondary
School Library: reluctant readers coming to the
library on their own to choose novels to read.
What or who has helped bring this about? The
SmartReading program which was developed
by Assistant Superintendent Susan Close, and
implemented by Judy Adamson, library department
head, and Nadya Rickard and Robin Speed, English
teachers and part-time learning facilitators for the
school district.
The SmartReading program grew out of the need for
students to be able to meet the literacy standards
set by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), of which Canada is a
member nation. These literacy standards require
students to “be able to consider, discuss and talk
about their understandings of text, and also about
the various processes of reading” (Allington, 2001;
OECD/PISA, 1999).
Susan drew on the findings of the Learning
for Success project which she led as she was
developing the SmartReading process. The
Learning for Success project entailed fourteen school
districts working together to develop strategies to
improve thinking, reading, and writing. Susan also
drew on the research by Richard Allington and his six
“Ts” of effective reading instruction:
·Time – Teachers give to students at least 90
minutes a day of “eyes on” and “minds on” text
·Texts – Teachers provide a rich and extensive
supply of texts
·Teaching – Teachers explicitly demonstrate cognitive
strategies good readers use.
·Talk - Teachers encourage teacher to student and
student to student talk.
·Tasks - Student work is substantive, challenging,
and requires self-regulation.
·Aligning testing and teaching – Teachers use rubric
or performance standards based assessment and
evaluation.
16
Allington advocates a three-pillared approach for
reading instruction:
·Word work, including phonemic awareness and
symbol imagery
·Fluency, decoding test with a 95% accuracy
·Comprehension, using the eight strategies that
powerful readers do
Susan structured the six “Ts” and three pillars into
a nine-step SmartReading framework that pulled all
the research together.
SmartReading with independent texts was
introduced to NWSS students in the fall of 2003.
Nadya Rickard and Robin Speed worked with Judy
Adamson to implement the process. All three
teachers (as well as many of the other NWSS
staff members) attended training, students were
then brought to the library to apply SmartReading
strategies through self direction.
Judy spent most of summer 2003 choosing novels
for SmartReading students. Drawing on her twenty
years of experience as a teacher-librarian, she
began the acquisition of a new collection of highinterest books which would meet the criteria for
fluency; students need to be able to read at the
speed of speech. She wanted to find books that
students would love to read, not have to read, and
were award winning and/or highly recommended.
Out of her initial selections grew the SmartReading
collection which now has over 1200 novels.
SmartReading is housed in the fiction section
at NWSS, but is on a separate bank of shelves.
Each book has a sticker which denotes it as a
“SmartReading” book. Currently, the stickers are
smiley faces. Students have grown to learn that the
smiley face books are the newest, most interesting
novels that the library has.
When not leading classes in the library using
SmartReading techniques, Judy spends a lot of
her time finding new books for the collection, and
creating book talks on these new acquisitions.
Students know that she is the fiction expert and that
if she cannot find the perfect book at the moment,
she will go out and find the perfect book or create a
list of books that might be nearly perfect. Behind her
is Marnie Chandler, library technician and the second
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
teacher-librarian, the author of this article, who
process and catalogue the books for circulation and
read many of the new novels so they can also make
recommendations to students.
banks of shelves in the fiction section, so tables are
rearranged in the section to accommodate the class.
It is a rare week that the tables are moved back to
their original arrangement.
Independent SmartReading was introduced
initially at NWSS to help improve the reading and
confidence of struggling students. Students who had
never read independently were required to read one
novel a week and be accountable for it through such
activities as interviews with the teacher and class
writes. Students rose to the challenge, and in two
months, doubled the circulation statistics from the
previous year.
Students who have never learned to love reading
are loving to read. “Students are reading their
faces off,” states Nadya. Many students move from
never reading a novel in their entire life (not even
the ones assigned in class) to reading fifteen or
more a semester. Students are excited to share
their opinions about their recent reads and share
these with the library staff, their teachers, and most
importantly, their fellow classmates. Students have
learned that reading is fun and are not afraid to tell
anyone that cares. As one student noted in her
reflection, “SmartReading helps me [keep thinking all
the time] and it let me feel like I am really using my
brain.”
This year, independent SmartReading has spread to
all levels of the English curriculum, from ESL to IB
English. Classes are brought to the library for up to
four days and the classroom teacher and Judy lead
the class through a selection process. Students read
in ten-minute chunks and practice SmartReading
strategies. A different novel is used for each chunk.
Students also engage in meaningful structured talk
(A/B partners), discussing not the plot, but the “big
ideas”. Originally, the books for students to choose
from fit onto a few carts which were wheeled into the
reference section. Now, the novels take up several
As a result of SmartReading, fiction circulation has
increased 650% since September 2002. The library
staff are constantly checking in the returned items
and reshelving them to keep up with the demand of
the SmartReaders. Additional copies of extremely
popular items have to be ordered to keep at least
one copy of the novel of the shelf. Even then, the
novels still fly out of the library. All libraries
should have this problem. With the spread
of SmartReading into other curriculum
areas, who knows what will happen next
year, but it will be an exciting adventure for
the library staff, teachers, and students of
New Westminster Secondary School.
For more information on SmartReading,
please visit the website at www.
smartreading.ca
Reprinted with permission, BCTF
newsmagazine Teacher, Jan./Feb. 2005.
SUMMER 2005
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17
HISTORIC NOVELS: GRADE NINE SOCIAL STUDIES
LESLEY EDWARDS
North West Territories Times
May 14, 1885
Battle of Batoche - The Battle of Batoche took place from
May 9 to May 12, at the Metis settlement of Batoche on the
South Saskatchewan River. This battle has ended the NorthWest Rebellion. On one side was Louis Riel, with a Metis
and Indian force of less than 300 men. Attacking them was
General Frederick Middleton, with some 900 men.
The Metis took up a strong position at Batoche. Firing from
rifle pits, which they had dug, they held off the larger force
for three days. Middleton attempted to attack from the river
with the steamship Northcote, but the Metis foiled this.
They lowered a ferry cable which decapitated the steamer’s
smokestack and sent it floating harmlessly downstream.
But Middleton's larger army had cannons and a Gatling gun.
On the fourth day, the Metis were put to flight. Riel has
surrendered. The Metis military commander, Gabriel
Dumont, escaped to the United States.
http://www3.memlane.com/gromboug/P5NWReb.htm
Land Sale
Good flat land in large sections with river
access suitable for the growing of grains
available now. Very reasonable prices.
Contact the Government Agent
Prince Albert
Reader’s Corner
R.J. Smith &
Sons Cart
Makers
Battle Cry at Batoche by B.J. Bayle
Reviewed by Ann Clark
I found this novel to be an exciting and fast-paced read.
The characters came alive for me. The author gave an
accurate picture of life in the Red River area of
Saskatchewan during the mid 1800s. Highly
recommended for teens.
For this Historical Novel Assignment you are to:
9 Read a novel that takes place between 1700 and 1945.
9 Research the time period during which the novel is based to find several significant events of
the time. Include a bibliography on the back of your news page.
9 Create a one-page newspaper that highlights a notable event from that era. You may choose
to have a character from your novel featured in an article.
9 Flesh out your page with other newspaper items that would be appropriate to the place and
time.
9 Include a Reader’s Corner section where you give your impression of the book and a
recommendation, good or bad. Be sure to give the title and author’s name.
9 Assessment WOW = 20 OK =15 Tabloid 10 or less Due
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SUMMER 2005
Canada Historical Fiction
Author
Title
Summary
Bayle, B.J.
Battle Cry At Batoche
Fifteen year old twins find themselves in the
midst of politically charged events in the Red
River Valley in 1885.
Boraks-Nemetz, Lillian
The Old Brown Suitcase
Slava, a young fifteen-year old immigrant girl,
comes to Canada after the Second World
War.
Bradford, Karleen
With Nothing But Our
Courage
The Loyalist diary of Mary Macdonald set in
the late 1700s.
Brandis, Marianne
The Quarter Pie Window
Emma and John are sent to York in 1830s
to work. Emma works in hotel and John at a
stable.
Brandis, Marianne
The Sign Of The Scale
Sixteen-year old Emma is sent to work in
York in the 1830s.
Brandis, Marianne
The Tinderbox
Life in Upper Canada in the 1830s. When
Emma’s parents and sister die, she is forced
to take care of herself and her little brother.
Burtinshaw, Julie
Dead Reckoning
1906 shipwreck off the coast of Vancouver
Island
Carter, Anne
The Girl On Evangeline
Beach
A story about a young teen Michael who
finds himself in Nova Scotia just before the
deportation of the Acadians.
Chan, Gillian
A Foreign Field
During the Second World War, Ellen
Logan is forced to shoulder many family
responsibilities. Life’s even tougher for
Stephen Dearborn, a young British pilot
in training at the local airfield. As Ellen
and Stephen are forced to grow up before
their time, their friendship deepens — and
together they discover that sometimes falling
apart is only steps away from falling in love.
Charles, Norma
Runaway
Thirteen-year old Toni is going to be sent to a
convent in the Prairies by her mother so she
can learn how to be a real lady in the 1930s.
SUMMER 2005
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19
The Jade Peony
Stories about a family in Vancouver’s
Chinatown before and during World War II.
Clark, Joan
The Word For Home
In 1926, Sadie and her little sister Flora go to
live in a boarding house after their dad goes
away prospecting for gold and their mother
dies. Set in the interior of Newfoundland.
Clark, Margaret
Freedom Crossing
A young girl’s story about the underground
railroad.
Coburn, Judi
The Shacklands
In 1908, Jessie and her family leave the
slums of England for the promise of a better
life in North America. When tragedy hits her
family she is forced to work in a factory which
ultimately gets involved in a strike.
Cooney, Caroline B.
The Ransom Of Mercy
Carter
In 1704, Mercy is kidnapped from
Massachusetts, brought to Canada and
forced to walk 500 miles to live in an Indian
village.
Crook, Connie
Laura’s Choice: The Story of
Laura Secord
Early 1800’s. Depicts the story of Laura’s
famous walk to save Canada.
Crook, Connie
Meyer’s Creek
Nineteen-year old Mary Meyers struggles for
freedom to live her own life in 1786.
Crummey, Michael
River Thieves
An enthralling story of great passion and
suspense set at the turn of the 19th century in
Newfoundland.
Cumyn, Alan
The Sojourn
A timeless novel of life during wartime, of the
fundamental human costs of war, of death
and sacrifice, of loss and pain, of fleeting joy
and lingering terror.
Demers, Barbara
Willa’s New World
Fifteen-year old orphan, Willa is shipped to
live with her uncaring uncle who forces her to
work in a factory in York.
Downie, Mary Alice
Danger In Disguise
Scottish born, raised in Normandy, Jamie
arrives in the port of Quebec just as General
Wolfe’s siege of the city begins.
Choy, Wayson
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SUMMER 2005
Duncan, Sandy
Cariboo Runaway
Disguised as a boy, a thirteen-year old girl
leaves Victoria in 1864 to look for her father
somewhere in the Cariboo, covering 500
miles of the Cariboo wagon road in BC.
Durbin, William
The Broken Blade
A thirteen-year old boy enlists as a voyageur
for the NorthWest Co. traveling to Grand
Portage and back to Montreal.
Durbin, William
Wintering
A thirteen-year old boy spends his summer
as a voyageur in 1800, portaging a canoe
2400 miles into the French Canadian
Wilderness.
Findley, Timothy
The Wars
A sensitive nineteen-year old boy goes to
war—”The War To End All Wars.”
Freeman, Bill
Ambush in the Foothills
In 1877, a teenage boy and his sister help
the North West Mounted Police drive a herd
of cattle to the foothills of Canada.
Freeman, Bill
Shantymen of Cache Lake
A story of two teen siblings who spend a
winter working in a lumber camp in the
Ottawa Valley in the late 1800s.
Freeman, Bill
The Last Voyage of the
Scotian
Two teen siblings sign up to work as crew on
a square-rigged ship in the late 1800s.
A Bushel of Light
Maggie, torn from her twin sister, is sent to a
Canadian farm to live. She is responsible for
taking care of a four-year old girl, as well as
doing the housework and farm work.
Harrison, Troon
SUMMER 2005
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21
Irish Chain
A young girl’s experience of the Halifax
explosion in 1917.
Hobbs, Will
Down the Yukon
A stand-alone sequel to Jason’s Gold.
The Great Race across Alaska will be a
grueling test for Jason and his partner as
they face the hazards of the Yukon River, two
very dangerous men Jason has reason to
fear, and the terrors of the open sea.
Hobbs, Will
Jason’s Gold
A story about a boy who follows the gold
rush.
Holeman, Linda
Promise Song
Chronicles the experience of two orphans
sent from Britain to Canada in the early
1900’s.
Hume, Stephen
A Miracle for Maggie
The world of post war WWI Canada and a
young girl who struggles with diabetes.
Ibbitson, John
Jeremy’s War 1812
Jeremy’s parents die and he joins the British
army and finds himself as a personal servant
to General Brock.
Langston, Laura
Lesia’s Dream
Fifteen-year old Lesia and her family move
from the Ukraine as WWI breaks out.
Lawson, Julie
Destination Gold
Ned Turner is caught up in the excitement
over the discovery of gold in the Klondike.
With little knowledge of the grueling trip that
lies ahead, he is unprepared to lose his entire
outfit in a card game shortly after his arrival.
Lawson, Julie
Goldstone
A story of a girl, based on the real events of
Rogers Pass at the turn of the century.
Lawson, Julie
White Jade Tiger
A girl is transported back in time to China
town in BC during the 1880s.
Little Jean
The Belonging Place
Starting over in Upper Canada. A voyage
across the ocean and what awaits a young
girl in a strange new land.
Lottridge, Celia
Wings to Fly
Eleven-year-old Josie experiences
homesteading on the Canadian prairie in
1918.
Lunn, Janet
The Hollow Tree
Set in 1775 Canada, a young girl sets out on
a dangerous journey to deliver an important
message.
Haworth-Attard, Barbara
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SUMMER 2005
Martel, Suzanne
The King’s Daughter
A young girl is happily sent from France to
the wilds of North America. She discovers
that she is promised to a man who is a
trapper and is often away from home. Her
new husband also has two young children
that she has to care for.
McKay, Sharon E.
Charlie Wilcox
A novel of a young boy’s journey from
Newfoundland to the trenches of WW1.
McKay, Sharon E.
Charlie Wilcox’s Great War
In 1919, Charlie comes home to
Newfoundland after fighting in the Great War
Metikosh, Anne
Terra Incognita
It’s 1670 and Madeleine and Philippe have
come to New France to look for their father
and find adventure during the fur trade.
Morgan, Bernice
Random Passage
A wealthy family from England loses their
fortune and is forced to move to a town in
Newfoundland.
Pearson, Kit
The Lights Go On Again
It’s 1945 and Norah and her brother are sent
back to England.
Pearson, Kit
The Sky Is Falling
Norah and her brother are forced to leave
England as the threat of the Nazis approach.
They are sent to live in Canada until the war
is over.
Reekie, Jocelyn
Tess
In 1857, a wealthy young girl is forced to
move from a castle in Scotland to a primitive
life on Vancouver Island.
Reid, Charles
Hurricanes Over London
After the discovery of his grandfather’s diary,
a boy learns what life was like for his teenage
grandfather as he was sent from Canada to
fight in WWI.
Richards, David
Soldier Boys
A Metis boy takes his father’s gun and enlists
to spy on the English in the 1885 Battle of
Fish Creek.
Ryga, George
Ballad of a Stonepicker
Set in Alberta in the 1940s and 1950s on the
prairies. Two brothers decide their future, as
one stays to work the farm while the other
pursues higher education.
Smucker, Barbara
Days Of Terror
A family decides to join the mass exodus of
Mennonites to North America.
Smucker, Barbara
Underground to Canada
A story of young slaves escaping to Canada
through the underground railroad.
SUMMER 2005
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23
Sutherland, Robert
The Secret of Devil Lake
A fast moving adventure that will guide
readers through the frontier of 19th century
Ontario.
Taylor, Margaret
Three Against Time
Two kids are transported back in time to
1868 in the Cariboo and the great Barkerville
fire
Trottier, Maxine
A Circle Of Silver
In 1760, Lord MacNeil decides that the way
to make a man of his thirteen-year old son is
to bring him along from England to Canada.
Trottier, Maxine
By The Standing Stone
Mack and Jamie MacNeil are kidnapped and
forced to travel to the frontier on the eve of
the American Revolution.
Trottier, Maxine
Under A Shooting Star
In 1812, on route to America to escort two
children to their new home, Mark and Jamie
MacNeil get stranded in a storm on Lake Erie
and shipwrecked on an island in the midst of
conflict.
Walters, Eric
Caged Eagles
During World War 2, Japanese Canadians
are evicted from their village and await an
uncertain future.
Walters, Eric
The Bully Boys
A young boy is asked to join the fight against
America representing Canada in the War of
1812.
Walters, Eric
The Hydrofoil Mystery
A young boy goes to work for Alexander
Graham Bell during his invention of the
hydrofoil boat.
Weir, Joan
Maybe Tomorrow
While Canada is still young and prejudiced
against Native people, two girls from different
worlds form a friendship that defies odds.
Weir, Joan
The Brideship
In 1862, young teenage girls are sent to
Canada from England unaware that they are
meant to be brides to much older men.
Wiebe, Rudy
The Mad Trapper
A fictional account of the story of the
notorious Albert Johnson, the object of the
largest manhunt in the history of the RCMP.
Charlotte’s Vow
It is Christmas 1912. After the death of her
father and against the wishes of her mother,
Charlotte goes to work in a dynamite factory
to help support her family.
Woodson, Marion
24
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SUMMER 2005
SUMMER 2005
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25
LES EXPLORATEURS:UNITÉ EN SCIENCES HUMAINES
4E ANNÉE EN IMMERSION FRANÇAISE
MADELEINE GRAVEL
Comment enseigner l’information demandée par
le ministère sur les explorateurs sans endormir les
élèves avec autant de renseignements?
Il y a quelques années, j’ai commencé à
développer une unité sur les explorateurs. Mon
but était de faire apprendre aux élèves le plus
de renseignements possibles tout en mettant en
pratique les méthodes de recherche apprises au
cours de l’année. Alors, avec photos à l’appui,
j’aimerais partager avec vous les résultats de l’an
dernier. J’ai travaillé avec un groupe de 30 élèves
qui a été mon plus grand défi jusqu’à présent.
4. La recherche commence. Les élèves doivent
répondre aux questions de l’annexe 1.
5. Une fois l’information trouvée, ils l’écrivent
en paragraphes parce qu’ils devront faire une
présentation orale devant la classe.
6. Maintenant, ils peuvent monter l’information sur
leur tableau d’affichage.
7. Pour 10 points bonis, ils peuvent créer un jeu qui
incorpore des faits appris au cours de la
recherche.
Au préalable, il faut enseigner aux élèves à prendre
des notes (voir “Résumé, Résumé, Résumé: une
introduction à la prise de notes”, The Bookmark,
vol . 44, No.2; Winter 2003).
8. Ils se préparent et font leur présentation orale.
1. La première chose que je fais est de faire une
photocopie de l’annexe 1 des questions à
répondre. Je lis et j’explique toutes les questions
ainsi que les étapes à suivre pendant la
recherche.
10. Présentation des jeux: nous avons commencé
à présenter les jeux pour toute la classe en
premier. Ensuite, ce fut le tour des jeux d’équipe.
En gardant une personne par équipe par jeu
(en faisant une rotation pour que ce ne soit pas
toujours la même personne au jeu), tout le monde
a eu l’occasion d’essayer les jeux des autres.
Quelle bonne revue!
2. Les élèves se mettent en équipes de deux; mes
équipes de trois ont tous eu des problèmes.
9. Cette année, on a aussi fait une exposition pour
les autres classes.
3. Une fois les équipes formées, les élèves
choisissent l’explorateur qu’ils veulent étudier et
le font approuver par le professeur. Comme ça, on
évite d’avoir des groupes qui travaillent sur le
même explorateur.
26
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SUMMER 2005
Annexe 1
Les explorateurs
Date: ___________________________ Nom: _____________________________
Pendant les prochaines semaines, tu vas faire une recherche sur les explorateurs. Voici ce que tu dois faire:
1. Choisir un partenaire avec qui tu peux bien travailler.
2. Choisir un explorateur de la liste. Fais-le appouver par ton professeur.
3. Essayer de trouver de l’information en répondant à ces questions:
a) Où et quand est-il né?
b) De quel endroit est-il parti pour faire son voyage? (L’origine)
c) Qu’est-ce qu’il a visité? Quand est-ce que ses voyages ont eu lieu?
d) Pourquoi l’explorateur a-t-il été envoyé? Qu’est-ce qu’il espérait trouver?
e) Qui payait ses voyages?
f) Que peux-tu trouver à propos des bateaux, des instruments qu’ils utilisaient et de l’équipage de
l’explorateur?
g) Parle des difficultés rencontrées par les hommes pendant leurs voyages. Pense à la nourriture, aux
maladies, à l’hiver, etc.
h) Parle des gens qu’il a rencontrés. Est-ce que les autochtones étaient contents de les voir?
i) Parle de ce que les autochtones ont montré aux explorateurs. Tu peux ajouter des dessins pour illustrer
ceci.
j) Parle de ce que les explorateurs ont montré aux autochtones. Tu peux ajouter des dessins pour illustrer
ceci. (55 points)
4. Faire des cartes représentant ses voyages. (15 points)
5. Faire un montage sur un tableau montrant ton information et tes illustrations. La propreté est importante.
(10 points)
6. Faire une bibliographie. ( 5 points)
7. Faire une présentation orale expliquant ton information. (15 points)
8. Faire un jeu en utilisant les questions et les réponses de cette unité. (Boni: 10 points)
Choisir l’un de ces explorateurs:
-Les vikings, en particulier Eric Le Rouge et son fils Leif Erickson
-Christophe Colomb
-Jean Cabot
-Jacques Cartier
-Samuel de Champlain
-Henry Kelsey
-La famille La Vérendrye
-Anthony Henday
-Samuel Hearne
-George Vancouver
-Capitaine Cook
-Alexander Mackenzie
-Simon Fraser
-Sir John Franklin
-John MacClure
SUMMER 2005
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27
Explorers: a Social Studies Unit for Grade 4
Madeleine Gravel
Translated by June Bouchard
Note: This unit was originally designed for a French
Immersion class but could easily be adapted to the
regular English stream program.
How can we teach Ministry requirements on
“Explorers” without putting our students to sleep with
so much information? When I started developing
this unit a few years ago, my goal was that my
students would learn as much as possible on the
topic of ‘explorers’ while applying research skills
that had been learned in class through the year.
In this article, I would like to share with you what
happened last year with a group of 30 Grade 4
students, my greatest challenge so far!
*** An important requirement is to have taught
note-taking techniques in advance. (See “Résumé,
Résumé, Résumé: une introduction a la prise de
notes” in The Bookmark; Vol 44, No. 2; Winter 2003)
The first thing I do is to make a copy of the questions
to be answered (Appendix 1). I read over all the
questions with the students and explain the steps to
be followed during the research.
Teams of two are formed of partners. I have tried
teams of three but find that three in a team become
problematic; two works best.
28
Once the teams are set, they must choose which
explorer they will research and have it approved by
me. Every team must study a different explorer.
Research starts; students must answer the questions
outlined in Appendix 1.
Once the information has been gathered, the
students draft paragraphs in preparation for their oral
presentation.
Students are now ready to prepare their bulletin
board.
For ten bonus points, they can also create a game
for the rest of the class to play.
Students prepare and rehearse their oral
presentation.
This year, we also did a display for other classes.
Teams who prepared games presented their
products. First, the games designed for the whole
class were presented, followed by the games to be
played by teams. While one team member stayed
with the game and presented it, the teammates tried
other teams’ games. Then, the teams rotated so
everyone could have the chance to try all the games.
The games were an excellent review!
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SUMMER 2005
Appendix 1
Explorers
Date: _________________________ Name:_______________________________
Over the next few weeks, you will be doing a research project on explorers. Here is what you have to do:
1. Choose a partner with whom you work well.
2. Choose an explorer from the list and have it approved by your teacher.
3. Try to find your information by answering the following questions:
When and where was your explorer born?
What was the port (or point) of departure for the expedition?
What did he visit and when?
Why was this explorer sent on this voyage? What did they hope to find?
Who paid for the voyage?
What can you find out about the boats that were used, the instruments, and the crews?
Talk about the difficulties they might have met during their voyage; think of food, illnesses, winter, etc.
Talk about the people they met. Were the aboriginal peoples happy to see them?
Talk about what they learned from the aboriginal peoples. You can add illustrations to show your findings.
Talk about what the aboriginal peoples learned from the explorers. Again, use illustrations if appropriate.
(55 points)
4. Make some maps representing the voyages taken by your explorer. (15 points)
5. Prepare a bulletin board with the information that you found as well as your maps and illustrations.
Neatness is important. (10 points)
6. Prepare a bibliography. (5 points)
7. Prepare an oral presentation showing your findings. (15 points)
8. Make up a game using the questions and answers from this unit.
(Bonus: 10 points)
Choose one of the following explorers:
The Vikings, particularly Eric The Red and his son, Leif Erickson
Christopher Columbus
John Cabot
Jacques Cartier
Samuel de Champlain
Henry Kelsey
The LaVerendrye family
Anthony Henday
Samuel Hearne
George Vancouver
Captain Cook
Alexander Mackenzie
Simon Fraser
Sir John Franklin
John MacClure
SUMMER 2005
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29
INTERMEDIATE ESL PRIME MINISTERS OF CANADA
UNIT
SARAH WETHERED
Overview of Unit
Resources Needed
I designed and used this unit with my intermediate
ESL class. I wanted them to be able to learn the
rudiments of information literacy, as well as work on
their reading comprehension, writing, and oral skills.
This unit took approximately three days in the library
to collect the information and then another week in
my classroom to write up the essays and prepare for
the oral presentations. I split the oral presentations
over two days – for a total of two weeks on this unit.
My students used the biography section and
Canadian history section of the library extensively,
as well as our encyclopedias, including The
Canadian Encyclopedia. The most important thing
to remember for this unit is that the library must
possess resources that the students can read.
Intermediate ESL students are reading at a grade
4-6 level. Most could understand the World Book
Encyclopedia; however, some needed to use The
Junior Encyclopedia of Canada, which is now out of
print.
I had my students write and rewrite their essays
until they were perfect. Only then could they copy
their work onto note cards to be used during the
presentation. I wanted my students to learn that the
first draft is not the only draft of a project, and if it
meant that it took six tries to get it right, then so be it.
30
Evaluation
I have included all evaluation tools that I used to
evaluate students. For the marking of the essays,
I used the writing performance standards for ESL
students. These are available at the following
website http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/esl/standards.pdf.
The writing performance standards are available on
pages 44 and 45.
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SUMMER 2005
____
100
Name ________________________
Date ______________
Block __________
English as a Second Language
Famous Canadians Library Project
The following assignments must be completed:
1. Charting the Prime Ministers worksheet
/30 marks
Complete the questions on the research sheet for all the Prime Ministers
All work must be in your own words – if you copy directly out of the research materials, you will receive a “0”
2. Prime Minister essay
/15 marks
Write at least two pages on the accomplishments of one Prime Minister.
You may wish to comment on what he/she did that was good for Canada, or what was bad for Canada. Look
at the things he/she did both inside and outside of Canada
All work must be in your own words – if you copy directly out of the research materials, you will receive a “0”
3. If I were Prime Minister essay
/15 marks
Write at least two pages on what you would do if you were Prime Minister of Canada. You must comment on
at least three of the following areas:
·Immigration
·Taxes
·Health care
·Foreign policy
·Military
·Unemployment
·Education
4. Presentation
/20 marks
Each student will give a short 3-5 minute presentation on a Canadian Prime Minister. Marks will be given for
the information presented as well as how well it was presented. For example, students should not mumble or
fidget during the presentation.
5. Research Journal
/10 marks
Each day that students are researching their project, they will be asked to set a goal and then do selfevaluation on how well they accomplished this goal. This sheet must be handed in every day at the end of
class.
6. Bibliography
/10 marks
Students will be shown by the teacher-librarian the correct method of listing what resources were used to find
the information necessary to do the project.
SUMMER 2005
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31
____
100
Name_________________
Date ______________
Block __________
English as a Second Language
Famous Canadians Library Project
Evaluation Sheet
The following assignments must be completed:
1. Charting the Prime Ministers worksheet
/30 marks
2. Prime Minister essay
/15 marks
·
·
Note taking sheet
Essay
/5 marks
/10 marks
3. If I were Prime Minister essay
/15 marks
·
·
First draft
Essay
/5 marks
/10 marks
4. Presentation
/20 marks
4. Research Journal
/10 marks
5. Bibliography
/10 marks
32
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SUMMER 2005
____
30
Name _____________________
Date
Block _____________
Use the library resources to fill in the chart below. Remember that some of the Prime Ministers spent more
than one term in office.
Prime Minister
Political Party
Dates in
Office
Place of Birth
Sir. John A. Macdonald
Alexander Mackenzie
Sir John J.C. Abbot
Sir John S.D. Thompson
Sir Mackenzie Bowell
Sir Charles Tupper
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Robert L. Borden
Arthur Meighen
W.L. Mackenzie King
Richard B. Bennett
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33
Prime Minister
Political Party
Dates in Office
Place of Birth
Louis S. St. Laurent
John G. Diefenbaker
Lester B. Pearson
Pierre E. Trudeau
Joseph Clark
John N. Turner
Brian Mulroney
Kim Campbell
Jean Chretien
Paul Martin
34
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SUMMER 2005
Adapted from Our Canadian Government. S&S Learning Materials Limited, 1990.
Name ___________________
Prime Minister ______________________________ Political Party ______________________
Term(s) in Office ______________________________________________________________
Birth _______________________________ Death __________________________________
A.
Early Life
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
B.
Education and Career
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
C.
Political Career
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
D.
Prime Minister - Achievements
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
4.
_______________________________________________________________________
5.
_______________________________________________________________________
E.
Prime Minister - Challenges and Problems
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
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35
Bibliography Rough Draft
Remember that you must recopy this and place entries in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
Encyclopedia
______________, _______________. “______________________________________.”
Author last name, first name
Title of article
__________________________________________. _________________,
Title of Encyclopedia (underlined)
Volume Number
________________, ___________________________.
Pages
Copyright date
Encyclopedia
______________, _______________. “______________________________________.”
Author last name, first name
Title of article
__________________________________________. _________________,
Title of Encyclopedia (underlined)
Volume Number
________________, ___________________________.
Pages
Copyright date
Encyclopedia
______________, _______________. “______________________________________.”
Author last name, first name
Title of article
__________________________________________. _________________,
Title of Encyclopedia (underlined)
Volume Number
________________, ___________________________.
Pages
Copyright date
36
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SUMMER 2005
Book
____________, _____________. ________________________________.
(author - last name first)
(Title - underlined)
Book
___________________: ___________________, ______________.
(place published)
(publisher)
(copyright date)
____________, _____________. ________________________________.
(author - last name first)
(Title - underlined)
___________________: ___________________, ______________.
(place published)
(publisher)
(copyright date)
Book
____________, _____________. ________________________________.
(author - last name first)
(Title - underlined)
___________________: ___________________, ______________.
(place published)
(publisher)
(copyright date)
Book
____________, _____________. ________________________________.
(author - last name first)
(Title - underlined)
___________________: ___________________, ______________.
(place published)
(publisher)
(copyright date)
Book
____________, _____________. ________________________________.
(author - last name first)
(Title - underlined)
___________________: ___________________, ______________.
(place published)
(publisher)
(copyright date)
SUMMER 2005
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37
Name ________________________
Block _____________
English as a Second Language
Research Journal
Part I - Goal Sheet
Date __________________
My goal today is _______________________________________________________
I hope to complete this by doing __________________________________________
Date __________________
My goal today is _______________________________________________________
I hope to complete this by doing __________________________________________
Date __________________
My goal today is _______________________________________________________
I hope to complete this by doing __________________________________________
38
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
Name ________________________
Block _____________
English as a Second Language
Research Journal
Part II - Self Evaluation
Date __________________
Today I accomplished___________________________________________________
I would give myself a rating of (circle one)
1
2
3
4
5
Date __________________
Today I accomplished___________________________________________________
I would give myself a rating of (circle one)
1
2
3
4
5
Date __________________
Today I accomplished___________________________________________________
I would give myself a rating of (circle one)
1
2
SUMMER 2005
3
4
5
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39
English as a Second Language
Evaluation of Presentation
Title of Presentation
Presenter(s)
Date _________________________
Block __________________
Marginally
Adequate
Very
Good
Superior
Content
Clarity of purpose (thesis)
Organization of material
Sufficient supporting
information
Other perspectives dealt
with
Presentation
Vocal impact
Appropriate mannerisms
(body language)
Appropriate language
Overall Impression
Overall Evaluation (circle one of the following)
Superior
Very good
Adequate
Marginally Adequate
Inadequate
Mark ________________/20
________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from
Graham, N. and George, J. (1992). Marking success: a guide to evaluation for teachers of English.
Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers.
40
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
____
10
Name ________________________
Bibliography Checklist
1.On a separate piece of paper at the end of the report
/1
2.Heading: Bibliography or Works Cited or Works Consulted /1
3.Alphabetical by author or editor (ed.) [or title, if no author]
/1
4.Underline or italicize title of the source (e.g. book, magazine, etc.) and use “quotes” around the name of
the article (e.g. within the encyclopedia or magazine)
/2
5.Indent second line 5 spaces
/1
6.Single space within each entry; double space between entries
/1
7.Each entry complete, in order and properly punctuated
/3
Comments
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
41
PROFESSIONAL READING
COMPILED BY RENA DEUSCH
This list was originally posted on the LM_NET
listserv and forwarded to the BCTLA forum by Randi
Hermans (BCTLA Vice President – Advocacy).
Permission to include it in this issue of The
Bookmark has been granted by the original author of
the posting to the LM_NET.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked for suggestions on
professional books on reading. The original post
was:
“I am compiling a “must read” list of books related
to reading, in elementary and secondary school.
This will be a resource list for librarians interested
in delving deeper into the topic. I am not looking
for books targeted for librarians (e.g., choosing
books, booktalking, etc) but books that teachers,
administrators and staff developers should have on
their professional shelf.”
I had included a list of titles for secondary school.
I am pasting in the final list which I compiled
(annotated by me), one that will appear in my library
association’s newsletter this fall.
The Professional Shelf: Reading
Selected by Rena Deutsch
A selected list of professional books to inform,
challenge, enrage and perhaps inspire you.
Allington, Richard. What Really Matters for
Struggling Readers : Designing Research-based
Programs. (Pearson Education Canada, 2000).
A blend of research and practice from a well-known
expert on reading, and a vocal opponent of the
National Council on Reading report.
Beers, Kylene. When kids can’t read, What teachers
can do: A Guide for Teachers 6-12. (Heinemann,
2002)
Specific strategies to help students with
comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, word
recognition and motivation. A favorite!
42
Chall, Jeanne. Learning to Read : The Great
Debate. (McGraw-Hill, 1988)
On the other side of the debate from Allington, Chall
was a vocal proponent of teaching phonics.
Cullinan, Bernice. Read to Me : Raising Kids Who
Love to Read. (Scholastic, 2000)
Recommended as a great book for parents and other
caregivers (see also Jim Trelease).
Daniels, Harvey and Steven Zemelman. Subjects
Matter : Every teacher’s guide to content-area
reading. (Heinemann, 2004)
Classroom activities, reading lists galore, a
persuasive argument against the exclusive use of
textbooks: this book has tons of relevant, useful
information for content area teachers.
Fountas, Irene and Gay Su Pinnell. Guided Reading
: Good first reading for all children. (Heinemann,
1996)
When elementary school librarians were queried
about “must reads” on reading, the names of these
two authors came up repeatedly.
Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis. Strategies
That Work : Teaching Comprehension to Enhance
Understanding. (Stenhouse Publishers, 2000)
Common-sense strategies to help students gain
meaning from what they’ve just read. An absolute
must-read for high elementary through middle school
educators.
Krashen, Stephen. Power of Reading: Insights from
the Research. 2nd ed. (Libraries Unlimited, 2004)
Our reading guru (and a huge fan of school libraries),
Krashen has done more research than anyone else
showing that free voluntary reading is THE most
effective tool in increasing children’s ability to read,
write and comprehend.
Schoenbach, Ruth et al. Reading for Understanding.
(Jossey-Bass, 1999)
My professional read of summer 2003, this is a
book that opened my eyes to what a great reading
program for high school kids should look like.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
Trelease, Jim. Read Aloud Handbook. 5th ed.
(Penguin, 2001)
For you and the parents in your school, a great list
of books to read aloud to children of all ages, and, in
the first section, a compelling rationale for doing so.
Tovani, Cris. I read it but I don’t get it :
Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers.
(Stenhouse Publishers, 2000)
-- Do I really have to teach reading? Content
Comprehension Grades 6-12. (Stenhouse
Publishers, 2004)
My absolute favorite books on content area reading.
I’ve already gotten teachers in the
school to read my copy - then go out
and buy their own so they can write
notes all over the pages! Funny,
down-to-earth, practical, and so much
more.
Wolfe, Patricia. Brain Matters :
Translating Research into Classroom
Practice. (ASCD, 2001).
While not strictly about reading, this
book offers a look at how the brain
works, and discusses how the brain
research can inform classroom
practices.
Zimmerman, Susan and Ellin Oliver
Keene. Mosaic of Thought : Teaching
Comprehension in a Readers
Workshop. (Heinemann, 1997)
THE book that the DOE had the
principals, literacy coaches and LIS’
reading last year.
Rena Deutsch, Librarian
Bayard Rustin HS for the Humanities
351 W. 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
[email protected]
library site: www.hhslibrary.org
SUMMER 2005
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43
BEST BOOKS
COMPILED BY JOAN KIMBALL
This list was originally posted on the LM_NET
listserv and forwarded to the BCTLA forum by Randi
Hermans (BCTLA Vice President – Advocacy).
Permission to include it in this issue of The
Bookmark has been granted by the compilers of this
list. See the end of the list for the contributors.
This survey of school librarians on the LM_NET
Listserv was conducted
in December and January 2004-2005 by Joan
Kimball. The 110 titles are
divided into five interest levels: Primary, PrimaryIntermediate, Intermediate, Intermediate-Young
Adult, and Young Adult.
Henry and the Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall,
illus. by William Low. Philomel
Notes and acknowledgements follow the list of
books.
An asterisk* indicates that three or more people
recommended this
title.
Kumak’s Fish by Michael Bania. Alaska Northwest
PRIMARY (Ages 5-8)
The A+ Custodian by Louise Borden, ill. by Adam
Gustavson. McElderry
Agent A to Agent Z by Andy Rash. Arthur Levine
Books
Alice the Fairy by David Shannon. Blue Sky Press
Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff, illus.
by Lynn Munsinger. Candlewick
Blue Bowl Down: an Appalachian Rhyme by C. M.
Millen, illus by HollyMeade. Candlewick
The Camel’s Lament: A Poem by Charles Edward
Carryl, illus. by CharlesSantore. Random House
The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse, illus.
by Wendy Watson. Scholastic
Hot City by Barbara Joosse, illus. by R. Gregory
Christie. Philomel
Hot Day on Abbott Ave by Karen English, illus. by
Javaka Steptoe. Clarion
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.
Greenwillow
*Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.
Hyperion
Leaping Beauty and Other Animal Fairy Tales by
Gregory Maguire. HarperCollins
Lemons are not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.
Roaring Brook
Manana, Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by
Ethan Long. Holiday House
Merlin and the Making of the King by Margaret
Hodges, illus by Trina Schart Hyman, calligraphy by
Jeanyee Wong. Holiday House
The Mighty Asparagus by V. Radunsky. Harcourt
Mighty Jackie, the Strike-out Queen by Marissa
Moss, illus by C.F. Payne. Simon & Schuster
Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids by David Kirk.
Scholastic
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. Philomel
My Kindergarten by Rosemary Wells. Hyperion
Clare and Francis by Guido Visconti, illus. by Bimba
Landmann. Eerdmans
My Teacher for President by Kay Winters, illus. by
Denise Brunkus. Dutton
The Friend by Sarah Stewart, illus. by David Small.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert. Harcourt
Gobble, Gobble, Slip, Slop: The Tale of a Very
Greedy Cat by Meilo So. Knopf
44
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems.
Hyperion
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
Plaidypus Lost by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens
Crummel. Holiday House
Remember, Grandma? by Laura Langston, illus. by
Lindsey Gardiner. Viking
SantaKid by James Patterson, illus. by Michael
Garland. Little, Brown
Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas, illus. by
Ard Hoyt. Little,
Brown
See the City: The Journey of Manhattan Unfurled by
Matteo Pericoli. Knopf
Snow Dude by Daniel Kirk. Hyperion
Superdog: The Heart of a Hero by Caralyn Buehner,
illus. by Mark Buehner. HarperCollins
Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit and His
Walkin’ Talkin’ Friends by Alice McGill, illus. by Don
Tate. Houghton
Tiny’s Big Adventure by Martin Waddell, illus. by
John Lawrence. Candlewick
What’s the Matter in Mr. Whisker’s Room? by
Michael Elsohn Ross, illus. by Paul Meisel.
Candlewick Press
*Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, illus. by Marc
Brown. Knopf
Yellow Submarine by The Beatles. Story adapted by
Charlie Gardner; book design by Fiona Andreanelli,
based on artwork for the movie by Heinz Edelmann.
Candlewick
PRIMARY-INTERMEDIATE (Ages 6-10)
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin
*America the Beautiful: A Pop-up Book by Robert
Sabuda. Simon & Schuster
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James
Audubon by Jacqueline Davies, illus. by Melissa
Sweet. Houghton
*Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation by
Mark Teague. Scholastic
Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, illus.
by Kadir Nelson. Simon & Schuster
The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story
from the Netherlands by Louise Borden, illus. by Niki
Daly. MacElderry
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems. Kristine
O’Connell George, illus. by Barry Moser. Harcourt
If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky, illus. by Ted
Rand. Greenwillow
Miss Daisy is Crazy by Dan Gutman, illus. by Jim
Paillot. HarperCollins
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka, illus. by Lane Smith.
Viking
The Train of States by Peter Sis. Greenwillow
INTERMEDIATE (Ages 9-12)
*Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. HarperCollins
Anne Elizabeth’s Diary: A Young Artist’s True
Story by Anne Elizabeth Rector. Additional text by
Kathleen Krull. Little, Brown
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo.
Scholastic
*Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Scholastic
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, trans. by Anthea
Bell. Scholastic
The Hank Zipzer series, several titles, by Henry
Winkler and Lin Oliver. Grosset & Dunlap
Honeysuckle House by Andrea Cheng. Front Street
The Incredible Water Show by Debra Frasier.
Harcourt
Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. Simon &
Schuster
The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer. Puffin
Look at my Book: How Kids Can Write and Illustrate
Terrific Books by Loreen Leedy. Holiday House
*Duck for President by Doreen Cronin, illus. by Betsy
Lewin. Simon & Schuster
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
45
Mimmy and Sophie: All Around the Town by Miriam
Cohen. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Virginia
Hamilton, illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon. Knopf
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip
Hoose. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
The Report Card by Andrew Clements. Simon &
Schuster
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Simon &
Schuster
The School at Crooked Creek by Laurie Lawlor.
Holiday House
Shredderman : Secret Identity by Wendelin Van
Draanen. Knopf
YOUNG ADULT (Ages 13-15)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.
Putnam
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Curtis. Wendy
Lamb Books
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Random House
[2003]
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm
by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling. Decorations by
Charles Vess. Viking/Penguin Putnam
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. Thorndike
Press [2003]
For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly
Brubaker Bradley. Delacorte [2003]
The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson. Dutton
The Game of Sunken Places by M. T. Anderson.
Scholastic
The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by
Richard Peck. Dial
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia
Ray. Clarion [2003]
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara
Kerley, illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic
Godless by Pete Hautman. Simon & Schuster
Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman. Farrar, Straus &
Giroux
INTERMEDIATE-YOUNG ADULT (Ages 10-14)
The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud . Hyperion
Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Delacorte
[2003]
Heartbeat by Sharon Creech. HarperCollins
*Ida B: And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid
Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine
Hannigan. Greenwillow
*How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff . Wendy Lamb
Books
Praying at the Sweetwater Motel by April Young Fritz.
Hyperion [2003]
Keesha’s House by Helen Frost. Farrar, Straus &
Giroux [2003]
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer. Hyperion
Mahalia by Joanne Horniman. Knopf [2003]
Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish. HarperCollins
Messenger by Lois Lowry. Thorndike Press
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a
Woman’s Right to Vote by Ann Bausam. National
Geographic
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother
Dies by Sonya Sones. Simon & Schuster
*The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick.
Scholastic
46
Or Give Me Death: A Novel of Patrick Henry’s Family
by Ann Rinaldi. Harcourt [2003]
Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl’s
Adventure Upon the High Seas by Tanith Lee.
Dutton/Penguin Putnam
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann
Brashares. Delacorte [2003]
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge.
Candlewick [2003]
Shooter by Walter Dean Myers. Amistad/Harper
Tempest
The Sunbird by Elizabeth E. Wein. Penguin
Tadpole by Ruth White. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
[2003]
Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce. Random House
[2003]
Trickster’s Queen by Tamora Pierce. Random House
Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice. Farrar,
Straus & Giroux [2003]
A Winter Night’s Dream by Andrew Matthews.
Delacort/Random
NOTES:
1. PURPOSE: The list serves as an alert to some
new books worthy of consideration. Inclusion in this
list does not mean that the book should be in every
library. Read reviews of the book if possible, or look
for the title on other lists besides this one before
committing funds.
2 INTEREST LEVELS are approximations taken
from contributors or reviews. Not all readers will
agree with the rankings.
3. SOME 2003 BOOKS are included, marked [2003],
if they were missed in last year’s Best Books list.
To see last year’s list, go to the LM_NET archives
at www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ and put in the
search box: hit best books 2003
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following generously shared their favorite
children’s books of 2004:
Debbie Bergen, Sue Broberg, GraceAnne
DeCandido, Helen Dittmer, Jayne Downing, Bettie
Fisher, Judy Freeman, Carl Harvey, Amy Ipp,
Maureen Irwin, Pamela Jacobs, Ada Kent, Katherine
Keller-Darby, Simone Loeffel, Melinda MillerWidrick, Jean Mishkin, Jody Newman,
Camille Powell, Debbie Remington, Melissa
Ward
Survey conducted by Joan Kimball, retired
from Hart’s Hill School Library, Whitesboro
NY
*Please send your comments to me at
[email protected]. Thank you.
Joan*
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
47
SUMMERTIME READING SUGGESTIONS
COMPILED BY THE TEACHER-LIBRARIANS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT
No. 73 (KAMLOOPS-THOMPSON)
Compiler: Allison in’t Veld
Contributors: Gregg Hafeli
Jane Osterloh
Judy Dunn
United Library Services Brochure: BC Summer Reading Club 2004
SUMMERTIME AND THE READING IS EASY!
BOOKS TAKE YOU AWAY, TEACH YOU NEW
IDEAS AND GIVE GREAT PLEASURE! Like
soccer, music, dance and other skills – reading
improves with practice. Have your child join the
public libraries’ reading program or read a large
variety of books on their own this summer and
discover how practice does indeed make perfect!
The Teacher-Librarians of SD 73 (Kamloops/
Thompson) would like to make the following
suggestions for your child’s summertime reading!
ANIMAL STORIES:
Annie and the Wild Animals – Jan Brett
Are you my Mother? – P.D. Eastman
Armadillo Rodeo – Jan Brett
Bat in the Boot – Annie Cannon
Bear on the Train – Julie Lawson
Bears’ Toothache – David McPhail
Big, Bad Bruce – Bill Peet
Bookshop Dog – Cynthia Rylant
Emma’s Eggs – Margreit Ruurs
A Story for Bear - Dennis Haseley
Edwina the Emu – Sheena Knowles
Two Bad Ants – Chris van Allsburg
CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD:
Chin Chiang and the Dragon Dance – Ian Wallace
Something From Nothing – Phoebe Gilman
FAMILY STORIES:
Alphabet Tree – Leo Lionni
Amos’ Sweater – Janet Lunn
Biggest House in the World – Leo Lionni
Bonnie McSmithers, You’re Driving Me Dithers – Sue Ann Alderson
How to be a Friend: a Guide to Making Friends and
Keeping Them – Laurie Krasney Brown - NF
A Present for Mom – Vivian French
48
FANTASY, SCIENCE STORIES, AND
INFORMATION:
Commander Toad and the Voyage Home – Jane
Yolen
Dragon Nanny – CLG Martin
Dragon’s Pearl – Julie Lawson
Dream Collector – Troon Harrison
Eric Carle’s Dragons, Dragons & Other Creatures
that Never Were – Eric Carle
Magic Schoolbus in the Time of Dinosaurs – Joanne
Cole (non-fiction)
The Princess Knight – Cornelia Funke
GENERAL TEEN FICTION:
Boy’s Life – Robert McCammon
Buddha Boy – Kathe Koja
Bull Catcher – Alden R. Carter
Catalyst – Laurie Halse Anderson
Chicken Soup For the Horse Lover’s Soul
Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen – Diane
Sheldon
Dance of Sisters – Tracey Porter
Green Angel – Alice Hoffman
How Angel Peterson Got His Name and Other Tales
of Extreme
Loser – Jerry Spinelli
Massive – Julia Bell
Princess in Waiting - Meg Cabot
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann
Brashares
Sports - Gary Paulsen
Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
Telling Christina Goodbye – Lurlene McDaniel
Tribes – Arthur Slade
What Happened to Loni Garver – Carol Plum-Ucci
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
FANTASY/SCI-FI:
Artemis Fowl: the Eternity Code – Eoin Colfer
Eragon – Christopher Paolini
The Fallen Series – Thomas E. Sniegoski
Morgawr – Terry Brooks
Prey – Michael Crichton
Remnants series – Katherine Applegate
Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur
– Jane Yolen
Talon of the Silver Hawk – Raymond E. Feist
Triss – Brian Jacques
SUSPENSE/HORROR/MYSTERY:
Bourne Supremacy – Robert Ludlum
Boy in the Burning House – Tim Wynne-Jones
Face – Dean Koontz
From a Buick 8 - Stephen King
The Jester - James Patterson & Andrew Gross
The King of Torts – John Grisham
Lightning Strikes – V.C. Andrews
Monster – Walter Dean Myers
Pyrates: The Last Clue - Chris Archer
HISTORICAL/ADVENTURE FICTION:
Boy – Brian Doyle
Circle of Time - Marisa Montes
Corner of the Universe – Ann M. Martin
Dust – Arthur Slade
For Freedom: the Story of a French Spy
– Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray
Master and Commander - Patrick O’Brian
Mud City - Deborah Ellis
Pirates - Celia Ross
Tunnels of Treachery: A Moose Jaw
Adventure - Mary Harelkin Bishop
A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks
Space Shuttle – Bobbie Kalman (NF)
SUMMER 2005
HISTORY – STORIES AND FACTS:
Emma and the Silk Train – Julie Lawson
Imagine that! – Janet Wilson (NF)
Name of the child – Don Kilby
NATURAL PHENOMENON:
The Cloud Book – Tomie de Paola (NF)
The Night Rainbow – Barbara Juster Esbenson (NF)
OCEAN STORIES AND INFORMATION:
Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent – Bill Peet
Edward and the Pirates – Glen Petrie
Everything I Know About Pirates – Tom Lichennheld
(NF)
Good Thing You’re Not an Octopus – Julie Markes
Horrible Harry Goes to Sea – Suzy Kline
How I Became a Pirate – Melinda Long
Imagine You’re a Mermaid! – Meg Clibbon (NF)
Pirate Pearl – Phoebe Gilman
Sharkabet: A Sea of Sharks From A to Z – Ray Troll
(NF)
SUMMERTIME FUN:
Lucille Camps in – Kathryn Lasky
Morning to Polish and Keep – Julie Lawson
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
49
A NEW KIND OF LITERACY
JOHN GOLDSMITH
Literacy - it ain’t what it used to be.
Not that long ago literacy meant one thing;
the ability to read and write. Within this simple
definition, the role of the Teacher Librarian was
straight forward and clear: to help students
become better readers either directly through the
purchase and promotion of high quality literature
or indirectly through partnerships and collaboration
with classroom teachers.
But, times change and so has the definition of
literacy. No longer confined to reading alone, the
definition of literacy now includes such things
as computer literacy, information literacy, visual
literacy, global literacy and media literacy, to
name a few. For many Teacher Librarians this
has often meant a corresponding increase in
their role and responsibilities. Besides promoting
and encouraging literacy in the traditional sense,
they are now expected to provide leadership and
expertise in these other areas as well. Given the
many challenges most teacher-librarians face,
trying to stay current in these new areas of literacy
can be a daunting task but not a hopeless one.
What follows is something I’d describe as the
“Coles Notes” version of expanded literacy: a
synopsis of the developments and trends currently
taking place on the Web involving information
and technology. While this won’t make anyone an
expert it will provide some basic knowledge on the
subject.
In this issue, I’ll begin with an Internet technology
which many teacher-librarians may have heard off
but know little about – Blogs.
A Blog (short for, “WeB Log”) is the digital
equivalent of a personal diary or journal. What’s
different is the format and venue. While the writing
is still very personal, it’s no longer private and
that’s the big difference. The thoughts, ideas,
ramblings and rants posted to a Blog by a Blogger
(the person writing the Blog) are very public and
accessible to anyone who wants to read them.
In many cases, the reader cannot only peruse
the Blogger’s personal thoughts, they can also
respond in a space provided for comments. A peer
50
reviewed diary - now that’s something you won’t find
in “Jane Eyre”.
A Blog is written on a web site specifically created for
Blogging. There are many throughout the Internet
which provides Blogging space, free of charge. To
the average web surfer, a Blog site looks the same
as any other web site. To the Blogger however,
the process of adding and editing content is very
easy. Unlike a web page, creating a Blog requires
little technical skill and no knowledge of html. All
that’s needed is a computer, Internet access and
some basic word processing skills. Text is entered
directly into a textbox or cut and pasted from a word
processor. It’s that simple.
Typically but not always, Blogs follow a common
format. Entries tend to be brief, two of three
paragraphs on average and are posted frequently.
Three times a week or every other day is not an
uncommon interval. The most recent post appears
at the top of the Blog page with earlier contributions
arranged chronologically below. This being the
Internet however, the term “typical” is relative. While
short postings are common practice, it’s not hard to
find the entries that go on for pages and pages. And,
while frequent postings are fairly standard, many
Bloggers have adopted a more “leisurely” cycle.
Posting that often is tough work!
When Blogging first began, several years ago,
text entries were the norm. Now it’s not unusual
to find pictures, sound files even video clips from
a recent holiday embedded in the posting. In
fact, “PhotoBlogging” has recently caught on as a
communication method in its own right.
One thing that hasn’t changed is personality. Most
Blogs reflect the personality of their creator and if
there is one thing Blogging has proven, the Internet
is rich with colourful, unusual and interesting
characters.
Opinions on the growth and popularity of Blogging
are generally split. Some, like columnist John C.
Dvorak (Dvorak, 2002) observe that, “The vanity
page is dead; long live the Blog.” They see this form
of communication as little more then a repository
for rants, inarticulate ramblings, bad poetry and
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SUMMER 2005
cat pictures. Science fiction writer William Gibson
(Block, 2001) takes a different view when he says,
“Blogging represents the democratization of the
mediated persona. Literally anyone can have one or
several”
All this may be very nice but for most teacherlibrarians the bottom line is this, “What impact
will Blogs have on patrons, the library, the library
program and them?” In all likelihood, very little. The
impact of Blogs on education generally and libraries
specifically has been minimal, to say the least. In
a recent survey undertaken by Dr. Anne Clyde
(Clyde, 2004), 15 school libraries reported using
Blogs. Hardly the precursor of a worldwide rage.
Nevertheless, the importance of Blogs to a school
library program should not be underestimated.
First of all, whatever your personal view of this
technology, it clear that many people, from George
Bush to Pamela Anderson are doing it. In fact, Blogs
have become so ubiquitous and mainstream that
even the Vancouver Sun has started one to provide
readers with a “behind the scenes” anecdotal look
at the BC elections from a reporter’s point of view.
I suspect that many of the candidates may also
be using Blogs as way to get their message out to
the electorate – especially young voters who may
not read newspapers or watch TV news programs.
As such, Blogs represent an important source of
information which can’t be ignored.
provides a quick and easy way to post information
online to highlight what’s happening in the library and
promote the library program.
Blogs can also an excellent source of professional
development. Currently dozens of Librarians
such as Dr. Anne Clyde, Chris Dodge (The Street
Librarian), Eris Weaver (The Bellydancing Librarian),
Linda Absher (The Lipstick Librarian), Steven Cohen
(Library Stuff) maintain their own Blog pages and
provide information, thoughts, humour and ideas
on the science of libraries. While they may never
replace publications like School Library Journal or
the Teacher Librarian, they do provide a wonderful
and timely alternative.
And finally, Blogs provide teacher-librarians with
the freedom to express themselves; to write, to rap,
to rhyme, to vent, to rant, and generally to indulge
in what Chris Dodge (Block, 2001) describes as,
“unfettered self-expression” or as Eris Weaver
(Block, 2001) describes it, “the ability to put just
whatever the hell out there with no editing or
censorship.” Blogs, as Matthew Wright (Block, 2001)
of Library Underground notes, “offers freedom of
speech to a maniacal degree.”
Perhaps that’s the kind of literacy we need more of.
Next issue: RSS News Feeds.
Within the realm of education, a number of teachers
are using Blogs as a way to promote and encourage
student writing and peer review. In most cases,
these educators are building on a trend which is
well established among many young people. Teens
especially have embraced Blogging with a passion
and currently make up the largest percentage of
Bloggers on the ‘Net. As these Blogs are open and
accessible, reading them can provide parents and
educators with some amazing insights into the teen
psyche. Young people who are barely monosyllabic
in class or at home will pour out their hearts and
souls online for all the world to see. Go figure?
Bibliography
Teen Blogs are also a good way for teacherlibrarians to keep up on the latest trends, novelties
and developments in the world of young adults, a
task which often rivals technical literacy in difficulty
and attainability.
Dvorak, John. “The Blog Phenomen.” PC Magazine
05 Feb 2002. 24 Apr 2005 <http://www.pcmag.com/
article2/0,4149,81500,00.asp>.
Closer to home, Blogs can also play a direct role
within a school library program. As Paula J. Hane
(Hane, 2001) points out in her article, “Blogs Are a
Natural for Librarians”, this form of communication
SUMMER 2005
Block, Marylaine. “Communication Off the Page.”
Library Journal 15 Sept 2001. 24 Apr 2005 <http://
www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA155178>.
Clyde, Anne. “Weblogs and Libraries: The
Potential and the Reality.” Online Information 2004
Conference. , London . 1 Dec 2004.
Clyde, Anne. “The Internet Courses: Weblogs or
Blogs.” 23 Apr. 2005. University Of Iceland. 24 Apr.
2005 <http://www.hi.is/~anne/weblogs.html>.
Hane, Paula . “Blogs Are a Natural for Librarians.”
Newslink Oct 2001. 24 Apr 2005 <http://www.
infotoday.com/newslink/newslink0110.htm>.
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51
NEW ON THE NET
JOHN GOLDSMITH
ART
ART AQUARIUMS:
http://www.kinderart.com/sculpture/artquarium.shtml
You may not have the time nor the resources to
properly undertake and maintain an aquarium in
your classroom, but if you are completing an ocean
unit, there is no reason you cannot build a painted
aquarium. Depending on the age of your students,
try to add details on your sea creatures that are true
to the research you have completed. Don’t forget to
add the necessary requirements that would complete
an underwater habitat for your sea life. (Classroom
Flyer Newsletter)
THE ARTS OLYMPIAD: LESSON AND
COMPETITION SITES:
http://www.icaf.org/programs/artsolympiad/ao.html
The world’s largest arts initiative for children aged
8 to 12. It begins with free lesson plans distributed
to schools worldwide, which leads to school art
competitions on the theme My Favorite Sport, local
and national exhibitions and eventually regional
and world festivals. The World Children’s Festival
will take place in June 2007 on the National Mall in
Washington. (NetHappenings Newsletter)
EXPLORING OCEAN ART:
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/art.html
How about making a hanging aquarium with
seaweed and sea creatures? A sea mobile will also
work well in the classroom, along with aquatic murals
and saltwater paintings. Find further ocean art
activities here. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
OCEAN FOOD LINKS MOBILES:
http://www.eduplace.com/activity/ocean_food.html
Early elementary students can use the printable
templates here to color and assemble for an
underwater food chain mobile. Older students can
research and create a much more complex food
chain, designing and painting their own mobiles.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
52
UNDER THE SEA CRAFTS:
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/under_the_sea.
html#
Make a stuffed paper bag octopus, a beautiful egg
carton puffer fish, a stuffed paper sea turtle, or a
sea creature mobile following the directions here.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
EDUCATION
BBC SCHOOLS :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/
Selected BBC-created resources, arranged by age
group and topic. Includes resources for parents and
teachers as well, and a searchable collection of
games (e.g., “Examine Roman artifacts and solve a
murder mystery,” or “Re-enact the Battle of Waterloo
to test your battle strategy”). Though it’s keyed to
a British curriculum, most of this would be useful in
other countries as well. (Marylaine Block, “Neat New
Stuff I Found On The Net This Week” Newsletter)
CHECKLIST FOR CHARACTERISTICS OF
VIOLENT YOUTH:
http://www.nssc1.org/reporter/checklist.htm
From the National School Safety center, find a
checklist here on common characteristics of youth
who have already been involved in perpetrating
school-related violence, helping you decipher what
to look for as warning signs. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
EARLY WARNING, TIMELY RESPONSE:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/gtss.
html
Download a pdf file on warning signals of potential
violence, and find guidelines in this U.S. Dept. of
Education publication on how to help establish safer
schools. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
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SUMMER 2005
INSIDE HIGHER ED:
http://insidehighered.com/
ENGLISH BANANA:
http://www.englishbanana.com/index.html
This online periodical appears to be setting itself
up as a free alternative to the Chronicle of Higher
Education by offering news, views, career info,
and job listings. Includes a searchable archive.
(Marylaine Block, “Neat New Stuff I Found On The
Net This Week” Newsletter)
English Banana is an English website-literally.
Created by a teacher in England, it contains a vast
assortment of links resources and materials in
support of English Literature. (The Teachers List)
SCHOOL SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS:
http://www.keepschoolssafe.org/school/a-fss.htm
Guidelines here help school educators,
administrators and students to assess their own
security needs and make their learning and teaching
environment more secure. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
TEST PREP RESOURCE:
http://www.intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Universal/II_Stories/
Test_Workbooks/test_workbooks.html
Chicago Public Schools has an online resource for
both student test prep work and teacher manuals,
with student tips, goals, and bubble answer sheets,
and teacher lessons on how best to facilitate
the testing process. Resources are included for
grades three through high school. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
TIPS FOR BETTER TEST TAKING:
http://www.studygs.net/tsttak1.htm
Many students experience test anxiety to some
degree, and with standardized testing rolling
around, you may want to consider addressing some
solid strategies and tips for successful test taking.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
ENGLISH
DIGITIZED JUVENILE LITERATURE COLLECTION:
http://diglib.lib.fsu.edu/ebind/docs/
This collection of full-text scanned images of over
30 children’s books includes ABC books, holiday
stories, and other examples of 19th century picture
books. From Florida State University Libraries
Special Collections. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
SUMMER 2005
GUYSREAD.COM
http://www.guysread.com/
Jon Scieszka, popular author of children’s books
such as Math Curse, The Stinky Cheese Man,
The Time Warp Trio Series and many more, has
developed this web-based literacy program to help
boys find stuff they like to read. This is really a
clever website (in true Jon Scieszka style) with good
information to encourage boys to read. (ClickSchool)
INFOPLEASE.COM: NATIONAL POETRY MONTH:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/pmonth1.html
This site celebrates National Poetry Month (April) by
featuring recommended poetry sites, notable poets,
poetry books for children, poetry award winners
and poets laureate, and a selection of seasonal
and topical poetry. Includes crossword puzzles
and quizzes, as well as a glossary of poetry terms.
(Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR WRITING:
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/write.html
Find several resources to build instructional units for
writing assignments for your middle and high school
classes. The writing process is explained, along with
assessments for the different developmental stages
of writing, pre-writing activities, and strategies for
considering format, audience, and genre. Also find
tips for peer and teacher conferences, and checklists
for writing-in-progress. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
LISTENING AND READING COMPREHENSION
SKILLS ONLINE:
http://www.esl-lab.com/
Use RealPlayer for this huge collection of online
listening and reading exercises, with quizzes
included. The collection, originally targeted to ESL
classes, can be an excellent tool for reinforcing
student reading and listening comprehension skills
for standardized test prep and practice. Entries are
organized along easy, medium, difficult, and very
difficult categories in this cyber-lab. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
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53
LITERACY CONNECTIONS: PROMOTING
LITERACY AND A LOVE OF READING:
http://www.literacyconnections.com
For students in Grades 1-12. Want to know when (or
if) to stop reading aloud to your students? In need of
some tutoring tips? Looking for language resources
for Spanish speaking families? Have a use for some
free downloadable readers? Come check out the
Literacy Connection. Learn about Reader’s Theater,
using music to promote literacy, great reading lists
for various ages and get ideas for teaching whole
language, phonics, sight words and word families.
(Education Planet Newsletter)
BUILD LITERACY:
http://www.buildliteracy.org/
“The website features information, materials, and
resources about how libraries, local agencies, and
corporate partners work together to build stronger
community-based literacy partnerships and more
literate communities. The website includes examples
of sound literacy practices collected from libraries
across the country. (Marylaine Block, “Neat New
Stuff I Found On The Net This Week” Newsletter)
DISCONTINUED ITEMS:
www.discontinueditem.com
ONLINE SPELLING LISTS:
http://www.everydayspelling.com/lists/listindex.html
Do you want to make sure you’ve covered all the
basic spelling lists for your grade level before
proceeding to standardized testing? Here are list
files to download for grades one through eight.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
Looking for a discontinued product? Then today’s
site is for you. It’s frustrating when a company
decides to stop producing an item you depend upon.
But this site will help you track down items you
wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. (Marylaine
Block, “Neat New Stuff I Found On The Net This
Week” Newsletter)
ONLINE SPELLING PRACTICE:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/Materials/ndakota/
spelling/toc.html
It is a directory of sites that sell hard to find items.
You can search by category or by brand name. And
if you still can’t find what you need, use the bulletin
board. Simply post what you want and wait for
someone to contact you. (Kim Komando’s Cool Site
of the Day)
Try these online spelling exercises for reinforcement
or test prep practice; interactive student activities are
included with spelling rules. Topics cover commonly
misspelled words, word endings, possessives, and
homonyms, and include ten word lists. (Classroom
Flyer Newsletter)
LIBRARY
BEST OF PHOTOJOURNALISM, 2005:
http://www.nppa.org/competitions/best_of_still_
photojournalism/2005/photography/winners/
If you believe a picture’s worth a thousand words,
you’ll enjoy exploring these photojournalism feature
articles telling stories about sports, international
news, nature and environment, the arts, the spirit of
America and more. If you don’t believe that, the
photos here might just convince you. (Neat Net
Sites)
54
GUMSHOES, SLEUTHS & SNOOPERS:
http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/kelley/KelleyAdvanced.
asp
This site “provides an in-depth look at 185 detective
and mystery novels originally published during the
period 1930-1960. It is the result of a collaborative
effort in which volunteers ... provided detailed
information about plot, setting, characters and
other thematic factors for each title.” Browsable, or
searchable by title, publisher, cover artist, and other
factors. Includes book covers. From the University at
Buffalo, the State University of New York. (Librarian’s
Index to the Internet)
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SUMMER 2005
IACP COOKBOOK AWARDS:
http://www.iacp.com/awards/iacpAwards/cookBook.
html
Find lists of the winners of this award (previously
known as the Tastemaker Awards) for outstanding
cookbooks. Includes cookbooks in categories such
as bread and baking, food reference, chefs and
restaurants, health and diet, and best first book (the
Julia Child Award). Features current award winners
and finalists, and an archive of winners back to
1986. From the International Association of Culinary
Professionals (IACP). (Librarian’s Index to the
Internet)
JUX2:
http://www.jux2.com
Test version for this “comparative research tool”
designed to answer these questions: how different
are the major Internet search engines, and is one
any better than the others? The site is a search
engine aggregator that simultaneously queries
Yahoo, Google, and Ask Jeeves. Results include the
rankings from the various search engines and other
comparative and statistical information. (Librarian’s
Index to the Internet)
THE KIRIYAMA PRIZE:
http://www.kiriyamaprize.org
This prize “was established in 1996 to recognize
outstanding books about the Pacific Rim and South
Asia that encourage greater mutual understanding.
... The Prize consists of a cash award ... which
is split equally between the fiction and nonfiction
winners.” The site features information about
winners, notable books, rules, and a list of books
submitted for the prize. From Pacific Rim Voices.
(Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
LIBRARY AS PLACE: RETHINKING ROLES,
RETHINKING SPACE:
http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub129abst.html
“Six experts provide diverse visions of the library, its
services, and its space in the twenty-first century.”
The focus of these papers is public and academic
libraries but they do contain some relevant thoughts
for school libraries. (Marylaine Block, “Neat New
Stuff I Found On The Net This Week” Newsletter)
SUMMER 2005
MEDIA STUDIES:
http://www.mediastudies.com/
Provides “links to international news, media studies
sites, and other resources for media educators,
students, researchers, and the wider community.”
(Marylaine Block, “Neat New Stuff I Found On The
Net This Week” Newsletter)
MUSEUM OF ONLINE MUSEUMS: MOOM :
http://www.coudal.com/moom.php
This site provides “links to online collections and
exhibits covering a vast array of interests and
obsessions.” Includes links to museums (“most of
these sites will have multiple exhibits”), a “permanent
collection” of links to exhibits of particular interest to
design and advertising, and links to “an eclectic and
ever-changing list of interesting ... collections and
galleries.” (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
NATION MASTER:
http://NationMaster.com
This site contains a massive central data source
and a handy way to graphically compare nations.
Nation Master is a vast compilation of data from such
sources as the CIA World Factbook, United Nations,
World Health Organization, World Bank, World
Resources Institute, UNESCO, UNICEF and OECD.
(The Teacher’s List)
PUBLISHERS’ BINDINGS ONLINE, 1815-1930: THE
ART OF BOOKS:
http://bindings.lib.ua.edu
This site provides a database of images of
thousands of book bindings. Browse by subject
(including items such as color of binding or
stamping), or search by keyword to see front and
back covers, a spine image, endpapers, and a
physical description of each book. Also includes brief
biographies of selected designers. The project is a
partnership of the University of Alabama University
Libraries and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Libraries. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
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55
SCIENCE
PULITZER PRIZES:
http://www.pulitzer.org/
Annual awards announced each April. Find
information about all winning works, including
photos, editorial cartoons, music clips, and the full
text of all winning articles from 1995 through 2004;
a history of the Pulitzer; and an interactive timeline
listing all winners since 1917. (Librarian’s Index to
the Internet)
SEARCH ENGINE WATCH AWARDS:
http://searchenginewatch.com/awards/
These awards “recognize outstanding achievements
in web searching.” Includes categories such as
outstanding search service, and best news search,
image search, and shopping search engines.
Provides descriptions and evaluations of the
recipients. Includes the criteria for selection process.
Archives back to 2001. (Librarian’s Index to the
Internet)
ALL ABOUT BIRDS:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/
Everything you ever wanted to know about birds
including “species accounts,” a video gallery, info
on birding, feeding and landscaping for wild birds,
habitat management, and ways to participate in
research. (Marylaine Block, “Neat New Stuff I Found
On The Net This Week” Newsletter)
ANT WARS!:
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~pcj/antwars.html
What happens when ants from different colonies
meet? And how do ants communicate and recognize
each other? Students will closely observe ants to
learn what happens between ant species, collecting
and analyzing data. Extension activities are available
in art and social studies as well, and a data sheet is
included. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
STORYCODE:
http://www.storycode.com/
HOME ASTRONOMY:
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/
A cooperative site where readers can score fiction
in a variety of categories, resulting in a database
providing links from one book to another. This leads
to both obvious and non-obvious recommendations
that nonetheless make sense: from Jane Austen’s
Emma to Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth, for
instance, or from Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game
to Stephen King’s The Green Mile. (Marylaine Block,
“Neat New Stuff I Found On The Net This Week”
Newsletter)
Rockets away! Kids have been building backyard
rockets since Sputnik, and at UC Berkeley’s At Home
Astronomy, families are shown how and why to make
rockets, astrolabs and other fun space stuff with
household items like balloons, string and straws.
YAGOOHOOGLE:
http://yagoohoogle.com/
This site provides the user with a way to do
simultaneous searches on both Yahoo and Google
and display the search results side-by-side.
Marylaine Block, “Neat New Stuff I Found On The
Net This Week” Newsletter)
MATHEMATICS
Hands-on science experiments from the Center
for Science Education include Shadow Dance, an
experiment with shadows and light sources, and
instructions on how to make a simple astrolab, which
kids can use to measure altitude and the height
of objects in the sky. Ten experiments include lists
of what you need, what you should know, simple
illustrations and links to other web sites to learn
more. (Surf The Net Through E-Mail)
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION: THE WEB
OF LIFE:
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/biodiversity/investigate.
html
Site examines biodiversity at home and around the
globe. Students can explore the consequences of
irresponsible changes in the ecology. (LM_Net)
VISUAL FRACTIONS:
http://visualfractions.com/
Visual Fractions is a collection of activities that use
pie charts, number lines, and other graphics to
illustrate fraction operations. Suitable for Grades 4 to
8. (Education World Newsletter)
56
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SUMMER 2005
BACKYARD BIOLOGY:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/BackyardBiology/
default.cfm
Explore the diverse habitats of the National Zoo’s
own back yard, get tips on wildlife gardening, and
enjoy the Urban Nature Watch articles. (Neat Net
Sites)
BIODIVERSITY COUNTS:
http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts
This program and web site was created to get
students involved in using the scientific method.
Activities include: making observations, recording
data, collecting evidence, keeping field journals,
identifying and classifying, analyzing data, and
making exhibits.
CENTER FOR THE HISTORY OF PHYSICS :
http://www.aip.org/history/index.html
The Center for History of Physics, a site maintained
by the American Institute of Physics (ADP), provides
exhibits, sample syllabi, booklists, and other
resources for physics history and its allied fields.
Anyone interested in the field of physics would profit
from visiting this site. The exhibits offer teachers
and students interactive modules for learning about
such prominent physicists as Marie Curie and
Albert Einstein and important research including
the discovery of the electron, global warming, and
nuclear fission. The Emilio Segrè Visual Archives
offers more than 25,000 historical photographs,
drawings, slides, engravings, and other images,
film and video materials. These materials can be
searched by name or browsed by alphabetical order.
Teachers can find sample syllabi, booklists, and links
to related information (Education World Newsletter)
CRIME SCIENCE:
http://kancrn.kckps.k12.ks.us/northwest/kavaver/
crime-sci-main-web.html
Group roles include lead investigator teams,
recorders, lead forensic technicians, and assistant
forensic technicians. Direct evidence, indirect
evidence, and circumstantial evidence all have a role
to play, along with motives. A record keeping and
investigation activity is included, along with teaching
notes and student activities. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
SUMMER 2005
EARTH SCIENCE INTERACTIVE CURRICULUM:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/
lessons/lesson.html
Here is an extensive Earth Sciences curriculum for
upper elementary science classes, including lessons
and illustrations, to reviews, terms, discussion
questions, and unit exams. Need more? How about
hands-on activities, slide shows, teacher pages, and
answer keys? From Volcano World, topics include
tsunamis, fault lines, volcanoes, rocks and minerals,
and the Earth’s layers. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
ECO-INSECTS:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/030402t_
insects.jhtml
What would we do without those bugs? Most likely
become extinct, according to biologist Edward O.
Wilson. Students will explore the extraordinary world
of insects, along with food chains, ecosystems, and
carrying capacities with this unit. (Classroom Flyer
Newsletter)
ENDANGERED SPECIES PROGRAM:
http://endangered.fws.gov/kids/index.html
Site is maintained by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service. Students can explore various endangered
animals and ways in which young people can help
keep the ecology in balance. (LM_Net)
FBI ADVENTURE:
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/spykids/invest/investigates.
htm
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/6th12th/adventure/adventure.
htm
Introduces students to forensic science along with
real case studies from the FBI, as they investigate
crimes around the world. Maps, regional facts, case
backgrounds, and mission status are all included.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
INTERACTIVE BUILD A HEALTHY PRAIRIE:
http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/
build/
In this interactive online exhibit, students are
challenged to build a healthy prairie back from a
barren plain, recreating a vital habitat for plants and
animals. They will learn much about ecology, biology,
and climatology along the way, as well as the
regional features of North America’s short grass and
tall grass ecosystems. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
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57
KIDSASTRONOMY:
http://www.KidsAstronomy.com
For students in Grades 1-12. Get everything you
need for the stargazer in you and your students
at KidsAstronomy! There are sections on outer
space, deep space, up-to-date astronomy news,
our solar system and space travel. There is also
a great Astronomy Dictionary with information for
the clueless to the aficionado. (Education Planet
Newsletter)
THE LAB - AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING
CORPORATION’S GATEWAY TO ONLINE
SCIENCE:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/
MOO-VE OVER, HERE COMES GREEN ENERGY:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/032502t_
cowpower.jhtml
Hold that burp, but hand over the manure... Believe it
or not, cattle burps contribute to a significant amount
of global warming. On the up side, cow manure is
wonderfully recyclable as green electricity. Students
will learn about cow energy, and the differences
between global warming and ozone layer depletion
in this fascinating teaching resource. Classroom
exercises follow, with activities in both physical and
Earth sciences. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
RECYCLING KITS:
http://www.planetpals.com/pprecycle.html
“Here you’ll find programs from ABC radio and
TV as well as original online material including a
daily science news service, fortnightly features and
forums.” Science teachers will especially enjoy
the programs [both transcripts and on RealPlayer]
and the Surfing Scientist’s “science tricks” and
“Teachers’ Stuff.” (Browse through The Lab menu to
find this and other features. It does not appear to be
searchable, unfortunately. (Neat Net Sites)
Download these printable signs and colorful posters
for your class to cut and assemble. They will help
your students to develop an awareness of how they
can help to conserve and recycle Earth’s resources.
(Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
LEARNING THE SCIENCE OF ESTUARIES:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education
Provides a report on personal care product safety
and accompanying searchable database “that ranks
products on their potential health risks and the
absence of basic safety evaluations. The core of the
analysis compares ingredients in 7,500 personal
care products against government, industry, and
academic lists of known and suspected chemical
health hazards.” Product guide searchable by
brand name; browsable by product type. From the
Environmental Working Group (EWG). (Librarian’s
Index to the Internet)
Did you know that estuaries are some of the most
productive ecosystems in the world, harboring
unique and vital plant and animal communities?
It’s true, and now you and your students can learn
all about these thriving areas in a new online
educational product, the fourth in a series of
Discovery Kits developed by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean
Service (NOS). This latest kit explains the science of
estuaries -- bodies of water and surrounding coastal
habitats typically found where rivers meet the sea.
The new Estuaries Discovery Kit, the fourth such
resource produced by NOS, includes a 12-chapter
tutorial, a comprehensive resource guide, and lesson
plans for grades 9-12. The Discovery Kits are part of
the NOS Education Discovery Center, which includes
a wide variety of other classroom resources. (Linda
Hof, Web-bits)
58
SKIN DEEP: A SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF
INGREDIENTS IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep/
UNDER THE SEA ART AND SCIENCE:
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/fishy/under.
html
A large part of understanding our Earth is
investigating the bodies of water on the planet. Use
this lesson plan with early elementary students to
create and discuss an undersea environment in your
classroom. (Classroom Flyer Newsletter)
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
WELCOME TO THE HUMAN BRAIN:
http://www.fi.edu/brain/index.htm
Are your students feeling a bit test-stressed lately?
Investigate how your brain reacts to tests and other
issues, and just how it operates at this fascinating
online exhibit from the Franklin Institute Online.
(TECHcetera ICT)
WOODLAND PARK ZOO: MULTIMEDIA:
http://www.zoo.org/multimedia/index.html
This multimedia area of the Woodland Park Zoo in
Seattle, Washington offers students and teachers’
videos, Web cams, quizzes, and other interactive
features to help students learn about animals.
Don’t try to feed the animals through your computer
screen! (Education World Newsletter)
SOCIAL STUDIES
1930’S DUST BOWL:
http://www.ptsi.net/user/museum/dustbowl.html
A brief description of the Dust Bowl in the Oklahoma
Panhandle community of Boise City, Cimarron
County, with pictures of “Black Sunday April 14,
1935. The dust storm that turned day into night.”
Excerpted from The Dust Bowl, Men, Dirt and
Depression by Paul Bonnifield. On the Web site
of the Cimarron Heritage Center in Boise City.
(Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
BLOOD AND SAWDUST :
http://www.his.com/~tom/
This site contains a series of articles, essays,
and resources on Medieval and Renaissance
woodworking. It also features illustrated project notes
for a wheelbarrow, flywheel lathe, chair, stool, and
other furniture and provides a FAQ section, notes
on paints and finishes, recommended reading, and
related material. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
SUMMER 2005
BUDDHIST ART AND THE TRADE ROUTES :
http://www.asiasocietymuseum.com/buddhist_trade/
index.html
“Trade routes, both maritime and overland, were
the primary means by which Buddhist thought and
imagery were conveyed from India, the birthplace
of Buddhism, to other Asian countries.” This online
exhibit provides an overview of the trade routes and
the Buddhist religion, and images of Buddhist art
from Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia, the Himalayas,
Southeast Asia, and Sri Lanka. Also includes a
bibliography. From the Asia Society. (Librarian’s
Index to the Internet)
COLLAPSE:
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/
Once-thriving empires go the way of all things
mortal, becoming legends, dust, and bits of pottery
for future generations to piece together. Students will
examine the reasons for the collapse of such diverse
civilizations as Mesopotamia, Mali and Songhai,
and the Maya. Hands-on activities are included.
(TECHcetera ICT)
THE CAPTURE OF FORT WILLIAM & MARY:
http://www.izaak.unh.edu/exhibits/1774/
This online exhibit is “almost exclusively based
upon the work of Charles Lathrop Parsons (b. 1867)
and was created by scanning in the N.H. Historical
Society reprint of Parsons’ published work, The
Capture of Fort William and Mary, December 14
and 15, 1774’ (1903).” A few related documents are
included. Part of the University of New Hampshire
Digital Library Project. (Librarian’s Index to the
Internet)
CYBERSCHOOLBUS:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/index.html
For students in Grades 1-12. Catch the
CyberSchoolBus to the United Nations
Headquarters! Explore statistical data on member
countries, an introduction to UN history and an
international student art gallery. Get inspired to
help eliminate poverty as you read up on the UN’s
Millennium Development Goals. There is also a
daily, live, on-demand webcast of UN meetings,
conferences and events. (Education Planet
Newsletter)
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
59
GRASSE’S MUSEUMS: INTERNATIONAL
PERFUME MUSEUM:
http://www.museesdegrasse.com/MIP/fla_ang/MIP_
accueil.shtml
Inaugurated in 1989 at Grasse [France], ‘the cradle
of traditional perfumery,’ the International Perfume
Museum’s exceptional collections retrace the history
of perfumes, and also that of soap, and make-up
and cosmetics, over 4,000 years.” The site features
information about raw perfume materials and the
perfume-making process, a virtual visit to a perfume
factory, a history of perfume (with images of perfume
bottles), historic cosmetic advertisements, and more.
In French, Spanish, and English. (Librarian’s Index to
the Internet)
HISTORY IN SONG:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/history.
html
This website is a little odd in that it’s owned and
updated (occasionally) by an individual who simply
was fascinated by the amount of history that is
recorded in song lyrics. He took it upon himself
to create an archive of songs that are historical
accounts of or commentary on true events in
American and world history. He also provided an
index of songs by individual songwriters and artists.
Click on a song of choice and a new page opens
with a directory of song titles from that era/event.
Click on the song title to read the lyrics of the song.
(Occasionally, a little additional historical information
about the song will be provided.)
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP (ICG):
http://www.crisisgroup.org
An “independent, non-profit, multinational
organisation working through field-based analysis
and advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.”
The site features a description of ICG programs, a
newsletter, reports on countries around the world
and on thematic issues (such as HIV/AIDS and
international terrorism), conflict histories, maps, and
more. Materials are available in several languages.
Searchable. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
JOURNAL OF THE H.M.S. ENDEAVOUR, 1768
- 1771 [MANUSCRIPT] :
http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms1
Images of the hundreds of pages of James Cook’s
“journal of the voyage of H.M.S. Endeavour during
which Cook discovered Eastern Australia and
circumnavigated New Zealand. Bound with the
journal is a copy of a report from John Hutchinson,
surgeon of the Dolphin to Capt. Samuel Wallis, 16th
May 1768, of observations on the effects of saloop,
portable soup, mustard and vinegar, distilled water
and beef fat on scurvy.” From the National Library of
Australia. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
MARINE NAVIGATION IN THE AGE OF
EXPLORATION:
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/
spain/launchWin.htm
The Seattle Art Museum presents this interactive
site that illustrates the use of four ancient nautical
instruments that were used by Spanish explorers
in North America: the Quadrant, Astrolabe, Octant,
and Chronometer. A section for each instrument
includes a description of how it was used, historical
information, pictures and a “did you know” button
for additional facts. An interactive feature allows
visitors to use the Octant to see how it worked and
a movie is available that demonstrates how the
real octant works. Additionally, the site includes a
brief explanation of latitude and longitude and how
the same principles are used in navigation today.
(Education World Newsletter)
MEDIEVAL COOKERY:
http://www.medievalcookery.com
Recipes and resources for cooking dishes from the
Middle Ages. Includes menus and photos, a period
ingredients database, recommended books, a
full-text search of medieval cookbooks, and related
resources. Features recipes for meat and vegetable
dishes, sauces, spice mixes, and desserts. From
an enthusiast who has prepared medieval feasts for
events. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
ONEWORLD.NET:
http://www.oneworld.net/
This site brings together the latest news and views
from over 1,600 organizations promoting human
rights awareness and fighting poverty worldwide. It
includes country guides, topic guides (child labour,
microcredit, migration, etc.). Searchable. (Marylaine
Block’s Neat New Stuff I Found On The Net)
60
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
RAILPICTURES:
http://www.railpictures.net/
INFORMATION LITERACY WEBLOG:
http://ciquest.shef.ac.uk/infolit/
This site contains over 88,000 digital pictures of
railroad related pictures. Searchable by locomotive
type, railroad, country or state, photographer,
category, or keyword. (Marylaine Block’s Neat New
Stuff I Found On The Net)
The focus of the Information Literacy Weblog is the
dissemination and sharing of relevant items and
information relating to information literacy worldwide.
This site contains information about what’s going
on in the world of information literacy, including
upcoming events, recent publications, or new
websites on the topic. As well, there will be news
about our own information literacy project. People
from different parts of the world, and with different
perspectives--librarians, educators, administrators,
and policy makers are involved in this project with an
aim to building a constructive community of interest.
STEP INTO HISTORY:
http://www.stepintohistory.com/
“Over 550 places in the United States where you can
see life as it was.” Browse by state to find listings
for museums and cultural centers, with details about
hours, prices, facilities, and nearby attractions,
lodging, and restaurants. Expanded listings note
the date that admission prices have been verified.
Also includes an events calendar and reading list.
Searchable. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
TECHNOLOGY & THE INTERNET
BLOG WITHOUT A LIBRARY:
http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/
This site contains discussions about and links to
some of the very interesting and engaging ways
libraries are making use of blogs as a format, tool,
and technology, and RSS to serve their users,
whoever they may be. The other major component of
the site is the list of blogging libraries.
HOW TO BLOG SAFELY (ABOUT WORK OR
ANYTHING ELSE):
http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/bloganonymously.php
This April 2005 article about blogs lists “simple
precautions to help you maintain control of your
personal privacy so that you can express yourself
without facing unjust retaliation.” Ideas include
anonymous blogging (such as using a pseudonym
and limiting your audience), understanding legal
implications of blogs, and related topics. Includes
links. From the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
(Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
SUMMER 2005
THE INTERNET COURSES: WEBLOGS OR
BLOGS:
http://www.hi.is/~anne/weblogs.html
The personal Blog of Dr. Anne Clyde, Professor in
the Faculty of Social Science, University of Iceland.
Her Blog contains a very comprehensive list of
information and resources relating to Blogs and
education. This is an excellent starting point for
anyone wanting to learn more about Blogging.
LIBRARY WEBLOGS:
http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html
A Blogging site established by Peter Scott
specifically for librarian.
LISNEWS:
http://www.lisnews.com/
LISNews is a collaborative weblog [aka blog]
devoted to current events and news in the world of
Library and Information Science. A dedicated team
of authors scours the Web to find stories they find
interesting. You’ll find links to interesting stories and
Web sites, along with original stories, interviews and
reviews.
TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY INQUIRY
COMMUNITY:
http://www.bayareawritingproject.org/k12blogWrite/
A Blog site set up by teachers in the San Francisco
area to promote and encourage the use of blogs
in the classroom. All educators are welcome to
participate.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
61
YOU BLOG, WE BLOG: A GUIDE TO HOW
TEACHER-LIBRARIANS CAN USE WEBLOGS
TO BUILD COMMUNICATION AND RESEARCH
SKILLS:
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/tlmag/v_30/v_30_2_
feature.html
DUCT TAPE FASHION:
http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/fashion/
index.html
WHACKY, WILD AND JUST PLAIN WEIRD
Nothing to wear? Please. If you’ve got duct tape,
you’ve got a wardrobe. Whip up a stunning prom
dress, sport coat, superhero costume -- even a
wedding ensemble -- with that most versatile of all
products. At the Duct Tape Fashion Gallery, see
the teens who have designed, worn and allowed
themselves to be photographed in duct tape wear to
win college scholarships. (Surfing The Web Through
Email)
BOOKS2EAT:
http://books2eat.com
THE GALLERY OF REGRETTIBLE FOOD:
http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/
“The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly
event that takes place on April 1 throughout the
world. ... Participants create edible books that are
exhibited, documented then consumed.” View
some of the edible books from past festivals (back
to 2000), which were made from bread, crackers,
cookies, vegetables, seaweed, and many other
materials. Includes links to related sites. In English
and French. (Librarian’s Index to the Internet)
This website highlights poorly photographed
foodstuffs and horrid from the 40s, 50s and 60s.
It wasn’t that the food was inedible; it’s that the
pictures are so hideously unappealing. (Surfing The
Net Through Email)
An excellent article by Theresa Ross Embrey from
the Teacher Librarian magazine on setting up and
using a Blog within a library program.
62
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
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SUMMER 2005
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63
BCTLA REVIEWS
BCTLA REVIEWS
“BCTLA Reviews” is coordinated by:
Valerie Pollock
#101 8060 Colonial Drive
Richmond, BC
V7C 4V1
Home: 604-241-4162
Work: 604-668-6209
Fax: 604-668-6419
[email protected]
The reviews are edited by Valerie Pollock and Carolyn Cutt.
The Canadian Education Index regularly scans and indexes “BCTLA Reviews” which is published in The
Bookmark.
The BCTF has a searchable database of the reviews which can be found at http://pdonline.bctf.ca/Resources/
BookReviews/index.cfm
Items reviewed include print and non-print materials. To be considered for inclusion, items should have
significant association with the province of British Columbia through the author, performer, producer or
subject matter, and should have been published within the last three years.
Publishers are requested to send materials they wish to have reviewed to the Reviewing Service to:
Valerie Pollock
#101 8060 Colonial Drive
Richmond, BC
V7C 4V1
Once again, the BCTLA REVIEWS is asking for reviewers. If you are interested in reviewing materials for The Bookmark, or if you are presently a reviewer and you wish to update your
data, visit the BCTLA website (http://bctf.ca/bctla/Reviewers.pdf) to download the form.
Please send the form to:
BCTLA REVIEWS COORDINATOR
Valerie Pollock
#101 8060 Colonial Drive
Richmond, BC
V7C 4V1
Fax: 604-668-6419
[email protected]
64
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
E AMA
Amado, Elisa. Illustrated by Luis Garay. Cousins.
–– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 0-88899-459-1. –– $16.95
hardcover.
Reviewed by: Willow Reichelt, teacher on call,
SD#33 (Chilliwack)
The main character in Cousins is a little girl who
lives with her North American grandmother, Mimi.
Her cousin, Mariana, lives with her Latin American
grandmother, Abuela Adela, who is Catholic.
The little girl loves her own house and both her
grandmothers, but she is jealous that Mariana is
going to be taking her first communion and wearing
a beautiful white dress. On the day of Mariana’s
first communion the little girl steals Abuela Adela’s
beautiful rosary. She is wracked with guilt and
shame, and when her theft is discovered she is
certain that no one will forgive her. To her surprise
and relief the adults do forgive her, and they still love
her in spite of her mistake. She in turn realizes that
although Mariana has nice things at Abuela Adela’s
house, Mimi also has nice things that Mariana is not
able to enjoy.
Elisa Amado has managed to write a story that is
both culturally specific and universal. Some readers
will be unfamiliar with the traditions described in
Abuela Adela’s house, but everyone can identify with
the feeling of doing something wrong and feeling
terrible about it afterwards. Amado shows that while
the specifics of children’s environments may differ,
the emotions of childhood remain very similar.
Luis Garay’s illustrations are a wonderful
complement to the story. They are colourful and
detailed and help to explain elements of the story
that might be new to young readers.
This is a highly enjoyable and informative read and
would be an asset in elementary libraries.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F ARS
Arsenault, Elaine. Illustrated by Fanny. Doggie in the
window. –– Groundwood Books, 2003. –– 32pp. : ill.
–– ISBN 0-88899-619-5. –– $16.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Eleanor Elliott, retired teacherlibrarian, SD#39 (Vancouver)
This first story by Elaine Arsenault is funny, but has
a poignant note as well. It tells of a little dog that
inhabits the window of a pet shop. He longs to be
SUMMER 2005
adopted by the lady who owns the costume shop
next door. Doggie goes to endless lengths to attract
her attention. He manages to get into her shop at
night and creates a variety of costumes which he
models in the window of the pet shop. Mademoiselle
Madeleine notices his efforts but all seems to be
for nought. It is the pet shop owner tells her that he
wishes to be a seamstress. Doggie is disappointed
to hear her say that she doesn’t need another
seamstress, but he is delighted to learn that she
wants him to be a costume designer. Happily, his
wish to be adopted coincides with her need for a
designer and a friend.
The illustrator, Fanny, has created amusing pictures
in a brilliant palette. There is a strong sense of place
with street scenes of Montreal and the vivid colours
and patterns in the fabrics that Mademoiselle has
piled in her shop. Children will love the costumes
that Doggie sews for himself. The ridiculous efforts
described by the author come to life with Fanny’s
pictures.
Boys and girls will enjoy this off-beat story and will
see that with effort and initiative dreams often do
come true.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F BOW
Bow, Patricia. The bone flute. –– Orca Book
Publishers, 2004. –– 176pp. –– ISBN 1-55143-301X. –– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Gloria Reinheimer, teacher-librarian,
Bear Creek Elementary School, SD#36 (Surrey)
On her twelfth birthday, Camrose receives a letter
from her long dead great-grandmother, Gilda. In the
letter, Gilda explains that Camrose has been chosen
as a Keeper. She must find a special object and give
it to the rightful owner. With her best friend Mark
acting as her helper and protector, Camrose finds
the object, a bone flute. She also learns more about
her own family history. Gilda, the eccentric mayor of
their town, was also a Keeper. Gilda chose to give
the flute to the wrong person and as a result her
parents and sister died in a house fire. If Camrose
makes the same mistake will her sister also perish?
Two mysterious men have asked for the flute. One
man is posing as her dead cousin Terrance. She
believes he is the evil one because he is blocking
her from contacting her father. The other man,
Diarmid, with his young face and old eyes, seems to
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
65
be the rightful owner. However, the more Camrose
learns about how he treated his love Rhianna, the
more she distrusts him, too. Who will Camrose give
the flute to?
Patricia Bow has written a fast-paced fantasy. Her
heroine, Camrose, though only twelve, does her
best to give the flute to the right person. She must
rely on her instincts to make the choice and protect
her sister. Mark is a secondary character who can
do little against evil Gwyn (Terrance’s true name)
and Diarmid. Bow has made them very believable
villains.
This is a well-written book at an easy reading level.
It has humour, as well as pathos, and deals with
issues that children often face. It has short chapters,
a strong plot, lots of action, and charming black ink
illustrations, all things that would appeal to children.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F CIT
Citra, Becky. Illustrated by Jessica Milne. Jeremy
and the enchanted theater. –– Orca Book Publishers,
2004. –– 64pp. : b&w ill. –- ISBN 1-55143-322-2.
–– $6.95 paper.
Recommended for intermediate grades, elementary
and secondary libraries alike.
Reviewed by: Nancy Gelin, teacher-librarian, Lynn
Valley Elementary School, SD#44 (North Vancouver)
F BRO
Broome, Errol. Illustrated by Sharon Thompson.
What a goat! –– Annick Press, 2004. ––80pp. : b&w
ill. –– ISBN 1-55037-868-6. –– $6.95 paper.
Jeremy, a timid boy, escapes a bully by following a
cat and happens upon an old theater in an unfamiliar
part of town. As he is lost, Jeremy is reluctant to
lose sight of the cat, so follows it inside the theater
and meets Mr. Magnus. Although everything in the
theater is labeled DO NOT TOUCH and Mr. Magnus
is adamant about this, Jeremy cannot resist picking
up a lightning bolt and is instantly transported back
to the time of the Ancient Greeks. The last thing that
Jeremy hears Mr. Magnus say is, “He’s not ready!”
Aristotle, the cat, is also transported back in time and
is able to explain to Jeremy that he has a mission: to
save the enchanted theater. Jeremy, however, has
not read the rule book but soon learns that in order
to save the theater, he must do five brave things.
Can the timid Jeremy accomplish this challenge?
Reviewed by: Rosemary Anderson, teacherlibrarian, W.L. McLeod Elementary School, SD#91
(Nechako Lakes)
Gerda the goat was first obtained because the baby
Eliza needed goat milk. Gerda provided very nice
milk, and was easy for Dad to milk. She became
Eliza’s best friend. However, Gerda had some
very bad habits that got her into many scrapes.
She chewed everything in sight, and was almost
impossible to contain in the yard. Dad was going
to build a goat-proof fence until he lost his job and
was unable to buy the necessary supplies to build
it. After many weeks of job-searching, and still
unable to find a job, he decided that Gerda had to
go, as they could not afford to keep her. Eliza was
devastated. She tried to find a home for Gerda,
but nobody wanted her. Then Dad said that Gerda
would have to be put down. Eliza determines that
the only solution is to run away with Gerda.
A simple read, this book would appeal to readers
searching for their first novel. It has lots of action, an
illustration in each chapter, and an ending that leads
to the next adventure. The author, Becky Citra, is a
primary school teacher and has written many books
for children.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
She empties her piggy bank, packs some food
and hay, and sneaks away during the night. The
two runaways camp out in the park. While there,
Gerda suddenly jumps up and races off toward the
creek. Eliza follows, and discovers the neighbours’
grandson has fallen into the creek. Eliza pulls him
out and takes him home to his grandparents. They
are so grateful that Gerda was able to alert Eliza to
save the little boy, they decide to build a child-proof
and goat-proof fence, and keep Gerda. Eliza is
ecstatic, as she will still be able to visit Gerda.
66
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
E COA
Coakley, Lena. Illustrated by Leslie Elizabeth Watts.
On the night of the comet. –– Orca Book Publishers,
2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-287-0. ––
$19.95 hardcover.
E CUM
Cumming, Peter. Illustrated by Alice Priestly. Out on
the ice in the middle of the bay. –– Annick Press,
2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 1-55037-870-8. ––
$8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Nancy Gleeson, teacher-librarian,
SD#35 (Langley)
Reviewed by: Sheila Black, teacher-librarian (on
leave), SD#39 (Vancouver)
Peter can’t sleep because an unanswered question
keeps running around in his head. “Why do people
have to go away?” Perhaps his question can be
answered on this magical night of the comet when
all cats can speak. His Persian kitten begins talking
to him and he opens the front door to two tigers and
a white leopard. They are on their way to meet the
Great Cat who answers puzzling questions.
The white tiger holds and licks Peter till he is soothed
enough to sleep. He is no longer thinking about
his sad father, the dying plants or the big empty
bedroom. When he wakes, it is too late to travel to
the Great Cat but the white leopard promises to take
his question to the Great Cat. Peter’s father awakes
and encourages him to say goodbye in case ‘she’
can hear him.
Little Leah knows she mustn’t go out, for there are
polar bears nearby, but her father is asleep, her
mother is visiting and Leah is bored and curious.
Mother Nanook tells her baby polar bear, Baby
Nanook, not to stray for there are humans nearby.
Mother Nanook falls asleep and Baby Nanook, too,
is bored and curious.
This trip into dreamland, with its beautiful animal
illustrations, would be appealing to any primary or
early intermediate student. For those students who
have just experienced the loss of a mother, Peter
would be an easy character with whom to identify,
thus making this an excellent book for school
counsellors. His questions are relative to all those
who have experienced the loss a family member.
Peter’s good-bye shows us the first step to healing;
the plants will grow again.
Coakley’s simple sentences and vocabulary allow
both a young child and older person to enjoy and
benefit from the story’s message. Watts’ realistic
and detailed images are very appealing and the
symbolism of the white leopard and the dying plants
augment the message of hope and loss. This book
is an excellent example of the power of a simple
story and pictures.
The dramatic climax occurs as the two parents,
human and bear, meet. They have much in common
in that they distrust each other and will do anything
to save their children. Ultimately, the children, Leah
and Baby Nanook, save the day with their innocence
and any harm is averted.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
“Little Leah saw Baby Nanook.
Baby Nanook saw little Leah.”
They nuzzle together in the shadow of an iceberg
peaceful and alone. Both parents are frantic when
they realize their children have wandered off. The
suspenseful and dangerous search begins. The cold
is frigid and it is getting dark. Leah’s father carries
his rifle.
The lyrical and repetitive phrasing makes this story a
perfect read-aloud. Alice Priestly’s illustrations, done
in coloured pencil, seem to glow with a luminous
softness meant to mimic northern light in winter.
Also, there is an Artic motif that runs across the
bottom of each page.
This book is a tenth anniversary reprint of the 1993
edition which was short listed for the Mr. Christie
award both for its text and illustrations.
The only troublesome point that may come up with
children is that Leah’s father carries and uses his
rifle. This will generate some good discussion about
how frightened the father was. Ultimately, Cumming
shows that we as humans have much in common
with the animal world and that there are many
more similarities between Leah’s father and Mother
Nanook than meets the eye.
Highly recommended for elementary school libraries.
SUMMER 2005
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67
F CUM
Cumyn, Alan. After Sylvia. –– Groundwood books,
2004. –– 160pp. –– ISBN 0-88899-646-2. –– $8.95
paper.
Reviewed by: Marv Worden, retired teacher-librarian,
SD#68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith)
At a Grade Four reading level, this sequel to The
Secret Life of Owen Skye set in small-town Ontario
should appeal to boys in grade five, six and seven.
The eleven chapters, based on the familiar comfort
of school, home and family, recount the effects of
over-active imaginations, misunderstandings, and
girl cousins.
At home, Owen, his younger brother, Leonard, and
older brother, Andy, do what boys do, often finding
that their plans far outreach their abilities. They also
discover that adults, like children, can be mistaken,
cranky and unsure. At school, Owen learns further
about these human traits as he deals with new
teachers, classroom student council procedures, and
fundraising. The book deals tenderly with young love; Owen’s
best friend, a girl named Sylvia, has moved away to
the nearby community of Elgin. Owen fears that he’s
starting to forget her but on his birthday those fears
are erased.
This book should be a valuable purchase for
intermediate school libraries.
F DAH
Daher, Anita. Illustrated by Steven McCallum.
Flight from Bear Canyon. –– Orca Book Publishers,
2004. –– 144pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-326-5.
–– $7.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Pat Parker, teacher-librarian, Arthur
Hatton/Dufferin Elementary Schools, SD#73
(Kamloops/Thompson)
This Orca Young Reader is the sequel to Flight from
Big Tangle. Kayla’s mother is a pilot and has gone
to fight forest fires in Montana, so she sends Kayla
and her Bassett, Sausage, to a friend’s soon-to-beopened tourist lodge at Hidden Lake, near the South
Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories. Kayla
meets Jaz, a girl her age, at the lodge, and the two
become friends. As friends do, the girls quarrel,
and Kayla returns to the lodge, but then Jaz’s Uncle
Jack asks her to accompany him in his helicopter to
take pictures of some grizzly bears near the mouth
of the river. Unfortunately, the helicopter develops
68
mechanical problems and crashes! Uncle Jack is
left with a broken leg, and the emergency beacon
doesn’t seem to be working so Kayla sets off back
to the lodge for help. She and Sausage run into
Jaz and more adventure. They have to hide from
a grizzly, get lost in a tunnel, get separated from
Sausage, and find a hidden garden before they
make their way to the lodge and a radiophone. It’s
not over yet! The weather is bad so the official
search can’t get started. Kayla and Jaz decide to
rescue Uncle Jack themselves, as they worry the
grizzly bears will find him before the rescuers do.
So Kayla finds herself piloting Uncle Jack’s Beaver
airplane, rescues Jack, and lands the Beaver in the
lake. Everyone is safe and sound after much nail
biting, but it’s still not the end of the adventures. Jaz
and Kayla return to the hidden garden that turns out
to be the hideout of an early gold miner.
Whew!! This is an exciting and fast-paced adventure
story, and will appeal to early chapter book readers.
There are perhaps too many coincidences necessary
to move the plot along, however it is not likely to
interfere with young readers’ enjoyment of the story.
They are much more forgiving of implausible plot
lines than more sophisticated readers!
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F DYE
dyer, kc. Secret of light. –– Dundurn Press, 2003.
–– 248pp. –– ISBN 1-55002-477-9. –– $12.99 paper.
Reviewed by: Christopher Hunt, teacher-librarian,
Chilliwack Central Elementary Community School,
SD#33 (Chilliwack)
K.C. Dyer’s book, Secret of Light, is a time travel
story. It tells the tale of Darrell Connor, an artistic
girl with a prosthetic leg, who accidentally discovers
ways to travel back through time. Accompanying
on her journeys are her two best friends, Kate, a
computer wizard, and Brodie, a budding scientist.
The modern day setting is an ocean-side private
school, Eagle Glen, which specializes in a fine arts
approach to learning. The characters travel back to
Renaissance Italy where Darrell meets Leonardo Da
Vinci.
In the midst of the time travel episodes, the students
of Eagle Glen are immersed in studies of the
Renaissance that will culminate in a re-enactment of
a Renaissance Fair.
The characters are well-developed in the story
and the actions and abilities of the young teens
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SUMMER 2005
are believable. This book is a sequel to Seeds of
Time but if read independently some information is
missing. There are frequent references to Darrell’s
previous experiences with time travel, how she
came to the school, etc., but this background seems
‘patchy’.
The portions of the book in which Darrell meets
Leonardo Da Vinci are fleeting and disappointing.
Perhaps a larger-than-life figure such as Da Vinci
could use a little deflation, but the main impression
the reader receives is of a sexist, ambitious and
arrogant youth, and a defeated elderly man. The
portrayal of Da Vinci as a character is lacklustre
given his wondrous accomplishments and the
possibilities of using him as a more mischievous,
almost magical figure in Darrell’s quest.
F GIV
Givner, Joan. Ellen Fremedon. –– Groundwood
Books, 2004. –– 176pp. –– ISBN 0-88899-640-3.
–– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Willow Reichelt, teacher on call,
SD#33 (Chilliwack)
Ellen Fremedon needs something to do over the
summer, so she decides to write a novel. Meanwhile,
new and unfriendly neighbours move in, start cutting
down trees, and talking about a major development
right over the local aquifer. It looks like shady
dealings have been going on between the developer
and the water board. Now Ellen must become an
environmental activist while making sure to write
down all the action in her book.
The novel might be especially interesting to grade
eight students studying a Renaissance unit.
Otherwise, it would be best read in conjunction
with the first book in the series. The opening
poem—with no title or spacing to set it off from the
Acknowledgements—was weak and awkward; a
rough beginning that overshadowed the whole.
Joan Givner has written this story as though Ellen
Fremedon is indeed the author. The reader is shown
Ellen’s process as she writes such chapters as “Main
Characters.” Ellen’s little brothers, the twins, are
central to the action of the story, but Ellen doesn’t
like her little brothers so resists their inclusion in the
story as much as possible.
Not highly recommended. If purchased, it would be
suitable for an audience of grades 5 - 8.
Ellen repeatedly interrupts the action of the story to
talk about her difficulty as a writer, and to critique her
own progress.
E GAY
Gay, Marie Louise. Stella, princess of the sky.
–– Groundwood Books, 2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN
0-88899-601-2. –– $15.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Karen Schweitzer, retired teacher,
SD#61 (Greater Victoria)
Stella and Sam are off on another adventure. This
time, Stella attempts to explain to her little brother
Sam the mysteries of the nocturnal world. As usual,
Sam is full of questions. “Where does the sun
sleep?” “Can the moon fly?” Stella, in her quiet,
gentle manner, answers all of his inquiries. Her
explanations are delightful and she truly becomes
the Princess of the Sky.
Because Ellen is not yet a very good writer, the plot
and characterizations in this book are a bit muddled.
This is highlighted by the fact that she repeatedly
refers to her own mistakes. This can make the story
a bit tedious for an adult reader. However, young
readers will likely be inspired by the story of a young
girl deciding to write a book and actually carrying
through with the plan. Givner has used her story as
an advice manual for aspiring young writers: write
what you know, write as much as you can, and keep
writing even if you start to get discouraged. With that
positive message, this book may start some new
writing careers.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
Once again, Marie-Louise Gay has captured the
honesty of young children as they venture out to
explore the wonders of the universe. Her unique
ability to ‘see’ the world as a child sees is fresh and
heart-warming.
Marie-Louise Gay’s soft water-colour illustrations
complete the magic of this book. It is definitely a
must for elementary school libraries.
SUMMER 2005
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69
F GOO
Goobie, Beth. Flux. –– Orca Book Publishers,
2004. –– 256pp. –– ISBN 1-55143-314-1. –– $19.95
hardcover.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Delvecchio, teacher-librarian
(on leave), SD#38 (Richmond)
Flux is based on an alternate world where a certain
group of individuals can rearrange molecules to
travel between parallel universes. Nellie, a twelveyear-old orphan, discovers she has the power
to do this. Along with her mother, Nellie escapes
from the Interior, a rigidly controlled world, with
vague memories of the medical experiments she
was subjected to. They flee to the Outbacks where
freedom does not come easily in the lawless land
and where barter and secrets are the key to survival.
Shortly after, her mother disappears and she is left
to survive alone. It is through her isolation that she
opens her mind to flux; it is through flux that she is
able to stay connected to her mother’s spirit. She
discovers that her capabilities to achieve flux are
much greater and this knowledge, while significantly
increasing the danger in her life, will help Nellie and
the characters she meets along the way. It will also
help Nellie to discover her shocking past.
Beth Goobie is to be commended on her
entertaining, raw and unique style of writing for
teens. Goobie gives the reader the science fiction
they crave. The novel relies heavily on the scientific
mechanics of rearranging molecules for travel,
yet it can be appreciated at many levels. It can be
enjoyed as a science-fiction thriller or can be used to
examine themes such as religion, fear, bullying and
identity. Flux is remniscent of The giver, The matrix
and the setting of a George Orwell novel.
Goobie’s characters are just as intricate as the
plot. Nellie, the twelve-year-old orphan, is pathetic,
strong, hateful and heroic. She is a complex teen
character and one with whom the teen reader will
identify. This is a novel that will be enjoyed by young
female science-fiction fans.
Beth Goobie is an important Canadian writer of
young adult literature and it would serve libraries well
to add Flux to their collections. There is a certain
niche of reader who will be immediately drawn to
Flux.
Highly Recommended for late intermediate and high
school libraries.
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F GUE
Guest, Jacqueline. Illustrated by June Lawrason.
Belle of Batoche. –– Orca Book Publishers, 2004.
–– 144pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-297-8. ––
$7.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Nancy Gleeson, teacher-librarian,
SD#35 (Langley)
Belle and the new girl, Sarah, are competing to
become the new ringer of the church bell. They live
in the town of Batoche, Saskatchewan, where most
of the towns people are Métis and support Louis
Riel in his efforts to secure their land rights with the
Canadian government. Both girls have to embroider
an altar cloth; the best one will win the position
of bell ringer. Sarah’s turns out to be amazingly
beautiful!
Belle paddles across the Saskatchewan River to
speak with Mme Coteau, a noted needleworker, after
she sees Sarah handing her money. Belle finds out
the truth about the cloth but on the way home she is
caught in a battle between the government soldiers
and the people of Batoche. Sarah’s house is burning
and she and her little brother, Sam, are rescued off
the roof by Belle and her mother. Belle gets them
all into an old hidden root cellar. She must enlist
Sarah to help nurse her mother’s burns and Sam’s
sickness. Over the next several days, Belle and
Sarah are forced to work together and, as a result,
become friends.
Guest’s easy language and short chapters make
this novel excellent historical fiction for intermediate
students. It gives a glimpse of rural Canadian life
during the times of Louis Riel and could lead to
further study of English/French conflicts. It would
be a great read-aloud book for a teacher wishing to
introduce such a historical study and can be enjoyed
by both girls and boys.
Recommended for all elementary school libraries.
F HEN
Henighan, Tom. Mercury man. –– Dundern Press,
2004. –– 253pp. –– ISBN 1-55002-508-2 –– $12.99
paper.
Reviewed by: Lesley Edwards, teacher-librarian,
Seycove Secondary School, SD#44 (North
Vancouver)
A declining urban neighbourhood languishing in a
summer heat wave sets the stage for the Mercury
Man’s hero, Tom. He is capably portrayed as a self-
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SUMMER 2005
doubting teen struggling with his self-image, lack of
close friends and life with a single mother.
When Tom suspects that the new computer
company in town, Fabricon, is employing teens
for sinister purposes, he enlists the help of his
grandfather to infiltrate the company’s plant. Tom
draws his strength from an old comic book hero,
and a disgruntled former Fabricon employee bent
on putting a stop to the company’s dangerous
experiments.
A sense of lethargy seems to infuse the story and
some readers may have trouble sustaining interest
until the action picks up. The ending is satisfying but
perhaps a little too contrived.
The reading level is about grade 5.
Author Tom Henighan currently teaches at Carleton
University. His previous writings include the YA
novel Viking Quest.
Recommended with reservations for libraries seeking
to build their science fiction collections.
F HOR
Horvath, Polly. Illustrated by Narylin Hafner. The
Pepins and their problems. –– Groundwood Books,
2004. –– 192pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 0-88899-633-0.
–– $12.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Nancy Gelin. teacher-librarian, Lynn
Valley Elementary School, SD#44 (North Vancouver)
The Pepin family has continuous problems and
the author surveys readers for help with solutions.
These solutions are submitted by fictitious readers
who live in unusually named Canadian towns. Such
place names as Winnepegosis, Ear Falls, Paddle
Prairie, and Hudson Hope are used. The problems
of the Pepins range from the bizarre to the mundane,
as do the solutions. When the Pepins need to reheat
their cooled hot chocolate, an inventor neighbour
begins to combine ingredients to create a reheating
pellet. A reader solution is to find a writer and ask
him to blow hot air over the cups of cold chocolate.
Will their problems ever end? Are edible lightbulbs
practical?
Peggy Horvath has fun with her readers in this
rather odd novel which will appeal to those with an
offbeat sense of humour. The numerous cartoon
SUMMER 2005
style illustrations are also appealing, especially to
readers in grades 2 to 4 with a light look at life. The
sentences contain simple vocabulary and much of
the text is dialogue.
Peggy Horvath is the author of the award winning
novels The Canning Season and Everything on a
Waffle.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F HUS
Huser, Glen. Stitches. –– Groundwood Books, 2003.
–– 200pp. –– ISBN 0-88899-578-4. –– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Rick Mulholland, teacher-librarian,
Stride Avenue Community School/Taylor Park
Elementary School, SD#41 (Burnaby)
In November 2003, the Canada Council for the
Arts announced that Glen Huser’s Stitches was
the winner of the 2003 Governor General’s Literary
Award for children’s literature (English). Stitches is
worthy of this honour.
A number of students will identify with Huser’s
characters. The main character, Travis, and his
best friend, Chantelle, are different than most of
their peers in a small prairie town. Travis loves to
create puppets and then put on shows with them to
entertain others; Chantelle has a physical disability.
The two of them become the targets of the town
bullies.
Stitches begins with Travis and Chantelle finishing
elementary school and waiting for junior high to
begin. The reader travels with Travis and Chantelle
through their junior high years experiencing the high
points of their fantastic puppet show performance
of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the low point
of Travis being beaten by the school bullies on
graduation night.
In Stitches, the reader is taken on a journey with
Travis. We see Travis grow as he begins to accept
being different. The importance of friendship in
fighting loneliness and adversity becomes evident.
Huser has created believable characters, settings,
and plot line in this engaging novel.
Recommended for elementary or secondary
libraries.
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71
E HUT
Hutchins, Hazel. Illustrated by Ruth Ohi. Beneath
the bridge. –– Annick Press, 2004. –– 24pp : ill.
–– ISBN 1-55037-858-9. –– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Eleanor Elliott, retired teacherlibrarian, SD#39 (Vancouver)
Hazel Hutchins has written yet another delightful
story for beginning readers. This repetitive,
cumulative story tells of the adventures of a small
folded paper boat that was created and launched
in a stream by a young child. The story follows the
boat’s trip downstream to the river and ultimately
to the sea. Along the way a variety of people and
creatures are added to the scene. The little boat is at
first saved from sinking and then passed from boat to
boat as it goes on its journey. The lyrical text of this
poetic work will appeal to young audiences, who will
join in with a chorus of ‘Travelling merrily along - my
small boat.’
Ruth Ohi’s pictures are a wonderful counterpart
to the story. In whimsical style she populates the
countryside with many different kinds of people and
creatures. The ‘beneath the bridge’ theme is echoed
in the pictures as Ohi has included at least ten
different bridges. A terrific array of watercraft adds to
the fun. There is so much detail to be enjoyed as one
follows the story of the sailboat, this is sure to be a
winner with readers and for read-aloud as well.
Highly recommended for both home and elementary
school libraries.
F JAC
Jackson, Melanie. The mask on the cruise ship.
–– Orca Book Publishers, 2004. –– 144pp. –– ISBN
1-55143-305-2. –– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Judy Cottrell, teacher-librarian,
Lord Beaconsfield Elementary School, SD#39
(Vancouver)
Melanie Jackson has once again provided great
entertainment the latest title in her Dinah Galloway
Mystery series, The Mask on the Cruise Ship. Each
chapter has an amusing title and provides mystery
and mayhem. Our heroine, Dinah, sets sail as part
of the entertainment crew, on a cruise ship bound for
Alaska. Accompanying the irrepressible Dinah are
her mother, her sister Madge and Madge’s boyfriend
Jack. She meets and becomes involved with Julie,
an artist, the elderly Lavinia who has matrimonial
designs on fellow passenger Ira and a potential thief
with gooseberry-coloured eyes. Dinah had caught
72
glimpses of this latter character on several occasions
before leaving port; she believes she has foiled his
attempts at theft on at least two occasions already.
On board ship, the centre of attention is a valuable
raven mask being transported to an Alaskan art
gallery.
High seas escapades and excitement abound in this
latest novel by Melanie Jackson. The characters are
credible, the plot twists and turns and the setting is
ideal.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries.
F KYI
Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. My time as Caz Hazard. –– Orca
Book Publishers, 2004. –– 112pp. –– ISBN 1-55143319-2. –– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Rosemary Anderson, teacher-librarian,
W.L. McLeod Elementary School, SD#91 (Nechako
Lakes)
Caz Hazard’s life seems to be in destruct
mode. Suspended from her high school, her
parents transfer her to another school on the
recommendation of the principal. The new school
has learning support, which is crucial for the dyslexic
Caz. However, she is not enamoured with the
classmates, or the teasing she endures from the
other students. She makes friends with two other
girls in the class, but they have their own problems,
and lead her astray into theft, truancy, and bullying.
During this time, Caz’s parents split up and her
mother moves out.
There are some bright spots in this otherwise dim
picture. Caz’s brother helps her proofread her
written assignments and her special education
teacher helps her to correct her errors. She also
learns to enjoy her talent in art. However, Caz does
not manage to stay out of trouble, and tries her
hand at bullying Dodie, one of the girls in her special
education class. When Dodie commits suicide by
overdosing on pills, Caz feels responsible. Caz’s
teacher helps her realize that Dodie was facing many
complicated problems that led to her suicide and
this eases her guilt. She is also able to contribute
a special drawing she had done of Dodie to the
memorial.
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SUMMER 2005
This is a well-written teen novel that meets social
issues head-on, and provides reasonable solutions
to these problems. It is a good illustration of how
insidious bullying is, and how much damage it can
cause. I would recommend this book be available
in all school libraries, and for use by teachers and
counsellors.
Recommended for elementary and secondary
libraries.
F LEE
Lee, Ingrid. Illustrated by Stéphane Denis. The true
story of George. –– Orca Book Publishers, 2004.
–– 64pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-293-5. –– $6.95
paper.
Reviewed by: Marv Worden, retired teacher-librarian,
SD#68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith)
This seems a short book to be divided into nineteen
chapters, but the concept makes good use of such
structure. George, a finger-sized plastic man with an
active imagination but no power of speech, is found
by a sister and brother who subject him to a variety
of playful childhood activities, each of which he
sees as a personal adventure. Katie and Mackenzie
first dunk him into a bottle of windshield washer in
the back seat of the family car, then fish him out to
use him as the weight needed for a grocery bag
parachute. In these events George saw himself as
first a deep-sea diver and then a sky diver.
Five or six further events, including time spent in
a toy box or a dinosaur diorama, are told in the
third person, focusing first on the activities of the
children complete with their dialogue, and then
alternating chapters focus on George’s imaginative
interpretation as he deals with the event as a stoic
and heroic adventurer.
Especially valuable is Lee’s care in describing how
George sees his surroundings and the events of
his adventures while leaving room for imaginative
listeners and readers to see more accurately what
is really going on in the children’s world. Suburban
roofs are seen as peaks of mountain ranges.
Sixteen simple black and white illustrations in pen
and ink accurately support the text.
With a reading level of grade 2, this book would be
a good stimulus and model for further classroom
writing on the adventures of George.
Recommended for elementary school libraries. SUMMER 2005
F LIT
Little, Jean. Illustrated by Hanne Lore Koehler.
Rescue Pup. –– Orca Book Publishers, 2004. ––
106pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-299-4. –– $7.95
paper.
Reviewed by: Rosemary Anderson, teacher-librarian,
W.L. McLeod Elementary School, SD#91 (Nechako
Lakes)
This is a charming and heart-warming, although
tear-jerking story about a Seeing Eye puppy.
Before being trained to work with a blind person,
Seeing Eye puppies spend their growing up year
with children who are in foster homes. Foster child
Tessa has not learned to love, and Shakespeare, the
Seeing Eye puppy, works hard to teach her. He is
met with many challenges but is able to meet them
all, and earns the title of Rescue Pup. Tessa learns
to deal with the neglect and abuse that led to her
being placed in a foster home, and with the help of
Shakespeare and some extremely understanding
adults, Tessa matures so much that she is adopted
by the foster family. Shakespeare has to leave for
his training as a guide dog, but Tessa is promised
that they will meet again.
Jean Little is blind herself and now has her
third Seeing Eye dog. She writes with great
understanding and empathy about troubled children
and how pets can assist in the process of growing
up. The book is a well-written beginner novel and is
enhanced with black and white illustrations. It would
be appropriate for students in grades 2 - 6.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F MAC
Mac, Carrie. The beckoners. –– Orca Book
Publishers, 2004. –– 192pp. –– ISBN 1-55143-3095. –– $19.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Marv Worden, retired teacher-librarian,
SD#68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith)
In this book with a grade 5 reading level, Mac does
a good job of keeping an array of characters clearly
drawn, interesting and accurately traceable through
to the slightly too-tidy end.
The lack of awareness of adults in family
relationships is vividly shown; Zoe offers a great
deal of stability to her toddler half-sister, Cassy, and
to their well-meaning, hard-working but romantically
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73
unstable and alcoholic mother. Barb, the bubbly daycare mother, seems unaware or in denial that her
daughter has been seriously bullied for years.
Facing the ninth family move, fifteen-year-old Zoe
makes clear her uncomplimentary views of both
backwoods Prince George and Abbotsford where
she sees religion as the chief industry. Attempting to
fit in, Zoe joins “The Beckoners” a gang of tough girls
which for years has been bullying an unattractive
age mate, April, in the most horrifying way. This
bullying escalates without the school or parents
being aware or taking charge, and Zoe finds herself
unable to leave the gang.
When the bullying situation reaches a crisis level,
including having April’s face burned with cigarettes
and the body of her beloved dog hanged outside
their home, Zoe, a couple of gay male classmates,
and the editor of the school paper trick “The
Beckoners” into turning themselves into the police.
The ending seems slightly quick and impersonal
after the reader has come to know the individual
“Beckoners” so well. Their power and cruelty
throughout the story requires that their undoing be
more detailed.
While there are no explicit sexual scenes, potential
purchasers should be aware of coarse language
and controversial viewpoints on homosexuality
and religion. On the grounds that readers of this
novel may be moved to take positive action when
witnessing bullying, unlike the adolescents and
adults in the story, it would likely be a worthwhile
purchase for junior secondary libraries.
Recommended for high school libraries.
F MAZ
Mazetti, Katarina. Translated by Maria Lundin. God
and I broke up. –– 160pp. –– ISBN 0-88899-617-9.
–– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by Willow Reichelt, teacher on call, SD#33
(Chilliwack)
Linnea always felt like an outsider at school, until
she and Pia became friends. She was able to have
conversations with Pia that she could have with no
one else. But when Pia kills herself, Linnea is left to
navigate teenage life alone. How can she deal with
Pia’s death when Pia was the only one who could
really understand her feelings? As Linnea herself
says;
“If your husband dies, you’re a widow, dressed in
black, and people talk in hushed voices around
74
you for years. If your best friend dies, after a while
people get irritable and start asking what you’re
moping about.”
God and I Broke Up is a moving portrayal of the slow
progress of healing after a great loss. Linnea must
find a way to preserve her good memories of Pia,
while getting over her feelings of guilt and anger.
It is refreshing to read a young adult novel that
reflects the fact that in real life there aren’t answers
for everything. Katerina Mazetti does a remarkable
job of writing a book about teen suicide that resists
the compulsion to give a simple reason for Pia’s
actions. Linnea has a suspicion that Pia may have
been pregnant, but she must accept that she will
never know for sure. Mazetti also ensures that
suicide is not glamorized; Linnea, who was always
the more timid of the two friends, is much stronger
than Pia for choosing life, with all its problems and
tragedies, over death.
Highly recommended for high school libraries.
F NIC
Nicholson, Lorna Schultz. Interference. –– James
Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers, 2004. –– 96pp.
–– ISBN 1-55028-822-9. –– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Pat Parker, teacher-librarian, Arthur
Hatton/Dufferin Elementary Schools, SD#73
(Kamloops/Thompson)
Interference is the story of Josh, a Peewee hockey
player who has made the top team in the league.
But he isn’t performing for the team because he
doesn’t seem to have any energy. At hockey
practice he is often out of breath and very thirsty. He
is tired in school and his marks are suffering. His
parents aren’t really paying enough attention to Josh
because the father is more interested in the older
son’s hockey future and mom is busy with the young
daughter’s dance practices and recitals. Finally
a coach notices Josh is losing weight and really
struggling and suggests he tell his parents about
his health problems. Before he has a chance, his
brother has a car accident with a police car. While
everyone is busy with the police, Josh collapses and
wakes up in the hospital. He has been diagnosed
with Type1 diabetes. Everything has a happy
resolution as the parents realize the older son’s
ambitions to be an actor and apologize to Josh for
not paying attention to him. Josh becomes a bit of
a hero with his teammates as he will need to give
himself insulin injections. As well, there is a hint of
romance for Josh with a female player from his team.
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SUMMER 2005
For those who know the symptoms of diabetes,
these symptoms are clearly recognizable in Josh’s
story. Once diagnosed, Josh is given a program that
he must follow for testing blood sugar and how to
follow a meal plan.
The author has also written the Intuko and Angie
Melville mystery series. She lives in Calgary, Alberta
with her husband Bob, president of Hockey Canada,
so the hockey language and atmosphere is accurate.
Interference is the first in a series of hockey stories
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson for the Sports Stories
series. Further titles in the series are Roughing,
Against the Boards (May, 2005) and Delaying the
Game (October, 2005)
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
E NIE
Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin. Illustrated by LouiseAndrée Laliberté. Mormor moves in. –– Orca Book
Publishers, 2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 1-55143291-9. –– $19.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Willow Reichelt, teacher on call,
SD#33 (Chilliwack)
Astrid’s Morfar (Grandpa) in Sweden dies, and
her Mormor (Grandma) comes to live at Astrid’s
house. Astrid thinks it is going to be fun at first,
but then Mormor arrives and is not the fun-loving
grandmother Astrid was hoping for. Mormor spends
a lot of time sitting in her room, and she doesn’t
understand Astrid’s attachment to her best friend,
a teddy bear named Bjorn. Astrid begins to think
she hates Mormor, but then when Bjorn goes
missing Mormor takes action that shows her to be a
compassionate and loving person after all.
There are many books written to help children cope
with losing a loved one. This book is unique in that
it teaches empathy for someone else’s loss. Astrid
did not know her grandfather, so she is not sad
when he dies. Because of this, she is not able to
recognize the signs of grief in Mormor. When Bjorn
goes missing, Astrid realizes that Mormor feels the
same about losing Morfar as Astrid feels about losing
Bjorn.
Empathy is one of the most important skills children
can acquire, and this book does an admirable job of
helping them do so.
Highly recommended for elementary school libraries.
E REY
Reynolds, Marilynn. Illustrated by Renné Benoit.
Goodbye to Griffith Street. –– Orca Book Publishers,
2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 1-55143-285-4. ––
$19.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Pat Parker, teacher-librarian, Arthur
Hatton/Dufferin Elementary Schools, SD#73
(Kamloops-Thompson)
John lives in a small mining town, close to where
the miners walked to work in the mine. But in the
morning John and his mother are leaving because
his parents are getting a divorce. John spends the
day saying goodbye to friends and places. Before
his dad leaves for night shift, he promises to come
and visit John in his new house. John wakes early
to a fresh snowfall and goes out to ‘leave his mark’.
He proceeds to visit the homes of his friends and
neighbours and makes them a present of snow
angels or stars. With daylight comes the taxi to take
John and his mother to the train station.
This is a poignant story that reflects the author’s
experience as a child when her parents separated.
The illustrator has captured the essence of a small
mining town of the forties. The stunning aerial view
of the street as the taxi is driving away shows John’s
journey through the snow.
Goodbye to Griffith Street could be used as
bibliotherapy for a number of issues including
divorce, separation, moving and closure.
Marilyn Reynolds has written numerous children’s
books including The Name of the Child, Belle’s
Journey, The New Land, and The Prairie Fire.
Renné Benoit is a working artist: this is her first
picture book.
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
Susin Nielsen-Fernlund’s writing is gentle and
teaches a lesson without being moralistic. The
illustrations by Louise-Andrée Laliberté are rendered
in soft chalk pastels which is in keeping with the
quiet tone of the book.
SUMMER 2005
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75
F SCH
Schindler, Nina. Translated by Robert Brett. An
order of Amelie, hold the fries. –– Annick Press,
2004. –– 112 pp. : b&w ill. –– ISBN 1-55037-861-9.
–– $10.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Christopher Hunt, teacher-librarian,
Chilliwack Central Elementary Community School,
SD#33 (Chilliwack)
An order of Amelie, hold the fries is a classic case
of mistaken identity, but with a catchy modern twist.
Tim, our seventeen-year-old protagonist, sees a
gorgeous girl on the street—likely, way out of his
league, ogle material only. However, when the
young woman unwittingly drops a piece of mail, Tim
is excited because he now knows her name and
address. Thankfully not a stalker, Tim simply writes a
letter to Amelie hoping to charm her into meeting so
he can return the letter (and sweep her off her feet
with his witty repartee). Alas, Amelie is actually the
friend and roommate of the beautiful vision (named
Vanessa) that Tim saw downtown. Undaunted, and
intrigued by Amelie’s response, Tim sets out to win
her affections instead.
On the one hand, this novel is built on a silly
premise, is populated by fairly lame and vapid
characters, is an unlikely and unbelievable love
story, and is entirely gimmicky in its presentation.
The most minor analysis will have you writing the
book off as fluff.
And yet, on the other hand, the gimmick works well.
The story unfolds entirely through the messages
sent back and forth between the main and peripheral
characters. These messages are rendered in myriad
ways: handwritten letters, e-mails, newspaper
clippings with scrawled marginalia, postcards,
napkins, ‘post-it’ notes, collages, text messages on
cell phone screens, various sheets of stationery, and
so on. Each page of the book contains a black-andwhite photo of the current message on the medium
of choice, and this image is laid over a background
graphic or photo relating to the emotional state or
physical location of its writer.
Yes, the content is simplistic, but it is fast-paced and
fun—it’s a page-turner that can be finished in half an
hour, or so. The layout is artistic and eye-catching,
and the message gimmick does make you curious
as to what’s coming next. Bottom line: teen readers
will love this book. Reluctant readers, especially,
will be drawn to the short text-bites and pictorial
presentation. This book will been seen as cool: it
is young and hip in its use of kitch as well as the
76
abbreviated tech-language of text messages. Buy it,
put it on the shelves, recommend it to two or three
kids, and watch word-of-mouth do the rest.
Highly recommended for secondary school libraries,
and students as young as grade 6 may enjoy this
book.
E SCH
Schwartz, Roslyn. The complete adventures of the
Mole Sisters. –– Annick Press, 2004. –– 168pp. : ill.
–– ISBN 1-55037-883-X. –– $24.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Karen Schweitzer, retired teacher,
SD#61 (Greater Victoria)
Once again, the mole sisters capture the heart
of the reader. This collection of ten delightful
adventures allows the reader to experience the close
relationship between the two sisters. Their message
throughout each story is to enjoy the simple things in
life. To quote the mole sisters, it’s ‘All good stuff’.
Roslyn Schwartz has the ability to draw the reader/
listener in quickly. Her use of simple language and
choice of fun words makes the reading of her stories
a memorable experience.
As the illustrator of her own books, Roslyn Schwartz
has lovingly created the mole sisters. Her soft
watercolours enhance the carefree way in which the
mole sisters enjoy life.
Early and lower level readers would find the stories
and illustrations entertaining. It is definitely a book
that should be in elementary school libraries.
F SHE
Sherrard, Valerie. Sam’s light. –– Dundurn Press,
2004. –– 216pp. –– ISBN 1-55002-535-X. –– $12.99
paper.
Reviewed by: Lesley Edwards, teacher-librarian,
Seycove Secondary School, SD#44 (North
Vancouver)
Fourteen-year-old Cole Fennety has one thing on his
mind. More than anything he wants to earn enough
money to buy himself a new bike. Employment
options for a young teen in a small town are limited
and he is driven to take a summer job with grouchy
old Sam Kerrigan who owns a machine repair shop.
As Cole comes to know his new boss he discovers a
kind-hearted man with a connection to his own past.
However, he soon finds himself in a situation with no
one to turn to for advice.
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SUMMER 2005
His summer unfolds with a series of changes as he
struggles to deal with his annoying younger sister,
his first forays into the world of dating, and a best
friend whose out-of-control behaviour often means
trouble.
Sherrard has drawn on her own experience fostering
teens to give Cole a likable and believable voice.
She is the author of young adult novel Kate, and the
Shelby Belgarden mystery series. This story may
not hook boys who want only fast-paced action but
Cole is a character many will relate to. With a grade
6 reading level, it will fit very nicely into independent
novel studies for middle school English classes.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries.
F SHE
Sherrard, Valerie. Chasing shadows. –– Dundern
Press, 2004. –– 216pp. –– ISBN 1-55002-502-3.
–– $12.99 paper.
Reviewed by: Willow Reichelt, teacher on call,
SD#33 (Chilliwack).
When sixteen-year-old Shelby Belgarden gets the
first job she applies for, at the Steak Place, she has
no idea that her seeming good fortune will lead to
a summer of mystery and danger. Nadine, one of
Shelby’s co-workers, goes missing, and Shelby is
the only person who thinks that her disappearance
is suspicious. The police think Nadine has just met
a man and gone off with him, but Shelby just knows
that Nadine wouldn’t have done that. Shelby begins
to investigate, and uncovers a sinister plot. She
saves the day, but not before almost paying with her
life.
Chasing Shadows is Valerie Sherrard’s third Shelby
Belgarden mystery, and it is easy to see why
Shelby’s character has been popular enough to
spawn a series. She is spunky, clever, and funny.
The mystery elements of the story are woven
seamlessly together with the everyday details of
the life of a sixteen-year-old girl: boyfriend troubles,
bad job blues, best friend’s crises. The mystery
itself is well-crafted. Shelby has to do some clever
thinking to figure things out, but the reader can see
in hindsight that the clues were there all along.
SUMMER 2005
This book will appeal to readers looking for a
mystery novel with a teenage heroine, and also for
something more realistic and less formulaic than
Nancy Drew.
Recommended for secondary school libraries.
F SIA
Siamon, Sharon. Brave horse. –– Whitecap Books,
2004. –– 160pp. –– ISBN 1-55285-528-7. –– $8.95
paper.
F SIA
Siamon, Sharon. Free horse. –– Whitecap Books,
2004. –– 160pp. –– ISBN 1-55285-608-9. –– $8.95
paper.
Reviewed by: Rosemary Anderson, teacher-librarian,
W.L. McLeod Elementary School, SD#91 (Nechako
Lakes)
These are books six and seven in the Mustang
Mountain series. The main characters are three
fifteen-year-old girls who all end up on Mustang
Mountain Ranch in the Rocky Mountains near
Calgary. Becky lives on the ranch but spends the
school year staying with her relatives in town. Along
with her cousin Alison, who she has been living with
while attending school, and her friend Meg from New
York, she spends her summer holidays at the ranch.
Becky and Alison have difficulties getting along, as
Alison is trying to sort herself through a family breakup. In Brave Horse, the girls continue to search for
wild horses. There have been sightings of a black
stallion who is either a descendant of a wild horse
or is a ghost horse. Along with three young horse
wranglers from the ranch, they try to find the
ghost horse, but Rob and his horse get caught in
an abandoned mine shaft and Chuck’s horse is
swept away to its death in a creek after a violent
storm. Through many adventures and a few crises,
plus their work at training horses for barrel racing
and endurance riding help the girls learn about
relationships and responsibility.
In Free Horse, Meg is on her way to the airport
to return to New York, but ends up helping Ruby,
who runs a neighbouring lodge, get to the hospital
because she has appendicitis. Meg and Thomas
look after the ranch and Ruby’s ten-year-old stepson
Tyler while she is in the hospital. Tyler is not very
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77
cooperative, opens a gate, and lets all the ranch
horses out. While searching for the horses, Thomas
discovers that someone is catching and selling wild
horses. They are forced to deal with many porblems
and adventures before Ruby recovers and is able
to return home and care for the lodge and Tyler.
Meg realizes that she still has lots to learn about
relationships and responsibility.
These books deal with the social issues of
relationships between teen-agers, and how to
accept responsibility for your actions. They also tell
wonderful stories about horses and outdoor living in
the Rocky Mountains. The writing is clear, and there
is sufficient action to keep readers interested.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries.
E TAT
Tate, Nikki. Illustrated by Benoît Laverdière.
Grandparents’ Day. –– Annick Press, 2004. –– 32pp.
: ill. –– ISBN 1-55037-842-2. –– $8.95 paper.
Reveiwed by: Marilyn Clements, retired teacher,
SD#71 (Comox Valley)
Nikki Tate’s Grandparents’ Day is a 32 page soft
cover picture/storybook. The colourful illustrations
are striking because they are so weird. The people
have balloon-like bodies and very strangely-shaped
colourful hair. The narrator of the story has a doughboy figure and a high, striped standup hat (or is it
hair?). He (or maybe it’s a girl) is nervous about
taking Omi to school for Grandparents’ Day. Omi
looks weird, lives on a boat, wears unusual clothes,
doesn’t go to a hairdresser and collects dead bugs
on her travels. But Omi wins the day when she
shows her snakebite scar and tells her story. The
kids all love her and want to hear more. It turns out
weird is okay. F WAL
Walters, Eric. Grind. –– Orca Book Publishers, 2004.
–– 112pp. –– ISBN 1-55143-317-6. –– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Gloria Reinheimer, teacher-librarian,
Bear Creek Elementary School. SD#36(Surrey)
Philip Falcone, the Falcon, is a very good
skateboarder. He is also a daredevil who considers
cuts, bruises and broken bones just part of the
scene. Phil lives for skateboarding and does only
enough school work to pass. His good friend and
fellow skateboarder, Wally, is much more cautious.
One day they meet Barn Barn, a world famous
skater. He explains to them how to make lots of
money by videotaping their jumps and putting them
on a web site. Sponsors pay by the number of hits
on the site. Phil and Wally enlist the help of Phil’s
ex-girlfriend Lisa and a younger student who is a
video and computer genius. The money begins to
come in but they must maintain interest by doing
bigger, better, more dangerous stunts. Phil does not
care for his personal safety and begins to push his
friends to perform ever more dangerous stunts with
near tragic results.
This book is another Orca Soundings high-interest,
low-vocabulary novel aimed at reluctant readers.
Eric Walters has incorporated skateboard lingo, and
woven in romance, friendship and danger. There
are very few novels targeting this group of readers or
non-readers. Eric Walters may have found another
audience with this fast-paced book.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries.
Recommended for elementary school libraries. 78
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SUMMER 2005
F WIT
Withers, Pam. Raging river. –– Walrus Books, 2003.
–– 184pp. –– ISBN 1-55285-510-4. –– $8.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Anne Lyle, teacher-librarian, École
College Heights Elementary School and Quinson
Elementary School, SD#57 (Prince George).
Raging River is the first fast-paced adventure volume
of a series called: Take it to the extreme. Set in the
wilderness of British Columbia, with its raging rivers
rushing through steep mountains, readers can easily
identify with the thrill of the rival characters vying
for a spot on the national kayak team. From the
appealing cover, through to the finale of the story,
readers are gripped and held fast.
Many anxiety issues deepen the plot: among
them rivalry of teen athletes, having only a single
parent, having a newly-wed parent, frustration over
poverty, jealousy of wealthy opponents, aboriginal
concerns, bullying, friendship and deep loss as well
as terrifying survival scenes. All these issues are
included in this small volume, which draws readers
like a magnet.
Highly recommended for all elementary libraries,
grade 5 and up.
F WIS
Wishinsky, Frieda. Illustrated by Louise-Andrée
Laliberté. A bee in your ear. –– Orca Book
Publishers, 2004. –– 64pp. : ill. –– ISBN 1-55143324-9. $6.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Karen Schweitzer, retired teacher,
SD#61 (Greater Victoria)
Friendship, honesty and the importance of winning
are the issues dealt with in this easy-read novel.
As Kate prepares for the Grade 2 Spelling Bee,
she must deal with her own lack of confidence and
self-esteem. It is her close friend Jake, endearingly
calling her ‘M’Mate’, who stands by her and offers
support. When classmates taunt Kate and then
cheat during the spelling bee, Kate has some
important decisions to make.
SUMMER 2005
Young readers will be able to identify with the main
character, Kate, and the struggles she faces. Author
Frieda Wishinsky has tactfully handled these delicate
issues in a nonjudgmental manner. Classroom
teachers will be able to develop some excellent
group discussions after sharing this book with their
class..
Recommended for elementary school libraries.
F WYN
Wynne-Jones, Tim. A thief in the house of memory.
–– Groundwood Books, 2004. –– 224pp. –– ISBN
0-88899-574-1. –– $13.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Marv Worden, retired teacher-librarian,
SD#68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith)
The cover, the title, and the back cover summary
should move the book off the shelves and WynneJones’ ability to maintain suspense should keep the
reader hooked until the end.
The plot revolves around sixteen-year-old Declan
Steeple’s memories of his mother and the Steeple
mansion that sits empty, just as the family left it six
years ago, after his mother left. With the help of his
close friend, Ezra, Dec finds information to ease his
feelings of abandonment which had been made even
worse by the suspicion that he had not been told the
truth of his mother’s leaving.
The author realistically handles the awkwardness
of relationships between teenager and parent,
and between teenager and step-parent. Details of
characters and of the mansion, together with the
effective meting out of clues, make the book an
enjoyable little mystery.
With their motivated behaviors, Declan’s lunchroom
classmates, including a romantic interest, Vivien,
make worthy models for real students. The
readability level at Grade Four or Five should make
this book a popular choice of fiction for Junior
Secondary boys.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries.
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79
303.6 IWR
I wrote on all four walls : Teens speak out on
violence. Edited by Fran Fearnley. –– Annick Press,
2004. –– 128pp. –– ISBN 1-55037-756-6. –– $12.95
paper.
305.235 PER
Perfectly secret : The hidden lives of seven teenage
girls. Edited by Susan Musgrave. –– Annick Press,
2004. –– 112pp. –– ISBN 1-55037-864-3. –– $10.95
paper.
Reviewed by Garth Harkess, teacher-librarian,
Mount Baker Secondary School, SD#5 (Southeast
Kootenay)
Reviewed by: Sheila Black, teacher librarian (on
leave), SD#39 (Vancouver)
Nine teenagers and young adults recount their
horrific experiences with violence and abuse in
this exceptional book. The Toronto Public Library
partnered with Annick Press to produce this
collection of shocking, disturbing and profoundly
moving true stories of youth dealing with violent life
situations.
Seventeen-year-old Sue, born in China, was beaten
by her father and watched her mother being beaten
by her stepfather. At 12 she was sent to Canada
to live with her brother in Vancouver. Soon she
was in a gang and fighting herself. Don was a bully
who started by beating up his younger brother and
continued fighting right into college. Debbie was the
victim of an abusive boyfriend. Allan was tormented
at school for being gay and became heavily involved
with drugs in an attempt to fit in with his peers.
Caitlin grew up in a violent home and was sexually
abused at 11. By 12 she was drinking, doing acid
and smoking marijuana.
These are seven short biographies where women
authors reflect on difficult and sometimes unbearable
periods in their teenage lives where keeping secrets
was damaging to their well being.
Susan Musgrave’s narrative “Cherry Pride”
discusses the secret of suicide her friend divulges
to her and the author’s subsequent burden of guilt
about having this knowledge when her friend really
does slash her own wrists.
Kelys Green’s secret in “Unseen, Unheard” involves
the physical punishment she receives ‘for her own
good’. She describes the terror of always trying to
keep the secret and consequently the other secrets
she keeps so she won’t be beaten even more.
All of these teenagers tell their stories ‘straight up’
– without adornment or excuses. These narratives
are not always easy to read, but they are definitely
the authentic voices of young people who know first
hand the effects of violence.
Anita Rau Badami tells of feeling ashamed of her
crazy aunt who lives with her and her family in “Mad
as Sheela”. Anita constantly worries others will think
that she, too, could go crazy by being ‘infected’ by
her aunt. She worries about how this family member
will affect her future – she will have no friends, no
one will want to marry into her ‘crazy’ family, and
she will not be able to find a job because of the
shadow cast over her family. She feels guilt and fear
because she is driven to concoct stories about this
person who lives with her family.
In the preface, editor Fran Fearnley states the
purpose of the book: “It’s not that we were looking for
happy endings, but we wanted readers to hear from
those who – even if they are still struggling – had
insights to share. The overarching observation from
all the youth we listened to is that violence changed,
forever, the way they experience the world.”
In “The Damsite” Nan Germaine talks about secrets
that were not hers but her mother’s. Nan’s mother
tells Nan about her unhappiness concerning her
husband’s infidelity. At first, these confessions make
Nan feel important, but eventually she begins to feel
resentful about having to take part in her parent’s
problems rather than being protected from them.
There is a short section, written by an expert with
Central Toronto Youth Services, on how to reduce
or prevent violence and aggression. Contact
information for the Kids Help Phone and the Centre
for Suicide Prevention is listed on the last page.
Almeda, Glenn Miller’s mother in “There Will Be No
Secrets”, is just kidding herself when she says and
believes that. Almeda and her brother have plenty of
secrets about drugs and their experimentation with
them.
Highly recommended for high school students and all
adults who work or live with teens.
The most disturbing vignette is Cathy Stonehouse’s
“Truth, Dare, Kiss, Command, or Promise :
Fragments from a Life”. Her secret of child
80
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SUMMER 2005
molestation results in a split personality. Continuing
to keep this secret drives her to drugs which she
also must keep secret. Her secrets seem the most
disturbing since she chooses to hide them even from
herself.
The introduction examines the myths and reality of
fire. There is an index and bibliography at the back
of the book. Other books in the series, all with 10
stories, are Tunnels!, Scams! and Escapes! Tanya
Lloyd Kyi is a Vancouver author.
All of these brief biographies are well written, honest,
not gratuitously graphic and not appropriate for
all. It may give some readers hope that all of these
women are strong individuals who have managed
to overcome their secrets. These stories drive
home the point that one should never be hostage
to secrets. Musgrave also makes the point in her
introduction that we often use secrets to present
ourselves the way we think others wish to see us
when most people are very accepting and will take
you as you are and help you any way they can.
Recommended for elementary and secondary school
libraries; suitable for students from grade 4 and up.
Highly recommended (with some caution) for upper
secondary school students.
With limited library budgets these days, everyone
wants to get value for their money when purchasing
books. Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories of the Moon
delivers. This book is a picture book, a non-fiction
book, and a book of comparative mythology all rolled
into one.
363.37 KYI
Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. Fire : True stories from the edge.
–– Annick Press, 2004. –– 112pp. : bibliography :
index. –– ISBN 1-55037-876-7. –– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Garth Harkess, teacher-librarian,
Mount Baker Secondary School, SD#5 (South
Kootenay)
Ten famous fires are vividly described in this very
readable addition to the True Stories from the
Edge series. Kyi draws readers into the stories by
focusing on a witness to the tragedy and looking at
the unfolding events from his or her vantage point.
The short stories are broken up by catchy headings
such as ‘Falling from the Sky’, ‘Trapped’, and ‘Grisly
Discoveries’. Historical facts are presented in a way
that will appeal to young readers.
The fires chronicled in the book are: Chicago, 1871;
Indonesia, 1997; Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986;
New York Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, 1911; Halifax
Explosion, 1917; Kuwait Oil Wells, 1991; London,
1666; South Korea Subway Fire, 2003; Hindenburg
Airship Disaster, 1937; and Vienna’s Ring Theatre,
1881.
398.26 GAL
Galat, Joan Marie. Illustrated by Lorna Bennett. Dot
to dot in the sky : Stories of the moon. –– Whitecap
Books, 2004. –– 64pp. : ill. : glossary : index. ––
ISBN 1-55285-610-0. –– $16.95 paper.
Reviewed by Willow Reichelt, teacher on call, SD#33
(Chilliwack).
Moon myths from many different cultures are skilfully
retold by Joan Marie Galat and beautifully illustrated
by Lorna Bennet. Factual information on such topics
as phases of the moon, lunar eclipses, and moon
exploration is given between the stories. Sidebars
throughout give quick moon facts. The book also
includes a six-page glossary and an index.
This book would be invaluable to any teacher doing
a moon unit. It would also be useful for language
arts teachers. In addition, it would appeal to fiction
readers who do not normally read non-fiction, or vice
versa.
Highly recommended for elementary and secondary
school libraries; suitable for students from grade 4
and up.
The Table of Contents lists the fires only by titles
such as “It’s Going to Blow!” and “Fleeing the
Flames”. Readers need to turn to the first page of
each chapter to find out what the actual fire is.
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
81
427 ORE
O’Reilly, Gillian. Illustrated by Krista Johnson.
Slangalicious. –– Annick Press, 2004. –– 88pp. : ill. :
index. –– ISBN 1-55037-764-7. –– $14.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Sheila Black, teacher librarian (on
leave), SD#39 (Vancouver)
Slang makes language fun and has made language
fun throughout the ages. That’s the point of Gillian
O’Reilly’s wonderfully entertaining non-fiction book
Slangalicious. We use slang everyday not knowing
the reference or how it became popular and this
book covers over 500 slang words and phrases in a
very fun way.
The book begins with a young boy who must
complete a school project on slang. He doesn’t
know where to begin. So, he turns on his computer
to find Edmund and Lexie – his two computer
helpers – who have got the‘skinny on slang’ for him
at a website aptly named Slangalicious.
There are eleven short chapters which break slang
down into various components. ‘The Big Picture’
and ‘Thumbs Up’ discuss the history of slang back
to Roman times, how slang can be formed, and who
really studies slang. Then Edmund and Lexie get
‘down to brass tacks’ with their young protégé and
delve deeper into actual words and phrases.
A very interesting category of slang is that which
came about during wartime and explained in the
chapter entitled ‘Slang under Fire’. There is slang
for people – G.I. (General Infantry) and ‘Tommy’ a
British term for a soldier. The most interesting term
discussed in this chapter is how the word ‘spam’
went from being a wartime food to the computer term
today.
The last chapter does a fine job of recapping the
previous chapters and is the actual outline for the
school assignment.
The story framework created by Gillian O’Reilly, a
freelance editor and writer, makes this book most
approachable. The page layout is very colourful with
sidebars, many bold headings, and wonderfully witty
cartoons by illustrator Krista Johnson.
82
There are sources provided for further reading and
a comprehensive index of the words and phrases
included throughout the book. Some parts may
seem dated after awhile, but this book really is the
‘bee’s knees’.
Highly recommended for elementary and secondary
school libraries; appropriate from grades 5 and up.
599.773 GRA
Grambo, Rebecca L. Photographs by Daniel J. Cox.
Lupé : A wolf pup’s first year. –– Whitecap Books,
2004. –– 48pp. : photos : index. –– ISBN 1-55285611-9. –– $14.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Pat Parker, teacher-librarian, Arthur
Hatton/Dufferin Elementary Schools, SD#73
(Kamloops-Thompson)
Lupé: A Wolf Pup’s First Year, the second book
in the ‘Wild Beginnings’ series, tells the story of
three young wolf cubs who live in Yellowstone
National Park between Wyoming and Montana. The
talking animals are a bit disconcerting, but a lot of
information is given through conversation between
the mother and her cubs or other members of the
wolf pack.
The text explains how the female wolf chooses her
den, how the pups are born, fed and raised. These
wolves’ ancestors came from Canada, as humans
had decimated the local wolf population. Other
information related to Yellowstone is also offered.
There is an index, facts relating to other animals, and
two relevant websites listed at the end of the book.
Author Rebecca Grambo is herself a wildlife
photographer. Other books she has written are:
Weird Science, The Nature of Foxes and Bear: A
Celebration of Power and Glory. There are many
excellent colour photographs by Daniel J. Cox.
Every double page spread includes one full-page
size photograph. There are also occasional double
page photographs.
Recommended for elementary school libraries. THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
811 LES
Lesynski, Loris. Zigzag : Zoems for Zindergarten.
–– Annick Press, 2004. –– 32pp. : ill. –– ISBN 155037-882-1. –– $10.95 paper.
863 ARG
Argueta, Jorge. Illustrated by Gloria Calderón.
Zipitio. –– Groundwood Books, 2003. –– 32pp. : ill.
–– ISBN 0-88899-487-7. $16.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Christopher Hunt, teacher-librarian,
Chilliwack Central Elementary School, SD#33
(Chilliwack).
Reviewed by: Willow Reichelt, teacher on call,
SD#33 (Chilliwack).
Loris Lesynski has written several poetry collections
for children. Zigzag is her latest, and is directed
specifically at kindergarten children. The poet has
very successfully appealed to the interests and
particular sense of humour of that age group.
Although pieces of rhyme and rhythm in Lesynski’s
poems are sometimes found to be weak or awkward,
the content is great for the audience. In Zigzag, there
are silly poems, song poems, and action poems
on subjects such as the classroom pet, trying to
master scissors, teachers’ requests to sit still, fidgety
drumming, and seeing striped patterns everywhere.
The poems are laid out on the page (via spacing
and fonts) in a way that allows the reader to intone
the poems in the musical or chanted patterns the
author intends. The poems provide great bridges for
audience interaction, which is integral for any good
reading with primary students (e.g., ‘Put your hand
up if you see a striped pattern somewhere in the
room.’). The title poem simply begs to have students
and teachers stand to chant and act out back-andforth feet, zigzag elbows, etc.
Testimonial time... I took the book to school and let
multiple kindergarten and grade one students be the
judges. The readings were a fabulous success—the
kids were entertained and I thoroughly enjoyed their
joyous interaction.
Rufina Pérez is growing up, and like all the women
in her village before her, she is about to meet the
Zipitio. The Zipitio has a frightening appearance, but
he has many wonderful secrets and truly loves each
girl he appears to. Rufina is scared of him at first, but
she soon learns to listen to what he is trying to tell
her. When she has learned what she needs to know,
her mother teaches her the trick to make the Zipitio
leave for good.
Jorge Argueta has made the Zipitio, a traditional
Latin American character from the Pipil tradition,
come to life in a way that is accessible to people
from all cultural backgrounds. This metaphoric
coming-of-age story teaches the reader that growing
up is a natural part of life, rather than a thing to be
afraid of.
Sometimes the language in a translated book is
stilted, but Elisa Amado’s translation is completely
fluid and reads like a book originally written in
English. The beautiful paintings by Gloria Calderón
add to the text and give the reader a clear picture of
life in a small South American village.
This book is a great opportunity to add to the cultural
diversity in a folklore collection and would be an
excellent addition to any elementary library.
Recommended for elementary school libraries;
suitable for grades 3 - 6.
Highly recommended for elementary school libraries;
particularly for grades K-2
SUMMER 2005
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
83
910.4 HOL
Holdcroft, Tina. Hidden depths : Amazing underwater
discoveries. –– Annick Press, 2004. –– 32pp. : ill.
: bibliography : index. –– ISBN 1-55037-862-7.
–– $9.95 paper.
Reviewed by: Christopher Hunt, teacher-librarian,
Chilliwack Central Elementary Community School,
SD#33 (Chilliwack).
Hidden Depths is part of an eye-catching, highinterest non-fiction series (Hidden Worlds and
Hidden Treasure also exist). They seem to be
targetting reluctant readers generally, and boys
specifically, yet are suitable to any reader curious
about the topics presented.
The book presents information on sunken ships,
ancient sea creature fossils, diving history, Arctic
exploration, odd finds, and so on. The illustrations
are cartoonish and many of the captions are
presented as word bubbles. Overall, the text is
packed with facts and information for the curious
reader, but for more depth, one would need to
branch out to other books—and the “Library” page
provides good ideas for further reading.
This book will be well used by library patrons. It is
highly recommended for grades 4 through 8 (though
others will enjoy it, too).
951.05 ZHA
Zhang, Ange. Red land, yellow river : A story from
the Cultural Revolution. –– Groundwood Books,
2004. –– 56pp. : ill. –– ISBN 0-88899-489-3. ––
$18.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Marilyn Aldworth, district librarian,
SD#44 (North Vancouver)
Ange Zhang is a well-known illustrator (the Teddy
Jam books among others) as well as being a theatre
designer. With Red Land, Yellow River he has
become the author of his own story. This picture
book tells the story of Ange Zhang’s teenage years in
China that happened to coincide with Mao Zedong’s
Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution
changed people’s lives dramatically, especially if you
happened to be well-educated and intellectual like
Zhang’s family. Zhang’s father was a renowned poet
who was terrorized and sent away to a labour camp
during this regime. Ange Zhang tried to escape from
the shadow of his family’s disgrace by shaving his
84
head, changing his name and starting up his own
Red Guard group. His family became separated and
at 15 years old, Ange was one of millions of students
sent to the countryside to learn to farm.
During this time as a labourer he discovered his
aptitude and love of drawing and painting. This
book is a powerful memoir of what life was like for
one family during this regime. Ange Zhang’s artwork
complements the text and tells the story in its own
visual way. The happy ending is that Ange Zhang
and his wife and son moved to Canada and now live
in Toronto.
There are some authentic family photographs
that add to this poignant story. There is also
an informative section at the end of the book
that provides a good background to the Cultural
Revolution. Even though this is non-fiction in picture
book format it will appeal to older readers who will
find this memoir an easy way to understand what
went on in China during the Cultural Revolution.
Highly recommended for grades 4 and up.
956.04 ELL
Ellis, Deborah. Three wishes : Palestinian and
Israeli children speak. –– Groundwood Books.2004.
–– 144pp. : b&w photos. –– ISBN 0-88899-554-7.
–– $18.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by: Karen Schweitzer, retired teacher,
SD#61 (Greater Victoria)
War is ugly! Its cruel and damaging effect is
evident, as these young people tell their story to
Deborah Ellis. The common thread throughout is
one of hatred and fear. These children weren’t born
with hate and fear, but that is how they have grown
to view the world they live in. Like all young children,
they have hopes and dreams. For many, they hope
the fighting will end so that they can go to school
and play freely with their friends. Their honesty is
touching but also disturbing. A glimmer of hope did
come through as some of the older children shared.
This is their world and they are dealing with it the
best way they know how. ‘You learn to just go on.’
Three Wishes is a book that intermediate and middle
school classes could use for discussion purposes.
War is never kind!
Recommended for elementary school libraries,
grades 5 and up.
THE BOOKMARK http://bctf.ca/bctla
SUMMER 2005
2004-2005 EDITORIAL BOARD
SENIOR EDITOR/
Rick Mulholland
ADVERTISING
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[email protected]
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PUBLICATION
COORDINATOR
S: 250-746-7845
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[email protected] BCTLA REVIEWS Valerie Pollock
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EDITOR
S: 604-668-6209
SF: 604-668-6419
H: 604-241-4162
[email protected]
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Carolyn Cutt
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