For Librarians
Librarians change lives one book at a time. Whether you work in a school or public library, whether your collection is large or small, if you work with young readers and their parents, you're doing good work indeed! You hand out the key to a world of wonder each time you place a book in a small hand. Keep up the good work!
WHY NOT INVITE A FURRY FRIEND INTO YOUR LIBRARY TO HELP GIVE STRUGGLING YOUNG READERS A HAND...ER, PAW? NEW!
Many libraries are already inviting certified companion or therapy dogs to story hours so that they can be read to by young readers who may not have the confidence to read aloud in the classroom. I was thrilled to find out about the program, and to recently learn that my book, CATS ADD UP!, was on the recommended reading list for a nationawide literacy initiative helping connect libraries and canine listeners. To find out more, you can go to "Adoring Listeners Give Struggling Readers a Boost", at the Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center website, http://www.connectforkids.org/node/4236
Planning an Author Visit?
Planning an author visit to your library or school? Here's a link to the Penguin-Putnam website offering a lot of useful tips to help you:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/images/yr/pdf/authorfees.pdfe
Unshelved
Whether you're working at a school or public library, you'll get a smile from UNSHELVED, a clever webcomic series. Here's the link to their archived strips. If you like what you see, you can subscribe to receive daily doses delivered directly to your office or home email address.
Story-Time Snacks
Being part of the audience when a teacher or librarian took the time to share a special story with us was a special time for me as a kid. I oohed and aahed over the illustrations and listened with a "leaning-into-the-kid-next-to-me" intensity to find out what happened next! Many of you gather kids around you to share picture books at story time. If any of my books are in your stack, you might want to follow it with a snack that is not only delicious, easy to prepare and serve, but also relates to the theme of these titles.
GRAMP'S MAGIC MICROWAVE PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE
It's pumpkin-picking time in Gram's garden patch, and Sam is "on a roll"! Count along as she brings sixteen runaway pumpkins back to Gramp's farmhouse kitchen.
How the recipe connects to the book: Sam and Gramps whipped up a tasty pumpkin treat with their smooshed-up pumpkins---here's another quick, easy pumpkin snack to try!
What you need:
1 box spice cake mix
16 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
½ cup water
3 eggs
large, unbreakable mixing bowl
two 8-inch round microwave-safe bake pans
plastic or wooden stirring spoon
handheld, electric mixer
Grease two 8-inch, round, microwave-safe bake pans. In a large bowl, combine spice cake mix, pumpkin pie filling, water and eggs. Let students take turns stirring-in ingredients with wooden spoon as each is added to the bowl; then beat with electric mixer on high speed until smooth and well-blended (about 2 minutes). Pour batter into pans and place into microwave oven. Two 8-inch round pans usually take 8 to 9 minutes on medium high, rotating dish every 3 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before inverting on plates to cool. Cut cooled cake into desired number of slices and enjoy!
TEN MONKEY CRUNCH SNACK MIX
Having a jungle jamboree can work up quite an appetite for something good to munch…here's an easy-to-fix treat for the 'wild life' in your classroom or library.
What you need:
2 cups salted or unsalted peanuts
2 cups dried banana chips
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups oat 'O''s breakfast cereal
2 cups pretzel sticks or mini-pretzels
Large, clean brown paper grocery bag
OR
Large, unbreakable mixing bowl and plastic or wooden stirring spoon
Plastic one-cup measure
Students can help you measure out ingredients, one cup at a time, and place them in the mixing bowl or brown paper bag. Ask kids to count as cupfuls are counted and keep adding up the total, one cup at a time. If combining in a bowl, stir after each addition. If using the grocery bag method, simply fold and clamp the top (make sure it's completely shut tight!) and shake the bag to mix up the ingredients. Makes 10 cups or 20 half-cup servings. Serve in plastic or paper bowls; plastic or paper cups; or in clean, dry, unused "basket"-type coffee filters.
*VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS…
To adjust for student tastes or food allergies, you can substitute any of the following ingredients for any of the ingredients given above:
Slivered almonds
Chopped dates
Walnut pieces
Dried apple slices
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Dried apricots slices
Dried pineapple chunks
Cashews
Dried coconut flakes
Dried, sweetened cranberries
Candy-coated chocolates (M&M's)
Corn, Rice or Wheat Chex
Butterscotch Chips
Cheerios
PUPPY CHOW
Uh-Oh! Maggie's favorite treat isn't a dog biscuit… it's a pillow! Here's a sweet treat that my look like Maggie's kibble…but kids will love to nibble.
What you need:
1 stick margarine
12 oz. bag chocolate chips
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 box granola-type cereal
large, unbreakable, microwave-safe bowl
big plastic or wooden stirring spoon
wax paper
microwave oven
Directions:
Dump margarine, peanut butter and chocolate chips into bowl and melt gently in microwave oven on low setting, 2-3 minutes at a time. Turn bowl and stir ingredients each time. When mixture is well-blended, drop teaspoonfuls onto wax paper in bumpy, dog-food-shaped 'lumps'. When completely cool, serve 'dog chow' to kids in 3-4 large, clean, unbreakable pet dishes. Kids can place on napkins and eat with fingers.