Nancy Lininger, Librarian's Website

   In January we celebrate the  American Library Association's announcement of the Youth Media Awards.  The ALA Midwinter Meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts January 15 - 19, 2010.  Each year at this meeting the ALA honors books and media for children and teens.  Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, these awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth.  The announcement of the winners, was held at 7:45 am,  Monday, January 18, 2010.  You may see the complete results at www.ala.org/yma.       

John Newbery Medal honors the author of the year's most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Randolph Caldecott Medal honors the illustrator of the year's most distinguished American picture book for children.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards honors African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the African American experience via literature and illustration."

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is presented annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished book for beginning readers published in English in the United States.

The books will be ordered, but won't be available for circulation for a couple of weeks.  Until the books arrive, and are processed, we will be highlighting winners from the past.  Students are invited to explore the charts on the wall, check our book catalogs to see if we have a copy,  then find the book on the shelf.  I am pleased to learn that they are quite successful in finding the books they chose. 

Fifth Grade students who have not completed their biography book report  should bring their work to library and I will help.

Next week we will begin the second half of this school year.  Have a great one!

The second day of February is the middle of winter, regardless of what the groundhog predicts.  Groundhog Day is a day simply for fun.  My daddy told me, "If the groundhog comes out and sees his shadow because it is sunny, there will be six more weeks of winter weather.  If he comes out and finds cloudy or rainy weather, there will still be six more weeks of winter weather."  Winter will not end for six more weeks, so we must just get over it.  It is a good time to curl up and read a good book if you don't like cold and snow.

February 1 - 5:  This week we will focus on the topic of good books to read.  Students are encouraged to look for books that have gotten good reviews, or have stood the test of time, and have become classics.

February 8 - 12:  This is Black History Month, so we will focus on African-Americans authors and titles this week.

February 16 - 19:  We will discuss American Presidents, who they were, how they grew up, and their contributions to our country.

February 22 - 26:  Now it is time to get to know more about Dr. Seuss.  We will be celebrating his birthday the second of March, with our Read Across America Day.   This week we will have fun with his books, videos, and character puppets.