Kids Corner
The 2009 Michigan Reads! book is The Pout-Pout Fish!
"Deep in the water,
Mr. Fish swims about
With his fish face stuck
In a permanent pout.
Can his pals cheer him up?
Will his pout ever end?
Is there something he can learn
From an unexpected friend?"
Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that glum isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.
Come to the Library and get your copy of the The Pout-Pout Fish today... Let everyone know you've read the book - write your name on our poster!
The Michigan Reads! program seeks to highlight the importance of reading and sharing books with children, especially toddlers through early elementary, and to recognize the vital role of libraries which provide access to quality books, programs and services to children and families that lay the foundation for reading and school success.
The Michigan Reads! title is selected annually based upon several criteria including: appropriateness for preschool (ages 0-5) through 2nd grade children; how well a title lends itself to programming and story extenders; and having a living author, preferably from Michigan and/or the Great Lakes region. More information about Michigan Reads! is available at http://www.michigan.gov/michiganreads.
Book Lists and Other Good Stuff for Boys
http://www.talestoldtall.com/BooksforBoys.html
http://www.guysread.com/
http://www.booksforboys.com
"A family-friendly site for kids, www.kids.gov has features topics from arts and music to space and history. They can play entertaining and educational games, create art project, explore different careers, learn how the government works, get homework help, and much more."
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/
Explore! Fun with Science is designed to engage youth in space and planetary science in the library
and other informal learning environments.Through video explorations, related hands-on activities, and supporting resources,
children of all ages are immersed in the wonders of rockets, space colonies, our solar system,
how our plantes were shaped, and more!
TumbleBooks is an online library of animated, talking picture books
which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love.
Try TumbleBooks as a courtesy of the Colon Township Library!
ALA's Association for Library Services to Children recently updatged its Great Web Sites for Kids.
This online resource contains hundreds of links to websites for children
   
www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/default.cfm
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has teamed up with
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" to provide a Kids Reading List on the show's website.
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/kidsreadinglist/
pkgkidsreadinglist/20080701_orig_kids_books
The list, available at www.oprah.com, is divided into five age groups, from infant to 2 through 12 and up. Each grouping contains
an annotated bibliography of the librarian-recommended reading. There is also a separate "Classics" section, grouped by age ranges,
giving parents the opportunity to share the books they once loved with their own children. The website also provides a list of ways
to make reading fun for kids and other helpful tips for parents.
2009 Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2009 Medal Winner
 The 2009 Caldecott Medal winner is The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson (Houghton Mifflin Company). Richly detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Krommes' elegant line, illuminated with touches of golden watercolor, evoke the warmth and comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.
2009 Honor Books
 A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee (Harcourt, Inc.). In lively, detailed, subtly retro cartoons, Frazee gently pokes fun at adult expectations and captures the unbounded joy of two friends experiencing a parent-free summer adventure.
 How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar Straus Giroux). Recounting memories of his family's flight from the Warsaw Blitz and his years as a refugee during World War II, Shulevitz employs watercolor and ink to depict a boy liberated from his dreary existence through flights of fancy inspired by the map his father buys in the village market.
 A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) Sweet's mixed-media collage and primitive watercolors flow seamlessly with Bryant's prose to reveal the important bits and pieces of Williams' ordinary, yet extraordinary, life as a doctor and poet.
2009 Newberry Award Winners
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
2009 Medal Winner
 The 2009 Newbery Medal winner is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by HarperCollins Children's Books. A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens. "A child named Nobody, an assassin, a graveyard and the dead are the perfect combination in this deliciously creepy tale, which is sometimes humorous, sometimes haunting and sometimes surprising," said Newbery Committee Chair Rose V. Treviño.
2009 Honor Books
 The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing). Underneath the canopy of the loblolly pines, amid the pulsating sounds of the swamp, there lies a tale. Intertwining stories of an embittered man, a loyal hound, an abandoned cat and a vengeful lamia sing of love, loss, loneliness and hope. Appelt's lyrical storytelling heightens the distinguished characteristics of this work.
 The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle (Henry Holt & Comapny). The Surrender Tree utilizes compelling free verse in alternating voices to lyrically tell the story of Cuba's three wars for independence from Spain. Combining real-life characters (such as legendary healer Rosa La Bayamesa) with imagined individuals, Engle focuses on Rosa's struggle to save everyone--black, white, Cuban, Spanish, friend or enemy.
 Savvy by Ingrid Law (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group in partnership with Walden Media, LLC. This rich first-person narrative draws readers into a wild bus ride, winding through the countryside on a journey of self-discovery for Mibs Beaumont and her companions. Newcomer Law weaves a magical tall tale, using vivid language and lively personalities, all bouncing their way to a warm, satisfying conclusion.
 After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Books for Young Readers). This tightly woven novel looks back on two years in a New York City neighborhood, where life changes for two 11-year-olds when a new girl joins their game of double Dutch. Bonded by Tupac's music, the three girls explore the lure of freedom and build a friendship that redefines their own identities.
Resources:
Fact MonsterTM (http://www.factmonster.com/).
Family Education Network Inc.
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe
A children's database with full-text of articles, books, video, audio on all topics. The interface is appropriate to children and includes reading levels, teacher's help pages, and more.
www.ala.org/families
A web page designed especially for kids and parents that links to family-friendly ALSC resources such as Great Web Sites for Kids, recommended book lists and online activities for children.
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