House Arrest by K.A. Holt

 Sometimes when a book gains popularity other books written in a similar style are quickly published. With the immense success of last year's The Crossover by Kwame Alexander it is no surprise that House Arrest by K.A. Holt has come to the forefront as it is written in a flowing, free verse style.

We know from the title that the main character Timothy, through whose eyes we see the novel's events, has done something wrong. As I read the book and discovered what exactly he had done I found his tone to be unrepentant and slightly cocky but as the novel progresses I understood why. His overworked mother burns the candle on both ends in order to make ends meet and his baby brother Levi was born with a serious birth defect.  In an attempt to help him deal with his complex emotions and the turmoil in his life, his probation officer James tells him to write his thoughts down in a journal.

Much of the book revolves around the family's search for a good in-home nurse and Timothy's attempts to get a doctor to help with the complicated surgery his little brother needs. This is not the only aspect of the narrative however as Timothy also finds himself developing a crush. His descriptions of the feelings he experiences when in his crush's presence are some of the lighter moments in the book.

This book is a testament to family, friendship and triumph in the face of adversity. A large part of the story revolves around decision making and the consequences of poor decisions. With such a tangled narrative a book like this can have no happy ending and this one does not, however it leaves the door open for future installments. I recommend it for ages 11+.

Some read alikes to this book are My Brotherś Keeper by Patricia McCormick and Fallout by Ellen Hopkins.

Storytime songs pt. 2

     So I got word yesterday that I will soon start doing story times at a pre school close to my library here in NE Denver.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve but you can never be too prepared especially when it comes to dealing with the little ones. The story time songs I posted last week are great for getting the little ones moving but I thought I would look for songs that would involve more arm movement and/or could be used with a flannel board or magnet. Here's what I found:

    "Slippery fish" is a cute little song with a variety of arm movements. In this video the presenter is also using some laminated sheets that provide a good visual to accompany the song and movements.  This song is a favorite at story times but I have found that I can only do it once as it is so long.

    The ladies at jbrary are an excellent resource and I like that they always seem to be having fun in their vids. I chose this song because it is not one that I had heard much of before. This song is called "Roly, poly" and uses lots of arm movements to teach direction (up, down, out, in, fast, slow) and of course the tune is familiar to little ones as it is done to the tune of "Frere Jacques".

     Fall is around the corner and soon the leaves will start changing colors. "Ten little leaves" done by littlestorybug is a cool flannel board song for little ones. I like how she goes slowly at first so that the little ones can follow along. This song could also be extended by asking kids what colors are the leaves or how many of a certain color leaf there are. Lots of possibilities from this flannel activity.

    This is another cool rhyme that I found on a site called storyblocks.org. It is called "Big, big, big" and it incorporates a lot of hand movement. I can't wait to try this one out with the little ones. http://www.storyblocks.org/videos/big-big-big/
Oh, before I forget,  Storyblocks is a project of Colorado Libraries for Early Lieracy (of which I am a member) working in partnership with Rocky Mountain PBS. It is a collection of 30-60 second videos designed to teach songs, rhymes and fingerplays appropriate for early childhood. Each video clip includes helpful early literacy tips to increase caregivers' understanding of child development and pre-literacy needs.

    This is a song that I learned recently and it has become a staple of my story times en español. It is called  "Viajar en tren" and it is fantastic. I like the fact that it is open-ended so you can do different animals every week or you can even do professions if you so desire.  For some reason this video would not insert so I put the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6in-MyJJ2i8&list=PL0T1x8nQ0NjijucEdjp6FR6hZRe1lx5qF&index=16

    Finally, "Baby fish" is a cool hand movement song that also teaches family members. I like this video because it features the kids doing the song and you can see how much fun they are having.  There is also another part of the song that I saw on another site where the performer added another part called grandma fish and put their knuckles together :)

Storytime songs pt. 1

Many new librarians will soon have to face one of the most stressful things they will have to do- story time! A good song can get the parents or babies/toddlers moving but a great song will get them all moving. Over the last year I have had to do story times for both English and Spanish speakers.  Through trial and error I have come upon some guaranteed songs to get the crowd grooving.  This is not an exhaustive list, I will post new ones every few weeks or so.

Raffi has been around for ages and for good reason, his voice is so mellow and soothing and hissongs have just the right tempo. The song The More We Get Together is a must for both book babies and toddler story times as it helps set the routine and captures their attention.

In terms of getting the kids up and out of their seats Raffi's Shake Your Sillies Out is another proven winner. This song is good for the wiggly little ones who don't necessarily sit still for the duration of a storytime. In the video below, he does a good segue in that he asks the crowd to stand up and do some shaking. That is exactly the way in which I introduce the song during story time. Both these songs  are on the cd Singable songs for the very young.

Some of us like to use props such as bean bags in story time as it helps the little ones with developing hand eye coordination and balance. There are a fair few songs  out there but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that after I did Beanie Bag Dance a few weeks ago it was as if we had just partied, the energy was just so good. Greg and Steve have many good songs and they even have another beanie bag song but Beanie Bag Dance has the magic that you are looking for in a story time song. It is catchy, it incorporates directions that the kids have to pay attention to and it has a chant for the kids to get say out loud. This song is on the cd Kids in Action.

Finally I used to watch Laurie Berkner on Nick Jr (back when they were Noggin) when my kids were younger and I was always left in awe. Besides being very telegenic she is a fantastic songwriter, my kids are older now but if I put in a Laurie cd when we are in the car I know they will enjoy the songs. We Are The Dinosaurs is perfect for a themed storytime or for when you want the kids to get up and move around. Children love to pretend and dinosaurs are such fun to mimic because you get to stomp and march around. This song also has peaks and valleys which I like. Just a fun song all around.

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