Posts on picture books

I was so chagrined at having deleted the other week's American Libraries Direct newsletter that contained a link to my Spinal Exam post, I vowed never to delete AL Direct without reading it again. Here's the proof that, last week at last, I followed through! Some highlights:

• Librarians, let this be a lesson to you: niceness will get you nowhere. It's time to peer down your nose, draw your mouth into a sour puss, and brandish the shushing finger. ALA has the story: Mean Library Salary Up 2 Percent to $58,960 in 2008. (Thanks to my supervisor for pointing this out!)
   
  Silliness aside, the most surprising thing about this story is the salary figure. (Let's just put it this way: I'll be working quite a long time before I touch $59K, at which point inflation will have pushed the average even higher.) The survey was based on both public and academic librarians, and I have the feeling the academics were skewing it upward.
• Have you admired those celebrity READ posters hanging in your library? Have you ever wished that was you in the picture, holding your favorite book? Now you can make a mini READ poster of your own with this toy, thanks to the Shifted Librarian and fd's Flickr Toys (no Flickr account necessary). Here's my own READ poster, starring Mini Me (circa age 3):
  
  (The original photo is here. Yes, even then, I was quite the little reader. I wish I had a clue what those books were. The only one I recognize for sure is the Disney Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree at left, though I think I see the despised Scuffy the Tugboat lurking at the rear.)
• Kati at Alternative Teen Services has written an interesting article, My So-Called Picture Book, suggesting ways picture books can be used with people of all ages, especially teens. She focuses on picture books that speak to readers more mature than the preschool to second grade set, whether overtly or on an underlying level. Some examples: Samsara Dog (Manos and Vivos), Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Brannen), and Wolves (Gravett). Definitely worth a look, especially for teachers who work with teens.

Carly Day '08
Originally uploaded by celerysoda

In our household, February 1 is Carly Day! Five years ago, a skinny brown dog with enormous ears charmed us into taking her home from the Anti-Cruelty Society. She's got plenty of issues (especially with wheeled objects: motorcycles, mail carts, wheelchairs, etc.), but her sweetness continues to win us over.

In honor of Carly Day, today's Poetry Friday contribution is a stanza from "The Dog," by Edgar A. Guest, which, along with dozens of other dog poems, appears in Doggerel: Poems About Dogs (Knopf, 2003):

I like a dog at my feet when I read,
Whatever his size or whatever his breed.
A dog now and then that will nuzzle my hand
As though I were the greatest of men in the land,
And trying to tell me it's pleasant to be
On such intimate terms with a fellow like me.

Now, I have my doubts that Carly thinks I'm the greatest of anything, except possibly people who might be inclined to rub her tummy. But it's true I do my all my best reading and writing on the futon, with Carly nestled in a ball beside me. It's definitely a symbiotic relationship.

In continuing honor of Carly Day, here's a bit of doggerel I've just made up:

A clever brown canine named Carly
saw something that made her quite snarly:
a passel of squirrels,
mocking her from the burls.
So, she caught them and stewed them with barley.

Finally, I'd like to highlight one of the best books about animal adoption out there: "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate, by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2001). It beautifully captures the value of pets as part of the family and the experience of visiting an animal shelter to pick a pet to bring home.

The first few times I read this book, I got teary-eyed. If we had the resources, I'd love to bring home another dog (though I'm sure Carly wouldn't be too thrilled about that). In the meantime, we're a one-dog family, and Carly gets showered with affection every February 1...

Catch this week's Poetry Friday round-up at Karen Edmisten's blog!