A New Beginning

And just like that, my little boy is off to his first day of preschool.

Off to learn and grow and become more of who he will be in life. Off to, step-by-step, become a more separate individual, someone apart from me and his dad. This is all good, I know...but it's a bittersweet breaking away that makes me stop and say, "Hey wait...that's my boy, getting so big!" When you carry someone in your body and birth them and watch them grow from a helpless baby who can do nothing to a little person who can talk, reason, remember, imagine, connect, and play it's an amazing step to send them out into the world - albeit a safe, small preschool world. I already have a lump in my throat just thinking of what the first day of kindergarten will be like.
I'm sure I'll enjoy my 3 hours, two days a week spending some one-on-one time with Hazel (much deserved on her part!), but I can't help but miss my sweet boy already. It's an exciting and new beginning that I'm grateful for for him to learn and meet people, and to digest what it is to be a part of a group, listen to a teacher, and learn to play with his peers. It's also an ending to our smaller world filled with just his family and close friends. It is a wonderful thing to learn from others, to learn to trust his neighbors, and to learn more about the world around him near and far...and we're blessed to give him this opportunity.
I'm told that a group of three-year-olds begin their preschool year as a pack of wild animals, and that when they leave for the summer they're a completely different group...more like a pack of tamed animals perhaps. A friend of mine's mom has lived by the philosophy that "every stage gets better," when it comes to kids and that's something I've been trying to stay rooted in, instead of focusing too much on what has been or what is "lost." Going off to preschool is a big first step though, among many steps to come, so it's hard to not be nostalgic for this ending. An ending of his baby-hood; the beginning of the ending of his "wild animal," unschooled-ness. Look at those name-tags, it's killing me!


I look forward to the confidence he'll gain in is own self, in meeting people, in listening to directions, in accomplishing tasks that may seem simple to us but are fundamental in cultivating a little person's identity in life. And so begins this year of discovery, socialization, and wonder.

Go get 'em, Soy Boy...you're a stud and a stand-up guy!

Librarian-At-Large

After what seems like two very quick years, I am proud to say that I am finished with grad school! I graduated with my Masters of Library and Information Science from Dominican University on May 3rd and am now an official Librarian! I'm looking forward to a summer free from school attendance and assignments. I'm also looking forward to a future full of public library work as well as loan repayment.

Starshaped Press

Over the weekend my History of the Book class met at the Starshaped Press, a print shop that uses movable type, platen presses from the 1920s, and engraved plates. It was amazing to see the things we'd been talking about in class come to life! Jen, the owner of the shop, studied book and paper arts through classes and through an apprenticeship and now runs her own press where she makes posters, cards, CD covers, etc. - all on old-fashioned presses.

This is all very different than other modern day letterpresses such as the Paper Source or other modern (albeit wonderful) printing companies. On her website, Jen writes, "There's an inherent beauty and imperfection to the form of each and every letter that cannot be replicated on the computer or in a polymer or magnesium plate." She has one Vandercook proof press (which we were able to use and make the print pictured above) and two Chandler and Price platen presses.

Seeing her different typefaces, movable type (some 100 years old), and woodcuts was an inspiration! We were able do a print of our own for a souvenir through cranking the paper through the printer over the inked metal type that was pre-set for us. Now that I am almost done with school, I might have to indulge myself in some extra-curricular activities next fall in printmaking.

Here are some videos of these classic presses in action!
Platen Press working (0:19)
Platen Press inking (0:12)
Letterpress Documentary (5:52)

2.705882....

She's such a weirdo...(click on the image to make it larger).

1586 Reference

For my History of the Book class, we have the privilege of learning about and handling rare books from the 15th to 19th centuries. Our class meets at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Library once a month over a weekend. They have a rare book collection with about 3,000 books from this time after the printing press was created. My group studied and wrote about the book below which was an herbal reference book printed in 1586 in Frankfurt, Germany for physicians to use and prescribe remedies to their patients. There is even handwriting in the back by one of the book's previous owners. Be still my heart!

Three Down, One to Go...

Today I begin my last semester of grad school at Dominican! It seems like just yesterday I was realizing that I wanted to be a librarian and that I would pursue my MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science). How swiftly time doth fly. My last three classes are listed below with their course descriptions:

History of the Book - From Gutenberg to the present; introduction to publishing, printing processes, book design (typography, illustration, binding) and distribution.

Literacy and Library Involvement - An overview of library involvement in literacy programming in local communities. Emphasis will be placed on examining community needs for literacy services, developing and implementing library literacy services to meet those needs and building partnerships and networks with literacy providers and other community groups.

Library User Instruction - An introduction to the principles of information literacy with two emphases: developing a conceptual framework for library user education, including an overview of learning theory, teaching methods and instructional design; and applying the theory in practical library teaching/learning situations.

Presently I have a full-time job and a wedding to plan, why not throw my last semester of Grad school into the mix?

Holidays on Ice

In my Readers Advisory class we've been required to annotate and book talk several titles over the semester, and last night's class focused on graphic novels, bestsellers, and audio books. I presented Holidays on Ice, one of my favorite things to read every Christmas. It is available as an audio book and nothing beats David Sedaris reading any thing at all!

This book is a hilarious compilation of six short stories that all take place during the holidays. Retelling the misadventures of his dysfunctional family, his full-time job as an elf at Macy’s department store, and other strange situations, Sedaris presents an entertaining and comedic look at the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Because the audio-recording was narrated by the author (who is a qualified performer), one can only assume it is in exactly the tone and style that was intended when it was written. While not every author should or could narrate their own work, this one can. Sedaris’ dry reading of the text alludes to the boredom and mundaneness of his life in a side-splitting fashion.

Whether you read this book or listen to it, it matters not. One of my favorite parts is "The Santaland Diaries," where the author recounts his days as an elf (named Crumpet) at Macy's department store in New York City. I highly recommend this sardonic, irreverent, non-heartwarming, holiday memoir.

This makes a perfect Christmas gift for almost anyone on your list! Check it out through the following links - Buy it! Borrow it! Listen to excerpt! (click on "Santaland Diaries")

Weather Book Talk

Once again, each of us had to do a presentation in my Library Materials for Children class...this time it was a "book talk" on any topic to any young audience of readers (or their parents). I chose to do weather related books and tried to focus my selections to appeal to children who live in an urban setting, seeing that most took place in the city. I broke the 15 books down into 4 sections: heat, rain, snow, and extreme weather. Here are some of the highlights of my favorites from the list and a short annotation after each.

Hot Day on Abbott Avenue, written by Karen English, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, Clarion Books, 2004 - Kishi and Renée’s tempers flare at each other, as each refuses to play on the hottest day of the summer. They soon make up as they find fun ways to pass the day and overcome the heat. Buy it! Borrow it! Learn more!



Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, retold by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal, Dial Press, 1981 - Travel to Africa’s Kapiti Plain as Ki-pat, a Maasai herdsman, wishes for the rains to come to his dry land. Listen and watch as rain quenches the earth in this lyrical poem connecting humans, animals, and the land. Buy it! Borrow it! Learn more!

Come on, Rain!, written by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Jon J. Muth, Scholastic Press, 1999 - In this book, Tessie waits for the coming rainstorm with her three friends and observes how the wind and rain bring long-awaited changes to the city. Buy it! Borrow it! Learn more!


The Snowy Day, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, Viking Press, 1962 - This is a story about a little boy named Peter and his fun-filled day out in the snow. Follow Peter as he discovers new things to do outside. Buy it! Borrow it! Learn more!


Monsoon, written by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Jamel Akib, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003 -This book is a peek into the lives of a northern Indian community awaiting heavy rains to end their dry season. Hope, fear, and relief are all bundled together in this exciting look at another culture and their extreme weather. Buy it! Borrow it! Learn more!

Scholastic Terrorism

Click on the image to make it larger.

In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India

This fall in my Readers Advisory class we have to write annotations on several books that we choose to read over the course of the semester. My favorite book so far that I've read skimmed through has been In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India, which is an intriguing look into the history and rise of the world's largest democracy. When the Economist endorses a book, I go for it.

In Spite of the Gods was written by Edward Luce, a Washington Bureau Chief for the Financial Times who has stationed in New Delhi from 2000 to 2005. The author has an obvious passion for India, as he presents its many triumphs and beauties while not neglecting its failures and shortcomings. His study encompasses modern India’s politics, religion, and culture all of which have so influenced the country’s economic, technological, and academic growth. With staggering facts presented on every page regarding India’s IT boom, political corruption, massive poverty, and enormous population, Luce shows his readers a modern emerging India that is in position to rival China and the United States as a global player. This book dramatically takes into account the forces which have been shaping India as it negotiates between traditions of the past and its high-speed race toward modernity and innovation. Some things I learned from this book are that...

• India is the fourth largest economy in the world
• By 2034, India will have 1.6 billion people (the world population is a little over 6.6 billion)
• India’s middle class is already larger than the entire population of the United States
• 1 of 3 of the world’s malnourished children live in India
• Only 65% of Indians are literate, compared to China’s 90%
• While 400 million people are employed in India, only 35 million pay taxes.
• 75% of the country lives in poverty
• In 1991 Indians purchased 150,000 automobiles, and in 2008 they are expected to purchase 1,000,000
• By 2008 3.5 million white-collar jobs are expected to be offshored to India
• 29% of Indians fluently speak English (350 million people) - The entire US population is just over 300 million

This is serious stuff my friends.

Children's Author Illustrator | Lois Ehlert

In my Library Materials for Children class this fall, each of us has to do a presentation on an author/illustrator of children's material. I was assigned Lois Ehlert and, if you'll be so kind as to indulge me, I will share some of the marvelous art (and writing) I encountered through her books.

She illustrates through the medium of collage, arranging brightly painted paper in the way that best fits her taste. Many of the themes in Lois Ehlert’s books come from her own interests, and seek to connect her young readers with the natural world. She doesn't just write a book about a cat trying to catch some birds for a good meal in Feathers for Lunch - she meticulously collages 12 different birds, presenting them in their true-to-life size and concluding with an appendix of useful identification information for each bird and plant seen throughout the book.

In Waiting for Wings - my favorite of her picture books - she shows the process of various caterpillars, who inhabit the smaller inset pages of the book, eventually becoming butterflies who branch out into a larger context. Again, the last few pages of the book provide colorful and informative identification facts about the book’s butterflies and flowers, and some adivice on how to create your own garden that will attract buterflies from the neigborhood. Other books illustrated in this style of painted paper collage include Planting a Rainbow; Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z; Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf; Nuts to You!; Top Cat; and Leaf Man.

In Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z, the pages are full of beautiful food from around the world. The appendix also includes useful information on the fruits and vegetables featured in the book as well as their common uses and origins. Growing Vegetable Soup, is a more simple book geared toward early learners and their caregivers. With bold graphic art, Ehlert presents the many steps in preparing, planting, and growing a vegetable garden in order to make some homemade soup. Other books of Eherlt's with a more graphic art style are Color Zoo, Color Farm, Fish Eyes, Circus, Moon Rope, and more!

So Called Academia

Here she is again, true to form and always a smart-aleck.

Schooooool's Out - For - Summer!

One year down, one year to go.

Yesterday was my last day of class. - In case you don't know, I am getting my Master's of Library and Information Science at Dominican University. - This Spring I took Public Libraries (awesome), Management of Libraries and Information Centers (fair), and Cataloging (snoozefest). Those classes might not sound too exciting to you, but two of them were required and the next two semesters promise to be delightfully inspiring.

I live for summer. I shouldn't waste 9 months out of the year in anticipation, but I do...and with this I have come to terms. The trees, the grass, the sun, the cook-outs, the camping, the long days, the bike rides, the beach, the heat - I love it all. I love it all and I can't get enough. Now that I have spent the last year in school not having each evening free, I think this summer will be more appreciated than were those of the most recent past.

Summer + No School = Awesome.