Timely Take-aways for Life Long Learners: Literature and Language

Whether exploring favorite authors, lesser-known works, or book history topics, several new titles provide breadth and depth to the study of literature, literary collections, speeches, and history. 

Index, A History of the
Dennis Duncan, 2022, W.W. Norton & Company Themes: Book History, Social History, Books

Book history fans will be enthralled by this fascinating history of the index. Duncan traces the little-known highlights of its design, use, and changes over time.

Take-aways: Students will related to how the index has evolved from print media into digital searches.

Everyday Emerson: A Year of Wisdom
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 2022, St. Martin’s Essentials, Macmillan Themes: Literary Collections

These daily quotes are intended to connect with everyday life and share the universal appeal of his writings.

Take-aways: English teachers will find these quotes to be excellent discussion starters. Ask students to consider whether they agree with the quote and how it applies to life in today’s world.

Walt Whitman’s New Orleans: Sidewalk Sketches and Newspaper Rambles
Stefan Scholberlein (Editor), 2022, LSU Press Themes: Literary Collections

After an introduction and excerpts from A Traveller’s Note Book, readers explore 50 short prose “sketches” and insightful information and resources about Whitman and his works.

Take-aways: Use this fascinating book to help students better understand Whitman and his use of sketches to share his insights into daily life. Ask students to create their own sketches based on their observations.

Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would have Rewritten History
Jeff Nussbaum, 2023, Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Themes: Literary Collections, Speeches

Sharing notable speeches that were never delivered, Nussbaum explores the historical contexts along with the content of dozens of speeches by well-known individuals. From change and crisis to apology and loss, each of the five parts examples a different theme that impacted the speech’s outcome.

Take-aways: Students are familiar with the famous speeches, but will find these less-known, never-heard speeches to be engaging and thought-provoking.

All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopedia
Simon Garfield, 2023, William Morrow, HarperCollins Themes: Book History, Language Arts

Garfield’s conversational style turns what could be a dry history of the encyclopedia into an engaging exploration of this fascinating reference source. Through short, interesting chapters, readers learn about the authors and publishers along with the content and formats of the beloved encyclopedia.

Take-aways: Share examples from Garfield’s book, then ask students to adopt their favorite reference book category. From field guides to atlases, involve students in writing their own reference history.

Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain
Amy Jeffs, 2023, Andrew McMeel Publishing Themes: History, Social Science, Literature, Mythology

While tracing the history and interconnected mythology, Jeffs retells both well-known and lesser known tales. Along the way, readers explore key landscapes and legends. The linocuts are of particular note.

Take-aways: Written for a modern audience, young adults will enjoy the retellings. Involve teams of students in examining the early, prehistory, antiquity, or the Middle Ages and mythological themes.

The Wonderful World of James Herriot: A Charming Collection of Classic Stories
James Herriot, 2023, St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan Themes: Essays & Narratives

This illustrated version of Herriot’s popular narratives bring these classic stories alive for a new audience.

Take-aways: Inspire teen writers to use observation and humor in their own nonfiction narratives.

The Hobbit Encyclopedia
Damien Bondi & Vivien Stocker, 2023, Frances Lincoln, Quarto Group Themes: Literary Criticism

This illustrated guide to Tolkien’s universe features hundreds of entries related to characters, places, and plot elements.

Take-aways: Suggest this reference companion for fans of The Hobbit. Ask students to create their own “encyclopedia”.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb

Synergy: Celebrating Poetry

POETRY is a literary form that elicits an emotional response through the use of language. This condensed art form can be written, spoken, or performed. Often spoken aloud, the words and phrases are arranged for meaning, sound, and rhythm.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:

POETRY PROMPTS written by Joseph Coelho and illustrated Georgie Birkett jumpstarts the writing process for children. Prompts feature a variety of techniques and use examples to help young writers enjoy learning about poetry. Poetry Power-Ups provide tips and encouragement. ARC courtesy of Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of Quarto Group.

COURAGE OUT LOUD: 25 POEMS OF POWER written by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett shares poems that encourage confidence-building in children. It’s the third book in the Poetry to Perform series. These original poems can be used as personal mantras as well as inspiration for children’s own poetry writing. ARC courtesy of Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of Quarto Group.

CHAMPION CHOMPERS, SUPER STINKERS AND OTHER POEMS BY EXTRAORDINARY ANIMALS written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Aparna Varma features poems for children about a wide range of animals. This interactive picture book features poems with hints about an animal that are followed up with facts and special characteristics. The book concludes with information about protecting endangered animals, measurements, and mask poems. A glossary is also included. Involve children in incorporating animal facts into their own nature poetry. ARC courtesy of Kids Can Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.

WELCOME TO THE WONDER HOUSE is written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Georgia Heard, then illustrated by Deborah Freedman. The poetry collection for children encourages creativity and inquiry across the curriculum. ARC courtesy of Wordsong, an imprint of Astra Publishing House.

Synergy: Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are words that share differences between the two objects they modify such as faster, colder, messier, or happier.

Read the informational picture book for youth, then learn more at the websites:

COMPARROTIVES by Janik Coat is the latest book in the Grammar Zoo series geared to a preschool audience. Featuring seventeen, two-page spreads, this oversized board book is an engaging way to teach children about comparative adjectives. Although designed for young children, the book is also useful with older children reviewing grammar rules. Other books in the series include HIPPOPPOSITES, RHYMOCEROS, and LLAMAPHONES.

COMPARATIVES GRAMMAR is a short animation that uses humor to introduce grammar concepts.

To view the video, go to https://youtu.be/2fQb7_KUs3A.

ARC courtesy of Abrams Appleseed, an imprint of Abrams.

Synergy: Visualizing Poetry

Visualizing poetry involves analyzing the language, structure, mood, and theme of a poem, then creating a visual connection through drawing, watercolor, paint or other visual medium. Or, creating a mental image. Comics poetry blends aspects of comics and poetry.

Read the recently published children's book, then learn more at the website:

POEMS TO SEE BY: A COMIC ARTIST INTERPRETS GREAT POETRY by Julian Peters is an anthology of classic poems presented for a new generation of readers through a rich variety of visuals. Exploring twenty-four English-language poets, the book examines six themes: seeing yourself, others, art, nature, time, and death.

COMICS AS POETRY is an online article by Ivan Brunetti (January 30, 2020) that explores the connection between comics and poetry.

Read the article at https://bit.ly/2F6MJ72

ARC courtesy of Plough Publishing.

Synergy: Abraham Lincoln and Poetry

Most people know Abraham Lincoln as the 16th president of the United States. But, most aren’t aware that he was also a poet. Abraham Lincoln enjoyed reading and sometimes even writing poetry as a young man.

Read the recently published children's picture book, then learn more at the website:

THE SUPERLATIVE A. LINCOLN by Eileen R. Meyer and illustrated by Dave Szalay contains eighteen poems about Abraham Lincoln along with background information and an illustration for each poem. An author’s note encourages children to write their own poetry.

LINCOLN AS POET is a web guide from the Library of Congress that explores Lincoln’s life as an avid reader of poetry. It also shares surviving verses written by Lincoln as a teen including both digitized documents in his own handwriting along with transcriptions.

LINCOLN AS POET
https://bit.ly/35eVhSf

ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge.

Book Review: Greek Mythology

WEIRD BUT TRUE: GREEK MYTHOLOGY by Sarah Wassner Flynn is a rich resource for mythology fans.

This colorfully illustrated reference book features information about each Greek god along with connections to classic stories from Greek mythology. Fascinating trivia is woven throughout each entry. Of particular note are the pages on topics such as nymphs, muses, and unsung heroes. The book concludes with activities, lists, and a glossary.

Librarians will find this book to be popular with young fans of mythology. The table of contents and index provide easy access to information about each god. The short chunks of information and connections with topics such as movies, constellations, artwork, animals, and global locations will appeal to young researchers. Pair this book with novels featuring Greek mythology. Use this title to introduce readers to the popular WEIRD BY TRUE series.

Published on September 1, 2019 by National Geographic Kids. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website: The Great American Read

THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is a reading and video project from PBS.

This eight-part video series explores reading through America’s 100 best-loved novels. In addition to the videos, the website includes information about each book, details about the episodes, additional resources, blog postings, and stories submitted by readers.

Librarians will find the project to be a fun way to explore popular books with teens. Collaborate with the English department to build a unit revolving around the books, videos, and resources. Or, create your own library-based program to celebrate the books.

To visit the website, go to https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/home/.

Website: The Writing Center

THE WRITING CENTER at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides a tips and tools resource.

Although designed for the college level, the tips and tools at this website are useful for middle and high school students. The materials are organized into four categories: writing the paper; citation, style, and sentence level concerns; specific writing assignments or contexts; and writing for specific fields. Most of the resources are handouts, but a few involve short YouTube videos.

Librarians will find the handouts and videos useful across many grade levels. Be sure to share the Writing for Specific Fields section with teachers in each content area.

To visit the website, go to https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/.

Website: New Jersey Center for Teaching & Learning

The NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR TEACHING & LEARNING is a nonprofit website providing STEM learning materials along with other educational resources.

The website contains classroom teaching materials in the areas of mathematics, math intervention, science, English and Language Arts, and computer science. A section on teaching methods includes specific areas such as assessment and technology resources. The website also contains self-guided open courses for students and teachers.

Librarians will find a wealth of lesson and classroom ideas to weave across the curriculum. Of particular note are the many English Language Arts lessons that can be integrated into information literacy activities.

To visit the website, go to https://njctl.org.

Website Review: Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN’s author website provides children’s with information about this popular writer.

The Wonderful World of Joan Aiken is a website celebrating the author’s fifty years as a child’s book author. The resource contains information about the the author, her books, engaging activities, resources, and a bibliography. A link to the author’s blog provides up-to-date news and information.

Librarians will find the “What Do You Like?” page to be useful in helping children select interesting books to read. Students will enjoy reading the many letters the author has received from her fans. Use it to jumpstart a “letter to authors” activity.

To visit the website, go to http://www.joanaiken.com.

Digital Spotlight: Shakespeare Documented

SHAKESPEARE DOCUMENTED is a comprehensive online exhibition documenting items published during his lifetime.

Contents: A collaboration among the Bodleian Libraries, British Library, Shakespeare Trust, UK National Archives, and others, this collection includes nearly 500 primary source materials, this online project shares manuscripts that refer to Shakespeare during his lifetime, books printed during his lifetime, Stationers’ Register entries, printed editions of works, and documents connected to family members.

Classroom Connections: What makes this collection unique is the focus on his socio-economic status and profession during his lifetime. Use this collection to help students better understand Shakespeare’s daily life.

Featured Digital Objects:
Lawsuits https://goo.gl/uQCeR9
Personal Property https://goo.gl/n2EF4F
Contemporary Accounts https://goo.gl/3B5DDb

To visit the collection, go to http://shakespearedocumented.org/.

Website Review: Progressive Punctuation

PROGRESSIVE PUNCTUATION is a website showcasing fascinating punctuation marks.

This easy-to-use website features old and new punctuation that never became part of standard practice. Users move forward and back through examples that include a description, inventor, year, location, and appropriate uses of the marks. The resource explores how punctuation is used to bridge the gap between verbal language and written language. The project is intended to encourage conversations about written communication. Users can even download a font containing the punctuation marks.

Librarians will find that this website is a hit with English teachers. Use the website as a creative way to introduce punctuation rules. Encourage students to discuss their favorite punctuation marks and invent their own.

To visit the website, go to http://progressivepunctuation.com/.

Website Review: XYZA News for Kids

XYZA: NEWS FOR KIDS is a news website and app designed for children.

This attractive current events site contains easy-to-read news articles organized into categories including world, government, arts, science, sports, technology, fun, and entertainment.

Librarians will find this website to be a useful resource for informational reading across the curriculum. The short articles, interesting topics, and colorful photographs are sure to attract student attention.

A subscription-based program is available that allows users to customize their news page and participate in the Junior Reporter Program that encourages youth to submit their own articles, interviews, reviews, and more.

The resource is also available on iTunes as an app.

To visit the website, go to https://www.xyzanews.com/.

Digital Spotlight: Discovering Literature: Shakespeare

DISCOVERING LITERATURE: SHAKESPEARE from the British Library is a digital collection and educational resource focusing on Shakespeare’s plays.

Contents: This resource features digital objects from the British Library. Users can explore the materials by works, articles, collection items, themes, teaching resources, and a person area. The works section features 15 plays. The articles area provides nearly 100 articles written by scholars, performers, curators, and journalists focusing different aspects of Shakespeare and his works. The collection section provides easy access to collection items. The themes area explores themes such as comedies, tragedies, histories, and more. The Shakespeare biography page includes links to many collection resources. The teacher resources contains a couple dozen lesson plans and resources.

Classroom Connections: Librarians and English teachers will find that these high quality digital objects and supplemental materials are useful additions to the English curriculum. Use the themes section to immerse students in a variety of works related to topics of interest from ethnicity to interpretations of madness.

Featured Digital Objects:
Comedies https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/themes/comedies
Tragedies https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/themes/tragedies
Deception https://www.bl.uk/…/th…/deception-drama-and-misunderstanding

To visit the collection, go to https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare.

Digital Spotlight: Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians

DISCOVERING LITERATURE: ROMANTICS AND VICTORIANS from the British Library is a digital collection containing literary treasures and related resources.

Contents: This focused digital collection provides users with access to 1,200 Romantic and Victorian literary works, insights by 60 experts, 25 documentary files, and 20 teachers’ notes. A search tool can be used to locate specific historical materials such as diaries, letters, and photographs. Users can explore by author, work, theme, article, or video. A teacher resource section provides teaching ideas and educational materials.

Classroom Connections: English and history teachers will find this website to be a useful teaching resource.

Featured Digital Objects:
Goblin Market http://www.bl.uk/…/articles/an-introduction-to-goblin-market
Anthropomorphism in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland http://www.bl.uk/…/anthropomorphism-in-alices-adventures-in…
Child Labour http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victor…/articles/child-labour

To visit the collection, go to http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians

Digital Spotlight: Contagion

CONTAGION: HISTORICAL VIEWS OF DISEASES AND EPIDEMICS is an open collection exploring Harvard’s history of medicine collection.

Contents: This large web project contains digitized copies of books, serials, pamphlets, incunabula, and manuscripts along with many visuals. In addition to searching the collection, users can also explore thematic collection related to cholera, plague, smallpox, flu, syphilis, tuberculosis, and yellow fever epidemics along with a notable person section.

Classroom Connections: Science and history teachers will find fascinating documents that bring the history of disease and epidemics to life. English teachers may incorporate these primary source documents into historical fiction literature circles.

Featured Digital Objects:
Cholera Epidemics http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/cholera.html
Spanish Influenza http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/influenza.html
Yellow Fever of 1793 http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/yellowfever.html

To visit the collection, http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/.

Technology Review: Storyplace

STORY PLACE is a children’s digital learning library.

Sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, this engaging website is filled with engaging activities for children. Available in both English and Spanish, the website provides resources based on dozens of themes. The resources including online stories, web-based activities, videos, reading lists, home activities, and more.

In addition to StoryPlace, the library also houses a preschool activity library and book hive children’s literature section.

Librarians will find the colorful, attractive interactives to be popular with primary-aged children. The website’s thematic approach connects on-computer and off-computer reading and learning activities that teachers can easily adapt for the classroom.

To visit the website, go to https://www.storyplace.org/.

Technology Review: StoryNory

STORYNORY is a website presenting free audio stories and poems to children.

This website contains 100s of free audio stories for young people. The stories are divided into original stories, fairytales, classic audio books, educational stories, myths and world stories, junior stories, and poems and music. Most of the works contain both text and audio. Within each sections, the stories are categorized. For instance, the fairy tale section includes stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Brother’s Grimm, Aesop, and more.

Librarians will find this website to be a useful resource for classroom teachers seeking short, classic stories. The easy-to-use format is appropriate for children. Although the website contains ads, they aren’t distracting.

To visit the website, go to http://www.storynory.com/.

Technology Review: The Moonlit Road

THE MOONLIT ROAD is a website sharing ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends and tales of the American South.

Designed for older children and adults, this engaging resource contains hundreds of strange, dark stories from the American South. This free site includes original stories, adaptations, and old folktales passed down through oral tradition.

The resources are organized into categories such as Civil War era, creature stories, and kids stories. Users can read or listen to the story. Many of the stories have an accompanying image that connects with the tale.

The schoolhouse section contains lessons created by and for teachers using stories from the website.

Librarians will find this website a great way to bring traditional storytelling alive for students. Share the website with English teachers and students who enjoy traditional tales and spooky stories. Involve students in writing and sharing their own stories.

To visit the website, go to http://themoonlitroad.com/.

Digital Collections: Walt Whitman Archive

WALT WHITMAN ARCHIVE

Contents: This digital project is intended to bring the works of poet and writer Walt Whitman to the public. It includes the six editions of his major work Leaves of Grass along with other writings, notebooks, letters, articles, and other items.

Classroom Connections: English teachers will find this resource to be useful in exploring the life and works of Walt Whitman. Involve youth in exploring a particular area of the website such as pictures, sounds, editions, or marginalia.

Featured Digital Objects: 
Picture and Sound - https://goo.gl/WSqKkI
Marginalia - https://goo.gl/ROgV91

To visit the collection, go to http://www.whitmanarchive.org/