Our 2010 Summer Reading Program promotion

The Olathe School District has 34 elementary schools and 2 early childhood development centers. There are also several private schools. We don't have enough staff to visit every school and do a good job of it. Here's our solution: a promotional video that classroom teachers and librarians can use when it fits their schedule (which, at the end of the school year, is always tricky). We partnered with the e-communications department at Olathe Northwest High School. This video is a student creation.
http://www.olathelibrary.org/kids/summerreading/video.cfm 
Would it make you want to come to the library this summer?

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

In the fall of 2006, I traveled with my childhood friend Nancy to Bulgaria. We were there just over a week on a tour led by Rebecca Miller, my friend from library school. One of the remarkably beautiful places we visited was Rila Monastery, tucked in the mountains south of Sofia. A thirty-second video hardly does it justice, but perhaps it will whet someone's appetite for more. Take a look:

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

Through the Looking Glass

...and into the Land of Jing! Screencasting is really fun--especially if you have working microphone jack, which apparently I do not. Plan B meant a silent movie, and here it is:

http://screencast.com/t/NjdmMmJhMGQ

I welcome your feedback--all except "nice cradle."

Editorial Philosophy Regarding Children's Books

From Leonard S. Marcus' interview with Jean Feiwel (children's book publisher)in Horn Book :

LSM: You once summed up your editorial philosophy in the words "blind/orphan/pony." What exactly did you mean by that, and has the mantra changed?

JF: It still holds up pretty well. "Blind" refers to children's empathy for the bad things that happen in life. "Orphan" we know is one of the great categories of hero in the literature. And "pony" stands for all the animal stories, stories of animals in jeopardy, to which children respond so strongly. To that extent, I am a fan of tried-and-true themes. I should probably add "friend" to the list.

Ms. Feiwel has been in children's book publishing more than 30 years. She was an editor at Scholastic and was responsible for several popular series, including The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, and Harry Potter. The interview is worth reading in its entirety: HB September 2009 issue, pages 465-478.