Goodbye From Mrs. Overlid

It was such a joy working with Cragmont students last year but unfortunately, I will not be returning to the school library after the new year as intended. I will still be a librarian, but instead of being at Cragmont, I will be the children's librarian nearby at the Kensington and San Pablo libraries with Contra Costa County.

I will let teachers know about special library events and hope some families will come visit me on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays when I am up Arlington at the Kensington Library or on Mondays, Wednesdays and some Fridays at the San Pablo branch.

I had a wonderful time reading and sharing stories with Cragmont students and will miss everyone dearly!

Happy reading!

-Mrs. Overlid

Children and E-Books

Children are learning to be more cyber savvy every day, see how traditional literacy and new technologies collide! An SFGate parent blogger recently wrote a piece about children's e-books and how interactive interfaces may impact reading experiences and expectations. For example, in the ipad version of Harold and the Purple Crayon, kids can swipe a finger across the screen and purple marks appear like magic; do paper pages seem boring after such fun?

Before you decide, play around with children's e-books using your local public library! Several library systems, including Alameda County Public Library and Contra Costa Library, have children's e-books you can "checkout" for your e-book reader.

Be a Scholastic News Kid!

Scholastic is looking for a new batch of kid reporters aged 10-14 for their Kids Press Corps! If you are a curious kid who is always looking around for interesting things in your community, this could be a job for you! Kid reporters write about news, events, interviews and interesting goings-on in their communities. Articles are posted online as well as in the print run of Scholastic News, often read in classrooms all over the country.

The deadline for applications is October 11, 2011. The complete details and formal application can be found here: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751699

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes

With the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever due out in November 2011, we have a couple months before we get to read the next adventures, or miss-adventures, of Gred Heffley. What should we read in the meantime? School Library Journal just came out with a fabulous list of Diary of a Wimpy Kid read-alikes, including graphic novels! Some of these titles, like Smile and Spaceheadz are already favorites at Cragmont but there are several more on the list that are worth looking for at your local public library. And one extra one that didn't make the list but is sure to draw in readers: Squish, Super Amoeba by Jennifer Holm, author of the Babymouse series.

Check out the complete list of recommended reading here:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890413-427/middle_grade_tell-alls_wimpy_kid.html.csp

Have a Wonderful Summer!

School is out and as of June 21st, the summer has officially begun! I hope everyone has a fun and safe summer!

Don't forget to keep reading! Reading is just like any other skill and new readers need their practice! Berkeley Public Library is offering a fantastic summer reading program perfect for Cragmont kids! Check out the details at your local branch or online here. Remember, the North and Claremont Branches are closed for renovation but this gives you a great excuse to explore other locations like the South Branch on MLK and Russell where you can borrow a hammer with your book at the tool lending library!

There are also other library systems in the area doing similar summer events:
-Alameda County Library's Summer Reading Game: http://guides.aclibrary.org/summer
-Contra Costa County's Summer Reading Program: http://guides.ccclib.org/srf
-Oakland Public Library Summer Reading Program: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org

Here are some other things to keep you busy this summer:
-write postcards to family and friends, or even to the Berkeley Public Library Librarians!
-keep a journal or a travel log if you go on trips
-check out the website where Diary of a Wimpy Kid began: www.funbrain.com
-bookmark some new favorite websites: American Library Association's recommendations of Great Websites for Kids

It has been a wonderful year at Cragmont Library! I won't be there in the fall because I am expecting our first baby around September 2nd. I will miss everyone very much though and promise to send pictures!

Happy Reading!

-Mrs. Overlid

End of Year at Cragmont Library

Only one more week of school, can you believe it? It has been a very successful year here at the Cragmont Library, we have read a ton of books, heard lots of stories and learned a lot about how the library works!

If you find any Cragmont Library books at home, please send them back to school as soon as possible because we are trying to inventory our collection to see what books we have and what books we will need for the future.

If your student has lost a book, here are the best options:

1) replace the exact same book
2) pay for the lost books (checks should be made out to "BPEF: Cragmont Library")

If these two options are financially not available, students can:

3) bring a nice book from home that is similar to the lost book (i.e. if you lost a Spanish chapter book, please bring in a nice Spanish chapter book)
4) come help me in the library for some of your recesses.

Thanks for helping to make it a great year for Cragmont Library!

Finding New Kids Books!

While classics never go out of style, new books are always fun, but how do you know what is good?

Finding reviews of new children's books can sometimes be overwhelming so here is a neat article outlining blogs, professional review site and other online resources for new children's books!

http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/2011/05/parents-staying-current-how-to-find.html

I am personally a big fan of Fuse 8 (written by a NY Public Library Librarian) and anything on School Library Journal's review area.

Start your summer reading booklist today!