Elementary School Libraries Research Articles

Kamik: an Inuit Puppy Story by D. Uluadluak

Uluadluak, Donald. Kamik: an Inuit Puppy Story. Illus. Qin Leng. Iqaluit, NV: Inhabit Media, 2012. Print.While this is really a picture book with most of the pages filled with Qin Leng’s comic style drawings, it is the story that is important. The drawings are brightly coloured and appropriately uncluttered to match the story being told. It is a simple story, but told in language that preschool and early elementary school children will understand. In traditional Inuit culture, much of a child’s education comes from the elders, often grandparents. Much of the teaching is indirect, through story telling. Kamik is an example of this form of teaching, both in the way that Jake in the story learns and in the way that we, the readers learn. Jake is a young boy whose puppy won’t behave. He is frustrated with him. He says to his grandfather, “He never listens, no matter how loud I yell. I called him Kamik because his fur looks like he’s wearing a boot. I should have called him Bad Dog.”Jake’s grandfather doesn’t give him advice on how to train his puppy. Instead he tells him stories about his own dogs. He describes how Jake’s grandmother “raised them in a similar way to raising a child”. He says that it was “more like building a good friendship than raising an animal”. Jake’s grandfather describes how his dogs helped him, saved his life and brought him home through storms. By the time Jake goes home, his attitude has changed and he decides to follow tradition and rename his dog for one of his grandfather’s great sled dogs.This is a simple story and young children will hear it as a story of a boy and his dog. However it contains a complex lesson and reflects traditional Inuit wisdom. This book is highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries everywhere. It is also an essential addition to any collection of northern Canadian children’s literature.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy Campbell

How To Be A Cat by N. McClure

McClure, Nikki. How To Be A Cat. New York, NY: Abrams Appleseed, 2013. Print.In line with Abrams high-quality art books, How To Be A Cat features self-taught artist Nikki McClure’s intricate cutout artwork and a glimpse into the daily activities of felines. Following a simple black-on-white color scheme with baby-blue highlights, readers are offered sixteen one-word lessons on how to be a cat, such as how to stretch, pounce, wait and dream.Using images and single text statements on each page, How To Be A Cat tells the story of a kitten learning about its environment. It awakens, cleans itself, and then, being playful, gets into trouble by attacking its adult cat companion, learning both how to pounce and how to be brave. It then receives a lesson in hunting—the art of simply listening—before exploring, getting lost, and inevitability being found again. The story therefore comes full circle, starting with the safety and security of life at home to the adventures and fears of the outside world and back home again where one can feast and sleep.McClure’s cutout felines bear a variety of adorable facial expressions, allowing readers the opportunity to connect and fall in love with this sweet little kitten. Further, the vignettes playfully convey feline behavior and profoundly depict the relationship of a child and its mentor, encompassing the associated trials and moments of tenderness.How To Be A Cat is recommended for elementary school libraries as well as public libraries, and would make a great book for story time. For, it is perfect for young readers, who, like the kitten in the story, are learning about themselves and the world around them.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Jessica ThorlaksonJessica Thorlakson is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta’s H. T. Coutts Education and Physical Education Library. She has a background in English Literature and enjoys little more than reading a good book and drinking some tea.

The Highway Rat by J. Donaldson

Donaldson, Julia. The Highway Rat. Illus. Axel Scheffler. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013. Print.The children’s literature dream team of author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are at it again with this delightful take on Alfred Noyes’ classic narrative poem, “The Highwayman.” Donaldson and Scheffler, best known for their popular Gruffalo series as well as Room on the Broom, have created a lush narrative replete with repetitive phrases and rich illustrations that will captivate children while engaging the adult reader in an intelligent manner.“The Highway Rat was a baddie; the Highway Rat was a beast. He took what he wanted and ate what he took…” Indeed! The Highway Rat holds up fellow travelers and those he meets along the way with a voracious attitude and pointy sword. Though he prefers sweets, he takes anything –even a bunch of clover deemed tasteless and dull –to satisfy his greed and without a morsel of regret. As the other creatures along the road grew thinner and thinner, the Highway Rat grows plump until one plucky duck delivers poetic justice and some just ‘desserts’ to this nasty rat. Children will be pleased with the appropriate comeuppance for the Highway Rat that arrives with a healthy message of kindness and sharing.Fans of Donaldson and Scheffler’s previous work will not be disappointed, in particular those who have encountered “The Highwayman” as younger readers. This rollicking book will make a nice addition to any elementary school library collection and is best suited for students in K-3. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

Becoming Holmes by Sh. Peacock

Peacock, Shane. Becoming Holmes. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2012. Print. This is the final book in The Boy Sherlock Holmes series. In the first five books, Shane Peacock developed the landscape of Holmes’ early life, preparing the reader for his transition into the adult genius-detective that we all know and love. Holmes’ creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not supply much information about Holmes’ childhood, so authors have great scope to imagine how such an extraordinary person as Sherlock Holmes grew up to become what he is. Shane Peacock is not the first to create a prequel series, nor is he likely to be the last. Prequels to much-loved stories are always a risk. However, Peacock has done a remarkably good job of imagining Holmes’ early years while staying true enough to Conan Doyle’s character that readers will not be jarred when they progress from this series to the original series. In this rendition of Holmes’ childhood, much is explained by the fact that he is a half-Jew and that his parents have died leaving the boy in the care of the apothecary, Sigerson Bell. Bell has taught Holmes much of his vast knowledge base as well as some disguise and martial arts techniques. In this series we also meet Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, already ensconced in government, as well as youthful versions of Inspector Lestrade and the arch-enemy, here called Malefactor. By the end of this book, Holmes has matured and thinks, “I am a man… It is just the beginning”, giving readers a segué into the original series. While other series about Holmes’ youth, for example Andrew Lane’s Sherlock Holmes, the Legend Begins Series address older teen readers, Peacock has written these volumes for 10 to 14 year olds. His use of language is age-appropriate and the final volume, like the earlier ones, is action-packed with lots of intrigue and just enough of the macabre to keep pre-teens and early teens engaged. Becoming Holmes is a good read that is highly recommended for public libraries and both elementary and junior-high school libraries everywhere. Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

The Great Sheep Shenanigans by P. Bently

Bently, Peter. The Great Sheep Shenanigans. Illus. M. Matsuoka. London: Andersen Press, 2011. Print. In this tale, it is really the wolf, Lou Pine (hear the French loup and Lupin, the werewolf from Harry Potter), who gets up to shenanigans, rather than the sheep. The text is a clever and funny rhyme that tells the story of the wolf trying to catch a lamb to eat. Along the way, we hear sheep-related cultural and literary references from, “the wolf in sheep’s clothing,” to Red Riding Hood. “I’m just in the mood for a Gran-flavoured snack,” the wolf tells us. The wolf makes many attempts to catch a lamb, but is always thwarted, if not by his own silliness, then by the water-gun toting Ma Watson, by bees, by Red Riding Hood’s Granny, and finally, by Rambo the Ram, who butts him into “a big pile of poo!” While the intended audience is pre-school, the author sprinkles in some big words, such as “derrière”, “kersplat”, “skedaddling” and “vindaloo”, that children will enjoy and repeat, but adults will need to explain and pronounce on the first reading. The text is often printed over the illustrations, sometimes in extra-large font to emphasize a point. Sometimes it is part of the illustration. When “Lou found a thicket of blossoming trees,” the words from the phrase “Down came the blossom” float down the page with the blossoms. The illustrations are as much fun as the text. The sheep are most often depicted as balls of white with heads, ears and four small pegs for legs. Lou Pine is a two-dimensional creature, while Rambo the Ram blows steam out his nose and wears boxing gloves. The sheep occasionally have glasses, bow-ties or hair-bows. Because the rhyme is jaunty and the illustrations are fun and inventive, this will be a book that small children will want to have read to them over and over. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Puckster’s First Hockey Sweater and Puckster’s First Hockey Game by L. Schulz Nicholson

Schultz Nicholson, Lorna. Puckster’s First Hockey Sweater and Puckster’s First Hockey Game. Toronto: Fenn/Tundra, 2011. Print. These two volumes are the first in the new Puckster series, a collaboration between Fenn/Tundra of Tundra Books and Hockey Canada. The stories are about an after-school team of hockey-playing animals. The team is inclusive in terms of gender, ability, colour and species, being comprised of a raccoon, a squirrel, a brown bear, a moose who plays on a sledge, a pink fox who is female, and of course, Puckster, who is a polar bear. The dressing room also appears to be unisex. Each book tells a story that also teaches values. In Puckster’s First Hockey Sweater, the animals want team sweaters, so they work as a team to make enough money by shoveling snow. In Puckster’s First Hockey Game, they play a see-saw game which ends in a tie. Throughout they console and encourage each other as they score and are scored upon. Each player is shown making an important contribution to the team. On the last page of each book is a definition or a hockey tip. Lorna Schultz Nicholson includes lots of hockey detail and authentic “hockey talk”. For example, Francois “blasted a shot right into the five-hole, between the goalie’s pads”. Puckster wonders “…what should he do. Deke or shoot?” Parents who are fans will find the text comfortable and familiar. Kelly Findley’s cartoon illustrations are bright and her characters are expressive. She has worked as a graphic designer with Hockey Canada, which probably accounts for the fact that the team wears current Team Canada sweaters. Both the use of the current Team Canada images and references to players such as Hayley Wickenheiser and Roberto Luongo will date these books in time. However, they are fun books for today’s young hockey fans and players and the values they teach are laudable. Highly recommended for elementary school and public libraries. Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

9 Degrees North: The ABCs of North Ghana

Tools for Schools Africa Foundation. 9 Degrees North: The ABCs of North Ghana. Red Deer, Alberta: Tools for Schools Africa Foundation, 2011. Print. Since 2003, Tools for Schools Africa Foundation has been working to increase educational opportunities in northern Ghana. A registered charity based out of Red Deer, Alberta, they have been working to advance the quality of life of those living in the northern regions of Ghana by improving access to post-primary education. One of their recent projects includes the publication of an ABC book for primary school students. 9 Degrees North: The ABCs of North Ghana is an amazing piece of beautiful artistry; each letter colourfully depicting animals, activities, plants, traditions, history and other aspects of Ghanaian life. Each of the 26 letters is illustrated by a different artist, allowing readers to be introduced to a variety of artistic mediums, including oils, pastels, watercolours and pencil. The artistry from letter to letter is unique, featuring different uses of colour and technique, yet each image is consistently impressive. The accessible and well-written sentences that accompany each illustration introduce readers to Bolga baskets (grass baskets made in Bolgatanga), Kapok trees (used by people and farm animals for its shade), Oware (the national game of Ghana), and the Black Volta River (full of crocodiles) amongst many other interesting facts and features about this country. In addition to the few sentences used to explain the illustrations associated with each of the 26 letters, there is a detailed appendix with additional facts about the object or focus of each letter which could serve as a useful teaching tool for using this book in the classroom. The appendix also includes several additional photographs and paintings of Ghana. 9 Degrees North: The ABCs of North Ghana is highly recommended for elementary school libraries as well as public libraries. With its varied and vibrant illustrations, and with proceeds from the sale of this book supporting scholarships for girls in northern Ghana, this will also make an excellent addition to any reader’s collection. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Nicole Dalmer Nicole Dalmer is a Public Services Librarian at H.T. Coutts Education & Physical Education Library at the University of Alberta. She is interested in health literacy, pinball, and finding the perfect cup of coffee to accompany a good read.

Already on the Shelf

This essay explores what it might mean to read children’s literature in elementary school classrooms through a queer lens. The authors argue that because queer theory has a history as a literary theory that destabilizes normative associations among gender, sexuality, bodies, and desire, it provides a set of analytical tools classroom communities can draw on to create alternative readings of a wide range of familiar texts. Such readings of books already on the shelves of elementary school libraries and classrooms can highlight experiences and subjectivities of nonnormative sexualities and gender identities in the hopes of making classrooms more inclusive. Specifically, we argue that four high-quality, award-winning children’s books already included in many schools and classrooms—Sendak’s (1963) Where the Wild Things Are, Woodson’s (2001) The Other Side, DiCamillo’s (2003) Tale of Despereaux, and Patterson’s (1977) Bridge to Terabithia—can be fruitful sites for opening up these more inclusive readings and conversations. The article offers possible queer readings of these texts as well as suggestions for how to encourage elementary-aged students to think about both books and the socially constructed norms of real life through a queered lens. By first queering on-the-shelf texts and then asking students to think about how that queering connects to larger social issues, elementary classrooms can become places where strict identity categories—categories that can marginalize queer students and families—are made visible, are questioned, are stretched, and can even fall apart.

Representations of technology in the “Technical Stories” for children of Otto Witt, early 20th century Swedish technology educator

Children’s fiction in school libraries have played and still play a role in mediating representations of technology and attitudes towards technology to schoolchildren. In early 20th century Sweden, elementary education, including textbooks and literature that were used in teaching, accounted for the main mediation of technological knowledge to schoolchildren. An investigation of children’s literature for schools is therefore important in order to understand what was considered worth knowing about technology at the time. The aim of this article is therefore to analyse the representations of technology and attitudes towards technology that were mediated through two children’s fiction books in Swedish elementary school libraries in the 1910s. We have limited the analysis of empirical material to the books Technical Stories for Young and Old (Tekniska sagor för stora och små, 1914) and Technical Stories of the War for Young and Old (Krigets tekniska sagor för stora och små, 1915) by the Swedish inventor, author and technology educator Otto Witt. Gauging Witt’s influence on the schoolchildren and educators of his time is very difficult, but in this first English-language article on his “technical stories” one can conclude that he was in many ways unique and probably fairly well-read in the schools of early 20th century Sweden and onward. He was also a particularly perceptive forerunner of today’s technology and science educators in his use of anthropomorphism as an educational tool.

Oddfellow's Orphanage by E.W. Martin

Martin, Emily Winfield. Oddfellow's Orphanage. New York: Random House Children’s Books, 2012. Print. Emily Winfield Martin crafts a whimsical, imaginative read in her debut novel, Oddfellow’s Orphanage, that is sure to delight readers of all ages. As Delia, the newest member of the Oddfellow’s Orphanage quickly discovers, the members living at the orphanage are anything but ordinary. Under the guidance of Headmaster Oddfellow Bluebeard, her new family includes an onion-headed boy, a blue tattooed girl, a child-sized hedgehog, and a family of three dancing bears. While Delia is unable to speak and must instead write to communicate, she is immediately accepted into her new family. The oddities and peculiarities of each of the children residing at the orphanage are matched in the school classes they take, including Professor Flockheart’s F. T. Studies (fairy tales and folktales) and Professor Silas’ cryptozoology class. In this rather unorthodox orphanage, the school year passes with one quirky adventure after another. Each bizarre yet entertaining escapade allows the author to develop each character’s personality as well as friendships between the children, endearing the reader to each of the orphans. With Haircut Day, a grand picnic, a fieldtrip to see the Great Comet and an expedition to locate lake M.O.N.S.T.E.R.S. (Mysterious or Nonexistent Subjects Thoroughly Examined Really Scientifically), nothing is ever ordinary at Oddfellow’s Orphanage. While comical and curious, the story, at times, appears to unfold in isolated vignettes, with each chapter a discrete event, making for less-than-smooth plot continuity. Quite impressively, the author manages to pepper the story with an appropriate amount of bizarre and peculiar elements, never once does the plot appear to be overly outlandish. While the writing itself is sweet and simple with perfectly proportioned chapters, lending itself to a fantastic first reader or a read-aloud story, it is Martin’s illustrations that accentuate the writing and highlight the whimsy found within the pages. The soft, sepia-coloured pencil drawings that appear on nearly every page give off a vintage aesthetic and confer just the right amount of detail to the story, allowing the reader to invent and imagine the rest. With overarching themes of acceptance and perseverance, both girls and boys will fall in love with the charming and unique characters and the impressive illustrations. Highly recommended for elementary school libraries as well as public libraries. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Nicole Dalmer Nicole Dalmer is a Public Services Librarian at H.T. Coutts Education & Physical Education Library at the University of Alberta. She is interested in health literacy, pinball, and finding the perfect cup of coffee to accompany a good read.

어린이의 성격유형에 따른 선호도서의 특성에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of preference books according to the children`s personality types. For this study, the analytical criteria of preference books was made through literature review and investigated the contents of the borrowed books of 6th grade students collected from 3 elementary school libraries. This study found that the characteristics of preference books differ according to the children`s personality types. Based on the results of this study, new reading education programs according to various personality types are expected to be developed.

Monkey’s Friends by R. Brown

Brown, Ruth. Monkey’s Friends. [London, England], Andersen Press Ltd, 2012. Print. Prolific English children’s author/illustrator Ruth Brown has created a delightful book in Monkey’s Friends. It is a simple rhymed text telling the story of monkey going through the forest, meeting different animals and greeting them. Each two page spread shows monkey greeting an animal whom we can see peeking out of the bushes. Every facing page is covered by a half-page flap. When the half-page is turned, the hidden animal is revealed and the animal’s name is printed on the flap. Brown’s acrylic paintings are fun. Monkey is doing something different in each image. Sometimes he hangs by his tail. Other times he is sitting on a branch or a rock or peering through grass. Each time his expression is alive. Brown also does an excellent job of communicating motion in her paintings. When you lift the flap to see crocodile, he seems to explode out of the water and you see water flying in all directions. While Brown’s animals are realistic, her vegetation is quite unusual. The leaves are highly-textured and look like they might have been done with block prints. The vegetation seems to be simultaneously dense and see-through. The result is a bright and colourful environment for Monkey and his friends. Young children will enjoy looking for the hidden animals and finding them when the flap is turned. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

I Hate to Read! by R. Marshall

Marshall, Rita, and Etienne Delessert. I Hate to Read! Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1992. Print. As you might guess from the title, this book invites reluctant readers to discover the wondrous adventures that can be accessed through turning the pages of a book, as opposed to tuning into TV programs. The cover features the narrator—third-grader Victor Dickens—on a dragon’s back, with flames licking out of the pages of a stack of books. Readers are told that Victor is a “really good kid” “most of the time,” and many children will be able to relate to his academic difficulties: “Victor got As in math and Bs in science, but Fs when it came to the ABCs”. He calls himself a “victim of the hate to read syndrome”. One night, Victor is visited by a series of storybook creatures, including a crocodile in a white coat, a field mouse carrying gold coins, a pirate parrot, and a white rabbit in black barn boots; all of whom attempt to convince him to read. He repeats his usual mantra, “I hate to read,” until gradually he begins turning pages, and his imagination takes over. Fictional characters morph into people from his real life: Sleeping Beauty turns into Natalie Nickerson, on whom Victor appears to have a bit of a crush. The turning point comes when one of the characters whispers: “It’s fun to read even when you’re not supposed to.” This thought appeals to his sense of juvenile rebellion, and he continues in his literary reverie, even missing his favourite TV program. He imagines his teacher as a witch, throwing books into a cauldron, and his classmates, led by Natalie, shouting, “We hate to read!” Instead of joining in, however, Victor thinks of how sad he would be to lose all of his new friends, so he looks for them in his book: “And as he read each page, he just hated…to come to the end.” Writer and designer Rita Marshall and illustrator Etienne Delessert have each been awarded numerous literary prizes for their work. The large-scale drawings of the storybook creatures are whimsical and inviting. They also contain small details that might not be noticed on the first reading. For example, the toes and talons of the dragon on the cover also form crow-like birds with pointy beaks. In another image, letters of the alphabet are hidden in animal tracks. On the other hand, the book includes some literary references that would likely be lost on a typical third-grader. For example, Victor’s parents are said to have bought all 56 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica to help pique his interest in reading. It is unlikely that many families would have this set in their homes, nor would a child normally encounter one in an elementary school library. However, these details will perhaps prompt questions from curious readers. On the whole, “I hate to read” is highly likely to achieve its principal goal. Much like Victor, most children will probably hate to see it come to an end. Not to fear, they can continue to follow Victor’s adventures in “I Still Hate to Read,” which was published in 2007. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kim Frail Kim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children’s literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her two-year old.

Picture a Tree by B. Reid

Reid, Barbara. Picture a Tree. Toronto: North Winds Press, 2011. Print. The cover notes for this picture book tell us to “Picture a tree – now look again!” Award winning Toronto author and illustrator, Barbara Reid, encourages readers to see not just the trees, but how people use them, what they mean and what we can see in them. However it is not just the trees that demand a second look. The book itself is the most amazing collection of artwork – all made of plasticine, a modeling clay! On each page showing a tree in leaf, there are hundreds of tiny plasticine leaves. When Reid shows us a street scene where the trees make a leafy tunnel, the street, the cars, the house fronts and the people walking their dog are all fine plasticine work. When she shows us shade trees as umbrellas, not only is the woman with the baby and the man on a scooter made of the plasticine, the shadow cast by the tree is, too. As the book moves through the seasons from spring to winter, Reid really does find many different ways to look at trees. She sees the leafless branches as a drawing against the sky, falling leaves as a good-bye party and snow-covered trees as trees in snowsuits. The text is brief and easy to read; no more than a single sentence on each page. The concepts and words are simple enough for children ages three and up to enjoy. Most children reading this book will not see the artwork as different from any other illustration. It is only in the expanses of sky or snow that it is easy to see the plasticine. Because of this, parents will enjoy Picture a Tree on a different level from the children with whom they share it. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

At the Heart of It: Dene dzó t’áré by R. Taniton & M. Willett

Taniton, Raymond and Mindy Willett. At the Heart of It: Dene dzó t’áré. Markham, On: Fifth House, 2011. Print. Indigenous author Raymond Taniton is a member of The Sahtugot’ine, or the “people of Great Bear Lake”. In At the Heart of It, Taniton invites readers into his world. We meet his family, see the Sahtu Region where he lives, meet the elders in the community, learn how to make a traditional hand drum, learn some games and read some of the stories. The stories are particularly important. This book is the most recent in Fifth House’s “The Land is Our Story Book” series, all co-authored by writer Mindy Willett. Taniton concludes this volume by saying, “The land is our storybook. It is our school, our library, our church. It is where we learn our stories and where we discover who we are as true Dene people. The land is at the heart of it all”. And in this book Taniton and Willett do succeed in helping us to understand “the land”. This is a picture book, an educational book and a celebration of what it means to be Satugot’ine. Tessa Macintosh’s photographs are used throughout. The top of each page has a border image of the beaded toes of twenty-one moccasins. Often a large image will form the background of a page with text and other images superimposed. For example, for the story “The Lake is the Boss”, the background is an image which looks out through the mouth of a cave. The story is about a giant wolf that lived in the cave. The text, along with smaller images of the island that the wolf became when he turned to stone, is superimposed on the cave photograph. The images and text, taken together, form many lessons for young people. The stories provide metaphorical and philosophical lessons, but the book also provides practical lessons, such as the illustrated steps to making a drum. As a whole, the book celebrates Raymond Taniton’s family, the Sahtugot’ine people and their way of life. Highly recommended for elementary school and public libraries. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

경기도 가평지역 초등학교 도서관의 독서인증제 운영에 관한 연구

ABSTRACT The Reading Certification System is a form of reading education , a program in which homeroom teachers or librarians certify and reward students' reading and reading activities in order to raise motivation for reading. This study investigates and analy zes the management of the Reading Certification System in elementary school libraries in Gapyeong County, indicating problems and providing ways to resolve them by examining theories on sch ool libraries' reading education and the Reading Certification System through a documentary surv ey and by conducting a survey of librarians and students on the categories of management, eff ectiveness, satisfaction levels, reading activities and reading motivation factors. An analysis of the survey results yielded the following suggestions for improvement: there should be a recommended books selection, a separate budget for a diverse reward system and more reading activities for students with low participation levels. I hope the results of this paper will be used as a reference when implementing the Reading Certification System in elementary sch ools, and that it will be an opportunity in changing perspective when applying the system.

The Qalupalik by E. Kilabuk

Kilabuk, Elisha. The Qalupalik. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media Inc., 2011. Print. This volume is the first in the Unikkaakuluit Series from Inhabit Media. It is currently available in English and South Baffin Inuktitut editions, with other Inuktitut dialects in the works. Contemporary Inuit storyteller, Elisha Kilabuk, leads off this series with a story that he learned from his mother, who learned it from her father. It is not unusual to find a myth appearing in different cultures or subcultures in different forms. This cautionary story is about the qalupalik has many variants. The qalupalik is a scary monster that lives under the sea ice, and captures small children who wander too close to the water. The monster is outwitted by a small orphan child, who convinces the creature that his toes, which are poking out of his shoes, will eat her. Inhabit Media has recently published similar stories in Stories of the Amautalik: Fantastic Beings from Inuit Myths and Legends. In that version, the creature comes from underground, but is still outwitted by a child who tells the creature that his toes eat Amautaliks. The Qalupalik is a single story in a picture book. There are a few sentences on each text page and a full colour image on the facing page. Joy Ang’s artwork is evocative and effective. Her qalupalik is green and slimy with a huge nose, white eyes, webbed feet and long claws. It is scary enough to keep any child from roaming too close to the water’s edge. The images of this disgusting creature will also cause this book to be in high demand among those 6 to 8 year olds who love “gross” pictures. In contrast to the qalupalik, Ang’s images of the children are more cartoon-like and light-hearted. They are a nice balance to the scary monster. While the text will be too difficult for early readers, the images tell the story and the book will work well as a “read aloud”. Overall The Qalupalik is an excellent presentation of the myth and is recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

A Walk on the Tundra by R. Hainnu & A. Ziegler

Hainnu, Rebecca and Anna Ziegler. A Walk on the Tundra. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media, 2011. Print. This volume is a cross between a picture book, a story and a field guide to edible plants. Inuujaq is a little girl who wants to play with her friends, but they are still asleep. Her grandmother, Silaaq, takes her out on the land to collect plants. While Inuujaq is more concerned about her friends and snacks, her grandmother patiently passes on the traditional knowledge that her grandmother had taught her. As Silaaq teaches the reader learns about the plants as well. For example, when they pick qijuktaat, we are told that “Its long green fingers and white bell blossoms flutter in the wind. Inuujaq touches the little branches. They feel prickly on her palms. And they smell fresh, like the summer wind when it comes from the hills.” Authors, Rebecca Hainnu and Anna Ziegler, have worked on several educational publications. That background is apparent in this book. There are eighteen Inuktitut words, including 6 plant names, introduced in the text. They are explained and italicized when they are first introduced, for example “Nirilikkit – eat them”. The next time the word is used, it is assumed that the reader knows what it means. Because there are several Inuktitut words on each page, I was not able to remember them as I read and had to use the glossary or look back to the first use of the word, which is distracting. However, as a tool for building vocabulary, or as a story book for students who have some familiarity with Inuktitut, this work would be excellent. The pictures that accompany the story are cartoon-like with lots of bright colours. Artist, Qin Leng, has given the land a lot of colour. The ground is covered with green grass and bright flowers, reflecting the Arctic summer. Silaaq and Inuujaq wear pinks and purples and blues with green boots and pink shoes. The plant glossary, or field guide, is illustrated with photographs for accurate identification. There are very few children’s books about Inuit plant use. The content is valuable, but because of the incorporation of Inuktitut words, it is more challenging to read. A Walk on the Tundra will find most of its readers at the upper elementary level rather than the age 6 to 8 group which is its defined audience. Recommended for elementary school and public libraries. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by J. Winter

Winter, Jeanette. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. Print. Jeanette Winter is a prolific and award winning American children’s author and illustrator. She tells us in her author’s note at the end of this book that, as a child, she wished that she “could have read about someone like Jane Goodall – a brave woman who wasn’t afraid to do something that had never been done before”. So she wrote this book. The picture book format and the Grade 3 reading level make this work appropriate for the lower elementary school target audience, children who are beginning to think about what they want to be when they grow up. While written mostly in poetic line form, the work is not particularly poetic. However the form does seem to give Winter the licence to begin sentences with conjunctions and end them with prepositions. The text reads more like folksy spoken American English than poetry. For example, “She woke at dawn and saw them slowly rise from their nests, sit for a spell, then go off to find food.” Winter’s illustrations are the delight of the book. They are simple, two-dimensional folk art works. In this volume Winter purposefully uses two distinct forms of presentation. In the early part of the book, which traces Goodall’s life from her English childhood until she travels to Gombe, the illustrations are square and centred on a coloured page with the text structured below them. Once Goodall has set up her camp in the forest, the illustrations are as wild and uncontained as the life Goodall led. The paintings splash out across the pages and the text fits in and around them wherever there is space. As an introduction to the life of a remarkable female scientist and role model, this is a work that belongs in every public and elementary school library. However, because the text is not exemplary of well-written English, it should not be used for classroom study. Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

PENGEMBANGAN PERPUSTAKAAN SEKOLAH DASAR DI DKI JAKARTA

Development of libraries in this case focused on elementary school library. The purpose of this study is to determine the condition of the management of primary school libraries in East Jakarta and to obtain information about the strategic development plan for elementary school library in accordance with the standard of school facilities and infrastructure. This study is a survey research using exploratory and descriptive methods. Descriptive method used to analyze the results of questionnaires from respondents about the real conditions of primary school libraries in DKI Jakarta Province in terms of availability of facilities and utilization of library materials and library management. Exploratory method used to analyze the results of interviews from respondents about the development of elementary school library to National Standard of Education. Results of this study are : First, elementary School Library in DKI Jakarta Province has not been managed well. Second, not all state primary school in the provinces of DKI Jakarta has a school library standards. Third, Schools that have a library was not supported by adequate facilities.