Latest Blog Posts
#Operation Read Aloud: The Word Collector with Michelle and Barack Obama
From Lisa: For many of us distance-learning will continue into the fall. On the Facebook page #OperationReadAloud, we are aggregating resources to support home and classroom learning. Thank you to the creators for their hard work and...
Update from the Curator
A Thank You Thank you to the Kerlan Friends who have been keeping in touch during these Covid-19 times. FAQ's Where are you? And what are you doing? And how are you doing? I have been working from...
Public Service Announcement: Helping Job Seekers
Off Topic- Job Hunting As a curator and a librarian, part of my mission is to supervise interns and mentor new graduates. Stating the obvious, these are tough times. That said, there is help out...
George Floyd and Emmett Till
A few people have been asking about the lack of postings here on the Blue Ox Review lately. This is a time of listening, learning, and reflections. I have been thinking a lot of the 2014...
A Celebration of Life — JoAnn Jonas
Please join us for A Celebration of Life — JoAnn Jonas, on Sunday May 17. The celebration will be held via an online Zoom Meeting, at 3:00 p.m., Eastern; 2:00 p.m., Central; 1:00 p.m., Mountain; and 12:00 p.m., Pacific time.
#OperationReadAloud and Red Balloon on MPR
Holly from Red Balloon and I will be on MPR this morning at 11:00 am talking to Angela Davis about children's books and being at home during the pandemic. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2020/04/24/davis-books-for-kids-stuck-at-home I've been thinking about books. I've been thinking...
Covid-19 STEM Comics for kids
Princess Black Case of the Coronavirus By Shannon and Dean Hale Illustrated by LeUyen Phan Candlewick Press From LeUyen Phan on Facebook: "Been wanting to send this out there for a while... If you’ve got a Princess in Black fan...
Kate DiCamillo and ‘One Book | One Minnesota’
We celebrate the consortium of higher education and public institutions that recently announced "One Book | One Minnesota," a new statewide book club that will feature Kate DiCamillo's book, "Because of Winn-Dixie." In honor of DiCamillo, we offer this 2014 conversation between the author and Lisa Von Drasek.
Covid-19, #OperationReadAloud, #MinnesotaProud
I Had Ambitious Plans For The Sequester I was going to interview educators to help parents facilitate learning at home. I interviewed one. Mollie Welsh Kruger, Supervised Fieldwork Advisor and Course Instructor from the Bank Street...
Remembering a dear friend: Tomie dePaola
The online world is hosting a wake — for prolific children’s book creator Tomie dePaola, 85, who died from surgical complications on March 30. Thousands of teachers, librarians, authors, and illustrators whom he mentored in classrooms, conferences, and on-line are posting on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. These messages speak to how Tomie and his work filled the world with his generosity, joy, and kindness. “To be with Tomie felt like you were his close friend.” says Lisa Von Drasek, Curator of the U’s Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature.
#OperationReadAloud
Children's Book Creators, Publishers, Librarians, Teachers A pandemic was announced. Schools were closing. People were asked to stay home. Not surprising Children's book creators-writers and artists Educators-teachers and librarians Children's book community- publishers and bookstores wanted to provide the best...
Mathical Book Award Winners
2020 Mathical Winners Announced 2020 Mathical Book Award Winners for Ages 2-18 Berkeley, CA – March 12, 2020 — From online gaming to middle school math journaling, from pigeons on a wire to chickens in a coop, this year’s...
Out-of-School Learning: 826 National Resources
I am sharing a message for 826 National "In your community and across the world, educators are banding together to navigate uncharted, historic territory in response to COVID-19. As we write this, UNESCO reports that...
Authors Reading-Aloud: Bruce Hale, Big Bad Baby
Many librarians, authors, and illustrators thought it would be great to have children's book creators reading aloud to families at home. Here is Bruce Hale. How do I know Bruce Hale? I first met Bruce Hale through...
Authors Reading Aloud! Stephanie Calmensen
I am gathering content from the internet. This video is from KidLit TV. Stephanie Calmenson Stephanie Calmenson is one of my favorite authors of picture books for young children. Her words sing off the page. The...
Covid19: Children’s Book Authors in the Home
A Consolidated List of Children's Book Authors Olivia Van Ledtje @thelivbits Reader, thinker, kid voice Podcast: The KidLit Show @pinnaaudio and author of: Spark Change (MOMitered acct) has consolidated a list of children's book authors and illustrators who are reading...
COVID19 and Out-of-School Learning: Tracey Baptiste
COVID19 For Facts and Information https://www.continuum.umn.edu/2020/03/covid-19-facts-and-books/ Social Distancing https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-terms-to-know.html Social distancing From the New York Times: "The virus can easily spread in dense places — in a packed subway car, for example, or at a rally or concert. Social distancing...
Covid- 19 Facts and Books
Book Recommendations and University of Minnesota Information Book Recommendations What are germs? How do we get sick? Germs Make Me Sick! (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Melvin Berger illustrated by Marylin Hafner 2015 Ages 4 and up AND Germs:...
YA Readers Reference: Agnes at the End of the World
Cults, Dystopia, End-of-Times When a publishing friend said she wanted me to read a galley, I was resistant. I have a pretty big to-be-read pile already. This was a June 2020 pub. It was January...
Bologna Ragazzi
What is the Bologna Children's Book Fair? For 57 years BCBF has been the premiere international event for children's publishing. Every spring the universe of books, illustration and multimedia contents are featured in Bologna, Italy,...
Comics: Easy As ABC
This guide to comics for kids is an essential tool for all those who enjoy comics. Simple cartooning basics are outlined with easy examples to follow. kids, parents, teachers, and librarians will love the humorous step-by-step lessons by master cartoonist and teacher Ivan Brunetti. Even reluctant artists will be inspired to pick up a pen and give it a try.
Readers’ Reference: What Are Dreams?
Reference question: A friend who has a 7-year-old who has been asking, "What are dreams?" She would like to find some books to read with her daughter on this topic. Piece of Cake Nots so fast,...
The 2020 Kerlan Award: Jon Scieszka
To Reserve Your Seat For the Kerlan Award with Jon Scieszka go to https://www.continuum.umn.edu/reg/reservations-kerlan-award-ceremony/ The Kerlan Award is given annually by the Friends of the Kerlan Collection in recognition of singular attainments in the creation of children’s...
Collection Development: Best Spanish Language Picture Books 2020
This is an annotated list of current titles recommended for purchase. I appreciated the short descriptions in Spanish and English and the recommended ages for reading aloud and sharing. The selections range from books for...
They will be missed
Children’s Literary Obituaries: What We Lost in 2019 Betsy Bird over at School Library Journal has shown a light on a few children's literature creators who have left "earthly bonds" this past year. What I...