The Magic of Mini Books
Do you love to doodle? Do you love to make up stories and share them with other people? Do you enjoy reading comics or graphic novels? Then this class is for you! Using published authors as inspiration, we will brainstorm ideas together as a group and then create individual mini-books with different themes. You do not have to be an expert at drawing to be in this class. If you can make a stick figure, you’re good to go!
This week-long class is for grades 3-5 and will take place at The Smith Street Workshop.
Session Two: August 3-7
Sessions run Monday through Friday;
9:30 am – 11 am
To register:
A Letter-Writing Workshop for Children, Teens,
and Their Parents/Caregivers
Carroll Gardens Library, Story Hour Room
396 Clinton St., Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-596-6972
Letter-writing, a long-lost art form, is a wonderful way to express yourself, and to keep in touch with friends and family members.
Come join literacy tutor Eleanor Traubman for an afternoon of intergenerational fun. Stamps are provided!
A Letter-Writing Workshop for Children, Teens,
and Their Parents/Caregivers
Wednesday, June 24, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Carroll Gardens Library, Story Hour Room
396 Clinton St., Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-596-6972
Letter-writing, a long-lost art form, is a wonderful way to express yourself, and to keep in touch with friends and family members.
Come join literacy tutor Eleanor Traubman for an afternoon of intergenerational fun. Stamps are provided!
RSVP to etraubman@gmail.com
I am pleased to introduce 3 great lady graphic novelists. Whether you are new to the world of graphic novels, or already a fan, please check out the exceptional work of Sara Varon, Cece Bell, and Katherine Jamieson.
Adults, if you are skeptical about the role that graphic novels play in young people’s literacy development, read what Scholastic has to say HERE.
First, there’s Cece Bell and El Deafo. I first came across Cece’s work as an author and illustrator at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum. The book, Bee-Wigged, had a plot twist that made me laugh out loud and proceed to tell everyone I knew about it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Ms. Bell had a graphic novel, El Deafo, out on the market. The book, based on her own life, is about a hearing-impaired girl and her adventures with a giant hearing aid that is strapped to her chest. Ms. Bell is receiving lots of positive reviews for El Deafo.
Next, there’s Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl. (If you read and enjoyed the book Whip It or saw the Drew Barrymore-directed movie by the same title, you will love Rollergirl. (Note to parents and educators: While Whip It is more appropriate for teens and young adults, Roller Girl is better suited for grade and middle school-age children.)
One of the things I love best about Victoria’s website is a Free E-Book called The Making of Roller Girl. Very generous of Victoria to share all the details that went into the creative and technical process!
Last, but not least, there’s Sara Varon. I encountered Sara’s graphic novel, Bake Sale, at – very appropriately! – The Treats Truck Stop in Carroll Gardens. The main characters of Bake Sale are best friends named Cupcake and Eggplant. There’s a section of the book that has recipes for sweets accompanied by Sara’s delightful illustrations.
Here are some fun facts about Sara that I learned by meeting up with her at – where else? – The Treats Truck Stop!
When I entered the playground of PS 32 in Brooklyn, here’s what I saw: Parents, children, and teachers dressed as characters from Road Dahl books such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches. I saw families playing games based on Dahl books. I heard songs from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie soundtrack floating in the air. I felt the magic of these books embodied by a whole community of readers.
The principal, Ms. Florio (see photo above), was dressed at The Golden Ticket from Charlie. “The art teacher, Dave, made this costume for me,” she proudly shared. The back of the costume read, true to the ticket described in the book, “In your wildest dreams you could not imagine the marvelous surprises that await you!”
Over in another corner, a student was dressed like Violet when she turned into a blueberry.
A father and a daughter wore costumes which depicted the foxes from Fantastic Mr. Fox.
After milling around and taking in the pageantry, I stopped to listen to some of the people who had made this event possible; these included school librarian Adam Marcus and Deborah Florio, the principal. School Chancellor Carmen Farina, who has a 30-year relationship with PS 32, also spoke to the crowd. Off to the side, I chatted with Francine Cuomo, the school’s Business Manager. Ms. Cuomo, who had worked hard to help build the library and organize the day’s event, was heartened by the impact of the library on the school culture. Dave Chimoskey, the school’s art teacher, was also instrumental in creating the enchanted event.
So how did this event, with its beautiful community of readers, come to be?
In the summer of 2009, Principal Florio asked teacher Adam Marcus to build a library for PS 32. Marcus, with the help of a library advisory committee, raised more than $500,000 to create what would become the hub of the school.
Fast-forward to 2014, when PS 32 became one of 20 schools in the country to receive a Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory grant. The grant was bestowed by Penguin Young Readers Group as a team with First Book Advisory Boards in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the legendary book.
The honor included multiple copies of all Dahl’s books, a giant Charlie bean bag for the library, and last Saturday’s party, which was sponsored by First Book, Penguin Publishing, Hay Rosie Craft Ice Cream Co., and The Chocolate Room. The party, took place on September 13, Roald Dahl Day, and was generously staffed by 70 volunteers from places like Good Shepherd Services and The American Association of Publishers.
On a personal note, I am greatly inspired by the work and imagination that this school’s teachers, administration, and parents have invested in creating the gem that is the PS 32 library. Many public schools nowadays do not have a library, or have turned their library into a computer center. What better way to foster young people’s love of reading by building a beautiful, comfortable, cozy, friendly space where a child (or an adult!) can plop down on a couch and bury her nose in a book.
Keep up the great work, PS 32!!
PS – Check out the PS 32 Library Blog
Last night, Mike and I went to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) for a meal and a look around. It’s a great night to go because it’s free and there’s lots of good people-watching. I saw one of my favorite Matisse paintings, The Red Studio. It reminded me of the famous children’s picture book, Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown.
“Goodnight Moon absolutely refuses speed. It cannot be hurried through. In this sensee it works as a welcome antidote to the pressures we impose on our childen. Children who have been rushed though the day can relax into it. Confidently, they know what will come next; and yeg, as they trace the antics of the little mouse or encounter a new word or observe a new form, they are learning as well. They can feel, in this imaginary space, the pleasures of satisfied expectations, the meeting of hope with fulfillment. Thus, never static, Goodnight Moon is also a site of exploration. It creates a world which reminds me of an artist’s studio, where familiarity become the locus for growth.
How like an artist’s studio is the bedroom of a small child? Filled with highly invested possessions, this room is also a dual locus of security and discovery, of work and of rest.”
This post originally appeared in Creative Times.
