Professional Reading Reviews

Volume 30, Number 2, December 2002

With Ken Haycock

Reviews:

Book bingo; The book hunt and Library lingo. / Kathleen Fox.

Book steps: Leveled trade books for guided reading, independent reading and authentic assessment / Alix Miller

Information literacy: Search strategies, tools & resources for high school students. / Zorana Etcegovac

The library Internet trainer's toolkit. / Michael T. Stephens

Plus: New titles worth a look

Book bingo, $27.00; The book hunt, $23.00; and Library lingo, $31.00.
Kathleen Fox.

Reviewed by Erlene Biship Killeen

Here are three games produced for library media classes.

Book bingo is supposed to teach book location skills based on general call numbers using the Bingo game format. This is a waste of kid’s time. Print out actual book call numbers and titles or the entries from your computer data base and have the kids exploring the real library in order to find books instead. Sure it is a little noisy and definitely messy, but nothing beats a student’s shining face when they say “I found it!” instead of “Bingo!” The book hunt has some great ideas for the initial traditional “treasure hunt” through the library. The graphics on the cards are nice and the team development is great. I would use the cards and then expand the idea with my own specific collections’ quirks and novelties. This could be especially useful for the middle school grades. Library lingo is also a bingo game but a bit more practical in that students will see a group of library terms in writing and it could provide a distraction or focus during the typical library orientation lecture. You know how it goes, “here’s where things are located,” “that’s how long you can borrow items,” or “these are the parts of a book.” It’s interesting that there are new versions of these typical kinds of library lesson games. No collaboration, no curriculum tie-in, no specific standards. Possibly these are easy, fill-up the scheduled period kind of resources. I hope not too many of us need to buy them! (Blue Ocean Books, various copyright dates. P.O. Box 324. Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482.)

Bottom Line: Bingo as trivial pursuit

Book steps: Leveled trade books for guided reading, independent reading and authentic assessment.
Alix Miller

Reviewed by Ray Doiron

Many new professional books address the current interest in leveling trade books for reading instruction and reading assessment. This one outlines the Book Steps collection which is a list of over 600 books for Pre-K to Grade 3. The books are organized into three major categories of reading development — emergent, beginning and developing — with 15 levels of books arranged along a continuum of reading difficulty. The list would be useful for beginning teachers who want pre-selected books appropriate for reading instruction. However, the descriptions of the levels are quite general making it difficult for the educator to pull out the criteria and apply it in the classroom. The author needed to provide a two-page summary chart outlining the criteria for the 15 levels in a more visual and easy to follow format.

The rationale for leveling the books in the first place also needed more grounding in current research, especially when such a strong connection is proposed for using the Book Steps program for assessing reading achievement. From a stylistic view point, it is surprising in 2002 that an editor allowed the use of the male pronoun only when referring to “the child.” (Portage & Main Press, 2000. 244 pp. $23 1-894110-49-8.)

Bottom Line: Little application for school library programs.

  Buy online at Amazon.com

Information literacy: Search strategies, tools & resources for high school students.
Zorana Etcegovac

Reviewed by Peter Genco

While this work is geared for use with Grades 9-12, it could easily be utilized with older students as well as with beginning library school students. The work takes the reader from planning research up to the stage where critical thinking skills must be employed. The Preface clearly explains the objectives, the organization and how the work is structured to the needs of the teacher-librarian.

Looking to content, the work begins with basic steps of research. The subsequent chapters include identifying search terms, developing search strategies, how to explore different levels of fact finding, evaluating web resources, and citing works. It is geared to the practical side of the investigative research process and included numerous exercises for your own practice.

Once the teacher-librarian and the students have successfully completed the process delineated in this work, critical thinking skills would then need to be employed to process the information acquired. The work would be very beneficial to anyone looking to understand the necessary steps that lead to basic information literacy. (Linworth, 2001. 160 pp. $39.95. 1-58683-302-1.)

Bottom Line: Practical guide that effectively explains steps to gaining information literacy.

  Buy online at Amazon.com

The library Internet trainer's toolkit.
Michael T. Stephens

Reviewed by Peter Genco

This very impressive work contains a book and a CD-ROM. It includes 12 “ready-to-go” PowerPoint presentations on using various aspects of the Internet. The PowerPoints are adaptable to you local needs and are easily access from the CD-ROM. Copyright of the work allows for the owner to copy materials for noncommercial educational use within an organization. This would allow a teacher-librarian to teach or provide training to students and staff within a school or district.

Topics include basic computer setups, navigating the Internet, searching on the World Wide Web, evaluating web sites, use of e-mail, planning/maintaining a web site, use of video/audio, and the purchase/use of digital cameras. The text serves as the script for each of the 12 PowerPoint presentations. All are well done, colorful, and accurate. Easy to follow and easy to use!

The section on how to use the toolkit offers excellent insight to the work. This work could be used to train educators at any level or to teach students from grades 9 up to university level. (Neal-Schuman, 2001. 223 pp. $149.95. 1-55570-415-8.)

Bottom Line: Excellent resource for teaching educators or students at high school and post-secondary level.

  Buy online at Amazon.com

Worth a Look

Awesome Internet sites for kids
Sandra Antoniani and others
Created by seven women, three of whom are teachers. Provides subject access to 300 web sites for Grades K-7. Organized into 38 categories, sites are annotated and include a guide to age appropriateness. The guide is also available as a fundraising project for schools at $8 a copy. Contact 1-866-628-9539 for details.
(Ride the Wave Media, 2002. 156 pp. $15.00. 0-9731020-0-4)

Breaking the magic spell: Radical theories of folk and fairy tales
Jack Zipes
Revised and expanded from 1979 edition, Zipes places traditional tales in their socio-political, economic and cultural contexts. Each essay has been revised and updated and in some cases expanded. Includes new and original prefaces, reference notes, extensive bibliography and index.
(University of Kentucky Press, 2002. 278 pp. $22.50. 0-8131-9030-4)

Bulletin board power: Bridges to lifelong learning
Karen Hawthorne and Jane Gibson
Step-by-step instructions for creating 72 3-D displays to attract the attention of students in Grades K-6. A follow-up to the authors’ 1999 book, Bulletin boards and 3-D showcases that capture them with pizzazz, it includes patterns and subject/title index.
(Libraries Unlimited, 2002. 117 pp. $28.50. 1-56308-917-3)

Hearing all the voices: Multicultural books for adolescents
Mary Ann Darby and Miki Pryne
Annotated bibliography of more than 500 books with characters considered multicultural, which the authors extend beyond ethnicity to include characters who are living in non-traditional families, homosexual or living with abuse or illness. Includes a section on using the titles in classrooms and several topics and booklists. Indexed by author and culture.
(Scarecrow, 2002. 254 pp. $29.50. 0-8108-4058-8)

Integrating technology: Effective tools for collaboration
Shan Glandon
Twenty-two sample collaborations are organized into four K-8 content areas (language arts, math, science and social studies). Each example includes ideas for collaboration, instructions for the activity and notes where technology can be used effectively. The final chapter lists technology projects for the class.
(Linworth, 2002. 172 pp. $39.95. 1-58683-055-4)

Lesson plans for the busy librarian: A standards-based approach for the elementary library media center
Joyce Keeling
Eighty-seven 20-minute information literacy lessons are organized by grade level. Each lesson includes a list of standards and learning objectives, teaching directions, reproducible worksheets and graphics, suggestions for collaboration and related resources. Includes index and bibliography.
(Libraries Unlimited, 2002. 264 pp. $30.00. 1-56308-869-x)

Literature frameworks: From apples to zoos (2nd ed.)
Sharron McElmeel
Alphabetical listing of 26 subjects of interest to students in PreK-Grade 6 linking curriculum to literature. Each framework includes background information, an annotated list of suggested reading resources and suggestions for integrating resources and activities on a variety of grade levels. This edition includes web sites and newly released titles.
(Linworth, 2002. 182 pp. $36.95 1-58683-060-0)

Literature lures: Using picture books and novels to motivate middle school readers
Nancy Polette and Joan Ebbesmeyer
Nearly 200 titles are organized into two sections: by 21 topics, from differences and self-identity to homelessness and war; and by 18 literary devices, including alliteration, exaggeration and parody. Each entry includes discussion of at least one sophisticated picture book and provides discussion questions or writing ideas suitable for Grades 6-10.
(Teacher Ideas Press, 2002. 125 pp. $24.00. 1-56308-952-1)

Look again! Appealing bulletin board ideas for secondary students
Judy Serritella
Instructions and a materials list are provided for each of 200 ideas organized into 12 categories, from Cultural Diversity to Strictly Teens. Includes library quotations, a day-by-day calendar of events to help generate ideas, stencils and illustrations.
(Linworth, 2002. 160 pp. $36.95. 158683-053-8)

Multimedia projects in the classroom: A guide to development and evaluation
Timothy Green and Abbie Brown
A non-technical approach that explains what is multimedia, how it can be used by K-12 teachers and students in the classroom and for school-wide projects, developing and evaluating projects, and giving presentations a professional polish. Includes references and suggested resources, glossary and index.
(Corwin Press, 2002. 57 pp. $24.95 (paper). 0-7619-7853-4)

New directions for library service to young adults
Young Adult Library Services Association with Patrick Jones
Focusing on library service and the outcomes of that service, the authors provide goals to work toward for achieving a vision of service to young adults; 10 core values to drive that vision; and how to plan and implement young adult library service. Includes index, extensive bibliography and appendices addressing standards, guidelines and adolescent development.
(ALA, 2002. 146 pp. $32.00. 0-8389-0827-6)

Picture books by Latino writers: A guide for librarians, teachers, parents and students
Sherry York
Sixty-five titles are listed, each including a short summary, subject headings, review sources award information. All are set in the United States, in print and available in either English or Spanish/English editions. Includes biographical information on the authors, illustrators and translators featured, publisher information and a subject/title index.
(Linworth, 2002. 116 pp. $36.95. 1-58683-052-x)

Recommended reference books for small and medium-sized libraries and media centers 2002
Abridged version of American reference books annual features 520 signed reviews of recommended reference materials, including electronic resources. Organized into 37 chapters in four categories: General Reference Works, Social Sciences, Humanities and Science and Technology. Includes author/title index.
(Libraries Unlimited, 2002. 295 pp. $70.00. 1-56308-912-2)

Teens.library: Developing Internet services for young adults
Linda Braun
Clear advice on what teens want in a site, using the Internet to add “teen appeal” to library service, technical guidance and considerations and advice on keeping statistics, user testing and assessing the teen-friendliness of a site. Includes several checklists and both a URL and a subject index.
(ALA, 2002. 83 pp. $28.00. 0-8389-0824-1)

Using the Internet as a reference tool
Michael Sauers
Features advice for evaluating resources, bookmarking strategies, a comparison of search engines and directories and ideas on incorporating Internet resources in the reference question strategy. Aimed at librarians in all settings, it includes reference web sites and directories, an index and companion web site with live links.
(Neal-Schuman, 2001. 143 pp. $45.00. 1-55570-417-4)