“Guys Listen” website by Jon Scieszka.
A companion website to his “Guys Read”
site, author and reading advocate Jon Scieszka now has added a “Guys Listen”
site. Take a bit of time to explore both sites (if you haven’t had a change to look at “Guys Read” yet). I found a list of suggested reading for professionals that I will need to read my way through, I especially like the term “literacy differences” used by Elaine Millard in her title
Differently Literate: Boys, Girls, and the Schooling of Literacy, which the Commission does not own so I need Interlibrary Loan for that title.
One title the Commission owns that he recommends is
Connecting Boys with Books: What Libraries Can Do by Michael Sullivan. We also own his
Connecting Boys with Books 2: Closing the Reading Gap. Michael Sullivan visited Nebraska in the spring of 2011 and gave wonderful presentations in four locations on how librarians can connect with the group of boys who have trouble with reading. Maybe we will be able to have him visit us again.
Puss in Boots by Jerry Pinkney is the latest in his interpretations of fairy tales. Lavish illustrations add to his straightforward retelling. Puss is given to the youngest son and soon has provided well for him and his older brothers. “A Note from the Artist” at the back of the book tells of his research both into other retellings and into the clothing styles and countryside of France for the time period he chose. Perhaps young participants at your library would like to try a retelling of their own.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
