Tag Archives: GoldenSowerAward

#BookFaceFriday “Wishtree” by Katherine Applegate

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

Hey Johnny Appleseed! Check out this week’s #BookFaceFriday!

Is there anything better than a holiday completely dedicated to trees? How about picking up a book and settling down to read under one this Arbor Day? We think this week’s #Bookface, “Wishtree” by Katherine Applegate (Feiwel & Friends, 2017) would be an excellent choice. This Golden Sower Honor book is available on Nebraska OverDrive Libraries as an Ebook and an Audiobook. It’s also a New York Times bestseller and Katherine Applegate is a Newbery Medal-winning author, not too shabby. Do you have a favorite book that features trees? We’d love to hear about it!

“The simplicity of Newbery Medalist Applegate’s graceful novel contrasts powerfully with the prejudice it confronts. Narration comes from Red, an enormous red oak near an elementary school that also serves as a “wishtree” for the neighborhood―once a year, residents deposit wishes in Red’s branches and hollows…. Red’s openhearted voice and generosity of spirit bring perspective gained over centuries of observation. It’s a distinctive call for kindness, delivered by an unforgettable narrator.“–Publishers Weekly

Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive. 173 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 17,165 audiobooks and 28,972 eBooks. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Friday Reads: Bob by Wendy Mass

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Aimee Owen

Confession: my son is a reluctant reader. This pains me both as a mother and a librarian. He was introduced to books as an infant, visited me at the library, was (and is) read to constantly, and there are books everywhere in our house. He can read just fine; it’s just not his preferred hobby. He’ll do whatever it takes to get through his daily 20 minutes of assigned reading and not a minute more. This is obviously a me-problem; what librarian doesn’t want their kid to know the joy of reading?

So I was pleasantly surprised when he voluntarily brought home a middle-grade novel this week. He will often check out a book about animals or cars, or just choose to read picture books aloud to his sister. But this week, he handed me Bob by Wendy Mass. “I heard it’s a good story.” Indeed, it is – I read it in early 2019 and it was a 2020/21 Golden Sower nominee. We are reading a couple of chapters a night (don’t want to exceed that 20 minute limit!).

Bob is the story of a small green creature, dressed in chicken suit, waiting not-so-patiently in a closet for his friend to return. That friend, Livy, has been gone for 5 years and when she does show up, she doesn’t remember Bob or the promise she made to him when she was 5 years old – to help him find his home. Now that they are reunited, they set off to figure out the mystery of Bob.

Bob may or may not kick off a lifelong affinity for the written word, but for this winter break at least, I’m going to savor each page read aloud by my favorite reluctant reader.

Mass, Wendy. Bob. Feiwel & Friends, 2018.

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NCompass Live: A Conversation with Nebraska’s New State Poet, Matt Mason

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Christa Porter

You’re invited to join us on this Wednesday’s FREE NCompass Live webinar as we chat with Nebraska’s New State Poet, Matt Mason. Matt will discuss how the Nebraska State Poet can work with libraries and schools to promote and encourage appreciation of poetry and literary life in Nebraska.

Along with Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner and Communication Coordinator Tessa Terry, we will also be joined by Erika Hamilton, Director of Literary Programs at Humanities Nebraska; selection committee member, Chuck Peek; and Brad Modlin, Reynolds Chair of Poetry at the University of Nebraska Kearney.

Upcoming NCompass Live events:

  • May 22 – Picture Book City: Reorganizing Our Storybooks by Subject
  • May 29 – Let’s Get Real About Virtual Reality
  • June 5 – Providing Passports at Your Library
  • July 24 – The Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award
  • Aug. 28 – Eliminating Late Fines is a Win-Win for Your Library and Community

For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website. The show is presented online using the GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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NCompass Live: Small Libraries Can Run Code Clubs for Kids

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Christa Porter

Find out how ‘Small Libraries Can Run Code Clubs for Kids’, with tips from O’Neill Public Library, on the next FREE NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, May 8, 10:00am – 11:00am CT.

Running a code club at your library can be really intimidating – especially if you don’t know how to code! Prenda has helped hundreds of small libraries start and run thriving code clubs where kids are learning how to make websites, video games, apps, and animations using the resources you probably already have! And as a special treat, we’ll hear from Jeannie Mejstrik who is has been running an incredible club since 2017 at O’Neill (NE) Public Library, where their population is under 5,000.

Presenter: Luke Miller, Director of Customer Success, Prenda.

Upcoming NCompass Live events:

  • May 15 – A Conversation with Nebraska’s New State Poet, Matt Mason
  • May 22 – Picture Book City: Reorganizing Our Storybooks by Subject
  • May 29 – Let’s Get Real About Virtual Reality
  • June 5 – Providing Passports at Your Library
  • July 24 – The Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award
  • Aug. 28 – Eliminating Late Fines is a Win-Win for Your Library and Community

For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website. The show is presented online using the GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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NCompass Live: Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Christa Porter


NOTE: This show has been rescheduled for July 24.

Who will win the 2019 ‘Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award’? Find out on the next FREE NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, July 24 May 1, 10:00am – 11:00am CT.

The 2019 Golden Sower Award winners will be announced on May 1! Want to know more about how the Golden Sower Award was started and how titles end up on the list each year? Golden Sower Award Committee Chair, Kathy Schultz; and NLC Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Sally Snyder, will present the history and the process of the Golden Sower Award, including a look at the web site.

Upcoming NCompass Live events:

  • May 8 – Small Libraries Can Run Code Clubs for Kids
  • May 15 – A Conversation with Nebraska’s New State Poet, Matt Mason
  • May 22 – Picture Book City: Reorganizing Our Storybooks by Subject
  • May 29 – Let’s Get Real About Virtual Reality

For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website. The show is presented online using the GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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