The Library League Newsletter
For Parents, Teachers and Caregivers

Welcome to the Library League Newsletter for Parents, Teachers and Caregivers. Our goals are to introduce you to books and other materials for use at home or in the classroom as well as give you titles to recommend to the most reluctant of readers. Please remember that not all books are meant for all ages or audiences so please review books you wish to use for their appropriateness.

| Introducing... | New Books for Tried & True Themes |
| Picture Books for the Older Set | Series Spotlight |

Introducing…Art Museums to Children Whether you are planning a trip to Philbrook or Gilcrease, for your students to create their own masterpieces or to look at famous works in class, here are some great books to introduce children to the wonderful world of art.

Board Books
Crosbie, Michael J – Architecture Animals
                        – Architecture Colors
                        – Architecture Counts
Hyde, Margaret – Cassatt for Kids
                     – Impressionists for Kids

Picture Books
Beaumont, Karen - I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More
Browne, Anthony - Willy’s Pictures
Mayhew, James - Katie’s Sunday Afternoon
Reynolds, Peter H. - The Dot
Reynods, Peter - Ish
Scieszka, Jon - Seen Art?
Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth - Look Look Look
Weitzman, Jacqueline - You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum
                             – You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Museum of Fine Arts
                             – You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery

Fiction
Anholt, Laurence – Camille and the Sunflowers
                        – Degas and the Little Dancer
                        – The Magical Garden of Claude Monet
                        – Picasso and the Girl With a Ponytail

Non-Fiction
Breunesse, Caroline – Visiting Vincent van Gogh
Fehrle, Gerdt – Keith Haring: I Wish I Didn’t Have to Sleep
Firth, Margaret – Frida Kahlo: The Artist Who Painted Herself
Greenberg, Jan – Frank O. Gehry: Outside In
Hopler, Brigitta – Marc Chagall: Life is a Dream
Kutschbach, Doris – The Blue Rider: The Yellow Cow Sees the World in Blue
Micklethwait, Lucy - A Child’s Book of Art: Great Pictures, First Words
Richardson, Joy – Looking at Pictures: An Introduction to Art for Young People
Rodrigue, George – Why is Blue Dog Blue: A Tale of Colors

Other Resources
There are many other excellent resources that help parents in sharing art with children and discuss the importance of art to young children. The Tulsa City County Library subscribes to many online databases that contain articles and information about art and artists. Those databases can be found at www.tulsalibrary.org under the heading Research Tools > Online Reference Sources > Ebsco Databases.

The following journal articles were found in those databases in the Professional Development Collection and Academic Search Elite by searching for art appreciation children, or art books children.

All About Art Inside and Out! By Sylvia G Feinburg, Early Childhood Today: May 2003, Vol. 17 Issue 7 pp33.

The Art of Reading by Ellen Goldsmith, Literacy Today, Dec 2002 Vol 33, p14

The Art of Art Appreciation by Lolly Gepson, Book Links Aug/Sept 2001 Vol 11 Issue 1, p46.

Looking at Art with Toddlers. By June Eyestone Finnegan, Art Education, May 2001 Vol 54 Issue 3 p 40.

Introducing Art History through Children’s Literature by Rita Greco, Reading Teacher, Dec96/Jan97, Vol 50, Issue 4 p365.

Tulsa is also home to two fine art museums, The Philbrook Museum www.philbrook.org and The Gilcrease Museum www.gilcrease.org. These two museums have two of America’s finest collections and provide an excellent opportunity to introduce your children to art.

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New Books for Tried and True Themes

Having trouble getting enthusiastic about that farm animal or apple unit? Each month we will list new titles to pique your little ones’ curiosity.

Food/Nutrition
Castaldo, Nancy - Pizza for the Queen
Kelley, True - School Lunch
Wellington, Monica - Pizza at Sally’s

Vocabulary Builders
Mahy, Margaret - Down the Back of the Chair
Schotter, Roni - The Boy Who Loved Words

Seasons
Rawlinson, Julia - Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Johnson, David - Snow Sounds
Stringer, Lauren - Winter is the Warmest Season

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Picture Books for the Older Set

These too often overlooked books offer some of the best introductions to history, art, sports and more. Each month we highlight titles that can be used in the classroom or at home to spark discussions.

February is Black History Month
Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn – Papa’s Mark
Simms helps his father learn to sign his name in time for the first election in which African Americans can vote.

Evans, Freddi Williams – A Bus of Our Own
The county won’t provide a bus for Mable Jean and her family and friends, but Cousin Smith finds a way.

Harrington, Janice N. - Going North
1960’s segregation forces a family to move north from Alabama.

Lorbiecki, Marybeth - Jackie’s Bat
Joey, the batboy for the 1947 Dodgers, describes Jackie Robinson’s rookie season as the only black baseball player in the major leagues.

Lorbiecki, Marybeth – Sister Anne’s Hands
Marybeth Lorbiecki relates one of her own childhood experiences in this story of a young African-American nun teaching at an all white school.

Ringgold, Faith – Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House
Suppertime at Aunt Connie and Uncle Bate’s house on the beach was something Melody always looked forward to. This year though Aunt Connie has a surprise – portraits of 12 famous African-American women, all of whom have something to say.

Uhlbert, Myron - Dad, Jackie and Me
Based on the author’s own summer of 1947, a boy learns about prejudice from both Jackie Robinson and his own deaf father.

Woodson, Jacqueline - Show Way
The beautiful telling of the traditional making of “ Show Way” quilts, during the time of slavery, by the author’s own family.

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Series Spotlight Now that The End, (by Lemony Snicket) has come what’s a kid to do? Why, read these great books and series of course!

Johnny Dixon books by John Bellairs – Johnny Dixon and his friend Professor Childermass work to solve many baffling events.

Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley – Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have just discovered that they are related to the Brothers Grimm. Oh and all those stories the brothers wrote? They were true. Now, the sisters must come to grips with a new reality as they search for their missing parents.

Matilda by Roald Dahl – Matilda uses all her resources, including her untapped mental powers, to outsmart the evil headmistress and restore Miss Honey to financial security.

Pure Dead series by Debi Gliori - Trouble just seems to come looking for the eccentric Strega-Borgia family who really just want peace in their Scottish castle.

Secrets of Dripping Fang by Dan Greenberg – The Shlufmuffin twins, formerly of Cincinnati’s Jolly Days orphanage must continually outwit the Mandible sisters who want to adopt them.

The Moffat family books by Eleanor Estes – The four Moffat children, who live with their widowed mother, have many adventures – good, bad and misguided.

Have kids not quite ready for Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events? Have them try these first.
DiTerlizzi, Tony and Holly Black - The Spiderwick Chronicles
Ogden, Charles - Edgar & Ellen
Petty, J.T. - Clemency Pogue

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