Nonfiction Monday -- More reports from ALA

Instead of reviewing an easy reading nonfiction book, i'm going to continue my report of What I Did On My Summer Vacation, otherwise known as Day 2 (Sunday) of the ALA Conference as seen by me. (Other ALA reports can be found at Betsy Bird's SLJ blog, A Fuse 8 Production, and Susan Kusel's blogs Wizards Wireless or PBS Booklights.

Sunday morning I actually got up early -- early enough to make it to the Scholastic Breakfast. (something I've often missed because I'm so slow to get going in the morning.) My husband would have loved the mushy eggs they served, but I prefer scrambled eggs to be cooked hard and dry. Oh well. Lovely apple smoked bacon, though. yum. and banana bread? Hold the muffins, I'll take the banana bread, thanks.

After an intro to various electronic database offerings, from the Grollier branch of the company, the featured speaker, Brian Selznick (yes he IS related to that Hollywood producer) described the difficulties of converting his huge Caldecott winner to an audio book. He added sounds to replace the drawings that told part of the story. He also added a Bonus DVD. Can't wait to take a look at it. If it has the presentation he made at the Newbery/ CAldecott banquet several years ago, I'll be in seventh heaven.
(We also got a scholastic mousepad)

Then on the the exhibits.
I only got to visit a few more aisles when it was time to attend the Fall Book preview of Random House Books. I plunked myself down in an empty row next to somebody's pile of papers/ envelopes/ whatnot. It wasn't until the session was done and nobody appeared to claim this pile that I realized it was MY goodie bag (not in a bag) from Random. WOW. Posters and activity guides and the new Patricia Reilly Giff series replacing the Polk street kids series, and, were they reading MY MIND? There was a complete set of bingo cards to be used for Summertime Bingo. It just so happens that I plan to have a summertime bingo program at my library and I can reallly use this. WOW.

Grace Lin has a new picturebook coming out. Another folktale illustrated by Paul O Zelinsky, also painted on boards. I can't wait to get my hands on Anita Lobel's newest -- Nini Lost and Found. (a cat story)

One of the packets holds supplies for a Magic Tree House club and there are several more Magic Tree House books coming out, this time a variation of Dicken's Christmas Carol. Plus, you can't be without the Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and other Nasties, a practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate.

Then back to the Exhibits. As I was rushing to catch the bus back to my hotel, where my next meeting was to be held, I passed a group of Star Wars Storm Troopers entering the Exhibit area. I shouted to them -- "Watch out guys, remember the Star Wars outtakes!" I heard several giggles from their 'helpers.' Obviously some of them had also seen the outtakes, where every time the Storm Troopers rushed around a corner, they slipped, and fell and crashed into each other.

No time for lunch. I grabbed some peanuts to munch and took the elevator to the terrace level, where I met up with the group -- Managing Children's Services Discussion Meeting. Only three others showed up, so the discussion was wide-ranging. Each of us had different ways to measure Summer REading program. One was 20 hours of reading plus 10 other activities (out of a longer list), another pushed 'Develop the Reading Habit' and gave credit if they read for 15 minutes for a certain number of days in a row. The third library system had kids set their own goal. And my own library system insists the Elementary read 10 books and the Middle and High schoolers read three.
--The three other library systems did all their registering online. We were the only system that still had the child fill out a card which the librarian then input into an online database.
-- All of them agreed that it seemed there were many more children registering this year. My own theory is that the economy is making parents look for fun FREE things and they are discovering the library fits the bill.

When this group broke up, I joined the other discussion group in the room, the Preschool Services Discussion Group. Once I was in this group, I discovered it was the same group I had joined online last year. I hope they don't end up sending me double the e-mails.

The Newbery/ Caldecott Banquet is always a time of good food, good conversation, and often entertaining speeches. This year Susan Kusel invited me to sit at her table. No, correction, one of her tables. She ended up organizing a group of 7 tables of her closest friends. My table mates were very interesting -- all of the people who run the Through the Tollbooth blog, plus others. Because of the noise, I was only able to converse with the people on either side of me. Cynthia Olson, a graphic designer, and an illustrator, Joan Waites.

Once Susan arrived, I helped her place pads of papers and colored markers on each table. That's what she is talking about on her blog -- she actually shows some of the artwork and signatures of the table people. Evidently, then she moved these markers and pads of paper all over the banquet hall, trying to get signatures of everyone! amazing. (Life is always interesting around Susan.)

This was the first year that it hit me that the people who won the 'Honor book' place for these, only got a piece of paper, much like the paper I got when my TO FLY was an Orbis Pictus Honor Book. It's only the winner who actually receives a metal medal. Darn. I always thought the Honor Book writer/ illustrators got silver medals and the winner -- a gold one, just like the stickers on their books. (please correct me if I'm wrong. I want to be wrong here.)

And then to bed.
The Real Nonfiction Monday posts are over at Bookish Blather. -wendie Old