Dream Big

May 17, 2012

Growing up in USSR, our kitchen was wallpapered with newspaper – a sign of poverty. Cocking my six-year-old head, I would pick out the prettiest shapes, asking, "What is this letter?" I learned how to read from the writing on the wall. Picture books were a luxury, so when I finally went to school, I "swallowed" my school books. Then, I discovered a town library – a musty dark room, crowded with old books, which could be checked for a week – a far cry from the library today.

"Find something better to do!" I heard my mother yell. She had caught me with The Headless Horseman (in Russian translation) and was indignant at my leisurely occupation when there were dishes to wash and a house to clean.  

Although washing and cleaning are important life skills, it is the indirect lessons from reading that help shape the character and moral standards of a child.  MCPL acts as a responsible parent, concerned with raising morally sound, well-rounded, and contributing citizens prepared to meet the scary future. How do we do this? We provide indispensable learning and entertainment tools, which (in addition to conventional materials) include Research Databases, programs, and activities.

Our SRP (Summer Reading Program) this season is titled Dream Big...Read!. Summer reading has a lot to do with realization of dreams. Students experience significant learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities during the summer months. Research shows that students on average score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they do on the same tests at the end of the school year. Teachers spend an average of 4-6 weeks reteaching material that students have lost during the summer. However, reading just 4-5 books during the summer can prevent a decline in a child's fall reading scores.

We have the statistics, we have the programs, and we have the materials. Where do we start?
As a parent, you want your child to read just what’s right for him/her. Our library provides reading guides for all ages and all interests. The following Research Databases, among many others, offer assistance and direction. Please take a look.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
CLCD is an extensive database of information about children's books, video and audio recordings, film strips, and other child-focused media. New annotations and reviews are added monthly

BookLetters
BookLetters is an email readers' advisory service. Subscribe to email newsletters containing recommended reading lists on up to 20 different topics including: Mystery, Romance, History and Current Events, and Popular Culture. BookLetters also offers newsletters for children and teens.

NoveList K-8 Plus
Need help finding good books to read? Novelist K-8 helps kids and young teens do just that! Use your favorite books and authors to find new adventures! If you can't think of a book you've liked in the past, simply choose a topic of interest and explore lists of recommended books. NoveList K-8 Plus includes both fiction and nonfiction titles. Teachers will find thematic units and other resources for incorporating fiction and nonfiction into the classroom as well

TrueFlix
TrueFlix offers the award-winning "True Books" content to help students build literacy skills as they learn about a variety of subjects. All of the 47 "True Book" titles are accompanied by related content and primary sources featuring videos, audio, images, and text.

Nellie E.
Lone Jack Branch