Ah, serendipity

Every now and then when you're looking for something you find something else entirely.
Some people call it serendipity.

Last week, this amazing book almost literally jumped out at me.
It was tucked away in the shelves, just sitting there - until I had to take it out to weed.
And when my hand went towards it, it fell out of the shelf. Am not sure how this happened, but it felt a bit like magic. It was definitely one of those random moments.

The name of the book is The Conch bearer. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has written some great books for adults, but it turns out she's also responsible for this fantastic book for kids.

No one had borrowed it for a while. But it was in good condition and still looked fairly attractive. So, it was time to take it home and see what it was like.

After Anand's father disappears everything changes. His family is forced to leave their beautiful apartment to live in a shack in the nearby shanty town. His sister has been struck down by a mysterious illness and his mother barely earns enough for them to get by. Luckily for the family, the boy is able to get a job at a local tea stall.

One day, when the boy has faced a particularly cruel day, he wishes hard for a better life.
For even though he knows a lot of people who don't, Anand believes in magic.
It is almost at that very moment he meets an interesting old man who asks him to go on a dark and dangerous journey...

It's an amazing story and well worth a read. Will definitely not be weeding it.

You can find this book in the primary library - it would be good for kids who are already in secondary and prep too. And all you teachers and parents out there might enjoy it too!

The Pasta Detectives

We buy books for the school library in many different ways... student and staff requests, reading library publications, book shop handouts, browsing in book shops, reading blogs and choosing books from popular authors knowing that everyone will most likely want to read their newest offering. These are only some of the tools that we use. So of course, reviews are incredibly important to us. Because we don't just want a good library, we want a great one. So we need to pay careful attention to what we put on the shelves.

Lately two things seem to have popped up a lot. One is Angry birds - which appears to mentioned in numerous magazine articles, blogs, and probably soon in a book (for some reason you can buy Angry Birds hats outside MBK - everyone needs a plush, red, fake fur hat in 30 degree heat!) and the other is The Pasta Detectives by Andreas Steinhofel.

A lot of people are talking about The Pasta Detectives. And the reviews have been incredibly positive. It sounded good, so it was time to try it out for myself.

Rico finds a piece of pasta on the footpath outside his house. And then he decides to find out how it got there. It's a 'Who cares?' kind of moment. A piece of pasta? But strangely enough, the way that Rico puts it, you do want to find out where the story is going.

Interwoven with the pasta detective work is the story of Mr 2000 - a kidnapper who takes children and then demands 2000 Euros for their safe return. Add themes of friendship, solo parenting, being different and you have a pretty awesome story.

Rico has some kind of something about him that makes him different from other kids (it's either a mental or learning disability), but you never really find out what it is. It doesn't matter. It is Rico's attention to detail that is the key to the story.

If Angry Birds turns out to be as good as this book, I will be very happy.

What makes a great picture book?

Remember this guy?

Thinking back, you can probably remember some great children's picture books.
If you're still in Primary school there might be some that you love and read right now. If you're older, you might have given them up in favour of novels, graphic novels, magazines or a whole bunch of other things (Wii, Xbox, Nintendogs...)

But hopefully when you were small you got to read (or had read to you) some amazing and memorable picture books.

A good picture book is not easy to create. You need the right amount of words on each page, with just the right font. The text needs to work with the pictures so that when you look at the story it all blends together like magic. A good writer can make or break the whole experience. So can an illustrator. A good picture book relies on balance of the whole.

There are many, many wonderful picture books out there. Stories like Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, William Steig's Shrek, the Meg and Mog books by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski, Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg... you get the picture. Chances are you have heard of, remember reading or have watched movie versions of these stories. Actually, when writing this post one of our secondary students asked me for a picture book from his childhood - The Tiger who came to tea by Judith Kerr. He is hoping to adapt it for a school project.

Every country has their own favourite picture books. Some classic NZ ones are Lynley Dodd's Hairy MacLary books, The Witch in the Cherry Tree by Margaret Mahy and Greedy Cat by Joy Cowley... but there are many others! Not sure what the Thai ones are - will have to ask around!

It's really fun to wonder which new stories will become tomorrow's classics.

When pondering the idea of a successful picture book, it makes sense to consult with the experts about what exactly makes a good picture book great.
Anthony Browne (an amazing picture book artist himself) talks here about the Best New Illustrators award from Booktrust in the UK and his ideas about picture book illustration in this Guardian slide show.

Selection, deselection and awful library books

It has come around to the end of the school year, which means it's time to do a bit of weeding. Weeding in a library is similar to weeding in a garden. You go through the collection carefully looking for any books which may once have been a beautiful hibiscus, but which have now become a dried up old thistle... Maybe that's a bit of a stretch but you never quite know what you will find tucked away in a forgotten corner.

While some books are lovely and only get more charming with age, this doesn't mean they will always be appropriate for a modern school library collection.
We also need to look at books for currency - information can quickly go out of date. The overall condition of a specimen is important. Who wants to read a spotty, smelly old book with a cover which looks like 1990's finest (but 2011's lamest)?
Ok some people would (like maybe me in a whimsical mood) but whimsy is not a good reason to keep something that is manky. Neither is the 'it's old so it must be good' idea. But at the same time, it's essential to keep older books which are still in ok condition and appropriate for the curriculum and student needs. Some of the books we weed are still great books, they are just no longer appropriate.

Careful management of library collections is essential for presenting students with the best possible library experience.

The collection is already in pretty awesome shape, so only a little careful weeding is required. But it's important to keep on top of it. If you don't, you could easily end up with a collection that actually puts people off books and libraries. Looking through the collection to find books which need to be removed also highlights gaps - so we will know what we need to buy for the coming school year.

There's a fantastic library blog called Awful Library books. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) there's nothing here that we can submit to them! Random old books do have a certain charm... In the meantime, I'll keep looking!

At the moment there is a trolley of books available on the second floor of the library. These are for staff and students to take home and keep. The ones which are not snapped up will be donated to charity book sales. Come along and grab a few for yourself - you could just end up with a hidden gem!

Making masks in the library

Today was one of the best Primary lunch time 'Making Stuff Day' craft sessions so far.
Around 40 students came along to make themselves a superhero mask.
It was so good to see lots of kids come along and be creative. Everyone did a fantastic job with their masks!

We have two more craft sessions left for this year. What will we make? Not sure yet, but it's going to be a lot of fun!

Advice from your dear friend, Dr Seuss

In 1971 a new library opened in Troy, Michigan. The Children's Librarian, Marguerite Hart, wanted to attract as many children and young people as possible to use the library. So she sent letters to famous individuals asking them to write letters about what libraries meant to them.

Marguerite recieved many replies, including advice from Dr Seuss (Theodore Geisel), E.B White, Isaac Asimov and Neil Armstrong. All of these people cared enough about libraries and children to send their reply.

Even though forty years have passed since these letters were written, libraries are still an important part of many people's lives. Libraries are about more than just books. They teach children about waiting your turn, sharing, having fun and even organisation. Well ordered books and well ordered data have more in common that you'd realise at first glance. Being able to find your way around traditional paper based formats (ie. books) can make it easier to explore the mess of information that is the internet.

No matter what medium you're doing it in (be it paper, computer based, e-book reader or android phone) the simple advice of Dr Seuss still makes a lot of sense. Because in order to make sense of the written world and to navigate your way around the unwritten one it really helps if you can read, and do it well.

A great fantasy fiction author

Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favourite authors ever. It was really sad to hear that she has passed away.

One of the best fantasy fiction novels I've ever read was Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

This story has it all - magic, mystery, alternate universes and amazing creatures.
After inexplicably upsetting the wicked Witch of the Waste Sophie Hatter finds herself changed. It's not long until she realises that the Witch has turned her into a 90 year woman! Sophie decides to leave her small village and somehow ends up at Wizard Howl's castle. Not sure what to do, Sophie forces herself into the castle and hopes that Howl will find a way to stay until Howl agrees to help her. The problem is, the powerful spell prevents her from revealing to anyone that she is under an enchantment.

Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli made the story into a movie, which was great too. Not quite as good as the book, but still, pretty amazing. One of the highlights of the film is the fantastic animation. It also stars Billy Crystal as the voice of Calcifer (Howl's fire demon).

Term 3, 2011

This term has already been underway for nearly two weeks and so much has happened.
Year 4 celebrated their India day last week and the whole school celebrated Earth day on Friday. The more everyone cares, the better the world will be!
There are other trips and special days scheduled for this week as well.

We have also had lots to do in the library, especially as we are beginning to come into the end of year exam period.

We have lots of study resources - maybe there are some books that could help you!
Come in and see us if you'd like some help finding resources.
The library is also a great place to study.

During Primary lunch we are continuing our 'Making stuff day' on Wednesday and Storytelling sessions on Friday. Today we will make flower pencil toppers out of old newspapers.

So come along if you feel like making something random and fun (and recycling at the same time)!

Book week 2011

Last week the Primary Library was all decorated up with 70 metres of fabric and a hanging blow up whale. Why?
The reason was simple, Book week 2011 'Under the Sea.'

The Primary School had all sorts of events and exciting things going on, including special visits from Janice Santikarn (author of the Little Blue Tuk-Tuk series) and an all Primary book character dress up day on Friday.
The Library joined in by having lunchtime activities everyday in the Primary Library.

To get the week started we had a special storytelling session with our Headmaster, Mr Kevin Riley followed by some 'Under the sea' style food.
The goldfish crackers and seaweed were very popular!
Treasure hunt Tuesday was a big success. We had 19 teams of students searching for letters to make the secret word.
Wednesday was games day, with pass the parcel and musical beanbags, plus big bubble makers to play with out the front of the library.
The Thursday event was a very special limerick writing competition - we had some fabulous entries and two special guest judges from our secondary English department were able to find us some winners, even though the competition was tough.
To finish off the week, we had a lucky borrower draw.

Thank you to everyone who came along and joined in. It was such a fun week.
Also, a big thank you to our special guests.
Next year will be even better!

Book week is nearly upon us!

We've chosen next week as our book week because the 3rd of March is the official World Book Day.

We will be celebrating book week here at Harrow International School Bangkok with many fun activities, including a launch party, games day and limerick competition.

Come and visit the library, take part in the activities and read and borrow books!
Most of the activities will take place during Primary lunch time, starting at 12 noon each day.

Parents and families - please remember that you are welcome to use the school library too - we have lots of great books in our secondary library which may appeal! Of course, there are many wonderful kids books available too. Why not check one out? It might be your new favourite! We are open Monday - Friday 7.30 - 4pm during the school term.

Next Friday is Primary book character dress up day. If you happen to visit school you will find all kinds of characters wandering around.
With so many books to choose from it's difficult to decide who to be for the day so my costume is still undecided, but it's so much fun trying to choose. Tinkerbell could be fun, or maybe Sophie from Howl's moving castle. Or what about Snow White, or Blue Kangaroo, or maybe even the Gruffalo...

Sharing fantastic learning experiences with the students

Today the most amazing thing happened to me - I held a snake! This may not be something which is a big deal to some of you, after all many people who are reading this probably grew up in a country where there are snakes. But in New Zealand, we don't have snakes (at least not wild ones). So they are a relatively uncommon thing. As a child (and as an adult) I always thought they were something to be scared of, but I've just seen how awesome they really are.

I was so excited to see a snake - and it was great to see the children enjoying it just as much as I did. Thank you so much to Mrs Riley and Pre-KR who let me come along, and Mr Beer who let me hold Tango the corn snake.

It was nice to share an experience with the children - snakes are something I know very little about and Mr Beer had some great facts to share.
What a wonderful thing to see at school - it makes me feel so lucky to work here.

For me, this was a great chance to see more about what the children do on a day to day basis outside of the library. I have really been enjoying visiting the Pre-K classrooms from time to time. Now, I'm off to find some great stories about snakes for this weeks' library session!

The Yes Library

Quietly, amongst ourselves, without gigantic ticks on the wall or slogans on the door, our workplace philosophy is that we are a Yes Library. Meaning, simply, that we say Yes: to book requests, to requests to use the library, to lead assemblies, to go on camp, to take extra classes, to mend someone's torn book, to put on sticking plasters, to make lists, to deliver, to join committees, to use the library for sleepovers, to do anything and everything we are asked.

Why? Because it is a constructive culture to have - library as the positive place. Because libraries are dispensable in some peoples eyes, storage units for topics loan books and computers, a job anyone could do. To get on with it, to get the job done, to suspend the prolonged use of Why. To please people - librarians love to satisfy a user's information need, and the Yes Library is an extension of that ideal. To add value to what we do, books and electronica and lessons plus, a kind of library philosophy 2.0.

This is underpinned by two beliefs: it is not my library, but the user's library - I am the caretaker; and the sense that if a user's first tangible approach to the library is met with a No, then at best they will leave with a negative perception of the library, and at worst will never come back.

There is no branding. Instead, every now and then, we discuss it at staff meetings, reinforcing that this is the library philosophy. Do staff buy in? Most of the time, sometimes with a query - sometimes it is workplace nature to want to say I have too much to do, it is not my job, this is not my beautiful life. I understand that, and attempt to encourage and reinforce through doing, by example, by passing on positive comments, by explicitly following the philosophy, by using it as a guideline when making tricky decisions.

There are exceptions. There are still rules. I won't be there at 9 o'clock at night; no you can't watch that on the library PC. But where possible, where reasonable and logical, our library mission is straightforward, positive and constructive. Yes?

Jonathon Safran Foer's Tree of Codes

I am both frightened and stimulated by Jonathon Safran Foer's Tree of Codes. Cutting up books is, instinctively, a facist and not artistic act; making something whole and with meaning out of somebody's book is creatively challenging and interesting. He is finding hidden (or never was) meaning in a classic text; he is challenging conventional concepts of fiction and creativity; he is asking the reader to step out from the traditional one book one writer paradigm. What is fixed and finished? Who is the maker? Is there meaning in these words?

So, this video illustrating the creation of Tree of Codes stimulates the creator within me. But this only balances the sense of loss the reader within me feels. Foer's stated argument, that there are plenty of other copies of the original book that he hasn't cut up feels slightly facile, because it is not like he is cutting out the crossword from a newspaper, or doing collage using magazine photos - he is disfiguring a book, a precious container, each one that I have ever held being the original.

This is not me as librarian, asking students to use bookmarks rather than dog ears - rather, it is I as reader, a man who holds books as almost holy, almost a life source, who is torn up. If it was my tv he was tearing apart and putting back together as a transmogrifier, or the Google code as a page of scripture, I'd be thrilled. But my books (and my cricket bat and jar of vegemite) are whole, finished, complete, precious and inviolate in their original form.

That said, today my students are cutting up photocopies of Carl Sandburg and Prufrock to create their own poems. Librarian as hypocrite? Or the fine line between real, whole books and what they mean, and a faded facsimile on A3?

Book Review: The Secret of Annexe 3

The Inspector Morse series is an interesting entry in the mystery book cannon. Morse, who lives and works in Oxford, is the archetypal detective as outsider: a bachelor, he has no identifiable close friends, listens to opera in the dark, sits alone in a myriad of pubs, is brusque with everyone else on the force, and engages really only with the crossword compiler of The Times. His Watson is a Welshman named Lewis, whom we see buying drinks for his boss, doing the donkeywork and eating a daily ration of eggs and chips; and usually one step (at least) behind Morse.

The Secret of Annexe 3 is one of the least stellar entries in the series, with an unlikely crime committed by an unlikely pair, underpinned by an unlikely psychology. The setting is low (town), rather than high (University) Oxford during a rather loveless Christmas and New Year period - all of which is rather tawdry.

But why it is notable is that Morse, in the end, does not get his man (well, not completely anyway). Which makes it a relatively unsatisfying example of a mystery book, even if the author is merely attempting to subvert the genre, as Christie did famously with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Because why do we read them, if not for the satisfaction of the murderer being caught, of the detective's triumph, and of our complicity as readers in that success?

Which leads me to my point - why do I read mystery books? Is it this sense of  triumph in the resolution that draws me to them? Partly, I think it is, because I am left feeling distinctly deflated when the murderer eludes Morse. And with that resolution comes a sense of order, and the notion that the world has been righted.

But I feel that it is more than that. I also identify with the detectives in mystery books and possibly, subconsciously, want to be them - all seeing, all knowing, clever, fearless, confronting death and killers. But I also do not want to be them: odd, finicky Poirot; the alcoholic Dave Robicheaux; the divorced, slightly slovenly Inspector Wallander; Matt Scudder, alone and observing questionable morality on New York's mean streets. In isolation, I don't want to be any of them, but as a reader, I love all of them.

Is it the puzzle, then? The superior intellect that can untie the Gordian knot? Again, I'm not convinced. I'm not sure how most people read mystery books, but I am a somewhat passive reader of them: I don't try and solve the mystery as I go along, although I am glad when the solution is announced.

Am I Watson? Do I feel like Poirot's confessor, or Scudder's companion down the Deuce? Not really, because as much as these books take me to a different place, exotic, troublesome, I am able to remain grounded in my more prosaic reality: on the skytrain, in the library, between the sheets early on a Tuesday night, nothing on the telly.

Which leaves, I feel, murder, and human fascination with it. I can't do fantasy, struggle with comic novels, and like my literature best in the form of Dostoyevsky, underpinned with a good psychological killing or two.

Which is why I'll keep reading the Inspector Morse books, despite the anti-climatic entry that is The Secret of Annexe 3. Yes, I'm annoyed by the lack of resolution, yes I admire Morse's intellect and wit, yes I wish I was Lewis, yes Oxford sounds like an interesting place, yes there is a puzzle, but mostly yes, blood has been spilt, crime has been done, and the game is afoot: great stuff, as long as its only between the pages of a book.

Library Events

This Thursday we will celebrate Secondary English Week with cut-up and stick-it-on poetry, at lunchtime in the Secondary library.

Reminder: Making Stuff Day is each Wednesday at lunchtime, and the Storyteller is on Fridays. Both are in the Primary library, and everybody is welcome.

Also, it is not long until World Book Week, which will be in the first week of March. We will have a number of special events and guests during that week, as well as the book fair.