TeachingBooks Polishes Up Its Site

By Meg McCaffrey -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2004

A good thing has gotten even better. TeachingBooks (www.teachingbooks.net), a Web site for lovers of children's books, has added a host of star-studded attractions. Visitors can now hear Kate DiCamillo reading from The Tale of Despereaux, accompany Christopher Paul Curtis on a tour of the library where he wrote Bud, Not Buddy, and gain a bird's-eye view of author/illustrator Denise Fleming demonstrating her pulp-painting technique.

The site boasts direct access to some of the greatest creators of children's books. For example, there are hundreds of new audio clips of book readings, including Judy Blume reading from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. There are also thematic booklists created by educators and direct links to artists' personal Web sites. There's also "Eye-on-the-Web," a series of e-mail newsletters tailored with helpful resources for subscribers' grade levels and subject areas. And users can now search the site by book, title, author, and keyword.

Jane P. Fenn, a librarian at the Corning-Painted Post West High School in New York, feels the site is a wonderful teaching tool. "It's a great resource for educators at all levels," says Fenn. Even though the site is no longer free, it's still a deal: a district with 50 schools, for instance, pays $1,000 (or $20 per school) to subscribe. One price gives access to everyone in the school. The site is the longtime dream of Nick Glass, a former events coordinator for an independent children's bookstore in Madison, WI.