Letters

A book about giving children away may send the wrong message

Attractive illustrations and rhyming text notwithstanding, if one were to purchase This Is the Day! (Houghton, 2007) based on your review (November 2007, p. 106) and use it, as recommended, for early childhood programming and “one-on-one sharing” one might find a not-so-joyous result. There are some songs that should stay in the early 1900s, and selectors in the early 2000s must be made aware that there is an overriding theme here that will be of serious concern to many readers and listeners.

Giving children away, especially with their own gift-with-purchase (tea, fish, etc.), which is the refrain throughout this book, will easily be interpreted as a negative message for those who have worked hard, sacrificed much, and loved a lot to become a family. Sharing this title with members of our city’s large adoption community has made this very clear to our library and may very likely do the same for others across the country.

Further, rather than inspire comfort and security, the idea that children may be happily given away may cause any young listener to wonder if it’s their turn next to be carried away from their home on a bicycle. While the irresponsible jacket flap reads, “Do you want a baby? Step right up! Pick one out!” librarians who serve all different kinds of families would be better advised to think very carefully before picking out this book.

I did not take the story literally, but considered it a lighthearted rhyme. Certainly, this is not the only verse aimed at children with a possibly upsetting text; consider the words to “Rock-a-bye Baby,” “When the wind blows, the cradle will fall/And down will come baby, cradle and all.”

Of course, you know your community and your patrons better than I do, and if you think that a book about giving babies away will be scary to children or offensive to adults, then you should not purchase it for your library. Other readers may consider the story humorous and enjoy it. I think that part of the success of this (or any) book lies in the way it is presented to children. If the reader exclaims that the story is silly, children are likely to laugh along. Conversely, if the reader acts upset, children will pick up the negative emotion. Since my review clearly states that babies are being given away as the daily special, librarians should be able to make an informed decision about whether or not this book would be a suitable addition to their collections.

As a relatively new children’s librarian in a public library, I was disappointed to read Katherine Koenig’s letter (June 2007, p. 13) about public librarians offering to do booktalks and teach students how to use electronic databases. “When will the rest of the profession get a clue as to what school librarians do?” she asks. When I began my job in the public library, one of the first things I did was call all of the public schools in our district and offer to do exactly what irritates her so.

My intention in offering these services was not to compensate for a school librarian’s lack of skill, it was to share materials and resources with children and to inspire them to use the public and school libraries to find books that they love to read. It troubles me to imagine how stunned I would feel if the school librarian at one of the schools I visit accused me of not having a clue as to what she or he does and was resentful of my presence. One of the many goals of public and school librarians should be to work together for the benefit of the young people they serve.

My offer of booktalks is not an expression of superiority, rather it is one professional approaching another, offering a little support and a desire for an amiable partnership for the benefit of our budding readers.

Tropical rain and a leaky roof destroyed some precious issues of SLJ. Our students would greatly appreciate your kind help. We need all of volumes 39 (1993) and 40 (1994); if you can spare any of these issues, please contact me.

Mahalo nui loa. (Thank you very much!)

Corrections: In the November 14, 2007 issue of Extra Helping, the audio review of Alphabet of Animals failed to acknowledge the illustrator of the book, Kristen Kest, who hand painted all of the pictures.

The titles in the “A to Z of Latino Americans” series (October 2007, p. 86) were reviewed by Teresa Moffett, not Matthew L. Moffett.

The Encyclopedia of Birds (December 2007, p. 80) was not edited by Laurie Likoff. The author of the set is Kenny Clements.