Teen Truth: An Inside Look at Body Image 11/12/2009 Gr 7 Up–This powerful film begins by defining body image as “a picture of one’s own physical look established by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others.”
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The Black Book of Secrets 11/10/2009 Gr 5-8–In F. E. Higgins’s mysterious medieval tale (Feiwel & Friends, 2007), Ludlow Fitch escapes the miserable squalor of city life and finds himself in the village of Pagus Parvus.
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The Alvin Ho Collection, Books 1 & 2 11/06/2009 Gr 2-4–Alvin Ho, a quirky Asian-American second grader, is articulate at home but so afraid of school that he is unable to speak while he is there.
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Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life 11/05/2009 K-Gr 3–In this stunning picture book by Caldecott Honor artist Molly Bang and biologist Penny Chisholm (Blue Sky Press, 2009), the sun explains how it brings energy to all living things on Earth.
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Do You Believe in Magic? There's a good reason why so many families love storytimes By Renea Arnold and Nell Colburn - 11/01/2009
A colleague put a lovely image into our heads at a recent discussion of best practices for family storytimes. Librarian Maria Lowe offers family storytimes in the evenings, and she always includes a time for “family boats.” A mom and dad sit on the floor, join hands and encircle their children, or a single adult clasps his child in his arms, and they all begin to rock as Maria leads...
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Librarians: Forget Baby Einstein; Try Reading By Lauren Barack - 10/29/2009
Librarians and media specialists are secretly saying "I told you so" about the Walt Disney Company’s decision to issue a full refund on the Baby Einstein videos that parents have bought by the millions over the last five years.
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Poor Math Scores Come as Education Cuts Continue By Lauren Barack - 10/27/2009
California’s budget crisis has come home to roost as the 2009 Nation’s Report Card puts the state lower than the nation’s average for fourth graders and eighth graders on the biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
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Banjo to Beatbox 10/30/2009 PreS-Gr 3–Grammy Award-winning veteran musicians Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer team up with Washington, DC’s new hip-hop sensation, Christylez Bacon, to present eight folk banjo and hip-hop tunes.
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Rock 'n Learn: Divison Rap 10/29/2009 Gr 3-6–Cool characters help students understand the basic rules and the practical uses of division, all with great fun and a catchy beat.
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Marketing 4 Ps: The Consumer Angle 10/27/2009 Gr 9 Up–Viewers learn how companies use the marketing mix (4 Ps) to their advantage in this well-constructed program. More
The Pigman and The Pigman's Legacy 10/23/2009 Gr 8 Up–In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of Paul Zindel’s award-winning novel, The Pigman (HarperCollins, 1968), Zindel’s son David has produced audiobook versions of The Pigman and The Pigman’s Legacy (Harper, 1980).
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Straightlaced 10/22/2009 Gr 9 Up–This heartfelt, fast-moving, and fully multicultural documentary explores the many ways that societal expectations about gender affect teens’ daily lives.
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Highway Cats 10/20/2009 Gr 4-7–Life on the road is lonely, especially for the many homeless highway cats. Shredder and Khalia Koo have lived for a long time on their own.
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Carnegie’s Legacy Threatened, Along with Children’s Library Services By Lauren Barack - 10/14/2009
A piece of Andrew Carnegie’s legacy could fall into jeopardy if the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh follows through with closing four branches, and potentially curtailing children and teen services for local communities as well.
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Ape 10/16/2009 K-Gr 3–The members of the great ape family are introduced in this book (Candlewick, 2007) by Martin Jenkins, a conservation biologist.
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Carter Finally Gets It 10/15/2009 Gr 8-11–Will Carter, nicknamed Carter, is a bundle of confusion as he begins high school. He’s pretty sure his stutter will keep girls away and his ADD will make it difficult to be successful in the classroom or where it really matters—on the ball field.
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Wuthering Heights 10/13/2009 Gr 7 Up–Both devotees and those who are new to Emily Brontë’s classic tale of gothic star-crossed love and obsession will be captivated by this lush and dark adaptation.
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