Sunday, December 23, 2018

Knitted fingerless gloves, in green

Side view: Head and shoulders of a black cat being cuddled by beige hands that are wearing green ribbed-knit fingerless gloves

Fingerless gloves are great for those (many) occasions when I want to keep my hands and wrists warm, but need to preserve full dexterity. For these hand/wrist warmers (“modeled” by my sweet cat Starfire), I made use of a project in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2004). I sized them for myself, but used the basic ribbed-knit of the men's version of Hoverson’s pattern. The yarn is dark green acrylic, worsted weight. The gloves are knitted on size 3 Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Symphonie Wood double-pointed needles.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Child development class at Santa Rosa Junior College

The Association for Library Service to Children identifies a Commitment to Client Group among its Librarian “Core Competencies.” To better serve my young customers, I’ve enrolled for this Spring in a child development course at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Friday, December 14, 2018

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Friends of the Santa Rosa Libraries, holiday sale ends today

Stack of books on countertop. On top of stack is 'Gregor the Overlander' by Suzanne Collins, visible via its front cover. Beneath it are one of the 'Artemis Fowl' books by Ian Colfer, 'Great Things to Do Outside' by DK Publishing, and 'The Birchbark House' by Louise Erdrich

Made some great finds during the holiday sale of the Friends of the Santa Rosa Libraries: quality hardcover children’s books in like-new condition. If you’ve not yet had a chance to visit, Sunday is the final day. Hours are 2 to 5 p.m. in the Forum Room, Central Santa Rosa Library. Proceeds from these sales help to support Santa Rosa’s public libraries, including activities like the Summer Reading Program, book groups, and Adult Literacy.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Collage-art book cover repair

A book on a counter, 'Rodrick Rules' by Jeff Kinney, with a paper-collage front cover. Next to it are a pica pole and paper scraps in blue, white, and rust

The challenge facing me: a large piece had been torn from the front cover of this paperback book, Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney. Aside from the torn cover, the book was in good condition, worth putting back on the shelf.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

SRCS está contratando

Electronic bulletin board at Santa Rosa High School: 'SRCS is hiring! For more information, call: 707-890-3800, ext. 80607'
Electronic bulletin board at Santa Rosa High School

(En español / In Spanish)
Santa Rosa City Schools está contratando para trabajar a tiempo parcial o a tiempo completo (Boletín de noticias del SRCS para noviembre 2018).

​​¿Busca trabajo? Estamos contratando

Santa Rosa City Schools es un distrito escolar deseado para los alumnos, familias y personal. Siempre trabajamos para contratar a personas quienes quieren trabajar con los alumnos, trayendo sus habilidades tradicionales y no tradicionales a nuestra mano de obra, y son personas que solucionan problemas creativamente.

Actualmente tenemos puestos disponibles para trabajar a tiempo parcial o a tiempo completo, incluyendo: conserjes, producción de comidas, mantenimiento de los terrenos escolares, supervisión del patio de recreo, asistentes en clases de educación especial, maestros de matemáticas, educación especial, ciencias, música y para el tiempo de preparación, y gerentes de oficina. ¡Ser bilingüe es una ventaja! Comuníquese con Mary Alyce Stephens al mstephens@srcs.k12.ca.us o al 707-890-3800 x80607, o solicite por medio del Internet en EdJoin.


(En inglés / In English)​
Santa Rosa City Schools is hiring for part-time and full-time work (SRCS newsletter for November 2018).

Looking for a job? We’re hiring

Santa Rosa City Schools is a destination school district for students, families and staff. We are always looking to hire people who love working with students, bring traditional and non-traditional skills to our work force, and are creative problem solvers.

We currently have part-time and full-time openings, including: Custodial, Food Service, Grounds Maintenance, Noon-duty and School Yard Supervision, Special Education Assistant, Math Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Science Teacher, Music and Prep-time Teachers, School Office Manager. Bilingual skills a plus! Contact Mary Alyce Stephens mstephens@srcs.k12.ca.us or 707-890-3800 x80607, or apply online at EdJoin.

‘Crush’ by Svetlana Chmakova

Book cover, 'Crush' by Svetlana Chmakova. Image depicts the character of Jorge, sitting at a cafeteria table with several of his friends, looking at the character Jazmine as she walks past. Jorge and Jazmine are rendered in full-color, and everyone else is shaded pale gray with black-inked outlines
The character of Jorge lends a protective presence to the hallways of Berrybrook Middle School; I met him in Brave, patrolling the halls and persuading bullies to leave their targets alone.

In Crush, the latest by Svetlana Chmakova, Jorge takes center stage and we learn the wisdom from Jorge’s father that Jorge takes to heart: “Strength is a resource. If you have a lot and someone doesn’t, you gotta share yours.” But Jorge’s calm presence is ruffled by a schoolmate, Jazmine.

What I think especially well-done in this book is the conveying of Jorge’s mental processes. Jazmine is very much on his mind, and he dwells upon those brief exchanges they share in the Berrybrook Middle School hallways. When Jazmine is drawn as part of Jorge’s memory, there’s a different artistic quality to that rendition than when she’s physically present.

I mentioned in my review of Chmakova’s Brave that the book imparts valuable wisdom: about understanding how REAL friends will treat you, learning to recognize subtler forms of bullying, and speaking up for yourself.

In Crush, Coach Rashad — reviewing conduct-expectations for an upcoming dance — talks about respecting personal boundaries with the Athletics Club. Without wanting to go into too many specifics that might inadvertently be spoilers, there are numerous delineations between characters in this book: those who respect personal boundaries and choices, and those who don’t.

Altogether, this book is another solid addition to the young readers’ graphic-novel collection. I look forward to seeing it on the shelf at my local school library.

Disclosure of material connection: I originally read an excerpt of this book in a special publication for Free Comic Book Day, and was later able to complete the story via a copy from the public library. My taxes support libraries’ acquisition of this and other resources, and I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Science of queuing for minimum wait in line

Just in time for the traditional kick-off to the holiday shopping season: here’s an interesting essay via The Conversation, on why a single long line, served by multiple cashiers, can be more efficient and move more quickly than several smaller lines each with a single cashier. The essay focuses on grocery stores relying on the “single-server” queuing model — but I’ve observed that many grocery stores combine single-server and multiple-server models.

Individual cashiers continue to each ring customers through individual lines, and choosing wrongly can result in significant wait. But in the same store, a single line of customers will form for several self check-out devices. And sure enough, even if one self-module breaks down or is subject to slow-down, that wait time is dispersed across the entire system. Customers can move to the next available unit instead of having to wait for that one.

Monday, November 19, 2018

‘Sal and Gabi Break the Universe’ by Carlos Hernandez

Cover art, 'Sal and Gabi Break the Universe' by Carlos Hernandez. Image depicts the protagonists, Sal and Gabi, wrestling with the letters that make up the title, against a swirling backdrop that is superimposed over a street scene.
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is slated to be an upcoming release under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

Sal, protagonist and narrator, has the ability to open portals to parallel worlds and pull objects through to our own universe. He can even summon people -- specifically, the other-world counterparts of his deceased mother.

Gabi, the school’s student-body president and editor of the school newspaper, is determined to get the complete story behind the so-called “Poultrygate” incident ... in which Sal made a raw dead chicken appear in the school bully's locker and then mysteriously vanish again.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Completa seis horas de lectura recreativa, para Six Flags Read to Succeed

(En español / In Spanish)
Con una semana de no escuela para el Día de acción de gracia​,​ ahora es un buen tiempo para estudiantes en grados de K a 6 ​completar sus​ seis horas de lectura recreativa para Six Flags Read to Succeed. ​P​or favor, devuelve el diario de lectura a tu maestro por 15 de febrero 2019.​​

(En inglés / In English)​
With a week of no school for the Thanksgiving holiday, now is a good time for students in Kindergarten through grade 6 to complete their six hours of recreational reading for Six Flags Read to Succeed. Please return your reading log to your teacher by Feb. 15, 2019.​

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Santa Rosa schools remain closed Tuesday

In a Monday-night email, Diann Kitamura, superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools, announced that schools will be CLOSED on Tuesday, Nov. 13. “The air quality declined on Monday night, and causes serious concern about the well-being of our students, staff and families. All after-school programs and athletics are also cancelled for Tuesday. We will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates about the rest of the week as soon as they are available. We will post information on www.srcschools.org, and our Facebook and Twitter pages @SRCSchools.”

Friday, November 9, 2018

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Textbook delivery via bicycle

Bicycle pannier on counter-top, stuffed with books in plastic bags just visible out of the top edge of the pannier. A small stack of books is on the counter in front of, and slightly to the right of the pannier

Rode my bicycle to Santa Rosa City Schools this morning, for a district meeting. The distance represents just a few minutes’ ride from Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. I stuffed my pannier, trunk bag, and backpack full of instructional materials for delivery back to my site. Talk about a win-win; my school’s teachers will get their books as soon as I’ve cataloged them; my bicycle was that much more stable during wind-gusts thanks to the added weight; plus I’ve saved someone else maybe having to make a delivery that put them out of their way.

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Copperfield’s ‘Money for Schools’ fundraiser

Event flyer, 'Money for Schools Fundraising Weekend November 2nd-4th.' Flyer states, 'Tell your friends! Mention your participating school at the register and we'll donate 20% of your purchase to your school.' Flyer also lists Copperfield's locations: Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, San Rafael, Novato, Calistoga, and Napa, and displays the store's website, copperfieldsbooks.com"

If you’d been thinking about buying books, this is a special weekend to do it, because your purchases can support Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Copperfield’s Books is holding a special “Money for Schools” fundraising weekend at all of its locations from Nov. 2 through 4. Mention the name of our school at the register and Copperfield’s will donate 20 percent of your purchase to the school.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

‘Cataloging Correctly for Kids’

Highlighted among books and resources on my professional shelf: Cataloging Correctly for Kids, An Introduction to the Tools by Sheila S. Intner, Joanna F. Fountain, and Jean Weihs (American Library Association, 2011).

I took a course in cataloging as part of my pursuit of a library degree, and, while it offered a good foundation for my eventual work in a library, I felt that there was more to learn — particularly in the realm of working with records in an online catalog. Add in, too, my wish to learn those practices that are especially helpful to children, and it was clear to me that reading this book was essential to my professional development.

Newspaper PR: Special inserts can have early deadlines

From time to time, I receive questions about effectively sending items to newspapers. (I worked several years as an editor for a northern California newspaper. I also served as volunteer publicist for weekly church listings and a Toastmasters club.)

One recent question concerned special publications like a weekly Arts & Entertainment tabloid, produced by a newspaper publisher and inserted into the regular newspaper. My questioner was concerned because a listing he’d submitted was not published by the newspaper.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Estoy la coordinadora para Six Flags Read to Succeed

(En español / In Spanish)
Estoy la coordinadora de Six Flags Read to Succeed para Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Estudiantes, por favor, completa tus seis horas de lectura recreativa y devuelve el diario de lectura a tu maestro por 15 de febrero 2019.

(En inglés / In English)​
I’m coordinator of Six Flags Read to Succeed for Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Students, please complete your six hours of recreational reading and return the reading log to your teacher by Feb. 15, 2019.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

‘Six Flags Read to Succeed’

Row of children lying on the ground, holding books open in front of them, with image of an amusement-park roller coaster in the background behind them.

Parents of children in Kindergarten to sixth-grade at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: keep a look-out for reading logs for “Six Flags Read to Succeed.” Students who complete six hours of recreational reading will earn a free ticket to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Our principal, Ms. Vogel, has been involved for several years with “Six Flags Read to Succeed,” and she asked me to serve as program coordinator for SRCSA. Teachers can earn a park-ticket too, if enough students from their class successfully qualify.

Bullying: Trump would be ‘bystander’ in schoolyard, celebrating violence against journalist

As someone who works toward a school and social climate where bullying is eliminated, I want to talk about comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he spoke admiringly of a Montana congressional candidate who “body-slammed” a reporter.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Reverse-applique on this year’s ArtWalk T-shirt

Cynthia M. Parkhill in sunflower-patterned newsboy hat and white ArtWalk T-shirt with cartoon picture of blue narwhal singing into microphone with spotlights shining on it. Fabric squares are visible along the sleeves, shoulders, and front neckline of the shirt, arranged in recurring sequence of black print on white, blue print on yellow, white print on black, dark blue against light blue, and solid green cutwork lace.

One of the ways that our generous community supports Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts is the sponsoring of T-shirts for students and staff for the annual ArtWalk fundraiser. This year’s fundraiser took place last Friday, and here I am wearing my shirt. I spent the weekend customizing it with reverse-applique along the sleeves, shoulders, and front neckline. I used patterned fabrics in the white, black, yellow, and blue of the T-shirt’s Narwhal design, plus I threw in some squares in green cutwork fabric because it’s my favorite color. Got a lot of appreciative reactions when I wore it to school today.

Monday, October 8, 2018

Illinois libraries, ‘inclusive workspaces for individuals with autism’

Appreciation to the Skokie Public Library and the Midlothian Public Library in Illinois, which have “positioned themselves as inclusive workspaces for individuals with autism.” The upcoming annual conference of the Illinois Library Association has a “Libraries: All Inclusive” theme (Oct. 9 to 11, 2018), and among presenters, two staff members from the aforementioned libraries “will share their employment experiences.” Speaking as an aspiring librarian who is on the autism spectrum, I find the library environment to be an ideal match for my autistic strengths. Dare I hope this conversation reaches a national platform at an upcoming meeting of the American Library Association? Here’s Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS) with an overview of programs related to accessibility at the ILA conference.

Submitted via social media to the American Library Association

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Staff picture for 2018-2019 school year


Off to the start of a great new year at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, and here is my official staff photo for the year, which was taken by MugsyClicks.

Completed work on the hat and blouse just in time for school-picture day; I assembled them from quilting fabric in school colors of black, white, and gold.

‘Art Walk’ T-shirt with reverse-applique

Burgundy T-shirt with yellow-gold, spiral-curved, 'Yellow-Brick-Road' design.  Along the curve of the road are written the words, 'There's no place like home.' The words, 'Artwalk 2017-2018' are in the design's lower right. The front neck of the shirt has X-shaped slash openings through which fabric in white-on-black curly-que pattern is visible. Black ribbon patterned with white musical score runs along the sleeves and shoulder seams of the shirt.

Over the summer I was given a stash of unused quilting fabric, and a lot of it was in official colors for Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. (Those colors are black, white, and gold.) Here’s the shirt for last year’s “Art Walk” fundraiser, embellished with reverse-applique along the neck, and ribbon accents along the shoulder seams and sleeves. Lookin’ forward to this year’s fundraiser; students are collecting pledges.

Monday, September 10, 2018

Hat and blouse from repurposed fabrics

Newsboy-styled hat with an eight-panel crown, consisting of alternating panels of white lace atop solid burgundy and green, with panels that were cut from patchwork fabric that was patterned in dark green, deep red and off-white. The hat band is dark green batik and the brim is white lace over green, dominated by a length of embroidered burgundy flowers on white fabric. The same embroidered trim decorates the front V-neck and center-panel bottom hem of a tunic arranged beneath the hat. The center-front panel of the shirt is dark green batik, and the sides and back of the shirt are in a patterned greenish-gold.

My latest hat and blouse creations repurpose fabrics from other uses. Lace and embroidered trim are from a now-retired blouse, and the patchwork fabric is from a computer cover. I love the way that the patchwork fabric, in its rich dark green and burgundy, work with the white lace and the trim.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Sonoma County Library ‘Educator Card’

Promotional graphic for Sonoma County Library 'Educator Card.' Blue rendition of a schoolhouse, with large green book next to and slightly overlapping it. The book's front cover displays the logo for Sonoma County Library

As Sonoma County Library’s committed partner in library service across the lifetime, one of the resources I’m excited about is my “Educator Card.” This week, I stopped by to renew my card for 2018-2019; I also attended a Back-to-School event at the downtown library.

‘Student OneCard’ at Sonoma County Library

Logo, 'Student OneCard'

The month of September is traditionally “Library Card Sign-Up Month,” and I’ve been promoting “virtual library cards” for Sonoma County Library — available to all students enrolled in Santa Rosa City Schools.

Monday, September 3, 2018

Leveled readers, ‘user-friendly’ identification labels


One of the components of new language-arts curriculum at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, was the inclusion of “leveled” readers. The same title might be produced in four different ways depending upon a reader’s ability, but with only a number-rating on the back and a different-colored border on the cover to identify which book was which.

Well, I thought when preparing this curriculum, I could provide better “customer service.” In order to help teachers to clearly distinguish same-titles with different rates of difficulty, I created identifying stickers. And I think the design is subtle so that students shouldn’t latch onto which of their classmates have which level of book. My appreciation to parent-volunteers who assisted with label-application.

Shelf-markers for browsing in library

Wire basket, lined with off-white fabric, sitting on library counter-top. In the basket are several 'shelf-markers,' long plastic strips in bright colors and long wooden sticks that are undecorated.

OK, creative types; if you’re looking for a way to help out in the library, have I got a one-time job for you! I have a collection of wooden shelf-markers that students will use for browsing in the library, and I need them to be beautifully and uniquely decorated. (These will be communal; they will be used by all visitors, and thus should not have students’ names or other personalized details). I have colored markers available to help encourage your creativity.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Hat and blouses in school colors

Short-sleeved top, black sleeveless V-neck blouse with a flared 'skirt' below the bodice and an eight-paneled 'newsboy' hat in printed fabrics of black, black-and-white, and shades of gold. With them are commercial sewing patterns from Simplicity and New Look that correspond to the two blouses.

Completed just in time for school pictures this past week at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: a couple of blouses, and a “newsboy” hat in the school colors of black, white and gold. Over the summer, I was given an unused stash of various quilting fabrics, and these projects made good use of it. The blouses each come from commercial patterns (shown in the photograph), while the hat is based on piecework I used to do for Hat People in southern Oregon.

‘Helmet liners’ sewn with patch-work

Back-view of two 'helmet liners' or 'do-rags,' one made of several black-and-white patterned fabrics and the other made out of a dark-red or rust subtly-batik patterned fabric

Reverse-engineered Jonathan’s “helmet liner,” to produce these new articles for him to wear over his hair during exercise. I’m especially proud of the black-and-white, for which I pieced together various squares of fabric — part of a long-term, lifelong-benefit result of being taught Home Ec in high school.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

YALSA ‘Teens’ Top Ten,’ voting open

Voting opened Aug. 15 for the “Teens’ Top Ten,” a list of books compiled each year by the Young Adult Library Services Association. The nominators are members of teen book groups in 15 school and public libraries.

Young people ages 12 to 18 can vote now through Teen Read Week (Oct. 7 to 13). Look for these titles at your local public library, and consider casting your vote. The top vote-getters will become the official “Teens’ Top Ten” for 2018.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Free books attract readers

Metal gray bookshelf on wheels, with books on the shelves, their spines facing outward. Yellow sign attached to the handle on the top-side of the book cart reads, 'Free Books (Libros gratis)'

Nothing like a free-book cart to really draw a crowd, shown here outside the library at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. One of our teachers recently cleared out old chapter-books from her shelves and brought the books to me in the library to help with re-homing them. I put them out on a movable cart, and have been rolling it outside during recesses. It was gratifying to see both children and adults stopping to browse the selection and even to take books away with them.

‘Ghosted’ by Leslie Margolis

Book cover: 'Ghosted' by Leslie Margolis. Image depicts three teen girls holding shiny heart-shaped balloons that cover their faces.
I wanted to read this book because it’s from the perspective of the mean girl -- a perspective that I think is important to understand if we’re to combat bullying.

Why do people engage in bullying behavior? What needs or desires does it speak to? What would it take to get them to stop?

In the case of Ghosted, the bully point-of-view character is a girl named Ellie.

First of all, what I like about this book is the idea that someone can change. Who you are now does not define you forever. That said, I didn’t find it believable when Ellie changed for the better.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

‘The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away’

Book cover, 'The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away' by Ronald L. Smith. Image depicts the sillouette of a boy, making his way through sillouetted trees with looming branches, an owl flying overhead. The image is structured so that it simultaneously resembles the face of a 'gray' extraterrestrial.
What an intense read: gripping, suspenseful; it kept me thoroughly engrossed, wanting to know what happened next. Things build inexorably to a climactic moment that caught this reader, at least, up in the urgency and drama.

The protagonist, Simon, is obsessed with aliens, and especially with tales of alien abduction.

One day, Simon goes camping with his parents, who send him into the woods to gather firewood. While alone in the woods, he sees a pulsing light and what he thinks is an owl; next thing he knows, he is lying on the ground and his parents are bending over him.

Simon believes — knows — that he was abducted by aliens, the “Grays,” as they are referred to. But no one will believe him; his parents send him to a psychiatrist who simply medicates him.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

‘Pisu’s Revenge’ by Susha Golomb

Book cover, 'Pisu's Revenge' by Susha Golomb. Image depicts close-up of a cat's face, possibly rendered in ink-drawing. The cat's eyes are shaded in yellow, and the cat's nose is shaded gray. Otherwise, the image consists of dark lines that suggest tabby markings and the contours of the face, against a plain background.
Momentum for this book built slowly, possibly because of world-building and a formal writing-style, but altogether I found it an enjoyable read that set my interest for later books.

I might recommend this book to niche-readers who enjoy stories set around animal societies — maybe readers of Erin Hunter’s Warriors or Deborah Grabien’s Dark’s Tale.

Pisu’s Revenge (IBPA, July 2018) is told in first-person by Tefnut, a cat, who recounts her early experiences among a litter of four cats that included her brother, Pisu. The cats reside in Ailuria, “a little country by the sea, tucked into a small corner of The Greater Elf Kingdom.”

‘The Eleventh Trade’ by Alyssa Hollingsworth

Book cover, 'The Eleventh Trade' by Alyssa Hollingsworth. Image depicts a boy in shirt and shorts kicking a soccer ball, with a city-scape background. The title lettering and the image are contained within a shape of the body of a rebab, or, traditional Afghan musical instrument; a row of the instrument's keys border the title lettering along the left-hand side.
When Sami and his baba (grandfather) escaped to America from Afghanistan, the only possession from home that they managed to bring with them was Baba’s rebab, a traditional Afghan instrument.

Baba, who was a renowned musician back in Afghanistan, makes his living playing the rebab in the subway to earn tips from rush-hour Bostonians — but one day, someone steals the rebab, snatches it right out of Sami’s arms.

Sami feels responsible for costing Baba his only livelihood, as well as losing the only thing they had that reminded them of home.

Sami tracks the rebab to a pawnshop and makes a bargain with the owner: give him 28 days to come up with $700 in order to redeem the instrument. But the only thing Sami has of value is a Manchester United keychain. Would it be possible for Sami to trade-up items in order to reach his goal?

Saturday, August 11, 2018

‘Del Toro Moon’ by Darby Karchut

Book cover, 'Del Toro Moon' by Darby Karchut. Image depicts a boy atop a rearing stallion. A nighttime desert landscape is shown behind him. A howling wolf, silhouetted against the full moon, is perched atop the letter 'E' in the title-lettering
Four centuries ago, Santiago Del Toro, his brother-knights and their warhorses arrived in the New World with a special mandate from the monarch of Spain: to contain an ancient evil inside enchanted coffers and keep that evil from escaping.

Del Toro and his brother-knights were accompanied by their Andalusian warhorses and magic-enhanced maces - effective weapons against the monsters.

The coffers were hidden throughout the New World — each guarded by a knight and then, in-turn, by that knight’s descendents.

For 500 years, generations of Del Toros have continued this quest — safeguarding a coffer hidden in the El Laberinto Wilderness Area near Huerfano, Colorado.

‘Shelfie’ for National Booklovers’ Day


In honor of National Booklovers’ Day on Aug. 9, 2018, Sonoma County Library​ asked people to post “shelfies,” that is, pictures of their bookshelves. Here’s a section from my family’s home library (which I organize according to the Dewey Decimal System). What else is Dewey good for? I also use the classification with my blog-post subject tags.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

CalPoets relocates to Santa Rosa

Logo for California Poets in the Schools. Letters are rendered in blue, against a white background. A yellow pencil, drawn in the shape of the state of California, is shown to the left of the lettering. A broken blue gradient from its tip blends into a circular flourish around the words 'in the Schools'

Here’s a potentially exciting development in the realm of poetry in Sonoma County classrooms: California Poets in the Schools, a statewide literary nonprofit, has relocated to Santa Rosa.​ ​(Source: Press Democrat, Aug. 2, 2018.)

I am most familiar with this organization through the Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest. CalPoets co-sponsors Poetry Out Loud, with the California Arts Council.

(As former newspaper arts editor and volunteer-producer of an Arts Council newsletter, I used to follow and report on Poetry Out Loud in Lake County, California.)

High-school students memorize and recite a famous poem, beginning at the school-wide level. Doing so helps them to “master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life,” according to the Poetry Out Loud website.

Local winners advance to regional/state competition and then to the national finals.

Within Sonoma County, according to the Press Democrat, “CalPoets reaches nearly 30 schools and 4,000 K-12 students, and within the state it reaches about 28,000 youth.

“With the move to Santa Rosa, CalPoets plans to extend its reach, with more poets in schools, more poetry booths at art festivals, and poetry in parks and parking lots.”

Friday, August 3, 2018

Children need to ‘see themselves’ in stories

Three children’s book authors recently shared their perspectives on not being able to see people like themselves as a story’s main character. The piece’s author, Colleen R. Lee, shares an incident with a customer that underscored, for her, “how important diversity in literature is for children.” (Via Knowledge Quest, American Association of School Librarians)

‘Google It’ by Anna Crowley Redding

Book cover, 'Google It, How Two Students' Mission to Organize the Internet Changed the World' by Anna Crowley Redding. Image depicts white background with portions of typographic letters rendered in blue, yellow, red, and green
Google It by Anna Crowley Redding (Feiwel and Friends, 2018) tells the story of Google and founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

This book follows Google’s origin as a doctoral thesis project at Stanford University, to its existence today as part of a company that has revolutionized technology and the seeking of information.

Prior to Google, Internet searches were based solely on keywords. “So if you were looking for information about horses, web searches would give you every site that mentioned the word horse. And you would have to sit there and load each result, searching for the information you needed.”

School library ‘climate’ supports diversity

A school library’s “climate” goes a long way toward acknowledging and promoting diversity. Michelle Easley offers several practical suggestions to help create a library climate where everyone is welcome. (Via Knowledge Quest, American Association of School Librarians)

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Early start on processing new curriculum

Stacks of educational materials in fabric sacks, or arranged in shrink-wrapped piles on a table-top.

Been getting an early start on processing new English language-arts curriculum for Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Appreciation to Santa Rosa City Schools for granting me these extra hours. It’ll make a big difference for getting these materials ready, as “user-friendly” as I can make them, for my classroom customers.

‘Escape to the Above’ by Adam Jay Epstein

Book cover, 'Escape to the Above' by Adam Jay Epstein
When a questing hero races through a tomb — pursued by an enormous boulder or bombarded with a flight of poisoned darts — do you ever think about whose job it must’ve been to set up those lavish obstacles?

Wily Snare is a “trapsmith,” employed by a reclusive wizard who jealously guards his treasure. Wily has worked for the wizard Stalag for as long as he can remember: keeping the traps in working order, cleaning up after and coaching the “monsters” who help to guard the tomb, and clearing away the latest set of unconscious heroes before the next “visitors” arrive.

Wily has never been above-ground because Stalag convinced him that he would die if he was exposed to sunlight. Stalag has told him a lot of things, actually. But an unusual set of tomb-raiding adventurers bring unimaginable change to Wily’s ordered existence.

Escape to the Above is an exciting tale, told from the perspective of a skilled technician who understands the dungeon’s secrets in a way that few others do. I look forward to further adventures of Wily and his friends.

In tight labor market, skilled applicants should ‘rise to top’

Inexperienced job applicants face “their best odds of success in years” as employers drop work-history and degree requirements. That’s according to Kelsey Gee, writing for the Wall Street Journal.

Monday, July 30, 2018

SRCSA library: Looking forward to new year

Metal shelving cart, three shelves, each laden with books

Looking forward to a new year in the library, Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. Parents, if you’re looking to log some hours volunteering, I’ll have books to re-shelve in the library. One-time help or recurring gig: either way, I’ll appreciate your time.

SRCS board is considering parcel taxes

At its Aug. 8 meeting, the governing board of Santa Rosa City Schools​ is set to vote on a pair of parcel taxes for an upcoming ballot. These taxes together, at $50 and $75, would raise $4 million for our schools.

(Santa Rosa City Schools vote on parcel tax proposal, Press Democrat, July 28)

The school board was concerned that the November ballot is crowded with many other taxes — including a $124 million housing bond measure and a quarter-cent sales tax increase for the City of Santa Rosa.

“Because of the crowded ballot this November, the board also is considering election dates in the next two years.”

I hope that readers in Santa Rosa will consider supporting these measures if and when they reach our ballots. Education needs to be among our community’s top priorities as we rebuild from last October’s fires.

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Successful end to SRCS ‘summer-school’

The second of two sessions of high-school credit recovery, offered through Santa Rosa City Schools, has successfully come to an end.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Libraries versus Amazon subscription


Here’s a text-graphic that compares monthly costs to subscribe to Amazon Prime versus the average cost in taxes to support a library.

The graphic was compiled by EveryLibrary​ in response to an opinion piece in Forbes. In it, contributor Panos Mourdoukoutas argued that Amazon should open its own bookstores “in all local communities.” Amazon could supposedly “replace local libraries and save taxpayers lots of money.”

Thursday, July 19, 2018

‘Bullied to Death?’ by Judith A. Yates

Cover, 'Bullied to Death?' by Judith A. Yates. Image depicts a black-and-white, head-and-shoulders photo of 14-year-old Sherokee Harriman, taped to the door of a school locker. Subtitle below it reads, 'A Story of Bullying, Social Media, and the Suicide of Sherokee Harriman'
“What exactly happened on September 5, 2015, in Mankin Park is difficult to decipher. Eyewitness testimonies vary. The whole truth will never be known.”

Author Judith A. Yates explores the last hours of 14-year-old Sherokee Harriman. The official explanation is that Sherokee killed herself by stabbing herself in the stomach after she and another girl got in a fight over a boy.

Sherokee left the park where this altercation took place, and returned a short while later with the knife.

Sherokee’s family contends that the exchange was no fight. The girl and her friends bullied Sherokee and, when she returned with the knife, she either stabbed herself on accident or one of them forced her to stab herself. No charges were brought against any of the teens who witnessed Sherokee’s death.

The media and public outcry latched on to “bullying” as the cause of Sherokee’s death — and as this book documents, throughout her time in school, Sherokee was subjected to continual taunts about her appearance and hygiene. When she became older, her classmates also called her a bitch, a slut, and a “ho.”

Any attempts to report the bullying left Sherokee branded a “snitch.” Sherokee eventually “tired of it all,” and stopped turning in reports. When asked at home for an update she’d simply say school officials were “looking into it,” or that they “took care of the problem.”

But whatever bullying Sherokee endured, was on top of additional trauma. Her mother, Heather, came from an abusive home and suffered from poor self-esteem.

Heather bounced from job to job, relationship to relationship. (Sherokee and her older sister Shyloe came from two different fathers.) Heather also had difficulty managing her anger; she would shout and use obscenities and accuse the other person of deliberately “pushing [her] buttons.”

Sherokee and Shyloe were both sexually abused by their mother’s husband Ronnie (who was also Shyloe’s father.) It left the girls with lasting psychological scars.

Sherokee additionally struggled with bouts of severe depression. She was emotionally immature and lacked the coping skills to get what she wanted in any other way than by throwing tantrums. Sherokee often threatened to kill herself when she did not get her way. And like Heather, Sherokee tended to blame others for her behavior and responses.

Ultimately, this book poses more questions than it concretely answers. What — or who — actually caused the death of Sherokee Harriman? Was she “Bullied to Death?” Or was it one of many factors that were cumulatively too much for this damaged young person to bear? Reading this story was difficult and painful, but worth thinking about by caring adults who want to combat bullying or want to foster resiliency in children.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinion expressed is my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Friday, July 13, 2018

Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County

Talk about fortuitous timing: the Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County was parked in downtown Santa Rosa while I was walking there one day this week.

The Free Bookmobile gives away free books at locations throughout the area. (The schedule is listed on its website.)

It got its start as a weekend service project by a local family. Today it operates as a program of the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation, an organization that also supports “The Big Read” and Sonoma County public libraries.

Job-search help via Sonoma County Library

Among my research projects this week: job-search help through Tutor.com for Sonoma County Library cardholders.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Orientación y apoyo académico gratuito

Dos mujeres en un sofá, hablando
Fuente de imagen: Santa Rosa City Schools

(En español / In Spanish)
Orientación y apoyo académico gratuito, a el Centro del Bienestar Integrado de Santa Rosa City Schools:

Elección en noviembre para Junta de Educación

(En español / In Spanish)
​Del boletín del Santa Rosa City Schools para julio 2018: Candidatos para la Junta de Educación de Santa Rosa City Schools deben de presentar sus documentos entre el 16 de julio y el 20 de Agosto de 2018.

Friday, July 6, 2018

‘Dragon Pearl’ by Yoon Ha Lee

Book cover, 'Dragon Pearl' by Yoon Ha Lee. Image depicts a young girl with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a blue spacesuit and carrying a helmet under one arm. She is standing on a dark, rocky landscape against a red-and-purple skyscape. Her gaze is directed slightly upward toward a silvery-translucent fox-shape.
On an impoverished and remote planet, Min and her brother Jun dreamed of one day traveling together among their civilization’s “Thousand Worlds.” Jun joined the Space Forces and Min’s plan was to enlist alongside him as soon as she was old enough — but as Dragon Pearl opens, Jun has disappeared.

Seemingly, Jun deserted his post to pursue a mystical object, the “Dragon Pearl.”

To figure out what really happened to Jun, Min decides to run away from home, and follow him into space. Complicating matters, Min and her family are fox spirits, who are viewed with suspicion by their society.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

New English language-arts curriculum at SRCSA

Hardcover textbooks arranged in stacks, by color, on a counter-top. There are stacks of books in orange, green, purple, and bright blue. They all display the words 'Wonders, California Reading/Writing Workshop' on their covers, and additionally feature artwork depicting anthropomorphic animal characters.

Here’s something to look forward to with a new school year at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: new reading-and-writing curriculum, adopted on Feb. 28, 2018 by Santa Rosa City Schools, arrived in June at SRCSA library. There, they await processing by me as Instructional Materials Technician.

Monday, July 2, 2018

‘The Storm Runner’ by J.C. Cervantes

Maya mythology forms the backdrop to The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes. It centers around teen protagonist Zane Obispo, who’s at the center of an ancient prophecy.

Zane is destined to release the Maya god of death and destruction from his prison in a dormant volcano. Desperate to do whatever it takes to protect those he cares about, Zane finds himself at the center of a war between Maya gods. As the adventure progresses, Zane comes to learn amazing revelations about himself.

A rich cast of supporting characters — some human, and some out of mythology — surround Zane on his quest.

Saturday, June 30, 2018

‘Reading Rangers’ at Copperfield’s Bookstore

Illustration of a red tent in a woodsy setting, with snow-capped mountains in the background. Lettering above the image reads, 'Become a Reading Ranger.'

Over the summer, I like to highlight activities and resources that promote reading. Copperfield’s Books is offering young people the chance to become “Reading Rangers.” From now through Aug. 1, pick up a Trail Map at any Copperfields location. Earn badges by reading books from each of 12 categories and get a sticker “badge” for each category completed. Readers who complete all 12 categories will receive a special prize.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

‘Cats vs. Robots,’ free giveaway copy arrives

Book cover, Cats vs. Robots, This is War, by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson. Image depicts two cats, positioned above the title letters, looking down at a robot that's beneath the lettering. The robot brandishes claw-like appendages and glares at the cats.
Readers may recall that I won a Goodreads Giveaway of Cats vs. Robots #1, This Is War. It arrived this week, and my verdict is that the book is a delightful and entertaining read.

It’s the first book in a new children’s book series by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson.

The story centers around two galactic empires that consist of seemingly polar opposites — the Robots, or “Binars,” who are obsessed with order and rules, and the Cats, for whom rules are “generally meant to be followed — but only if you felt like it.”

These civilizations’ epic battle is now coming to Earth — specifically, to the home of a human family, where husband-and-wife scientists have invented a “Singularity Chip” that can enable cats to live past their nine lives or grant robots eternal battery life. Each side of the conflict is determined that the chip must not fall into the enemy’s paws — or grasping appendages.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

‘Let’s Pretend We Never Met’ by Melissa Walker

Book cover, 'Let's Pretend We Never Met,' by Melissa Walker. Image depicts two girls, standing with their backs to each other. The brown-haired girl, on the left, is looking with a concerned expression on her face toward the blond girl, on the right, who is looking down at a nest of birds' eggs that she is holding in her hands.
I could intensely relate to the drama that is central to Let’ s Pretend We Never Met, seeing parallels from my own life with circumstances for the character of Agnes.

At Calistoga Elementery School and at Calistoga Junior/Senior High School, I was the weird girl, the person ostracized and shunned by the school population. There was no understanding for an autism spectrum when I was going to school, so my differences went unexplained.

Learning that the character of Agnes in this book is possibly autistic, made me interested in reading it. I’m interested in the ways that authors portray characters who are on the autism spectrum.

Friday, June 15, 2018

SRCS summer school: tracking students’ use of books

Made use of my experience as an IMT/Library Tech this week, on behalf of Santa Rosa City Schools’ “summer school.” I logged students’ checking out English-lit books as well as the books’ movement between classrooms.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

‘Cats vs. Robots’ by Margaret Stohl

Book cover, Cats vs. Robots, This is War, by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson. Image depicts two cats, positioned above the title letters, looking down at a robot that's beneath the lettering. The robot brandishes claw-like appendages and glares at the cats.
Learned this morning in an email that I’d won a Goodreads Giveaway of Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson’s Cats vs. Robots #1, This is War.

My initial impression of this book, when I enrolled in the giveaway, was that it combined my favorite animal, the cat, with an application of STEAM principles (That’s Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. As I understand it, educators incorporate STEAM in education to prepare children to live and work in an increasingly technological society.)

Well, my intention with any children’s book giveaway that I won was to place the book, once I'd read it, into my school library. And for its emphasis on STEAM, plus seeming a really fun read, I thought this book would be an especially good fit. I’m looking forward to receiving this book and, most especially, to reading it.

Friday, June 8, 2018

‘Little Free Library’ at Montgomery High School

Cabinet of books, mounted outdoors on a post and designed to look like a little building. The cabinet has red siding and a roof covered with green shingling. Through glass doors that are framed in white-painted wood, two shelves of books are visible.

I encountered this Little Free Library on Thursday, while at Montgomery High School. (I’m working there this summer for high-school credit recovery, offered by Santa Rosa City Schools.)

I love the community book-exchanges that little boxes like this facilitate — and seeing this little library brought an article to mind, which I’d read in the Press Democrat: several lending libraries are “sprouting up” in the area as part of recovery from last October's wildfires.

Students from MHS and other local high schools were involved in building the libraries. Construction was financed by United Way Women United and the Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Sonoma County, along with help from sponsors.

The PD article states, the project gave students “real-world experience working with clients,” and quotes Jared McGee, an MHS sophomore who aspires to be an architect:

“‘It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. … All the kids affected (by the fires) and the people affected can give back to the community and give books to the library and take books out if they need it. It was a really good feeling to give something to a community that was hurt.’”

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Summer Reading at Sonoma County Library

Blue fliers and a white folded brochure promoting Summer Reading activities at Sonoma County Library

School is out, and Summer Reading begins tomorrow at Sonoma County Library. Kathy DeWeese with SCL brought brochures and fliers to me in the library at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts; I distributed them to homeroom teachers to send home with their students.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

‘Piecing Me Together’ by Renée Watson

Jade has been awarded a place in a program that pairs young Black girls with older mentors.

The program includes a college scholarship if Jade successfully completes the program; this opportunity is the overwhelming factor that convinces Jade to join — because what Jade really wants, what she desperately seeks, is the type of opportunity that allows her to help other people.

“Why am I only seen as someone who needs and not someone who can give?” This question, posed by Jade, is at the heart of Piecing Me Together.

Renée Watson’s book is among recent winners and honorees of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. It was named an Honor Book for the John Newbery Medal, and it was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award.

There’s been an undercurrent involving art among the award winners I’ve been reading. In Piecing Me Together, the artistic medium is collage. As a person who enjoys exploring artistic media, I appreciated this dimension to the story.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Bicycle-themed collage art

Layered-paper collage with a bus-route map background. Green strip of paper along bottom, roughly one-quarter height of total image. In lower left corner, the word 'Bicycle' has been pasted, in blue letters against white background. The cut-out image of a blue, step-through framed bicycle, shown from side view with multi-colored flowers in a handlebar basket, is positioned on the green strip as if it were being ridden over the green 'ground.' Behind it, to the left in picture, is a cut-out paper image of a fabric butterfly. In the upper-right corner is a yellow half-sun. The artist's initials, 'CMP,' are rendered in individual cut-out letters, black type against white background, in the lower-right corner of the picture.

Here’s a collage from greeting-card images and from informational brochures gathered during an Earth Day celebration in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square. The background is a route map for Santa Rosa City Bus.