A hodgepodge of little brains at work...

A boy, age 6, is looking for a book on natural disasters. I start pulling a few titles.
He says, "I need a book that will tell me how to prevent them. I just want to prevent them."
Me: "Well, no one can prevent a natural disaster. But this book tells about things people can do to get ready for them as best they can."
Boy: "Yes, that's it. That book will help me prevent natural disasters. I really need to prevent natural disasters."

Boy, age 10: "I want a book about that artist that paints squarish birds."
Me: "Here, John James Audubon is the only bird painter I can think of at the moment."
Boy: "No, these aren't squarish. That's not him."

Most popular book in the library this week, not checked out:
Time to Pee! by Mo Willems. (I bought it for parents of toddlers. Second graders can't stop reading it.)



I do a picture book for 6 & 7 year olds featuring a gay couple (in this case, guinea pigs getting married). I ask the children if they know any families that have two moms or two dads, and nearly every hand is raised. I explain terminology, and I talk about how our society is changing, and that we might see laws that allow two men or two women to marry. Most children are nonchalant; they've been exposed to this idea before. One child is incredulous but seems to accept my matter-of-fact remarks. One boy, who understands the concept, is still baffled by why I am interested in this subject and struggles mightily to formulate questions:

Jamie: Natalie, are you married?
Me: Yes, Jamie, I'm married. I'm married to a man named Matthew.
Jamie: Um, do you have any, um, siblings? (good vocab for a 6 year old!)
Me: Yes, I have two sisters.
Jamie: Are they... are they...are they married?
Me: Yes, they're both married to men.
Jamie: Um...What are their husbands' names?
Me: I'm not sure why you want to know. Their names are John and Graham.
Jamie: Well...I think....I think...I think... Oh, never mind.

(For more about this book , which I have taught to 6th graders in the context of library book challenges and freedom to read, click here for the single most eloquent librarian response to an objection. If you want to follow the controversy in all its vitriol, click here. The sixth graders adore this dispute, and I enjoy showing them how to follow blogosphere discussion and comments.)

Request box: "midevil" -- I'm guessing Middle Ages, not Satan worship.

And now, my young friends tell me it's been too long since I posted a video. This one can't hold a candle to the Lady Gaga parody but it's glamor-free and dorky enough: Libraries Will Survive in an era of deep budget cuts.