Congratulations, Crocker Highlands! Our library was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to receive the We the People Bookshelf, a set of books and videos relating to American history and culture. The award supports the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.  Click here to see the list of materials included in the We the People Bookshelf.

All Crocker students will share and benefit from these materials. We’ll be reading some of the books during library visits for all grades and in classrooms where Crocker kids study biographies, American history, and community. Congratulations, Crocker!!!

This Saturday, May 1 is Free Comic Book Day! Visit a participating comic book shop this Saturday and you’ll receive a free comic book! Comics can be a great way to get kids interested in reading. They’re also a lot of fun for kids who love to read.

If you haven’t taken a look lately, there’s a lot going on with comics these days – new comics and graphic novels, along with lots of old favorites. There are great comics for boys and girls and kids of all ages. Some of the most popular comics in the Crocker library are Babymouse by Jennifer Holm, Bone by Jeff Smith, Sardine by Emmanuel Guibert, and The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann Martin and Raina Telgemeier.  Many children’s novels are now being introduced as graphic novels like Artemis Fowl, The Boxcar Children, and Nancy Drew.

You can buy comics at book stores and comic book shops. Don’t forget you can also check them out at your local LIBRARY. The Main branch of the Oakland Public Library has a HUGE collection of comics – HUGE! Remember, just because it’s a comic book, doesn’t mean it’s for kids. Don’t hesitate to ask the folks working in a comic shop or library for advice on age-appropriate comics.

Dr. Comics on Piedmont Avenue is participating in Free Comic Book Day. Click here to find other local comic book shops that are participating , too.

If you know a kid, get them to a comic book shop this Saturday!

Start rounding up your books for the next book swap – Friday, April 23. Book collection will be before school on the playground Monday-Friday, April 19-23.

In the past, we’ve donated leftover books to the East Bay Children’s Book Project. This time, we’ll also be donating books to OUSD school libraries and child development centers (CDCs). If you’ve got books you’d simply like to donate, we’ll share them at the book swap and make sure extras find a good home.

Almost all books are welcome – pre-K, early reader, picture books, novels for kids or adults, comic books, hardback, paperback, fiction, nonfiction. Please NO sticker books, coloring books, or musical/toy books. If you have friends or family who have books they’re ready to part with, we’ll take those, too.

Have a wonderful spring break

Do you remember your favorite books as a child? Do you know your child’s favorite books? Some of them might be on this list of the Top 100 Children’s Novels. The list is being compiled in a blog called Fuse #8 by Elizabeth Byrd, a children’s librarian in the New York public library system. The list includes great children’s books new and old – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (#19), Ramona the Pest (#43), My Father’s Dragon (#72), Harry Potter (#35, #38, #86), The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 (#34), The Lightning Thief (#21), The Tale of Despereaux (#22), the most recent Newbery Award winner When You Reach Me (#39), and last year’s Newbery Award winner The Graveyard Book (#80).

Of course, a list like this isn’t definitive, but it’s a lot of fun and a great source of ideas. You might find a title or two you’d like to pick up at the library to read with your child. The list reminded me of books I read as a child that I’d love to share with my kids (and yours). It also includes books your kids know that they can share with your whole family. We have lots of these books in the Crocker Library and I’m sure all of them are available at the Oakland Public Library, too. You might also be interested in the list of Top 100 Picture Books from the same blog.

The list isn’t quite complete; Byrd is announcing the top 20 titles one at a time and she’s on 16. We’ll find out what’s in the top 15 over the next few weeks. If you’re interested, you’ll find lengthy descriptions of the books, cover art, and explanations for the rankings on Fuse #8.

I can’t wait to find out what takes the top spot!