"When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, 'tis near Halloween." Unknown Children's picture books These popular picture books introduce the concept of fantasy and magic with characters that children adore. Combining fun, laughter and spookiness sets up the right mood for Halloween and another chance to encourage children... Continue Reading →
"Davina Bell & Hilary Jean Tapper's ABIA Children's Picture Book of the Year 2023 winner captures the emotions children experience in challenging situations, providing consolation and reassurance. This essential picture book for students, parents, and teachers combines heartwarming illustrations with powerful prose promoting empathy and emotional awareness."
Creating and using a library event calendar provides a springboard for promoting a wide range of books in your collection appealing to a wide audience, capturing interests and providing opportunities for syncing with the curriculum within library lessons.
Reading Success in the Early Primary Years: A Teacher's Guide to Implementing Systematic Instruction by Jocelyn SeamerMy rating: 5 of 5 starsAn absolute gem of a book for teachers and teacher librarians outlining the strategies/pedagogy developing reading success for early primary students. Topics discussed include setting up for success, theoretical underpinning of the big six,... Continue Reading →
Student to class teacher: Miss, can I borrow this book please? Teacher: No, you can't - this isn't at your reading level. Choose something else. Teacher librarian: Students should be encouraged to borrow uncontrolled texts from the school library, such as chapter books and informational texts, to look at the pictures or read them with... Continue Reading →
The information landscape is ever changing due to technological advancements creating new ways for information to be communicated and stored. With algorithms predicting our biases, dictating the information we receive, students require skills to navigate their way through this complex environment (Wall, 2022) from deciphering that sponsored content is advertising, identifying clickbait, resisting the impatience for... Continue Reading →
At the heart of the school library is the goal for teacher librarians and educators to develop the reading ability and literacy of students to set them on a path to lifelong success (Saikaly, 2019). There are extensive benefits stemming from students reading for pleasure including developing superior general knowledge, increasing scores on reading tests... Continue Reading →
It was overwhelming, yet also invigorating, commencing the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) as a distance student online stepping outside my comfort zone using many new technological applications (Galimi, 2020d). Completing ETL501 The Dynamic Information Environment (Charles Sturt University, n.d.) was a real turning point for me (Galimi, 2021). I changed from feeling out of... Continue Reading →
What is an effective teacher librarian?
JB on not Just Books
I write southern historical fiction, local history, and I've written a devotional book. The two novels I'm writing are set in Virginia and the Carolinas in the 1760s. My weekly blog started out to follow my journey as a writer and a reader, but in 2025 it has been greatly expanded to include current events and politics in the United States as I see our democracy under attack from within. The political science major in me cannot sit idly by and remain silent.
A Book Blog
Book Reviews, Lists, Discussions, and Displays
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Is your child's school library all that it can and should be?
Teacher Librarian Janet 