Visual Representation of Learning

Learning Reflection

             As I wind down into my final semester as a MLIS student, I wanted to broaden my knowledge of children’s literature in the hope that it might help me work better with some of my teens when I become a YA librarian. I also thought it would be fun to learn about how children’s librarians at schools and public libraries utilize technology to keep children’s’ interest and foster life-long learning. I honestly never realized how much work goes in to reviewing a children’s picture book or nonfiction book before I took this course. It’s eye-opening to see how many library professionals have devoted their lives not only to children and their literature, but also their programming, welfare, and the quality of the materials made specifically for them.

             I found that the Kathleen Horning text, From Cover to Cover, was extremely informative for describing the types of evaluative strategies and reviewing techniques specific to children’s literature. Everything from grading the quality of the illustrations to

judging the appropriateness of the typeface was covered, which made my evaluation of the materials we read in this class a lot easier. Although a bit on the drier side in content, the Kimberley Reynolds text, Children’s Literature: A Very Short Introduction, was also extremely informative, but in a separate way. I learned so much about the history of children’s literature publishing as well as important topics related to the evolution of children’s literature, such as video games as a form of media narrative, the many faces of genre fiction, and the concept of transmedia, which ended up being my final paper topic. Each text brought different issues and solutions to the table and each one served as a learning experience for anyone looking at children’s literature in a critical way.

             Besides the two main texts, we also got to read a lot of great articles during this course. The Association for Library Services to Children’s article about media mentorship was very enlightening. To think that librarians are some of the only professionals who can provide the proper instruction and guidance to mentor children and teens on the proper use of and etiquette for the internet, applications, and other innovative technologies. That is a huge weight to put on our shoulders! We basically have a part to play in training the next generation of tech-savvy entrepreneurs and leaders of the 21^st century, which is pretty cool. I also really enjoyed reading Allie Jane Bruce’s article One Being White. Having grown up in

white privilege in a predominantly white, upper-middle class town, I knew that I had little to no knowledge about the issues plaguing minorities and other groups who suffer from prejudice. If anything, the article made me want to incorporate even more diverse literature into our collections at my library and someday, when I have my own collection of YA literature to develop and mold to my standards, I will make it a point to keep and add more diverse literature, especially if I’m located within a predominantly white area. In fact, that’s an even stronger reason to add diverse literature to a collection; children and teens can be exposed to situations and people they wouldn’t normally be exposed to where they live and they can learn more about the world in a controlled environment. Books have a special power in that regard.

             I really enjoyed the author project we did towards the beginning of the course. Despite already knowing my author on a personal level, I still learned a lot about her and her writing style through this project. I had never read her work before, so this project gave me an excuse to read some of her literature, which I thoroughly enjoyed (as I knew I would). I’m definitely looking forward to a first look at the new manuscript for her “Dark Unicorn” novel! Another assignment I enjoyed doing was the reading log. I’ve done one other reading log for a different class, but this one challenged me to read more children’s and middle grade

fiction, which I have been meaning to do. This is another scenario where I benefited from being “forced” to do something for a class. I got to choose the books I wanted to read and ended up walking away reading some really terrific books, which I plan to continue reading long after this class. I also got to shamelessly read some of the awesome picture books I’ve been eyeing at my library as they come in, like Dragons Love Tacos and Super Happy Magic Forest (seriously, go read this one!). I’m one of those adults who only reads teen fiction, so jumping over to middle grade wasn’t that different. Who says your too old to read middle grade?

             Overall, I’d say this class was a humbling and fun experience that I would certainly commit to again, if given the opportunity. It’s opened doors for me to the children’s area of the library where I work and given me a greater appreciation for the work my coworkers do every day downstairs with the kids. I’ve come out of this class ready and willing to be a productive member of society and advocate for children and teens everywhere, so I guess that means I gained some useful knowledge and a better attitude.

References

Bruce, A. J. (2015). On being white: A raw, honest conversation. Children and Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children.

Campbell, C., Haines, C., Koester, A., and Stoltz, D. (2015). Media mentorship in libraries serving youth. American Library Association.

Horning, K. T.  (2010). From cover to cover: Evaluating and reviewing children’s books.  New York: Collins.

Long, M. (2015). Super happy magic forest.

Reynolds, K. (2011). Children’s literature: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rubin, A., & Salmieri, D. (2014). Dragons love tacos.

Book Review: "Inside Out and Back Again"

    For our second group reading assignment, I chose to read Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. This novel is written in verse and follows the story of a young Vietnamese refugee girl named Ha as she navigates her new life away from her homeland during the Vietnam War. The novel begins in Vietnam with Ha's family going through their daily routine while patiently waiting for word of Ha's father, who's been missing for the past 6 years. Eventually, the situation in Vietnam becomes so dangerous that Ha's family makes the difficult decision to leave and follow other refugees fleeing the war to America.
    This is a very well-known time in American history, viewed from the perspective of a child. I was wary about the novel being in verse at first, but eventually I got used to the format and it ended up working for me. My favorite parts of this book were the ones where Ha was working on her English and her vocabulary; she was constantly picking at and making fun of how complicated our language was compared to hers and it was hilarious. I don't think that we ever really think about how awful our language is to learn because it's already ingrained in our systems, so we don't think about the complexities of learning it. I also really enjoyed the imagery and metaphors the author used when narrating in Ha's voice. I thought it made sense for a child's mind to think in terms of personifying inanimate objects and other things. Another thing we don't really think about a lot, as Americans, is the fact that there have been many instances where there have been refugees and/or concentration camps set up for foreigners in this country more than once. I think it's important to reflect on how we, as a country, have treated others, especially immigrants, and how we can change that and make it better moving forward. I thought this book was very timely in regard to that message.