Summer Reading and more

This afternooon South Slope/BCSD library will host our “Summer Adventures” storytime in the library after school at 3:15.  Students and caregivers will have a snack as they listen to stories read by some of our teachers.

Looking for some suggestions for summer reading…                                             

Check out the following:

Burnaby Public Library Book Lists grades 1 to 3

Burnaby Public Library Book Lists grades 4 to 7

100 Best Canadian Books for Children

OCEE Elementary School Summer Reading Lists

Want to try some online reading on your home computer, tablet or ipod?

International Children’s Digital Library

Storyline Online

Tumblebooks and BookFlix are also great online reading resources available through the BPL databases.

For more information about ebooks and online reading check out this article from School Library Journal:

Are Ebooks Any Good? Do digital books help young kids learn to read,or are they mostly fun and games?

Any questions?  Please come and see Mrs. Araujo in the library.  I would be happy to help you.

// //

Where Audio Books are Free

Looking for a good book to listen to this summer?  Check out this article and the links from School Library Journal Online.

By Lauren Barack <!– –>June 7, 2011

By Lauren Barack <!– –>June 7, 2011

Librarians and teachers who believe every audiobook comes with a price tag might want to surf Books Should Be Free, an online source offering a range of free titles that are downloadable in MP3 format.

For educators hoping to engage students this summer with reading projects-the audiobooks can help kids maintain their literacy skills and potentially trigger an interest to follow in a print format as the story is read to them aloud.

With titles culled from the public domain, the collection is understandably heavily steeped in the classics, from L. Frank Baum’s Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz to Cervantes’ Don Quixote and has levels that span the K-12 age group.

The website organizes options by subject matter, offering a large selection of fiction but also choices in history, philosophy, and poetry. There’s even a romance section-but think 19th century sighs rather than Harlequin Romance swoons. Ebooks are also available in more than 20 languages, and most titles can be sampled first before downloading.

Links direct users to quick summaries, as well as the complete text, sourced from Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia. And readers can share their thoughts on the various ebooks, which can be candid. Much of the offerings are recorded and digitized by volunteers, and voices can change mid-reading, which some readers have objected to online.

Still, as a go-to digital resource for affordable summer options, as well as titles to use in classroom reading groups, Books Should Be Free might be worth bookmarking.

Teen Summer Songwriting Workshop and Outdoor Concert

The Burnaby Public Library is offering a free workshop for teens on songwriting as well as an outdoor concert with local ska/rock band Ready Steady Go. It will take place at the Metrotown Branch on Friday, June 24th from 4:00 – 7:30 pm. Workshop is in the Metrotown program room at 4:00 pm, and the outdoor concert begins at 6:00 pm in Civic Square. Pizza is provided for those taking the workshop.

Learn the ABCs of effective songwriting and learn the essential ‘recipes’ for the basic structuring of a song. You don’t have to bring an instrument or even to know how to play one! This event is being hosted by singer-songwriter Gillian Hobbs, who released her debut album in 2008 and also performed at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the workshop, Gillian will be giving a live performance in Civic Square along with Ready Steady Go – a local teen ska/rock band who have been playing in the lower mainland for over seven years.

The workshop is free but space is limited – pre-registration required. Register online at www.bpl.bc.ca/events or by calling 604-297-4803.

If you have any questions, please contact Julia Nelson, Teen Services Librarian at julia.nelson@bpl.bc.ca, or 604-297-4803.