CHILDREN'S LITERATURE FESTIVAL AUGUST 23

On Saturday, August 23, 2008, the Bozeman Public Library will present its first annual Children’s Literature Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Library in downtown Bozeman.

Inspired by the Montana Festival of the Book, the Bozeman Children’s Festival of the Book intends to take the next step in its effort to serve area families by capitalizing on the library’s enormously popular children’s program. The goal of the festival is to celebrate children’s literature, inspire children of all ages, and instill a life-long love of reading.

This one-day event will feature author readings, panel discussions and children’s activities. Joining the festival as the key-note speaker will be celebrated children’s book illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky. Mr. Zelinsky was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his book, Rapunzel, in 1998 and is the illustrator of three Caldecott Honor books, including Hansel and Gretel (retold by Rika Lesser) in 1985, Rumpelstiltskin in 1987, and Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs in 1995.

Among other subjects, Mr. Zelinsky will address changing technologies and children’s illustration.
Two panel discussions, “Where’d You Get That Idea?: Backstory and Children’s Literature” and “So You Want to Write a Kid’s Book: Everything You Wanted to Know About the World of Children’s Publishing” will feature children’s book authors and illustrators from throughout region. In addition, families will enjoy author readings in the Children’s Room by Ben Mikaelsen, Nora Martin and Edward Hemingway among others. Kid’s activities will include a puppet show and lunch on the lawn to the music of Bozeman’s-own youth jazz ensemble, Blue Shoes.

Area bookstores will be joining in the festivities with special happenings of their own throughout the day.

The Bozeman Public Library has contemplated organizing the Children’s Festival of the Book for several years. With the new building complete and strong backing by the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, the library is prepared to showcase a true book festival geared specifically for children and lovers of children’s literature.

All activities are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule, please see the library website at www.bozemanlibrary.org or call 406/522-2400. The Bozeman Public Library Children’s Festival of the Book is made possible through the generous support of the Bozeman Public Library Foundation and Humanities Montana. For more information, please contact Paula Beswick, Bozeman Public Library Foundation at 406/522-2400.

DEAR TEACHER...
By Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts

We had great plans this summer for getting our third grader up to grade level in math. She didn’t work well with me, and we weren’t too consistent in our approach skipping too many days for fun activities. Now, her teacher and I have decided that she needs tutoring before math gets even more difficult for her. How does one find a good tutor? Should I just enroll her in a learning center? – Uncertain

To ensure any kind of success in the future in math, your daughter has to learn how to add, subtract, and multiply now. It is a good idea to start getting your child some help from a tutor. You also need to have the school investigate if there is a learning problem involved in her troubles with math.

Talk a little more to your child’s teacher before beginning the task of selecting a tutor. Find out if the teacher advises an individual tutor or a commercial learning center as the best choice for your daughter. In either case, you will want the teacher to pinpoint as closely as possible the specific area or areas in math in which your child needs help. Ask if your child needs intensive help, remedial help, or homework help. Be sure to ask the teacher if there is a particular tutor with whom he or she has worked successfully. This is often the best way to find a tutor. The school may also have a list of tutors.

If you start your search for help at a commercial learning center, it is crucial that you find out if your child will be assigned permanently to one individual and how much time will be spent on working with tutoring software. Having different tutors each week or spending too much time on the computer is not likely to produce the best results.

If you are considering a home tutor, here are some things to look for:
1. Able to work at the time of day your child is ready to learn
2. Is affordable
3. Can motivate your child
4. Has tutoring experience
5. Is liked by your child

Of course, you will need to check the qualifications of the tutor. They do not have to be licensed teachers but should have some successful experiences to share with you. Finally, you will know that you have chosen wisely if your daughter’s math work improves, and she is eager to attend tutoring sessions. If things do not work out well, do not hesitate to look for another tutor.

My son will be three next month. He is in an early intervention program and works with a speech therapist twice a month. I think he talks fine; however, my mother and others feel he is difficult to understand. He loves to watch educational television. Will listening to TV help with his speech?
– Uncertain

Your son is being seen by a speech therapist. This person should have solid suggestions about ways you can help him improve his speech. In fact, therapists often ask parents to do some speech activities with their children.

Having your preschooler sit in front of the TV is not going to turn him into a good speaker or even listener. For either to occur, there needs to be interaction between speaker and listener. Here are some of our suggestions for helping all young children become good speakers. Talk to them while doing housework, driving in the car, shopping in the grocery store, or whenever you are together. As soon as you get even a glimmer of response from them, respond enthusiastically so they know that you are interested in what they are saying and they will be encouraged to speak even more. Because young children learn best through direct experiences, you will want them to have a wide variety of experiences to increase their vocabularies. This remains true through the school years.

Where can I go beyond talking to people in my children’s school district when I have questions about federal law, policy, and initiatives?
– Need Answers

It can be difficult to contact the right source in the Department of Education in Washington, DC for answers to questions on topics ranging from special education to No Child Left Behind to school choice. The easiest thing to do is to go online to the department’s website at http://answers.ed.gov. This site has the answers to more than 100 commonly asked questions as well as links to additional information both from the department and other sources. Here’s an idea of the type of questions the department answers:

• Where can I find rankings of public school systems by state?
• What impact does testing have on children?
• How do I determine if a school is providing my special needs child with an appropriate education and services?
• How can I find a legitimate online or distance education program?
• How can I find a quality after-school program for my child?

WARRIOR GIRLS
The numbers are frightening and irrefutable. Young female athletes tear their ACLs, the stabilizing ligament in the knee, at rates as high as eight times greater than their male counterparts.

Exhaustively researched and strongly argued, Warrior Girls, by sports writer, Michael Sokolove, is an urgent wake-up call for parents and coaches. He connects the culture of youth sports—the demands for girls to specialize in a single sport by age 10 or younger, and to play it year-round—directly to the injury epidemic. Devoted to the ideal of team, and deeply bonded with teammates, these tough girls don’t want to leave the field even when confronted with serious injury and chronic pain.

Warrior Girls shows how girls can train better and smarter to decrease their risks without sacrificing their hard-won right to be on the field.

DVD GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win your free copy of The Spiderwick Chronicles, the story of a secret world and fantastical creatures! Send a postcard with your name and address to: DVD Giveaway, 531 Lexington Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715. Deadline is Sept. 15th!