like my blog? you might also like...

Happy Memorial Day! Today is a beautiful day in Denver, and since I don't have much going on at the moment, I thought I'd take a minute to share some other sites & blogs I love. Enjoy! ¡Saludos!

http://imaginenselibros.blogspot.com/
Imagínese Libros--By my favorite researcher, Dr. Jamie Naidoo, Professor @ University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa

http://public.csusm.edu/csb/english/
Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents

http://libguides.nl.edu/content.php?pid=20562&sid=1723506
National Louis University LibGuide for Latino/Spanish lIterature

http://creativity.denverartmuseum.org/
The Denver Art Museum's FREE lesson planning and image database filled with excellent educational resources for teachers and librarians

http://www.cincopuntos.com/
Cinco Puntos Press: Independent Publisher of Multicultural Children's & YA Literature

http://www.childrensbookpress.org/
Children's Book Press: NONPROFIT Publisher of multi-lingual, multiethnic and multicultural children's and YA Literature

http://reforma.membershipsoftware.org/content.asp?pl=59&sl=9&contentid=87
REFORMA's Children and YA Page

...And, speaking of REFORMA, I am super jealous of anyone attending ALA Annual this year!

today I'm grateful for the process.

Today was my last official day at the Denver Public Library--as an intern, that is. I am excited to begin my on-call library career with Denver Public Library next month! My internship provided me with an excellent introduction to DPL, so I think getting the ball rolling next month will be a breeze.

Today was an amazing day from start to finish. I arrived at the Woodbury early to find the entire staff waiting for me with a card, ice cream cake, an orchid, a potted plant, and Mexican candies! I was so honored to receive their thanks. In all honesty, I owe them everything for giving me such a wonderful experience, and for helping me secure the on-call job: I am indebted to them forever.

The day was busy with Summer of Reading sign-ups, last-day-of-school visits from neighboring elementary schools, and the general busy Friday reference desk schedule. I walked to 32nd and Lowell for a sandwich at bang!, where I enjoyed one of the best sandwiches ever (a BLT, to be exact.) I spent my lunch hour sitting at a table under a tree, writing thank-you cards to Beth and Pilar, my practicum supervisors.

As I sat there, I noticed two women at the neighboring table with Spanish dictionaries and worksheets. I couldn't help but overhear that they were practicing Spanish together. It made me realize that, four years ago, I never would have guessed that my Spanish skills would give me the opportunities that I've had since graduating college. Just as learning a second language has been a journey for me, so has this process of earning a Master's degree--and I am so very grateful for this life; my journey; the process.

I began volunteering at Woodbury in 2008, when I was an eager college graduate wanting to work in libraries, not knowing that, today, three years later, I would finish my graduate school internship at the very same library. I feel truly blessed today, and I dedicate this post to my classmates at the University of Denver, and all of my professional colleagues. The future will be bright for us if we believe in our dreams.

one door closes and many others open...

Tomorrow is the last day of my internship here at Denver Public Library. Although it is bittersweet, this experience has confirmed two things for me personally and professionally: 1) I am dedicated to building my career serving children and young adults in the bilingual English/Spanish area of librarianship, and 2) I really want to follow my dream of writing a bilingual children's book. It has also confirmed for me that I must maintain my relationship with services to Spanish speakers in any future job I am offered, and that the answer for me may be to ultimately earn another Master's in Bilingual/Linguistically Diverse Education or a Ph.D. in Multicultural Education. My internship and this MLIS degree have afforded me the opportunity to gain confidence to pursue my educational and professional goals, and have enriched me personally more than I ever could have dreamed.

That being said, last week was my last craft hour with the kids. I will miss them, but I have been invited back for the fall 2011 semester, so hopefully I will be able to see most of them again! The summer will give me time to develop more pre-planned activities and I also would like to incorporate a literacy componenet so that the kids are being exposed not only to art, but also to excellent bilingual literature.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the year!


Ponchos for Cinco de Mayo...


Fernanda...

art + literacy with bilingual children

One thing seriously lacking in LIS-based research and education, in my opinion, is the examination of quality multicultural and multiethnic children's literature. The education field in general has a good grip on research in this area (publishing research in publications such as Language Arts and the Multicultural Journal ,) but the LIS field is slow to focus on this area of study. It seems counter-intuitive to many children's librarians who often spend at least some time developing their multilingual and multicultural collections, suggesting literature to second-language speaking populations, and developing skills in other languages to effectively serve the needs of minority library users. Why don't more library-related publications publish more on the subject of multicultural children's literature? It has only been since the introduction of the Pura Belpre award that serious attention has been devoted to this subject.

This leads me to introduce one of my favorite articles: Art and Literacy with Bilingual Children by Chris Liska Carger. The article identifies ways in which bilingual and bicultural children identify art and design elements to relate to the literature presented to them, and at the same time, their own personal cultural and linguistic identities. Children learn to embrace their cultural and ethnic background through quality visual and narrative representations of culture.

Check it out:
Carger, C. (2004). Art and Literacy with Bilingual Children. Language Arts, 81(4), 283-292.

The author helpfully identifies excellent examples of bilingual and bicultural children's literature, as well as crafts to compliment each story. I have referenced this article many times over the course of my craft instructorship (yes, it's kind of a big deal ;). Tomorrow night--our last session--will focus on artists of the world and the creation of color--how color is made and can be applied to make a coherent composition.

The books I'll use for the program are...

Paris in the spring with Picasso / by Joan Yolleck ; pictures by Marjorie Priceman

My Papa Diego and Me/Mi papa Diego y yo: Memories of My Father and His Art/Recuerdos de mi padre y su arte

A Bird or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse

My name is Georgia / by Jeanette Winter.

Henri Matisse : drawing with scissors / by Jane O'Connor ; illustrated by Jessie Hartland (I’m not reading this one---just using it as an example for the art project)

20 x 200 and other great finds

In the whirlwind of trying to finish school, keep a part-time job, and still have time for something that resembles a social life, I have lost touch with something that I really love: art.

In college, I was more connected to art because I worked in an art library, where I met like-minded people who also spent their weekends trying to find the most exciting gallery openings. Although it still has a ways to go in terms of art and culture, Denver is becoming more and more of a hub for artists to live and work, mainly because taxes are relativey low here (considering the higher prices in San Francisco, Portland, and Chicago) and the arts scene is still in a flexible, developmental stage. Not to mention, Denver will soon be home to the Clyfford Still Museum, honoring one of the 20th Century's greatest American Abstract Expressionist painters.

ANYWAYS, I feel like I have lost touch with the joy that art used to bring to my life. This loss has started to manifest itself in other kinds of ways; for example, I have become mildly obsessed with children's multicultural picture book art and how to inspire young children to appreciate visual representations of other languages and cultures. In addition, I have been teaching crafts to bilingual children at a branch of Denver Public Library, and have succeeded somewhat in that task (I never thought I would be an art teacher.) So I still have connections with art, but not in the same kind of formal way that I used to.

Living in a small space for the last two years has also inspired me to decorate my home with beautiful artwork--without overdecorating. I recently discovered www.20x200.com, an online art shop that offers affordable ($20, $50, $200) artworks without the fuss of having to schlep yourself to a gallery and deal with "those art people." (Yes, sometimes it is difficult to deal with the elitism of the artist/gallery realm).

Here are a few of my faves...


Above: Jonathan Lewis


Ideal bookshelf series (she even takes custom orders!) by Jane Mount

Hands down, Denver's BEST sandwich shop

Ok, so. I know this blog is mainly reserved for my reflections on libraries, etc. But this afternoon, I had the most incredible sandwich experience. Parsley (11th and Cherokee in Denver's Golden Triangle 'hood) has been one of my favorite places to lunch since my BFF Allie introduced me to their wide array of organic goodies.

My favorite treat? The Caprese sandwich--I usually add organic hot green chiles--with a carrot, apple, and ginger juice to drink. They also have an amazing gazpacho (made with organic tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro) and delicious fruit smoothies. And, they somehow find the freshest ciabiatta in town (hard to do at this high altitude.)

This place doesn't disappoint!