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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 11:43:55 -0600
Just to be provocative, Tom, I'll say that I've always wondered why librarians buy hardcover biographies of current sports heroes (or current entertainers, etc., for that matter). These unimaginatively written books are outdated before they're even published. As others have alread pointed out, the information is available elsewhere, in magazines
& newspapers, and - in these years - websites, etc., and it's up to date. Why - other than to always provide something for everyone in every format possible - do librarians use limited book budget monies to buy
"new," already-outdated books in hardcover?
Robin's list of sports books enjoyed by her second graders contains wonderfully developed, memorably illustrated books about historic sports heroes. The Bunting/Diaz book Wilma Unlimited offers several levels of pleasure and insight, and so does the Burleigh/ Wimmer Home Run. Last fall I read Home Run to a classroom of Madison second graders. In retrospect I realize I didn't fully prepare them to grasp the historic context of the main text and illustrations, but they enjoyed it nevertheless. They also liked the idea of the "pretend" trading cards with more information about Babe Ruth. (The person who thought of that dimension of the book deserves special mention.) Yesterday I spent part of the morning in the same classroom. The teacher showed me his own new personal copy of Home Run - so it looks as if the book has fans of more than one generation!
Another really fine sports biography: First in the Field: Baseball Hero Jackie Robinson was written by Derek T. Dingle (Hyperion, 1998). First in the Field offers a solid glimpse of Jackie Robinson - what he encountered on and off the field. It also provides food for thought regarding home run records. See the review of First in the Field on the CCBC website (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/ click on What's New, click on Book of the Week, click on Book of the Week Archives 1998, and find First in the Field in one of two ways: alphabetically or under nonfiction - these reviews are all organized there by Katy Horning.) First in the Field is probably best for ages seven to twelve, although someone who looked at it during the CCBC exhibit at the Wisconsin Library Association conference said she was confident that her 13-year-old book-avoiding son would really like this book. And then there's the second grade teacher who has his own copy!
Yes, I know. These books are not about the current superstars, but don't they affirm the lively sports interest of young players and spectators?
... Ginny
************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Thu 07 Jan 1999 11:43:55 AM CST
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 11:43:55 -0600
Just to be provocative, Tom, I'll say that I've always wondered why librarians buy hardcover biographies of current sports heroes (or current entertainers, etc., for that matter). These unimaginatively written books are outdated before they're even published. As others have alread pointed out, the information is available elsewhere, in magazines
& newspapers, and - in these years - websites, etc., and it's up to date. Why - other than to always provide something for everyone in every format possible - do librarians use limited book budget monies to buy
"new," already-outdated books in hardcover?
Robin's list of sports books enjoyed by her second graders contains wonderfully developed, memorably illustrated books about historic sports heroes. The Bunting/Diaz book Wilma Unlimited offers several levels of pleasure and insight, and so does the Burleigh/ Wimmer Home Run. Last fall I read Home Run to a classroom of Madison second graders. In retrospect I realize I didn't fully prepare them to grasp the historic context of the main text and illustrations, but they enjoyed it nevertheless. They also liked the idea of the "pretend" trading cards with more information about Babe Ruth. (The person who thought of that dimension of the book deserves special mention.) Yesterday I spent part of the morning in the same classroom. The teacher showed me his own new personal copy of Home Run - so it looks as if the book has fans of more than one generation!
Another really fine sports biography: First in the Field: Baseball Hero Jackie Robinson was written by Derek T. Dingle (Hyperion, 1998). First in the Field offers a solid glimpse of Jackie Robinson - what he encountered on and off the field. It also provides food for thought regarding home run records. See the review of First in the Field on the CCBC website (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/ click on What's New, click on Book of the Week, click on Book of the Week Archives 1998, and find First in the Field in one of two ways: alphabetically or under nonfiction - these reviews are all organized there by Katy Horning.) First in the Field is probably best for ages seven to twelve, although someone who looked at it during the CCBC exhibit at the Wisconsin Library Association conference said she was confident that her 13-year-old book-avoiding son would really like this book. And then there's the second grade teacher who has his own copy!
Yes, I know. These books are not about the current superstars, but don't they affirm the lively sports interest of young players and spectators?
... Ginny
************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Thu 07 Jan 1999 11:43:55 AM CST
