WEBVTT 00:00:20.469 --> 00:00:24.609 Hello, I'm Patrick Adams. And I'm Caroline Legere. 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.719 And this is Librarians of Littles, a podcast 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:32.679 where we discuss books, give makerspace ideas, 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.560 and some tips and tricks for working with our 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:40.100 youngest learners in the library setting. This 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:43.520 week, we will be discussing two more books from 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:47.520 the Texas 2x2 list. The Texas 2x2 list is a list 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:51.600 of 20 books. Created by the Texas Library Association, 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:54.740 these books are ideal for students between the 00:00:54.740 --> 00:00:59.359 ages of two and second grade. And so this week 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:03.359 we have two more Texas 2x2 books to share. The 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.780 first one being the book Spider in the Well. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.219 This is a book written and illustrated by Jess 00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:14.359 Hannigan and it is published by Harper Collins 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:21.730 in 2024. The list of awards include the ALSC 00:01:21.730 --> 00:01:27.090 Notable Children's Book for 2025, Children's 00:01:27.090 --> 00:01:32.189 Favorite Award Grades K -2 for 2020. 2025, the 00:01:32.189 --> 00:01:35.730 Junior Library Guild Emergent Selection for 2024, 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:39.329 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:44.750 for 2024, and Georgia Children's Book Award Grades 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:50.549 K -4 for 2026, as well as the Texas 2x2 list 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:56.069 for 2025. And our author and illustrator is Jess 00:01:56.069 --> 00:02:01.790 Hannigan, who also works in editorial illustration, 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:05.510 and she considers herself an all -purpose author. 00:02:05.930 --> 00:02:08.849 She lives in Ontario with her partner Dan and 00:02:08.849 --> 00:02:13.030 her cats, Mac and Theo. She has one other book 00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:16.789 that just came out in April of this year, The 00:02:16.789 --> 00:02:21.969 Bear Out There. And so the summary for this book 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:25.889 is a book told in parts. It is the story of a 00:02:25.889 --> 00:02:28.849 newsboy that is basically being taken advantage 00:02:28.849 --> 00:02:33.770 by the town. He is selling newspapers and cleaning 00:02:33.770 --> 00:02:37.750 chimneys and delivering milk and shining shoes. 00:02:37.870 --> 00:02:41.889 And in the process, he delivers the bad news 00:02:41.889 --> 00:02:46.409 that their magic wishing well is broken. After 00:02:46.409 --> 00:02:51.270 learning the supposed wishes of some of the townspeople, 00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:55.310 he goes to look into this broken well to try 00:02:55.310 --> 00:02:59.930 and fix it. And he finds that in that well, there 00:02:59.930 --> 00:03:04.509 is a spider that has been listening to those 00:03:04.509 --> 00:03:08.330 wishes and catching the coins. In that process, 00:03:08.330 --> 00:03:11.990 he finds out the actual wishes of those townspeople 00:03:11.990 --> 00:03:17.610 and they're not as kind and all caring as they 00:03:17.610 --> 00:03:21.719 originally explained. And so, through a little 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:26.039 bit of coercion with the spider and the boy the 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.840 power shifts in town as the townspeople take 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.439 on some of those responsibilities for the newsboy 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:36.500 and the newsboy and the spider both leave a little 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:41.139 more money in their pockets um and so it's a 00:03:41.139 --> 00:03:43.039 it's an interesting story it was kind of odd 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:46.080 but it was definitely like a fun story i enjoyed 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:50.000 it it was cute um There is some deception and 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:55.819 some kind of just, it was, it was a unique story. 00:03:56.379 --> 00:04:00.180 The illustrations were very interesting to me. 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:03.240 I liked, they had just this unique style. There 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.680 were a lot of dark colors that were used with 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.719 some just like vibrant splashes of brighter colors. 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:11.560 They gave it kind of just an interesting effect. 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:14.919 The story itself, I think is entertaining enough. 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:17.480 that it will definitely keep the students' attention 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:25.800 when it's coupled with the pictures. I want to 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:27.519 say that I think this could be used for a lot 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:37.660 of different lessons on being truthful, on sharing 00:04:37.660 --> 00:04:41.269 the... expectations in the workload in like a 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:42.850 group setting. Like I think you could read this 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:45.189 before you do like group work and kind of talk 00:04:45.189 --> 00:04:48.149 about like making sure that it has an equal load 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:51.389 of the work when you're doing those kind of things. 00:04:51.389 --> 00:04:53.649 Because that's clearly not what happened originally 00:04:53.649 --> 00:04:56.870 in this story. Yeah, and just I don't know, it's 00:04:56.870 --> 00:04:58.730 I think it's a fun story that I think a lot of 00:04:58.730 --> 00:05:01.509 the students will enjoy. It's it's kind of off 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:03.550 the beaten path as far as like what I would have 00:05:03.550 --> 00:05:08.079 expected from a book. Definitely. TLA picked 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:09.899 for this. I think it's a great story. I think 00:05:09.899 --> 00:05:15.319 it's fun. It's just not. It's very normal mold, 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:18.279 you know? Yeah, it's it's it's a good book, though. 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:20.759 I really enjoyed it. It was it was fun. It was 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:23.399 clever. There were points where I was just kind 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.319 of like laughing because it was just so silly. 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:31.199 So I really did like it. I enjoyed it as well. 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:36.139 I as an adult, as an adult, I love it. Like just 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:40.379 reading it for funsies. I know like I mean I 00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:43.879 Really enjoy reading children's literature, obviously. 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:47.939 That's why I became a librarian And I just like 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:50.279 even though it's such a quick read. It's it's 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:52.800 a lot of fun. I love the illustrations that's 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.699 hands down my favorite part and I think I love 00:05:55.699 --> 00:06:00.420 the contrast in all the pictures and Just with 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:03.379 the coloring that was chosen. I feel like it 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:06.790 it just it It feels like Halloween to me, even 00:06:06.790 --> 00:06:09.569 though it's not really Halloween themed at all. 00:06:09.649 --> 00:06:13.730 Like the color scheme was very Halloween -ish. 00:06:15.490 --> 00:06:19.129 It was very, and I really enjoyed that it was 00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:22.209 written in parts. I like that it was divided 00:06:22.209 --> 00:06:25.069 up that way. And I think even if you did it with 00:06:25.069 --> 00:06:27.750 older kids, you could like, you'd be like, this 00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:29.990 is the beginning, you know, like separating the 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:31.870 parts of the story and like for them creating 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:34.800 their own stories. like it's a good way to teach 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.959 something like that. I feel like it's pretty 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:46.959 morally gray and that I would struggle to read, 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.459 not struggle, but I feel like if I was gonna 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:55.339 do it with pre -K, I don't know. There would 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:57.759 be a lot of... I would feel like I would need 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:01.579 to stop a lot and explain a lot of the characters 00:07:01.579 --> 00:07:05.699 motivations and such. I think for pre -k specifically, 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:10.560 there's a lot that's like, I think because it's 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:13.740 so morally gray, it's maybe those parts are a 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:18.139 little, it's too nuanced maybe that, I don't 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:22.100 know. I think some kids could get it. Maybe this 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:25.120 is because I have some, much most of my teaching 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:30.459 experience comes from pre -k special ed and so 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:33.980 I'm used to very much having like black and white 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:37.240 like in the classroom kind of experience with 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:39.399 like I'm teaching students with autism or something 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:44.120 so we're like really like there's no grade yet 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:47.240 like they'll get there but like with the students 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:49.639 that I've worked with for pre -k in particular 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:52.759 They're not just not ready for gray yet. So maybe 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.680 that's where my feelings are coming from. But 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.459 actually, overall, really enjoyed it. And I do 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:01.060 think that older kids would still enjoy it because 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:03.800 because of all the nuance. And I do think since 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.519 it is written in parts like you could definitely 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:10.060 do it like as a part of a writing lesson where 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:12.399 you're teaching like parts of a story and such. 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:15.339 Those are my complicated feelings on this book 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:18.879 that I did genuinely enjoy. I agree with you. 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:21.379 I think that there is a lot of nuance. What I 00:08:21.379 --> 00:08:23.399 didn't consider, because I definitely thought 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:26.420 like with the older kids, like the gray area, 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:28.740 the nuance of like right and wrong and that kind 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.419 of thing. I definitely considered that for like 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:38.399 my older students. For kinder and pre -K, I honestly 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:40.519 don't know how much they'd notice. I think this, 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:45.019 if a kinder or pre -K kid reads this story, there's 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:49.320 the... the kid is the hero and the townspeople 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:52.480 are the bad guys and the hero wins and I don't 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:56.019 know how much gray they'll notice in that maybe 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:58.139 story you know I don't know I could be wrong 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:01.360 but that when I was reading it that's what I 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.279 was thinking that the students would think as 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:07.600 far and as far as that and that's true that some 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:10.159 of them might notice the gray but I don't know 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:14.259 how many of them really would at that age I don't 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:17.870 know you're right i know it's very clear that 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:20.429 our older students fourth and fifth grade students 00:09:20.429 --> 00:09:23.070 would definitely be like this oh yeah sketchy 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:25.389 situation yeah for sure i feel like even like 00:09:25.389 --> 00:09:29.250 second grade kids like probably yeah yeah um 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:32.169 but yeah like kinder and pre -k though i'm i'm 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.450 not sure if they would notice so much because 00:09:34.450 --> 00:09:37.529 it's just the mean people that make him do all 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:41.230 the work and then they were trying to better 00:09:41.230 --> 00:09:45.440 themselves and lied about it and then they end 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.659 up doing all the work kind of thing they help 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:49.799 they take on some most of his jobs kind of thing 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:53.600 so i don't know that's true um but maybe we don't 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.399 go over their heads yeah there is definitely 00:09:56.399 --> 00:10:00.779 a lot of gray and i like that i like that they 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:06.440 it's not a clean i liked it too i i just like 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:11.590 i said complicated feelings that's all yeah You're 00:10:11.590 --> 00:10:13.389 welcome to your complicated feelings, that's 00:10:13.389 --> 00:10:22.250 good. So I think as a book for a pre -k lesson, 00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:25.909 I would say this is probably, I would probably 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:28.490 give it like a four out of five, because like 00:10:28.490 --> 00:10:31.289 you said, there is some stuff in there that might 00:10:31.289 --> 00:10:34.139 be a little harder to explain. have a little 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:36.980 bit more conversations about kind of thing. As 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:39.340 a book overall, personally, I really enjoyed 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:41.980 it and I love it. But I think for like a lesson 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:44.019 with pre -k students, I'd give it like four out 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:49.539 of five bookmarks. Yeah. Yeah. And then if we 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:53.419 were to take this lesson and use it to inspire 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:56.139 a makerspace activity, honestly, this makerspace 00:10:56.139 --> 00:10:57.980 activity I came up with is kind of more of a 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:01.049 craft, but I think it would still be fun. to 00:11:01.049 --> 00:11:03.730 do. And I think it would be cute to see what 00:11:03.730 --> 00:11:07.190 comes of it. You'd need some of the small paper 00:11:07.190 --> 00:11:10.970 plates, some pipe cleaners, markers, like some 00:11:10.970 --> 00:11:13.769 googly eyes. And if you give the students each 00:11:13.769 --> 00:11:16.769 a paper plate with some pre hole punched holes, 00:11:17.210 --> 00:11:19.710 the kids can use the pipe cleaners to make spider 00:11:19.710 --> 00:11:23.929 legs and decorate their own mischievous spiders 00:11:23.929 --> 00:11:27.929 to have to be able to like take home and tell 00:11:27.929 --> 00:11:29.690 their parents about the story kind of thing. 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.039 Yeah, decorating their own little spider making 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:36.419 it their own I'm sure you can come up with different 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:38.460 ways. You don't need just markers I'm sure you 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.000 could come up with other ways to decorate the 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:43.659 the spiders you could either have them like tear 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:47.779 construction paper or Use tissue paper all sorts 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:50.559 of other things too, but you get some cool -looking 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:54.360 spiders Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun. 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:56.679 I'm sure kids would love doing that and they'd 00:11:56.679 --> 00:11:59.100 I'm Sure have a lot of fun after they've made 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:01.940 their spiders. Yeah Having them play tricks on 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:04.419 other people. I think that would just happen 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:07.120 Which I think is still fun because you're still 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:09.620 kind of reenacting the story a little bit. Yeah 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:13.639 Yeah, it's a good time Absolutely, it'd be fun 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:21.049 All right So for our library of littles management 00:12:21.049 --> 00:12:23.629 tip this week, I think we've mentioned this slightly 00:12:23.629 --> 00:12:26.190 before, but we need it to come back. We're at 00:12:26.190 --> 00:12:28.110 the beginning of the school year. And so this 00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:30.929 is something that we have been working on for 00:12:30.929 --> 00:12:33.409 the last couple of weeks and will continue to 00:12:33.409 --> 00:12:37.769 work on is sticking with consistency and those 00:12:37.769 --> 00:12:41.750 routines to get these students to understand 00:12:41.750 --> 00:12:46.330 the expectations and just kind of reinforce that 00:12:46.350 --> 00:12:49.250 we're going to be there to correct them and make 00:12:49.250 --> 00:12:53.070 sure that they know what is supposed to be happening 00:12:53.070 --> 00:12:57.309 when they're in the library setting. And so like 00:12:57.309 --> 00:13:02.669 I always Try to stay consistent with the expectations 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:04.929 in the library before my students come in I make 00:13:04.929 --> 00:13:07.509 sure they know that I'm expecting them to have 00:13:07.509 --> 00:13:09.809 those calm bodies and their walking feet as they're 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:12.809 coming in and Like once they're on the carpet 00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:15.769 and sitting we go over the expectations of how 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:17.990 their body should be calm and their hands should 00:13:17.990 --> 00:13:20.210 be to themselves and they should be ready to 00:13:20.210 --> 00:13:24.009 learn and listen and Keeping up with that and 00:13:24.009 --> 00:13:27.669 making sure that when a student is struggling 00:13:27.669 --> 00:13:31.840 with that to reinforce and remind and give those 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:34.879 positive praise when the students are doing what 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.159 they're supposed to and reminders when they're 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:40.299 struggling and staying consistent with that. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.340 And then also, which is something that helps 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:45.580 with that, is to have a set routine of what you're 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:49.399 doing. Like, first we come in, then we sit down, 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:51.879 then we do our story time song, then we read 00:13:51.879 --> 00:13:54.299 our book and staying consistent with those routines 00:13:54.299 --> 00:13:57.169 so that the students know what to expect. and 00:13:57.169 --> 00:13:59.490 staying consistent with those expectations so 00:13:59.490 --> 00:14:01.610 that they know what they're going to be able 00:14:01.610 --> 00:14:04.730 to get away with and what is the appropriate 00:14:04.730 --> 00:14:08.269 behaviors is so important at the very beginning 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:10.769 of the year but throughout the year as well yeah 00:14:10.769 --> 00:14:14.029 yeah but yeah you're right laying the foundation 00:14:14.029 --> 00:14:16.490 at the beginning of the year is just absolutely 00:14:16.490 --> 00:14:19.330 imperative and the campus i'm at right now this 00:14:19.330 --> 00:14:25.429 is my um first year here and i'm the third librarian 00:14:25.429 --> 00:14:27.309 to be here in three years the first librarian 00:14:27.309 --> 00:14:30.269 was there for until she retired for a very long 00:14:30.269 --> 00:14:32.269 time and the second librarian was only there 00:14:32.269 --> 00:14:37.409 for two years and I can just the both Lowe's 00:14:37.409 --> 00:14:40.509 librarians did such a good job laying the foundation 00:14:40.509 --> 00:14:45.870 for me before I got here that like I can literally 00:14:45.870 --> 00:14:49.149 see when like before I give the kids any instructions 00:14:49.149 --> 00:14:52.950 I can see like the difference between like the 00:14:52.950 --> 00:14:55.590 third fourth and fifth graders are still doing 00:14:55.590 --> 00:15:02.129 the things that the first librarian had set in 00:15:02.129 --> 00:15:04.909 place like before even say a word they come in 00:15:04.909 --> 00:15:07.429 and they all sit at specific spots at tables 00:15:07.429 --> 00:15:10.250 and like this and I can just tell this is what 00:15:10.250 --> 00:15:14.129 they did and I was fortunate enough to get to 00:15:14.129 --> 00:15:15.970 have a conversation with that librarian. And 00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:18.350 sure enough, that that was their routine. They're 00:15:18.350 --> 00:15:20.730 still living it out, you know, years later, because 00:15:20.730 --> 00:15:23.570 she just worked so hard making that setting that 00:15:23.570 --> 00:15:26.529 laying that foundation for me. And then I can 00:15:26.529 --> 00:15:30.230 tell with our first and second graders, like 00:15:30.230 --> 00:15:32.529 they know when they check out books, there's 00:15:32.529 --> 00:15:34.830 a certain spot that they go put it in the room 00:15:34.830 --> 00:15:37.110 that I didn't I didn't have to teach them that. 00:15:37.250 --> 00:15:39.409 Like the librarian for the last couple of years, 00:15:39.509 --> 00:15:43.740 she had a Those were the her newer kids. So those 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:45.779 were the ones that she like really worked hard 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:48.639 laying the foundation with them. And I can again, 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.779 I can see like this is when they checked out 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.220 books, this was their process and they're still 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:55.220 living it out for me every day. And I happen 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:56.879 to really like that process. So we're probably 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:01.919 going to keep doing that one. But it's yes, it's 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:06.600 it's super imperative to be consistent, lay the 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:10.179 set those routines early on so that you can have 00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:12.789 a good school year. And even, I mean, especially 00:16:12.789 --> 00:16:15.649 as librarians, like we get them for, we're fortunate 00:16:15.649 --> 00:16:17.570 enough to have the same kids year after year, 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:21.809 um, in this role. So if you work hard in the 00:16:21.809 --> 00:16:24.009 beginning, kind of front load all the things, 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:27.409 set those expectations, they'll keep doing it 00:16:27.409 --> 00:16:32.909 for years to come. It's wonderful. Yes. And I, 00:16:32.990 --> 00:16:36.570 like I was telling you, like a lot of the kids 00:16:36.570 --> 00:16:39.129 I'm having right now, I'm having to be that guy 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:41.320 that's like hard on them and like, Nope. This 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:44.200 is, this is what we do. You can't put your hands 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:46.100 on other students. You can't be rolling around 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:49.559 on the floor. Like in a lot of these students, 00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:52.700 I think, I don't know if it's something that 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:54.179 they get at home or not, but I think it's something 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:57.659 that they, they look for because so many of these 00:16:57.659 --> 00:16:59.399 kids that I'm having to be hard on and say, no, 00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:01.100 this is not how we're doing this. You need to 00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:03.139 sit still. You need to, are the same kids that 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:04.880 are coming to me being like, I'm so happy we 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.920 get to come to library because I think most of 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:11.440 these kids, they want. that structure they want 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.380 to know the boundaries and being consistent and 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:17.839 upfront and sticking with it that's the biggest 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:20.539 thing is you got to stick with it and yeah make 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:22.079 sure that they know that you're not going to 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.539 go lax on it yeah um but doing that it's true 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:27.859 it's something that these especially the younger 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:32.359 students they really need that because it helps 00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:35.900 control their their situation and it's a way 00:17:35.900 --> 00:17:39.240 for them to know that there's somebody there 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:42.099 that's that's keeping an eye on them and and 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:44.640 There to make sure that they don't get too far 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:47.000 gone from there what they're doing kind of thing 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:50.079 You know, like it's really helpful for them and 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:51.819 they might not like it in the moment when you're 00:17:51.819 --> 00:17:54.960 correcting them but I think they appreciate that 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:58.779 you're there and That consistency is comforting 00:17:58.779 --> 00:18:04.960 to them. So yeah Well, our next book that we're 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:06.900 going to talk about today from the two by two 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:11.359 list is called Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm. And 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.339 it was published by Astra Young Readers, an imprint 00:18:14.339 --> 00:18:18.140 of Astra Books for Young Readers in 2024. The 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:21.160 author is Lindsay H. Metcalf and the illustrator 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:25.579 is Jin Li. This book is a junior library guild 00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:29.400 selection for 2024, a Kansas notable book 2025. 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:33.180 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Book Award 2024, 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:38.339 and of course the Texas 2x2 2025. And for our 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:42.019 author history, Lindsay Metcalf is a journalist 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:45.000 turned award -winning author of non -fiction 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.000 and poetry for young people. She lives with her 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.920 husband, two sons, in a menagerie of pets a few 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:53.619 miles from the Kansas farm where she grew up. 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:57.859 Some of the other books that she's written are 00:18:57.859 --> 00:19:02.240 Tomatoes on Trial, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:06.779 Beatrix Potter scientist, illustrated by Junyi 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:12.259 Wu, no brain the same, there's no named illustrator 00:19:12.259 --> 00:19:17.400 yet and it's to be published in June 2026. And 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:21.259 she's written a middle grade non -fiction book 00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:24.789 called Farmers Unite, planting a process for 00:19:24.789 --> 00:19:28.109 fair prices. And she's written a young adult 00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:33.369 nonfiction book, which is called Footprint, Eunice 00:19:33.369 --> 00:19:36.670 Newton Foot at the Dawn of Climate Science and 00:19:36.670 --> 00:19:42.490 Women's Rights. Cool. All right. And the illustrator 00:19:42.490 --> 00:19:46.490 Jin Li was born in China. Her parents named her 00:19:46.490 --> 00:19:49.869 after the city that she was born in, which is 00:19:49.869 --> 00:19:54.819 Jincheng. She is a children's author and illustrator. 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:58.579 Her goal in creating books for children is to 00:19:58.579 --> 00:20:01.339 leave children with a sense of being understood. 00:20:01.859 --> 00:20:04.599 She currently lives in Norway with her spouse 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:08.380 and daughter. Some of her other books. First, 00:20:08.579 --> 00:20:12.220 the one that she wrote and illustrated is, I 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:15.400 Lived Inside a Whale. And then books that she 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:19.359 has illustrated, You Are Not Alone by Ingrid 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:23.309 Law. You and the Universe by Stephen Hawking 00:20:23.309 --> 00:20:27.410 and Lucy Hawking. The Star Makers Apprentice 00:20:27.410 --> 00:20:32.329 by Sam Hay. You Are Home by Mackenzie Porter. 00:20:32.910 --> 00:20:37.990 And I Love Chinese New Year by Eva Wong -Nevah. 00:20:38.910 --> 00:20:42.190 And in this book, it kind of follows these two 00:20:42.190 --> 00:20:45.609 pen pals, which are called Ephraim and Emma. 00:20:47.219 --> 00:20:49.539 Each of them grow up on a different kind of farm 00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:51.900 one isn't I mean just based on the title you 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:54.440 can probably figure it out one is an indoor farm 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.400 and one is an outdoor farm and it kind of shows 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:00.119 the different processes at first it kind of highlights. 00:21:01.610 --> 00:21:04.230 how different the farms are where one farm, you 00:21:04.230 --> 00:21:06.569 know, the outdoor farm is, you know, more traditional 00:21:06.569 --> 00:21:09.529 farming methods. And obviously there's soil everywhere 00:21:09.529 --> 00:21:12.390 and things like that. And the indoor farm, there's 00:21:12.390 --> 00:21:15.150 no soil growing and we're, you know, it's a very 00:21:15.150 --> 00:21:17.710 different process. It kind of, and it goes through 00:21:17.710 --> 00:21:20.529 all four seasons throughout, it prankels it through 00:21:20.529 --> 00:21:25.109 a whole year. So you can see how everything changes 00:21:25.109 --> 00:21:28.589 from season to season. You can see that like, 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:32.619 things are growing at different rates from the 00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:35.579 indoor farm from the outdoor farm and as it's 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:38.420 written there's very few very little text on 00:21:38.420 --> 00:21:41.180 each page um there's only a couple lines on each 00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:43.759 page and it's and it's all kind of rhyming and 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.960 it flows really well i really liked the cadence 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:50.059 of it all um and you can it's all it is a non 00:21:50.059 --> 00:21:54.500 -fiction it's non -fiction is ish um lots of 00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:57.599 facts thrown in there obviously emma and effron 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:01.109 are fictional characters, but the rest of it, 00:22:01.170 --> 00:22:03.970 all the information is very much nonfiction. 00:22:05.369 --> 00:22:08.490 And I just, I really enjoyed the illustrations. 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:11.990 It was very kind of calming. You can kind of 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:15.069 see everything growing really well. And at the 00:22:15.069 --> 00:22:18.049 end of the book, I really loved that there was 00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:21.930 a lot of back matter explaining in more detail. 00:22:23.150 --> 00:22:25.650 some of the different processes that they use 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:27.789 with farming. So it was just a really great, 00:22:28.210 --> 00:22:29.789 you could use it with a lot of different age 00:22:29.789 --> 00:22:33.289 levels, I think, because of the back matter that 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:36.369 was added at the end to kind of make it a little 00:22:36.369 --> 00:22:38.450 bit more complex and kind of tailor it to your 00:22:38.450 --> 00:22:41.490 students. And I just thought it was a really 00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:45.029 excellent teaching tool for really just growing 00:22:45.029 --> 00:22:48.210 food and where food comes from. So many of our 00:22:48.210 --> 00:22:51.740 pre -k, I think. Pretty much everyone forgets, 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:54.339 I think, where food actually comes from, because 00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:56.460 it does just magically appear at the grocery 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:59.779 store. But especially for our pre -K students 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:03.059 who have no concept of how anything gets anywhere, 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:07.099 this is a really great way to introduce, you 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:10.640 know, the food doesn't in fact magically appear 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:13.019 at the grocery store. And it does have to come 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:15.259 from somewhere. We do have to grow it. And it 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:18.140 is important to have good farming processes. 00:23:18.950 --> 00:23:21.289 I thought it was, if you have anything to do 00:23:21.289 --> 00:23:24.190 with food in your curriculum, this is a really 00:23:24.190 --> 00:23:27.769 excellent book. Like for the purpose of teaching 00:23:27.769 --> 00:23:31.369 anything with that. So I think I would give it 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:34.609 a five out of five with respect to that. So yeah, 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:37.589 it was a good one. Agreed. I really enjoyed it. 00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:40.529 I thought it was very cute. I love like even 00:23:40.529 --> 00:23:43.269 I was learning some fun things about like the 00:23:43.269 --> 00:23:45.730 indoor, like the hydroponics and all that kind 00:23:45.730 --> 00:23:48.309 of like there's some really cool stuff in there 00:23:48.309 --> 00:23:52.250 and I think that a lot of kids will find it interesting 00:23:52.250 --> 00:23:54.089 because you're right a lot of these kids have 00:23:54.089 --> 00:23:55.690 no idea where their food comes a lot of these 00:23:55.690 --> 00:23:58.069 kids think all the foods that they have come 00:23:58.069 --> 00:24:00.390 from cans or boxes and that's where they came 00:24:00.390 --> 00:24:04.029 from you know yeah so to go beyond that to where 00:24:04.029 --> 00:24:08.269 like the actual origin point yeah something that 00:24:08.269 --> 00:24:11.890 like the kids know what farms are in uh like 00:24:11.890 --> 00:24:14.190 we sing they do that's true animals and that 00:24:14.190 --> 00:24:17.089 kind of thing but like making the connection 00:24:17.089 --> 00:24:21.190 that this is where it's grown and it goes from 00:24:21.190 --> 00:24:23.569 there and there's a process for it to get to 00:24:23.569 --> 00:24:26.450 my plate is a whole other thing. And so like 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:28.690 introducing some of this is really cool. And 00:24:28.690 --> 00:24:33.529 I agree. I think so many lessons can be, this 00:24:33.529 --> 00:24:36.529 book can be used for like talking about food 00:24:36.529 --> 00:24:39.250 or just like making healthy choices for foods 00:24:39.250 --> 00:24:42.259 that we actually grow instead of just. the stuff 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:44.460 that's just completely processed and all that 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:46.319 kind of stuff, like so many different things 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:49.099 to use with it. So love it. Love this book. Excellent. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:55.319 Yeah, this was a great one. I think for a makerspace 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:58.359 activity, really, because there is such a heavy 00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:00.380 emphasis, I mean, it's really all about farms. 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:03.180 So you could do anything with farms, really. 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:05.579 There's so many different directions you could 00:25:05.579 --> 00:25:08.759 go and there's I mean, if you need something 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:11.619 just quick and easy, I feel like almost every 00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:16.359 classroom ever has the little animal manipulative 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:19.359 counters that use with math so you could just 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:23.460 like throw those in with a bucket of blocks and 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:25.920 just have kids like build farms if you just need 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:28.940 something that you know has literally zero prep. 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:33.960 If you're feeling brave and I have in the past 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:35.660 I don't know if I'm brave enough this year I 00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:37.380 don't think I have enough time in my schedule 00:25:37.380 --> 00:25:39.460 this year and I haven't figured out how to paint 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:42.599 yet and with my current schedule. But if you're 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:45.519 feeling brave, I think a fun thing to do with 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:50.940 this kind of a book is at vegetable prints and 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:53.819 like getting like a stalk of celery and like, 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:56.700 you know, cutting it off so you can print it, 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:01.160 put the end of the celery in some paint and then 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:03.420 put that on a piece of paper and that, you know, 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:08.079 makes that fun rose pattern. And then Apples 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:10.140 are always a fun one to cut up and do that, too, 00:26:10.140 --> 00:26:11.960 because it has a little star shape in the middle. 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:14.960 So when you cut that in half, you can see the 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:17.559 little star inside. And again, you dip it in 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:19.319 the paint and then put it on a piece of paper. 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:22.859 And that's always a fun one to do as well. And 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:26.160 potatoes are another. And carrots. I think most 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:30.380 vegetables or hard fruits like that are really 00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:33.819 fun to just paint with. But then you're getting 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:39.529 messy. I don't know. It's a risk. No prep is 00:26:39.529 --> 00:26:41.750 always fun too, which is building a farm for 00:26:41.750 --> 00:26:45.569 little farm animals. So either way is fun. I 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.809 like the idea of doing the vegetable prints and 00:26:48.809 --> 00:26:51.690 stuff. I think that would be fun. We would definitely 00:26:51.690 --> 00:26:53.309 need to make sure we contain it, but it would 00:26:53.309 --> 00:26:57.750 be fun. I've done it before and I've enjoyed 00:26:57.750 --> 00:27:03.609 it, but I had help. That was when I had a paracubbing. 00:27:03.650 --> 00:27:06.460 I don't know if I could, I don't know. I don't 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:10.119 know. I haven't figured out painting in my current 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:13.880 situation yet. I don't know. We'll see! Not today. 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:19.779 Maybe someday. I hope so. Sure. It'll be fun. 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:25.200 Yeah. Well, thank you all for joining us today 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:27.500 on this episode of Librarians of Littles, and 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:29.940 we hope you found some fresh ideas for inspiring 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:32.420 young readers. Please be sure to subscribe and 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:34.599 connect with us on social media. Happy reading! 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:37.940 Thank you for listening to this episode of Librarians 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:40.779 of Littles. We hope that you've enjoyed it. Check 00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:45.190 back each Wednesday for a new episode. Librarians 00:27:45.190 --> 00:27:47.970 of Littles is a podcast produced and hosted by 00:27:47.970 --> 00:27:51.630 Patrick Adams and Caroline Legere. Editor, Patrick 00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:55.410 Adams. Our theme song is performed by JD Adams. 00:27:55.849 --> 00:27:58.490 You can follow us on Instagram at Librarians 00:27:58.490 --> 00:28:03.630 of Littles. You can follow us on BlueSky at littleslibrarian 00:28:03.630 --> 00:28:08.230 .bsky .social. And you can send us your emails 00:28:08.230 --> 00:28:12.630 at librarianoflittlespodatgmail .com.