OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE AMAZING MR. SCHU!!

Welcome to Library Lions interviews. Raising a Roar for Libraries and for the outstanding Librarians serving Children and Young Adults in Schools and Public Libraries across the U.S. Please Roar today’s guest Mr. John Schumacher!



John Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) is a teacher-librarian at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, Illinois. John graduated from St. Xavier University with a Masters in Teaching and Leadership and from Dominican University with a Masters in Library and Information Science. He has taught English in Seoul, South Korea, and is starting his eighth year at Brook Forest. John serves on ALSC’s Children and Technology committee, AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning, and two readers’ choice award committees. He was a judge for School Library Journal‘s 2011 Trailee Awards and recently became a FableVision Ambassador. In his spare time (ummm…what’s that?) he reads, travels, and blogs at Watch.Connect.Read.and Two Libraries, One Voice. John is a 2011 Library Journal Mover and Shaker.



The Skinny
I have the best job in the entire world. I love talking about children’s literature and helping a child find the perfect book. I could discuss children’s books twenty-four hours a day. The best part of my job is when students visit the library to tell me about what they read the night before or to share a cool website. I am very lucky.

Library Laughs
I wish I had photographs to accompany the story you’re about to read. Teni, an avid reader and aspiring writer, tells it best...

One of our 5th graders was strolling out the door. A nearby squirrel had been scurrying around the backside of the school. The squirrel must have been overwhelmed by all 19 of the kids in our class because before we knew it, the squirrel had sprinted through the door. Mrs. Grygienc yelled at the squirrel as if it would understand. “Get down, get down!”she said. Mr. Schu also chased the squirrel around the library. He had to explain to one of the third grade teachers about our squirrel incident. After a brief period of time, the startled squirrel bolted out the library doors. I bet we won’t be seeing that squirrel anytime soon. Maybe he came in to check out a Scaredy Squirrel book? -Teni, Grade 5

Take a Peek Inside My Library









Readers Roar
“My name is Syed. I am a fifth grader. My favorite thing about the library is the Best of Books display. It shows kids and teachers reading their favorite books. Each person tells about the favorite book..I use it to find new books. We get to meet many authors. I’ve met Dan Gutman, Marriane Malone, Kate Messner, Linda Urban, Harry Bliss, Jennifer Holm, Matthew Holm, and Ridley Pearson. I love to read fantasy. I really like Harry Potter, the Dragon Chronicles, and Ranger’s Apprentice.” - Syed, Grade 5

“Mr. Schu has a dramatic aura. He always greets us with a loud HELLO!-” Teni, Grade 5

“Our library has the best books. There are always new books for me to look at.” -Jasmine, Grade 3

“I love when we Skype with authors and illustrators.” Gabrielle, Grade 3

Book Brag: What three books are hot this year? Why?



Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco by Jarrett J. Krosoczka http://www.randomhouse.com/book/202853/lunch-lady-and-the-field-trip-fiasco-by-jarrett-j-krosoczka

Graphic novels rule in my school library! The Lunch Lady series was the most circulated series during 2011.

Any book featured in my Reading Road Trip video.





I Want My Hat Back-- I rarely read the same book to every class, but I Want My Hat Back screams, “READ ME ALOUD! DISCUSS ME!” Oh, the conversations we had.



Author! Author!
Thanks to Anderson’s Bookshop, the best bookshop in the world, authors visit our school throughout the year. We have hosted fifteen authors in three years. I love when an author connects with the audience, interacts with fans during the book signing, and inspires students to write. The pics below show just a few of the authors we've had visit us at Brook Forest Elementary.


DOREEN CRONIN


PETER BROWN


KATE MESSNER


KATEMESSNER and LINDAURBAN


RICHARD PECK


JENNIFER and MATTHEW HOLM

Library Lion’s Roar: ONE LAST BIG ROAR
Shannon McClintock Miller and I live 338 miles apart but connect our libraries, students, and teachers with each other on a daily basis. We use social networking tools and apps to create amazing and rich experiences for our students. You can follow our adventures at Two Libraries, One Voice. http://www.twolibrariesonevoice.com

Let’s Link
Blog(s)
Watch. Connect. Read.: www.mrschureads.com

Two Libraries, One Voice: www.twolibrariesonevoice.com

Thank you, Mr. Schu for the terrific interview!

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot.

ROAR FOR NY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN STACY DILLON

Welcome to Library Lions interviews. Raising a Roar for Libraries and for the outstanding Librarians serving Children and Young Adults in Schools and Public Libraries across the U.S. Please Roar today’s guest, STACY DILLON!



Stacy is a Lower School Librarian at Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School in New York City.



“We are a progressive school that’s been operating since 1921. The first thing that you see when you walk in our doors is the library!”



The Skinny
One of the things that I love most about my job is that I am not alone! We are a team of librarians, including Jesse Karp (Early Childhood), Jennifer Hubert Swan (Middle School), Karyn Silverman (High School), and myself. We work together, and are able to bounce new ideas off of one another, observe each other’s classes, and get excited about new projects or new books. Each day is different and varied in the library, and it keeps all of us on our toes!



A Lion’s Pride of Programs
Our joint Lower School / Middle School library houses a goldmine of a folktale collection. We have a picture book collection as well as a collection of anthologies, many of which are out of print. My first grade curriculum includes a folktale study wherein folktales are told geographically, and students discover the similarities in stories across cultures, as well as the mechanics of story in general, and folktale as a genre. This piece of curriculum wouldn’t be nearly as rich without our fantastic folktale collection.



We also have a great graphic novel collection. Jesse is a graphic novel expert and he is constantly growing our collection. It’s no coincidence that our top circulating items are all graphic novels!



Reader’s Roar
I asked some of our students what their favorite thing about the library is, and this is what we found out!

“I like the library because it has books for everyone. Even when I’m in middle school I can find something to read here.” G, 3rd grade



“I like that you can find something to read at any time in the library. The librarians can always give you a recommendation!” C, grade 12.

“The advanced readers section! It’s so great that we get to read books before they are out!” S, grade 6

Librarian Note: The advanced readers section came about from our BBYA reading club...I don't want folks to think we have arcs on the shelf to borrow!

Book Brag What's Hot This Year Stacy?
Any and all of the Basher books fly off our shelves. Our students love the format, the characters and the presentation of the facts! Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series is always in high demand as well. Students are continually asking “When does the next one come out? Do you have anything just like it?” And Babymouse, Babymouse, Babymouse. The brother/sister Holm duo can do no wrong, and the appeal of these particular graphic novels cross gender and age lines in a pretty incredible way.

Library Lion’s Roar
Another highlight of being a librarian at LREI is that we try to get out of the building as much as we can! Since we are in NYC, we are lucky to have a vast number of libraries and institutions to visit. In October LREI students gave the D train a workout, with 3 separate trips to the NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.



Author Author!
We bring authors into our school every year for our annual Book Week. Authors and illustrators visit each classroom to talk about their craft to our students. It’s one of the most exciting weeks of the school year!
The Lower School had an amazing Book Week this December with visits from:
~Lisa Graff – author of Umbrella Summer
~P.D. Eastman – author of Go Dog Go!
~Gina Goldmann – contributor to Hands Off Harry
~Judith Inglese and Dedie King – author and illustrator of I See the Sun in Afghanistan







~Roxie Munro – author/illustrator of Hatch!
~Cornelius Van Wright and Ying Hwa-Hu author/illustrator of Sam and the Lucky Money





~Dave Roman – author and illustrator of Astronaut Academy
~Ai-Ling Louie – author of Vera Wang: Queen of Fashion



~Marthe Jocelyn – author/illustrator of Hannah’s Seven Dresses
~Monica Wellington – author/illustrator of Mr. Cookie Baker
~Julie Appel – author of Touch The Art: Count Monet’s Lilies
~Julia Sarcone-Roach - author of Subway Story



~Isabel Hill - author of Building Stories




Let’s Link
Library Lions Readers find out more from these Blogs:

Lower School Library Blog
Middle School Library Blog
High School Library Blog
LREI Libguides
Welcome to my Tweendom
Reading Rants
Someday My Printz Will Come


Thank you,Stacy for your terrific interview!

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot.