Thinking Outside the Box

In the array of literacy skills used by readers to comprehend what they read, literature analysis is one of the most deeply personal. Literature analysis asks the essential question of a work of fictional literature, "What does it mean?". For nonfiction the primary analytical question is "What is the point?" and requires a slightly different set of tools, such as knowledge of the writer and his/her possible biases as well as some background knowledge of the subject being discussed. Knowledge of the writer is also useful in analyzing fiction but not as essential.

The tools for analyzing fiction are various and subjective depending on the individual reader. Literature like visual art, speaks to each individual in a unique way. The reader may use any conceptual framework that he /she is familiar with as the starting point for beginning an exploration into the meaning of a work of literature.

I was introduced to this concept in a science fiction lit class by a professor who would analyze a work of sci-fi using various schools of psychology as his reference point. He would do a side-by-side analysis of a particular work using Freudian, Jungian, and Adlerian terminology and concepts. A religious scholar would have perhaps used the framework of one or more religions in their analysis, while a folklorist would take the culture of the writer and his/her subject into consideration, and a scientist might use their familiarity with scientific theories and paradigms to connect to the work.

There is no one way to analyze literature and if a work is strongly appealing to the reader it may lead the reader to explore multiple disciplines in order to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning. For example a work of historical fiction might move a reader to read actual historical accounts of the events depicted in the novel. The more "tools" (i.e. disciplines) readers are familiar with, the greater the opportunity for the reader to connect and connect more deeply to a work of literature. Looking at literature through an assortment of disciplinary lenses also helps a reader to connect to other readers and their takes on a work of fiction. Exploring different disciplines as they relate to a work of literature is also an excellent way to achieve the ultimate literacy goal: life-long learning.

For Harry Potter Afficianados Only - Spoiler Alert!

If you are not a fan of The Boy Who Lived, please skip this. If you have not read HP Books 1-6, please skip this, because I might just spoil the surprise if you do decide to read them.

First of all, I have to admit that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I won't detail the depth the my devotion, but it is pretty deep.

I recently listened to the audio of Book 2, The Chamber of Secrets, and I believe that Dobby knew that Riddle's diary was a horcrux and that is why he was so adament about keeping Harry from going back to Hogwarts. In Chapter 2, "Dobby's Warning", Dobby tells Harry that Lord Voldemort has "powers Dumbledore doesn't...powers no decent wizard..." I think Dobby is talking about horcruxes. JK Rowling said while writing Book 6, The Half-Blood Prince, that there was a connection between Book 2 and Book 6. Obviously there is a connection because in Book 6 it is revealed that Riddle's diary, which appeared in Book 2, was actually a horcrux.

The idea that Dobby knew the diary was a horcrux makes a lot of sense to me. It would explain his extreme agressiveness in trying to keep Harry away from Hogwarts. It also suggests to me that other house elves know about the horcruxes. One of the theories that I have seen bandied about on some of the HP websites is that Kreacher helped RAB (widely believed to be Regulus Black, Sirius' brother) obtain the real locket horcrux, which is actually at 12 Grimmauld Place (it appeared in Book 5, Order of the Phoenix, when Harry and the Weasleys were cleaning the drawing room in Chapter 6, "The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black"). If Kreacher helped Regulus obtain the locket horcrux and perhaps had to help drink the nasty green conconcotion that it was immersed in, it would explain why he is so crazy.

I believe the house elves know more than Harry and his friends realize. I also believe that they still have a role to play. The appearance of the fountain in the Ministry of Magic, with the golden figures of the wizard, the witch, the centaur, the house elf, and the goblin, and its destruction at the end of Book 5 seems to foreshadow the importance of all these creatures to the plot of series and the fact that their relationships will change by the end of the series. I believe that the house elves will all be freed at the end of the series.

DISCUS Is for Learners

The first time I encountered DISCUS, like the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer and his fax machine, I was absolutely mystified by it. I was subbing in reference. It was my first time working in a library since high school. I thought that maybe DISCUS was a cd-rom; something like a super Encarta that was locked inside the database computers. I later learned that the on the lock on the cd-rom drive was there to keep patrons from using it. I didn't know that. I thought the lock was to keep them from stealing the super deluxe cd-rom that was locked inside the drive.

Eventually I learned that DISCUS was an online database and not a piece of software. I was very intimidated by it. I thought it looked really complicated and I didn't think I would ever be able to master it. I would quickly step aside and let a "real" librarian help patrons with the databases.

Gradually I began to learn how to use the databases. At first it was just to help patrons find biographies on the Gale biography database. Then I began to use the databases to find literary criticism because I discovered that the databases were easier to navigate than the cumulative indexes of Magill's and didn't require lugging massive tomes to and from the Reference section. I discovered that if you could put a middle or high school student on the database computers, they would get what they needed with minimal guidance.

Then I went to library school.

DISCUS and the world of databases took on a whole new meaning for me. Online databases allowed me to do research in my nightgown at midnight. They provide access to a library that never closes unless the database host site goes down. When that happened, I found I could just switch to another host site. If the college site was slow, there was the public library site, if that didn't work, there was the State Library site.

I fell in love.

I discovered the wonder of Infotrac Onefile, with its Infomarks and PURLs (Persistent Uniform Resource Locators). I could e-mail article PURLs to myself and look at them or print them up later or just save lists of articles I looked at so that I could go back and use them and cite them as references. It made the research process for my school assignments infinitely easier.

I began to use DISCUS for my personal information needs.

I started to regularly use Infotrac as part of my personal information search strategy, which generally starts with Google. I began to look for health information on DISCUS. With the help of DISCUS, I self-diagosed my reflux problem as being exacerbated or possibly caused by my regular use of Ibuprofen. I quit taking Ibuprofen and lo and behold, my reflux practically disappeared and I was able to stop taking daily medication for it. I had told my doctor that I was taking Ibuprofen but perhaps I didn't make it clear that it was my primary choice for over the counter pain relief and how frequently I took it. It is sometimes hard to convey really complete information about one's health issues to medical practioners in the brief time that is alloted per patient. The health information I find on DISCUS helps me to better understand my own health issues, to more accurately describe them to my doctor, and to be better informed about treatment options and strategies for managing my own health care.

I can't say that DISCUS has made me a better person, just a better informed one. I now enjoying sharing the benefits of using DISCUS with my family, friends, and patrons. I personally think that DISCUS is one of the best things the state of South Carolina offers to its citizens. Access to quality information is priceless.

Bully for Bluford

I recently read The Bully by Paul Langan, which is the 5th book in the Bluford Series. I first heard about the Bluford series during my brief stint as an 8th grade Engish/Language Arts teacher. The highlight of this employment, for me, was my exposure to literacy methodology by the school's awesome literacy coach (I'll call her Coach G) and my involvement in the SC Department of Education Literacy Initiative (which I owe to Coach G, as well).

Coach G frequently raved about the Bluford series but I never got a chance to really take a look at the books or read one while I was an ELA teacher. Coach G liked this series because she said it was relatively inexpensive for schools and libraries to purchase, of high interest for YA readers, written on an easier reading level than most YA books, making the series perfect for reluctant readers, and also because, like our school, the characters in the series were predominently African-American. (African-American YA books are still a somewhat limited but growing genre, the Bluford series being a perfect example of the growth.)

After reading The Bully, I can completely share Coach G's enthusiasm for these books. The Bully was an engaging, action-packed, fast read. It was skillfully written so that I never had a sense that it was a simple book, even though it was on a low reading level. In a nutshell, The Bully, is the story of Darrell, a fatherless, ninth-grade boy of small stature, who moves cross country with his widowed mother to live near his mother's brother and his family. Darrell leaves behind the school he attended his whole life and the circle of friends that stuck up for him. He enrolls in Bluford High and immediately becomes the target of a bully; a much larger boy with a gang of friends. Darrell's struggle with family issues, fitting in to a new school, first love, and Tyray, his nemesis, is completely realistic and something that most kids (and adults) can relate to.

One of the most outstanding things about this book, from a literacy perspective, was the fact that Darrell's teacher gives him a book to read to inspire him in his struggle with Tyray. The book is Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. I was really impressed by the author's skillful "product placement" of this higher reading level, Newbery winning book in the context of The Bully. This makes The Bully exceptionally perfect for classroom use, where it could be paired with Hatchet and used for teaching all kinds of ELA and literacy concepts. The Bully role-models for readers how a person can go into a text to relate to a character that on the surface appears to be completely unlike the reader and how a book can help inspire a person to make real life changes. It also introduces reluctant YA readers to the prolific work of the Margaret A. Edwards award winning author, Gary Paulsen. Reading The Bully definitely will help me in booktalking these books to YAs. I am eager to read more Bluford books to see if referencing other YA books is a common theme in the series.

The Bluford books are published by Townsend Press. They are authored by Paul Langan or Anne Scharf. For more information about Townsend Press and the Bluford series, read Embracing the Child, a nonprofit children's literacy website's, Outreach, Etc newsletter (2004, Vol 1) at http://www.embracingthechild.org/2004-1%20ONLINE.pdf or visit the Townsend Press website at http://www.townsendpress.com/.

My Book House: The Backstory

This blog is named for the My Book House set of chidren's books. These books were first published in the 1920's and were edited by Olive Beaupre Miller. I have added a link to Ms. Miller's biographical information from Smith College, her alma mater, which holds her papers in its Sophia Smith collection.

There was a 1937 twelve-volume set of My Book House at my grandmother's house that belonged to my father and his brother. As a preschooler, whenever I visited my grandmother, she would take a volume from the old glass front bookcase in her room and read it to me. When I was in first grade, I was finally big enough to "picture walk" and read through the books on my own.

The first volume, In The Nursery, which is for infants and toddlers, has full color illustrations and is filled with a wonderful selection of Mother Goose rhymes along with nursery rhymes from all around the world and a wonderful selection of poems for children. The second volume, Story Time, has some color illustrations, and has poems and classic folktale, stories, fables from around the world.

The succeeding volumes are lavishly illustrated with beautiful three-tone blue, sepia, and orange illustrations of magical gardens and heroes and fairies and are filled with stories and poems. The reading level becomes progressively more difficult in each volume as the set was designed to provide a basic library of reading material for a child from birth to adulthood. Later volumes have stories by classic authors such as Dickens and Shakespeare.

One of my favorite stories in My Book House is the poem, "Verses on Kingsley's Water Babies", which appears in Volume 3, Up On Pair of Stairs. The author is uncredited and may have been Ms. Miller, herself, as she is frequently named as the composer of many of the poems in the books. The illustrations were a major attraction. Mariel Wilhoite's pictures of the dirty chimney sweep's transformation into a naked, gilled water baby, who rides buoys, swims underwater, and talks to the huge king of the salmon totally fascinated me as a young child probably in part because my grandmother lived at the beach.

I think, perhaps, it is a testament to the power of good children's literature and illustrations, that I still enjoy reading this poem and best of all looking at the illustrations more than forty years later. I have most of that original My Book House set. I filled in the gaps with copies purchased on E-Bay. I still enjoy looking at these books and sharing the stories and poems with my own children.

Olive Beaupre Miller was ahead of her time. She selected what she believed was the best literature for children from sources from all around the world. Her selections are still remarkably current and mostly free of culturally insensitive material. Many of the children's illustrators, whose work appears in My Book House, are among the world's most famous, including Randolph Caldecott, William Blake, and N.C. Wyeth. She was even a proponent of sex education for children in the 1930's.

So here's to the memory of Olive Beaupre Miller! When I began to look for the missing volumes of My Book House on E-bay in 1999, I researched online and could find very little information about the books and nothing about Ms. Miller. When I started this blog, I found several sites with information including the Smith College site. I am glad to know that I can now google Ms. Miller and get a hit. I can't find an entry for her on Wikipedia yet, but I'll keep checking.

Welcome to My Book House

"Mother Goose had a house it was built in a wood,
where an owl by the door for a sentinal stood."

As a young child I enjoyed having my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members read to me. My great-grandmother often sang to me and was especially fond of sharing nursery rhymes and poems. These rich and loving literacy experiences are some of my strongest and most powerful childhood memories. These experiences also provided a firm foundation for my literacy growth as a young adult and as an adult.

As a librarian, supporting literacy for the children, families, and adults that I serve is one of my highest goals. This blog is focused on literacy, particularly for children and families. I want to create a list of links to useful literacy sites, to post reviews of these sites as well as reviews of children's and YA books that I read and movies that I watch, and to explore topics that are related to reading, literature, research, education, and librarianship.