An Exciting Day at the Library: Blissed out at the VPL

What’s that? “Don’t get out much, Kim”, you say?

Seriously folks, last Wednesday I paid my first ever visit to the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library. I enjoyed audacious architecture, even if it was a teensy bit Kafkaesque …

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… but the books inside are really what made my day.

I’ve been slowly and methodically picking my way through the Caldecott and Greenaway Medal winning titles. Finding them, one by one, in libraries and bookstores and thrift stores. Hunting them down and ordering them through interlibrary loans. I finished all the Caldecott Winners last February and I was down to my last 8 Greenaways – the 8 most obscure, hard-to-find, out-of-print titles.

So on Wednesday I walk down the steps into the children’s section of the VPL and what do I find?

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Only the Awards Reference Collection, that’s all!

In short, I was able to read every single book left on my list! Bliss!

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I wonder what the library staff thought of me walking around with the biggest grin on my face?

Anyhoo, I’ve got a pile of notes I just need to type up and I’ll get those last reviews up here very very shortly.

I may have mentioned this before but I LOVE LIBRARIES!

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The Whipping Boy

9780060521226

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER – 1987

The Whipping Boy

by Sid Fleischman

Age: 6 + (read to); 7 + (independent reading)

Interests: medieval times, adventure, criminals, carnivals and bears

More

Great Read-Aloud Chapter Books

AbeBooks

This is quite a good list, 30 Books to Read to a Six-Year-Old, courtesy of Richard Davies on the AbeBooks website. For those of you unfamiliar with lovely Abe books, it is just the most fantastic place to find used copies of rare and out of print books, located in used bookstores all over North America and beyond. I just revisited their website yesterday and was surprised to find more than just a search engine there now, there are lots of bookish articles to read and this one caught my eye.

So, back to the list. It’s just my kind of list, with lots of classic old titles, some of which I’ve recommended rather highly on this blog (The Night Fairy, The Book of Dragons, My Father’s Dragon, The Iron Man). Be sure to delve into the comments below for some additional suggestions. (I don’t often tell people to read comments, but these ones are civil and helpful.)

Related Posts: Top 5: First Chapter Books to Read Aloud to Preschoolers

Ginger Pye

Ginger_Pye

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER – 1952

Ginger Pye

by Eleanor Estes

Age: 6+ (read to) ; 9+ (independent reading)

Interests: dogs, pets, family, mystery

More

The Story of Mankind

storyofmankind

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER – 1922

The Story of Mankind

by Hendrik Willem van Loon

Age: 12+

Interests: history

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A Dictionary of Chivalry

baynes_chivalry

GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 1968

A Dictionary of Chivalry

by Grant Uden

illustrations by Pauline Baynes

Age: 9+

Interests: history, British history, knights, medieval history, war

More

Adam of the Road

Adam of the Road

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER – 1943

Adam of the Road

by Elizabeth Janet Gray (aka Elizabeth Gray Vining)

Age: 8+ (read to); 9+ (independent reading)

Interests: history, medieval times, British history, knights, castles, dogs, travel, adventure

More

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

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The Secret World of Arrietty

Released: 2010
Rated: G
Length: 94 min.
Age: 6 and up.              commonsense media sez: 7 +
Interests: little people, romance, family, illness, adventure, strong girls

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This is Not My Hat

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CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 2012

This is Not My Hat

by Jon Klassen

Age: 3 +

Interests: fish, mystery, crime and punishment, ocean

More

Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears

little mouse

GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 2008

Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears

by Emily Gravett

Age: 5+

Interests: mice, fears, phobias

More

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All writings posted here are © Kim Thompson, unless otherwise indicated. For all artwork on this site, copyright is retained by the artist.