KidsNews Newsletter
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
Winter 2007, Volume 2, Issue 3
Editor: Karen Duenwald
pdf download
Notes from the Director - Dan Boyd
Changes at the Library
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our patrons for their patience and understanding during this past year.

The South Dakota State Library has been undergoing many changes and since the Braille & Talking Book Library is part of the State Library we have also seen a number of changes. The changes that are being made allow us to provide additional services in the future.

The entire library has now moved to temporary quarters on the second floor of the library building. The first floor of the building will now be remodeled and in about a year the library will move to first floor and that will become our permanent home.

The two biggest changes have been the State Library print book collection and the Braille & Talking Book Library cassette book collection. The Braille & Talking Book Library has reduced the size of its cassette book collection by one half. The reduction was because of less space and beginning in 2008 we will need room for the new digital books. The Braille & Talking Book Library still has all of the cassette titles just not as many copies.

Again, thank you for your patience. The move should be complete within the next month.


Kids Zone - new NLS web site
NLS has introduced Kids Zone, one place on the internet for children who are blind or physically handicapped to search for books and research with reference services. Children’s materials were always available through the online catalog, but getting to the material was sometimes a multistep process and not very kid-friendly. Now you children have your own catalog on NLS Kids Zone at www.loc.gov/nls/children/index.html.

“The kids’ catalog offers listings of award-winning books, information on popular series, descriptions of magazines for children, and a link of award-winning books, series, and classics also provide the added convenience of direct links to Web-Braille for subscribers and the most recent RC numbers for ordering books from network libraries.


“We read to know we are not alone.” C.S. Lewis



Ongoing Special Project
Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy by providing high quality, low cost braille books for children.

With the Rose Project which is brought to you by a generous grant from the Claire Giannini Fund, blind students in grades 1- 12 will be able to order World Book Encyclopedia articles in Braille and no cost to you. To order an article just call Seedlings at 1-800-777-8552 and the article will be produced in braille, and in print if required and will be shipped to you within five working days.


2008 Calendars
A Service from the American Action Fund is the productions and distribution of free Braille calendars to blind and deaf-blind people on a nationwide basis. A very large number of volunteers help the Action Fund provide its services.

They are now accepting orders via email at calendars@actionfund.org Or you can fax your order to 818-343-3219. Finally, you can always request a calendar by writing at:
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
18440 Oxnard Street
Tarzana, CA 91356
Did You Know?
The Paralympic Winter Games are Winter Olympic style games for individuals with a physical or mental disability. The Paralympic Games are held in conjunction with the Olympic Games in the same host city. There are currently three classes in the Paralympic Alpine Skiing competition, one including individuals who are totally blind and those with varying degrees of vision loss. Blind and visually impaired alpine skiers use a guide to help them traverse the slopes in a race against their fellow competitors.


Please let us know
Are your preferences changing or do you wish to increase/decrease the number of books that you are currently receiving?

Contact your Reader Advisor so that they may assist you.


New Non-Fiction books for all ages
  • RC64184 Amazing Tigers! - Sarah L. Thomson
    Presents facts about tigers and their cubs - the reason they have stripes, the ways they hunt, and why they are disappearing from the wild. For grades K-3. 2004.

  • RC64151 Little Lost Bat - Sandra Markle
    Describes the early experiences of a baby bat that was born in a Texas cave. Discusses the ways his mother cares for him, the loss of his mother, and his adoption by another bat who keeps him safe. For grades K-3. 2006.

  • RC64003 The American Story: One Hundred True Tales from American History - Jennifer Armstrong
    U.S. history - from 1565 to 2000 - Describes tragedies, such as the Chicago Fire and the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, and tri-umphs, including completion of the transcontinental railway and the first moon landing. Profiles Benjamin Franklin, Elvis Presley, and others. For grades 4-7. 2006.

  • RC63835 Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano - Kenneth Mallory
    Discusses the first discoveries of prolific life-forms surrounding hydrothermal vents and the scientists who made the dives one and one-half miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Describes large tubeworms, giant clams, and other organisms and the miniature submarine Alvin that enabled deep-sea exploration. For grades 4-7. 2006.

  • RC63820 The Adventures of Marco Polo - Russell Freedman
    Discusses the life of Marco Polo, who published accounts of his travels from Venice, Italy, through the Middle East and Asia, to the court of Kublai Khan in China. For grades 4-7. 2006.

  • RC63430 With a Little Luck: Surprising Stories of Amazing Discoveries - Dennis Brindell Fradin
    Presents eleven scientific breakthroughs, including the discover-ies of gravity, penicillin, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Describes how curiosity, hard work, intelligence, and luck led an eight-year-old girl to prehistoric cave paintings, helped four doctors develop pain-free surgery, and assisted others in making monumental ad-vances. For grades 5-8. 2006.

  • RC63340 Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini - Sid Gleischman
    A biography of the American magician and escape artist Harry Houdini (1874-1926). Discusses the increasingly dangerous stunts he attempted, without revealing their underlying secrets. Traces Houdini's career path and describes his interest in spiritu-alism, his courage, and his determination to succeed. For grades 5-8. 2006.

  • RC63809 Good Women of a Well-Blessed Land: Women’s Lives in Colonial America - Brandon Marie Miller
    Portrays the daily lives of black, white, and Native American women in colonial America. Describes the different household duties--tanning hides, building shelters, farming, sewing clothing, and raising children. Covers legal rights, indentured servitude, slavery, and the interactions between various ethnic and social groups. For grades 5-8. 2003.

  • RC63784 The Best Ever Book of Good Clean Jokes - Bob Phillips
    An A-to-Z compendium from "absurd" to "zoo," of thousands of wholesome jokes and one-liners for all ages. 1998.


New Fiction Books
For grades Kindergarten - 3:
  • RC64140 The Deaf Musicians - Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs
    Jazz pianist Lee is asked to leave his band when he loses his hearing. At sign language class, Lee meets Max who plays the sax. Riding the subway together, they form a new band with a big audience. 2006.
  • RC63670 Oliver Pig and the Best Fort Ever - Jean Van Leeuwen
    Building a fort in Oliver Pig’s backyard is a big project, even with the help of his friends Albert and James. Four easy chapters. 2006.
  • RC63915 Sammy: The Classroom Guinea - Alix Berenzy
    One Monday morning while Ms. B is teaching, Sammy, the class’s pet, makes a ruckus in his cage. Ms. B and the students gather around their guinea pig to figure out what is the matter. 2005.
For grades 2- 4:
  • RC63329 Night of the New Magicians: Magic Tree House, Book 35 - Mary Pope Osborne
    Merlin sends Jack and Annie to the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, France. Their mission is to find four new magicians in the crowds at the Eiffel Tower and protect them from an evil sorcerer. 2006.
For grades 3-6:
  • RC62706 The Old Meadow - George Seldon
    Dubber Dog wants Chester Cricket, from The Cricket in Times Square (RC58857) to prevent their friend Mr. Budd’s eviction from his rundown cabin in the Old Meadow. The animals’ efforts seem to make matters worse, but Ashley Mockingbird has a plan. 1987.
  • RC63791 High Risk: Nancy Drew, Girl Detective - Carolyn, Keene
    Nancy Drew searches for a stolen zoning law document that would prevent retired librarian Evaline Waters’ house from being bulldozed for a factory. Nancy also takes flying lessons. 2004.
For grades 4-7:
  • RC64148 West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi - Jim Murphy
    In 1883, 14-year-old Teresa and her Italian American family travel by train and wagon from New York to a utopian commu-nity in Idaho. Teresa keeps a diary of her experiences during the trip, including their encounters with Indians and other travelers and her younger sister’s death. 1998.
  • RC63337 Sports Shorts: An Anthology of Short Stories - Joseph Bruchac and others
    Eight semiautobiographical stories about the authors’ athletic exPeriences, both successful and not, while growing up. 2005.
  • RC62365 Tik-Tok of Oz - L. Frank Baum
    Ann Soforth, the Queen of Oogaboo, a small valley in the Land of Oz, decides to conquer the world by creating an army of the eighteen men she rules. Sequel to The Patchwork Girl of Oz (RC32282). 1914.
  • RC63663 Guide Dog Connections - Norine Labitzke
    Ashley’s mother has a guide dog named Moses, who will retire soon. Chloe’s mother is in prison and is raising Goldie to be a guide dog. The two fifth-grade girls become friends while learn-ing about working dogs and blindness. 2005.
For grades 5-8:
  • RC62759 Mud City - Deborah Ellis
    Fourteen-year-old Shauzia, from Parvana’s Journey (RC55612), leaves the Afghan women’s refugee camp in Pakistan to head for France. She finds that surviving on the streets is harder than expected. 2003.
  • RC63800 Victory - Susan Cooper
    A high-seas, time-shifting adventure that follows two people: Molly, an eleven-year-old English girl who moves to Connecticut in 2006, and Sam, an eleven-year-old boy who served on HMS Victory in 1803. Both are influenced by Admiral Horatio Nelson, a great sailor. 2006.
  • RC63881 House of the Red Fish - Graham Salisbury
    In this sequel to Under the Blood-Red Sun (RC44654, BR10261), Tomi and his family are still battling anti-Japanese feeling in 1943 Hawaii. Tomi and his friends try to salvage his father’s sunken fish-ing boat, but Keet Wilson, a white teen, wants to stop him. 2006.
For grades 6-9:
  • RC63662 Vanishing Act - John Feinstein
    Eighth-grade sports reporters Susan Carol Anderson and Stevie Thomas are covering the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York City. They track down clues when Russian star Nadia Symanova is kidnapped before her match. 2006.
  • RC63910 Best Shorts: Favorite Short Stories for Sharing - selected by: Avi
    Twenty-four short stories by such well-known authors as Lloyd Alexander, Natalie Babbitt, and Richard Peck. Includes “Rip Van Winkle,” “The Lady or the Tiger” and more. 2006.
  • RC63812 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
    World War II. Nine-year-old Bruno is dismayed to leave his three best friends when his family moves from their Berlin home to a remote country house. He struggles to understand why he can’t be friends with the boy behind the wire fence. 2006.
For Senior High Readers:
  • RC63811 The Last Days - Scott Westerfeld
    Following Peeps (RC62387), New York City is invaded by giant worms and disease. Five teens - one a vampire - form a band whose music has a calming effect on society, killing the worms and healing the vampires. 2006.
  • RC63850 Incantation - Alice Hoffman
    Spain, 1500. Sixteen-year-old Estrella, raised as a Catholic, learns of her family’s secret Jewish identity. When Estrella is betrayed by her best friend, who is jealous over a boy, the authorities arrest members of Estrella’s family. 2006.
  • RC63874 A Princess of Roumania - Paul Park
    Teenager Miranda lives with her adoptive parents in Mass., but she has inklings of her early years and relatives in Roumania, an alternate magical world. She returns there, accompanied by fri-encs Peter and Andromeda, to search for her true mother, pris-oner of a sinister alchemist. 2005.
  • RC63941 Startled by His Furry Shorts: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson - Louise Rennison
    British teenager Georgia continues her quest for a boyfriend. In her journal she records her feelings for sexy Italian Masimo, her old mate Dave, and her ex-crush Robbie. Meanwhile, preparing for a school play and a Viking wedding and her quirky family. 2006.

The Braille and Talking Book Library staff would like to thank all of our patrons, advocates, volunteers, and friends out there who have continued to brighten our days.

Happy Holidays & Best Wishes!



150 years of building independence...
In celebration of 150 years of building independence for people who are blind and visually impaired, the American Printing House for the Blind is conducting an essay contest. The contest is open to:
  • Students with a visual impairment who are enrolled in grades 3 through 12 for the 2007-2008 academic year
  • Adult consumers of APH products
  • Professionals in the field of blindness, including teachers of the visually impaired and rehabilitation counselors
The deadline for entry is April 1, 2008. The entry form, including the official topic and all guidelines for preparing and submitting an essay, is posted on the APH website at: www.aph.org/essay.html.

For print or braille copies of the entry form, contact
Becky Snider:
Phone: 800-223-1839 or 502-895-2405, ext. 356
Fax: 502-899-2363 or
email: rsnider@aph.org


"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" -Clement Clarke Moore



Holidays
The Braille and Talking Book Library will be closed on the following holidays:
  • December 25 - Christmas Day
  • January 1 - New Years Day
  • January 21 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • February 18 - Presidents Day



The Kid's News, published quarterly, is our means of communication with the younger patrons of the Braille and Talking Book Library. The Kid's News is available in braille, on cassette, in large print, or on a diskette upon request and is posted on our website: www.sdstatelibrary.com/b&tb

If you have any questions or comments you would like to address, or wish to request this newsletter in alternative format, please contact the Braille and Talking Book Library.

The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library does not endorse any product or service listed in this newsletter.