This month let’s give a resounding Library Lions ROAR for the indomitable Eric Ode Children’s author, poet, and songwriter! I met Eric Ode at our local Lake Hills Library where he performed a terrific show for the kids. Then once again when we went to the train museum in Snoqualmie.

 

Eric has a very busy summer schedule!

Still, he agreed to take time out of his busy summer to share his library experiences with us. He’s also offering a copy of his CD Rock Nocturnal, 2015 winner of the Creative Child Magazine CD of the year award. See info below.

What a treat, getting to contribute to the LLR blog! And what terrific timing. I just yesterday got home from a week-long library tour, providing music and story-filled programs for ten libraries in eastern Washington. The weather was dry and blazingly hot. The drives were long, the hotels lonely. And I’m absolutely hoping to be back again next summer!

Is there a better place to work with kids and families than a public library? Ever since I hung up my teaching hat some 17 years ago (or has it been 18 years already?), I’ve been providing programs for libraries, elementary schools, and education conferences throughout the country. There are five libraries left on this summer’s calendar, and I’m looking forward to each.

Author’s Roar
Have you visited a hub-and-spokes model school where the library anchors the very center of the building and the hallways branch out like sunbeams? I’m sure the librarians struggle a bit with noise and traffic issues, but I really do love this design. It shouts to the students and staff alike that libraries are at the center of learning. When I visit a school that has lost funding for its library and library staff, it hurts my heart. Every school has students who come to the library like it’s an oasis. Every school has students who would rather be in the library than anywhere else. And for those students who are reluctant or struggling readers or who come from homes where reading and literacy are not valued, a well-funded, highly-visible library represents the importance of reading and makes it far more likely those students will discover a love of reading somewhere down the road.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs
My school and library programs are music-filled. The guitar is always along for the ride. We use hand motion and movement songs, call-and-response songs, interactive poetry and stories, puppets and percussion instruments… I don’t honestly put a lot of effort into promoting my own work when presenting for school and public libraries. The former teacher in me is mostly interested in seeing the students get excited about reading and literacy regardless of what book they want to snatch off the library shelf when we’re done.

That said, I love using my book Dan, the Taxi Man in large group settings. (Kane Miller Books) It’s a cumulative, onomatopoeia-filled story and never fails to bring everyone together.

And I often use poetry in a riddle fashion where the kids listen to a poem and have to guess what the poem is about. (If the subject is in the poem, I place my hand over my mouth to show I’m not going to say that word.) For instance, here’s a poem from my upcoming book Otters, Snails, and Tadpole Tails (Kane Miller Books), illustrated by the wonderful Ruth E. Harper, due for a January 1, 2019 release. Can you guess the subject?
The xxxxxxxx and her kin
sneak about in slimy skin,
and as for status, live within
the family amphibian,
which simply means, so I’ve been told,
their skin is wet; their blood is cold.
And further, if I understand,
their home is both on pond and land,
which, I declare, seems rather grand!
And though there may be creatures grander,
let me simply say with candor,
I adore the xxxxxxxx.

CD Giveaway. To those of you who are new to Rafflecopter, you can simply sign in (your name remains private and is only viewed by Janet when she spins final list to pick a random winner). Or you can to tweet the giveaway. (The tweet is written for you ahead of time. You just need to click. Also, you need to click “I Tweeted” to confirm the entry). U.S. only and must be 18 or older. Good Luck All!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More ways to reach Eric Ode
www.ericode.com/blog
website: www.ericode.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eric.ode1