October 2009 Newsletter

Children's Author Visits the CMC
Children’s and young adult author Elizabeth Cody Kimmel visited the Centennial Library on September 22, 2009, addressing over 30 students, faculty, staff, and guests in the Curriculum Materials Center. Kimmel spoke about her experiences in the book publishing business, from the time she worked as an assistant to a well-known literary agent, through her early years as a struggling young author, to her present day successes, providing valuable insight and suggestions to those in the audience who aspire to being an author. Kimmel’s 28 published books represent a wide array of genres, including simple picture books (Glamsters, My Penguin Osbert), early-teen fiction (Spin the Bottle), biography (Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14th Dalai Lama), and nonfiction (Ladies First: 40 Daring American Women Who Were Second to None). Following her talk, audience members took advantage of the opportunity to ask a number of questions relating to Kimmel’s work and to the publishing industry in general. A reception was held in the CMC following her presentation. Mrs. Kimmel’s visit to Cedarville was made possible by Rebecca Stroble, elementary librarian for the Xenia Community Schools, where Kimmel was serving as Xenia’s 2009 Visiting Author.

Websites of the Month

Ohio on iTunes U was launched in February 2009 and now contains over 2100 digital resources (video, pictures, etc.) from 37 content providers. The website states, "Noted as the first state to launch a comprehensive statewide iTunes U site, the State of Ohio has compiled a collection of digital media assets categorized into areas of education, government and community. The *Ohio on iTunes U project allows Ohio to share educational resources, professional development materials, and student videos which have been produced by members of higher education, the K-12 community, and community partners free of charge with unlimited access."

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has compiled an excellent website and curriculum on The Great Depression. According to the website, "the curriculum is designed to provide teachers with economic lessons that they can share with their students to help them understand this significant experience in U.S. history." It includes videos, interviews, activities, pictures, lesson plans, and much, much more.

Children's Book News

After more than eight decades, Winnie-the-Pooh is back! The first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's classic children's tales, "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood," was written by author David Benedictus. It goes on sale Oct. 5 and picks up where Milne's "The House at Pooh Corner," first published in 1928, left off. Read more about the book...

Several notable children's books are set to hit the big-screen in the next few months. Notable among these are Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Where the Wild Things Are, and A Christmas Carol. Read more...

New Materials

During September, over 90 new items were added to the CMC collection. This includes several excellent nonfiction series for grades 1-3, a number of books by Robert Munsch, the Berenstains, picture books, young adult books, and much more.