"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Friday, October 25, 2013

Just a little poem for your consideration this Friday




Day eight with no server in my district, or to be more accurate, limited server access and no library system. ARGH!!! So far I have shelved every possible book and tidied the library, my desk, and my back desk. All new books are processed and ready to be added to the system once it comes back up. All returned library books are alphabetized to make shelving easier once they can be checked-in. Returned textbooks have been repaired. The hallway display case has a new theme with books that might interest kids prominently displayed. The bulletin boards have been rearranged and new information added.

I even sorted through some old files where I happened upon a copy of this poem written by Jenny Hubbard for her character Alex Stromm in the YA book Paper Covers Rock.  What do you think? Is it accurate? I think it is very descriptive but I wonder if boys are so callused toward their books.

The Way Boys Read
by Alexander No Middle Name Stromm

There's nothing pretty about it:
They'll claim a book,
brand nicknames to all three sides
as if the book might lose itself in tall grass
or wander, dumb as a cow.
The bookmark? A slice
to the top of the page, unthinking
as a kick to a rock on a dirt road.
And some so quick to break the spine,
the way they've broken girls
with too few words, or with false ones.
If the book is large,
it can be laid flat on a desk
so a boy wouldn't even have to touch it,
just lift a finger to flip a page,
halfheartedly, like signaling a truck to dump its load.
                                         -Jenny Hubbard, in Paper Covers Rock

No comments:

Post a Comment

I look forward to your comments and interactions! Join in the conversation.