Book talks are one of my favorite parts of librarianship. I love going into classrooms, seeing a captive audience of students (who may or may not be excited to see me–at first), and building a feeling of mounting excitement as kids learn that their library is full of fun places to go, fun programs to participate in, and a bunch of books that are actually really cool. My booktalks are packed with energy and popular topics. And I haven’t presented one in about a year. We reached out to schools about virtual book talk options, but while some of my coworkers have had luck, every teacher I’ve reached out to never actually schedules a virtual book talk. I’ve made over 100 individual YouTube book talk videos, and while those are fun, I don’t get to talk to any kids. Finally, (finally!) about a year since I was last in a classroom, I had the chance to talk to some kids virtually.
This presentation was definitely different than in-person book talks. First, I had a collection of grades at once: K-2 and then 3-5 (30 minutes each). Second, since I was presenting virtually with a powerpoint with images, I could pick any book. I wasn’t limited by what was on our shelves. Also, unlike in-person book talks, where we are scheduled to see the same class multiple times a year, this was a one-and-done experience for the school’s literacy day. This opened up so, so many book possibilities. I’m still not sure I’m entirely happy with my choices–it was simply so hard to choose!
The school also wanted me to talk about some other services too. Specifically, they wanted a library tour, information about library cards, and details on programs and services. This was much tougher than usual because the places and services I normally highlight on a tour or during an in-person book talk still aren’t operating. Our play spaces, video game room, and homework help center are closed. Kids can come in and use the computers, but they aren’t encouraged to come game with their friends for hours like they might have done in 2019. I can and did share the different types of books we have, but I wasn’t able to highlight much beyond that.
I talked a bit about getting a library card–which is easier than it has ever been–and about some of our upcoming virtual events as well, before jumping into the books!
Just like I do for in-person visits, I included slides with big images of covers and select spreads:
For Grades K-2, I highlighted these books:
- What Do They Do with All That Poo? by Jane Kurtz (nonfiction)
- What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins
- Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol: The Haunted House Next Door by Andres Miedoso
- Itty Bitty Princess Kitty: The Newest Princess by Melody Mews
- Mia Mayhem is a Superhero by Kara West
- Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best? by Stephen Shaskan (graphic novel)
- InvestiGators by John Patrick Green (graphic novel)
- Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises
The full K-2 PowerPoint is available here:
For Grades 3-5, I featured these books:
- My Video Game Ate My Homework by Dustin Hansen (graphic novel)
- Shuri by Nic Stone
- Work It Girl: Blast Off Into Space Like Mae Jemison by Caroline Moss (biography)
- Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Taylor Kay Meija
- Twins by Shannon Wright and Varian Johnson (graphic novel)
- Magnificent Makers: How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith
- Animal Showdown Round 3 by Stephanie Warren Drimmer (nonfiction)
- Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson
- My Furry Foster Family: Truman the Dog by Debbi Michiko Florence
The full 3-5 PowerPoint is available here:
I think the content presented virtually was a bit too much for the students in grades K-2, but grades 3-5 stayed with me and even asked a bunch of questions at the end about the books I discussed, other books, and the library’s history.
It felt fantastic to be able to talk to students again, especially in a way that let me hear from them too. Hopefully, maybe, we will be able to do more of these virtual visits next year in classroom settings. Even if we can’t go into the classrooms, hopefully our local schools will be on a better routine that might allow us to stop by (virtually) more often than we could this school year. There are certain core elements of librarianship that are part of why I signed up for this job in the first place–and talking to kids about books is one of them. While I know these won’t be around forever, especially if I pursue a career in management or collection development or many other future directions, I also wasn’t quite ready to let these things go yet–so for now I’m just happy to have had another opportunity to talk to a bunch of kids about books.