Dungeons & Dragons® can be a great ongoing library program for all ages, though it does specifically support several developmental assets for young people. It builds community, gets youth in a social situation with peers outside of school, and encourages creativity and storytelling - all common targets for planning youth programs in the library. Next week I'll be holding a "Dungeons & Dragons 101" session at our biweekly Teen Game Night to introduce our curious teens to the game and see if there is interest in an ongoing campaign at the library. As a D&D geek, I'm ridiculously excited about sharing my nerd passion.
One of the great things about D&D is that you can really get by with very little in the way of materials; the game becomes richer and more detailed the more “stuff” you get, but the basics are quite inexpensive these days. The must-haves can be purchased cheaply even if there isn’t a lot of interest to start with. The rest can be added on if there’s interest in a regular library gaming group.
Must Haves:
Player’s Handbook (Heroes of the Fallen Lands), $14. This book has everything needed to learn the basic rules and build basic characters to use in the game. This is the most current edition and is designed to make it very easy for new players to learn. Older, more experienced D&D players tend to dislike it because it’s a big change from earlier editions, but this is the cheapest, most readily available, and easiest to learn edition available. This, and all books on this list, are only published in paperback, so I would recommend library binding or laminate covers if you anticipate regular use. If you have high interest or a large player base, it would be worth investing in two or three copies.
Dice, $6-$22. D&D is played with a set of 7 polyhedral dice. You can buy one set for about $6-$8 and have everyone share one set, or you can go with the Chessex Pound-O-Dice for about $22 and likely have enough of each for everyone to pick a color they like to play with. There are also free dice rolling apps available for smartphones, iPads, eReaders, and computers if you have the technology and don't want to keep track of small easily lost items.
Really Nice To Haves:
Player’s Handbook II (Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms), $14. This is just shy of “must-have”. The original player’s handbook provides options for only 4 different types of characters. This book adds another 4 character types which lets the teens build a much more diverse group and get more creative with their characters. It also adds new player races for more customization. If you can swing it, definitely buy this too.
Dungeon Master’s Kit, $27. You can get by without this if you have staff or patrons who are already experienced Dungeon Masters, but this would be really good to have for any sort of ongoing D&D campaign. It would also be awesome for any patrons who want to learn how to DM. Comes with a super useful DM screen, tokens, monsters, maps, and a bunch more goodies.
Good To Haves:
Monster Vault, $20. More monsters to fight, good DM resource. Nice for variety's sake and great for DMs who want to get creative, but by no means essential.
Rules Compendium, $14. Easy reference for all the rules that are spread throughout all the various books. Good for players and DMs alike to make games run more smoothly. One copy per gaming group is enough.
I'm currently writing a handout for D&D 101 that I'll also post here in a few days. Here's hoping our D&D supplies arrive before the game night!
Have questions? Want to debate the above choices? Need some help getting started with D&D in your library? Leave me a comment!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Rainy Day Storytime
It has been pouring buckets here in North Carolina for the past week and a half or so, and every day there are dripping umbrellas and somber faces coming through the library doors. Children sulk in the stacks while their parents wait for the downpour to ease, hoping to keep their carpets at home free from muddy little footprints. This week seems perfect for a rain theme at Friday morning all-ages storytime, and I'm going to try putting a better spin on this whole wet situation. Rain doesn't have to be dreary and boring at all - it can be a lot of fun!
Opening: The Welcome Song
Welcome, welcome, all my friends,
all my friends, all my friends,
Welcome, welcome, all my friends,
to storytime today!
Movement: Getting the Wiggles Out
Let all get to our feet and get rid of aaaaall those wiggles you brought with you today!
Put a wiggle in your head,
Put a wiggle in your toes,
Put a wiggle in your arms,
Put a wiggle in your nose
Put a wiggle in your bottom
Put a wiggle in your knee
Put a wiggle in your whole body
Now sit quiet as can be
Introduction: (ad lib) Good morning, everyone! My name is Miss Megan - Miss Beth is really sorry she can't be here today, but I'm really excited to share some songs and stories with you today. It's been raining an awful lot this week, hasn't it. Do you all like the rain? Hopefully today's stories will make you feel a little better about all this wet and windy weather. Our first story is about clouds, because we couldn't have any rain without clouds!
Story 1: Little Cloud by Eric Carle (sub. Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld if audience tends toward older)
Transition: We just heard about how the clouds get together to make it rain, but what do the animals do when the rain starts to fall from the sky? Let's find out in our next story.
Story 2: Rain by Manya Stojic (lots of opportunity for fun voices and sound effects)
Transition: So it got hot and dry again at the end... but what do you think will happen next? I bet it will rain again before too long. Let's make our own thunderstorm right here in the library! Everyone stand up.
Movement: Make a rainstorm
Make whooshing sounds and wave hands back and forth
Make slow, soft clapping sounds on legs, increasing in volume
Switch to clapping hands, as loud as possible
Switch to stomping feet like a downpour!
Reverse the rainy progression, ending with quiet whooshing sounds in a sitting position
Transition: That was a pretty cool storm we made! One of the best thing about rain is the puddles it leaves behind! The girl in our next story has all sorts of fun with her animal friends in the rain.
Story 3: The Puddle by David McPhail (oral telling, no book)
Song: The Itsy, Bitsy Spider (with easier hand motions for young ones, speeding up with each repetition)
Conclusion: Wow, you all sang really fast at the end there, good job! I hope you all had fun today, and that maybe next time it rains it won't seem so gloomy. Come make a single-file line at the front if you want a raindrop hand stamp, and thank you for coming! Have a great weekend.
Hand stamp: Raindrop or cloud
Opening: The Welcome Song
Welcome, welcome, all my friends,
all my friends, all my friends,
Welcome, welcome, all my friends,
to storytime today!
Movement: Getting the Wiggles Out
Let all get to our feet and get rid of aaaaall those wiggles you brought with you today!
Put a wiggle in your head,
Put a wiggle in your toes,
Put a wiggle in your arms,
Put a wiggle in your nose
Put a wiggle in your bottom
Put a wiggle in your knee
Put a wiggle in your whole body
Now sit quiet as can be
Introduction: (ad lib) Good morning, everyone! My name is Miss Megan - Miss Beth is really sorry she can't be here today, but I'm really excited to share some songs and stories with you today. It's been raining an awful lot this week, hasn't it. Do you all like the rain? Hopefully today's stories will make you feel a little better about all this wet and windy weather. Our first story is about clouds, because we couldn't have any rain without clouds!
Story 1: Little Cloud by Eric Carle (sub. Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld if audience tends toward older)
Transition: We just heard about how the clouds get together to make it rain, but what do the animals do when the rain starts to fall from the sky? Let's find out in our next story.
Story 2: Rain by Manya Stojic (lots of opportunity for fun voices and sound effects)
Transition: So it got hot and dry again at the end... but what do you think will happen next? I bet it will rain again before too long. Let's make our own thunderstorm right here in the library! Everyone stand up.
Movement: Make a rainstorm
Make whooshing sounds and wave hands back and forth
Make slow, soft clapping sounds on legs, increasing in volume
Switch to clapping hands, as loud as possible
Switch to stomping feet like a downpour!
Reverse the rainy progression, ending with quiet whooshing sounds in a sitting position
Transition: That was a pretty cool storm we made! One of the best thing about rain is the puddles it leaves behind! The girl in our next story has all sorts of fun with her animal friends in the rain.
Story 3: The Puddle by David McPhail (oral telling, no book)
Song: The Itsy, Bitsy Spider (with easier hand motions for young ones, speeding up with each repetition)
Conclusion: Wow, you all sang really fast at the end there, good job! I hope you all had fun today, and that maybe next time it rains it won't seem so gloomy. Come make a single-file line at the front if you want a raindrop hand stamp, and thank you for coming! Have a great weekend.
Hand stamp: Raindrop or cloud
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
6 Graphic Novels for Space Heads
Growing up on the Space Coast of Florida with parents working for NASA and its contracted companies, my head has always been among the stars. Being surrounded by amazing technology and the spirit of exploration made me a dreamer, a doer...and a huge science fiction fan, too, but that’s beside the point. I love reading about space exploration and 20th/21st century spaceflight efforts, both fictional and historical. Graphic novel publishers and fans must love them too, because there are some great stories out there in sequential art form. Here are my six graphic novel picks for space heads:
Laika (2007, First Second)
Writer and Artist: Nick Abadzis
10 and up - A blend of fact and fiction, Laika follows three primary characters: Laika herself, the abandoned puppy who became the first living being to orbit Earth; Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika; and Korolev, a top engineer for the Russian space program. Just as interesting a read for it's historical facts as it's deep emotion, Laika is a must-read for dog lovers, space and history buffs, graphic novel fans, and everyone else! The soft color work fits the rough art style well and adds to the emotive quality of the book. Have the tissues handy for this one.
Orbiter (2004, Vertigo)
Writing and Art: Urasawa Naoki 22 Volumes
13 and up - Though this complex mystery could be read and enjoyed by younger audiences, 20th Century Boys is really a coming-of-age tale for thirty- and forty-somethings that considers the gap between our adult lives and the people we dreamed we would become as children. Urasawa is masterful at building and maintaining suspense; you are fortunate if you are just learning about this series now, because the final English volume was just released yesterday, no wait required. Be prepared for a marathon, because once you start you’ll want to power through to the end.
Ministry of Space (2006, Image)
Writer: Warren Ellis | Illustrator: Chris Weston | Colorist: Laura Martin
16 and up - An alternate-history version of human space exploration, where America never secured independence from England and the British Empire dominates space travel and colonization. Though the story suffers from being crammed into a 3-issue mini series, the intricate designs, ethical questions, and realism born of attention to detail all make this an important (though often overlooked) addition to graphic novel collections.
----------------------------
It saddens me that the current generation of children will grow up without shuttle launches to carry their young dreams into space, but hopefully the legacy left by these and other books will keep the dream alive until a new age of space exploration can begin.
This post was written in honor of the Space Shuttle Endeavor's last flight.
Do you know of other great graphic novels about 20th and 21st century space exploration? Please share!
Laika (2007, First Second)
Writer and Artist: Nick Abadzis
10 and up - A blend of fact and fiction, Laika follows three primary characters: Laika herself, the abandoned puppy who became the first living being to orbit Earth; Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika; and Korolev, a top engineer for the Russian space program. Just as interesting a read for it's historical facts as it's deep emotion, Laika is a must-read for dog lovers, space and history buffs, graphic novel fans, and everyone else! The soft color work fits the rough art style well and adds to the emotive quality of the book. Have the tissues handy for this one.
Writer: Warren Ellis | Art: Colleen Doran
16 and up - A scientific mystery with surprising emotional resonance. The Space Shuttle Venture has returned home to the ruins of the abandoned Kennedy Space Center ten years after it went missing. Particularly interesting for anyone who has visited KSC and will recognize the crumbling structures. A strange and powerful story with a hint of the usual Warren Ellis weirdness. The payoff is at the very end.
T-Minus: The Race to the Moon (2009, Aladdin)
Writer: Jim Ottaviani | Art: Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon
8 and up - An ambitious book that attempts to chronicle the history of the Space Race. This 128-page graphic novel is an easy pick for nonfiction lovers and fact collectors. While writer Jim Ottaviani does a great job of giving equal screen time to the U.S. and Russian sides of the race, several critical missions are barely mentioned, making this an incomplete history. Though it can be a bit of a dry read at times, readers will indeed walk away from T-Minus having learned much about the Space Race and - hopefully - with a little inspiration from the dreamers that launched us into space.
Twin Spica (Vertical, 2010) [English Translation]
Writing and Art: Yaginuma Kou 16 Volumes
12 and up - This is not the sweet shojo series that the cover seems to suggest. Though the Japanese space program was shut down by a tragic accident ten years ago, one that changed her family forever, 13-year-old Asumi is determined to attend Tokyo Space School and be in the first wave of new astronauts. Twin Spica overflows with poignant emotion as Yaginuma examines the relationship between Asumi and her father, her classmates, her history, and her dreams with an unforgettable bittersweet intensity. Grounded in realism and balanced between dreamer’s optimism and tragedy, Twin Spica is a complex and worthwhile read for all ages.
20th Century Boys (2009, VIZ) [English Translation]
16 and up - A scientific mystery with surprising emotional resonance. The Space Shuttle Venture has returned home to the ruins of the abandoned Kennedy Space Center ten years after it went missing. Particularly interesting for anyone who has visited KSC and will recognize the crumbling structures. A strange and powerful story with a hint of the usual Warren Ellis weirdness. The payoff is at the very end.
T-Minus: The Race to the Moon (2009, Aladdin)
8 and up - An ambitious book that attempts to chronicle the history of the Space Race. This 128-page graphic novel is an easy pick for nonfiction lovers and fact collectors. While writer Jim Ottaviani does a great job of giving equal screen time to the U.S. and Russian sides of the race, several critical missions are barely mentioned, making this an incomplete history. Though it can be a bit of a dry read at times, readers will indeed walk away from T-Minus having learned much about the Space Race and - hopefully - with a little inspiration from the dreamers that launched us into space.
Twin Spica (Vertical, 2010) [English Translation]
12 and up - This is not the sweet shojo series that the cover seems to suggest. Though the Japanese space program was shut down by a tragic accident ten years ago, one that changed her family forever, 13-year-old Asumi is determined to attend Tokyo Space School and be in the first wave of new astronauts. Twin Spica overflows with poignant emotion as Yaginuma examines the relationship between Asumi and her father, her classmates, her history, and her dreams with an unforgettable bittersweet intensity. Grounded in realism and balanced between dreamer’s optimism and tragedy, Twin Spica is a complex and worthwhile read for all ages.
20th Century Boys (2009, VIZ) [English Translation]
13 and up - Though this complex mystery could be read and enjoyed by younger audiences, 20th Century Boys is really a coming-of-age tale for thirty- and forty-somethings that considers the gap between our adult lives and the people we dreamed we would become as children. Urasawa is masterful at building and maintaining suspense; you are fortunate if you are just learning about this series now, because the final English volume was just released yesterday, no wait required. Be prepared for a marathon, because once you start you’ll want to power through to the end.
16 and up - An alternate-history version of human space exploration, where America never secured independence from England and the British Empire dominates space travel and colonization. Though the story suffers from being crammed into a 3-issue mini series, the intricate designs, ethical questions, and realism born of attention to detail all make this an important (though often overlooked) addition to graphic novel collections.
----------------------------
It saddens me that the current generation of children will grow up without shuttle launches to carry their young dreams into space, but hopefully the legacy left by these and other books will keep the dream alive until a new age of space exploration can begin.
This post was written in honor of the Space Shuttle Endeavor's last flight.
Do you know of other great graphic novels about 20th and 21st century space exploration? Please share!
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