Jan Johnson, Manager of Youth Services at Princeton Public Library & Caldecott Committee Member

The New Jersey State Library for the Blind and Handicapped

By Gary Cooper
The New Jersey State Library for the Blind and Handicapped is hosting a Children’s American Sign Language Story Hour on Tuesday, February 10, at 10 a.m. at its headquarters in Trenton.
            Jan Johnson, a member of the 2009 Caldecott Committee, will read Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. Students in grades two through five from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf, home-schooled hearing children, and students with multiple disabilities from three classes at the Hunterdon County ESC School, Lambertville, are expected to attend the reading. The award-winning ASL Story Hour was the recipient of the 2006 New Jersey Distinguished Governmental Agency Award.
            Joseph had a Little Overcoat won the Caldecott Medal in 2000. In this hilarious story, Joseph’s favorite overcoat gets old and worn, so he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is covered in patches, he makes a vest out of it. Joseph’s creative and frugal ways continue until there’s nothing left of the original coat.  But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing!  What does he make?
            Following the story, Jan Johnson will speak about her experiences on this year’s Caldecott Committee. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott and is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson, was selected as the 2009 winner. In keeping with the theme, art supplies will be available for everyone to create their own work of art.
            Certified therapy dogs and their volunteer owners from the Kindred Souls Canine Center, operated by trainer Pete Campione, will participate in the story hour program and interact with the children.
            The NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides American Sign Language interpreters as part of this program, which promotes English literacy. For Deaf children who have grown up with American Sign Language as their first language, the story hour provides a valuable opportunity to increase their English literacy skills. Assistive Listening Devices are available at the program. Refreshments will be served. The public is welcome, but space is limited, and reserving a place at the Story Hour is necessary.  Contact Christine Olsen, TTY (877) 882-5593 or Voice (888) 671-6983.
About Jan Johnson
            Jan Johnson is a member of the 2009 Caldecott Medal Award Committee and the Manager of Youth Services at Princeton Public Library. Johnson has been a children’s librarian since 1972 and would not trade it.  Her second favorite part of being a children’s librarian is called readers advisory which involves a conversation with the child (or parent, or adult wanting a bit of nostalgia) in an attempt to get the right book into the right hand; but her favorite part is sharing stories – at story time, at camp, one-on–one with anyone who will sit next to her… any time.
            She was born and spent her first 18 years in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and from there moved south tiny bit by tiny bit. She went to college in Minnesota where winter was at least 2 months shorter than she knew. Moved to Boston for grad school where winter was wetter than anything she’d ever seen, and more than 30 years ago came to NJ which, except for the humidity in the summer has reasonable weather… or maybe she stays because her husband loves his job and so does she. They are the parents of 3 grown daughters and soon to be grandparents for the first time.
 
The New Jersey State Library has three bureaus: the Library Development Bureau (LDB), the State Library Information Center (SLIC), and the NJ State Library for the Blind and Handicapped (LBH). LBH connects people with information to enrich the lives of those with special needs.
 
For more information about LBH, contact Anne McArthur, Head of Outreach and Audiovision, at 609-530-3242 [email protected]