SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

April 24, 2013 by Travis Jonker

My Doppelganger Lives in My Library

April 24, 2013 by Travis Jonker   6 comments

Well, it happened again – a student discovered my world-record-holding look-alike in one of our library books. This time it was in the pages of Scholastic Book of Records 2011. A 3rd grader came up to me today and showed me this:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Hicham El Guerrouj

This has happened before. Turns out that Mr. Guerrouj holds the record for the mile and shows up a lot in world record books/almanacs. Every once in a while a student will come across his picture and either…

A. …think it’s me in the book (lower elementary student example). Or…

B. …grin like no tomorrow while showing me that I look like a Moroccan middle distance runner.

I get a kick out of it every time. Keep running, Hicham – I’ll bask in the glow of your notoriety any time¹.

¹Note to self: go to a track in Morocco and see if I can fool anybody.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2023

Keeping an Eye On . . . the PEN America Book Ban Lawsuit

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

The Unexpecteds: 5 Sneakily Popular Books in Our K-3 School Library This Year

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

'Where are your tall books?' The Top 4 Unexpected Reasons for Popularity

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

2023 Books by American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

The 2023 Poop Report

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

A Podcast Experiment: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Dan Santat, Doug Salati, and Amina Luqman-Dawson.

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Maintain the Domain! A PSA for Authors/Publishers

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Extincts: Flight of the Mammoth | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

And now there are 38: May Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Suggestions

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Back in the (Literary) Saddle, a guest post by Jessica Burkhart

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ’s 2022 Best Books Are Live. Download a PDF of the Complete List.

Stories That Soar: Interview with 2022 Best Books Cover Illustrator Guojing

First Books about a Loose Tooth | Milestones

SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Books Read in 2022

Best Books 2022 | The Year in SLJ Covers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Lodding says

    April 24, 2013 at 6:07 am

    And I’m sure that, every once in a while, someone stops Hicham (in the middle of his distance run, fo course) to tell him that he looks just like Travis Jonker!

    Keep on runnin’ — both of you!

  2. Melanie Hope Greenberg says

    April 24, 2013 at 7:56 am

    Keep the book cover displayed on your desk with a tip jar.

  3. Vicki Kouchnerkavich says

    April 24, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    My son actually met someone with the same name as himself, is a shirt tail relation and is in the same profession!

  4. PragmaticMom says

    April 25, 2013 at 10:11 am

    Or hope he gets immortalized in a movie by an indy Moroccan film director and serve as his stunt double. You better start training. I bet you are a good runner like your doppelganger!

  5. Matthew C. Winner says

    May 13, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    Well, in that case, I’m going to highly recommend that you don this ensemble for your first big Caldecott meet: http://optimaltraining.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/27/hicham_el_guerrouj_gold_3.jpg

    Can’t wait for Chicago, friend!

    • Travis Jonker says

      May 14, 2013 at 8:23 am

      Ha! I’ll remember to bring a head wreath. See you at ALA!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023