Stories from the Library: January 4-8

Junior Kindergarten: A circle story is a story that ends almost the same way as it begins. In Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka, Wolf is compelled to write a story about Mr. Nice Wolf after reading so many cruel depictions of storybook wolves. His story begins with Mr. Nice Wolf following a set of footprints in the freshly fallen snow that he believes will lead him to a new animal friend. When Wolf's true nature starts to overcome his writing process, he is interrupted by a knock at the door and opens it to reveal...a set of footprints in the freshly fallen snow.

Preschool: What would happen if the animals in the zoo could take pictures of themselves? When someone drops a camera inside the penguin exhibit in Penguins by Liz Pichon, the penguins can't get enough of posing and acting silly for the camera. When the little girl finally returns for her lost camera, she is met with a big surprise after she develops her film!



Junior Kindergarten: See opening post.



Kindergarten: Fairy tales are fun anytime, but they especially brighten up the dreary January days we've been having lately. We started off with James Marshall's colorful version of Hansel and Gretel. The author/illustrator inserts quite a bit of higher level vocabulary into the otherwise straightforward story. Words like vast, badgered, fret, tarry and sumptuous make the text in this classic story as colorful as the illustrations. Kindergarteners also enjoyed another mini-debate about the identity of the witch. The witch Hansel and Gretel encounter in the forest looks remarkably like the evil stepmother they have left behind. Both characters die at the story's end. Though Marshall does not tell readers to make these connections, our clever Kindergarteners pointed out the subtle similarities.


1st Grade: 1st Graders listened to a final Jan Brett story, The Three Snow Bears, a version of Goldilocks set in an Inuit village. As always, Jan Brett charms her audiences with intricate illustrations and a sense of fun. Even though many 1st Graders had read this book in Kindergarten, most voted to read it again.


2nd Grade: We visited wolves again in 2nd Grade with Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child. With colorful collage-style illustrations, Child tells us the story of Herb, a little boy with a healthy fear of the wolves who grace the covers of his picture books. When the cover wolves show up one night, Herb enlists the help of the not-so-helpful Fairy Godmother and the two twist up more than a couple classic fairy tales in the process.


3rd Grade: One of my favorite books to read to 3rd Graders is Betty MacDonald's Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I grew up hearing these fun stories and love sharing them with a new generation of children. MacDonald's quirky descriptions of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (who wouldn't want to hang out with a woman with "brown sparkly eyes" who smells like sugar cookies and has a lump of magic on her back?) also made for a great lesson in characterization. 


4th Grade:We had a special presentation from the Matsiko children's choir from Uganda this week, so 4th Graders only did the checkout portion of their library time. 


5th Grade: 5th Graders competed in a library game testing their knowledge on library skills we've learned so far. "Team Roadkill" is currently ahead of "The Girls," but the final round will prove who is the true Library Champion.