Stories from the Library: February 1-5

As 1st Graders become more independent readers, I like to introduce easy reader and chapter books into our library times. I especially love seeing when students have latched onto a certain series and can't wait to come back for the next book. One such series that's wonderful for emerging readers is Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. The books are narrated by Nate, a boy detective who solves cases around his neighborhood, and give great "kid perspective" into the world of mystery-solving. We started reading Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine, in which Nate is not shy in telling us that "I was glad that no one had given me a valentine. I, Nate the Great, do not like mushy words. Or slushy words. I, Nate the Great, do not want to be anyone's valentine."

We had a short week because of conferences this week...


Preschool: We followed another runaway dog in Cynthia Rylant's The Great Gracie Chase: Stop that Dog! When the house painters disturb Gracie's peace and quiet, she escapes the yard and starts running. Soon nearly everyone in town joins in the Great Gracie Chase-- across the schoolyard, up the hill, through the fountain. Preschoolers love this fun story and bold, colorful illustrations.


Junior Kindergarten: Junior Kindergartners earned their party for good library behavior this week! We celebrated with an episode of Reading Rainbow (a personal favorite) and a small treat. 


1st Grade: See opening post. 


4th Grade: We discussed plagiarism in 4th Grade this week with the aid of Brooke Berg's book When Marion Copied: Learning about Plagiarism. When three people in Marion the Hedgehog's class use the same internet site to research for their reports, their papers end up sounding strangely identical. The book thoroughly explains what plagiarism is, the gravity of plagiarism (a combination of lying, cheating and stealing- oh my), and strategies for avoiding it.


5th Grade: House-sized planets,sheep, flowers and baobabs? Just another week with The Little Prince.

Stories from the Library: January 24-29

Preschoolers had a rollicking time with Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. Harry, the family dog, decides that he dislikes baths so much, he buries his scrubbing brush and runs away! After playing in the rail yard, sliding down a coal chute and meeting other dogs to play with, Harry finally comes home, but he's so dirty his family doesn't recognize him. The Preschool class loved seeing Harry change from a white dog with black spots, to a black dog with white spots, and back again!


Junior Kindergarten: Junior Kindergartners were captivated by Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. The little ones were drawn in by the detailed illustrations of 1930s machinery and the twisting and turning story of Mike Mulligan and Mary Ann, his trusty, but outdated, steam shovel.


Kindergarten: Kindergarteners finished up their fairy tale unit with Steven Kellogg's Jack and the Beanstalk. Each page of Kellogg's illustrations is an intricate piece of artwork that serves as the perfect backdrop to Jack's fun story. 


1st Grade: We were interrupted by a fire drill in the middle of reading Tacky the Penguin, a sweet and silly story about an "odd bird" and his perfect penguin friends. When the hunters come, Tacky's eccentricities come in handy...


2nd Grade: 2nd Graders laughed along with another fractured fairy tale, Prince Cinders by Babette Cole. In the story, the small gangling prince longs to go to the palace disco with his three big hairy brothers. True to Cinderella form, the prince is visited by his fairy godmother...but she can't seem to get her spells quite right. Unaware of these spell snafus the prince goes to the disco, loses his trousers, and gets the girl in the end.


3rd Grade: We encountered another bath-hater in this weeks' chapter from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle: "The Radish Cure." Patsy lives the dirty child's dream life for awhile. That is, until radishes start springing from her dirt-caked skin!


5th Grade: Still off in the land of The Little Prince...

Stories from the Library: January 19-22

5th Graders began a journey into Antoine De Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. I'd been vaguely aware of this book when I was growing up, but hadn't actually read it until last year. It's a beautiful piece of literature that delves into the idea of childlike thinking and maintaining a sense of wonder and creativity. We learned a bit of background about the author, Saint-Exupéry, a French-born pilot who considered writing his second occupation after flying. The students wondered if the story was autobiographical, since our narrator is also a pilot who makes an emergency landing in the Sahara Desert (part of Saint-Exupéry's story, as well). We talked about how authors often use personal experiences in fiction. But I'm willing to bet that Antoine De Saint-Exupéry never had an encounter with an inquisitive prince from another planet...


*Several classes missed Library this week because of the MLK holiday and Chinese New Year celebration.


Preschool: Preschoolers enjoyed David Shannon's Too Many Toys. The author and illustrator behind the No, David books presents another colorful tale about Spencer, who, you guessed it, has too many toys. He and his mother argue, bargain and finally come to a head about Spencer's over-the-top toy collection. That is, until he discovers the best toy of all.


Junior Kindergarten: After reading about Katy the snowplow's heroic acts in Katy and the Big Snow last week, we read about yet another brave machine in The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper. Junior Kindergarteners were captivated by the story (how is little train full of toys and food going to get over the mountain?) and the chugging refrain "I think I can. I think I can."


3rd Grade: We were completely engrossed in Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and her "Won't Pick Up Toys Cure" this week.

Stories from the Library: January 11-15

In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, we read This is the Dream by Diane ZuHone Shore in 4th Grade. This illustrated poem is simple yet powerful, depicting scenes from the escalating civil rights movement. We stopped to talk about the lunch counter sit-ins and what it looks like to have a peaceful protest. The book also led into a great discussion about why it's important to look at these admittedly ugly parts of history and how knowing the past helps us avoid mistakes in the future.


Preschool: To gain a greater understanding of this month's core virtue, courage, we read Kevin Henke's Sheila Rae the Brave. Sheila Rae isn't afraid of anything: she steps on cracks, faces monsters in the closet and keeps her cool during thunderstorms. But when she gets lost on the way home from school, Shelia Rae's courage wanes a little, giving her little sister Louise a chance to save the day.



Junior Kindergarten: Even though we've had a rather mild winter, Junior Kindergarteners could still relate to Virginia Lee Burton's Katy and the Big Snow. Before reading we looked at pictures of buildings that appear in the city of Geopolis and discussed the importance of the police station, hospital and electric buildingseeing Katy the snowplow save the day.
to a community. The students were enchanted by Burton's detailed drawings and loved


Kindergarten: For our second fairy tale, we read a version of Rumpelstiltskin by Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky. Beautiful oil paintings in subdued colors accompany this captivating story and students were wide-eyed and curious to find out about the mysterious little man who appears to the miller's daughter.



1st Grade: 1st Graders listened to Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer, a classic tale about a little polar bear who floats away on an iceburg during the night and is suprised to find himself...in the jungle? The book serves as a good lesson about animal habitat and why animals like polar bears are better suited to arctic climates and why hippos aren't great rock climbers.



2nd Grade: We enjoyed another fractured fairy tale in 2nd Grade this week, Falling for Rapunzel by Oregon author Leah Wilcox. Apparantly it's a little difficult to hear correctly when you're way up in a tower and have a lot of hair covering your ears. When the prince calls up for Rapunzel's hair, rope, or a ladder, she throws down underwear, a cantelope and pancake batter. While the tale doesn't have quite the same ending as the traditional Rapunzel, all characters would agree it's a happy one-- even the maid.



3rd Grade: We read a little more of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle before most of the 3rd Graders had to leave to particiate in our wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr. presentation. 


4th Grade: See opening post.


5th Grade: Team Roadkill emerged victorious in week 2 of our Library Competition. We're starting to remember all those Dewey categories!

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.

Stories from the Library: December 14-18

Happy Holidays from the SPS Library! 

We enjoyed a number of holiday books in the library this week: Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, Merry Christmas, Curious George by Cathy Hapka, A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement C. Moore, A Wish for Wings that Worked by Berkeley Breathed, and Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini. It's been a fun and festive week that included the elementary holiday show (featuring the Seven Peaks penguins-- all week I heard our music teachers instructing children to "keep waddling!"), many classroom celebrations, staff Secret Santas, and an office kitchen brimming with treats. 

Have a wonderful holiday break-- there are many more books and stories to come in the new year!

Stories from the Library: December 7-11

Kindergarteners impressed me with their inference skills while reading Eric Carle's Dream Snow this week. Before reading the story, we looked at some of the pictures and guessed what kind of animals were in the farmer's barn windows. We charted our animal predictions and had fun turning the pages to see if our guesses were correct (most were!). At the end of the story, we had a mini-debate about whether the man pictured on the cover of the book is Santa Claus or not. He is simply identified as "the farmer" in the story, and we had children making cases for both sides. This book was a fun treat at the end of a long, busy week.

Preschool: I shared one of my favorite childhood Christmas books with the Preschoolers this week, Merry Christmas Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer. While Little Critter has good intentions to help his parents wrap gifts, decorate the tree and pick out presents for his little sister, he encounters a number of setbacks. I think the picture of Little Critter wrapped in too-sticky tape was enough to make me giggle many years ago, and the Preschoolers shared my sentiments. We also enjoyed If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, the Holiday companion to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff.


Junior Kindergarten: The sight of Santa Claus on the cover of Hurry Santa by Julie Sykes was enough to enthrall the Junior Kindergarten class. Colorful cartoon-ish illustrations accompany this fun and simple story about Santa Claus running late on Christmas Eve. At the end of the story, Santa Claus finds one last gift at the bottom of his bag-- a new alarm clock from his animal friends.


2nd Grade: Maria's family Christmas is almost ruined when she thinks she has lost her mother's wedding ring while kneading the cornmeal dough for tamales in Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto. Before diving into the story, we looked at step-by-step pictures of how tamales are made. This book is a fun look at how holidays are celebrated among other culture groups, but the gentle lessons about honesty and truth-telling are universal. 


Quite a few classes missed their regular library time this week due to the book fair and holiday show rehearsals. 'Tis a busy (but fun) season!