Your Holiday Gift Guide!

"A Book is a Gift You Can Open 

Again and Again."

-Garrison Keillor

The holiday season is upon us!  As you put together your shopping lists, here are some links to help you find the perfect match for the special people in your life...

RICBA Nominee

If you're shopping for a 4th grader, consider selecting a book from this year's Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee list.  All students in these grades have been challenged to read at least five of these books.  Students who do will qualify to participate in the "Rooster Games", so you'll be helping them along!  The link above will provide you with summaries as well as suggested grade levels for each book.

 For readers of all ages, take a look at the list of 2014 Notable Children's Books created by the Association for Library Service to Children.  This list is intended to contain "the best of the best in children's books".  There are separate sections for younger, middle, and older readers.

While you're searching for the perfect book, there are two websites that will not only provide a myriad of fantastic suggestions but also plenty of other great information as well.  You really can't go wrong spending some time exploring these:  

A Mighty Girl is a website that was "founded on the belief that all children should have the opportunity to read books, play with toys, listen to music, and watch movies that offer positive messages about girls and honor their diverse capabilities.  Girls do not have to be relagated to the role of sidekick or damsel in distress; they can be the leaders, the heroes, the champions that save the day, find the cure, and go on the adventure."  Click here to go straight to their recommended books page!  

Guys Read is a web site with a mission "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers".  Founded by author Jon Scieszka, the site is filled with loads of recommended reading lists with titles like Creepy and Weird, People Being Transformed into Animals, and Realistic Kids in Realistic Situations.  There's also a section of reading lists created by authors like Dan Gutman and Gordon Korman called By Some Guys and For Other Guys.  There's lots of other great stuff to be found on this site, but you can click here to go straight to the Main Book Page.  

Whether it's a traditional book, an electronic book or an audio book, please consider sharing the joy of reading with someone you love this holiday season!

A Rainy Monday Won't Get Them Down!

Did today's rainy Monday get you down?  Not these first graders!  They turned the "indoor recess" announcement into an extra opportunity to visit the library and swap books! 

I always tell my students that they don't have to wait until their next library class to return their books.  Any time their teacher says it's okay, they are welcome to visit!  If I'm not here, they can drop off items in the book return and try again another time.  Today the first student who entered the room saw me at my computer and joyfully announced, "She's here!"  Look at those smiles...do I have the best job or what??  :)

Elephant and Piggie Love the Library!

 Elephant and Piggie love the library, 

and so does the first grade!

As a culminating activity for our unit on taking care of books and library procedures, my first grade classes created a book featuring two of our favorite characters: Elephant and Piggie from the stories by Mo Willems! 

I have an Elephant and Piggie poster that has been hanging in the library, and it occurred to me that the illustrations could be used in a book.  The students worked in pairs to write their own words to go with each picture. 

We spent a lot of time talking about the different punctuation marks that could go at the end of each sentence and how that would change how the words would be read aloud.  Then, when all of the groups were finished, each pair stood up in front of the class to "perform" their work for the class.  They were so proud!

Here are some of the pages from our book.  You can click on any picture to make it bigger.  Enjoy!