Hello,
I know some of you really enjoy knowing about new books. I can be difficult to know which books you might like and which you might not like. I try to choose books that I really like and that fit the criteria we want for our SDA schools.
The Boo-Boos That Changed the World by Barry Wittenstein. 2018.
This is the story of how Band-Aids were created. This book is fun to read aloud. The first page reads “Once upon a time, in 1917 actually, a cotton buyer named Earle Dickson married his beloved, Josephine, and they lived happily ever after. The End.” I read that a stopped. The children were surprised and said, “That isn’t all!?” So I turned the page and read the next ten pages at the end of which stated “The End.” I waited again, and the protests came. The children were laughing by now, so I continued reading four more pages when I again read “The End.” Two more pages – The End. And finally read to the end of the book when it says “The End – Really!” Meanwhile, through all those ‘The Ends” comes the story of how a cotton buyer created bandages with adhesive that was easy to apply with one hand. They didn’t sell well until Johnson and Johnson decided to give them away to the Boy Scouts since boys scrape their knees and elbows. The mothers realized how handy these things were and they began to sell. There is a nice bit of history here and lots of things that you might not know just like the children. This is a book that is appropriate for all ages.
Focused by Alyson Gerber. 2019.
If you have a student in your class with ADHD, they might want to read this book. Clea can’t control her thoughts. She gets distracted; she can’t focus easily especially with others around her making noises. The other kids are beginning to notice and it is starting to affect her grades. Her parents take her to be tested and she learns that she had ADHD. I am processing this book right now and already have a student with ADHD who wants to read it. Alyson Gerber has written a story to help others know what it is like for someone who has ADHD. If you like this one, you may also like a previous book Gerber wrote titled “Braced” about a girl with scoliosis.
Since we are on a roll with medical issues, consider the book Roll With It by Jamie Sumner about a girl in a wheelchair. Not only is Ellie in a wheelchair, but she is the new girl. Add to that, she is the new girl who lived in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. Ellie has cerebral palsy and she and her mom have moved to a new town so they can help care for her grandfather who has dementia. Ellie wants to be a baker and is excited to enter a baking contest. We learn about Ellie and what life is like for her living with CP.
What I like about Focused, Braced, and Roll With It is that we learn more about what it is like for a person with those medical conditions. By learning more about the issues, we become more accepting and tolerant.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Washington Children's Choice books
Hello,\
You may know about the Washington Children’s Choice program. Each year the Washington Library Association School Division (WLA) sponsors an award for the favorite picture book from a total of 20 that have been nominated. Teachers, librarians, or parents read the books to the children in grades K – 3 and students choose the one they like best. The votes are sent in and we wait as patiently as we can to hear which book won.
I look over the list of nominations and choose the ones that fit my library criteria. This year I found a few I’d like to share with you.
Saving Fiona: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Baby Hippo by Thane Maynard. 2018.
Fiona was the first baby hippo to be born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo in January of 2017. She was the first premature hippo to be raised by humans. This is the story of how TeamFiona committed themselves to help Fiona live. Photographs on every page illustrate each step of Fiona’s progress.
The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson. 2017.
I admit that I almost didn’t even open this book simply because of the cover and the title. But since it was a WCC nomination, I decided I needed to at least give it a half-hearted chance. I am a fan of reading author’s notes and this one got my attention. Julia Donaldson went on safari in Africa and noticed that everyone made a big fuss about trying to spot the Big Five animals – elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, and leopard. Julia found the Ugly Five more appealing and decided to write a story about these overlooked animals. This book features the wildebeest, hyena, vulture, warthog, and the marabou stork. At the end of this book, she asks if you went on safari would you like to see the Little Five, The Shy Five, the Big Five, or the Ugly Five? I’m glad I got it from the Scholastic Book Fair. I think you’ll like it, too.
Inky’s Amazing Escape : How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery. 2018.
If you take a look in your library, you very likely have books by Sy Montgomery. He is quite a prolific writer and usually writes about science and nature. This is a true story about an octopus caught in a lobster trap in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand. The lobsterman took him to the National Aquarium of New Zealand. Inky enjoyed his home in the aquarium, but got curious and was able to squeeze out of his tank and through the pipes in the floor which led back to the Pacific Ocean. I just read this last week to my students and we loved it.
Can I Be Your Dog? By Troy Cummings. 2018.
Arfy is a homeless dog who lives in a cardboard box in an alley. He wants a home and writes a letter to the people who live on the street. The whole story is written in letters back and forth from Arfy to each house asking if he can be their dog. If you are teaching a letter writing unit, this would be a great book to supplement the unit. After the story ends, there is information on how you can help homeless animals.
More next week.
Audrey
You may know about the Washington Children’s Choice program. Each year the Washington Library Association School Division (WLA) sponsors an award for the favorite picture book from a total of 20 that have been nominated. Teachers, librarians, or parents read the books to the children in grades K – 3 and students choose the one they like best. The votes are sent in and we wait as patiently as we can to hear which book won.
I look over the list of nominations and choose the ones that fit my library criteria. This year I found a few I’d like to share with you.
Saving Fiona: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Baby Hippo by Thane Maynard. 2018.
Fiona was the first baby hippo to be born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo in January of 2017. She was the first premature hippo to be raised by humans. This is the story of how TeamFiona committed themselves to help Fiona live. Photographs on every page illustrate each step of Fiona’s progress.
The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson. 2017.
I admit that I almost didn’t even open this book simply because of the cover and the title. But since it was a WCC nomination, I decided I needed to at least give it a half-hearted chance. I am a fan of reading author’s notes and this one got my attention. Julia Donaldson went on safari in Africa and noticed that everyone made a big fuss about trying to spot the Big Five animals – elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, and leopard. Julia found the Ugly Five more appealing and decided to write a story about these overlooked animals. This book features the wildebeest, hyena, vulture, warthog, and the marabou stork. At the end of this book, she asks if you went on safari would you like to see the Little Five, The Shy Five, the Big Five, or the Ugly Five? I’m glad I got it from the Scholastic Book Fair. I think you’ll like it, too.
Inky’s Amazing Escape : How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery. 2018.
If you take a look in your library, you very likely have books by Sy Montgomery. He is quite a prolific writer and usually writes about science and nature. This is a true story about an octopus caught in a lobster trap in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand. The lobsterman took him to the National Aquarium of New Zealand. Inky enjoyed his home in the aquarium, but got curious and was able to squeeze out of his tank and through the pipes in the floor which led back to the Pacific Ocean. I just read this last week to my students and we loved it.
Can I Be Your Dog? By Troy Cummings. 2018.
Arfy is a homeless dog who lives in a cardboard box in an alley. He wants a home and writes a letter to the people who live on the street. The whole story is written in letters back and forth from Arfy to each house asking if he can be their dog. If you are teaching a letter writing unit, this would be a great book to supplement the unit. After the story ends, there is information on how you can help homeless animals.
More next week.
Audrey
Monday, January 13, 2020
Parent Shelf
Hello, Friends,
I have one idea for you today. You may have some books sin your library that are a little too old for your students, but very suitable for parents. Consider setting up a shelf for parents to check out. We have one and here is how it started.
We are fortunate to have a part time counsellor who had a few books for parents to use. She asked if we would be able to process them and set up a special place for parents to check them out. She would refer parents to the library as needed. We agreed that we could work with her on this and actually bought a few of the books she felt were important for our school community. After that, parents have donated books that were also great additions to the Parent Shelf. We have promoted this in our weekly school newsletter.
The spine label has a capital ‘P’ above the Dewey number to indicate it is shelved in a special place, but they could also be shelved later on the regular shelves if we decided to make that change.
Our shelf looks like this currently.
We don’t have a lot of books, but as they come through, we add to our collection.
If you want to set up something similar, but don’t have the funds to do so, check with your church community. It may be that parents who have raised their children may donate books for your project.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
New Books
Hello and Happy New Year!
Today I have four new books and I do mean new. They all have a copyright date of 2019. They are all books for older students. I have found that sometimes it is a bit more difficult to find books for older students that they might like.
There is a nice variety of genres represented here. I really don’t like to assign gender to books, but these are great ‘boy’ books.
Secret Soldiers by Kelly Hutton. 2019. 306 pp.
I love the tag line on this book. “Four Boys. One Deadly Mission.” Just that line got my attention. This book is about the young British boys who served in the first World War as tunnellers underground. These underage boys wanted to fight and help the war effort and lied about their ages in order to do so. Secret Soldiers follows the story of Thomas, a thirteen-year-old coal miner who enlists in order to find his older brother who is missing in action. He and three other boys are assigned to help dig tunnels beneath the battlefield. The author’s note at the end tells more about the Tunnellers’ Memorial and books that she used for some of her information.
Fighting for the Forest by P. O’Connell Pearson. 2019. 171 pp.
I admit it. I am a visual learner and the covers of books attracts me first. This cover did not. But I have learned to try to look past the cover and when I saw the center medallion and saw “Civilian Conservation Corp”, I knew that this might be a keeper. This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC program. The Civilian Conservation Corps was established during the Great Depression. This government agency helped save the United States from economic collapse and environmental disaster by building parks, reclaiming forests, planting around three billion trees, and restoring millions of acres of land between 1933 and 1942.
This book is like reading a documentary. Photographs and sidebar information help us to understand the time period and what people endured during the Great Depression.
The Poison Eaters by Gail Jarrow. 2019. 134 pp.
Come on! Eating poison?! What a pull to check out a book! In looking closer, we see this is about danger and fraud in our food and drugs. Still interesting. The cover illustration is perfect to grab attention, too. A human skull and the crossbones are a fork and knife.
I was unaware that until about a hundred years ago, chemicals used in embalming corpses were routinely added to foods by unregulated and unethical companies. One example tells of borax and boric acid sprinkled on meet and broken eggs to stop bacteria growth and covered up the smell of decay. Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley campaigned to protect consumers from harmful foods and drugs. The title of the book comes from the volunteers who helped test food additives and were dubbed ‘poison eaters’. Thanks to Dr. Wiley, we have much safer foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Disaster Strikes! By Jeffrey Kluger. 2019. 208 pp.
Another interesting tag line here. “The most dangerous space missions of all time.” Over Christmas break, my husband and I watched a 13 part documentary of the space missions. We both grew up in Florida during the beginning of the space program and my husband’s father did some work at Cape Canaveral, so it is really interesting to us.
Since the title has the word “disaster” in it, you can guess that this tells about the perils of the space race. We learn of minor problems and the tragedies of the men and women who have participated in the space program from the author of Apollo 13.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Today I have four new books and I do mean new. They all have a copyright date of 2019. They are all books for older students. I have found that sometimes it is a bit more difficult to find books for older students that they might like.
There is a nice variety of genres represented here. I really don’t like to assign gender to books, but these are great ‘boy’ books.
Secret Soldiers by Kelly Hutton. 2019. 306 pp.
I love the tag line on this book. “Four Boys. One Deadly Mission.” Just that line got my attention. This book is about the young British boys who served in the first World War as tunnellers underground. These underage boys wanted to fight and help the war effort and lied about their ages in order to do so. Secret Soldiers follows the story of Thomas, a thirteen-year-old coal miner who enlists in order to find his older brother who is missing in action. He and three other boys are assigned to help dig tunnels beneath the battlefield. The author’s note at the end tells more about the Tunnellers’ Memorial and books that she used for some of her information.
Fighting for the Forest by P. O’Connell Pearson. 2019. 171 pp.
I admit it. I am a visual learner and the covers of books attracts me first. This cover did not. But I have learned to try to look past the cover and when I saw the center medallion and saw “Civilian Conservation Corp”, I knew that this might be a keeper. This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC program. The Civilian Conservation Corps was established during the Great Depression. This government agency helped save the United States from economic collapse and environmental disaster by building parks, reclaiming forests, planting around three billion trees, and restoring millions of acres of land between 1933 and 1942.
This book is like reading a documentary. Photographs and sidebar information help us to understand the time period and what people endured during the Great Depression.
The Poison Eaters by Gail Jarrow. 2019. 134 pp.
Come on! Eating poison?! What a pull to check out a book! In looking closer, we see this is about danger and fraud in our food and drugs. Still interesting. The cover illustration is perfect to grab attention, too. A human skull and the crossbones are a fork and knife.
I was unaware that until about a hundred years ago, chemicals used in embalming corpses were routinely added to foods by unregulated and unethical companies. One example tells of borax and boric acid sprinkled on meet and broken eggs to stop bacteria growth and covered up the smell of decay. Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley campaigned to protect consumers from harmful foods and drugs. The title of the book comes from the volunteers who helped test food additives and were dubbed ‘poison eaters’. Thanks to Dr. Wiley, we have much safer foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Disaster Strikes! By Jeffrey Kluger. 2019. 208 pp.
Another interesting tag line here. “The most dangerous space missions of all time.” Over Christmas break, my husband and I watched a 13 part documentary of the space missions. We both grew up in Florida during the beginning of the space program and my husband’s father did some work at Cape Canaveral, so it is really interesting to us.
Since the title has the word “disaster” in it, you can guess that this tells about the perils of the space race. We learn of minor problems and the tragedies of the men and women who have participated in the space program from the author of Apollo 13.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Christmas Book ideas
Hello,
I have some Christmas books that are somewhat new to me and I thought I’d share them with you.
Miracle in a Shoebox by Franklin Graham. 1995. (I bought a used copy.)
Our school usually participates in the Operation Christmas Child program by Samaritan’s Purse and a year or so ago, I happened upon a book about the program. The story opens with a young boy who sees a TV commercial about this program and wants to participate and send a shoebox to a child. He gets his family and his Sunday School class involved, too. The story continues with the boxes going to a family that has suffered from the effects of war and the joy that the boxes bring. This book really helps demonstrate how the shoebox program works and how much they mean to the children who really have nothing.
The Christmas Tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Came to New York City by George Matteson and Adele Ursone. 2012.
The little girl in this story goes with her father who is a tugboat captain in the New York Harbor. Not only does he get to bring the annual Christmas tree to New York, but we also learn a little about the job of a tugboat captain. There is further information at the back of the book, too. After reading this book, go online to look at the current Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
If you have not gotten enough about the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, here is another story for you.
The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel. 2011.
Henry and his father cut down some trees on their property to sell in Manhattan during the depression. They sell most of their trees and give the last one to some carpenters and construction workers who were kind to them. The tree is decorated. Henry picks up a pinecone that fell from the tree and put it in his pocket. When he got home, he plants the pinecone. The construction workers were so pleased with the gift of the tree that they came out to Henry’s home (a shack) and helped his father build a new home. Meanwhile the tree grows, Henry ages, and one day someone comes and wants Henry’s tree for the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Henry decided to return the joy he has had in his tree all the years and help bring joy to others. In this book we learn a little about the Rockefeller tree plus a little about Habitat for Humanity.
Any of these books would be appropriate for students in all grades.
Have a great week,
Audrey
I have some Christmas books that are somewhat new to me and I thought I’d share them with you.
Miracle in a Shoebox by Franklin Graham. 1995. (I bought a used copy.)
Our school usually participates in the Operation Christmas Child program by Samaritan’s Purse and a year or so ago, I happened upon a book about the program. The story opens with a young boy who sees a TV commercial about this program and wants to participate and send a shoebox to a child. He gets his family and his Sunday School class involved, too. The story continues with the boxes going to a family that has suffered from the effects of war and the joy that the boxes bring. This book really helps demonstrate how the shoebox program works and how much they mean to the children who really have nothing.
The Christmas Tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Came to New York City by George Matteson and Adele Ursone. 2012.
The little girl in this story goes with her father who is a tugboat captain in the New York Harbor. Not only does he get to bring the annual Christmas tree to New York, but we also learn a little about the job of a tugboat captain. There is further information at the back of the book, too. After reading this book, go online to look at the current Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
If you have not gotten enough about the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, here is another story for you.
The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel. 2011.
Henry and his father cut down some trees on their property to sell in Manhattan during the depression. They sell most of their trees and give the last one to some carpenters and construction workers who were kind to them. The tree is decorated. Henry picks up a pinecone that fell from the tree and put it in his pocket. When he got home, he plants the pinecone. The construction workers were so pleased with the gift of the tree that they came out to Henry’s home (a shack) and helped his father build a new home. Meanwhile the tree grows, Henry ages, and one day someone comes and wants Henry’s tree for the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Henry decided to return the joy he has had in his tree all the years and help bring joy to others. In this book we learn a little about the Rockefeller tree plus a little about Habitat for Humanity.
Any of these books would be appropriate for students in all grades.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Monday, November 18, 2019
Native American books
Hello,
I must apologize for one thing from last week. I mentioned getting 20% off from Amazon and one of you questioned how I do that. After thinking a short time, I realized that I have Amazon Prime which give me free shipping, not a discount. The local bookstore did give me 20% off, so that must be where I got the idea in my head. I am sorry for any confusion.
This week I want to give you some information I recently received from one of the professors at WWU. She teaches Children’s Literature and found a website from their textbook on Native American literature. It is a blog by Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian and children’s literature specialist. Here’s the link for you. http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
I read a number of her blog posts and realized that my picture of Native Americans was very likely not a correct picture and has been colored by what I have seen about Indians in the literature I have read over the years. I have a hard time getting rid of my Thanksgiving books that stereotype Native Americans in feathers, headdresses, skimpy skin clothing, and war paint. On the other hand, I don’t want to be insensitive to the feelings of Native Americans who are insulted by being stereotyped or being called savages.
I went through my library and pulled off a few of the books that Ms. Reese found objectionable and during the next week or so, will continue to check the books I currently use for this holiday. I also ordered a number of the appropriate books on Reese’s lists.
I’m interested in your thoughts on this topic.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation.
Audrey
I must apologize for one thing from last week. I mentioned getting 20% off from Amazon and one of you questioned how I do that. After thinking a short time, I realized that I have Amazon Prime which give me free shipping, not a discount. The local bookstore did give me 20% off, so that must be where I got the idea in my head. I am sorry for any confusion.
This week I want to give you some information I recently received from one of the professors at WWU. She teaches Children’s Literature and found a website from their textbook on Native American literature. It is a blog by Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian and children’s literature specialist. Here’s the link for you. http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
I read a number of her blog posts and realized that my picture of Native Americans was very likely not a correct picture and has been colored by what I have seen about Indians in the literature I have read over the years. I have a hard time getting rid of my Thanksgiving books that stereotype Native Americans in feathers, headdresses, skimpy skin clothing, and war paint. On the other hand, I don’t want to be insensitive to the feelings of Native Americans who are insulted by being stereotyped or being called savages.
I went through my library and pulled off a few of the books that Ms. Reese found objectionable and during the next week or so, will continue to check the books I currently use for this holiday. I also ordered a number of the appropriate books on Reese’s lists.
I’m interested in your thoughts on this topic.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation.
Audrey
Friday, November 15, 2019
Wish Lists
Hello,
It is nearing the holidays and people are thinking about giving to others. This may be a great time to set up a Wish List for your classroom, classroom library, or school library. I have an Amazon Wish List with books and DVDs I want for the library. If you have a list that parents and church members can access, you are likely to receive things that you really need.
On my Amazon Wish List, I add books that students or teachers request that are not immediate needs, and once or twice a year I place an order. I know exactly what to order since the item is on my list and I have not forgotten anything. I have also printed out my list and taken it to our local bookstore where they offered me the same 20% discount that I could get from Amazon. They placed my order and called me a week or two later when all my books were in.
I was presenting library information to the Children’s Literature class from Walla Walla University yesterday and the professor had a great idea. She thought that setting out a small tree with bare branches and paper ornaments or shapes hanging from it with items you want would be a great year-round ‘wish list’. It could be any kind of tree or a pretend Dr. Seuss-like tree, or whatever works for you. Parents and visitors can see it and take off the paper with the name of the item they will purchase for you. I was at a school that used this idea at conference time. We taped large yellow stars with items on each to our classroom doors. The teacher next to my classroom laughed and put ‘teacher desk’ on one of her stars. One of her parents saw that and gave her a desk. His office was remodeling and she got a great desk. You just never know. I wished I had dreamed larger after finding that out.
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
It is nearing the holidays and people are thinking about giving to others. This may be a great time to set up a Wish List for your classroom, classroom library, or school library. I have an Amazon Wish List with books and DVDs I want for the library. If you have a list that parents and church members can access, you are likely to receive things that you really need.
On my Amazon Wish List, I add books that students or teachers request that are not immediate needs, and once or twice a year I place an order. I know exactly what to order since the item is on my list and I have not forgotten anything. I have also printed out my list and taken it to our local bookstore where they offered me the same 20% discount that I could get from Amazon. They placed my order and called me a week or two later when all my books were in.
I was presenting library information to the Children’s Literature class from Walla Walla University yesterday and the professor had a great idea. She thought that setting out a small tree with bare branches and paper ornaments or shapes hanging from it with items you want would be a great year-round ‘wish list’. It could be any kind of tree or a pretend Dr. Seuss-like tree, or whatever works for you. Parents and visitors can see it and take off the paper with the name of the item they will purchase for you. I was at a school that used this idea at conference time. We taped large yellow stars with items on each to our classroom doors. The teacher next to my classroom laughed and put ‘teacher desk’ on one of her stars. One of her parents saw that and gave her a desk. His office was remodeling and she got a great desk. You just never know. I wished I had dreamed larger after finding that out.
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
Monday, November 4, 2019
Donated Books and More
Hello,
I know that you probably have a similar problem that I have. The problem is when people want to donate their old books to the library. For some reason, it is difficult to throw away books. In our community, we have older people who are downsizing and they want to donate their books to the school. When I get a call or a visit from someone who wants to donate their books, I carefully answer with the following words. (Feel free to practice these two sentences.)
“I’ll be happy to take a look at them and see if there are any that we can use for our library. If we find that we can’t use all of them, would it be OK if we gave them to a classroom or somewhere else, or would you rather have them back?”
Usually they say that it is fine. After they leave, the books are mine and I can do what I want with them. I do look through them and sometimes I find something that we really can use. Sometimes I find a book that I can pass to a classroom that could use it. Many of the donated books go on our ‘give away’ shelf for students or parents to take. Any leftover books find their way to be recycled.
Another way to get books by donation is to create an Amazon Wish List for the school library. I have one and although I haven’t gotten many donations, I have gotten a few. The main thing I do with my wish list is to add books that have been requested and when I place an order, I have a substantial order.
I also have used one of the local bookstores. I’ll print out my Amazon wish list and give it to the bookstore. They order my books for me and give me a discount similar to Amazon’s. This way I am supporting the local economy and getting the same deal as I would through Amazon.
I hope these ideas are helpful to you.
Have a great week,
Audrey
I know that you probably have a similar problem that I have. The problem is when people want to donate their old books to the library. For some reason, it is difficult to throw away books. In our community, we have older people who are downsizing and they want to donate their books to the school. When I get a call or a visit from someone who wants to donate their books, I carefully answer with the following words. (Feel free to practice these two sentences.)
“I’ll be happy to take a look at them and see if there are any that we can use for our library. If we find that we can’t use all of them, would it be OK if we gave them to a classroom or somewhere else, or would you rather have them back?”
Usually they say that it is fine. After they leave, the books are mine and I can do what I want with them. I do look through them and sometimes I find something that we really can use. Sometimes I find a book that I can pass to a classroom that could use it. Many of the donated books go on our ‘give away’ shelf for students or parents to take. Any leftover books find their way to be recycled.
Another way to get books by donation is to create an Amazon Wish List for the school library. I have one and although I haven’t gotten many donations, I have gotten a few. The main thing I do with my wish list is to add books that have been requested and when I place an order, I have a substantial order.
I also have used one of the local bookstores. I’ll print out my Amazon wish list and give it to the bookstore. They order my books for me and give me a discount similar to Amazon’s. This way I am supporting the local economy and getting the same deal as I would through Amazon.
I hope these ideas are helpful to you.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Weeding in the 000s
Hello, Teachers,
I’ve been sending you to your libraries to weed and weed some more. I have another short place to weed. The 000s include encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and dictionaries plus more, but I’ll keep to the four mentioned.
Encyclopedias: My paper indicates that encyclopedias over 5 years old are outdated. I hesitate to toss them if they are less than 10 years old AND used regularly. However, if your print encyclopedias are seldom used, toss them and use the Britannica Online that is free for our SDA schools through the NAD.
Atlases: Make sure that your atlases are up-to-date and attractive to children. Do you have a good world atlas? What about an atlas of the United States or even a road atlas? There are some really fun and pretty picture atlases you might look at, too.
Almanacs: These also fit in the 5-year range, but I admit that we have some that are quite old that the children still like to look through. You are welcome to follow our lead and keep the items that are actually being used regularly. Usually, discarding the older ones and replacing with newer ones is the better plan.
Dictionaries: In a smaller school, it is likely that the classrooms have classroom sets of dictionaries for the students therefore the library may only need one or two. I would suggest he library get a good unabridged dictionary, and one or two college level dictionaries. I really like the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. If you want more, consider adding a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary.
The main word to consider in this section is “outdated”. If your section is outdated, then you really need to update soon.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
I’ve been sending you to your libraries to weed and weed some more. I have another short place to weed. The 000s include encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and dictionaries plus more, but I’ll keep to the four mentioned.
Encyclopedias: My paper indicates that encyclopedias over 5 years old are outdated. I hesitate to toss them if they are less than 10 years old AND used regularly. However, if your print encyclopedias are seldom used, toss them and use the Britannica Online that is free for our SDA schools through the NAD.
Atlases: Make sure that your atlases are up-to-date and attractive to children. Do you have a good world atlas? What about an atlas of the United States or even a road atlas? There are some really fun and pretty picture atlases you might look at, too.
Almanacs: These also fit in the 5-year range, but I admit that we have some that are quite old that the children still like to look through. You are welcome to follow our lead and keep the items that are actually being used regularly. Usually, discarding the older ones and replacing with newer ones is the better plan.
Dictionaries: In a smaller school, it is likely that the classrooms have classroom sets of dictionaries for the students therefore the library may only need one or two. I would suggest he library get a good unabridged dictionary, and one or two college level dictionaries. I really like the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. If you want more, consider adding a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary.
The main word to consider in this section is “outdated”. If your section is outdated, then you really need to update soon.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Weeding in the 900s
Hello,
If you weeded out all your “Pluto is the 9th planet” books and find that your 520 section is low, now you know where to put some of your vast library budgets!
Today let’s go to the geography and history section – the 900s. My source says to ‘rotate the purchase of books on countries and states so that no title is older than 5 years.' I sat here thinking that IF I did that, I’d be spending loads of money on books that are only used every other year. The books would be used a very few times before needing to be replaced. That seems wasteful to me.
This is probably not recommended so don’t turn me in to the library police, but I think if you have a book on each state and each country for main information that seldom changes, students can look for updated changes in information on the internet. I think you should check your state and country books to make sure they have nice updated color photos and published within the last 10 – 15 years. Older than that, make sure that the information is good enough and begin replacing them as you can. I say this to you, but I am realizing that I have no idea how old our state and country books are! I’m probably going to be embarrassed.
History books would seem to be relevant forever due to the fact that they are indeed ‘history’ which does not change, right?! My source says to ‘consider demand and accuracy of facts when reviewing histories.’
Watch for books that fit the ‘MUSTIE’ acronym. This stands for Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, (can be found) Elsewhere. ‘Ugly’ also includes missing pages, dirty, and in bad shape. Replace books that are being used regularly but fit this acronym.
Please remember that if a book is important to your school or library, keep it. These are guidelines, not etched in concrete.
I’m now heading to my 900 section to take a look.
Have a great week,
Audrey
If you weeded out all your “Pluto is the 9th planet” books and find that your 520 section is low, now you know where to put some of your vast library budgets!
Today let’s go to the geography and history section – the 900s. My source says to ‘rotate the purchase of books on countries and states so that no title is older than 5 years.' I sat here thinking that IF I did that, I’d be spending loads of money on books that are only used every other year. The books would be used a very few times before needing to be replaced. That seems wasteful to me.
This is probably not recommended so don’t turn me in to the library police, but I think if you have a book on each state and each country for main information that seldom changes, students can look for updated changes in information on the internet. I think you should check your state and country books to make sure they have nice updated color photos and published within the last 10 – 15 years. Older than that, make sure that the information is good enough and begin replacing them as you can. I say this to you, but I am realizing that I have no idea how old our state and country books are! I’m probably going to be embarrassed.
History books would seem to be relevant forever due to the fact that they are indeed ‘history’ which does not change, right?! My source says to ‘consider demand and accuracy of facts when reviewing histories.’
Watch for books that fit the ‘MUSTIE’ acronym. This stands for Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, (can be found) Elsewhere. ‘Ugly’ also includes missing pages, dirty, and in bad shape. Replace books that are being used regularly but fit this acronym.
Please remember that if a book is important to your school or library, keep it. These are guidelines, not etched in concrete.
I’m now heading to my 900 section to take a look.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Friday, October 11, 2019
Weeding in the 520s
Hello, All,
It may be that I am not paying attention, but I got some information this week from the American Library Association about weeding the library. I am really interested in this, because it is hard to know what to weed and what to keep sometimes. One person has simplified the * CREW method for school libraries down to one page. I downloaded it and printed it out. In the Astronomy section she mentioned weeding out all Astronomy books that mention Pluto as a planet. This morning I did just that. I went through the Astronomy books (520s) and pulled each one off the shelf. I checked the published date. If it was earlier than 2004, I put it to be discarded. If it was after 2004, I checked the index and looked at the Pluto pages to see how they were treating Pluto. Some said that Pluto was being considered to not be a planet, but they still included Pluto in the planet list. Tossed. Some said that Pluto was no longer a planet, but a dwarf planet instead. Keep.
If you haven’t done this yet, please do so very soon. If you have already weeded out incorrect Pluto information, why didn’t you tell me to do it too!?
Poor Pluto!
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
• The CREW method is a complete weeding manual for public libraries. I’ve used it to help weed in my library and also when giving advice to you in the past. It is free and you can download it online. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/index.html
It may be that I am not paying attention, but I got some information this week from the American Library Association about weeding the library. I am really interested in this, because it is hard to know what to weed and what to keep sometimes. One person has simplified the * CREW method for school libraries down to one page. I downloaded it and printed it out. In the Astronomy section she mentioned weeding out all Astronomy books that mention Pluto as a planet. This morning I did just that. I went through the Astronomy books (520s) and pulled each one off the shelf. I checked the published date. If it was earlier than 2004, I put it to be discarded. If it was after 2004, I checked the index and looked at the Pluto pages to see how they were treating Pluto. Some said that Pluto was being considered to not be a planet, but they still included Pluto in the planet list. Tossed. Some said that Pluto was no longer a planet, but a dwarf planet instead. Keep.
If you haven’t done this yet, please do so very soon. If you have already weeded out incorrect Pluto information, why didn’t you tell me to do it too!?
Poor Pluto!
Have a great weekend.
Audrey
• The CREW method is a complete weeding manual for public libraries. I’ve used it to help weed in my library and also when giving advice to you in the past. It is free and you can download it online. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/index.html
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Magazines in the library
Hello,
I got an email last week wondering how we manage our magazines for check out. This is a great question. We put a barcode on the magazine on the bound edge as shown below. You may also notice that we write the issue date on the barcode. This helps us and students quickly locate the issue they need.
We process magazines as magazines in the computer. There is a place on our Alexandria program for magazine subscriptions. If your library is automated, you likely have something similar. I am the one who inputs the information into the computer. There is a place in the subscription page to list tags. I look through magazines quickly and type information that will help us find the magazine quickly. For example, I look through a Ranger Rick magazine. I see an article about pandas, so I type “panda” “pandas” or even the specific kind of panda “Red panda”. I see an article about insects so I type “insect” and the names of the insects that are in bold font or have photos. I might get a Cobblestone magazine about presidents with short stories about 10 presidents. I list “presidents” and the names of the presidents. I don’t do this for ALL magazines. For the car, bike, sports, etc. I don’t put any tags. I only tag the magazines that have information used for curriculum. This way if a student needs an article or information on pandas, the computer will direct them to the magazines that have the information they want.
We keep most magazines for 3 – 5 years. A couple of the titles I receive (Cobblestone and Faces) are kept always like we keep books. Nearly all of the rest we discard as they lose pages or are getting old. You need to decide what magazines are important to your school. If the Radio Control magazine is a vitally important one, then keep it as long as it is useful to you.
We keep the newest issues on a magazine slanted shelf and the older issues in labeled magazine cartons on shelves in the stacks. Students check magazines out and we provide a plastic envelope to put them in to keep them clean and cared for in backpacks. I splurged a few years ago and bought some with our school logo printed on them so parents wouldn’t be as likely to toss the magazine in the trash.
I hope you have a great end of the week and a good weekend. I have family coming in and am going to enjoy visiting for a couple of days.
Audrey
Monday, May 6, 2019
New Books
Hello!
I have a few more new books for you. I will begin with my favorite one.
Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Selznick, Brian, and Serlin, David. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2018. Gr. Prek – 2. RL 1.0. 191 pp.
If you happened to actually read the last two lines, you might notice on line 2 that this book has 191 pages and a reading level of first grade. That is not a mistake. Brian Selznick is known for his thick, heavily illustrated books. He won the Caledcott medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret in 2007. The book is just over 2 inches thick. Most of the book is his amazing pencil/charcoal drawings with some text telling the story. I have one copy of that title and it seldom stays on the shelf.
Anyway, on to Baby Monkey. Chapter One’s text is:
“Baby Monkey! Someone has stolen my jewels!”
Baby Monkey can help.
Baby Monkey looks for clues.
Baby Monkey writes notes.
Baby Monkey eats a snack.
Baby Monkey puts on his pants.
Now Baby Monkey is ready.
Baby Monkey solves the case.
Hooray for Baby Monkey!
Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it!?
However, YOU cannot see the hilarious illustrations. There are nine pages of Baby Monkey trying to put on pants, each one funnier than the next one. Baby Monkey writing notes sitting in a huge office chair with a large pencil in his hand. There are five chapters with five stories of crimes. Each crime is different. Baby Monkey’s office has artwork and statues that fit the different subjects. At the end of the book are items to locate on the pages like a treasure hunt. The snack is different in each of the five stories, but the text for each story is almost identical. It is a thick chapter book that even beginning readers will be able to read. If you look this book up on Amazon, you can read nearly all the first chapter and see most of the illustrations. Once I saw this book, I knew I had to have it. I also thought about my first and second graders and knew that they would all be clamoring for the book, so I bought four copies. For the last two months, I have not had a copy on the shelf yet because each copy goes out as soon as it comes in.
I almost never say this, but I think you need a copy or two in your library. If you follow my recommendation, let me know how your students like Baby Monkey, Private Eye.
Can I Be Your Dog? Cummings, Troy. Illustrated by the author. Random House, 2018. 32 p. Gr. PreK – 3. RL 1.9.
I like books and stories told in letters or diaries. Arfy, a cute black and white mutt, lives in a cardboard carton at the end of an alley. He writes a letter to one of the residents on Butternut Street asking if he could be their dog. Arfy points out his good qualities: potty trained, owns his own squeaky toy, loves to play, and is willing to overlook the fact that they have a cat. He receives a return letter declining his request since the cat is allergic to dogs. Arfy does not give up. He write to each house in turn asking if he can be their dog. Each householder answers Arfy’s letter and turns him down. What will happen to Arfy?
If you teach letter writing and more particularly, persuasive letters, this would be a great book to read as you begin your unit for any grade.
I hope you have a great week and I hope you enjoy both of these books.
Audrey
I have a few more new books for you. I will begin with my favorite one.
Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Selznick, Brian, and Serlin, David. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2018. Gr. Prek – 2. RL 1.0. 191 pp.
If you happened to actually read the last two lines, you might notice on line 2 that this book has 191 pages and a reading level of first grade. That is not a mistake. Brian Selznick is known for his thick, heavily illustrated books. He won the Caledcott medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret in 2007. The book is just over 2 inches thick. Most of the book is his amazing pencil/charcoal drawings with some text telling the story. I have one copy of that title and it seldom stays on the shelf.
Anyway, on to Baby Monkey. Chapter One’s text is:
“Baby Monkey! Someone has stolen my jewels!”
Baby Monkey can help.
Baby Monkey looks for clues.
Baby Monkey writes notes.
Baby Monkey eats a snack.
Baby Monkey puts on his pants.
Now Baby Monkey is ready.
Baby Monkey solves the case.
Hooray for Baby Monkey!
Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it!?
However, YOU cannot see the hilarious illustrations. There are nine pages of Baby Monkey trying to put on pants, each one funnier than the next one. Baby Monkey writing notes sitting in a huge office chair with a large pencil in his hand. There are five chapters with five stories of crimes. Each crime is different. Baby Monkey’s office has artwork and statues that fit the different subjects. At the end of the book are items to locate on the pages like a treasure hunt. The snack is different in each of the five stories, but the text for each story is almost identical. It is a thick chapter book that even beginning readers will be able to read. If you look this book up on Amazon, you can read nearly all the first chapter and see most of the illustrations. Once I saw this book, I knew I had to have it. I also thought about my first and second graders and knew that they would all be clamoring for the book, so I bought four copies. For the last two months, I have not had a copy on the shelf yet because each copy goes out as soon as it comes in.
I almost never say this, but I think you need a copy or two in your library. If you follow my recommendation, let me know how your students like Baby Monkey, Private Eye.
Can I Be Your Dog? Cummings, Troy. Illustrated by the author. Random House, 2018. 32 p. Gr. PreK – 3. RL 1.9.
I like books and stories told in letters or diaries. Arfy, a cute black and white mutt, lives in a cardboard carton at the end of an alley. He writes a letter to one of the residents on Butternut Street asking if he could be their dog. Arfy points out his good qualities: potty trained, owns his own squeaky toy, loves to play, and is willing to overlook the fact that they have a cat. He receives a return letter declining his request since the cat is allergic to dogs. Arfy does not give up. He write to each house in turn asking if he can be their dog. Each householder answers Arfy’s letter and turns him down. What will happen to Arfy?
If you teach letter writing and more particularly, persuasive letters, this would be a great book to read as you begin your unit for any grade.
I hope you have a great week and I hope you enjoy both of these books.
Audrey
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Weeding the Library
Hello,
Winter is finally gone and people are beginning to work in their yards and gardens. A lot of weeding is just beginning. If you haven’t weeded your library lately, it might be time to do some weeding in your library. A yard doesn’t look nice with many weeds in it crowding the books, and the same with a shelf of books that is crowded with outdated books. Let’s give our bookshelves some room to breathe and weed out books that have served their time and now need to be retired.
I started with my largest section – the stories. You might be using the Dewey number 813 for these or you might have the label ‘FIC’ for them. Here’s what I did to help me make decisions as to what to keep and what to discard.
WEEDING THE 813s
First, I printed a list of all the titles in this section. This is easy to do if your library is automated. On my list, I have the call number, the title, the year published (if available), the number of times the book has been checked out, and the year it was last checked out. At my desk, I used a ruler and only looked at the last use column. I highlighted each book that had not been checked out since 2014. I chose that date by making a judgement call on the amount of time a book just took up space in my library. Then I took my list, a pencil, and a book cart and went to the shelves. I looked for each book whose title I had highlighted. I picked up the book in my hands and I looked for these things:
1. CONDITION OF THE BOOK. Was it grimy, dirty, worn cover, torn pages, or missing pages?
2. INSIDE TEXT. Is it tiny print? Any illustrations or photos? Are the photos black and white and tiny or larger and colorful? Is the text attractive to children?
3. CONTENT. Is this story interesting or boring? Would I read it aloud? Do I know this story at all? Do I WANT to read this book myself? Do I think my students would enjoy the story? In addition, do I think I can ‘sell’ this to students?
4. Last Date Used. What was the last time this book was checked out? Why is it not being used?
As I held each book, I considered all of these things. I stacked the books into stacks for discard, for mending or cleaning, to take a second look at and skim or read, or for out of place. (Some had been shelved incorrectly.) I also made judgement calls on whether or not to keep the book anyway. Some of my judgement calls included the following scenarios:
a. Uncle Arthur’s series books haven’t been checked out a lot, but I still feel it is valuable to our SDA school library. Keep.
b. Do I really need five copies of Paul Harvey’s books (not checked out since 2007)? No. Keep one or two and discard the others.
c. Do I need duplicates of this book? Usually the answer is no. Discard the one in poorer condition.
d. Does an elementary school need a copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady from 1906? It was checked out last in 1995 and only once. No. Discard.
e. Do I need a battered copy of The Incredible Journey last checked out in 2005 and checked out 2 times? This is a hard one. After all, it IS The Incredible Journey! I saw that movie as a child and loved it, but sitting on the shelf for 13 years and not being touched? Also, in poor condition? My answer was NO. If I DO need a copy, I can get a nice new copy and book talk it.
f. What about discarding a Newbery Medal Winner that hasn’t been used since 2007? Keep. I keep all medal winners and honor books. If the book is in poor condition, I get a new copy. These will always be in print.
g. I have over 200 poetry books with few checked out. Do I need duplicates? Probably not. I got rid of any duplicates. There were a few big thick ones clearly meant for adults. Choose one that I feel may be used, and discard the others. Five copies of Stevenson’s Child’s Garden of Verses? Nope. Pick the one or two (or three) that have lovely illustrations.
It takes much longer to tell it than to actually do it. Once I got started, I moved right along and was able to get a shelf of about 50 – 60 books done in about 20 minutes. Remember, I am ONLY looking at the books that haven’t been read for the last 4 or 5 years. The rest stay on the shelf.
As I am in the weeding process, I also try to remember that there will be some books that are worthwhile even if they aren’t used often. If a book has been donated by someone in the community, we usually keep it. If the topic of the book is something that is in the school curriculum, I usually keep it. One book I pulled due to low usage was a copy of Monkey Island by Paula Fox. Last check-out date was 2014, but it had been checked out 15 times which is a lot. I took it home to read and realized it was a book about homelessness, and decided to keep it. I will make a note in the computer on the list of subjects for that book and when someone searches for homeless people, we have a story to fit.
At any time, I do not hesitate to keep a book that is shelf-worthy no matter what the last date used is. I also don’t worry about tossing a book if I feel it is no longer useful to our school or curriculum.
Let me know if you have any questions about weeding the library. You can also look at my blog sdalibrarian.blogspot.com for previous posts on weeding. Check out March 2015 – May 2015 where I give hints on weeding each Dewey section. You can also check out October 2016 and January 2017 for more weeding information.
Don’t get discouraged. This is an ongoing process. Set small goals and do what you can to make your library attractive and inviting to students and parents.
Have a great week.
Audrey
Winter is finally gone and people are beginning to work in their yards and gardens. A lot of weeding is just beginning. If you haven’t weeded your library lately, it might be time to do some weeding in your library. A yard doesn’t look nice with many weeds in it crowding the books, and the same with a shelf of books that is crowded with outdated books. Let’s give our bookshelves some room to breathe and weed out books that have served their time and now need to be retired.
I started with my largest section – the stories. You might be using the Dewey number 813 for these or you might have the label ‘FIC’ for them. Here’s what I did to help me make decisions as to what to keep and what to discard.
WEEDING THE 813s
First, I printed a list of all the titles in this section. This is easy to do if your library is automated. On my list, I have the call number, the title, the year published (if available), the number of times the book has been checked out, and the year it was last checked out. At my desk, I used a ruler and only looked at the last use column. I highlighted each book that had not been checked out since 2014. I chose that date by making a judgement call on the amount of time a book just took up space in my library. Then I took my list, a pencil, and a book cart and went to the shelves. I looked for each book whose title I had highlighted. I picked up the book in my hands and I looked for these things:
1. CONDITION OF THE BOOK. Was it grimy, dirty, worn cover, torn pages, or missing pages?
2. INSIDE TEXT. Is it tiny print? Any illustrations or photos? Are the photos black and white and tiny or larger and colorful? Is the text attractive to children?
3. CONTENT. Is this story interesting or boring? Would I read it aloud? Do I know this story at all? Do I WANT to read this book myself? Do I think my students would enjoy the story? In addition, do I think I can ‘sell’ this to students?
4. Last Date Used. What was the last time this book was checked out? Why is it not being used?
As I held each book, I considered all of these things. I stacked the books into stacks for discard, for mending or cleaning, to take a second look at and skim or read, or for out of place. (Some had been shelved incorrectly.) I also made judgement calls on whether or not to keep the book anyway. Some of my judgement calls included the following scenarios:
a. Uncle Arthur’s series books haven’t been checked out a lot, but I still feel it is valuable to our SDA school library. Keep.
b. Do I really need five copies of Paul Harvey’s books (not checked out since 2007)? No. Keep one or two and discard the others.
c. Do I need duplicates of this book? Usually the answer is no. Discard the one in poorer condition.
d. Does an elementary school need a copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady from 1906? It was checked out last in 1995 and only once. No. Discard.
e. Do I need a battered copy of The Incredible Journey last checked out in 2005 and checked out 2 times? This is a hard one. After all, it IS The Incredible Journey! I saw that movie as a child and loved it, but sitting on the shelf for 13 years and not being touched? Also, in poor condition? My answer was NO. If I DO need a copy, I can get a nice new copy and book talk it.
f. What about discarding a Newbery Medal Winner that hasn’t been used since 2007? Keep. I keep all medal winners and honor books. If the book is in poor condition, I get a new copy. These will always be in print.
g. I have over 200 poetry books with few checked out. Do I need duplicates? Probably not. I got rid of any duplicates. There were a few big thick ones clearly meant for adults. Choose one that I feel may be used, and discard the others. Five copies of Stevenson’s Child’s Garden of Verses? Nope. Pick the one or two (or three) that have lovely illustrations.
It takes much longer to tell it than to actually do it. Once I got started, I moved right along and was able to get a shelf of about 50 – 60 books done in about 20 minutes. Remember, I am ONLY looking at the books that haven’t been read for the last 4 or 5 years. The rest stay on the shelf.
As I am in the weeding process, I also try to remember that there will be some books that are worthwhile even if they aren’t used often. If a book has been donated by someone in the community, we usually keep it. If the topic of the book is something that is in the school curriculum, I usually keep it. One book I pulled due to low usage was a copy of Monkey Island by Paula Fox. Last check-out date was 2014, but it had been checked out 15 times which is a lot. I took it home to read and realized it was a book about homelessness, and decided to keep it. I will make a note in the computer on the list of subjects for that book and when someone searches for homeless people, we have a story to fit.
At any time, I do not hesitate to keep a book that is shelf-worthy no matter what the last date used is. I also don’t worry about tossing a book if I feel it is no longer useful to our school or curriculum.
Let me know if you have any questions about weeding the library. You can also look at my blog sdalibrarian.blogspot.com for previous posts on weeding. Check out March 2015 – May 2015 where I give hints on weeding each Dewey section. You can also check out October 2016 and January 2017 for more weeding information.
Don’t get discouraged. This is an ongoing process. Set small goals and do what you can to make your library attractive and inviting to students and parents.
Have a great week.
Audrey
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Annual Reports
Hello,
This should be a short post this week. I just got an idea that might be very helpful along with being fun. I get emails from a group that I subscribe to and the latest one had members talking about creating Annual Reports. My first thought was, “What in the world is that?” and “Why should I do this?” I decided to do a little research to see what an annual report is and decide for myself if this is worth adding to my already full list of things to do.
An annual report (I was looking at ones for the library) consists of a report of what has happened in the library over the school year. I clicked on Google and found images of annual reports on Pinterest. I noticed that they show data from the library such as how many books had been checked out over the school year, how many patrons visited the library, the programs the library participated in, activities that were supported, etc. You can check some of these out for yourself if you like. I am going to do one and will share mine with you so you can see what we are doing here.
I am also sharing this idea with you because this kind of report is something that school boards like to see. I have a vibrant library going along with teaching technology classes and I assume that the board knows what is happening in the library. However, as I begin thinking realistically, I realized that the School Board likely has only an inkling of an idea of what happens in our library.
I also was thinking about YOU! This would be a great way to show your school board what you do in your classrooms on a day-to-day basis, and any extra programs you do. You could do one for your classroom or school and it would be good to put in a church bulletin or print up for promoting the school to new families. Imagine letting people outside your classroom or school learn that your class learns 50 or more memory verses each year, or that you took six field trips, traveled to another state, taught 23 units, etc. You get the picture.
Look at a few different annual reports and see if this is something that would benefit you and your school.
Have a great week!
Audrey
This should be a short post this week. I just got an idea that might be very helpful along with being fun. I get emails from a group that I subscribe to and the latest one had members talking about creating Annual Reports. My first thought was, “What in the world is that?” and “Why should I do this?” I decided to do a little research to see what an annual report is and decide for myself if this is worth adding to my already full list of things to do.
An annual report (I was looking at ones for the library) consists of a report of what has happened in the library over the school year. I clicked on Google and found images of annual reports on Pinterest. I noticed that they show data from the library such as how many books had been checked out over the school year, how many patrons visited the library, the programs the library participated in, activities that were supported, etc. You can check some of these out for yourself if you like. I am going to do one and will share mine with you so you can see what we are doing here.
I am also sharing this idea with you because this kind of report is something that school boards like to see. I have a vibrant library going along with teaching technology classes and I assume that the board knows what is happening in the library. However, as I begin thinking realistically, I realized that the School Board likely has only an inkling of an idea of what happens in our library.
I also was thinking about YOU! This would be a great way to show your school board what you do in your classrooms on a day-to-day basis, and any extra programs you do. You could do one for your classroom or school and it would be good to put in a church bulletin or print up for promoting the school to new families. Imagine letting people outside your classroom or school learn that your class learns 50 or more memory verses each year, or that you took six field trips, traveled to another state, taught 23 units, etc. You get the picture.
Look at a few different annual reports and see if this is something that would benefit you and your school.
Have a great week!
Audrey
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
American History Books
Hello,
This week I thought I would share my list of books I use for American History. Most of these books will work for all ages, but I suggest you take a look at each book before using it in your classes.
Also, you will likely notice that I have more than enough for the school year if I read one a week. This way I get to choose which ones will work and which ones I like best to read.
My table has a column for the spine label where the book is located in my library. This way I can find it quickly. All I have for the book is the title. I am planning to add the author later on. I started this as a table before I had really worked with Excel. I still am learning to manipulate Excel, but this would also be great in Excel format rather than a Word table. If and when I put it in Excel, I would add another layer to show if the book has resources that I can use such as Reading Rainbow, or photos to supplement, maybe a YouTube clip, etc.
I also have included local history. I think it is interesting to know what was happening here during the same time period. For example, when families traveled on the Oregon Trail in the 1840s, early Adventists experienced the Great Disappointment, The Sabbath message was accepted, and the Whitmans and others were killed here in our area at Whitman Mission. When the Gold Rush began, the Review and Herald paper began to be published, and soon after the first SDA church school was established. I really think this is very interesting.
This is an ever-changing project for me. I actually added a few more books this year and took a couple off. What you are getting is the current project, but I am very likely to change it to suit me as books come and go. There are a few books that I will never take off this list. Louise Borden has written some excellent books for historical events and I love them all. Sleds on the Boston Common, Henry and the Cannons, The Little Ships, and Across the Blue Pacific are all her books. I love The Cats in Krasinski Square even though it is from Europe during the war and not American History. Knit Your Bit shows how everyone participated in helping to knit even girls and boys. Yes, boys. The Memory Coat helps to see immigration through Ellis Island from another point of view. America is Under Attack is a little bit long, but tells the story of the Twin Towers and the people who helped others escape. Seven and a Half Tons of Steel is the story of how they used the center beam of the World Trade Center to create the hull of a ship. Amazing!
I am always on the lookout for new titles or new information to add to this to make my lessons even better, so if you have any information that you would like to share with me, I would be happy to know about it.
Have a great week,
Audrey
This week I thought I would share my list of books I use for American History. Most of these books will work for all ages, but I suggest you take a look at each book before using it in your classes.
Also, you will likely notice that I have more than enough for the school year if I read one a week. This way I get to choose which ones will work and which ones I like best to read.
My table has a column for the spine label where the book is located in my library. This way I can find it quickly. All I have for the book is the title. I am planning to add the author later on. I started this as a table before I had really worked with Excel. I still am learning to manipulate Excel, but this would also be great in Excel format rather than a Word table. If and when I put it in Excel, I would add another layer to show if the book has resources that I can use such as Reading Rainbow, or photos to supplement, maybe a YouTube clip, etc.
I also have included local history. I think it is interesting to know what was happening here during the same time period. For example, when families traveled on the Oregon Trail in the 1840s, early Adventists experienced the Great Disappointment, The Sabbath message was accepted, and the Whitmans and others were killed here in our area at Whitman Mission. When the Gold Rush began, the Review and Herald paper began to be published, and soon after the first SDA church school was established. I really think this is very interesting.
This is an ever-changing project for me. I actually added a few more books this year and took a couple off. What you are getting is the current project, but I am very likely to change it to suit me as books come and go. There are a few books that I will never take off this list. Louise Borden has written some excellent books for historical events and I love them all. Sleds on the Boston Common, Henry and the Cannons, The Little Ships, and Across the Blue Pacific are all her books. I love The Cats in Krasinski Square even though it is from Europe during the war and not American History. Knit Your Bit shows how everyone participated in helping to knit even girls and boys. Yes, boys. The Memory Coat helps to see immigration through Ellis Island from another point of view. America is Under Attack is a little bit long, but tells the story of the Twin Towers and the people who helped others escape. Seven and a Half Tons of Steel is the story of how they used the center beam of the World Trade Center to create the hull of a ship. Amazing!
I am always on the lookout for new titles or new information to add to this to make my lessons even better, so if you have any information that you would like to share with me, I would be happy to know about it.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Monday, February 4, 2019
In Library Class with Audrey
Hello,
I have had a few people ask about my library classes wondering what happens here at Rogers Adventist School. I thought I would just let you know what a regular library time is like for me.
If you came here to visit me on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, I would most likely be teaching computer classes. I teach all the K – 6 students. Our Junior High teachers handle the 7th and 8th graders. If you are interested in what I teach in our computer classes, I’ll be happy to share this with you, also.
Thursdays and Fridays are Library Days here. Each class has a specific time slot for library class. Students can come at other times during the week to check out, but on these days, we have a scheduled time for a class to come and we try to save that time just for that class. We don’t charge fines for overdue books, instead we don’t allow students to continue to check out until either the book is found and returned or we have heard from a parent. If we haven’t heard from a parent after a while we will call the parents to double check that they are aware of missing library books. I used to have students sit and wait while the others checked out books. They had a box that they could pull books from to read quietly. Only those who had returned all their books were allowed to browse and check out. This year I decided to try something different. I just remind students who are missing their books that they can’t check out, but they can browse quietly so they will know what they want when they bring their books back.
Our Kindergarteners have a unique situation. We have two Kindergarten classes, and one has a library time while the other has a computer time. The next day they switch classes so each will have had a library time and a computer time. On Thursdays I have a 30 minute story time with both Kindergarten classes together. I do author units with them. I pick out authors such as Tomie dePaola, Russell Hoban, Kevin Henkes, and more and I read books by that author with them.
With the 1st and 2nd graders I read to them from a picture book for about 10 – 15 minutes while my assistant checks their return books in and generates a list of those who are missing books. The second half of the library class is time to browse and check out. I use the books from the Washington Children’s Choice list that I feel is appropriate for our school and read one each week until they have all been read. Then we have a voting day and I send out votes to the WCC committee.
Our 3rd and 4th graders begin to learn the kinds of books that are found in each Dewey hundred. I also read from a series of books written by a librarian about using the library and the Dewey Decimal System. Phyllis J. Perry has written a nice series about a mouse named Fribble. I read these books to the students and they try to solve the mystery. Each book has ten chapters and takes about 12 – 15 minutes to read. They then browse to find books to check out. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, I stop the Fribble book and read holiday stories to all the classes. To the 3rd and 4th graders one year I read “The Story of Holly and Ivy” by Rumer Godden and the next year I read “A Certain Small Shepherd” by Rebecca Caudill. These are two of my very favorite Christmas stories. I have a nice display case where I try to recreate the toyshop window from Holly and Ivy. Older students walk by and remember the story from previous years.
The 5th and 6th graders study American History or countries in the world in alternate years. A few years ago I found picture books that supports this curriculum so this year I have books on American History. I read the books in chronological order. So far we are in the mid to late 1800s. Two years ago I decided to add a new component to this unit; I add in what happened in our SDA history around that time period plus local Walla Walla/College Place history. For example: The Statue of Liberty (1875), J.N. Andrews is the first missionary (1874), Pacific Press Publishing begins (1875), and the first Walla Walla SDA church is established (1874). When they study countries of the world, I read picture books about the countries as they are studying about them. I have a great book about the recycled orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay and read it to them when they are learning about South America. I also bring up a YouTube link so they can see the students and their instruments and hear them play. That is just one example of the two dozen or so throughout the school year.
Our 7th and 8th graders are so busy that I only get them every other week. It is hard to read a continued story to students who have two weeks between each segment so I decided to teach some online safety with them. I also do book talks with them.
I hope you enjoyed learning about what I do in library classes. I know this doesn’t work with all schools, but this is what works here for us at this time.
Have a great week! Keep warm.
Audrey
I have had a few people ask about my library classes wondering what happens here at Rogers Adventist School. I thought I would just let you know what a regular library time is like for me.
If you came here to visit me on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, I would most likely be teaching computer classes. I teach all the K – 6 students. Our Junior High teachers handle the 7th and 8th graders. If you are interested in what I teach in our computer classes, I’ll be happy to share this with you, also.
Thursdays and Fridays are Library Days here. Each class has a specific time slot for library class. Students can come at other times during the week to check out, but on these days, we have a scheduled time for a class to come and we try to save that time just for that class. We don’t charge fines for overdue books, instead we don’t allow students to continue to check out until either the book is found and returned or we have heard from a parent. If we haven’t heard from a parent after a while we will call the parents to double check that they are aware of missing library books. I used to have students sit and wait while the others checked out books. They had a box that they could pull books from to read quietly. Only those who had returned all their books were allowed to browse and check out. This year I decided to try something different. I just remind students who are missing their books that they can’t check out, but they can browse quietly so they will know what they want when they bring their books back.
Our Kindergarteners have a unique situation. We have two Kindergarten classes, and one has a library time while the other has a computer time. The next day they switch classes so each will have had a library time and a computer time. On Thursdays I have a 30 minute story time with both Kindergarten classes together. I do author units with them. I pick out authors such as Tomie dePaola, Russell Hoban, Kevin Henkes, and more and I read books by that author with them.
With the 1st and 2nd graders I read to them from a picture book for about 10 – 15 minutes while my assistant checks their return books in and generates a list of those who are missing books. The second half of the library class is time to browse and check out. I use the books from the Washington Children’s Choice list that I feel is appropriate for our school and read one each week until they have all been read. Then we have a voting day and I send out votes to the WCC committee.
Our 3rd and 4th graders begin to learn the kinds of books that are found in each Dewey hundred. I also read from a series of books written by a librarian about using the library and the Dewey Decimal System. Phyllis J. Perry has written a nice series about a mouse named Fribble. I read these books to the students and they try to solve the mystery. Each book has ten chapters and takes about 12 – 15 minutes to read. They then browse to find books to check out. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, I stop the Fribble book and read holiday stories to all the classes. To the 3rd and 4th graders one year I read “The Story of Holly and Ivy” by Rumer Godden and the next year I read “A Certain Small Shepherd” by Rebecca Caudill. These are two of my very favorite Christmas stories. I have a nice display case where I try to recreate the toyshop window from Holly and Ivy. Older students walk by and remember the story from previous years.
The 5th and 6th graders study American History or countries in the world in alternate years. A few years ago I found picture books that supports this curriculum so this year I have books on American History. I read the books in chronological order. So far we are in the mid to late 1800s. Two years ago I decided to add a new component to this unit; I add in what happened in our SDA history around that time period plus local Walla Walla/College Place history. For example: The Statue of Liberty (1875), J.N. Andrews is the first missionary (1874), Pacific Press Publishing begins (1875), and the first Walla Walla SDA church is established (1874). When they study countries of the world, I read picture books about the countries as they are studying about them. I have a great book about the recycled orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay and read it to them when they are learning about South America. I also bring up a YouTube link so they can see the students and their instruments and hear them play. That is just one example of the two dozen or so throughout the school year.
Our 7th and 8th graders are so busy that I only get them every other week. It is hard to read a continued story to students who have two weeks between each segment so I decided to teach some online safety with them. I also do book talks with them.
I hope you enjoyed learning about what I do in library classes. I know this doesn’t work with all schools, but this is what works here for us at this time.
Have a great week! Keep warm.
Audrey
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
New Books from BER, part 3
Hello,
I hope you all had a good vacation and are back ready to go again!
I am continuing the books recommended to us by Judy Freeman at the BER seminar I attended.
Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin. Cusolito, Michelle. Illus. by Nicole Wong. Charlesbridge, 2018. 32. P. Gr. 1 – 5.
Explorers who wish to see what it is like deep down in the ocean, can read this book to learn what it would be like to board the Alvin. Alvin is a deep-sea submersible vessel connected with Atlantis, a research vessel from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Alvin is just big enough for three persons to board, dive, and gather samples for research. Students who love the ocean will enjoy learning about this vessel.
Hawk Rising. Gianferrari, Maria. Roaring Brook, 2018. Illus. by Brian Floca. 40 p. Gr. 1 – 5, RL: 2.1.
About a decade ago, I bought a picture book titled Arrowhawk by Lola M. Schaefer and it has become a favorite. I recommend it to nearly everyone. When I saw that this book is about a red-tailed hawk family, I decided to get it. I also really like books that tell more facts or information about the subject and this one does not disappoint. Students are also encouraged to watch for red-tailed hawks and given ideas of where to look for them. Whether or not you are a bird lover, this will be a great addition to your library.
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race. Shetterly, Margot Lee. Illus. by Laura Freeman. Harper, 2018. 40 p. Gr. 2 – 6. RL: 4.5.
This picture book is the basic story from the book for adults by the same name. I’m glad that Ms. Shetterly created this picture book so children can know more about the true background of the space race. I grew up in that time and never knew about these brilliant women and what they did for our astronauts and the space program.
How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine. Guglielmo, Amy, and Jacqueline Tourville. Illus. by Giselle Potter. Simon & Schuster, 2018. 40 p. Gr. K – 6. RL: 4.6.
If you are familiar with Temple Grandin, you will know that she was on the autism spectrum and was a spokesperson for people who are autistic. She became famous for her contributions in humane treatment of cows, and different inventions. Temple did not enjoy being hugged but she did like getting between the couch cushions and having her sister walk on her, so she built what she called a ‘squeeze machine’. The pressure of this invention seemed to feel good to her. Children will learn and maybe understand better what it might have been like for Temple and others who have similar differences.
Imagine. Herrera, Juan Felipe. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick, 2018. 32 p. Gr. K-6. RL: 3.0.
The author of this book was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2015 – 2017 which is impressive to me. He wrote this book/poem for young people who may be searching for what they want to do in life. Each page begins “If I . . .” and ends with the word “Imagine”. Example: “If I let tadpoles swim across my hands in the wavy creek, imagine.” As you read the book, you begin to realize that he is telling his own story of his childhood in California with his migrant family and through school. His last few lines of this book/poem are, “If I stood up wearing a robe in front of my familia and many more on the high steps of the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C., and read out loud and signed my poetry book like this – Poet Laureate of the United States of America – imagine what you could do.”
I LOVE this! What an encouragement to anyone. Imagine what you could do.
Nothing Stopped Sophie: A Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain. Bardoe, Cheryl. Illus. by Barbara McClintock. Little, Brown, 2018. 36 p. Gr. 2 – 6. RL: 4.0.
Sophie Germain loved math. Not just loved it, but was completely obsessed with math. Her main problem was that she lived in the 18th century during the French Revolution and women didn’t have the same rights that we enjoy today. First, she had to battle her parents who tried to keep her from staying up all night working on math. They gave up when they found her asleep at her desk by a frozen bottle of ink and allowed her to study inside, in her father’s study. Then she had to battle the university professors who would have nothing to do with a women mathematician. One professor corresponded with her until he learned that she was a woman, then stopped writing.
Eventually, Sophie earned the respect of the mathematicians. She is best known for her work with prime numbers and her name is given to a particular type of prime number.
That does it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend.
Audrey
I hope you all had a good vacation and are back ready to go again!
I am continuing the books recommended to us by Judy Freeman at the BER seminar I attended.
Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin. Cusolito, Michelle. Illus. by Nicole Wong. Charlesbridge, 2018. 32. P. Gr. 1 – 5.
Explorers who wish to see what it is like deep down in the ocean, can read this book to learn what it would be like to board the Alvin. Alvin is a deep-sea submersible vessel connected with Atlantis, a research vessel from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Alvin is just big enough for three persons to board, dive, and gather samples for research. Students who love the ocean will enjoy learning about this vessel.
Hawk Rising. Gianferrari, Maria. Roaring Brook, 2018. Illus. by Brian Floca. 40 p. Gr. 1 – 5, RL: 2.1.
About a decade ago, I bought a picture book titled Arrowhawk by Lola M. Schaefer and it has become a favorite. I recommend it to nearly everyone. When I saw that this book is about a red-tailed hawk family, I decided to get it. I also really like books that tell more facts or information about the subject and this one does not disappoint. Students are also encouraged to watch for red-tailed hawks and given ideas of where to look for them. Whether or not you are a bird lover, this will be a great addition to your library.
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race. Shetterly, Margot Lee. Illus. by Laura Freeman. Harper, 2018. 40 p. Gr. 2 – 6. RL: 4.5.
This picture book is the basic story from the book for adults by the same name. I’m glad that Ms. Shetterly created this picture book so children can know more about the true background of the space race. I grew up in that time and never knew about these brilliant women and what they did for our astronauts and the space program.
How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine. Guglielmo, Amy, and Jacqueline Tourville. Illus. by Giselle Potter. Simon & Schuster, 2018. 40 p. Gr. K – 6. RL: 4.6.
If you are familiar with Temple Grandin, you will know that she was on the autism spectrum and was a spokesperson for people who are autistic. She became famous for her contributions in humane treatment of cows, and different inventions. Temple did not enjoy being hugged but she did like getting between the couch cushions and having her sister walk on her, so she built what she called a ‘squeeze machine’. The pressure of this invention seemed to feel good to her. Children will learn and maybe understand better what it might have been like for Temple and others who have similar differences.
Imagine. Herrera, Juan Felipe. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick, 2018. 32 p. Gr. K-6. RL: 3.0.
The author of this book was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2015 – 2017 which is impressive to me. He wrote this book/poem for young people who may be searching for what they want to do in life. Each page begins “If I . . .” and ends with the word “Imagine”. Example: “If I let tadpoles swim across my hands in the wavy creek, imagine.” As you read the book, you begin to realize that he is telling his own story of his childhood in California with his migrant family and through school. His last few lines of this book/poem are, “If I stood up wearing a robe in front of my familia and many more on the high steps of the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C., and read out loud and signed my poetry book like this – Poet Laureate of the United States of America – imagine what you could do.”
I LOVE this! What an encouragement to anyone. Imagine what you could do.
Nothing Stopped Sophie: A Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain. Bardoe, Cheryl. Illus. by Barbara McClintock. Little, Brown, 2018. 36 p. Gr. 2 – 6. RL: 4.0.
Sophie Germain loved math. Not just loved it, but was completely obsessed with math. Her main problem was that she lived in the 18th century during the French Revolution and women didn’t have the same rights that we enjoy today. First, she had to battle her parents who tried to keep her from staying up all night working on math. They gave up when they found her asleep at her desk by a frozen bottle of ink and allowed her to study inside, in her father’s study. Then she had to battle the university professors who would have nothing to do with a women mathematician. One professor corresponded with her until he learned that she was a woman, then stopped writing.
Eventually, Sophie earned the respect of the mathematicians. She is best known for her work with prime numbers and her name is given to a particular type of prime number.
That does it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend.
Audrey
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
New Books from BER seminar, part 1
Hello!
Last week I told you I would be sharing information from my BER (Bureau of Education and Research) seminar by Judy Freeman. One of you mentioned that you would also be attending the same seminar but in another town a few days after me! So, Shelley, you will have to correct me if I get anything wrong, and also let me know if I leave out something that you loved.
Judy Freeman’s seminar is titled “What’s NEW in Children’s Literature and Strategies for Using it in Your Program (Grades K-6) 2019.” So all of these books will be new books published in 2018. I don’t have copies of all of these books, so I will be sharing titles, and the information Ms. Freeman gave us in the Resource Handbook.
This week I will be sharing a list of easy fiction/picture books.
All Are Welcome. Penfold, Alexandra. Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman, Knopf, 2018. 36p. E (Gr. PreK-2) RL: 2.0.
If you want a book with diversity, multicultural families, and a general ‘melting pot’, you will enjoy this story about all children feeling welcome at school. Written in rhyme, each verse ends in the phrase “All are welcome here.” As the school day progresses, we see the children in different classes, lunch, recess, and story time. The ending is: “You have a place here. You have a space here. You are welcome here.”
Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Selznick, Brian, and Serlin, David. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2018. 191p. E (Gr. PreK-2) RL: 1.0.
Yes, you read the number of pages correctly. This is a book on a first grade reading level that has 191 pages! If you have other books by Brian Selznick, you will understand. Many of the pages are full page illustrations in typical Selznick fashion and very few words. Brian won the Caldecott medal about 10 years ago for The Invention of Hugo Cabret with a story, but most of the two-inch-thick book was simply illustrations telling the story rather than words. Baby Monkey is a private eye who solves mysteries for people. Each story has the person come for help from Baby Monkey, who takes notes, and then gets ready to go. But first, he puts on his pants. The contortions he goes through to get his jeans on will have your children laughing so hard, it might be a distraction in the classroom. Judy advised us to get multiple copies for our school libraries. This is a great book for those children who want to check out a thick chapter book but may not be advanced enough to read it. However, they WILL be able to read Baby Monkey. I can’t wait until my copies come.
Can I Be Your Dog? Cummings, Troy. Illustrated by the author. Random House, 2018. 32p. E (Gr Prek-3) RL: 1.9
Poor Arfy. He is homeless living in a dilapidated cardboard box in the alley. He writes a letter to residents on Butternut Street asking if he can be their dog. “Woof! Can I be your dog? I am potty trained and I have my own squeaky bone. Also: I love to play. I see you have a cat, but I’m willing to work with you. Whooooo’s a good dog? I am! Sincerely, Arfy.” The family declines, but Arfy doesn’t give up. He writes more letters to other residents on the street. One day Arfy gets a letter. “Dear Arfy, Can I be your person?” It is from the letter carrier and Arfy finally finds a home.
Judy suggests that this is a great start to a persuasive letter unit. In any case, it is a fun book.
The Day You Begin. Woodson, Jacqueline. Illus. by Rafael Lopez. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen, 2018. 32p. E (Gr. K-6) RL: 1.8
Jacqueline Woodson is probably an author you already have in your school or library. This is one to add to that collection. This book has many themes that provide discussion points for your students: how to fit in, how to make friends, withstand teasing, and how to believe in your own talents and life experiences. All this in one picture book. The book begins, “There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. Maybe it will be your skin, your clothes, or the curl of your hair.” My favorite line is this one: My favorite line is this one: “And all at once, in the room where no one else is quite like you, the world opens itself a little wider to make some space for you. . .”
Very simply done, but powerful text makes this a wonderful addition to your library.
The Dinosaur Expert. (Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series) McNamara, Margaret. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade, 2018. E (Gr. K-4) RL: 2.4
I am NOT a fan of dinosaurs, but this isn’t really about dinosaurs. Kimmy loves the natural world and collects rocks, shells, leaves, feathers, and much more. She is so excited when the class goes on a field trip to the natural history museum and looks forward to sharing her knowledge of dinosaurs and fossils. Then one boy comments that girls aren’t scientists. Kimmy is silenced by this and notices the photos of all the male paleontologists pictured. Her understanding teacher notices this and gently guides Kimmy over to the recent find of a dinosaur skeleton and points out that the species is named after the fossil hunter Dr. Brandoni de Gasparini – a woman. Kimmy quickly realizes that she CAN be a scientist and begins to share her wisdom with the class after all.
So I am not a fan of dinosaurs, but I AM a fan of encouraging little girls to be scientists.
I Walk With Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness. Kerascoet. Illus. by the author. Schwartz & Wade, 2018. 2p. E (Gr. PreK – 3) RL: 0.0
I love wordless picture books and this is a lovely one. The soft illustrations tell the story of a new girl who arrives at school and is bullied by a boy. Vanessa sits alone at lunch and walks alone during the day. Our little heroine watches all this from a distance and thinks about it. She tries to get her friends to help, but they each walk away. Our heroine thinks about this all evening and the next morning she goes to Vanessa’s house to walk with her to school. Other children join them all gathering around Vanessa until nearly the whole school is walking with Vanessa. The bully looks on, but cannot get near her to continue his bullying. Vanessa is safe and has friends.
The endpapers are very interesting. The front endpapers are in shades of gray, but the final endpapers are bright colors. Judy suggests we ask the children why they look the way they do. What a wonderful supplement to a unit on bullying!
Saffron Ice Cream. Rashin. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2018. Illus. by the author. 40p. E (Gr. K-3) RL: 4.0
This is autobiographical by the Iranian author. She comes to America and is excited to go to the beach. But, not just any beach – an American beach. She remembers her trips to the beach when she lived in Iran where she knew the rules of the beach. Long curtains divide the sand and water into two sections with men and boys on one side and women and girls on the other. Illustrations help show what it is like in Iran for the people. But now, Rashin lives in America – in Brooklyn, NY and doesn’t know the rules of this beach. Things are very different, and they don’t sell her favorite flavor of ice cream – saffron. She is homesick for her beach, her friend, and everything that is familiar and begins to cry. The ice cream seller encourages her to try another flavor and things begin to look up for Rashin.
Judy comments that children in our country likely are unfamiliar with sex-segregated beaches and this opens a teachable moment for us when sharing this book.
Stegothesaurus. Heos, Bridget. Illus. by T. L. McBeth. Henry Holt, 2018. 32p. E (Gr. PreK-3) RL: 2.4
I believe I mentioned above that I am NOT a dinosaur fan. However, I am a fan of words and I like using a thesaurus. The book jacket blurb inside begins: Once upon a time there were three dinosaurs. A stegosaurus. (The dinosaur says, “Hi.”) Another stegosaurus. (This dinosaur also says, “Hi.”) And a stegothesaurus. (THIS dinosaur says, “Hello! Greetings! Salutations!) He was a little different from his brothers.
What a fun way to introduce a thesaurus to children and to help them increase their vocabulary.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! Higgins, Ryan T. Illus. by the author. Disney-Hyperion, 2018. 40p. E (Gr. PreK-3) RL: 2.0
For a person who doesn’t like dinosaurs much, I bought THREE books about them! Penelope, the little T. rex dinosaur, is excited about her first day of school. The illustrations of her supplies for the day are hilarious. Her new backpack has her favorite on it. Ponies! Because ponies are delicious! She also has a pony lunch box and three hundred tuna sandwiches and one apple juice. When Penelope actually gets to school she is very surprised to find that her classmates are CHILDREN! So. . . she ate them. Because children are delicious. Of course the teacher has Penelope spit them out and they are all mad at her. She tries to make friends but no one wants to be her friend. Penelope was lonely. At home, she cries and tells her dad that no one would be her friend. Penelope’s dad asked her if she ate her classmates. “Well, maybe just a little bit,” was the reply. Dad responds with, “Sometimes it’s hard to make friends especially if you eat them. You see, children are the same as us on the inside. Just tastier.”
So goes the story. Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine when the goldfish bites her finger. She learns what it is like to be someone’s snack and she doesn’t like it one bit. Penelope learns to make friends and stays away from Walter the goldfish! He knows that dinosaurs are delicious.
Well, I think that is enough to get you started. More next time.
Have a great week and safe holiday.
Audrey
Last week I told you I would be sharing information from my BER (Bureau of Education and Research) seminar by Judy Freeman. One of you mentioned that you would also be attending the same seminar but in another town a few days after me! So, Shelley, you will have to correct me if I get anything wrong, and also let me know if I leave out something that you loved.
Judy Freeman’s seminar is titled “What’s NEW in Children’s Literature and Strategies for Using it in Your Program (Grades K-6) 2019.” So all of these books will be new books published in 2018. I don’t have copies of all of these books, so I will be sharing titles, and the information Ms. Freeman gave us in the Resource Handbook.
This week I will be sharing a list of easy fiction/picture books.
All Are Welcome. Penfold, Alexandra. Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman, Knopf, 2018. 36p. E (Gr. PreK-2) RL: 2.0.
If you want a book with diversity, multicultural families, and a general ‘melting pot’, you will enjoy this story about all children feeling welcome at school. Written in rhyme, each verse ends in the phrase “All are welcome here.” As the school day progresses, we see the children in different classes, lunch, recess, and story time. The ending is: “You have a place here. You have a space here. You are welcome here.”
Baby Monkey, Private Eye. Selznick, Brian, and Serlin, David. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2018. 191p. E (Gr. PreK-2) RL: 1.0.
Yes, you read the number of pages correctly. This is a book on a first grade reading level that has 191 pages! If you have other books by Brian Selznick, you will understand. Many of the pages are full page illustrations in typical Selznick fashion and very few words. Brian won the Caldecott medal about 10 years ago for The Invention of Hugo Cabret with a story, but most of the two-inch-thick book was simply illustrations telling the story rather than words. Baby Monkey is a private eye who solves mysteries for people. Each story has the person come for help from Baby Monkey, who takes notes, and then gets ready to go. But first, he puts on his pants. The contortions he goes through to get his jeans on will have your children laughing so hard, it might be a distraction in the classroom. Judy advised us to get multiple copies for our school libraries. This is a great book for those children who want to check out a thick chapter book but may not be advanced enough to read it. However, they WILL be able to read Baby Monkey. I can’t wait until my copies come.
Can I Be Your Dog? Cummings, Troy. Illustrated by the author. Random House, 2018. 32p. E (Gr Prek-3) RL: 1.9
Poor Arfy. He is homeless living in a dilapidated cardboard box in the alley. He writes a letter to residents on Butternut Street asking if he can be their dog. “Woof! Can I be your dog? I am potty trained and I have my own squeaky bone. Also: I love to play. I see you have a cat, but I’m willing to work with you. Whooooo’s a good dog? I am! Sincerely, Arfy.” The family declines, but Arfy doesn’t give up. He writes more letters to other residents on the street. One day Arfy gets a letter. “Dear Arfy, Can I be your person?” It is from the letter carrier and Arfy finally finds a home.
Judy suggests that this is a great start to a persuasive letter unit. In any case, it is a fun book.
The Day You Begin. Woodson, Jacqueline. Illus. by Rafael Lopez. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen, 2018. 32p. E (Gr. K-6) RL: 1.8
Jacqueline Woodson is probably an author you already have in your school or library. This is one to add to that collection. This book has many themes that provide discussion points for your students: how to fit in, how to make friends, withstand teasing, and how to believe in your own talents and life experiences. All this in one picture book. The book begins, “There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. Maybe it will be your skin, your clothes, or the curl of your hair.” My favorite line is this one: My favorite line is this one: “And all at once, in the room where no one else is quite like you, the world opens itself a little wider to make some space for you. . .”
Very simply done, but powerful text makes this a wonderful addition to your library.
The Dinosaur Expert. (Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series) McNamara, Margaret. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade, 2018. E (Gr. K-4) RL: 2.4
I am NOT a fan of dinosaurs, but this isn’t really about dinosaurs. Kimmy loves the natural world and collects rocks, shells, leaves, feathers, and much more. She is so excited when the class goes on a field trip to the natural history museum and looks forward to sharing her knowledge of dinosaurs and fossils. Then one boy comments that girls aren’t scientists. Kimmy is silenced by this and notices the photos of all the male paleontologists pictured. Her understanding teacher notices this and gently guides Kimmy over to the recent find of a dinosaur skeleton and points out that the species is named after the fossil hunter Dr. Brandoni de Gasparini – a woman. Kimmy quickly realizes that she CAN be a scientist and begins to share her wisdom with the class after all.
So I am not a fan of dinosaurs, but I AM a fan of encouraging little girls to be scientists.
I Walk With Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness. Kerascoet. Illus. by the author. Schwartz & Wade, 2018. 2p. E (Gr. PreK – 3) RL: 0.0
I love wordless picture books and this is a lovely one. The soft illustrations tell the story of a new girl who arrives at school and is bullied by a boy. Vanessa sits alone at lunch and walks alone during the day. Our little heroine watches all this from a distance and thinks about it. She tries to get her friends to help, but they each walk away. Our heroine thinks about this all evening and the next morning she goes to Vanessa’s house to walk with her to school. Other children join them all gathering around Vanessa until nearly the whole school is walking with Vanessa. The bully looks on, but cannot get near her to continue his bullying. Vanessa is safe and has friends.
The endpapers are very interesting. The front endpapers are in shades of gray, but the final endpapers are bright colors. Judy suggests we ask the children why they look the way they do. What a wonderful supplement to a unit on bullying!
Saffron Ice Cream. Rashin. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2018. Illus. by the author. 40p. E (Gr. K-3) RL: 4.0
This is autobiographical by the Iranian author. She comes to America and is excited to go to the beach. But, not just any beach – an American beach. She remembers her trips to the beach when she lived in Iran where she knew the rules of the beach. Long curtains divide the sand and water into two sections with men and boys on one side and women and girls on the other. Illustrations help show what it is like in Iran for the people. But now, Rashin lives in America – in Brooklyn, NY and doesn’t know the rules of this beach. Things are very different, and they don’t sell her favorite flavor of ice cream – saffron. She is homesick for her beach, her friend, and everything that is familiar and begins to cry. The ice cream seller encourages her to try another flavor and things begin to look up for Rashin.
Judy comments that children in our country likely are unfamiliar with sex-segregated beaches and this opens a teachable moment for us when sharing this book.
Stegothesaurus. Heos, Bridget. Illus. by T. L. McBeth. Henry Holt, 2018. 32p. E (Gr. PreK-3) RL: 2.4
I believe I mentioned above that I am NOT a dinosaur fan. However, I am a fan of words and I like using a thesaurus. The book jacket blurb inside begins: Once upon a time there were three dinosaurs. A stegosaurus. (The dinosaur says, “Hi.”) Another stegosaurus. (This dinosaur also says, “Hi.”) And a stegothesaurus. (THIS dinosaur says, “Hello! Greetings! Salutations!) He was a little different from his brothers.
What a fun way to introduce a thesaurus to children and to help them increase their vocabulary.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! Higgins, Ryan T. Illus. by the author. Disney-Hyperion, 2018. 40p. E (Gr. PreK-3) RL: 2.0
For a person who doesn’t like dinosaurs much, I bought THREE books about them! Penelope, the little T. rex dinosaur, is excited about her first day of school. The illustrations of her supplies for the day are hilarious. Her new backpack has her favorite on it. Ponies! Because ponies are delicious! She also has a pony lunch box and three hundred tuna sandwiches and one apple juice. When Penelope actually gets to school she is very surprised to find that her classmates are CHILDREN! So. . . she ate them. Because children are delicious. Of course the teacher has Penelope spit them out and they are all mad at her. She tries to make friends but no one wants to be her friend. Penelope was lonely. At home, she cries and tells her dad that no one would be her friend. Penelope’s dad asked her if she ate her classmates. “Well, maybe just a little bit,” was the reply. Dad responds with, “Sometimes it’s hard to make friends especially if you eat them. You see, children are the same as us on the inside. Just tastier.”
So goes the story. Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine when the goldfish bites her finger. She learns what it is like to be someone’s snack and she doesn’t like it one bit. Penelope learns to make friends and stays away from Walter the goldfish! He knows that dinosaurs are delicious.
Well, I think that is enough to get you started. More next time.
Have a great week and safe holiday.
Audrey
Monday, December 3, 2018
High-Low books ideas needed
Greetings!
High-Low Books: One of you asked me for lists of books for low readers in higher grades; particularly students in middle school who are reading at about 2nd – 4th grade reading levels. I will keep an eye out for titles like this, but I will be the first to admit that this is NOT my specialty. If any of you have found books on these levels that are age appropriate for upper levels, please send those titles to me and I will compile a list that we can all use when needed.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
High-Low Books: One of you asked me for lists of books for low readers in higher grades; particularly students in middle school who are reading at about 2nd – 4th grade reading levels. I will keep an eye out for titles like this, but I will be the first to admit that this is NOT my specialty. If any of you have found books on these levels that are age appropriate for upper levels, please send those titles to me and I will compile a list that we can all use when needed.
I hope you have a great week.
Audrey
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