Aberdeen Elementary Reads...Drummer Hoff

This week, I shared the story Drummer Hoff by Barbara and Ed Emberley, with our Kindergarten students.  The rhyming words in this story are unmistakable, perfect for younger students who are still learning to rhyme.

Follow Drummer Hoff and a group of soldiers as they each contribute a piece to building a cannon.  When Drummer Hoff fires it off... KAHBAHBLOOM!  This Caldecott gold medal winner is bright and catchy, children love to listen to this story!

Library Media Services - Upside Down in the MIddle of Nowhere

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere, by Julie T. Lamana is one of those luminous Young Adult reads that librarians should be leading their students toward. It’s a “problem novel,” but the problem is not the typical problem in a YA novel, it's Hurricane Katrina and it is about to hit land in New Orleans right on Armani's 10th birthday.

This story will place it's readers in the midst of a family losing everything they love, everything they know and take for granted, and everything they need to do to pull their lives back together.   Follow Armani as she takes on the roel of an adult the day of her 10th birthday, watching as her father, brother and brand new puppy fall off the roof of their home during the floods, just after the loss of her "MeeMaw", who's body remains in the attic of their home. This story promises to take you on a journey that many families faced in reality during the times of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana.   

This book is a great read for anyone 4th grade and up.  

To check this book out on the GRPS Overdrive digital library simply go to http://grps.lib.overdrive.com, login using your GRPS computer username and password and search for this title.   

~C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy~

IT'S SNOWING! IT'S SNOWING! Winter poems by Jack Prelutsky

Enjoy the winter with this collection of cozy poems by kid favorite, Jack Prelutzky! Snow, snowflakes and snowmen all roll together for a great time with family, friends and pets. It's Snowing! It's Snowing! is a Level 3 "I Can Read" book, perfect for reading  aloud with your kids, or for them to read alone.  

~Mrs. Garvin, CA Frost ESA

Mo Willems is the whole package.

I can not say enough about Mo Willems.  He is an amazing writer and illustrator.  I do not want to say much about the book and give it away. So hear is my review.  It is a fun read and a great first suspenseful story. That is all I can say without giving it away. YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!.
~Mette

~C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy~

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

"Some days are yellow. Some days are blue. On different days, I'm different, too."

     Dr. Seuss gives us a rainbow of colors to show our feelings. This is a wonderful book to help little ones decide, "What color am I today?"

~Mrs. Garvin, C.A. Frost ESA

Stocking School - Happy Birthday Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King is an informative book   introducing young readers to the life of MLK. Well-written text with descriptive pictures provide enjoyable reading.     ~Deb 

MLK students do NOT have A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue!

Students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Academy are now experts on the subject of tattling, thanks to the book A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook.

Image credit: amazon.com

We've learned all four of the Tattle Rules - such as when you should warn an adult about a dangerous situation, and why that's different from tattling. We also know when we should M.Y.O.B. - mind your own beeswax!

Image credit: http://blogs.pennmanor.net/rogersd/

This book is fun and engaging, and it teaches young students important lessons about tattling. Check it out!

-Rachel

KEC Oakleigh - The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy

This is one of my favorite books.  It's the story of a school librarian who is so protective of her books that she won't let anyone near them. The kids at the school think of her as a real dragon. The illustrations in this book are great!      One day a little girl who can't see very well, wanders into the library.  The other students are too terrified to go get her and save her from the dragon. What happens next will warm every library dragon's heart and remind us why we have libraries full of books.
So, on those days, when I'm getting a little too picky about how my library looks and what's going on in here, I think about this story.  It really helps me to put things in perspective.
Carmen Agra Deedy is a talented author.  I don't think you can go wrong with any of her books.
~ Diane

Shawmut Hills book of the next few weeks....

Sideways Stories From Wayside School has been and always will be one of my FAVORITE books. Seriously, I remember reading it when I was a student way back when. It was first published in 1978, and based on the "feedback" from the 1st -4th graders over the years at Shawmut, this book stands the test of time!

This book contains 30 delightful stories about the students and staff at Wayside School. From a teacher who hates children, but LOVES apples, to a teacher who is terribly nice, but wonders aloud "What do they think I am? I'm a teacher not a zoo keeper!".
Then, there are the students... some struggle with math, some struggle with reading, some struggle with staying awake in class. Sound familiar? You'd think so until you read their stories!

The only problem I have with this book is that I don't have enough copies for every student who wants one!

To learn more about the author Louis Sachar (pronounced Lewis Sacker), visit:

http://www.louissachar.com/Bio.htm

Aberdeen- My Grandfather's Coat

My Grandfather's Coat, by Jim Aylesworth, is a Jewish folktale that has been wonderfully illustrated by Barbara McClintock.

The story is about a young man who immigrates to America.  He makes for himself a beautiful coat, and a beautiful life.  Through the years, he wears it out, but it never goes to waste.  His creativity and ingenuity give the coat a new life, over and over again.

What I love most about this story, is that it is told not only in words, but in pictures.  You see the young man get married, have a family, and grow old in the illustrations.  It is a beautiful story, and I highly recommend it! Our Aberdeen Kindergarten through Third Grade students enjoyed this book too!

Little Rock girl 1957

KEC Oakleigh Read of the Week

Clever Beatrice: an Upper Penninsula Conte
We learned today that conte is french for folktale and that this book is a great conte.  It's a tall tale that comes from the French-Canadian lumberjacks in the UP - hence, the conte.  The students here really enjoyed reading it today.  In part, because it takes place in Michigan, but also because Beatrice is so clever she outwits a giant into thinking she is stronger than he is. This is a fun book and I highly recommend it as a story for 1st - 3rd graders.
~Diane

Sibley Falling for Rapunzel

  This is a great take  on the  story of  Rapunzel and her Prince. When the prince spies Rapunzel in her tower, he feels that Rapunzel is the one for him. He tries to save her in the traditional way, but it doesn't work out the way he plans.  She throws down everything but what the prince asks for- including a surprise that makes his dreams come true.
  A fun and rhyming tale of how misunderstandings can lead to being happily ever after.  ~Mary Jo

Palmer Library - A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech

Palmer Library read this great book last week!
Tillie's principal at her school purposes many changes in attending school five days a week.
Mr. Keene is so proud of his fine, fine school with it's fine, fine students, and it's fine, fine teachers and all the amazing things everyone is learning.
The book makes you wonder what you would do if you went to school everyday and how you would handle the new situations. A very interesting book!! 
~Ms. Dawn

Stocking School - Mr. Terupt Falls Again

The follow up book to Rob Buyea's Because of Mr. Terupt is as suspenseful and entertaining as the original. What causes Mr. Terupt to fall again? Is it another snowball? Does it have anything to do with his students, that moved to the next grade with him, from the previous year? Pick up this sequel and find out the answers. ~Deb

Sibley- The Robot and the Bluebird

This a story of a rusty old robot with a broken heart .Other robots try to fix him, but have no luck. He feels old and alone as he lays on the heap of old parts. Night and day,autumn and winter come and go.
  A bluebird is trying to fly south, and finds the robot. Robot shares a space where his heart was  and they become friends. He carries  bluebird across  mountains , blizzards, and fog until he can go no further. In the end, Robot becomes a home for all singing birds.  ~Mary Jo

The Little Rock Girl 1957- Cesar Chavez

The little rock girl 1957 tells the story of how nine African-American students made history when they integrated an Arkansas High School in 1957. This book should require reading. My students and I like it very much.

Reading is Fundamental (RIF)--Wonder

When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

My 3rd grader and I read before bed every night, and this book is a recent favorite! Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, tells the story of 10 year old Auggie Pullman, born with several complicated conditions that have caused deformations to his face, mouth, eyes, nose, and even his ears. His parents have kept him sheltered by home schooling him through the 4th grade. However, he and parents decide that the time has come for him to have a more traditional school experience, and he enters the local private Beecher School in New York City as a 5th grader. Auggie has an impact on the students in his school that reverberate in ways both expected and unexpected.

The book follows the perspective of a variety of characters throughout his 5th grade year, including Auggie, several of his friends, his sister, and his sister's best friend. The decision to allow the reader the experience of understanding the story through a variety of perspectives adds significantly to the great strength of this book: teaching empathy to readers. If you're looking for a book that will help open your students or children to the difficult challenges faced by other people, this book is a real winner.

This is book is appropriate for 3rd-7th graders. Prime age to share in the classroom, or as a read-aloud at home, is 3rd-5th grade. My son turned out to be a great age to enjoy this as a read-aloud. He could have read it on his own, but he would not have gotten as much out of the experience if I wasn't there to encourage conversation about Auggie's challenges.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for use in the classroom. There are many activities you can use to deepen learning and understanding in the classroom, including Mr. Browne's Precepts. Read the book to find out what I'm talking about, but click here for a sneak peek.

Ken-O-Sha: Big Mean Mike

Big Mean Mike written by Michelle Knudson is one of my favorite books to read to the K-2 grade students at

 Ken-O-Sha Elementary School.

Meet Big mean Mike, he is the toughest dog in the neighborhood. He is drives a big mean car down the big mean streets and doesn't care what anybody thinks. 

Until he comes in contact with 4 fuzzy bunnies who continue to show up in his big mean car and threaten his reputation. Will Mike remain tough or will the bunnies began to melt his heart.  This is a good book that talks about being who you are and being ok with it. I laughed when I first read the book because I used to have an inner Mike. Don't we all to some degree?~Mayfield

Kent Hills ~ Corduroy

Meet Corduroy a little bear that lives in a department store and wants so badly to have a home. One day a little girl named Lisa saw Corduroy on the shelf and wanted to by him  but her mother said no not today. She noticed that he was missing a button  on his overalls. Corduroy didn't know he was missing a button so that evening he got down off the shelf and went through the store to look for a button. Well he never did find , but he did find a home.

  

Shawmut Hills ~ We Are in a Book!

Mo Willems is my FAVORITE children's author! I was first introduced to him when my son was a first grader. While at the book store, my son wanted to look for the book Knuffle Bunny (another great title by Mo Willems!) once we found it, we found so many other great stories; Knuffle Bunny Too, Knuffle Bunny Free, the Pigeon books, and my personal favorite, the Elephant and Piggie books.

After reading We Are in a Book, I was in love! The illustrations are simple, the words are easy to read, and the humor is delightful for all ages! Seriously, it would be hard to find someone who doesn't at least chuckle after reading one of these books!

In this adventure, Gerald and his best friend Piggie discover that they are in a book that is being read. They get so excited especially when they figure out they can make the reader say a word! However, they start to freak out when they realize that the book will come to an end. They come up with a great solution to their problem that will encourage kids (and parents!) to read this book over and over again!

Mo Willems is a great author for all age groups, but K-2 can't get enough of them!!!

ENJOY!
~Katie

North Park Montessori - The Alchemyst {The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel}

I love this book!! I love this series!!

I have a love of all things magical and Alchemy is fascinating to me.  When I saw this book in our school library I just had to read it. Wonderfully written by Michael Scott he had me sucked in by the very first page.  It is about the struggle of Nicholas Flamel The Alchemyst and how he is to save the world with his wife Perenelle and a set of 15 year old twins. Twins Josh and Sophie Newman think that Nicholas is out of his mind. He thinks that they are the twins of legend. The adventure that they go on is out of this world. The characters that they meet along the way and the adventures that they go on will have you begging for more.

 I recommended this to my niece Ella (age 11) to read and she was begging for the rest of the series for Christmas. I also have a student that is reading the series and he recommended it to his teacher who is reading it. I love when he comes in to the library after a really crazy turn in the story and the look in his eyes is priceless. Please look, love and get sucked in to the world of The Alchemyst.

 ~ Mette     

Campus Elementary - Drita, My Homegirl

Campus Elementary Media Center: Drita, My Homegirl

I was first interested in this book because of the colorful front cover and summary on the back cover. The story interested me, since I know people who have come from war-torn areas similar to Drita's home of Kosovo. I'm often impressed by the insights the author, Jenny Lombard, has into kids' behavior, thinking, and motivations.

The struggles of both of the girls in this story, from whose perspectives the narrative switches back and forth each chapter, are related in very touching and understated ways. Drita's mother struggles with what seems like traumatic stress and depression. Maxie's mother is deceased, and she struggles with her father's dating other women.

I haven't read all the way through, and I don't want to give too much away, but this is a great book about an unlikely friendship between two girls who turn out to have more in common than they realized. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a believable story about friendship and cross-cultural engagement.


~ Dennis De Boer

Congress Elementary - Bunnicula, by James Howe, is a great read for upper elementary.

Bunnicula, by James Howe, is a great recommendation for upper elementary students.  Kids love this book because it includes many desired features of a good read:  it is funny, is a mystery, is somewhat of a thriller, i.e. scary!!, and it is a series.  So if kids love the first one, there is much more Bunnicula to read.  The story is told by the animals of a household who believe the pet rabbit is a vampire!! ~Georgine

Hi, I am reading the Greatest Skating Race to our GR Montessori students grades 1 to 3 over a few weeks. History and adventure is mixed to create an exciting class.  Paul 

Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands

by Louise Borden

"You're a strong skater, Piet, and you have a quick mind. This is why I know you'll succeed in this important task. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't know it could be done." In 1941 Piet, a young Dutch boy from Sluis, gets the assignment of a lifetime: He must skate along the frozen canals of the Netherlands and across the Belgian border, in order to guide two neig "You're a strong skater, Piet, and you have a quick mind. This is why I know you'll succeed in this important task. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't know it could be done." In 1941 Piet, a young Dutch boy from Sluis, gets the assignment of a lifetime: He must skate along the frozen canals of the Netherlands and across the Belgian border, in order to guide two neighborhood children to their aunt's house in Brugge, where the children will remain for the duration of World War II. Their father has been taken by German soldiers, and the children are no longer safe in Sluis -- but the journey with Piet, past soldiers and enemies, is fraught with danger.

Along the treacherous path to Belgium the three children skate using every bit of speed, courage, and strength they can muster. All the time they try to appear like innocent schoolchildren simply out for a skate, for if the German soldiers discover their escape plan, the children will be in grave trouble. During the journey Piet thinks about his hero, Pim Mulier -- the first person to ever skate the Elfstedentocht, the famous and prestigious Eleven Towns Race that takes place in his country. For years Piet has dreamed of proving that he is a skater as brave and strong as Pim Mulier -- but he had never imagined that his test would fall under such dangerous circumstances.

Louise Borden's moving text captures all the tension, excitement, and fear that comes with Piet's mission, while Niki Daly's evocative illustrations bring the children and their perilous journey into vivid focus. ...more

Hardcover, 48 pages

Published October 1st 2004 by Margaret K. McElderry Books 

Ford-Wallace's Lists

Wallace is a shy mouse.  He can do anything as long as it is on his lists.  He has a lists of clothes in his closet, lists of stories he loved, exciting weather.  When he gets up in the morning he writes a "to do" list.

One day, Wallace met his new neighbor, Albert.  Albert was always doing different things.  He changed his mind, he went on adventures.  Wallace didn't like adventures.  (He had a list of things he didn't like.)

One night, after having a conversation with Albert, Wallace couldn't sleep.  The idea of an adventure made Wallace nervous.  Wallace awoke to the sound of rain.  He thought it was a good day to make soup.  He looked at his recipe, he only had two onions.  Perhaps Albert had one to spare.

A note was taped to Albert's door.  He was off on another adventure.  Torrents of water feel from the sky.  Wallace was worried about Albert.

What happens to Albert?  Can Wallace change?  Can he learn to do things without lists?

Look for Wallace's Lists by Olof Landstrom

C.A. Frost-HANK ZIPZER, WORLD'S GREATEST UNDERACHIEVER

     Meet Hank Zipzer, fourth grader, and the world's greatest underachiever. He's short on size, but long on attitude! The second, third and fourth graders at C.A. Frost are enjoying Hank's adventures, and looking forward to reading more of his antics, in this series by Henry Winkler.

FollettBound ISBN-13: 978-1-40469-824-6

Aberdeen- Roxaboxen

Roxaboxen, by Alice Mclerran, reminds me of the games I used to play as a little girl with my brother and neighborhood friends.  Our cul-de-sac was our town, our bikes were our cars, and we each had a home and set up a little shop.  We sold things we found outside, like special rocks and bugs.  We made up our own money, using leaves as dollar bills, and pebbles as coins.

Roxaboxen is the imaginary town created by Marian and her siblings and their friends.  They used old crates, broken glass, and special rocks to create Roxaboxen in the desert near their home.  There was a town mayor, policeman and jail, a bakery, and two ice cream shops.  Roxaboxen  lived on for months and months, and became a very special memory for all of the children, even when they became adults.

Gather your friends, go outside and create your very own town!  Think about what your town needs to run smoothly.  Do you need laws?  A town mayor?  A policeman?  I think you definitely need an ice cream shop, because who doesn't love ice cream?!

Library Media Services - Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School

One of the really exciting parts of working in the Library Media Services office is preview books! Sometimes they come in a big box, fat books, skinny books, big books, little books. Oh the joy when the box flaps lift. The excitement each and every book in my hands. 

One day recently in the box was, The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School , by Deborah Diesen and Pictures by Dan Hanna. ISBN:  078-0-374-36095-5

To read this book with little ones is such a treat.  The story begins with it being the first day of school for little Pout-Pout Fish. He's not having the best of luck finding his class as he drops into a few of them and discovers he has no idea how to do what all the other fishes are doing..  This is a great book for young students to work on repetition, counting, and positive outcomes.   

Read all about Pout-Pout Fish on his first day of school and see if he every finds where he belongs. 

This is a perfect book for the  PreK-2 groups.

~Jan

Library Media Services - The Book With No Pictures

Library Media Services:  The Book With No Pictures

I was shopping with my son and his girlfriend and this book caught my attention.  What kind of children's book has no pictures? So, of course, I picked it up and read it.  I was laughing so much that it peaked the curiosity of the two 17  year old kids. I told them that the book said you have to read it out loud and they did.  Listening to them read it made me laugh even more. I love this book!

This book has so much silliness that it doesn't need pictures!  It does, however, use a lot of silly words in different colors to make it interesting.  And the moral of this story to me is...  You are never too old to have fun!  I hope you read this book and enjoy it as much as my son, his girlfriend and I did.  Let me know!  ~ Ali

The Book With No Pictures ISBN:  0803741715

WINTER BREAK BOOK CLUB TITLE - WE WERE LIARS, by E. Lockhart.

It's been a peaceful and relaxing winter break.  In other words, I have read too many books once again.   The highlight of my reading pleasure however was We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart.  I choose it as the highlight of my reads because the last time I read this book was July, 2014 while off on a weeks vacation and laying on a warm beach, listening to the lapping of waves and the laughter of little ones. This time around reading had an entirely different effect since I was reading to see what I missed the first time. In other words, what clues and leads were buried in the pages I had read in July.  The ending of this book the first time around completely blind-sided me, enticing to be read again.

When the girls in the Union book club heard about the title, they chose it as our next read.   I cannot wait to hear what they think, what are their questions and thoughts about the end of this book.  Did they too want to read it again or did anyone have it figured out before the last part of the book - The Truth.

Some of the questions for Book Club:

1.  Did you guess the end of this book at any time prior to the final part?

2.  What are your thoughts that Cadence (Cady) retold the events of Summer 15 during an unstable state of mind?  

3.  The entire book is built around the crime committed during Summer 14 but told at the end of this book.  Why do you think they did what they did?

4.  Did the crime have any positive outcome?

5.  The four main characters; Gat, Mirren, Johnny, and Cady.   Did you have any favorites and why?