A Penguin Story

Do you know anyone that is color blind?  Edna isn't color blind but all she sees is black, white and blue.  That's it!  Three colors all around her, nothing else.  The snow is white, the night is black, and the sea is blue.  Even she is black and white!  Are there any other colors in the world?  Edna sets out to find out!  

She's a smart little penguin and this story has such sweet pictures!  Follow Edna on her journey by coming to the library and checking out A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis. 

Art & Max

Are you a creative person? Max isn't.  His friend, Art, is though!  Art can paint anything.  He is really good.  Max wants to try painting.  When he asks Art what he should paint, Art says he can paint him.  So Max picks up his paintbrush and starts painting ON his friend!  Oh no!  That's not what Art meant!  Find out what happens between these two funny friends in the book Art & Max by David Wiesner. 

David Wiesner is the author and illustrator of many books, including a few Caldecott medal winners - Tuesday and The Three Little Pigs.

Caldecott Medal books

Kindergartners have been very interested in "those books with the gold stickers" lately.  Today I had a Kindergarten class in the library to learn about those gold medals and I was reminded of a very famous book that is perfect for this time of year.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats won the Caldecott Medal in 1963.  That means this book is 47 years old! 

The Caldecott Medal is given out to one book every year that has the best or most meaningful illustrations.  I especially like part of the end of this book where the main character is thinking about his day outside.  If you didn't see the pictures, you would never know that he was doing his thinking in the bathtub!!!

Do you need a haircut?

When was the last time you got a haircut?  Have you ever given a haircut?  Have you ever given a monster a haircut?  The little boy in this story has!  His dad owns a barber shop and every month on the full moon, the little boy sneaks out of the house and goes down to his dad's shop.  All through the night monsters come in to get their hair cut.  On the night in the story, someone knocks at the barber shop door.  No one ever knocks.  Who could it be? Is the little boy about to get in trouble?  Eek! 

Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott is now in all the elementary libraries.  Go check it out!

Amazing Book Fairs!

The two fall Book Fairs were both amazing successes!  Thank you to all the parent volunteers who came in to work the fair and thank you to all the students and families that purchased items from the fair. With your support of the library, we are able to get over $500 of free books at one school and over $1000 at the other!  You are all amazing!  Thank you!

Fall Book Fairs

The Book Fair is here at two of our elementary schools!  I just love this time of year.  It's a lot of work but we all have so much fun with it!   I love to see all the kids come in to a "store" that's just for them and spend their money on whatever they want.  I also love to see when parents come in with their children and hear the excellent discussion that goes on over what books to buy! 

This year's theme is about superheroes - Reading Saves the Day!  

Here are some books Mrs. Green is buying: 

Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle

Today I taught a lesson with a first grade class on their author of the month.  Every month they choose a different author to highlight.  This year the teacher decided to do Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle together because of their illustration style.  They both use materials besides paint, markers, crayons or other "normal" art tools.  Instead they use items from around them.  

Ehlert especially uses all sorts of fun things like leaves from outside in her yard or string she found while on a walk.  

Carle uses tissue paper and pastes to make his pictures come to life. 

Today we used our own supplies from the library to make fun pictures and write a sentence to go along with them.  How fun to be an illustrator!

Bones and The Cat's Pajamas

I got a new box of books in today and of course I had to read some of them!  Here are two I really liked and I think you will too! 

Bones by Steve Jenkins

Have you ever wondered what bones actually look like?  Or how big they are?  This book explains about all different kinds of bones and compares them so you can think about how big they are.  Did you know there are 27 bones in your hand?

The Cat's Pajamas by Wallace Edwards

This book has 27 different idioms in it.  What is an idiom?  According to the book, it is a "group of words whose meaning cannot be understood from the meaning of the individual words" by themselves.   Have you heard the phrase "more fun than a barrel of monkeys" or "frog in your throat"?  That doesn't really mean you have an actual frog in your throat.  This book will help you understand what those sayings really mean.  Plus, there is a hidden cat on every page!  Have fun looking!  You might have to "use your noodle"!

Look for these books in your library soon!

A Balloon for Isabel

Today I read a fantastic book called A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood.  

Have you ever felt like you couldn't have something because you are different than everyone else?  That is exactly how Isabel feels.  All she wants is a balloon like all the other kids get but she is a porcupine.  Porcupines have very sharp quills.  If she gets a balloon, it would pop for sure! What can Isabel do to make sure she gets a balloon like everyone else?  She will try just about anything!

Babymouse - a graphic novel

Wow!  This school year has been flying by so fast!  It has been wonderful seeing everyone in the library and computer labs! 

Have you checked out the book series Babymouse yet?  It is sooo good!  It is by Jennifer and Matthew Holm and is a pretty easy read, great for 2nd graders and up.  (Fun fact:  Jennifer and Matthew are sister and brother and write these books together!)  

Here is a picture of the first book:  

Almost all of the books look like this.  Black, pink, and white are the three colors they use in their books.  Here is a picture of the inside pages of one book: 

Doesn't that look neat?  Babymouse is the main character and she is always telling stories about her family and her school.  Some stories about her friends or being bullied or the school dance recital.  You should try one out! 

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!

Welcome back everyone!  I am very excited to be back at school!  I had a very fun summer with my family but I am ready to be back in school teaching all of you! 


I've already read two fun new books!  I hope you will try them out too!

The first book is city dog, country frog.  This is a great book about a dog who used to live in the city but moved out the country.  In the spring, he meets a country frog.  The book goes through the four seasons and all of the wonderful fun these two new friends have.  But then winter comes.

The second book I read is Daydreams of a Solitary Hamster.  This book is more like a comic book and it follows a group of forest friends.  Hamster's birthday is coming up but everyone seems too busy with their own lives.  Hopefully they all come to Hamster's party!

 

Coooooool Sports Books

Wow! It's been a busy time in the library! I've been trying to do some reading but unfortunately haven't gotten a whole lot in. I did the time to look through some really neat sports books. There are four in this series. One of them that we have in every library is Swish!As you can tell from the picture, this book is about baseball. Wait, no!! It's about basketball!!! The pictures inside this book are real action photographs that will really grab your attention. There are all kinds of cool facts about the sport and even some about specific players. I bet you will really like this! We also have Touchdown in our libraries. (I bet you can guess what sport that's about.)

One last reminder:
This is the last week for library check out.
All library materials are due back to the library next Wednesday, May 26.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Last night I read a new book by Kathryn Erskine called Mockingbird. This is a great book for my 4th and 5th grade readers. Caitlyn just had her older brother, Devon, die. She is trying to understand what life will be like without him. It is hard for her though because Devon always told her what was ok and not ok to do out in public. Caitlyn has Asperger's syndrome and sees things in black and white. There is always a right answer and a wrong answer. Anything in between is very confusing. She is very straight forward and honest, which sometimes makes it hard for other people to understand her.
This book is worth your time to read!

National Library Week!

Ladies and gentlemen~
This past week was National Library Week! Every school did a phenomenal job of celebrating! Many students won "Lucky Day" prizes. How, you ask? Hundreds of books in each library were marked as Lucky Day books but you couldn't tell by looking. Students found out when they brought their books up for check out. If they had selected a Lucky Day book, they were able to choose a prize from the prize bucket. Congratulations to all of our winners!

The other big event was "Read a Tee Day". Lincoln had theirs on Wednesday and everyone else was on Friday. Students and staff were to wear t-shirts to school that had words on them for other people to read. This went over very well and we had a very high participation rate! Classes with the highest participation at each school won a popsicle party from the library. The winners were:

At Lincoln - Mrs. Oberstadt's and Mr. Lemiesz's classes
At Parkview - Mr. Laufenberg, Miss Tipler, Mrs. Sanderfoot, Ms. Anderson, and Mrs. Jossie's classrooms
At Readfield - Mr. Shea, Mr. Wegner, and Mrs. Pelot's rooms
At Sugar Bush - Mr. Boushele's room

Congratulations to all and thank you for a wonderful National Library Week!

Time to gear up!

Next week is...

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK!

Time to get ready! We are going to be doing some things in the library that you are going to want to be a part of! Here's a hint -> If you go shopping this week, you might want to get a new t-shirt that has words on it!

Oooo.... see you next week!

3,856 Story Possibilities?! Really?!

Oh my goodness! I am so excited right now!! I just read what could possibly be THE coolest book I have seen in a loooong time. It's called Meanwhile by Jason Shiga. Have you ever read a Choose Your Own Adventure book? It's sort of like that. It's a graphic novel that leads you around the book. You could be reading on the first page and have to go to the last page next. Then a middle page, then a back page, then a front page... It's exciting just to flip the pages!

Oh, I guess I should tell you what it's about, huh? Well, it's a boy who starts out in an ice cream shop. From there, you have to pick what flavor ice cream he eats. Eventually it leads to an evil scientist. From there, there are 3,856 possible endings so I really can't tell you any more. You have to choose how the story goes.

Honestly? You NEED to check this book out! It's at all four libraries! I loved it!

Here's a sketch of what one of the inside pages looks like before it was published: (Picture from: http://shigabooks.com/interactive/meanwhile/pages/55.gif)

New Non-Fiction titles!

All four elementary libraries have just gotten in a whole bunch of new non-fiction titles! Non-fiction books are books that are about true things.




Some of the new books we got are:
- Books about the Internet
- Giant
- Monsters
- Dragons
- Wisconsin animals
- Math books
- Simple machines
- Food Pyramid
- and sooo many more!

Come in the library and check one (or three) out today!

Dr. Seuss Day!

This year was the 20th anniversay of Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss.

We celebrated by drawing pictures of places we would go and submitted them to the library. They all got hung up in the hallways. Have you seen them yet?

Leave a comment here about what you drew.

Book Fair Time for 2 schools

It's been a busy week in the library at Parkview Elementary! It was our book fair this past week. The theme was Book Fair Diner: All You Can Read. The library was decorated to the hilt and it was a lot of fun for everyone! Check out the picture below of how busy it was one morning before school! Thank you Parkview!




We do it again this week at Readfield Elementary, with the same theme. On Friday, Tom Pease will be there to give a concert! It's going to be a great time! Come on out and bogey with us!

Library Lover's Month

February in Wisconsin is Library Lover's Month!

Many of you have already filled out hearts in the library telling why you love the library so much! That is wonderful! All drawings for the posters will happen in the last week of February. Maybe you will be one of the lucky winners!!!

I bet you can imagine that I, Mrs. Green, LOVE the library! Here are some of my reasons why:

- the books of course!
- the technology (computers, projectors, cameras, etc.)
- it's a great place to let your imagination run free
- there are different people coming in and out all day long
- I love to help the kids and teachers who come to the library
- there are all sorts of different things to do in here!
- Mrs. Kloehn, Mrs. Coenen, Mrs. Cloutier, and Mrs. Dailey
- it is quiet sometimes, and loud other times
- the book fairs!
- the books! (Did I mention that already?)

I like to see all of your smiling faces every time you visit the library. Come in and say hi anytime!

Brixton Brothers = Funny Mystery

"Mrs. Green!!! You missed a week!!!" I'm very sorry about that! I'm back online now!

Have you seen the new book The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett? It is part of a new series called The Brixton Brothers. It is a mystery book and if you like mysteries, this is a good one! I have it on good authority from a very avid fourth grade Readfield reader that this is a great book. (Right, Cora?)

Anyway, 12 year old Steve Brixton is on the case but he must trick everyone into thinking he's not! He is trying to find a missing quilt that has secret information in it! Will he be successful? You'll have to read it to find out!

2010 Newbery and Caldecott Winners announced!

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott winners have been announced! Drumroll please...

2010 Newbery Medal winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. The Newbery Medal is given for the best book written by an author.

2010 Caldecott Medal winner: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this almost wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. The Caldecott Medal is given for the best illustrations in a children's book.

Unfortunately, we don't have either of these books in any of our elementary libraries! I will be ordering them VERY soon!

Leave a comment if you have read either of these books and let us know what you think of them!

Such a good story!

In all the libraries, we just got a new book called Nubs: the true story of a mutt, a Marine, & a miracle. It's written by Major Brian Dennis. It is such a sweet story! This man is a Marine that was sent to Iraq. While he was there, a dog became his friend. This dog went to amazing lengths to be with him. Eventually Major Dennis was able to send Nubs home to the United States to become his pet. This story is truly amazing and it's not all that long! Try it out!

Here's a website about Nubs and the book if you want to check it out!

Do you know who Madonna is???

Madonna was a huge music star in the 1980's. She continues to be active in the music business today but the reason I am asking if you know her is because I just discovered her series of books, The English Roses! It's been out for awhile but I just recently got the chance to read it. The first book is more like a journal as it introduces the characters. The next books in the series are much better as they are normal chapter books about four girls as they go through everyday life, from babysitting their little brothers to the school play. They have a website too where you can play fun games and read a little more about the characters. Click HERE To check it out!



These books are currently at Parkview Elementary. Remember, if you don't go there, just ask in your library to have it borrowed! See you in school!

A Trip to Barnes & Noble

I am so excited! Over the holiday break, I made a trip to Barnes & Noble to buy new books for the libraries. The set I am most excited about is called American Chillers by Johnathan Rand. (You can click on the name to go to the set's website.) These are books that are a lot like the Goosebumps series. If you like Goosebumps, you will like these! Each book is set in a different state. There's even one set in Wisconsin, called Wisconsin Werewolves!


For now this set is at Lincoln, but I'm looking forward to seeing how many kids like it and then buying it for the other school if it is popular!! Remember, you can always request books from other schools, so if you want to check one out, ask in the library!

Oh yeah, and WELCOME BACK to school! See you soon!