Can You Make a Scary Face?

Can You Make a Scary Face? is one of those books that I just love reading out loud. It's wild and crazy fun! Jan Thomas is the author. She has the funniest sense of humor, and all of her books are favorites for story time. Her illustrations are simple and bold. We're going to paint scary faces in the style of Jan Thomas for our October library bulletin board. Be prepared for a fright!

Guys Read!

Jon Scieszka's Guys Read, is a fantastic web-based literacy program for boys. He says that his mission is to help boys become self-motivated life-long readers. I love his site! He includes lists of books that guys might be interested in, and several of the most popular and fun male authors list their own favorite reads. I'll be checking this list the next time I order books for our library!

Christoph Niemann and The Book-Toothed Dinosaur

Last spring I noticed an article in the New York Times describing the renovation of some children's libraries in the Bronx. When I saw his "Book-Toothed Dinosaur," I e-mailed the artist, Christoph Niemann, to tell him that I loved his mural. He replied and offered to let us to make a print so that we could enjoy his work in our library, too. Long time Parish teacher, Marilyn Calwell, provided for the printing and framing as a retirement gift to the library. Perfect! You'll smile when you see this big dino...look closely!






Christoph Niemann has a great new book out. The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters will be a favorite read-aloud during story time this year. When the second graders begin their study of Ancient China, they will love rereading this book and looking closely at how the artist incorporates Chinese characters into his illustrations in a way that shows how they resemble the things that they symbolize. This book will make you want to learn more about Chinese writing and maybe even give it a try yourself!

Little Mikey

Our library pet, Little Mikey, molted the day before school started. It was a difficult molt for a tarantula who is over 16 years old. After resting on his back for two weeks in the library office, he is on his feet and ready to entertain and amaze children. He was the perfect subject for a discussion of the differences between fiction and nonfiction books. Be sure to stop in the library to examine Mikey’s old exoskeleton and read a few of our favorite books about spiders.

Our Reading Roots

In her book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller wrote about our reading roots. She included a quote from William Wordsworth.
What we have loved
Others will love.
We will teach them how.
Our back to school display in the library includes pictures of teachers and staff reading books that were important to them as beginning readers. It is fun to see what books led to the book lovers that we all became.