Love All Around

February is full of eventful days. Groundhogs Day, President's Day, Valentine's Day, etc. We only have a few weeks to cram in fun Valentine books before the day comes and goes and the kids are on to the next fun thing.

This week we read the Love Monster by Rachel Bright. I love that it's love at first sight for the kids. One of the pages talks about how he's googly-eyed and not-so-cute, but the kids beg to differ!

This book is about self-acceptance and learning to love your differences, even when it feels a little lonely. I drew and copied a Love Monster for the students to color - BIG hit! :)

Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle has many familiar characters, written in Valentine form. It is a quick read, but super sweet and fun. 

Lastly, I have been purchasing books like CRAZY lately, annual library funds, grant money, library donations, etc. One of the orders came in this week with the cutest, tongue-twister of a book called A Greyhound and a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins and illustrations by Chris Appelhans. It looks adorable and while it may not be about a groundhog seeing his shadow, this is one watercolor groundhog you won't be able to resist! 

A Wintery Week with Jan Brett

Happy New Year! It has been a crazy winter for us so far this year. We were meant to return to school on January 4th and have had six snow days between then and now! And add Martin Luther King Jr. day into the mix... needless to say, we're all walking around like martians, trying to get back into the swing of things! 

January in the library is always filled with all the winter-y things: snowmen, snowflakes, mittens, hot cocoa, etc. This week we are reading The Mitten and Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett. Reading these this week brought back memories from when I read them as a kid and the cleverness of each story. They are so fun and mischievous and have some pretty amazing pictures to go along with.

Just how many creatures can fit inside this snow-white glove? Read the story and find out!

We discussed that these trolls do not have pretty colored hair, since the movie trolls came out recently, the students loved the trickery all the same! 

There's weatherman rumor that more snow is on its way, so bundle up... it was 2 degrees this morning... hang on to your mittens and watch out for dog-snatching trolls!

Countdown to the Big Break!!

I think the staff are just as anxious to get out for the holiday break as the students are. On the days it snows, the kids are WILD and on top of colds and the flu and all other sorts of set backs, I think it is safe to say we are ready for a break :)

One of my favorite weeks of the whole year is the week before Christmas break. A wonderful local church brings every student and staff member a gift. Over 500 gifts come pouring in and the students light up! They make the staff a wonderful lunch, which this year was soup and salad and the best gingerbread cookies I have ever tasted! I like to end the week on a cheery note so I save "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clark Moore for very last. There are several different copies out there but there is even an online copy on getepic.com that is so fun to use.

I love this site SO much. It gives a different view of reading books to our students and if we don't have something in our library, I can usually find something on Epic!

There are so many great books and not quite enough time but we were able to squeeze in Dr. Seuss "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the cartoon before we leave. 

Many other great Winter holiday titles we featured this month in our library are shown below. We are so grateful for the diversity at our school and all the cultures we get to experience. Wishing you the happiest holidays now please excuse me while I countdown the hours until the break... ;)

December is here!

One of my favorite times of the year...December. All around, things change shape. Snow falls, lights glow and we all seem to care a little bit more. I have been looking at my collection since November, trying to figure out what books I can read in the three and a half weeks before we get out for the break!

This week, we did "A Cookie for Santa" by Stephen Shaw. The story is about a super cookie who helps save Christmas and becomes a friend to Santa instead of a treat! Once again, another fun rhyming book that the kids adore!

"The Last Christmas Tree" by Stephen Krensky is so sweet and the illustrations by Pascal Campion are darling!! The kids are very sweet and take a liking to the little tree right away even though no one else does in the story. In the end, the little tree ends up finding the best home of all.... at the North Pole!

I wish it offered more images online so I could show you the art inside the book, but I guess that just means you will need to read it and find out for yourself - you won't be disappointed! 

Getting into Giving Thanks

This month is cut a week short for the Thanksgiving holiday break so I have three perfect books to read to get your kids in the Turkey Day spirit.

Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston is SO cute! It's about a little girl who is not liking having to share her home when family comes to stay for the holiday, so she gets a little mischievous.

I'm no Turkey by Hans Wilhelm is such an easy read but the kids love the silliness each page holds!

This Is the Turkey by Abby Levine is the picture perfect traditional Thanksgiving until something goes wrong and the turkey that has been cooking all day slips off the plate!

The moral of this story is that we are grateful for everything we have and even if we don't have everything we wanted or expected, there is still plenty to be thankful for. 

We get out tomorrow for a lovely week-long holiday vacation and want to wish you all the Happiest Thanksgiving! 

The Snatchabook and The Gruffalo

This week was recovery week from the book fair and of course our school was used as a voting site for election day so I was out another day for library this week. With in-class library and trying to get back on schedule, I picked two AMAZING favorites.

The Snatchabook is an adorable mystery by Helen and Thomas Docherty. Someone is stealing all the bedtime stories and it must come to a stop! Read along to find out who's the culprit and if the stories ever get returned to their rightful owners.

And of course, more Julia Donaldson splendor with The Gruffalo. Most of the kids had already read it but they didn't mind another round and Netflix also has a beautiful cartoon to go along with this one! In true librarian's fashion, we read the book first and then watch the 'toon! 

You cannot help but love this little brown mouse and the humor and picture are so delightful!

Happy Halloween Books

I have been totally slacking and I apologize. This month has been very hectic and I am now in the middle of my school's book fair so the chaos continues! 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so whenever I see a fun Halloween book, I must have it! This year we read some new and old classics.

My absolute favorite from Julia Donaldson is Room on the Broom.

Netflix has the BEST cartoon to go along with this story - it is adorable!

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger shows how all little children become a Crankenstein every once in a while. I let the kids make sound effects and they love the grumpy pictures.

Shivery Shades of Halloween by Mary McKenna Siddals has every creepy, crawly description of all things spooky. While I may have left out some words like bloody and snotty, the kids didn't seem to mind!

Monster Mash by David Catrow is word for word the lyrics from the song. Since I totally ran out of time, I didn't get the chance to play the song and follow along in the book with the kids, but that just means I'll get to use it next year!

Happy Halloween!!