Adopt a Lonely Book

Inspired by a lesson that I learned about from New Jersey school librarian April Bunn at an AASL conference, our 4th graders selected "lonely" picture books - ones that had been rarely or never checked out - and did their best to promote them to younger students. Many of these are truly wonderful books that didn't make it off the library shelves as often as they deserved.

First we discussed how people select which books to read, and students said that in addition to friends' recommendations, the author's name, and jacket descriptions, their choices are most often based on cover art or an intriguing title. Armed with these insights, they set to work creating new book covers, complete with quotes from friends. (I couldn't scan the backs of the covers as they have students' names on them, but have typed in some examples of the glowing reviews from classmates.)

Throughout this week, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade have the opportunity to read the 4th graders' lonely books and leave kind, thoughtful feedback. In the process, many students are broadening their reading and discovering some hidden gems. Perhaps in future as they browse the shelves of a bookstore or library, they will also consider what they see a bit differently.

Check out a few examples below! 

Original cover:
Student's cover:

Critical acclaim from 4th grade: "This book shows how to respect people from different cultures!" and "This is a very intriguing book!"

Original cover:

Student's cover: 

Critical acclaim from 4th grade: "A very sweet story!" and "Shows that anyone can make a difference!"

Original cover:

Student's cover:

Critical acclaim from 4th grade: "This book is awesome!" and "This book is one of the best I've ever read!"

Have you signed up for summer camp?

Did you know that you can register online for our fun summer camp options? I will be teaching three fun camps and would love to have your child attend.
 
Each one runs for half the day, so you can mix and match, exploring a variety of fun, brain-stretching topics!

Jurassic Giants
Week 4 - July 23-27 (Entering 1st and 2nd Grade)
What were these ancient creatures like? Dig for fossil bones, act out dinosaur stories, and make dino-projects to take home. Compare dinosaurs to modern-day animals and try to unlock some prehistoric mysteries!

Moon Mission
Week 5 - July 30-August 3 (Entering Kindergarten)
Learn what it takes to become an astronaut! Be part of a space agency team to role play a mission to the moon. There will be lots of art projects, experiment and drama games as your camper takes a trip to the moon!

Crime Science
Week 6 - August 6- 10 (Entering 3rd and 4th Grade)
Ever wonder how detectives and scientists work together to solve crimes? Campers work together as detectives to identify clues, crack secret codes, and debate their conclusions!

"Do you have any good books in here?"

That's the question a student asked me the other day! It was an interesting question to contemplate because, really, what makes a book "good"? We have beloved childhood books we long to share with our kids, ones we remember fondly, one we believe are so good that they really must read them.

But sometimes those childhood, teen or early adult favorites don't hold up well so well when we re-read them later on, as Nadia Chaudhury's What Books Make You Cringe to Remember? so entertainingly shows. Celebrated author Neil Gaiman also describes the conundrum of Enid Blyton, one of the most widely read children's authors in the English language, who enlivened his boyhood but whom he finds unreadable years later.
Even when we're not looking back nostalgically through the mists of time, one person's favorite book is frequently someone else's stodgy bore. Every year, our kindergarten through 3rd grade students participate in a state-wide children's choice picture book award, and the process of selecting and voting for a favorite brings home to them quite vividly how different individual tastes can be, how "good book" isn't an easy concept to pin down.

As an adult in a position of authority, I am acutely aware that if I label a particular book as "good" or say, "You'll love this!" it might make a student uncomfortable if they don't care for it. So how did I answer this question? I said we had a lot of books that many people enjoyed, but that everyone had a different idea of which ones were "good." Then I asked him to describe what he liked and did my best to match him with something he'd enjoy - whether I really liked that book or not.

The enduring popularity of Greek mythology

As a girl, I enjoyed hearing tales of mythology told by my Greek father, so it is with great pleasure that I see that young people today continue to enjoy these engrossing tales and that they provide the inspiration for so many chapter books, comics, movies and more.

If you are a fan of Greek mythology, you are surely already familiar with Rick Riordan! If you'd like to explore further, here are just a few of the many other fine books and websites you might want to check out:

Books
Many titles by Geraldine McCaughrean
The Mythlopedia series
Olympians by George O'Connor

Websites
Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology
Mitología para niños (in Spanish!)
Winged Sandals

If I didn't include one of your favorites, please feel free to share it in a comment!

5th grade presentation: May

The category for 5th grade book presentations this month is titles recommended by me, your school librarian! Ms. Russell and I talked about how many wonderful gems sit languishing on the library shelves for a variety of reasons - an unappealing cover, a title that may not sound interesting enough, or simply because they are not as well known as the currently popular books.

I've scoured the shelves looking for these treasures - many of which students adore once they give them a chance - and have placed 44 of them, both fiction and nonfiction, on the usual shelf in the library.

Stop by soon for the best selection! You may choose any of these books that you have not already read and keep it until June 8th.

Traveling around the world with stories

Yesterday we had a wonderful time with Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald! In the morning, grades K-4 heard stories from Tanzania, Scotland, Denmark and Panama. Middle school students had an assembly featuring stories from Borneo, England and Indiana (from Dr. MacDonald's own family history).

She also taught four storytelling workshops, getting us started with basic stories we can share at home and in our school community! 7th graders learned stories from West Africa and the Makah tribe. 4th grade learned to tell a folktale from China in groups of three (tandem telling), while 3rd graders learned a Ganesh story from India in groups of four. Several enthusiastic staff members stayed after school to learn two stories from Thailand and one from Eastern Europe.

Research shows the value of storytelling - it helps lessons "stick" in our minds in a vivid way! Dr. MacDonald's extensive collection of publications includes both single folktales in picture book form that can be read aloud, as well as manuals to help people start telling stories, and story collections that can be read aloud or used to practice storytelling. Take a look at her website for more information!

Would you like a chance to hear more stories and maybe learn to tell some of your own? Check out the PowellsWood Storytelling Festival coming up July 13th & 14th in Federal Way. I hope to see you there!

This Monday: Margaret Read MacDonald!

World famous storyteller, author, librarian and folklore scholar, Margaret Read MacDonald, is coming to campus this Monday following her tours of the Middle East, India and Germany! She'll perform at assemblies for the lower and middle schools, and conduct storytelling workshops with students in grades 3, 4 and 7.

If you are interested in ordering books to be signed by Dr. MacDonald, order forms are available on my teacher website and Vista Sharepoint page. You may call in a credit card order at the number on the form or send cash or a check to school in advance, or bring payment on the day of the event. She will be in the main office signing books from 3-3:30pm on Monday.

Dr. MacDonald was my storytelling teacher when I was in library school and I am so excited to be sharing her with my students! From the rising popularity of StoryCorps to the International Storytelling Center, people are recognizing the power of stories to capture our hearts and minds, help us learn and retain new concepts - even sell products!

Check out some of Dr. MacDonald's wonderful books - listed and described on her website. She's written both picture books and collections of stories that can be read aloud or mastered and performed (even just for your family and friends). Also check out events for all ages at the Seattle Storytellers Guild.