It's Monday! What are you reading?

Family is on my mind these days as I shopped for Valentine's Day cards and got my first round of the COVID vaccine.  This book has been sitting on my to-read pile for a few months:

The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte is a simple, caring story that can help children understand the changes in memory that may happen to aging family members.  The visual metaphor of our memories stored in balloons, sometimes getting stuck and slowly floating away until none are left to hold, can help buffer the sadness of experiencing a loved one's forgetting. But there is a sense of hopefulness, too, as the balloons are passed from one generation to the next--a gentle argument for oral history, that telling of family stories whenever and wherever we gather together.

It's Monday, and I'm reading a beautiful picture book from my to-read pile.  What books do you have at hand right now?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

We are all about read-alouds with social-emotional learning and checking out books to exercise our reading muscles this week--as well as a lesson on choosing good-fit books.

PreK is peeking in on a young boy's efforts to repair his friend's house.  With the neighborhood's help, it gets done in The One Day House by Julia Durango, illustrated by Bianca Diaz.  We're making connections with lessons on caring for and helping our friends.

Kindergarten classes are also discussing caring for our friends (and the double meaning of "goose egg") with The Goose Egg by Liz Wong.

Henrietta the elephant was perfectly happy in her quiet home, until she accidentally hatched an egg that thinks she's the mama!  She comes up with a clever use for her trunk as she raises the gosling--a good example of creative thinking.

First grade classes are just having checkout this week, to make sure they have plenty at hand to read.

Second grade classes are getting a bonus lesson on how to pick good fit books using interests and comprehension checks as guides.  

Third through fifth grades are in a checkout week as well, so we're reviewing how to put books on hold and request book bundles for those who are remote learning or using classroom delivery.  Our curbside service is continuing through the semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is also being utilized by teachers for learning material pickups.  A big shout-out to our ITS, Ms Foster, for adding the link to our school website banner to make it even easier to learn how to get books at home!  (Cute graphic too, Ms Foster!)

Keep on exercising those reading muscles with great-fit books, Dillo Readers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

We had a day off from work and school for MLK Day, so I took advantage of the extra time and decided to finish one of the five (!) books I am reading at the same time.  I was in the mood to escape a bit, so I dove back into S is for Space, a collection of short science fiction stories written by Ray Bradbury.

S is for Space was published in 1966 and has been out of print for awhile; I bought a copy from a used book store.  I chuckled a bit when I saw the card pocket tucked in the back, the "Wexford Public School, Scarborough, Ontario"--a school that opened in 1951, and is still serving students in grades PreK through 8th.

I read some of Ray Bradbury's books in high school (most likely prompted by the release of the film version of his Something Wicked This Way Comes) and liked them, which is why I chose this book for a reading challenge I'm participating in.  This one qualifies as "a book published the year you were born".  Even in 1966, Bradbury was setting his sights on Y2K and beyond; the stories that mention dates are a mere forty years away, though some are set centuries beyond that.  In Bradbury's tales, Martian air is breathable and the canals still hold water, but Martians themselves remain unseen...until Earthmen become the Martians.  Children are impressionable enablers of alien invasions.  Rockets fly regularly in the night sky.  There is social commentary, too-- annihilating our planet through war is mentioned as background detail in several of the stories; control of society via the television screen; hatred bringing a dead man to life--all relevant themes in our Y2K-plus world, eerily prognosticated fifty-five years ago. 

It's Monday, and I FINALLY finished one of my five books I am currently reading!  What book will you focus on next?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 We are back to our regular schedule in the library this week!  Which means read-alouds and lessons and books to check out, oh my!

PreK will be studying animal needs, so we're complementing their learning with Mama Dug a Little Den by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  Lots of animal mothers (and fathers) dig dens, but for different reasons--as nurseries, to stay warm or cold, to hide from potential prey, or just homes to live in.  This book is one of those that can be enjoyed by different grades, as there is expanded information on each page for advanced readers.

It's a social-emotional learning (SEL) kind of week for our K-2 classes.  SEL is now a regular component of our school day here is RRISD, and I'm happy to support the curriculum with books from our collection.  The two this week just happen to be Armadillo Readers' Choice books as well!

Kindergarten and first grade classes are listening to Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill.  Acts of kindness don't have to be big, we're learning; even something as simple as paying attention or sitting with a sad friend are ways to show that we care.

Second grade classes are laughing about The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach.  Caterpillar is having a hard time waiting to become a butterfly, but eventually learns some coping strategies to be more patient.  Hint:  there's a lot of self-talk involved!

Third through fifth grades are having their mid-year library skills review.  We are covering a lot--how to read a spine label/ call number to find a book in the library (because most libraries use the same system, even the public ones!), finding good fit books, and using the catalog to place holds, create reading lists, and check accounts.  Using Pear Deck makes it an interactive lesson instead of a "sit and get".

Our 20-21 Bluebonnet Reading Program will be wrapping up this month!  Students have until January 26th to read at least five of the twenty Bluebonnet Award nominees.  They must submit their log entries online via the library website to be invited to vote for their favorite during the last week of January.

For our at-home learners--remember that you can get library books via our Grab & Go Curbside Book Delivery Service on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Keep building those reading muscles!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

We are just about finished with putting away Christmas decorations, so I picked up one of the books Santa left for us and read it yesterday.

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott is a straightforward book about the impact of meaningful, kind acts.  Bear is sad about the other forest animals being afraid of him.  Coco, his friend, suggests they make cookies and lanterns for the animals, but their gestures are rebuffed--until bear saves a young deer in need.  Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light is one of those stories that can be read and explored on many levels; I suggest using it to spur discussions about kindness and friendship in elementary and middle grades.  You can hear the author/illustrator read her story by clicking here!

I am co-chair of the Texas Library Association's Teacher Day @TLA committee, and we are fortunate to have Varian Johnson speak at our event this year!  Of course, I had to read The Parker Inheritance before seeing him this April.  Luckily we had it on the shelf in our Anderson Mill school library.

I am enjoying Johnson's writing!  I am just starting this fictional mystery novel, but I can already tell that it's going to weave in some historical perspective on racial tension in the South. The main character and her sidekick, Candice and Brandon, are 'book nerds', so I'm already liking them a lot--especially since they like the same books I do!

It's Monday, and I'm enjoying this "bad weather day" at home by reading great books on my couch. What are you reading on this cold day as we watch our Austin snow melt away?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

Welcome back to school, Dillo Readers!  A new year brings us new books to read in the library!

Because of the short week, we will spend time reconnecting with classes and reviewing library expectations and curbside delivery reminders instead of lessons--except for PreK, who will have their usual read-aloud time.  They will be focusing on counting this week, so we'll be reading One Pup's Up by Marsha Wilson Chall.

 

Third through fifth graders--January is THE MONTH to wrap up your Bluebonnet reading for this school year!  Voting will happen the last week of January, so be sure to get that reading done and log your books in the form on our website (you will need to be logged in to the computer with your student log-in to complete the form).  Voting will be done online!

If you had books on hold for curbside delivery that did not get picked up before Winter Break, those holds have been removed and the books have been returned to the shelves.  Here is the link with all the information you need about our Grab & Go Curbside Delivery Service.  Our next pickup time is tomorrow from 5p to 630p, so you have time to get new books on hold before then.

THANK YOU to all who shopped our online Fall Scholastic Book Fair!  A big thank you to The Bell family for donating books for our library to give to our readers, to our Anderson Mill PTA who bought a book from every teacher's classroom library wishlist, and to all who also contributed books!  Access to reading material is essential for growing readers in our learning community; your efforts will have a lasting impact on our students!

Keep on reading!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

We are back from Winter Break!  Teachers are, anyway, so I thought I'd post about the first book I read in 2021.  Santa brought us a copy of the bestselling The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

This book reminds me of A.A. Milne's When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six from the Winnie-the-Pooh series, with its simple and direct dialogue that speaks to children on one level, adults on another.  The artwork is different, too--sometimes spare, sometimes rich with detail, powerfully illustrating the lessons of friendship and hardship and simple joys.  In a world that seems so complicated these days, I can see why this book is a bestseller, pulling us in to pause and think about what is truly important that even pandemic and politics can't take away.

Because I found it increasingly difficult to read last year, I've joined a book challenge with a friend on Facebook to get me motivated.  There are categories to cover, and I'm going to try and meet them by pulling from my to-read pile at home.  I did have to purchase one for the list, however--a book published the year you were born.  I chose S is for Space by Ray Bradbury because I love science fiction stories.  I had to buy a used copy, because it was published in 1966!  (And now you know how old I am!)

It's Monday, and I read a bestseller this past week!  Did you get any new books to read over Winter Break?  What are your reading goals this year?