Jan Brett studies

During the weeks leading up to the Winter Break 2nd grade studied Jan Brett.  During their first visit to the library we read Trouble with Trolls and Christmas Trolls.  These books have wonderful boarders on the pages and are excellent examples of foreshadowing.  We predicted as we read along and enjoyed studying Jan Brett’s illustrations, especially in Trouble with Trolls.  On my 5th time reading it a 2nd grader pointed out some wonderful pictures hidden on a page, I had never noticed them before.  With Jan Brett if you keep studying you might just find something new! 

On their second visit to the library we read The Gingerbread Baby.  Which is a wonderful retelling of the Gingerbread Boy, but he didn’t quite finish cooking so he runs out as the Gingerbread Baby.  We were again able to predict using Jan Brett's boarders how the Gingerbread Baby was finally captured in the end.  We then went to her Website www.janbrett.com were watched videos of Jan Brett drawing.  She instructed us how to draw a Gingerbread Baby and also a Hedgehog, or as she calls them a Hedgie.  The students loved this.  Here is some of their best work. Thank you Jan Brett for telling us how you create your adorable characters.  We love your books.

Book of the Day: The Quiet Book

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How many kinds of quiet are there? Have you ever pondered this question? Author Deborah Underwood has given a lot of thought to the matter. From “Coloring in the lines quiet” to “Lollipop quiet” and “Right before you yell “SURPRISE!” quiet”. Each account is illustrated beautifully with muted colors perfect for the calming theme. This would be a great was to encourage students to brainstorm how to act in certain situations or different reasons to behave a specific way. It is also a wonderful book to enjoy at bedtime or when preparing for a quiet activity.

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"The soft, matte feel of the illustrations, created with pencil, are digitally enhanced, and are priceless. The animals’ facial expressions and body language are endearing. White space is used creatively to emphasize the mostly gray or brown palette. All of the scenarios are child-centric and realistic. A delightful and enchanting choice for storytime or sharing one-on-one." - School Library Journal, starred review

Book of the Day: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book; it was an excellent choice for the Newberry Award. Grace Lin is an amazing author and the students are our school enjoy her books immensely. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the kind of book that you just cannot put down. Minli is a character who is easy to relate to and you desire her to succeed and her journey is exciting and magical. Thank you Grace Lin for another wonderful story.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means “quick thinking,” lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Along the way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her quest. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter. Grades 3-6. --Andrew Medlar

Book of the Day: The Wonder Book

The Wonder Book is full of things that people really do wonder about, like "Who put money under the tooth fairy's pillow when she was a little girl?"   I shared this with second grade classes and most of the poems and word plays were perfect for the age group.  Some were a little over their heads and would be enjoyed more by older students or even adults.  But the beauty of The Wonder Book is that you can open to any page and enjoy, there is no need to read from cover to cover.  Students who like Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein will LOVE The Wonder Book.  Read it to make the wheels start to turn, wonder and question!

Book of the Day: Can't Sleep wothout Sheep

Can't Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ava’s mother told her to count sheep to help her fall asleep. But the sheep got tired of jumping night after night so they decided to quit. The sheep promised Ava that they would find her a replacement. First they thought of sending in a horse, but they were too pretty so they sent in a chicken. But Ava just laughed as the chickens tried to get over the fence. The pigs were no use because they were in no hurry to get over the fence. Several of the animals (cows, hippos, buffalo, flamingos, armadillos, beavers and more) tried to help Ava fall asleep but it wasn’t as easy as they thought. Read to find out which animal puts Ava to sleep. - Review by Cindy Tran




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Book of the Day: The Library Pages

The Library Pages by Carlene Morton


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


K-3rd- Mrs. Heath the school librarian receives a DVD and a letter from her students at Happyland Elementary while on maternity leave. In the letter the students mention that the substitute falls asleep while reading. So it’s up to the students to make sure that the library continues to run smoothly. The DVD depicts some terrifying scenes of how the students are taking care of the library; shelving thin books together, painting bookmarkers, plastic wrapping the books, color coding the books, dog earring the book pages, duck taping the books, cutting out pages, etc. To Mrs. Heath’s surprise it was all an April Fool’s joke. The students can’t wait for Mrs. Heath to come back! - Review by Cindy Tran




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Book of the Day: The Clever Stick

The Clever Stick by John Lechner


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


K-3rd-Follow the journey of a stick that tries to make his presence be known. Without a voice the stick is unable to share all the clever things that he comes up with. With his sharp skills he could solve any difficult math problem, write poetry, or help others with their problems. But who would even notice a stick? Unable to share his thoughts with the forest creatures the clever stick drags himself home. Soon he discovers that the lines that he has created make some interesting drawings. Check out a copy of The Clever Stick to see the magnificent masterpiece that he creates for the forest. - Review by Cindy Tran




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Book of the Day: Bluebonnet Book Trailers

Bluebonnet List Book Trailers

Sometimes instead of reinventing the wheel I can point you in the direction of some awesome work others have done.  This GLOG (Graphical Blog) has book trailers for some of this year’s Bluebonnet Books.  There is still a month and a half to read these wonderful stories and decide which is most deserving of your vote for the Bluebonnet Award.  There are many 3-5^th graders already eligible to vote and I know we will have a fun time promoting the favorites and then celebrating the winner.  Read at least 5 by the end of January!!

Book of the Day: My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil

My Best Friend Is As Sharp As a Pencil by Hanoch Piven


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How would you describe your best friend, your teachers, yourself, how about characters from a book? This is a great introduction into metaphors and thinking outside the box to describe someone. It would be a great idea to use this concept at the beginning of the school year to get to know other staff members or allow the students to describe themselves to each other. Check back for some examples of Character Portraits from our Bledsoe Book Clubs.

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From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—When a girl's grandmother comes to visit, she is filled with questions about the child's teachers, friends, and school. Instead of simply answering, the girl decides to show her grandmother what she likes about the important people in her life. She gathers up piles of objects and then sorts through them to find representative objects and collages them into portraits. The girl's friend Jack, who is geographically inclined and "sharp as a pencil," ends up having globes for eyes, magnifying glasses for glasses, a microscope nose, and a pencil mouth. Her art teacher has an artist's palette for a face, wears mysterious dark glasses, sports a colorful Mohawk, and wields a paintbrush. The layout encourages a guessing game of sorts as the audience will wonder how and where each object will be incorporated in the portrait. This book is ideal for projects involving descriptive language. Readers can create their own portraits of friends and teachers using various objects and this book as a guide. Use it with Piven's What Presidents Are Made of (2004), What Athletes Are Made of (2006, both S & S), and My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks (Randon, 2007) for classroom or crafting activities.—Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book of the Day: Dear Anjali

Dear Anjali by Melissa Glenn Haber


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The topic is challenging but it is an honest struggle and the main character Meredith is very relatable. She feel that she is an outcast and Anjali is her only friend. When Anjali suddenly dies Meredith vows to write her every day, it is her way of keeping Anjali close, and she really really needs someone to talk to. In her letters she tells Anjali about her family and school, how hard everything is without her there and most importantly how much she needs her friend now. Anjali is the only one who could tell her what to do about Noah Spivak! The boy she has had a crush on for years is finally becoming her friend. But is she betraying Anjali who liked him too? As she learns more about Noah, Anjali and her enemy Wendy, Meredith is left feeling betrayed herself. Was Anjali really her best friend forever or is she really all alone in the world. This book is definitely for mature 5th graders or middle school students who will be able to relate with Meredith as she struggles to figure out who she is and how to deal with her friends death.




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Book of the Day: Confessions of a Former Bully

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Katie is a bully, or maybe I should say she used to be one. She got in trouble too many times for the way she was hurting Monica and her consequences included meeting with the counselor and finding a way to make up for the hurt she caused. Katie realized that there was a lot she didn’t know about bullying and that her way of making up for her actions was to write a book about bullying. This journal format book, complete with sketches and “Quick Fact” cards taped in, is a heartfelt introduction into a child’s reaction to bullying. Katie explains it like it is, why kids bully, what you can do if you are a bully or a victim, and how to get help for yourself and your friends. This is the perfect book for any elementary school kid, teacher and parent.




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Book of the Day: There's a Princess at the Palace

School Library Journal (September 1, 2010)


Gr 2 Up-The team who dreamed up the hilarious There's a Wolf at the Door (Roaring Brook, 2008) is back with princess fairy tales that are as fluid as they are fractured. This colorful, oversize graphic novel is packed with puns, witticisms, and sarcastic asides. It opens as Cinderella-whose real name turns out to be Ashley-tries on the glass slipper and it fits. "My princess! Marry me!" says handsome Prince Dennis. "My prince! Okay!" says Cinderella. Before you know it, they have a daughter. A certain witch who is not invited to the christening casts a spell and-voila!-Princess Dawn becomes Sleeping Beauty. She is something of a spoiled brat and wakes to the kiss of another handsome prince-one who takes himself far too seriously. But she's not ready to make a commitment, so off she goes into the woods, where she invades the house of seven dwarfs and turns into Snow White. Wouldn't you know it, the same witch who put her whole household to sleep now offers her a poisoned apple. The serious prince once again engages in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and this time S.B./S.W.'s ready for marriage. Her daughter falls in love with a frog, and her granddaughter is forced to sleep on a mountain of mattresses concealing a terribly uncomfortable pea. Two mice provide a clever running commentary in all five tales, and the witch who appears throughout gradually undergoes a dramatic change of lifestyle. Marvelous for anyone with a wry sense of humor, There's a Princess in the Palace deserves a place in every library.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book of the Day: The Extraordinary Mark Twain According to Susy

The Extraordinary Mark Twain by Barbara Kerley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


13 year old Susy Clemens knew Mark Twain just about as well as anybody.  She lived with him after all.  Susy decided that no one had succeeded in writing an acceptable biography of her famous father so she set out to do so herself.  This book is a picture of Susy and life in the Celmens household as she wrote the very personal biography of Mark Twain.  Included are pages and paragraphs from the original journal and quotes by Mark Twain himself. IN the end, “people got what Susy thought they needed: a portrait of the ….extraordinary Mark Twain, according to Susy”
Following the story are a guide to writing and extraordinary biography which would be useful for teaching, and a timeline. Recommended to both adults and children alike.




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Book of the Day: Any Which Wall

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Friends, magic, wishes, and old fashioned fun make this book a winner!  Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan are wasting away their summer waiting for something exciting to happen when on a bike ride they discover a large dark wall, in the middle of a corn field.  In a very Narnian event the children rest against it and in doing so mistakenly active the wall which whisks them immediately into a nearby soda shop.  This happens to be the exact wish of Susan as she sat down to rest and they realize the potential of the wall.  If you could wish to visit anywhere at any time in history where would you go?  A deserted island, a famous American city, the old west, ancient Egypt? The way the four children relate to each other is a throwback to the Pevensise’s on their visit to Narnia or the Penderwick girls.  There is nothing brand new here but the book has a wonderful old time feel and is a purely enjoyable read.



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