The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Vashti sits in Art class with a blank sheet of paper. When her Art teacher notices her blank paper, she says "oh, a polar bear in a snowstorm". Vashti does not think that is funny and tells her teacher that she just cannot draw. The teacher asks her to make a mark. Vashti makes a dot with her pen. The teacher tells her to "sign it". Vashti signs her name and leaves. The next time she comes to Art class her Dot is framed and hanging behind the teacher's desk. Vashti looks at her Dot and decides she can do better. As she creates we begin to realize that we all can be creative if we try.

Peter Reynolds invited everyone to be part of International Dot Day, September 15ish (ish is another book by Peter H. Reynolds). We were pleased to be part of International Dot Day during the week of September 17th.

Soccer Longshot by C.J. Renner

Sports Illustrated KIDS Graphic Novels, is a set of sports related stories. What is a graphic novel? It is a novel in comic-book format. It is not a comic strip. In Soccer Longshot we follow Matty Drake, a 14 year old forward on the Strikers. When the Strikers come up short in a game that they should have won, Matty seeks help. He finds the help he is looking for when he discovers a group of streetball kids. Matty tells them his name is "Sam". Lola, who the other streetball players consider to be their captain, calls him "Sammy". After picking up some pretty amazing moves from Lola, "Sammy" asks her where she learned her moves. Lola explains she learned her moves from watching Pele videos. "Sammy" has no idea who Pele is, but is blown away when he sees the famous soccer player and all his moves on the video tapes. "Sammy" borrows one of videos to help improve his skills. He continues playing on both teams and the Strikers notice his intensity and improvement. Then one day the Strikers have a run in with the streetballer players. What will happen when Matty's two teams face off against each other? Will the streetball players realize that their "Sammy" is really one of the key players for the Strikers? This graphic novel starts with stats about the main characters and concludes with facts about the game.

When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl

What would you do if your family moved from New York to Vermont to help out your grandfather after your grandmother died? Zelly (Zelda) faces this issue in When Life Gives You O.J. Zelly, her parents, and her little brother Sam, pack up and leave New York for a town in Vermont to "help" her grandpa - Ace. Ace lived on a farm in Vermont where they often vacationed when Zelly's grandma, Bubbles, was alive. But when Bubbles died, Ace was all alone so her parents decided they would all move to Vermont and Ace would move in with them. Life changed quickly for Zelly - who went from feeling "normal" in her neighborhood in New York to feeling like the "odd" girl with the frizzy hair in Vermont. Zelly knows the one thing that can make her feel "normal" is a dog! Her parents say no, but Ace comes up with a plan. He gives Zelly an empty orange juice jug with a "leash" and tells her that if she can prove to her parents that she is responsible - by taking care of her "practice dog" - they will get her a real dog. Zelly humors Ace and takes her orange juice jug out for walks, feeds it pretend meals, and even has to have the jug dump out pretend messes on their walks that Zelly scoops up with a plastic bag. As the summer goes on Zelly continues the routine. Then she meets a new boy in town, Jeremy, who tells her she has to "up the ante". If she wants a real dog, she needs to show her parents she can take care of her "practice dog" - who she names O.J. for "old jug" - plus start her own dog care business - The Zelly Treatment. Will Zelly get her wish, will Ace's crazy plan work, does "upping the ante" pay off? Read this delightful book and find out for yourself.

Pete the Cat books by Eric Litwin; illustrated by James Dean

I cannot believe we did not post Pete the Cat or his sequels. So here they all are.

Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes

Pete the Cat: Rockin' in My School Shoes 

Pete the Cat: And His Four Groovy Buttons

We invite you to join the fans (our staff and students) of Pete the Cat - you will love his adventures and songs. You can get the audio of his stories learn all about Pete as well as the author and the illustrator at http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/ See the YouTube video reading of I Love my White Shoes with Eric Litwin below. It's ALL good!!

Days With Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

This is a classic for our beginning readers. I Can Read! Level 2. Once our students start reading they want to immediately jump into Chapter books, just like the big kids! With Frog and Toad books (and others, like Henry and Mudge) they are there ... they are reading chapter books!! All short stories organized into chapters for our youngest readers.

In Days With Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel we join the friends as they experience Tomorrow, The Kite, Shivers, The Hat, and Alone. All stories the reader can relate to. In Tomorrow, Toad wakes up and isn't very motivated to do a thing. Frog looks around Toad's house and sees a lot of things that need to be done. Toad's house is a mess. The only thing Toad wanted to do all day, was relax ... but then he realizes that tomorrow will be a very busy day, because of all the things that need to be done, see what he decides to do. And enjoy all of their other adventures. Be sure to pick up you Frog and Toad books today!

Enjoy a short Frog and Toad readers theater video created by a group of 1st graders (not from our school)

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin

All the residents on Orange Street love the old orange tree on the vacant lot. If the tree could talk you would hear many wonderful stories about the residents, past and present. Bunny, Ali and Leandra are friends and members of the "Long Hair Club". They meet under the orange tree. The girls all have secrets they share, and some secrets that they only share with the orange tree. The same is true about others in their neighborhood. One gorgeous morning the neighbors wake up to find on orange cone in front of the vacant lot. No one knows where the cone came from and their imaginations run wild trying to figure out what is happening. We get a glimpse into each neighbor's personal world as they reminisce about the vacant lot and how much the orange tree means to them. Check out the author's website and hear her own words about how she created the characters and why she wrote the story. Click on her name to enter the website Joanne Rocklin .

Listen to My Trumpet by Mo Willems

Another hit by Mo Willems. Piggy has a trumpet. She is so excited, she can't wait to share her new trumpet with Gerald (Elephant). As Piggy plays her notes Elephant makes faces and thinks to himself that what Piggy is playing is not music. When she is done Piggy wants to hear what Elephant thinks. Gerald does not want to hurt Piggy's feelings so he starts by telling her that her trumpet is "loud" and that it is "shiny". When Piggy wants to hear more will Elephant hurt her feelings and tell her what he really thinks? Read Listen to My Trumpet and you will be surprised! Check out Mo Willems website for more fun.

Who Was Dr. Seuss? by Janet Pascal

In 1937 Dr. Seuss wrote his first children's book - And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street. 20 years later he wrote a book for beginning readers. His editor gave him a list of 300 words and told him he could only use those words. He wrote The Cat in the Hat. He only used 225 words to write the story. Theodore Seuss Geisel was his real name. Ted enjoyed doodling, making up his own characters and nonsense words. He soon went off to college. Ted did not do well in college - he was more interested in writing and doodling - he wrote for the college paper, but did not do well in his classes. He went to England to attend Oxford University, but found the students too serious and the classes too boring. He met another student, Helen Palmer, who changed his life when she looked at his doodling and told him he should be an illustrator. She graduated from Oxford and starting her teaching career back in the United States. Ted dropped out of school and moved back to the states too, where he continued to draw. He sent his illustrations to many magazines and finally a famous magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, accepted his work. Soon Ted and Helen married. Ted began signing his work using his middle name - Seuss. He soon added Dr. to it because that is what his parents wanted him to be - a doctor. Pick up a copy of Who Was Dr. Seuss? and find out many other fascinating facts about the beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!

In honor of Dr. Seuss's 108th birthday pick up a book and read to your children.

Press Here by Herve Tullet

The front cover beckons you to "Press Here" and by doing just that you embark on a magical adventure inside of a book!

Readers are prompted to press different colored dots, shake the book, tilt the pages, and all sorts of other fun stuff. Be amazed as the dots multiply, change shape, and move around the pages.

This interactive book is fun for all ages!

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Bear lost his hat. He politely goes up to other animals and asks if they have seen his hat. When they tell him no, he says "thank you anyway" and he goes on to the next animal.

When he gets to the rabbit he asks:

Have you seen my hat?

No. Why are you asking me?
I haven't seen it.
I haven't seen any hats anywhere.
I would not steal a hat.
Don't ask me any more questions.

OK. Thank you anyway.

The reader finds it curious that the rabbit seems so nervous, and as the bear continues his search he realizes he actually has seen his hat. What an enjoyable story with a surprise ending.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

In this wordless picture book we follow Daisy the dog as she plays with her red ball. One day while out at the playground with her owner, Daisy loses her ball to another dog who pops the ball. Daisy is very sad, she tries to make her ball come back, but it won't. Her owner takes her back to the playground where the other dog has a surprise for Daisy.

The illustrations in this book are amazing. Tonight at our PJ Library Night my Hilton JK/K, 1st and 2nd grade students voted in our Mock Caldecott event and picked this book to win the medal. Yesterday the ALA announced the winners at their annual conference and A Ball for Daisy won the gold Caldecott medal. So exciting that we picked the same book as the professionals.

Click here for the complete list of medal winners.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlhert

Where is the snow? January 11, 2012 and Brighton, Michigan does not have snow on the ground, what is up with that? Today I shared a wonderful snow story with my Kindergarten students. Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. The story starts out very similar to Brighton, no snow. The children in the book have been collecting "stuff", waiting for the snow. When it finally snows the children take their "stuff" and build a snow family. They build a snow dad, a snow mom, a snow boy, a snow girl, a snow baby, a snow cat, and Spot-their snow dog (the spots are all buttons). What will happen to the snow family when the sun comes out?

Ms. Ehlert's beautiful collage illustrations are intriguing. It was fun going on a treasure hunt looking for all the "stuff" - strawberries, raisins, buttons, popcorn, bolts, screws, hats, scarfs, forks and other items that Ms. Ehlert used to decorate her snow people and snow animals. What can you find in your house to put on your snowman? Maybe this weekend you will be able to build a real snowman. If you make your own collage snowperson at home, remember to bring it to school so we can hang it in the school library.

The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick

Megan is in the Adventure Scouts' treehouse late at night. She is searching for her glasses that she lost during the day. Suddenly Megan hears weird noises. She looks through the Adventure Scout binoculars, nothing. She hears the noise again, this time she spots a monkey jumping across the rooftops in her neighborhood. Then she sees another monkey, and another. What? There is no way!! How could the monkeys have escaped from the zoo? Megan and her brother Noah love living next to the city zoo. This is so weird, she has to tell Noah. Megan rushes to the house and wakes up Noah. By the time they get back to the treehouse the monkeys are nowhere in sight. Maybe Megan was dreaming. Megan and Noah did not have a clue, but this was the night that their adventure would begin. Days later when Megan turns up missing, Noah and his friends discover clues that lead them to the zoo, and then to the Secret Zoo. Pick up the Secret Zoo today and find out what happens to Megan, Noah and the other Adventure Scouts.

Bryan Chick is a local Michigan author and has written three titles in the Secret Zoo series.

This series came recommended to me by two of my 4th graders and I am so happy that it did. Thanks Lucas and Thomas.

UPDATE: on March 13, 2012 the students at Spencer and Hilton elemenatary schools in Brighton, MI had the honor of hosting an author visit with Mr. Chick. What a wonderful presentation and a fantastic day. Visit The Secret Zoo Facebook page.

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

Day One I swam around my bowl.
Day Two I swam around my bowl. Twice.

...and so Memoirs of a Goldfish begins. A goldfish tells us about his day to day life in his fishbowl. At first it is just him, swimming alone. Soon there is Mr. Bubbles; Mervin, a snail; Cha-Cha, an angel fish; Fred, a crabby crab; and others. Will his life change? Do they all get along? Can they all fit in his fish bowl?

Memoirs of a Goldfish is the Michigan Reads book for the 2011. Michigan Reads is our "One State, One Children's Book" Program. The program highlights the importance of reading and sharing books with children, especially toddlers through early elementary, and to recognize the vital role libraries play in providing access to the quality books, programs and services that lay the foundation for reading and school success. (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/)

Ask your child if they heard the story during their visit to our school library.

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer by screenwriter Kathy Waugh and author Megan McDonald

Judy Moody has made it to the big screen! Following my own advice, "read the book BEFORE you see the movie", I read this book and was pleasantly surprised that even though it was co-written by the screenwriter for the movie, it holds very true to previous Judy Moody books.

Author Megan McDonald says it best on her website - Judy Moody gets famous - FOR REAL!

Judy and her brother Stink are super excited about summer vacation. Judy comes up with a summer challenge for her friends Amy, Frank, and Rocky. She introduced them to the "Judy Moody Mega-Rare NOT-Bummer-Summer Dare", to help avoid the "Boring with a capital B, typical summer". Judy did not count on Amy going to Borneo and Rocky going to a summer circus camp. That left her and Frank. Not so fun! Then Judy's parents tell her they are going to California for the summer to help Nana and Gramps. She was super excited, until her dad said, "you and Stink are staying here". NOW she was in a mood! They told her she would have fun with her Aunt Opal, who Judy quickly nicknamed Aunt Awful. Her entire summer was looking like a bummer. Read Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer to see how it all works out for Judy.

One by Kathryn Otoshi

Red is a bully. He picks on Blue and makes Blue feel sad. The other colors tell Blue that he is a good color, but they never say it in front of Red. Because no one stands up to Red he gets bigger and more powerful, and then comes One. One is shaped different than all the colors, he makes the colors laugh. They are all having fun until Red shows up and tells them to stop laughing. The colors all stop, but what will One do? Read One and find out what the colors and One will do.

The Wonder Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

April is "National Poetry Month". We are celebrating with The Wonder Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. The author of this book tells us, "You can open the book up anywhere and read." This is so true. Open to the middle of the book and you get:

Maternal Bureau of Investigation
If you're gonna sneak a cookie
Don't act like some young rookie
Wipe up your trail of crumbs
Lick the chocolate from your thumbs
Practice "nope, not me" faces
Just to cover all your bases
See, you never know which mother
Is working undercover
'Til the moment she yells
Freeze!
CHEF.B.I.
Drop the cookie please!

The illustrations enhance each word game, poem, story, and palindrome in this entertaining collection. ENJOY!

Curous Garden by Peter Brown

Liam was out exploring one day when he saw a secret passageway in the old abandoned railroad station. Liam went through the entrance, up some stairs and found the old railroad tracks. Right in the middle of the tracks, he discoverd some random plants growing. The plants were dying and Liam decided he would bring them back to life. He spent many days tending to the garden, which grew and spread. The illustrations in this book bring the story to life. Liam helps bring beauty back to his city and shows us that even in the darkest areas, we can grow something beautiful.

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows

How would you feel if you were the middle sibling in your family? What if you were sandwiched between two sets of twins? Miri is the "extra" in her family. Her twin brothers are older than she is and her twin sisters are younger. When Miri's family moves to an old farmhouse, the adventure begins. Miri wished she had a twin too, just like the rest of her family. She is either watching her little sisters or trying to hang out with her brothers. Her brothers decide that there is treasure buried under their house and when Miri tries to help them, they ditch her. She is very upset about being ditched and accidentally knocks out one of her brothers. Her mother sends her to her room as punishment. While she is in her room she notices the lens of an eyeglass taped to the floorboard in her room. What happens next is amazing! Miri looks through the lens, and is suddenly sucked into another time period, 1935. Miri meets a girl named Molly who actually lives in Miri's room, in the past. Molly is so excited to see Miri, she knew a "fairy" would come and rescue her! Molly is living with her aunt and cousins, they are very mean to Molly. Miri is confused about how she got there, and how to get back to her own time. After spending time with Molly, Miri decides she has to figure out a way to get Molly away from her family. Maybe she should take Molly back home with her, but how? Miri is spying on Molly's cousin in the barn when she reaches into her pocket and puts on her own glasses. Zap! Miri is pulled back into her own world, without Molly. How can she leave Molly there? Can she figure out a way to get back to 1935 to rescue Molly? The suspense will get you! Pick up this book, I guarantee you will not put it down until you know the answers.