A Youngster Review: The First Christmas as Retold by Janice D. Green; Illustrated by Violet Vandor.

 

The Littlest Pilgrim written by Brandi Dougherty and illustrated by Kirsten Richards is the book of the month for November at St. Marks Elementary School. Little Mini wants to help in her pilgrim village, but she is always too little… too little to sew, too little to cook, too little to fish, too little to do anything until she discovers something she is the perfect size to do. Read The Littlest Pilgrim for yourself to find out what little Mini could do.

I have a new blog for my library students, past and present, and anyone else who would like to follow along. It is called Ducker’s Adventures. Ducker is going to be traveling all over the world and reporting back to us on his blogs about all the places he goes and people he meets. Be sure to check it out at http://janicedgreen.com/duckersadventures.

The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

Mary Ellen was bored with reading so Grandpa suggested an alternative for the afternoon. They caught honeybees in a jar and then released them one at a time and chased them to learn where their bee tree was located. Many people from the town joined in the chase, and enjoyed the honey treat at the end. But Grandpa had an extra sweet lesson for Mary Ellen that helped her appreciate her reading all the more.

Read the 6th grade students’ reactions in the comments below.

My Rotten Readheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

What does a young girl do when her older brother can do anything and everything better than she can – and reminds her of it every day? Tricia tries hard to find a way she can beat him at something and finally does it, but it didn’t turn out like she expected. Patricia Polacco is full of surprises, and this book keeps that tradition very well.

I read this to my fifth grade students. Look for their comments below.

Thank You Mr. Faulker by Patricia Polacco

With honey poured on a book, Grandpa taught his granddaughter at age five that knowledge was sweet, but she would have to chase it through the pages of a book. Trish was eager to learn to read, but as much as she wanted to read she could not make sense out of all those squiggles. Trish suffered through many years of hardship and cruel teasing from her classmates until her teacher, Mr. Faulker, recognized her problem and worked with her after school until she was able to make sense of it all. This is a wonderful true story about the childhood of the author and illustrator, Patricia Polacco. If you know a child with learning difficulties, especially dyslexia, you should read this book for great insights to help you understand what he or she may be going through.

Note: This post is repeated from an earlier time to accommodate comments from students at my new school, St. Mark Elementary School and to make it easier for them to find this post.

Laura's Life - a blog by a fifth grade student

I just discovered a blog by a fifth grade girl from Indiana who is writing about the books she reads. Here is a link to her blog: Laura’s Life. So far she has been reading all the Newbery Medal winning books.

The Newbery Medal is given to the author of the best novel written for children each year. There is always one Newbery Medal each year, and there are several others who are also given Newbery Honor awards each year as well. Here is a link that will give you a list of Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor Books.

Have you read any Newbery award winner books? Tell us about your favorite Newbery book.

Yay! I’m starting a new part-time position as Library Media Specialist at St. Mark Elementary School in Williamsburg County in South Carolina. It’s only temporary, but I get to enjoy sharing a library with children again for a while. I have missed being with the students so much. I’ll put a new picture at the top of my blog from my new library soon. It is an older library, but hey – the books and the kids are what make the library fantastic, not the bookshelves, right?

There is something about farm and country life and memories that just goes together. As I read Patricia MacLachlan’s book, All the Places to Love, I am drawn back to the time I lived on a farm in my early elementary years. And I’m also drawn back to the times I visited my aunts and uncles farms.

The farm is the place where time stands still, where cows will always be cows, barns and trees will always provide get-away places, and dogs and cats will live beyond their years. All of nature finds a place on the farm, and families are blessed and enriched because of it. Patricia MacLachlan captures this feeling so much better than my feeble attempt here, and the paintings by Mike Wimmer helps the child and adult alike to ender this place of enchantment. May we never lose our farms through neglect.

Copyright © 2010 by Janice D. Green

I found another favorite book 
(of which I’ve quite a plenty)
You say it’s written for the kids
Well, I’m just three (times twenty)…

What could have inspired me to write this little poem? It’s none other than the book I Heard a Bluebird Sing: Children Select Their Favorite Poems by Aileen Fisher. This collection of poems is adorable. Aileen Fisher certainly has the gift of seeing the world through the eyes of the child and sharing new discoveries. It is a must read on any kid’s list, no matter how old they are (or aren’t).

Copyright © 2010 by Janice D. Green