Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta

Yes, I thought the same thing when I first saw these books several years back. But I've since changed my opinion. Dav Pilkey is a highly esteemed author and his work is usually a little over the top for those of us who grew up on Beverly Cleary, but these books really get kids addicted to reading. I've seen it many times. They read the whole series (these are two different series) and ask for more and I've seen many readers take an interest in Pilkey himself. They are developing their own tastes and favorite authors and these tastes and authors will mature as the child grows.

Moby Dick

This graphic novel retells Herman Melville's epic story of the search for the white whale (and is nowhere near as long as the original). The graphic retellings of the classics are interesting because they often include informative historical text boxes to help readers understand the setting and other details from the story.

Babymouse

You may have heard some of the kids talking about Babymouse. Who and what is Babymouse you might ask. Well, she is the very dramatic and adventuresome main character in this graphic novel series by sister and brother Jennifer and Matthew Holm. There are nine in the series and all the illustrations with the exception of the last one are done in pink and black.

I have to brag that Hawthorne was the first school in the district to have #9 (Monster Mash), which was just released this fall. I was at the Mildred Laughlin Festival of Books at the Stillwater Public Library in October and during a break I was browsing the "for sale" shelf in the lobby. I was flabbergasted when I spied Babymouse #9, as the kids have been asking for it since last year. It must have been a sample the library had received and I gladly left one dollar in the box for it. Now we have two copies, although there is a rather long waiting list, and the kids are anxiously looking forward to more Babymouse!

Otto's Orange Day

A funny, lower-level, story about Otto and his love for the color orange.

Biographies

The graphic biography of Amelia Earhart by Robert Burleigh and Bill Wylie is nice. We also have one about the Wright brothers by the same authors.

I was shocked at how involved I found the graphic biography of Marie Curie.

Teacher Resources

SuperHero ABC, by Bob McLeod. A really fun book for teaching alliteration.

Teachers, I also have a great graphic book for teaching onomatopoeia but I had trouble getting the image to post. It is called Kapow! by George O'Connor.

Into the Volcano

A great adventure story by Don Wood, illustrator of The Napping House and other books, in his first and applauded attempt in the graphic format. We have two copies.

Tall Tales

I know September's theme is Tall Tales so I thought I'd mention a few of our titles.

This is one of my favorite genres of writing for children and right now there are a lot of great stories out there that give a new twist to an old tale--but then that is what tall tales are all about. There are also new tall tale heroes (and heroines) being written about as we speak. I think it is fascinating that the tall tale genre as we know it (with humor and hyperbole), is almost a purely American thing, although the tales have roots in mythology. Tall tales are a fun way to teach the history of the United States, its regional diversity and its western expansion.

We have a lot of the old stand-bys such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and John Henry by various authors. Don't forget the lesser known Captain Stormalong, Slewfoot Sue, and Mike Fink.

Some of the more recent titles include The Foot Stomping Adventures of Clementine Sweet, Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart, The Bunyans, Library Lil, Thunder Rose, Alligator Sue, Granite Baby, Apples to Oregon, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett, and two of my favorites, Swamp Angel (a tale from Tennessee) and Dona Flor (a tale from the Southwest).

Don't forget you can go to Destiny Quest and virtually browse our shelves online, including pictures of the covers and availability. Here's the link to our tall tale collection:

http://destiny.okcps.org/vopac/servlet/presentsearchform.do?site=118

Enter "tall tales" in the search box at the top of the page.
When a new page opens, click on "location" in the box at the left, and then click on "my school". This will show you the covers of most of our books.

Who is Fly Guy?

Who is Fly Guy, you ask? Fly Guy is the hero of a new series of books by Tedd Arnold, author of the wonderful idiom-teaching books Parts, More Parts, and Still More Parts. Fly Guy also happens to be a fly and these books chronicle his adventures with his human buddy, Buzz.

These books are excellent for emergent readers. They are very short, with very few words on each page, and of course they are full of Arnold's super illustrations. The books also introduce the concept of a chapter, the font is large, and the glossy, colorful pages are eye-catching.

The Fly Guy books are some of the most popular books in the library for kids of all ages. Students seem to like to read them over and over and they remind me of some of the old classics by Dr. Seuss, Syd Hoff, P. D. Eastman, and others of that genre. Most importantly, the kids find them hilarious and they make them want to read more!

We have several in the library and the newest one is available at the bookfair.

Book Fair is Here!

Gosh, I can't believe it's been over a month since I put anything up on this blog. Everything is finally beginning to settle down after the new reading adoption distribution and what a way to kick of the year with a bang--the bookfair! Monday and Tuesday went really well. Scholastic sent us a ton of great stuff--all sorts of books for all readers, from the emergent reader to the parent at home. And don't forget Christmas is just around the corner. I took care of several gifts in one swoop. There's a nice section of religious-type books, cookbooks, discount books ($1-$5) and lots of books in Spanish as well.

I was so glad to see the kids so enthused about the fair. They were peeking in the windows and trying to get in early Monday morning as Ms. Castillo and I were still frantically trying to get everything in order! But that's super! That's how we know we're doing a great job and that what we are doing for these kids goes beyond the classroom. Even the first graders were pumped up when they were filling out their wishlists.

Please encourage your students and parents to continue visiting the bookfair for the rest of the week. It will be open all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and remember, the proceeds go to purchase more books for our kids to devour! Unfortunately, I will not be there for the rest of the week, I'm at Shidler on Wednesday and the Encylo-Media Conference on Thursday and Friday.

Congratulations to Ms. Borgfeld and Ms. Ambruso for winning $10 in bookfair merchandise on Monday and Tuesday! Don't forget to spend $$$ at the bookfair to get your name in the drawing for the rest of the week!

A big THANK YOU goes out to MS. CASTILLO and MR. BREWER for making this possible!

Pinkalicious--Coming soon to Hawthorne!

Pinkalicious loves all things pink. She can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence leads to her skin and hair turning pink and her doctor diagnosing her with Pinkititis. This is a dream come true for this pink loving little girl. But when her color goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this situation.

This is a cute story from sisters Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. When I read it to second and first graders, even the boys found it funny, although one did ask if I could read a "boy story" next. Apparently there is a musical out and a sequel called, I'm not kidding, Purplicious.

Pinkalicious is available at the bookfair in softcover and I will order a hardcover copy for our library.

Book Blog

For those of you who are interested, I have another blog, The Reading List, in which I discuss and review books I'm currently reading. These books include books for adults, children, and young adults.

Here is the link: http://thelibrarylog.blogspot.com/

Valuable Resource for Teachers and Students

If you haven't looked at the district's Destiny website lately, you really should take a look at it because you are missing out on a very valuable, easy to use resource. Destiny is the program we use in the library to check out books and keep track of the textbooks.

But it is a lot more than that. Parents, students, and teachers can access this site at home and the district is encouraging us to make more use of it.

The site has recently been updated and has many new features. The search feature is quick and thorough if you are looking for a certain resource in Hawthorne's library. If we don't have something you need on site, you can search all the other media centers in the district and we can get whatever you are looking for via school mail.

A really neat feature of Destiny is the WebPath Express. If you search a subject, say for instance tall tales, then you will not only get a list of the tall tale books we have in the library, but also an annotated list of approved, high-quality, educational websites to go along with the subject you searched.

The site also provides all the information you would need for a certain book, including author information, reading levels, award history, publication information, etc.

Another new feature is Destiny Quest. This is an interactive, visually appealing and stimulating search interface aimed at the 21st century learner and it is absolutely awesome!

Directions for accessing Destiny (and you don't even have to log in):

Go to: http://destiny.okcps.org/

You will see a list of OKC schools. Click on Hawthorne.

The page that pops up is Hawthorne's home page for Destiny. I've put lots of author websites and homework helpers here, things the kids can use at home or at school.

To use the catalog feature, click on the tan "catalog" tab near the top of the page and select either WebPath Express or Destiny Quest or Library Search from the menu on the left and have fun!

Who is Junie B. Jones?

I want to do some character sketches for the blog and this will be the first one.

For those of you who don't know who Junie B. Jones is, she is the title character in the very popular series of books by Barbara Park. In the books, Junie is in kindergarten and she later moves to first grade. She is hilariously funny and is always in some kind of situation. The books are told from her own point of view and they are full of comic relief with Junie B. wearing the nerves of all who know her. I had not read a Junie B. Jones book until last year, and wondering why they were in such demand, I read several and discovered immediately why the books fly off the shelves. You can't help but love this character and the way she just calls her teacher "Mrs. and that's all," not caring to bother with her teacher's full name. She has a mind of her own and the way it operates is delightful. The books are a very easy read, I can read one in a setting, and I guess that is part of the attraction for the kids. I think they can also relate to her and the language of young kids that Park uses in writing her books. We have many copies in the media center so if you want to read something quick and funny, and keep up with what the kids are reading at the same time, Junie B. Jones is perfect!

Volunteer Opportunity

If you know of anyone out there who would like to volunteer at their child's school, a parent or grandparent, the Media Center always has opportunities available. With as many books as our kids read, there's always shelving to be done and there are bookshelves that need painting as well. I also wouldn't mind a volunteer during the Book Fair (Sept. 15-19). Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be anything heavy duty, a person could volunteer as much or as little as he or she likes. So, if you hear of anyone, send them our way!

Save the Date: BOOK FAIR!

Hawthorne's Library's Fall Scholastic book fair is scheduled for September 15 through September 19 so start saving your money now! More information will follow soon.

Wish List Items

Also on the library's wishlist are a couple of bean bags and an adult rocking chair for storytime. Used in decent condition is fine.

Atlas Stand Needed for Media Center

If anyone sees a used piece of furniture like this, please let me know, it would be nice to have one for the library.

It doesn't have to be in the best shape, we can paint it or spiff if up if we have to.

It doesn't have to look exactly like this either. Usually the lower shelves slide out but just one shelf across the bottom would be fine where extra atlases could be stacked or stood. I have also seen these with a level top, rather than tilted. Atlas stands are generally wider than a normal dictionary stand or podium.

Donations would be great if anyone comes across a bargain, or maybe some handyman out there could build us one!