Goodnight Baseball

Goodnight Baseball by Michael Dahl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Goodnight Baseball
By Michael Dahl
Illustrated by Christina Forshay
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
ISBN:9781596435575
Release date March 1, 2013

Watch the Goodnight Baseball book trailer

Goodnight Baseball is a wonderful choice for a sports-themed read aloud for younger readers. It is a comfort book-easy on the eyes, easy on the ears, easy on the heart. Goodnight Baseball is about a father and son building a childhood memory together. A happy day spent at the ball park highlighted by the boy catching a high fly ball in his mitt way up in the stands. The rhyme and rhythm of author Michael Dahl's words flow smoothly and are well complimented by the vibrant illustrations of Christina Forshay. My favorite illustration is seeing the moon portrayed as a giant baseball in the sky. Predictably, towards the end of the story, we see a mirroring of Margaret Wise Brown’s well-loved Goodnight Moon. Perhaps it would be a useful literacy activity to pair the two books so students can have an opportunity to make that text-to-text connection. Librarians, take note: this one is a home run!




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Cat Secrets

Picture Book Month

Day 22 theme: Cats

Cat Secrets is a cute interactive book well liked by the preschool set. During the telling of the story, kids get to pretend to be cats in order to convince the cats in the book that they are really cats. 

Cat Secrets by Jeff Czekaj

author website

Caution: Do not click this link unless you want to be overloaded with cuteness

Imagination

 

Picture Book Month 

Day 8 theme: Imagination

What would you do if your bunny was missing? 

You would go into "the Woods" to find him?

The Woods


The Woods 
by Paul Hoppe
Visit the author/illustrator's website

(Publisher description-Chronicle Books)
Being afraid of the dark doesn't mean being afraid alone. When a boy can't find his favorite stuffed bunny, he bravely heads into the woods to look for it. Instead, he finds a big, scary brown bear! But the  bear is just lonely, so the boy shares his night light and forges ahead with his new companion, until...they run into two frightening giants! As the boy continues on, he comes across other seemingly menacing creatures, but finds that—like him—they're just looking for some comfort and security before bedtime.

Why I love to use this book:
Children relate easily to this story. Many sleep with their own special stuffed toys to help them through dark and sometimes scary nights. It also offers them a chance to hear an age appropriate scary story when affecting a spooky sounding voice. Children like to make predictions about what is coming up next and enjoy when they discover the new scary character is not so bad after all.

Themes:
Imagination
Being afraid of the dark
Discovering solutions to problems

How I use this story.

1 box full of the type of stuff toys a child would sleep with at night (must have a bunny and a bear).
1 scary voice to tell the story
1 explanation of why I am using a scary voice (to make the story more interesting) this is an entry level "scary" book.

Ask children these questions:
What is pretend?
How do people use their imagination?
Are stories always real?
Are you sometimes afraid of the dark?

I next show them some of the toys I used to sleep with when I was little and tell them their willy names. Skunky the skunk and Spotty the spotted dog. I also had a one eye cat but I forgot his name.  I ask them "who sleeps with a toy at night?" All hands are raised and so I follow with this book synopsis.

This is the story of a boy who has lost his favorite bunny and does not want to go to sleep without it. The boy uses his imagination to try to find his bunny. He pretends the woods (a forest) has grown up in his bedroom and he has to go into "the woods" to try to find his bunny.

This is a highly enjoyable story and the children love the use of a scary voice and often join in and try to say scary things too. It's fun to predict what will appear each time the boy goes deeper into the woods.

I give this wonderful bedtime or anytime tale a solid A plus plus!

The Beauty of Bears

 

The Beauty of Bears

November is Picture Book Month

Day 7 theme: Bears

Picture Book Month Author of the day Karma Wilson

Visit Karma Wilson's author website

Features for Teachers book resources

I love using Karma Wilson books in my library. Not only are the illustrations attractive and filled with lovable forest friends but they are also the answer to most lesson plan needs I might have. If I need a book about:

• feelings or emotions? Bear Feels Scared
• hygiene or good health? Bear Feels Sick
• dental health or lost teeth? Bear's Loose Tooth
• hibernation? Bear Snores On
• Christmas? Bear Stays Up for Christmas
• character development? Bear Wants More
• thankfulness: Bear says Thanks
• Friendship, helping, or working together? Bear's New Friend or ANY Bear book.
•  the change of seasons? ANY Bear book. Bear moves through each season with some new adventure each time.

The Bear books are great paired up with  non-fiction topics and science related themes. But the real reason I love Karma Wilson's Bear books are because the children who listen to me reading them LOVE them just as much. They love the rhythm, rhyme, and flow of the words and like to join in saying "and the bear feels scared..." or "and he still feels sick..." Last night, I read Bear Feels Scared to my four-year-old grandson. He informed me that he wanted to read the special part. He pointed to each word reading aloud "and the bear feels scared" then he paused to look at me with bright eyes shining with pride. And my heart just melted....

On the Farm/ Los Animales De La Granja

Picture Book Month

Day 6 theme: Farm

Los Animales De La Granja

Author of the day: Doreen Cronin

Link to Doreen Cronin's Picture Book Month post today

On the Farm by David Elliott

Illustrated by Holly Meade

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Ages: 3 to 6         

From the bull to the barn cat to the wild bunny, the farmyard bustles with life. The rooster crows, the rams clash, the bees buzz, and over there in the garden, a snake — silent and alone — winds and watches. 

This bold and beautifully illustrated picture book is a perfect read aloud to introduce younger children into the lives of farm animals. The language is fun and flows well enticing children to join in and sound like a cow, a pig, cat or one of the many farm animals. A big A plus plus for On the Farm.

David Elliott author website

Holly Meade illustrator website

 Animales de la granja by Lynn Stone

This book is from a series entitled la vida en la granja explaining all aspects of American farm life. "Animales de la granja" offers colorful photos of individual farm animals-the cow, goat, sheep, pig, chicken, duck, and others along with some brief information about each one.

Los Animales De La Granja  

 

 

Farm activities and printables

Enchanted Learning farm printables 

Enchanted Learning farm book printable in Spanish

Primera Escuela  Animales de la Granja

Big Bugs

Picture Book Month Day 3 theme: BUGS

BIG BUGS 

by Seymour Simon

To kids, bugs will always be cool. They are magical and mysterious and sometimes kids kind of wish they could be a bug for a day. If you could be a bug, maybe you would choose to be a "BIG" bug like the insects in this informational picture book by the incomparable Seymour Simon. Each page is filled with photographs and physical descriptions of big insects. spiders, scorpions, wasps, and (yuckie) giant coach roaches. In the bottom corner of each page is an inlay graphic depicting the actual size of the real bug featured.

Seymour Seymour author's website

Insect themed Activities  

Going Bug-gy!       Scholastic's Teacher Guide "Teaching With Bugs" lesson plan unit

Child Care Lounge  crafts, songs, recipes, and finger-plays

Education Place       crafts and curriculum support activities

A great pairing with Big Bugs would be an introduction into The Diary of..." series by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss. These are kid favorites, in particular with first and second graders. The story follows a fly and her daily interactions with the world. Her friends Spider and Worm, from the first two books, pop up in her story.

Diary of a Fly

by Doreen Cronin

Publisher description:

This is the diary...of a fly. A fly who, when she's not landing on your head or swimming in your soup, is trying to escape her 327 brothers and sisters who are driving her crazy! Even though she's little-just like her best friends Worm and Spider_Fly wants to be a superhero. And why not? She walks on walls, sees in all directions at once, and can already fly!

Diary of a Fly Discussion Guide  by Scholastic Teachers

Play the Web of Friends game  by Harper Collins Children's based on "The Diary Of" series

Super Fly Activities from Harper Collins Children's

Interview with Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss

Seven Scary Monsters 

There Was An Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

Getting in the Spirit of Halloween with Great Books for kids.

Let's get in the spirit first with some singing Jack-O-Lanterns

Seven Scary Monsters by Mary Beth Lundgren

Get a sneak preview of many pages.

A young boy discovers seven scary monsters hiding in his room so he goes on the attack to be rid of them using purple felines, monster blasters, vacuums, boxes, and other clever devices. He uses a fun rhyming chant to scare the monsters away "Rick Rack Wrinkleshack, don't you dare come back!"

Seven Scary Monsters is a fun themed story-time read aloud.

Math concept: simple subtraction

Language concepts: onomatopoeia words

Halloween themed math lesson

Materials: 

Large number 7

·       Seven scary yet goofy colorful monsters-individually cut out and affixed with Velcro or strong tape on back.

·        Two-sided sign attached to a flat paint stick

      1^st sign: “Rick! Rack! Wrinkleshack! Don’t You Dare Come Back”

·          2^nd sign: “Rick! /Rack! Wrinkleshack! Monsters, please come back!”

      Onomatopoeia words: Eeeek! Boom! Rip! Thwomp! Splat! Zap! Yow! Plop! Ouch! Wow!
     
      Pre-book talk 

     One at a time hold up and sound out the onomatopoeia words. Onomatopoeia are words that sound like the objects they name or the sounds those objects make.

      Sound and acting them out each word. Read the word "rip" and then tell students to please listen for a sound you will make. Take a piece of long paper and slowly rip it. Ask "What sound did you hear?" Rip. So the word "rip" sounds just like the action of ripping a paper." Next say "boom" and follow up by dropping a book or flat object from a height. The word boom sounds like the sound made when you drop a book or heavy object from a height. Continue with other words on list.

Do you ever worry about monsters? This time of year we see commercials for monster costumes or maybe your friends are talking about dressing up as a scary monster for Halloween. Today, I will tell you how to get rid of any monsters that might be hiding in your room. First of all, monsters are just pretend. They are not real, but people have fun scaring themselves by pretending a monster is out to get them.

Question: Are monsters real or pretend? Pretend.

Question: Do monsters live in your closet or under your bed? No. They are not real.

Instructions:

Count the number of monsters on the display board. (7) Begin story.

As story is read, pause and have a student come up and select a monster to pull off the display board.

Say seven monsters take away one monster leaves how many monsters? Count the remaining monsters.

Six monsters take away one monster leaves how many monsters? Etc.-Five, four, three, two, one, zero.

Now to the part-Monsters please come back! Zero monsters plus seven monsters equals seven monsters.

Last page. Who do you think the monsters really were? His toys.

Pair up with: Skeleton hiccups by Margery Cuyler

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler

Scarey-Cat , Splat by Rob Scotton

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

There Was An Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams

Illustrated by Megan Lloyd

First read the story or show this video read aloud.

Now try it again as an interactive experience. This song more fun the longer you sing it.

Meeting Hedgie Hedgehog and a Great Big Check

The Joys of being a Librarian.

I have had so much excitement in my life as of late. The ECDC wrapped up another successful book fair thanks to our great volunteers from TAMU-CC and Coastal Community and Teachers Credit Union. We cashed in our profits for books, books, and MORE BOOKS! I ordered many special request titles for my Scholastic Book Fair and they sold like hot cakes! In fact, I had to make sure I was able to secure some for my library too. Of the new books I added to our library collection, the Texas Lone Star Reading List titles were quickly snatched up by fifth and sixth graders. It will take me a few more days to catalog the boxes of books we chose to purchase but that's okay-we will spread the joy out over time.

The highlight of the week was being awarded a Focus Grant from Coastal Community and Teachers Credit Union. The funds will be used to run our Bluebonnet Book Club, Guys Read Book Club, and pre-school early reading activities. I really love my big check!

The Mossy Tour brought the amazing author/illustrator Jan Brett to the Sparkling City by the Sea. I learned so much about turtles from her talk. She was a charming and entertaining speaker. Did you know she has a hidden name written on Mossy's shell which is shown on the back cover?

The wonderful thing about this Barnes and Noble author event was that I was reunited with many local librarian pals and we had a fun time chatting each other up.

Look at the new friend I made. It's Hedgie, the Hedgehog. Who could ask for a better week.











But---it got even better because I also received my yearly school book order. It was like Christmas in October! I laughed and keep yelling out-"Wow! I really love this book!" I immediately got down to creating book talks and promotions. I went on our morning announcements and shared the great news. A line of kids were waiting for me by the time I got back to the library clamoring for the books I had presented just five minutes before. This is a librarian's joy.

Looking for an electrifying thriller!

Getting in the spirit of Halloween with Great Books for Kids

Victor Godwin's orderly life is upended when he discovers that Benjamin Franklin never actually died–he was put in suspended animation and hidden away for more than 200 years in Victor's basement!

After an accident awakens Ben, Victor must not only help him adjust to the modern world but also help him overcome a slight flaw–when Ben runs low on energy, he turns into a rampaging monster desperately hungry for electricity. All this, while Victor tries to take first place in the school science fair. With one of history's preeminent scientists helping out, what could possibly go wrong? (source: Matthew McElligott)

Read Chapter 1 and 2: Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

There are three titles in this series. I wonder if there will be any more?

The REAL Benjamin Franklin


Ben Franklin Fun Facts:
Benjamin Franklin is the only founding father in the Swimming Hall of Fame. 
as a youth, he didn't have much extra money. Franklin decided to become a vegetarian. He believed that eating a vegetarian diet was healthier than a diet filled with meat. In addition, meat was much more expensive, so by becoming a vegetarian, Franklin could save money to spend on books.

Benjamin Franklin loved to read, but he when he was young, he was very poor and could not afford books. What did he do? He gave up meat which was expensive and became a vegetarian. By saving money, Ben was able to save money to purchase books. He also felt it was a much healthier lifestyle.

The Quotable Ben Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a gifted speaker. In fact, he LOVED to talk and talk and talk. He was so good saying things that people began to "quote" him. This means they repeated what he said because they felt his words were important and had meaning for their lives. Plus, B.F, was a pretty funny guy.
Here are websites with some of Benjamin Franklin's best quotes:

The Electric Ben Franklin 

Notable Quotes

Brainy Quotes-Benjamin Franklin

The Quotations Page-Benjamin Franklin

Social Studies for Kids-Franklin Quotes



What is a Pen Name?

Create a Pen Name.pdf

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A pen name is a fictitious, or made up name, that an author uses when writing. Many authors use pen names for many different reasons.

Ben Franklin was a writer. In fact, he wrote several articles and letter to the editor of his newspaper using made up names, or a pen name. Why? He knew the importance of getting people to talk about important topics just like people use Twitter today. In fact, Ben would have made a great Tweeter.

He also drew cartoons like the snake cut into pieces that represent the American Colonies. He encouraged them to join together to become an independent country away from English rule.

Other words that have the same meaning as the term "pen name "are: Nom de plume, Nom de guerre, alias, moniker or pseudonym.

Set up a science demonstration in the Library Science Center. This will count for a Bluebonnet Project.

1. Your project must include the following:
2. A title name for your science demo. Ex: Crack the Code (a demonstration using invisible ink to send spy messages).
3. Your name and grade level (Be proud, shout it out)
4. Clearly explain what you are demonstrating. Make sure to clearly label the parts used in the demonstration.
5. Your observations and comments.
6. Sources: Where did you get your idea from and how did you research the information.

Ms. Murphy will help you with all these details.

Create a Jux book, video, or Wordle based on an inventor that interests you. This will count for a Bluebonnet Project.


Experimental Fun with Franklin

• The Bottle Pipes
• The Lemon Battery
• Letterpress Stamps
• The Thermometer
• 
  

Games

• Play Checkers with Ben Franklin
• Ben Franklin slider game
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the printer
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the Public Servant
• Word Search: Ben Franklin the Scientist / Inventor
• Word Search: Friends of Franklin