Anderson's Parade of Vocabulary Words

The end of the school year snuck up on us all, but we had time to celebrate vocabulary with Anderson Elementary School's 2nd Annual Vocabulary Parade. What fun we all had selecting the perfect word for ourselves and bringing our creativity to life in some amazing costumes! If you enjoyed participating in this year's parade, you might enjoy checking out Debra Frasier's book, Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster (our inspiration for the parade).

Check out a few pictures and a video from this fun-filled event!

Mrs. Littlejohn's Extreme Reading Photo Challenge!

 

 Join in on the Fun!!!!

Enter the Anderson Library Extreme Reading Photo Challenge! Take a picture of yourself or you and your family reading (a book, a magazine, the newspaper, a sign, a map) this summer. All photos will be displayed at the beginning of the school year. Whether you are off somewhere exotic (like Bali) or plan to just lounge around your house or pool, take a creative photo to add to our display. E-mail digital photos to Mrs. Littlejohn (littlejk@friscoisd.org) or print a copy to bring to school in August. There will be prizes for the most extreme photographs!!!

Just in Time for Poetry Month!

As many of you know, I am a dog lover so the books I am featuring this month for poetry month fit right in! I have been reading aloud from three delightful and fun-filled books. One of them is a book of poems, and the other two are from our Everyone Collection. Come by the Anderson Library and check them out.

New Books Added to My List of Favorites

Booklist (March 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 13))Preschool-Grade 2. A scowling first-grader in spectacles, a knitted hat, and overalls cannot stand her bubbly librarian, who dresses up in costumes for reading circle, where she introduces books about dragons, Pilgrims, presidents, and Groundhogs, even! For Book Week, everyone in class has to bring a favorite story, and the young girl has only grouchy comebacks for the other kids, who enthusiastically share books about trains (too clickety), fairies (too flowery), cowboys (too yuppity), and dogs (too furry). When the librarian sends the little rebel home with a bagful of books, she does not like any of them––until she finds a story about a stubborn, smelly, snorty ogre with warts, William Steig’s Shrek, and that makes her grab more books about ogres, just like her. The cartoon-style illustrations extend the comedy in images of the expressive girl and her librarian, who dresses in wild miniskirts, boots, and flowers and is far from the usual stereotype. Lots of fun for avid and reluctant readers alike.

 

 

Booklist (October 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 4))Preschool-Grade 1. Most holiday books are centered around Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, but here’s one that takes kids into the New Year. Squirrel doesn’t know what a resolution is—happily, Bear the librarian explains it quite well, both to her and to the book’s audience. Squirrel then visits her forest friends to see what resolutions they have planned and hopes she’ll be able to think of one for herself. Skunk, Turtle, and Mole all have ideas, but they can’t seem to get started until Squirrel gives them a push. She comes away disappointed that nothing’s come to her, but when she meets her friends later at the diner, they point out that her involvement has led to a resolution “to help someone every day.” The story line gets a little muddy as the resolutions become more interrelated, but the happy pictures and the (possibly new) knowledge that a resolution is an important, attainable goal carry the day. Perfect for those tired of pumpkins and Santa.

 

School Library Journal (August 1, 2010)PreS-Gr 1-A small white dog loves books so much that he decides to open his own bookstore. Unfortunately, no customers come, so he occupies his time by reading. He is engrossed in his imaginary adventures when his first real customer asks for a book. Of course, he knows exactly what to suggest. The simple story is accompanied by soft pastel pencil and watercolor drawings that give the book a whimsical, dreamy quality. Dog is surrounded by nonthreatening dinosaurs, space aliens, and other creatures when he is reading about them. Young children can enjoy the book by themselves by following the charming illustrations. Pair this gentle tale with a winning message with Tad Hills's How Rocket Learned to Read (Random, 2010) for a dogs-that-love-books storytime.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Booklist (October 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 4))

Grades 4-6. Mr. Terupt follows in the footsteps of those inspiring teachers who encourage their students to think for themselves, question the conventions they understand about school, and become better people. The narration here is shared by so many that it is hard for readers to feel similarly inspired, but what they’ll get instead is the school-year-long unfolding of each of seven fifth-graders as they face their own flaws, come to terms with their home lives, and reconcile their roles in a tragic accident that nearly takes the life of their beloved teacher, hinted at with the innocuous-looking snowball on the front cover. Some voices ring less true than others, which is a shame, since all of the characters have something important to say. Despite its flaws, this is a compelling novel with brief—sometimes very brief—chapters, which keep the story moving. Readers will find much to ponder on the power of forgiveness in Buyea’s meditative first novel.



Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, 2011! I cannot believe the first semester of school has flown by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was walking into the Anderson library as the new librarian for the 2010-2011 school year. I am thrilled to see some colder weather (it is winter in Texas after all) and also some new additions to the library that I have added to my list of favorite reads. This is the kind of weather I like to curl up by my fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and a great book to read! Stop by the library to see what is new. Maybe you will find something good to curl up with as well.

First Grade Author Study: Kevin Henkes

Prior to the Thanksgiving Break, first graders at Anderson got a chance to get to know Kevin Henkes and his books a bit better by participating in a variety of activities. Students had the opportunity hear Mrs. Littlejohn read aloud from one of her favorite Kevin Henkes's books, A Weekend with Wendell, through Skype! Then, students visited the library on four different occasions to participate in stations where they had the chance to create a birthday card for Kevin Henkes's birthday, listen to 3 Podcasts of Mrs. Littlejohn reading aloud from 3 different Kevin Henkes books, make a quilt square to highlight positive characteristics for a class quilt, "pack" a sleepover bag and write a letter to a friend about a sleepover, construct a necklace for a friend like Chrysanthemum wears, and read aloud from many of Kevin Henkes's books. Some of our amazing parent volunteers came to help the first graders as they completed their projects and even read aloud to the students. At the end of this week of fun, all the birthday cards were mailed to Kevin Henkes in New York, and he actually wrote back thanking the first graders for the well wishes on his birthday!

New Books to the Anderson Library!

I am very excited that I placed my first order for books, and they have arrived in the Anderson library ready for checkout! Please come to the library and check them out. Mixed in with these new books are many of the new books that our wonderful PTA donated after the Fall book fair.