What we are reading in our Book Group at Wentworth

Every Wednesday since January, Barbara Merritt, Scarborough School District head librarian for grades K-8, and I have co-hosted a book club held at Wentworth during lunch recess. The book clubs run 5 weeks and so far we've worked with 4th graders and today was our last time for grade 3.

When we met with the 4th graders, the book we read was The Dragon's Egg written by local author Sarah Thomson, who came and met with all the students at our final meeting. She was terrific and the children had ample time to ask her lots and lots of great questions.

The Third Graders just finished The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda. An exciting adventure woven tightly around a strong environmental message, participants made a book trailer as their final project since we were not able to connect with the Sepulveda and ask if he was available to Skype with us. (He lives in Spain).

Do you know what a book trailer is? Similar to a movie trailer in format and
length, a book trailer promotes…a book. Making trailers takes some planning and lots of discussion. Students are asked to think about the book and pull out the most important parts. You don't want to tell too much and bore your audience, but you also want to keep them excited. As Mrs. Merritt explained, "You want to give just enough information so that when the trailer is over you can't wait to read the book!"

We would like to share our book trailers with you! If you want to see them, please stop in to the Wentworth Library and ask the staff to show them to you. The students did a great job.

Next week Barbara and I will begin meeting with Fifth Graders. We will be reading Rules by another local author Cynthia Lord.

Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

Parrots Over Puerto Rico tells two stories. One is about the rescue and recovery of the Puerto Rican parrots; the other is the history of the island. 

Above the treetops of Puerto Rico flies a flock of parrots as green as their island home. The parrots lived on the island for millions of years, and then almost vanished when humans nearly caused their extinction.

The story is told beautifully in an easy to understand narrative. I really liked how the author's conveyed how intertwined the impact the island's development had on the birds. Another point to praise is the sense of hope that permeated the whole story, both with the text and pictures. That can be a huge challenge when the topic is about the loss of a species. What will draw readers in to this stunning informational book are the illustrations, done in Roth's paper-and-fabric collages. You will want to look at them again and again.

Parrots Over Puerto Rico was chosen as the 2014 Robert F. Sibert Winner by the American Library Association. It is a great book to share with your children, regardless of their age.

St. Patrick's Day!

Are you looking for some books to introduce St. Patrick's Day to children?

In her straight forward approach, Gail Gibbons, in St. Patrick's Day, retells the life of St. Patrick and offers facts about how St. Patrick's Day is celebrated today.

Adding another title in the Mrs. Madoff series, in St. Patrick's Day readers learn all about the history and Irish traditions as the children in Mrs. Madoff's preschool class do presentations.

Irish author, Eve Bunting, writes a grand story about Jamie, who tries to prove in he is not too young to march in the big St. Patrick's Day parade. Read, St. Patrick's Day in the Morning.

Reading Irish folktales introduces humor and a bit or Irish lore into story time.
One of my favorites is Fin M'Coul: the giant of Knockmany Hill retold and illustrated by Tomie De Paola. It's Fin M'Coul's clever wife, Oonagh, who helps Fin outsmart the giant, and arch rival, Cucullin.

Tomie De Paola, in Saint Patrick. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland relates the life and legends of  Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

We have more titles, and are happy to help you request other great books through Minerva. 

Signs of Spring

Sharing signs of spring with your child is very fun. Taking walks around your house or neighborhood is a great way to witness all the subtle changes taking place. Encourage children to monitor the changes by regularly visiting a specific area. Keep a notebook or make a little book and have your budding artist draw what they see!

Here are some of the changes that I've witnessed.

The days are getting longer. A thrilling first step in bringing warmer weather. (I hope)

What about the trees? Have you noticed the snow has melted around the base of the trees in your yard? When this happens, it means the trees are waking up. Sap is beginning to come up from the tree's roots to nourish the soon to be sprouting buds and leaves. For some trees, you can see their branches changing colors. Pussy Willow branches turn yellow. To learn more about trees, share with your child the following titles, all available at the Library.

The Life Cycle of a Tree by Bobbie Kalman & Kathryn Smithyman. Through easy to understand text and color photos, the authors describe the basic facts about trees, their function in a forest, and how they benefit animals, people, and our environment.

Fallen limbs and trees also have an important function in nature. Read A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer introduces the life cycle of a tree and the various purposes a tree has in ever phase of its cycle. The book is beautifully illustrated, using collage art, by Robin Brickman.

Did you know some trees are hundreds of years old? They are silent witnesses to our history. Read, Celebritrees: historic & famous trees of the world by Margi Preus, a Newbery Honor winner for her book, Heart of a Samuri; Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon.

Birds are a great harbinger of spring. Red-winged Blackbirds will be arriving any day now. I've seen them as early as February 25, but usually the majority of them, just the males, are here by March 3. The females arrive almost a month later. This morning on my drive to work, as I passed the Scarborough Marsh on Route 9, I saw a flock of Brants (Branta bernicla) A small goose, Brants are common on saltwater bays and estuaries. At first glance you may think you are seeing the familiar Canada Goose, yet birders identify the Brant by their thick, black neck, and the lack of a white stripe on their face.

Check out a few of our books on birding. 

Look Up!: birdwatching in your own backyard by Annette LeBlanc. Walking around your neighborhood or running errands, you don't always have a pair of binoculars handy. This excellent book with cartoon-like illustrations, is about how everyone, no matter where you live or how old you are, can enjoy watching birds.

The Library also has plenty of field guides for checking out. Visit the Youth Services Department to find some wonderful books to share with your family.

Happy soon-to-be Spring!

Mrs. C

READERS THEATER CANCELLED

Because of more snow - is anyone else getting tired of all this white stuff? - the Readers Theater Performance scheduled for tonight has been cancelled. We do not want anyone driving in the storm.

We hope to offer it some other time. Keep looking back!

School Vacation Week!

Do you need something to do this week with more snow predicted and travel looking a bit treacherous? . Stop by the Library for some fun!

Tuesday evening the Scarborough Public Library Readers Theater Troupe will be performing excerpts from some of our favorite "Read Aloud" books.
 
Wednesday at 10:30, Marilyn and I will be hamming it up as we retell our version of some familiar stories. All ages welcome and participation will be a must!

Do you have anyone in the household 6 and under who loves to sing? Stop by for our musical story time. Lauren will be joined by Brenda and her guitar for a fun filled sing-a-long! I highly recommend attending this program.Lauren and Brenda sing some great songs!

The fun continues all day Friday when we offer another Make Time Day @ the Library. There will be a variety of board games, crafts, and other activities perfect for All Ages/All Day long. Don't miss out.

See you...

NEWBERY, CALDECOTT, AND PRINTZ MEDAL WINNERS!

This morning, beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, in Philadelphia, the 2014 Youth Media Awards were announced at the American Library Associations Mid-Winter conference. This is the Academy Awards of the children's book industry. It is a big deal and librarians all around the globe wait to find out if any of the books they were rooting for win. I never get it right, but that's okay. It doesn't matter. The reading and hoping and wondering is all part of the excitement. I will say, and quite proudly, that this Library owns most of the honor and winners.

Without further ado, here are the award winners and honor books.

For the Randolph Caldecott Award
Honor books are:
Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles, written and illustrated by David Wiesner

And the winner is...
Locomotive, illustrated by Brian Floca

For the John Newbery Medal:
Honor books are:
Doll Bones, written by Holly Black
The Year of Billy Miller, written by Kevin Henkes  (Kevin won a Newbery honor in 2004 for Olive's Ocean)
One Came Home, written by Amy Timberlake
Paperboy written by Vince Vawter

And the winner is...
Flora & Ulysses: the Illuminated Adventure by Kate DiCamillo (She wrote Because of Winn Dixie)

The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults (ages 13 to 18)
Honor books are:
Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
Kingdom of the Little Wounds, by Susann Cokal
Maggot Moon, by Sally Gardner
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (Clare won the Newbery Medal in 2011 for Moon Over Manifest) 

And the winner is...
Mindwinterblood, written by Marcus Sedgwick (Marcus won a Printz honor in 2011 for Revolver)

Happy Reading...