The Christmas Angel

A special visitor came to the library the last week of school before winter recess. Paula Poulson, who worked in the Bella Vista Library for six years, returned to share a Christmas story called "The Christmas Angel" by Pirkko Vainio.

Students and teachers were delighted to see Mrs. P again. Paula is a compassionate person who has suffered great adversity in her life this past year with the passing of her husband in September from cancer. She shared "The Christmas Angel" story with the children and expressed her appreciation for all the angels in her neighborhood that have helped her through this difficult year. Students and teachers who know Mrs. P enjoyed her surprise visit and will remember the message she left with them to do something compassionate for others during this holiday season.

The teachers and students honor Doug Poulson and the wonderful life he lived. Paula knows her husband is now an angel watching over her.

May we feel a deep gratitude in our hearts at this Christmas time for the gifts Christ has given us through the compassionate life he lived and the Atonement he has provided for all mankind. Merry Christmas!

Fiction and Nonfiction, What's the Difference?

A long time ago when I was an elementary school student, I remember never really grasping the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. I wish the book, "Bored Bella Learns About Fiction and Nonfiction" was around back then. It would have enlightened my understanding like it is doing for elementary school students today. Thank you Sandy Donovan and Leeza Hernandez for making this remarkable book!

According to Sandy Donovan, there are many ways to find out if a book is fiction or nonfiction. One way is to read the description of the book on the back cover or inside flap. When you read it, ask yourself:
*What is the book about? What happens in the book?
*Is the purpose of the book to give information or tell a story?

If a book gives information, helps you learn something about real people, places and events it is nonfiction. If a book tells a story with content or characters that don't exist in real life, yet may contain true facts, it is fiction.

"Bored Bella Learns About Fiction and Nonfiction" was a gift from our school district office. It is not available in retail stores...yet.

www.facthound.com is a child-friendly website to search for relevant topics.
"FactHound" will fetch the best sites for you!"

Gobble Up Thanksgiving Books

K-1
Over the River and Through the Woods
by Lydia Maria Child Illustrated by David Catrow

Baby joins the fun of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City as the family is heading to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. Baby becomes part of a marching band and hangs on to a rope from a giant parade balloon! Will baby get to Grandmother's house at the same time the rest of the family does?

K-3
The Perfect Thanksgiving
By Eileen Spinelli Illustrated by JoAnn Adenolfi
Two very different families celebrate Thanksgiving. Which family has the perfect Thanksgiving? The perception of "perfect" may be different for each family but love surrounds them all!

1-3
The Thanksgiving Beast Feast
By Karen Gray Ruelle
Harry and Emily are looking forward to their Thanksgiving feast but are concerned the beasts in their neighborhood won't have any food if they don't feed them. So Harry and Emily make a Thanksgiving Beast Feast for their wild animal friends.

4-6
Dear America, A Journey to the New World, The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower 1620

By Kathryn Lasky

The author of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book series, Kathryn Lasky, also wrote this historical fiction book. Before writing, she took a boat ride across the Atlantic to gain empathy for the pilgrims voyage on the Mayflower.

A 12 year old girl named Remember Patience Whipple is journeying to the New World on the Mayflower with her family. Remember, Mem for short, receives a diary, a handmade gift from her mother, Mam, which was acquired in a risky manner that could endanger the family.

Mem writes about the Mayflower landing far north of the planned destination, the Mayflower Compact, and how the pilgrims built a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After much hardship since leaving Europe, including death of loved ones, Mem finally has some happiness as she enjoys a fun and peaceful first Thanksgiving with the pilgrim colony and over 90 "feathered" people, including Squanto. But her happiness is short lived....

I enjoyed this book and recommend reading it during the Thanksgiving vacation because of it's relevance to the holiday and significant events in American history.

"April showers bring May flowers. What do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims!"

Beehive Book Club 2010-11

The very first Bella Vista Beehive Book Club kicked off in the library in October.

What are Beehive Books? Quality books that are nominated by readers of children's literature in four categories: picture books, poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Throughout Utah, children read the nominated books and vote on their favorites. Then the most prestigious Utah book awards in children's literature, the Beehive Awards, are presented to the winning books.

How do students join? Every Bella Vista student is welcome to join by signing his/her name on a bee that will be hung up around the outer walls of the library.

What does a student do as a member of the Beehive Book Club? Every student reads as many Beehive Nominee Books for 2010-11 they can. Each student is given a bookmark with the list of nominated books to choose from. When a student finishes reading a book, he/she may vote on whether or not they liked the book. Ballots are collected in the Beehive Book Club envelope in the library.

When are the winning books announced? In the Spring, when the official Beehive Award winning books are announced, Mrs. Wadsworth and Mrs. Allison will count the Bella Vista students' votes in our library and include and compare the votes to the Utah Beehive book award winners. A Beehive Book Club party will be held at the end of the year to celebrate the winning books and all the enjoyment students had reading the books throughout the year.

Three Beehive Nominee books of 2010-11 that have been introduced in the library:

K-1

Just What Mama Needs by Sharlee Mullins Glenn Illustrated by Amiko Hirao

Abby is just what Mama needs as she plays dress up and helps clean the house. This can't be work, it is too much fun!

2-3

Dinothesaurus by Douglas Florian

If your tongue is twisted by saying the title of this book just wait until you read the titles of the poems inside! Phonetic spelling of dinosaurs' names will teach the reader correct pronunciations while enjoying the delightful poetry about ancient reptiles.

4-6

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mark Elliott

Sadeed, who lives in Afghanistan, is the top student in his class. He dreams of becoming a future leader of Afghanistan. Abby, who is from Illinois, is at risk of repeating the sixth grade. She wants to spend all her time rock climbing. An extra credit project brings them together as pen pals. They learn of each other's cultures, traditions, and landscapes as their friendship grows. In one letter, Sadeed shares a secret with Abby. If he gets caught it could mean great trouble for him. Will Abby be clever enough to keep the secret to help protect Sadeed from getting punished? Will Abby pass the 6th grade? Read the book to find the answers to these questions!

Extra Credit is one of my favorite children's books. I encourage advanced readers in third grade to read this book as well as fourth through sixth graders.

Facing Your Fears

It's Halloween week! To celebrate the occasion, we read books about facing your fears.

In grades K-1, we read "Lu and the Swamp Ghost." As an added bonus, our copy of the book came with a CD recording of the book read by author, James Carville. Lu lives near a swamp in Louisiana during the Depression, but her family believes that you are rich if you have family and one good friend. Lu finds an unusual friend in an unusual place as she befriends someone she might otherwise be afraid of. We particularly loved hearing James Carville read the book. His accent and fluctuations made the book a unique experience for the students.

For grades 2-3, we read "Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve." This book by Mary Osborne is part of the Magic Tree House series--a wonderful educational series in which Jack and Annie visit a Tree House owned by a magical librarian and Merlin, the sorcerer. In the tree house, the two can go on many different adventures just by opening a book and wishing to visit. Merlin also sends the pair on missions to find certain magical objects and solve riddles and rhymes. In this particular book, Jack and Annie must set a castle in order, but first, they must figure out what is wrong. They enter the castle and encounter a floating bone and a chess game happening seemingly without players.

We are currently encouraging our second and third graders to read all of the books in the Magic Tree House series by engaging them in the "Passport to Adventure" activity. Students read Magic Tree House books, then they can answer three questions and earn a stamp for their passport. For more information on this adventure, visit http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/passport-to-adventure.html

For grades 4-6, we read "School of Fear" by Gitty Daneshvari. In this book, four children suffering from various phobias come together at an eclectic and exclusive school where they must face their fears and hopefully overcome them. With delightful, quirky characters, Daneshvari spins an entertaining tale that will keep you laughing and hoping that these children can work through their problems. The book also drops bits of true wisdom here and there, reminding us that change is a process and big problems can't be fixed overnight.

We hope you all have a fun, safe haunting this Hallows Eve! Pull out a good book this weekend!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The library was full of magic and art this week as we explored two Caldecott winners. One of the books we read was "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. This unique book is unlike any other I have read. At 533 pages, students may initially be daunted by this book, but it is not your average novel. Over 300 pages are illustrations--beautiful pencil sketches that move the story along. This book contains art, toys, mystery, sorrow, creativity, magic, and movies--just about everything one could want in a novel. I highly recommend it.

The website is a wonderful addition to the book. Explore this website and see all the research and real people this book was based on. http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, Pictures by David Small

This week in the library, we read two Caldecott Award Winners. One was "The Gardener" by Sarah Stewart with pictures by David Small. Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim until her father is able to find a job. Set during the Great Depression, this book celebrates a colorful young girl who brings color and light to a drab corner bakery through planting many flowers. The illustrations are particularly beautiful. Small uses color to enhance the influence that Lydia Grace has on everyone around her. By the end of the book and after almost a year together, even Uncle Jim--who does not smile--can't help but show how Lydia Grace has influenced him. This story is written through letters that Lydia Grace writes to her family back home.

Pirate Week in September

In September, Bella Vista students sailed through an adventurous Pirate Week in the Library. Mrs. Wadsworth and Mrs. Allison talk the pirate talk almost too well as they welcomed all the young Bella Vista mateys into the library donned with eye patches, swashbuckling stories, and a treasure hunt for pirate books. It makes you wonder if they've ever sailed the seven seas as pirates themselves! Kidding aside, the pirate books were a treasure and here they "ARRRRRR":

K-2nd grade

Shiver me Letters, A Pirate ABC by June Sobel and Henry Cole

The crew on this pirate ship must find all the letters of the alphabet. Will they make it before

the captain makes them walk the plank?

3rd grade

Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail

Edward loves to read. He reads everything from books to cereal boxes. He discovers a book that pirates want so much they ambush his house to get it! He finds out his parents are much more than the typical father and mother. What will they do to help him?

4th-6th grade

Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson

Mr. Stevenson wrote this book for his 12 year old step son. Fifteen chapters of the book were penned in 15 days. The story was published as a book in 1883. This classic novel is about a boy named Jim Hawkins who meets several plundering pirates. After discovering a treasure map from a dead buccaneer's box at the Benbow Inn, he takes off for an adventure of a lifetime searching for treasure with a rough lot of buccaneers including, Long John Silver!

Last few weeks of summer!

We've only got a couple more weeks of summer before we are back to school!  Will you be ready to dive back in? 

If you haven't read a book over the summer, better get to it!  Have a book or two ready to recommend to your librarian when school starts!  Maybe your favorite book can be spotlighted in story time!

Also, look for a new program for 3rd graders with Magic Treehouse!  4th, 5th, and 6th graders--we'd like to come up with a reading program for you too!  Share your ideas! 

Summer Reads

Weslandia

By Paul Fleischman, Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

K-3^rd Grade

After planting an unusual plant in his backyard, Wesley spends his summer creating unique things from different parts of the plant. He captivates the neighborhood bullies and shares his plant creations, including a new game.

Weslandia inspires productivity in the summer. This book is one of my favorite children’s books.

Chasing the Falconers, On The Run, Book 1 of 6

By Gordon Korman

4th - 6th Grade

Why are Aiden and Meg Falconer at the Sunnydale Juvenile Delinquent Center when they are innocent of any crime? They have the last name Falconer. No one in mainstream society wants to take care of a Falconer because Aiden and Meg's parents were accused of giving top-secret information to terrorists.

An accident turns catastrophic at Sunnydale. Aiden and Meg escape! Now they are on the run as innocent fugitives trying to discover clues from their past to clear their parents’ names.

Gordon Korman writes a fast-paced, suspenseful cliffhanger of Aiden and Meg’s flight from state to state.

If readers can get beyond the premise of Aiden and Meg being placed in a Juvenile Delinquent Center for their "safety," the story is an entertaining summer read.

Books on Friendship

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."
Abraham Lincoln

Secret Shortcut by Mark Teague
K-1
Pirates, crocodiles, a plague of frogs...what else will keep two boys from getting to school on time? Hopefully, finding a secret shortcut will get them there before the late bell rings.

Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
2-3
Eating chocolate ice cream cones together is a great idea for two friends, but Toad struggles as the ice cream melts all over him on his way to Frog. Unaware, Toad "transforms" into a frightening creature that scares forest animals and Frog too!

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
4-6
"Friendship isn't always sunny-side up." This dysfunctional, roller coaster ride of a friendship helps us learn that everyone needs friends, especially children that have more than their share of troubles. David is 9 years old and he lives with his sweet old grandmother because his mother unexpectedly died after slipping and hitting her head on a wet floor. He misses his mother desperately. He seldom sees his father. Primrose, who is 13, lives with her wacky fortune-telling mother. She avoids her mother as much as possible. Primrose has no idea who her father is. David and Primrose first meet in a most unusual way during an Easter Egg Hunt and slowly the "eggs"traordinary friendship cracks open.

Poetry Week

Poetry Week

Shel Silverstein's Poetry

From a rhyming throwdown competition between librarian and students to sharing poems from Shel Silverstein's books, "Falling Up" and "Where the Sidewalk Ends", we are having a fabulous time celebrating Poetry Month this week in the library.

During story time, students enthusiastically volunteer to recite a poem from memory or choose one to read from the projected view of the books from our new document camera! I share my favorite Silverstein poems as well and conclude story time with his peacemaking poem called "Hug-O-War".

Inspirational moment: Early in the week a 6th grader rose above her shyness to share her favorite Silverstein poem from memory during her class's story time!

A big thank you goes out to Shel Silverstein for lifting our hearts with his poetry.