Monday, November 15, 2010

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?

Perfect  Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli: Book Cover
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!

The  Thanksgiving Beast Feast by Karen Gray Ruelle: Book Cover
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.

Journey  to the New World by Kathryn Lasky: Book Cover
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!"

Monday, November 1, 2010


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:

Just What Mama Needs by Sharlee Mullins Glenn: Book Cover
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!

Dinothesaurus by Douglas Florian: Book Cover
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.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements: Book Cover
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.