Jolly Holiday Books

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner; illustrated by Mark Buehner

K-2nd Grade

nookkids

Children have all sorts of things they love to do at Christmas time like give gifts, open presents, feast on delicious food, be with family and friends they love, make snow angels and build snowmen. But what do snowmen like to do? "Snowmen at Christmas" is filled with frigid fun that children will enjoy reading. There are also hidden pictures to look for on each page. It is a good thing the Buehners, a married couple from Salt Lake City, shared their insightful imaginations in this book or all of us would think snowmen just stand still in our yards until the sun comes out or they get knocked over by playful children.

The Holly Joliday, Judy Moody and Stink by Megan McDonald

3rd-4th Grade

Judy wants so many things for Christmas she writes her list on a roll of toilet paper! Stink, her little brother, wants only one thing...SNOW! It hasn't snowed for over 100 years in their town in

Virginia but Stink still wants snow and seems obsessed with the "stuff." (Many of us may feel the same way as Stink during this very dry December). Judy and Stink enjoy the last day of school before Winter Recess. They perform in a school program in the evening and all sorts of out of the ordinary things occur such as the 12 Days of Christmas presented Hawaiian style and a talking parrot who steals the show and an unexpected surprise during the 2nd graders performance of "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

5th-6th Grade

Though many children are familiar with A Christmas Carol either by a book, movie or play it is always wonderful to share this story with older children at Christmas time. I chose sections from

the book to help the students get to know Ebenezer Scrooge's bristly, uncaring personality and then the experience with Jacob Marley's ghost (many students in 5th and 6th grade love reading ghost stories and this is one most parents would be fine with) and to conclude I showed the students the three ghosts that will hopefully change Scrooge's ways from last year's version of Disney's "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. The video was just over one minute and added a modern twist to a classic tale.

Meet the Author, Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 18th, 1949, the second child of Doris and Richard Van Allsburg. His sister Karen was born in 1947. They had two Siamese cats. One named Fafner and the other name Eloise

Chris went to junior and senior high school in East Grand Rapids. He didn’t take art classes during this time. His interests and talents seemed to be more in the area of math and science.

Chris went to the University of Michigan in the fall of 1967. He majored in sculpture at the University of Michigan, where he learned bronze casting, wood carving, resin molding and other techniques. He graduated in 1972 and went to graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to continue his study of sculpture.

In 1975, after earning his M.F.A. degree at RISD, Chris set up a sculpture studio in Providence, RI. He also married Lisa Morrison, whom he met at the University of Michigan four years earlier. Lisa was also an art student who had studied education and had become an elementary school art teacher in the Providence school system.

Chris first exhibited his sculpture in New York City in 1977 at the Alan Stone Gallery. He exhibited elsewhere in New England, and though sculpture was his primary interest, he had begun drawing pictures at night in a little room in his and Lisa’s apartment. He did not think of these drawings as very important, but others did. Alan Stone showed two of them to a curator from The Whitney Museum of Art, where they were exhibited in 1978.

Though still involved in making sculptures, Chris set aside some time and created the story and pictures that became The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, published in 1979. Since then, Chris has written and illustrated 15 books and has illustrated three others that were written by Mark Helprin.

In 1980, he was awarded the Caldecott Honor Medal for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. Chris is also the winner of two Caldecott Medals, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, and was the recipient of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. Additionally, he received the Boston Globe Honor for The Polar Express as well as The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Chris has also been awarded the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 1982, Jumanji won the National Book Award and in 1996, it was made into a popular feature film.

In 1991, Chris and Lisa became parents when their daughter Sophia was born. In 1995, their second daughter, Anna was born. Chris lives in Providence RI and works in his 3rd floor studio. For recreation and amusement, he rides his bike and plays tennis. He is not really the master of any instruments, but can entertain his children by producing simple tunes playing a recorder through his nose. (Listed below are five of his books.)

We read The Polar Express to all grades this week. We hope your student felt a little Christmas Magic as this book was being read, after all, READING IS BELIEVING!

HaPpY ReAdInG!!

Dewey Decimal System 500-700

Melvin Dewey was born on December 10, 1851. At the age of 21 he invented the Dewey Decimal Classification System. He also started the first school for librarians. The Dewey decimal system is a system used by libraries to classify nonfictional or informational publications into subject categories; the subject is indicated by a three-digit numeral and further specification is given by numerals following a decimal point; publications are shelved by number.

Luckily for us and our sanity this classifications system was created. Here at Bella Vista we have 12,000 books in our library, and the number grows every year. It is our goal in the Media Center to get the students familiarized with the Dewey Decimal Classification System so they may find and return books in their proper place.

Here is a kids guide (and it's helpful for parents too) to the three groups of the Dewey Decimal Classification System we learned about this week:

500 Science and Math
500 Science Experiments
510 Mathematics
520 Stars, Planets, Astronomy
530 Physical Science - force & motion, electricity, magnetism
540 Chemistry, Atoms & Molecules
550 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Weather
560 Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Animals
570 Forests, Deserts, Mountains, Oceans, Evolution
580 Plants & Trees
590 Animals & Insects (not pets)

600 Applied Science
600 Inventions
610 Human body, Disease
620 Space ships, Trains, Cars
630 Pets
640 Cookbooks, Organizing, sewing
650 Careers, Secret Codes
670 Paper making
680 Woodworking
690 Building

700 Art
710 Art appreciation, History of art
720 Architecture
730 Origami
740 Drawing, Crafts, Sewing, Knitting
750 Painting
760 Print Making
770 Photography
780 Music
790 Sports, Games, Magic, Camping, Fishing

Happy Reading!

Snow!

The time for wearing winter gear is upon us! This short week (Nov. 21 - Nov. 22) in the Media Center we read books about that icy cold, white stuff that brings out our inner child and deep down we really love... SNOW!

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathon London

Rambunctious Froggy hops out into the snow for a winter frolic but is called back by his mother to put on some necessary articles of clothing.

If you want to see your child LAUGH, read this and other Froggy books at bedtime or anytime! After all, Mrs. Allison and I hope you are reading to your children no matter what time or book it is! Read, Read, Read!


3rd - 6th Grade
Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin


From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley thought of the icy crystals as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystals.

Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths about snowflakes: first, that no two are alike and second, that each one is startlingly beautiful. His story, gracefully told by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and brought to life in Mary Azarian's lovely woodcuts, gives children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature.

If you have a dream, go for it! The sky's the limit!

Happy Reading!

Happy Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving Wish

By Michael Rosen

K-6 interest level

This book rates very high for me because of how well it depicts the traditional Thanksgiving celebration of family getting together, the warmth of a cozy home, a feast of delicious food and love of family and friends. This book adds a realistic experience that is common to many families: the first Thanksgiving without Grandma. Also, a power outage causes the family to lean on friends to help cook their Thanksgiving meal. This is a sweet book that I would recommend adding to a personal library collection to enjoy reading time and again.

Beehive Book Club Kick Off

Race to Read

Beehive Books

Utah's most prestigious children's literature competition is in full swing with books nominated in four categories: Picture, Poetry, Informational and Children's Fiction. For a list of all the Beehive Nominees for 2011-12 visit the Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) at http://www.clau.org

How to Become a Member of the Bella Vista Beehive Book Club:

Every student becomes a member of the Beehive Book Club by writing their name on a car and coloring it. Look for the students' vehicles on the "road" wrapping the walls around the library.

"Race to Read" as many Beehive Nominated books for 2011-12 as possible from now until March.

Students visit the library and vote on each Beehive book they read.

Students' votes will be tallied for Bella Vista's winners and turned in to CLAU to be included in the votes for the official Utah competition in the Spring.

Parties, Books and More!

In the Beehive Book Binder in the library, students write their names, teacher's name and grade under the books they have read to become eligible for two potential rewards:

1. Win a Beehive Book! Reading, voting and recording name in the Beehive Book Binder for reading Beehive books makes students eligible for the end of year drawings in each class for the Beehive Winning Book Give Away that will be announced at the Beehive Book Club Party (all students are invited) in the Spring.

2. Help your class win a pizza party. The class that reads the most Beehive books will win a pizza party.

A big THANK YOU goes out to the school administration and PTA for their generous support of our Beehive Book Club!

Parents Get Involved.

Read books with your child or read books before your child does. Discuss the books with your child as they read them to help improve comprehension. There are amazing books nominated this year in every category, but not all Beehive books may be suitable for all ages.

Visit Whitmore Library Often With Your Child.

Bella Vista's Library has one to two copies of each Beehive Nominated book for 2011-12. Whitmore Library has several more copies of each book in the Children's section. Mrs. Wilson and I encourage parents to visit Whitmore Library through the school year with your child to check out the Beehives and other children's books.

Halloween Fun!

Knowing there are students who love to be scared while others get spooked very easily, I decided to choose stories that are mostly fun but a tiny bit scary. Stories that all students can enjoy during this Halloween time.

3-6th Grades.
"The Widow's Broom" By Chris Van Allsburg
The author of "The Polar Express" wrote this Halloween story.
The Widow's Broom is filled with brownish, black illustrations which gives the book a haunting feeling. This is a picture book shelved in the more mature fiction section of the library. This book is about a broom that loses power while a witch is riding it! The witch and her broom fall to the ground landing in a widow's garden. The widow, Minna Shaw, though scared, takes the hurt witch to her home to care for her. The witch disappears after a good night's rest but the broom remains with a life of its own!

During Ms. Alvord's class visit to the library, she let her students know "The Widow's Broom" is one of her favorite Halloween books.

Before reading "The Widow's Broom" a few jokes were shared from "Dracula's De-Composition Book..." by Holly Kowitt. One of my favorite jokes in the book is: "How does a Cyclops listen to music?... On an eye pod."

K-2 Grades.
"Hansel and Gretel" By the Brothers Grimm
Kindergarten classes to second grade were told two stories. The first is the classic Grimm fairytale called "Hansel and Gretel."

I received the second story from Ms. Janelle at Whitmore Library. This story is about a little mouse who finds a house in a pumpkin patch. As the story unfolds, I cut out orange paper in the shape of a pumpkin and by the end of the story the paper cut out becomes a jack-o-lantern to wish everyone a "Happy Halloween!" Ms. Damjanovich's class went back to class after story time and made their own jack-o-lantern cut outs! They shared them with Mrs. Wilson and I. We were absolutely delighted to see every one of them, even the cyclops and four eyed "jacks"!

AUTUMN IS HERE

TWO FABULOUS PUMPKIN BOOKS

WERE SHARED DURING STORY TIME

K-3rd Grade

Too Many Pumpkins

by Linda White; Illustrated by Megan Floyd

3-6th Grade

Me and The Pumpkin Queen

By Marlane Kennedy

Happy Birthday!

For the week of September 12-16 we celebrated BIRTHDAYS in the Media Center.

For kindergarten - 3rd grade we read Birthday at the Panda Palace, by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Doug Cushman .

"For monkeys like us, Bananas will please. But for you, birthday mouse, Here's a big chunk of . . ." Birthday cake? Mud pie? No, it's cheese!

Can you guess what the three pigs bring? Is it made of straw or wood or brick? How about Elephant? What is his present for Mouse? The students loved using the rhymes to figure out what gift they'll find when the page was turned. And the best surprise of all comes at the end when a special visitor arrives—because friendship is what this party is all about!

Complete with cake, candles, goody bags, and games, Stephanie Calmenson and Doug Cushman throw a party you won't want to leave!

For 4th - 6th grade we read 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited---after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .

Award Winning Books for 2011

The Caldecott and Newbery awards are the most prestigious awards given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, to American authors' books in the United States of America. Once the winning books are announced, book stores have a difficult time keeping their shelves stocked with these quality children books.

The Caldecott Medal for 2011 goes to A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead, Illustrated by Erin Stead.

This book is about friends and how they take care of each other. The story is unpredictable and the illustrations are delightful. My favorite picture is when the animals are riding the bus. I highly recommend this book for all elementary students and their parents to enjoy reading. Though in the Media Center, we read it to the students from Kindergarten through Third Grade.

Read to 4th-6th Grade

The Newbery Medal for 2011 goes to Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.

Abilene Tucker is the 12 year old daughter of Gideon Tucker. She loves to hear his stories of a town he lived in 18 years before called, Manifest. Abilene describes her father's stories about Manifest like "...sucking on butterscotch. Smooth and sweet...." The students savored butterscotch drops while we read this flavorful metaphor in chapter one.

Continuing with an introduction to the story, Gideon gets a job in Iowa with the railroad and sends his Abilene to this town of Manifest. She arrives on a train scheduled to meet Pastor Howard whom Gideon arranged for her to stay with. "Abilene's Manifest" is much different than the smooth and sweet stories Gideon told her about. The pastor she meets is an interim pastor who has been waiting 14 years for the real pastor to show up. His name is Shady and, yes, he is a bit shady. She makes friends when she goes to her first day of school which is the last day of school before summer break.

She comes upon some old Manifest Herald newspapers and reads them in hopes of finding information about Gideon's time in Manifest, She also discovers an old cigar box hidden under a board on her bedroom floor that is filled with trinkets, a map, and letters about suspicions of spies in Manifest during World War I. As Abilene and her friends begin to investigate the past, someone warns them to stop their investigation by inconspicuously posting a note to their treehouse. The adventure of past(1918) and present (1936) becomes too irresistible for the girls to leave alone!

Welcome Back! Some Things Old and Some Things New

MMM...Many maneuvers are mingling in the minds of the Media Assistants to make each month in the Media Center magical, munchy, and monumental with Some Things Old and Some Things New.

Some Things Old that will continue to be incorporated into Story Time this year will be Meet the Author, holiday and seasonal books, the latest, cutting edge books, classics, award winning books, including Newberys, Caldecotts and Beehives. The Beehive Book Club is only one year old and we will continue it again this year with a new twist...

Some Things New include the Race to Read Beehive Books for members of the Beehive Book Club (all students are members) and the newly nominated Beehive books which are available to check out during class visits starting the second week of school. We will have a combination of fiction and non-fiction authors to spotlight for Meet the Author and much more!

Some Thing else New, well...not some thing but Some One New is our new Media Assistant, Mrs. Wilson. She will be working alongside Mrs. Allison in the Media Center. According to Mrs. Allison, she is the best part of something new in our library this year so please help her feel welcome!

A Fond Farewell--Mrs. Wadsworth Says Goodbye

As the school year winds up, we look back at all the wonderful times we've had, all the great things we've learned, and all of our progress. No matter what stage of life we are in, we learn and grow, stretch and explore. This is my last year working at Bella Vista, so I find myself looking back over the past four years, not just looking back over the last school year. Thank you to students and faculty for making these past four years great for me! I have learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and felt a great deal of love and acceptance within your friendship. This has been a fantastic place to work.

I am resigning my position for a couple of reasons. One of them is family. As many of you know, I have a daughter who struggles with autism and epilepsy. As her schedule and needs change, so must mine. If you are interested in learning more about autism, here are a few of my favorite books. Also look in the archives of this blog for "Waiting for Benjamin".

Rules by Cynthia Lord

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great book to introduce kids to autism and what it is like to have an autistic sibling. I am often in awe of my own children and how they deal with their autistic sister. They have had their difficulties, much like the girl in this novel, but they have learned to love her and see beauty in her.



View all my reviews

Here's another one that I really liked, but it is not appropriate for elementary school students. Parents, give this one a read!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This novel is not appropriate for elementary school students, but for an adult with an autistic daughter--like myself--this book was a very good read. Given my experience, this novel awoke all kinds of thoughts in me. This was a very realistic portrayal of an autistic person. My daughter is much more severe than this character, but it did make me wonder more about the world in which she lives. The language is strong in places, and this author doesn't pull any punches on the emotional difficulties this character faces. The circumstances the character finds himself in are sadly common as well. Such a good glimpse into the autistic mind.



View all my reviews

Also, for my creative writing students and for those who are interested, I wrote a book about autism as well. This book is based on our experiences raising an autistic child.

Faraway Child by Amy Maida Wadsworth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Can I review my own book? :)

This book is very dear to my heart. It is based on true events, though the characters have been changed--several people were mushed together into one character, and I got creative with the characters who provided conflict. Many of the cruel things said to the main character were actually said to me and my family. This book is raw and honest and I published it with great trepidation because it exposed my weaknesses, fears, and flaws. By reading this book, you are--in a way--getting a small glimpse into a period of my life.

People often ask about our autistic daughter and how she is doing now. She is currently 18, still living at home, and is a great joy to us. She is still mostly non-verbal and will need care and assistance for the rest of her life, but her epilepsy causes more of a challenge for us than her autism.

I hope you enjoy this book.



View all my reviews

We have formed a team for the Walk Now for Autism Speaks 5k coming up in October of 2011. If you would like more information on this fundraiser, go to my team page.

I am also leaving to pursue my dream of being an author. As stated above, I have written books before. About 6 years ago, I left the publishing field to start working outside of my home. Now, it is time to return to publishing. If you would like to follow my writing career, check out my website occasionally. http://www.amymaidawadsworth.com/index.html I'm starting from scratch, though, so it may be a while before anything hits the shelves.

Thanks again, Bella Vista! I'll be back as a volunteer next year! Much love to you all!

The Year the Swallows Came Early

The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

This book takes place in San Juan Capistrano when the swallows do their annual migration. The children in the book learn to deal with and forgive adults who make poor decisions that affect them. The book chapters are titled by foods which relates to the culinary goals of the main character and living in Southern California. The book was enjoyable to read.

Meet the Authors: David Shannon, Peg Kehret and Brandon Mull

Meet the Author: David Shannon

David was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Washington State. He is well known for the books he writes and his illustrations. Ever since he was a boy and could hold a crayon he drew pictures. When he got older he attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasedena, California. Some of his illustrations have been in the New York Times, Time, Rolling Stone magazine and he has illustrated several book jackets. He has received awards for his illustrations and illustrates his own books as well as for other authors. He is well known for his book No, David which was inspired by his childhood drawings he made at age five of things he shouldn't do. He also wrote, Alice the Fairy, other David books and my favorite, A Bad Case of Stripes, which I read to K-2 students during story time.

K through 3rd Grade

A Bad Case of Stripes

Camilla loves eating lima beans but she cares more about what other people think and is worried others will think she is weird for eating lima beans. She worries so much about what other people think that she makes herself sick with a most unusual sickness. As her parents seek a remedy the sickness gets worse and worse!

Meet the Author: Peg Kehret

She dreamed as a child to be a writer or veterinarian when she grew up. She became a writer of several very popular award winning children's chapter books. Some of the children's favorites include Stolen Children, Terror at the Zoo and Escaping. She is an animal rights activist as well. She does volunteer work with the Humane Society and Pasado's Safe Haven. When she was a child she contracted Polio which paralyzed her from the neck down. She was in the hospital for 9 months. Fortunately, she made a nearly complete recovery. She was married to Carl Kerhet for 48 years. He passed away in 2004. While he was alive, he would travel with Peg in their RV to schools and libraries to promote her books. She currently lives on a 10 acre wildlife sanctuary near Mount Rainier National Park and enjoys reading, watching baseball and gymnastics, playing with her animals and enjoying time with her grandchildren.

3rd through 6th Graders

Saving Lilly

This story is about two sixth grade students, Erin Wrenn and David, who discover the mistreatment of a baby elephant, Lilly, at the Glitter Tent Circus that is visiting their town. They want to help Lilly but it isn't going to be easy. Their school teacher, Mrs. Dawson, loves the circus and has fond memories of going as a child so she wants to reward her class for reading assignment they accomplished by taking them to the Glitter Tent Circus. Erin and David try to inform her of the mistreatment of the animals but she doesn't want to hear a word they say! They do not want to go on the fieldtrip. What will happen when the day of the fieldtrip arrives? What will happen to Lilly? Will Erin and David help Lilly or get in trouble for going against their teacher's point of view?

Meet the Author: Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull is the author introduced to the 5th and 6th grade students. He is from Utah! He is married and has three children. He spent 2 years of his life in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned spanish and how to juggle. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000. His first book was rejected by publishers but the first publisher to read Fablehaven accepted it. After the book had been on the market for 6 months it became so successful that Brandon was able to quit his day job and focus on writing. The Fablehaven Series is a New York Times Best Selling Series as well as the book, Candy Shop War which is about children who eat candy and get superpowers.

4th-6th Graders

Fablehaven

Kendra and Seth's parents drop them off at their grandparents home for two weeks while they go on a cruise given to them through inheritance. Kendra and Seth have never been to the Sorenson's home before and when they arrive, Grandma isn't there to greet them. Grandpa Sorenson, his housekeeper, Lena and the groundskeeper, Dale are all friendly and welcoming to the children. Grandpa is kind but very busy taking care of the acres of land surrounding his home. He is also very strict about the children abiding by his rules of never going beyond the lawn nor in the barn. The children have the attic to themselves to sleep in and play and a swimming pool to enjoy, but this isn't enough for Seth. He wants to go exploring beyond the lawn!

Thinking of this book (and series) makes me grin from ear to ear because of how perfectly it fits the interests and intelligence of this generation of elementary school students. Brandon Mull knows how to write books that our children will actually enjoy reading from cover to cover!

Students: Make it a goal to read the Fablehaven series over the summer! And check out the first book in his most recent series, The Beyonders, which came out in March, 2011.