Irish Tales for St. Patrick's Day

Fiona's Luck

by Teresa Bateman, Illustrated by Kelly Murphy

1st - 3rd Grades

Leprechauns have Ireland all to themselves and let their luck roam freely over the land. Humans come to Ireland and settle the fertile land. Prosperity abounds for the humans! The leprechaun king decides to hoard the leprechauns' luck so he sends leprechauns to gather up all the luck in Ireland while the humans sleep. The luck is gone and the humans cannot get their cows to produce milk, their chickens to lay eggs, nor the ground to grow potatoes. The people of Ireland believe they are out of luck. But they aren't completely out of luck because they have Fiona. She gets an idea to outwit the leprechaun king in a very clever way to try and get the leprechauns' luck back. A question to ponder after reading this story: Will luck or using your wits be more useful when solving problems? I liked this creative story with colorful illustrations and significant message so much I bought this book and donated it to the school library.

St. Patrick and the Three Brave Mice

by Joyce A. Stengel and Herb Leonhard

Read to K - 1st Grades

The legend of St. Patrick chasing all the snakes out of Ireland with his miraculous bell comes to life in this tale of three brave mice who help him rid Ireland of the last snake. The mice must courageously face great danger to help him! The Author's Note at the end of the book describes how this legend of St. Patrick is recognized in Ireland today.

Magic Treehouse, Leprechaun in Late Winter

by Mary Pope Osborne

2nd - 3rd Grades

Jack and Annie are on a mission from Merlin to help a girl named Augusta discover her special gift to give the world. They step out of their Magic Treehouse into an emerald green Ireland 150 years ago. They are dressed in poor clothes and seen as useless at the "Big House" because they don't know how to do farm work. (How many children today know how to milk a cow anyway?) Augusta takes Jack and Annie to her poor nursemaid, Mary, in her home in the forest. Mary tells a story of the Shee (irish fairies). Jack and Annie realize they are failing their mission to help Augusta but then a clever idea that includes a magical irish whistle and putting on a play gives them more help than they could ever imagine! Enjoy this captivating, magical story as the Shee and a leprechaun are discovered at a most timely manner for Jack, Annie and Augusta!

Tales of Old Ireland

by Malachy Doyle

4th - 6th Grades

Malachy Doyle has gathered a collection of irish tales that have been passed down from generation to generation in Ireland. The students were fascinated by the irish tale from this book called, The Twelve Wild Geese. There are other tales in the book as well but this was my favorite so I wanted to share it with them. This fourth to sixth grade level tale includes a fairy, magic, curses, kings and queens, a jealous, wicked step mother, and a bond of love between 12 brothers and their faithful sister that suffers tremendous adversity. I was delighted to hear students discussing the story amongst themselves afterward so I know this is a winning choice for them! I don't necessarily appreciate other tales in this book to read to children, but this one was wonderful in my opinion.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904. At Bella Vista Elementary, his birthday is celebrated annually in the classrooms, the cafeteria (Green Eggs and Ham served up hot and fresh for lunch on March 2) and the library.

The Boy on Fairfield Street

by Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson

As a boy, Theodore Seuss Giesel, lived six blocks from the zoo. His father did some work at the zoo and shared wild animal stories with him. Ted also lived close to the library. His mother wanted him to be well educated so she took Ted to the library often. I loved learning from this book, The Boy on Fairfield Street, that when Dr. Seuss was young his mother lulled him to sleep every night by reading to him.

Dr. Seuss was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by his college peers, took only one art class in his lifetime, where he was criticized for not following his teacher's rules of art, and dropped out of college to pursue his dream of writing poetry and drawing. Well, as we all know, he did succeed, he got paid for his art work and became one of the most famous children's book authors/illustrators in history!

After hearing the biography of Dr. Seuss, the students listened and read along to a Dr. Seuss book from our library's Seuss collection which includes Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks, The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, The Lorax and more. The students received "Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss" bookmarks and activity pages to take home. Look for characters from his books on the walls in and around the school library including, Horton, the Grinch, a Sneech with a star on its belly and others. A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Wilko, the Education Committee and PTA for providing the characters and biographical poster of Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated 44 books. They are all still in print today. His first book was published in 1937, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. His books are translated into 15 languages and over 200 million copies have been sold worldwide. He died in 1991 at the age of 87 but his legacy will live on for years to come.

Black History Month

Since February is Black History Month, I chose two books related to the trials people of African-American descent suffered prior to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's.

K-2 heard the story "Most Loved in All the World" by Tonya Hegamin. Since this book is also a Beehive Nominee for 2011, the students were able to vote on how well they liked this book.

"Most Loved in All the World" is about a young slave girl who watches her mother suffer day after day in the cotton fields. She rubs salve in her mother's cut hands and whipped back. When he mother has time away from the fields, she works on a quilt, and as she sews, she tells her daughter what the blocks on the quilt mean. The child is too young to understand that her mother works with the Underground Railroad to set as many slaves free as she can. Finally, one night, the mother sends her daughter off with the others, but she has to stay and continue her fight for freedom. Before she sends the daughter away, she gives her the quilt she has stitched, and the blocks will guide her to freedom. In the center is a block which means "this child is most loved in all the world." A heart-wrenching story, this book reveals one of the many sacrifices freedom fighters made--"These folks saw slaver as an all-out war; they lived by the strict codes of true soldiers." -Tonya Hegamin (author's notes).

3-6 heard from one of my favorite books, "Maniac Magee," by Jerry Spinelli. This novel is set during a time of segregation, and the theme of two separate worlds is present throughout the novel. Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee loses his parents in a tragic accident and is sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who pretty much hate each other. Rather than get divorced, the aunt and uncle live in separate parts of the house and spend separate time with Jeffrey. This situation doesn't sit well with Jeffrey, and he decides to run away. He stops running in a city called Two Mills, where the people living on the East End are black, and the West Enders are white. Jeffrey is taken in by a family on the East End, and fits in perfectly with them, though not all the neighbors understand. This wonderful book reads like poetry--the descriptions are lyrical and rich in sensation. Here is one of my favorite paragraphs:

"For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why these East Enders called themselves black. He kept looking and looking, and the colors he found were gingersnap and light fudge and dark fudge and acorn and butter rum and cinnamon and burnt orange."

And another:

"He especially loved the warm brown of Mrs. Beale's thumb, as it appeared from under creamy white icing that she allowed him to lick away when she was frosting his favorite cake."

Okay, one more:

"By the time Maniac and the rest of the vacant lot regulars got there, Chestnut and Green was a cross between a block party and a swimming pool. Radios blaring. People blaring. Somebody selling lemonade. Somebody selling Kool-Aid ice cubes on toothpicks. Bodies. Skin. Colors. Water. Gleaming. Buttery. Warm. Cool. Wet. Screaming. Happy."

Utterly moving and beautiful, this Newberry Medal winner gives new insight to what it means to accept people for who they are, and not judge them based on any superficial detail. Read this one with your kids!

Presidents' Day: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

by Ingrid d'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aluaire

Learn the history of how George Washington became the "Father of our Country." Read of his sacrifice at Valley Forge alongside his soldiers, how he made Mount Vernon into a "small kingdom" and how he freed his slaves after his wife, Martha passed away. This book is written at a level all elementary school children can understand.

A. Lincoln and Me

by Louise Borden and Ted Lewin (Illustrator)

This is a book that tells the story of Abraham Lincoln through the eyes of a boy who has the same birthday as Lincoln, February 22. There are many qualities that Lincoln possessed such as honesty and awkwardness that the boy can relate to. Though the boy greatly admires Lincoln for the things he did as the 16th president of the United States, the ending of the story points forward with hope in the future.

What Presidents Are Made Of

by Hanoch Piven and Sarah L. Thomson

This book contains unfamiliar, brief stories of many presidents of the United States. During storytime in the library the stories of Washington and Lincoln were shared. Did you know that George Washington helped put out a fire? And did you know that Abraham Lincoln joked about his own unattractive looks?

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (And What the Neighbors Thought)

by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt (Illustrator)

In this book for older grades in elementary school and beyond, we learn that President Washington's teeth were not made of wood as commonly thought, but of other materials such as ivory. We also learn that he could go days without sleep and he didn't believe it was healthy to bathe frequently! Did you know Abraham Lincoln was so funny it was said that he could "make a cat laugh"? He was the center of attention with his jokes and stories at parties, inspite of his unattractiveness. Also, he once said that a friend is someone who gives him a book he hasn't read before. There are many more interesting facts in this book about the two greatest presidents in the United States who brought our country through some of our darkest times victoriously!

Our American history should never be forgotten nor the people who sacrificed for the freedoms and union we enjoy as a nation today. It was an honor to share these biographies about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln with the students, the next generation, the future leaders of our nation. Let Freedom Ring!

Love-ly books

This week, we read books about love. (Yes, we got several groans from students when we announced that was our topic for the week!)

K-1 heard the story "No Matter What" by Debi Gliori. In this story, Small is grumpy and wonders if Large will still love him, no matter what. Small uses his imagination to present Large with an opportunity to stop loving him, but she can't stop loving him, no matter what. A sweet story, this shows the love a parent has for his or her child.

2-6 Heard a funny section from "Once Upon a Marigold", by Jean Ferris. This book was a Beehive Nominee in 2004. This fun novel is about Christian, who is a boy who ran away when he was 6 because he didn't like being forced to wear a blue velvet suit. He is found and raised by a troll named Edric, Ed for short. Christian loves his new life, where he is free to invent things and play with the dogs. He invents a telescope that allows him to watch the princess on the terrace in the neighboring kingdom. He sees that they have a lot in common, and he uses Ed's carrier pigeons to send Princess Marigold "p-mail". As they continue to p-mail each other, they decide to become best friends. We read a string of p-mails containing many medieval jokes, such as "Have your eyes ever been checked? No, they've always been brown."


All grades heard the story "Falling for Rapunzel", Leah Wilcox. This is a delightfully funny re-telling of the classic Rapunzel story--with a twist. Check this one out and point out the differences between this version and the one you're familiar with.

We hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day. Give your kids an extra hug!

*Ah, love!*

Meet the Author, Eric Carle, Sharon Creech, Natalie Babbitt

Eric Carle

Eric Carle is a famous author and illustrator. He has written and illustrated over 70 books and 40 of them are in print today. His books have been translated into 45 languages. Ninety million copies of his books have been sold worldwide. The Eric Carle Museum of Children's Book Art is located in Massachusetts. His most popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, had it's 40 anniversary a couple of years ago. During story time the children watched Eric Carle, via his internet site, as he shared how he was inspired to write this book and how he made the illustrations. Did you know the caterpillar started out as Willi the Worm? He then read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He has a great deal of care and respect for children and loves to help them. To enjoy these videos at your convenience go to www.ericcarle.com.

Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio in a rowdy family that enjoyed taking road trips during the summer when she was a child. Many of her books are inspired by her own childhood experiences. Being a high school English teacher in Europe She has written several award winning books including Walk Two Moons which earned the Newbery Award. Ruby Holler received the Carnegie Award for Children's Literature. Ruby Holler is a story about troubled twins, Florida and Dallas, who were left on the front doorstep of an orphanage as tiny babies. The Trepids, managers of the Boxton Creek Orphanage, took them in and raised them with so many rules the children weren't allowed to even behave like children thus they would break the rules and receive severe discipline. Florida and Dallas had failure after failure in adopted homes. Sometimes they were so relieved to be returned to Boxton Creek Orphanage. An older couple named, Tiller and Sairy visit the orphanage and want to take the twins for the summer to their home in Ruby Holler and on trips as well. Florida and Dallas find Tiller and Sairy's kindness,and Ruby Holler, to be "to good to be true" because they never experienced anyone or any place as wonderful. Will Florida and Dallas finally be able to be free to play, explore, learn and grow in a caring and beautiful environment or will their lives fall apart...again? Will there be dangers and peril ahead for this kind older couple as they take care of Florida and Dallas. Will Tiller and Sairy adopt the troubled twins? Find out in this beloved book, Ruby Holler.
Also, check the window display in front of our library. Students from third through fifth grade have drawn pictures of their own "Ruby Holler", a wonderful place where they feel free to have fun, explore and be cared for as well.

Natalie Babbitt
Natalie Babbitt loved to draw and paint as a child. Her mother kept her well supplied with paints, paper and more to create her art work. She wanted to be an illustrator when she grew up. She also loved fairy tales as a child. Natalie has a gift for writing creative stories of trolls and mermaids, The Search for Delicious, fairies that are hard of hearing and cause all sorts of chaos, Elsie Times Eight, as well as Tuck Everlasting, a story of adventure and first romance perfect for tweens who are ready for more adventure in their lives. My favorite Babbitt book is Tuck Everlasting. My advice to Tuck Everlasting fans is to read the book before watching the movie. I liked the book so much more!

Series of Unfortunate Events, Book One, The Bad Beginning

Noticing a popular book series for 4th through 6th graders was gathering dust on the highest book shelves in the library, I decided to promote/introduce this series during story time. The Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of 12 books penned by the uniquely humorous and intelligent author, Lemony Snicket. His series begins with Book One, The Bad Beginning, where the three Baudelaire children become orphans when their parents die in a fire. Their house and all their possessions burn down while they are at the beach on a rainy day. Count Olaf, a distant relative, adopts the children because he lives closer to where the Baudelaire children lived before than any other relatives. The bizarre, eye-obsessed Count Olaf cares only for the Baudelaire fortune and will stop at nothing to obtain the fortune. He neglects the children and expects them to cook and clean and do things children would normally never be expected to do.

If you are feeling like the world is against you, read the Series of Unfortunate Events then you will feel as if you don't have it so bad because no one, I mean, NO ONE has it as bad as Violet, Claus, and little Sunny and they never give up hope and always try to find their way out of their predicaments.

To get a quick overview of the book series go to http://www.lemonysnicket.com/vile videos and watch "12 books in 120 seconds" narrated by Tim Curry.