Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving

The week of November 9th, we had some great discussions about what freedom means and who we have to thank for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. It was interesting to hear what the students at Walker thought it meant to be "free". We had some thoughtful discussions and, in some classes, skipped our story because the discussions were too good to stop. The others heard the story All Those Secrets of the World by Jane Yolen.

The younger grades heard Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz. Ask your child what happened when Timothy's mother fixed his pajamas. It was a great story about the value of helping others. Other classes heard The Chicken of the Family by Mary Amato. This is a story about a little girl who is teased by her older sisters but ends up getting the best of them. Ask your child how Henrietta turned the tables on her sisters.

Last week we focused on Thanksgiving. The 3rd-5th graders heard Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters. It was fun to give the kids a glimpse of what life was like for Pilgrim children. It made the chores they are responsible for seem pretty easy by comparison!

1st and 2nd grade heard We Gather Together Now Please Get Lost by Diane DeGroat. This was a funny story about making the best of a bad situation and following directions. Ask your child what happened when Gilbert failed to do those things.

Kinders heard This is the Turkey by Abby Levine, A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting, and One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy. We also sang a song about our favorite Thanksgiving food. They did a great job participating and following library rules while still having a good time! Next week is a short week and we'll continue our Thanksgiving theme...

The last two weeks in the library...

The week before Halloween I read a variety of stories to different classes depending on grade level and being respectful of those who do not participate in Halloween festivities. Depending on their class the children heard either One Halloween Night by Mark Teague, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater by Denys Cazet or Scared Silly by James Howe. They were all great stories and it was fun watching the kids figure out what was happening in each story before we got to the end.

Each Kinder class heard a second story which we had a lot of fun with. The book was a new one I'd purchased at the book fair called There was an Old Monster by Rebecca, Adrian and Ed Emberley. The book came with a CD that turned the story into a song and so after reading the book once, we turned on the CD, stood up and sang and danced along. We've got some real talent in our Kindergarten classes at Walker! It was a great opportunity to let the kids make a little noise in the library and burn off a little energy before lunch.

Last week, in celebration of election week, some of the classes heard Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio. This was one of our AYRA nominated books and was a good introduction to the electoral system for some of the upper grades. It was also interesting to hear what the kids thought about the idea of a woman becoming president some day.

Other classes heard President Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer. This was a fun story that got the kids thinking about what it would be like to be President and whether they'd like the job or not.

Looking forward to the next few weeks of holidays and activities!