Julia's House for Lost Creatures - Picture Book Favorite!

One of the cutest books I picked up this fall is Ben Hatke's, Julia's House for Lost Creatures. Hatke is best know for writing and illustrating the Zita the Spacegirl series. (More on this series in a future post!) Not only is the story sweet, but his watercolor illustrations are beautiful and easy to look at.

Julia's home is special in that it can walk. When it walks to its knew home by the seashore, Julia likes everything about her new town except how quiet it is. To liven thins up, Julia posts a sign on her home that says, "Julia's House for Lost Creatures." 

Before she knows it she is hosting a variety of creatures, including goblins, dragons, trolls, and mermaids. Although it is fun at first, things quickly get out of hand when they found a treasure in the attic. 

To find out how this lovely story ends, you will need to check the book out of our library. This just might be my favorite picture book of the fall season!

Title: Julia's House for Lost Creatures

Author: Ben Hatke

Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Copyright: 2014

ISBN: 978-1-59643-866-8

Oh Lulu!

I have been lucky enough to stumble across a great little book with a BIG little girl. Lulu and the Brontosauruses, by Judith Viorst, is one of the funniest book I have read in quite a while. Lulu is the definition of a spoiled brat. But she is also one tough little cookie. Although I started the book shocked at the behavior of little Lulu, I quickly grew to love her tenacious ways.

A few things, in addition to Lulu, make this a unique read. One of the things my students and I have loved about this story is how the writer, not Lulu, pauses to talk to the readers. It's surprising and fun to all of a sudden be in a conversation with the author. Another unusually cool part of this book is how the reader gets to choose the ending!  

As soon as I read part of this book to a class, I realized I had come across something I KNEW would be appreciated by my students. There is already a waiting list! I highly recommend this book to ALL students at Edison. Whatever your age, Lulu is sure to appeal to your funny bone!

    

Check out this quick book trailer!

Want to learn to draw your own Brontosaurus? Learn how here!

New to Chapter Books?

Parents and Students,

One of the things I love most about being the Teacher Librarian of my school is watching the excitement young students have as they transition from picture books to chapter books. Books in a series, particularly mysteries, are a great way to get young students to become readers who read for enjoyment. The list below are some of the most popular choices of my emerging readers in first and second grade.


1. Field Trip Mysteries, by Steve Brezenoff

Egg, Gum, Sam, and Cat are four sixth-grade detectives and best friends who always seem to find themselves in the middle of a new mystery. Students who start this series always come back for the next story. 

To find out more about these sleuth-loving characters visit the book's website by clicking on the link below.

Field Trip Mysteries - More about the characters

2. Mercy Watson, by Kate DiCamillo

Mercy Watson is an adorable little pig who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Treated more like a child than a pig, Mercy's most favorite thing in the world is buttered toast. He will do just about anything to get it. Follow Mercy's adventures and mishaps in this delightful six-book series by Kate DiCamillo. The illustrations by Chris Van Dusen are colorful and delightful and add a lot of interest and detail to the stories.

You can learn more about Mercy, explore his neighborhood, and even play games with him by visiting Mercy's website.

Mercy Watson

3. Magic Tree House, by Mary Pope Osborne

The Magic Tree House has been around for many years now, but it's still a favorite of students. Brother and sister duo, Jack and Annie, stumble across a magical tree house filled with books one day. Their lives have never been the same! Taking readers along with them, Jack and Annie travel through different places and time periods, learning more about people and the world around them than they ever thought possible.  

Learn more about this series by visiting the website below.

Magic Tree House

4. Cam Jansen, by David A. Adler

Cam Jansen is another mystery series that has been around for a long time. Students still gravitate towards these books, however, and seem to enjoy connecting with the character and plot. Cam has a photographic memory that comes in handy when solving crimes. Always bringing her best friend Eric along for the ride, the two always have quite an adventure figuring things out. 

Learn more about Cam by visiting the website below.

Cam Jansen

5. Junie B. Jones, by Barbra Park

Junie B. Jones is still around! This mischievous, daring, opinionated little girl is still entertaining our young readers. Junie B. continues to be a funny read for all who like to get lost reading about her adventures and mishaps in life. 

Check out the website to learn more about Junie B. and the other main characters!

Junie B. Jones

Other great first chapter books include:

6. Nate the Great, by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Nate the Great

7. Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown

Flat Stanley

8. The Time Warp Trio, by Jon Scieszka

Time Warp Trio

9. The Zack Files, by Dan Greenburg

10. Jigsaw Jones, by James Preller

A Favorite Series for 4th and 5th Graders

  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

          Are you needing more adventure and magic in your life? Looking for a little danger? If you are, then I highly recommend starting Michael Scott's series entitled The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. The series includes six faced-paced, heart-thumping novels that will keep you turning the page until the saga is over. You might be surprised to learn that the entire series takes place over only one month!

        

          The series starts out with The Alchemyst. Listen to my book talk to get a feel for the book.

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           And if that's not enough to peak your interest, check out this Book Trailer about The Alchemyst. It's sure to get you excited!

          The writing is exciting and pulls you in quickly. The story starts off in our very own backyard, San Francisco! When I started reading The Alchemyst I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down! Over the last year I have seen this same kind of reaction with students here at Edison. Is it time for you to start this journey?

          You might be surprised and intrigued to learn that this story is based on people who actually existed! Check this video out about the real Nicholas Flamel.

         Let's meet the author, Michael Scott, to see what he has to say about this fantastic series. He has been collecting stories from around the world for years that have helped inspire his writing. He is very cool!

          So Boys and Girls, are you ready for a little adventure? Are you ready to dive into the world of Sophie and Josh Newman? Do they have what it takes to save the world? Give the series a shot. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. 

Book Information

Book: The Alchemyst

Author: Michael Scott

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-385-73357-1

Reading Range: 4th Grade- Adult

The Joy of Being a Teacher Librarian

          At the end of the last school year I surprised myself by leaving my beloved third grade classroom for my school's Library Media Center. Although the decision seemed to come from out of the blue, working in a library is something I have always secretly wanted to do, and my path unfolded perfectly to this joyous new position. 

          My new role as teacher librarian is a harmonious blend of my two previous careers. Before I spent 10 years in the classroom, I worked in technology as a systems support analyst and a software trainer for a large investment bank in S.F. What I do now in my library combines the skills of these two jobs beautifully. 

          I have also just started grad school and am working towards a Master's in Library and Technology. I am so excited...and also so inspired! To be the person who's job it is to turn kids onto reading, to update the library collection to be current and abundant, to be the teacher who has a special connection with each student in the school...It's just so wonderful! I have dedicated myself to creating a true multi-age 21st Century curriculum for my school's library. I know it will take time, but I absolutely love what I am doing!

          The following two videos I find inspirational in creating a new library experience for my students. Take a peek to see where I am headed!

In this video, five authors share their fond memories of school libraries.

School library and information technology programs are a vital resource for student learning. This video highlights the essential role teacher librarians play in information and technology literacy instruction, reading advocacy, and information management. 

What's Hot in the Library this Week

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In the last two months I have had the pleasure of purchasing hundreds and hundreds of books for my school library. It’s been an exciting endeavor and the students at Edison Elementary School are buzzing about the new selections. There is barely a new book on a library shelf because students are checking out books like they never have before!

So what’s hot in the library this week? I have recently found the funniest picture book called The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt. The hilarious illustrations are by Oliver Jeffers. This book is so funny that I actually read it 18 times last week to each class visiting my library, kindergarten through fifth grade. And you know what? They ALL loved it! And I didn’t get tired of reading it, either!

The story starts off with Duncan reaching into his school desk to get his crayons box. But instead of finding it, he finds a stack of letters all saying the same thing: We quit! Red Crayon is overworked and it tired of coloring santas and hearts. Purple Crayon is having a hard time because Duncan colors out of the lines too much. Sad Beige Crayon is tired of being compared to Brown Crayon and feels he is sorely underused. Black Crayon would like to do more than just outline things and Green Crayon actually loves his job and congratulates Duncan on a “successful coloring things green career.” What Green Crayon doesn’t like is the fighting between Yellow Crayon and Orange Crayon, who are competing to the be the REAL color of the Sun. The story goes on and on through the colors in the crayon box, including stubby Blue Crayon (Duncan’s favorite color) and the unused Pink Crayon. The story ends hilariously with Peach Crayon, who is complaining about being naked because Duncan peeled his paper wrapping off. As you can imagine, this has the kids laughing hysterically, and probably most adults!

This book easily lends itself to several different writing innovations. Students could write from Duncan’s perspective and write a letter in response to one of the crayons. Students could also create new letters from their favorite color, or even branch out to other school supplies too.

Whether you read this book in a classroom or as a bedtime story, I highly recommend “The Day the Crayons Quit”. It’s what’s hot in my library this week.

For the Love of Books!

I am creating this blog as part of my Teacher Librarian program at Fresno Pacific University. Over the course of the next few months I expect it to grow and change into something I envision being useful to not only my elementary age students, but also to teachers and parents.

What I would like to create is a blog dedicated to children's literature. I would like to include book summaries, reviews (by both adults and children), book  lists, author information, recommendation lists (for a variety of types of readers), ideas for book groups, and teaching ideas for units that tie to the Common Core State Standards for California.

One of the most fulfilling parts of my job as the new Teacher Librarian for my school has been finding the right book for the right student. It's easy to find books for the average reader. But the real challenge lies in finding books for those kids who don't like to read, or more painfully, only like to read Garfield comic books or Where's Waldo? books. (This drives me nuts, but I don't want to discourage these kids from picking up a book and checking it out of the library!) I have been methodical about the books I select for read alouds in my school library, and I am happy to report that after only a few months in the library I am barely checking out Garfield comic books anymore! So what did I select to read aloud? You will have to wait until I develop this blog a bit more!

The other end of fulfillment comes from finding books for my voracious readers. I came into a library with one of the worst collection of chapter books I have ever seen in a library of any kind. My fourth and fifth grade students had basically given up on even looking for books when they came to visit me weekly. My voracious readers bought all their books or checked them out of the public library. I immediately went to my high-functioning PTA with the story. With their overwhelming financial support, I have been able to purchase almost $6,000 worth of books for my library in the last two months! (Do you know how exciting it is to be the person who gets to choose what books come into the library??? Book heaven, People!) It's been A LOT of work getting these new books into the system, but oh so satisfying when I am introducing these new books to students. Have you ever seen a room full of fourth graders scream (yes, scream in the library!) because I have brought a new series in for them? Or how about 32 fifth graders jumping up and down begging to be chosen to bring my latest selections home? I have, and it's happening on a weekly basis in my library now. I have even done something special for my handful of students who can't stop reading...I let them make private selections after school, before the books where even ready to be put on the shelf, and then had these books ready for them the next morning. You should have seen the smiles on their faces. I also knew I would get the books back within a day or two; they read so quickly!

So what I have chosen? And now that students are reading these new books, what do they really think of them? If you really want to know, you will have to stay posted to this blog. I am just getting started!