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!
