My First Day by Steve Jenkins

The fifth and final picture book nominated for this year's Morning Calm Medal is My First Day written by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.

"The first day of life is different for every animal... Some hit the ground running... The Caldecott Honor–winning team Steve Jenkins and Robin Page apply their considerable talents to revealing how twenty two different species, from the emperor penguin to the Siberian tiger, adapt to that traumatic first few hours of life, with or without parental help. Jenkins’s vividly colorful cut-paper illustrations are eye-poppingly three-dimensional and as exquisite as ever. While the text is short and sweet, an illustrated guide provides descriptions of the twenty two animals in the back. Fantastic!" - Amazon review

Check out Steve Jenkins website to see what else he has written...  

http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/books.html

"My father was a scientist and encouraged my interest

in the natural world."

Here is a slideshow in which he explains why he creates children's books http://www.teachingbooks.net/slideshows/jenkins/jenkins_why.html

Here is a prezi if you want to learn more about Steve Jenkins

https://prezi.com/q-8luely1pox/steve-jenkins-author-study/

Thank you, Mr. David Greenberg!

All of elementary was treated to poetry presentations last Friday by our visiting author, Mr. David Greenberg.

Kindergarten to Grade 2 enjoyed the first session.

Grades 3 - 5 enjoyed the second session.

We learned a lot from our visiting author...

"Words are powerful.  Words make us laugh; they make us angry; they make us sad.  Words contain energy!"

"Writers notice things.  Think before you write.  The stuff of your life can be the stuff of your writing."

"Keep trying.  Writing is hard work.  Writers are hard workers.  If we want to get better at anything, it will take hard work.  I submitted my first book to 112 publishers.  111 said no."

"Use your imagination.  Paint pictures with words."

"Tap the beat of the poem.  This is its rhythm.  The beat of the poem is the heart beat of the poem."

What did our students have to say about Mr. Greenberg's visit?

*amazing

               *funny

                         *hilarious

                                        *exciting

                                                     *interesting

*All of my stress was removed.

*You are a great reader and writer.

*I will not forget today and your poems.

*I will read more of your books.

*I love your poems and your imagination.

*Thank you for coming to our school.

*I hope you come to our school again!

Groundhog Day 2016

Everyone is wondering when spring will come especially after having an actual snow day here on Jeju Island!  Time to go and ask a groundhog.  I wonder what he will say?

Here is a short video about groundhogs... 
http://letsfindout.scholastic.com/Sample/2012-Groundhog-Day

Here is another one...

In library, Grade 1 enjoyed Maureen Wright's Grumpy Groundhog.  How would you get Groundhog to leave his nice cozy bed in his nice cozy den?

  

   

Memoirs of a Hamster by Devin Scillian

The fourth picture book nominated for this year's Morning Calm Medal is Memoirs of a Hamster written by Devin Scillian.

"Night 1 / My life is perfect. / I have a bowl full of seeds, a cozy pile of wood shavings, and room to run. / I'm never leaving here. / Question: Who's the luckiest hamster in the world? / Answer: ME! 

Seymour the hamster has the perfect life. He has a spacious cage, a constant food supply, and a FuzzyBoy 360 exercise wheel that lets him run to his heart's content. Life could not be better. Or could it? When Pearl the cat tells Seymour of the goodies beyond the safe confines of his cage, he starts to think he's missing out. And out is the new in! It's only after Seymour is out of his cage that he begins to fully appreciate his safe and cozy home."

 - Amazon description

Devin Scillian is an award-winning author and Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist. He has written more than 10 books with Sleeping Bear Press, including the best-selling A is for America: An American Alphabet, Brewster the Rooster,Johnny Kaw and Memoirs of a Hamster. Devin lives in Michigan and anchors the news for WDIV-TV in Detroit. 

- Sleeping Bear Press description

Visit the author's website at http://devinscillian.com

Visit the illustrator's website at http://www.timbowers.com

To learn more about hamsters, visit http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-hamsters/

 

And remember Setmour's lessons...
"The grass is not always greener on the other side."
"Be thankful for what you have."
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
"There's no place like home."

Get into Biographies - You Meet Some Terrific People There!

B is for Biographies

A biography is the true account of a person's life written by someone else.

(Look in 921 or B)

  

     

Biographies include everything we would want to know about a person - their name, birth, death, accomplishments, interesting facts and pictures.

Question:  How do we find biographies we are interested in reading?
Answer:  We look under the subject's last name.

An autobiography is when someone writes about his/her own life.  (Look in 921 or B)

   

  

A collective biography is a book containing true life accounts of many people.

(Look in 920)  The author's last name will be on the address.

  

This week in library, we read Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappapo.  It is a powerful story about how one person's dream can change society.

"Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Besides our books,  our online encyclopedia (WorldBook), our online magazine database (EBSCO), and our kid friendly search engine (WebPath Express), you could check out these websites for more biographical information...

http://www.turtlediary.com/biographies.html

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0855207.html

For step by step instructions on how to write a biography, check out http://www.timeforkids.com/homework-helper/a-plus-papers/biography