Quotation of the Day

 Today a rather endearing first grade boy checked out this book. He held the book up to me, pointed to the flying astronaut, and said, "These guys are my bros." Not sure if that's the power of reading or the power of Lego.

Yet another reason to read to your children!

OK, I know I'm preaching to the choir. I'm sure if  you take the time to read your child's librarian's blog, you are reading to your kids. Thomas Friedman shares a report about the power of reading to your child and taking interest in his/her learning.

How does this quotation make you feel? 
"...just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring."


Read the whole article here.

A rare movie recommendation!

The movie is coming, the movie is coming! I loved Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret so much that I think everyone should read it. And now the book is being made into a movie and it premiers in two, count them, two days! It better be as good as I think it's going to be.


Here's a link to how movies affected the book. 


Here's a link with information about the movie- trailers, theaters, etc.

Ready, Set, Read!

Love books. Your child can earn free books simply by reading. All your child needs to do is read a minimum 20 minutes a day for 20 days and then head over to the King County Library of your choice to turn in a Ready, Set, Read form.

Click HERE to download a form.

For more information on King County Library System’s Ready Set Read Program click HERE.

Storyline Online and David Shannon

You may already know of this fabulous web resource. The Screen Actors Guild has famous actors (and Al Gore) reading storybooks aloud with the text along the bottom. Who wouldn't want James Earl Jones to read them a story? The kindergartners were able to enjoy David Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes read to them by Sean Astin. He reads it so well the students were engrossed.

Having another voice read them a story complemented our study of David Shannon. The kindergartners have heard me read some of his stories, watched a video of David Shannon reading Too Many Toys followed by a lesson on how to draw David. We learned why David's teeth are pointy, why his eyes are lopsided, why his nostrils are different sizes, and why there are no holes in his ears. Ask your child why.

If you would like to enjoy a story read aloud click here- Storyline Online.

Children Full of Life

A link to this video (part 1 of 5) was sent to me by a friend with these words of recommendation,

"I just finished watching this very special and moving documentary on youtube about a 4th grade class in Japan learning about compassion, understanding and friendship. I highly recommend watching it. It is in 5 short parts so you can watch the first part and then click on the next. Each part is amazing, amazing." 

It takes about 45 minutes to watch all five parts, but honestly, I couldn't pull myself away from them. It made me rethink my teaching, my parenting, my childhood. I'm not sure I have new answers, but I certainly have many more questions.

Children Full of Life

Please read to your child today, tomorrow and the next day...

The statistics in this report no longer surprise me, but they still make me sad. Read to your child. Make it a ritual. Make it fun. Ask me to recommend books that your whole family will enjoy. I know many of you read Harry Potter. There are so many more choices. The Toys Go Out, Winnie the Pooh, Ramona the Pest, Henry Huggins all apeal to younger children. There are tons to recommend to you to read to your older students.

Want to be inspired, read  The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma. It's about a single father who read to his daughter everyday until the day she left for college!