Carroll Street Libraries Blog

Mock Geisel with Texas First Graders

2011-06-13T12:43:00.004-04:00

Each January, the Theodore Seuss Geisel award is given to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. This year we held a First Grade Mock Geisel, and in January 2011, the students shared their top five picks with a group of first graders from Coppell, Texas.

In preparation for the mock Geisel, first graders read a copious number of books and then chose 25 that they considered the most 'distinguished'. Their top five choices were (in no particular order): Ling and Ting by Grace Lin, Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Twister by Kath Hayden, Funny Lunch by David Catrow, and We are in a Book! by Mo Willems.

When the classes shared their top picks and which parts of the books were their favorite, they discovered that they had voted for many of the same books. Both sets of first graders seemed fascinated with each other and the Texans had many questions about how much snow falls in Brooklyn. As the Skype session came to a close, the children thanked each other and hoped that they could talk to each other again.

Author Visit: David Ezra Stein!

2011-06-13T12:05:00.002-04:00

On April 25, 2011, author David Ezra Stein visited the Pre-K. NY Times bestselling author/illustrator David Ezra Stein recently won the 2011 Caldecott Honor for his book Interrupting Chicken. His Leaves won the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Other awards include Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book, and a Kirkus Review Editor’s Choice.

An interactive retelling of David's award-winning "Leaves".

Author Visit: Laura Vaccaro Seeger!

2011-06-13T11:53:00.006-04:00

On February 17, 2011, BCS Kindergartners and First Graders met award-winning author Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honors for both 2009 and 2008, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book.

Laura with the Kindergarten.

Laura teaches the Kindergartners how to draw Dog.
First Graders created their own version of What If? stories inspired by Laura's Geisel-winning book What If?

Multimedia fun with PK4!

2011-06-13T11:48:00.002-04:00

During the 2010-11 school year, several movies were created with the PreK4. Here are two of our favorites. Enjoy!

Our fall unit focused around learning about our favorite kinds of books and how we find them. We also learned how we can find more book recommendations.

PKM:Apples singing "Hi Ho Librario"

Multimedia fun with First Graders

2011-06-13T10:43:00.005-04:00

During the 2010-11 school year, several movies were created with the First Grade. Here are two of our favorites. Enjoy!

The first grade created a video entitled, "Always & Never"
to demonstrate how to have a happy, safe and successful library class. Enjoy !

Throughout the year, First Graders learned to give book talks.
They then wrote and then filmed one another giving book talks:

New BC Library Google Site

2010-09-27T12:48:00.012-04:00

The Berkeley Carroll Libraries Google Site is currently under construction, but please begin visiting now and continue to check back as you will notice new additions on exciting online links, author sites, and to gain insightful information about children and reading. You can also access our online library catalogs and the Carroll Street Library blog!

Welcome Summer Reading Lists 2010

2010-05-27T15:02:00.011-04:00

The 2010 Berkeley Carroll Summer Reading Lists are now available online.

Visit our Amazon aStore, where you can purchase the recommended titles and a small percentage of the profit will benefit the BCS Libraries. You may also find these books at our local bookstores, such as Community Bookstore or Barnes & Noble, or you could check the books out from the Brooklyn Public Library.

The Berkeley Carroll School Library's online catalog has a fabulous visual search feature and the reading lists can be found there, as well. Students entering Second-Fourth can also login with their BCS computer login and password to save lists, print lists, review books and recommend books to their friends! Choose your library and click on the tab that says "Visual" and then "Summer Reading Recommendations" to get started.

Finally, you can find the annotated lists here on this blog by clicking below.
PreK-1st Grade List
2nd Grade-4th Grade List

Summer Reading Requirements

PreK-Second Graders: We know that you will find something in the suggested reading lists to enjoy this summer. Feel free to print our summer reading log and keep a list of the great books you read this summer! We'd love to see your reading log in September.

Third and Fourth Graders: Please arrive in September ready to share your favorite book that you read alone this summer as well as your favorite book that you read with someone else. There will be activities at the beginning of the year that will involve these books so be prepared!

Third and Fourth Graders are encouraged to use their library logins to post reviews and recommendations this summer. Directions for how to do so can be found here.

All families should remember to take a photo of their child reading this summer, whether it's in Prospect Park or Paris! These photos are used in the Summer Reading Assembly in September.

2010-04-15T08:50:00.009-04:00

Neighborhood author and illustrator, Nina Crews walked to the Berkeley Carroll Lower School to visit with its preschoolers - she lives so close by! The children were delighted to meet the "real" Guy from Below and Sky-High Guy, two books following the adventures between a boy named Jack and his beloved toy named Guy.

Ms. Crews informed the children about the creative process of making a book from idea to finished book, emphasizing the many revisions and photographs she has to take before feeling satisfied with her story.

Betsy Lewin visit

2010-03-08T09:11:00.003-05:00

On March 5, children in Kindergarten, First and Second grades had the opportunity to meet Caldecott-awarding winning illustrator, Betsy Lewin. In her delightful presentation, Ms. Lewin shared her love of travel, animals, and humor. She also drew characters on the spot based on a story created by the students, wherein a hamster and cat triumphed against an evil vampire bat. Ms. Lewin ended her presentation by showing students how expressive eyes can be in an illustration; the students were happy to learn how to craft eyebrows that show happiness, anger and silliness!

First Grade Book Talks

2010-03-02T09:44:00.008-05:00

Thanks to our articulate first graders who created book talks about their favorite reads then recorded their friends using flip video cameras. As we learned, a good book talk can be the key to getting a classmate excited about what you're reading. Many first grade cinematographers also discovered that zooming in on your subject can make the video look more interesting. Want to create you own? Click here for our guide, Booktalks: Easy as 1, 2, 3.

First Graders Share their Favorite Books via Skype

2010-02-09T09:52:00.006-05:00

Each January, the Theodore Seuss Geisel award is given to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. This year we held a First Grade Mock Geisel, and on January 29 the students shared their top five picks with a group of first graders from Coppell, Texas.

In preparation for the mock Geisel, first graders read a copious number of books and then chose 25 that they considered the most 'distinguished'. Their top five choices were (in no particular order): Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith, Just Like Bossy Bear by David Horvath, Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Scott Magoon, Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty, and Watch Me Throw the Ball by Mo Willems.

When the classes shared their top picks and which parts of the books were their favorite, they discovered that they had voted for many of the same books. Both sets of first graders seemed fascinated with each other and the Texans had many questions about how much snow falls in Brooklyn. As the Skype session came to a close, the children thanked each other and hoped that they could talk to each other again.

BCS Mock Newbery Club chooses a medalist!

2010-01-14T09:52:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday, January 13th, the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Graders of the BCS 2010 Mock Newbery Club gathered over pizza for a culminating meeting. The goal was to follow the process of the actual Newbery committee as closely as possible. The real committee meets at the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association and is forced to stay in a room together until at least half of them reach a consensus about the Medalist. Committee members are balloted for their first, second and third choice books which get 4, 3 and 2 points respectively. For the BCS Mock Newbery, we were aiming to get 10 students (roughly a third) to agree on a first place book and for that book to get a 10 point spread in the rankings.

Our lunch meeting was originally intended as a time for the students to convince each other that their favorite should win. However, in a rare and exciting turn of events, our winner was revealed to us after our first ballot. Peace, Locomotion by local author Jacqueline Woodson had ten first place votes and a 10 point spread in our first vote.

Our meeting then focused on choosing our Honor books. The actual committee can choose as many Newbery Honor books (silver medalists) as they want and they typically choose between 1 and 4. Again, our numbers did most of the work for us, as there was a clear split in points. We named three Honor books: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Slob by Ellen Potter and Scat by Carl Hiaasen.
The BCS Mock Newbery Club did some serious reading this year, taking on an original list of over 50 titles and slowly cutting the list down to a final 12 and then a final 7. Students were asked to think carefully about which book was the "most distinguished contribution to children's literature." To be eligible for the 2010 Newbery Medal, a book must be published in 2009, written by an author who lives in the United States and be written for children 14 and under.

Students can watch the announcement of the real Newbery Medal on Monday, January 18th beginning at 7:45 am. The ceremony awarding all of the children's media awards will be streamed online at http://alawebcast.unikron.com/ . FYI - the Newbery Medal is usually awarded last!

Digital storytelling: Kindergarten

2010-01-04T10:50:00.003-05:00

This story featuring Fork and Spoon was recorded with interaction by Ms. Khordoc's Kindergarten class.

2010-01-02T15:04:00.003-05:00

2010 PreK-First Grade Annotated Summer Reading List

Award Winners 2009-10

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (2009). In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle. (2010 Caldecott Award Winner)

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman (2009). Illustrations and simple text combine the senses of sight, sound, smell, and taste to describe the colors of the seasons. (2010 Caldecott Honor)

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon (2009). Follows a group of family members and friends through the course of a day as they learn the importance of all things great and small. (2010 Caldecott Honor)

Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes (2009). Two mice meet their new neighbor and discover that she is not as scary as they feared. (2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner)

Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith (2009). Little Mouse gets dressed so he can go to the barn with his mother, brothers, and sisters. (2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor)

Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee (2009). When spring arrives, Mole and Mouse find a unique way to bird watch. (2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor)

Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Wong Herbert Yee (2009). When spring arrives, Mole and Mouse find a unique way to bird watch. (2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor)

My People by Langston Hughes (2009). Sepia toned photographs by Charles R. Smith, Jr. accompany Langston Hughes' classic poem "My People" and celebrate the glory, beauty, and soul of the African-American community. (2010 Coretta Scott King Award)

The Day-glo Brothers: the True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-new Colors by Chris Barton (2009). Illustrations and easy-to-follow text describe how brothers Bob and Joe Switzer invented fluorescent paint and colors; and explains how fluorescence works. (2010 Robert F. Silbert Medal Honor)

Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (2009). An illustrated account of the flight of Apollo 11 in 1969, the first manned mission to land on the moon. (2010 Robert F. Silbert Medal Honor)

Book Fiesta by Pat Mora (2009). Colorful illustrations and text describe people of various ethnicities and languages enjoying reading. Presented in English and Spanish. (2010 Pura Belpre Award Winner)

Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora (2009). A young multiracial boy celebrates family, friendship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful. Presented in English and Spanish. (2010 Pura Belpre Honor)

My Abuelita by Tony Johnston (2009). With great gusto, a child's grandmother performs deep knee bends, consumes a breakfast of "huevos estrellados," and practices vocal exercises before going to work as a storyteller. (2010 Pura Belpre Honor)

Noteable Picture Books

Birds by Kevin Henkes (2009). Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

A Book by Mordicai Gerstein (2009). A young girl living in a book tries to find a story of her own while figuring out what a reader is and thinking about the stories of her family members.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na (2009). While other animals sleep at night, some quietly and others noisily, some alone and others huddled together, a wide-eyed owl watches.

Cool Cat by Nonny Hogrogian (2009). A wordless book in which a cat uses paint and gets help from friends to transform his brown world into a colorful place to live.

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (2009). Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown (2009). Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city.

Little Chick by Amy Hest (2009). A collection of three stories in which Little Chick learns how to deal with life's disappointments with the help of his beloved auntie.

Willoughby & the Lion by Greg Foley (2009). When Willoughby moves to a new house far away from his friends, he meets an enchanted lion who shows him what is truly important in life.

Otis by Loren Long (2009). When a big new yellow tractor arrives, Otis the friendly little tractor is cast away behind the barn, but when trouble occurs Otis is the only one who can help.

Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt (2009). Scaredy Squirrel is afraid to sleep at night for fear he will dream of dragons, ghosts, vampire bats, and polka-dot monsters, so he makes an elaborate plan to avoid sleeping.

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis (2009). Edna, a penguin who is searching for something different than her world of white snow, blue water, and black night, finds a large, bright orange research station with people wearing similarly colored apparel, and when she brings the other penguins to see, they are all amazed by her discovery.

When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay. (2009). Stella uses her imagination to play as she grows from a baby into a big sister.

Finn Throws a Fit! by David Elliott (2009). Finn, cranky for some unknown reason, feels much better after throwing an earthshaking tantrum.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas (2009). Finn, cranky for some unknown reason, feels much better after throwing an earthshaking tantrum.

The Three Little Tamales by Eric A. Kimmel (2009). In this variation of "The Three Little Pigs" set in the Southwest, three little tamales escape from a restaurant before they can be eaten, and set up homes in the prairie, cornfield, and desert.

Thunder-boomer! by Shutta Crum (2009). A farm family scurries for shelter from a violent thunderstorm that brings welcome relief from the heat and also an unexpected surprise.

Tortuga in Trouble by Ann Whitford Paul (2009). Tortuga arrives at his grandmother's house to bring her supper and is alarmed to find her looking suspiciously like Coyote. Includes a glossary of Spanish words.

The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel (2009). Presents a linked collection of ten short stories in rhyme featuring frogs, toads, and polliwogs.

Hook by Ed Young (2009). A chick hatched by hens turns out to be an eaglet who must get help from a boy in learning how to fly.

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney (2009). Llama Llama experiences separation anxiety on his first day of nursery school.

Billy & Milly, Short & Silly by Eve B. Feldman (2009). Contains thirteen very short, silly stories that follow the adventures of Billy and Milly.

Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash (2009). Roy receives a saddle for his birthday, and sets out in search of a horse to use it on.

Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson (2009). A family works together to buy, peel, cook, and stir apples for the homemade applesauce they make every year.

Beginner Readers & Beginner Chapter Books

Annie and Snowball and the Magical House by Cynthia Rylant (2010). Annie takes her rabbit to the home of her new friend, Sarah, to play and enjoys seeing the pretty house full of frilly things, walking in the beautiful garden, and making a tiny garden house for a fairy tea party.

The Berenstain Bears' Class Trip by Jan & Mike Berenstain (2009). Papa Bear's excitement over Brother Bear's class trip to a honey farm, leads to a series of misadventures.

A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker (2009). Despite Bear's efforts to ignore his birthday, Mouse will not rest until his friend celebrates.

Biscuit takes a walk by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (2009). A playful puppy wants to see everything on a walk to Grandpa's house.

The Bus Stop by Nora Gaydos (2009). Stickers and wipe off pages help children learn to read in this simple tale of a duck waiting for the school bus.

The Cat on the Mat is Flat by Andy Griffiths (2009). These nine rhyming stories, inspired by the work of Dr. Seuss, involve animals in silly situations: from a frog on a log chasing a dog, to a yak named Jack with a fondness for snacks.

Eloise Visits the Zoo by Lisa McClatchy (2009). Eloise and Nanny have fun together at the zoo.

Fly Guy meets Fly Girl! by Tedd Arnold (2010). When Fly Guy meets Fly Girl, he is amazed and smitten.

Fancy Nancy : Every Day is Earth Day by Jane O'Connor (2010). Fancy Nancy does her best to make sure Mom, Dad, and her little sister do their part to protect the environment, but her efforts to be greener soon go too far.

Olivia and Her Ducklings by Veera Hiranandani (2009). Olivia is thrilled when three baby ducks follow her home, but she is not sure how to take care of them.

Pigs Make Me Sneeze! by Mo Willems (2009). Gerald, a cautious and pessimistic elephant, believes he is allergic to his best friend, the optimistic and occasionally reckless Piggie, and is concerned that he will need to stay away from his pal forever.

Shampoodle by Joan Holub (2009). Rhyming text describes a dog grooming establishment on picture day and the uproar some curious kittens cause when they try to explore.

Where is My Hat? by Nora Gaydos (2008). Pages with writing and drawing activities help children learn to read through a simple story about a dog in search of a missing red hat. Includes stickers.

Annie and Simon by Catharine O'Neill (2010). Contains four stories that follow the adventures of young Annie, her very patient older brother Simon, and their dog Hazel, as they go on a canoe ride, suffer a bee sting, think about careers, and look for falling stars.

Beyond Princess Books

Princess Hyacinth : The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated by Florence Parry Heide (2009). Princess Hyacinth is bored and unhappy sitting in her palace every day because, unless she is weighed down by specially-made clothes, she will float away, but her days are made brighter when kite-flying Boy stops to say hello.

Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter by Jane O'Connor (2010). Nancy is tremendously excited about her new babysitter coming over. She has their whole evening planned out, from playing with Marabelle to dressing up in fancy ensembles. But things don't turn out quite as Nancy had planned!

Stagecoach Sal by Deborah Hopkinson (2009). Stagecoach driver Sal embarks on her first solo journey to deliver the mail and has a run in with the robber Poetic Pete.

Alice in Wonderland retold by Jon Scieszka (2008). A retelling of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," following the adventures of the young girl after she falls down a rabbit hole into a magical world.

Don't Kiss the Frog!: Princess Stories With Attitude by Lou Kuenzler (2008). A collection of six stories about princesses who are anything but ordinary princesses.

Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke (2007). Tired of being a princess, the youngest of three sisters throws her crown out the window and finds happiness working in the royal kitchen and pigsty.

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis (2009). Friends Sam and Lulu play Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, saving the playground from hairy monsters and big mean robots.

Good Enough to Eat by Brock Cole (2007). An Ogre comes to town demanding a bride, so the mayor decides to sacrifice a homeless girl with no name whom everyone thinks is a pest; however, she finds a way to outwit them all.

Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale by Ellen Dee Davidson (2007). A spoiled, demanding young princess who sends her nanny to the far corners of the world in search of the perfect pet finally gets exactly what she deserves.

The Fiesta Dress: A Quinceanera Tale by Caren McNelly McCormack (2009). While Eva and her family prepare for her quinceanera, no one is paying attention to her younger sister, but when the dog gets out of the laundry room and steals Eva's sash, her little sister comes to the rescue.

Beyond Star Wars Book

Let's Do Nothing! by Tony Fucile (2009). Young friends Frankie and Sal, believing they have "done it all," decide to do nothing for a while, but Frankie has a little trouble with the concept and it is not long before the boys realize there is no way to do nothing.

Cromwell Dixon's Sky-cycle by John Abbott Nez (2009). In 1907 Columbus, Ohio, fourteen-year-old Cromwell Dixon, aided by his mother, begins building the flying bicycle he has invented to enter in the St. Louis Airship Carnival. Includes facts about Dixon's life as an aviation pioneer.

Bob's Best Ever Friend by Simon Bartram (2009). Bob, the man on the moon, is a bit lonely so decides to start looking for a best friend to keep him company, but his search is not going well until he spies a furry tail sticking out of crater 204.

Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black (2009). Simple rhyming text and illustrations present the hindquarters of various animals, including moose, chickens, polar bears, and guinea pigs.

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (2008). Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon's grandparents during summer vacation.

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown (2003). After a bulletin board falls on Stanley while he is sleeping, he finds that being flat has its advantages.

T-Rex vs. Robo-Dog 3000 by Scott Nickel (2009). David's brother, Darrin, creates a radio-controlled dog, and, when a T Rex is transported from the past, the dog turns into the ultimate fighting machine and stops at nothing to protect the boys.

Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building by Deborah Hopkinson (2006). In 1931, a boy and his father watch as the world's tallest building, the Empire State Building, is constructed, step-by-step, near their Manhattan home.

David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon (2002). When David gets in trouble, he has excuses right up until bedtime, when he realizes he really is sorry.

Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug by Ellie Bethel (2009). Michael Recycle swoops down to confront Litterbug Doug about the growing dump in which he is living, and enlists the townspeople in helping Doug clean up.

Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (2005). When Buzz captures a fly to enter in The Amazing Pet Show, his parents and the judges tell him that a fly cannot be a pet, but Fly Guy proves them wrong.

Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin (2007). A young fly discovers, day by day, that there is a lot to learn about being an insect, including the dangers of flyswatters and that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates by Kevin O'Malley and Patrick O'Brien (2007). Captain Raptor and the crew of the "Megatooth" are called back into action to save the planet Jurassica from rogue space pirates.

SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod! (2006). Humorously-named superheroes such as Goo Girl and The Volcano represent the letters of the alphabet from A to Z.

Atomic Ace (He's Just My Dad) by Jeff Weigel (2004). In this rhyming story told in comic book format, a boy considers his family normal, though his superhero dad, Atomic Ace, does amazing feats, even battling the evil Insect King.

I Stink! by Kate McMullan (2002). A big city garbage truck makes its rounds, consuming everything from apple cores and banana peels to leftover ziti with zucchini.

Traction Man Meets Turbodog by Mini Grey (2008). Traction Man braves the evil bin things in order to save Scrubbing Brush, who had been thrown away by the little boy's father and replaced with a battery-operated dog.

Biographies

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter (2009). And Gertrude is Gertrude Stein, a most fabulous writer, who lived a most fabulous life"--Cover. Verse and illustrations describe the lives of American writer Gertrude Stein and her life partner, Alice B. Toklas.

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino (2009). A pictorial biography of Jacques Cousteau, covering his adventures aboard "Calypso" with his team of scientists, diving equipment, and waterproof cameras, and work to protect the oceans from pollution.

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter (2009). Offers a brief overview of the life of Sandy Koufax, discussing the obstacles and physical challenges he faced, his successful career, his retirement, and other related topics.

Mermaid Queen: the Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune, & Swimsuit History! by Shana Corey (2009). An illustrated biography of Annette Kellerman, an early feminist who overcame a childhood illness to become internationally recognized for her swimming, invention of water ballet, and introduction of the modern swimsuit for women.

Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci by Gene Barretta (2009). Looks at the ideas of fifteenth-century artist, inventor, engineer, and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, and shows how some of his drawings and descriptions inspired later inventions such as hang gliders, automobiles, and robots.

Our Abe Lincoln: An Old Tune With New Lyrics by Jim Aylesworth (2009). Rhythmic verse tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's life, from his childhood in the wilderness of Illinois to his famous achievements as president.

Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange (2009). An illustrated biography of Coretta Scott King, describing her childhood in the segregated South, her marriage to Martin Luther King, Jr., and her civil rights work.

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull (2009). Presents a picture-book biography of Philo Farnsworth, who created the world's first television image in 1928.

Teedie: The Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt by Don Brown (2009). A picture-book biography on the life and adventures of Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest president of the United States.

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson (2009). As a testament to his courage, Jackie Robinson's daughter shares memories of him, from his baseball career to the day he tests the ice for her, her brothers, and their friends.

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar! by Bob Barner (2009). A discussion, with paper-collage illustrations, of how the lives of butterflies intersected with those of dinosaurs millions of years ago.

Dinotrux by Chris Gall (2009). Illustrations and simple text introduce creatures that are part truck and part dinosaur in a safari through a world ruled by the Craneosaurus, the Garbageadon, and Tyrannosaurus Trux.

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus (2008). A tiny primordial tadpole grows into a frog, feeling just as strong and powerful as the huge tyrannosaurus rex that stomps through the mud.

I'm Bad! by Kate & Jim McMullan (2008). A hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex searches for food in the prehistoric forest but is thwarted in its attempts to find something to eat.

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian (2009). Presents illustrated verse about various carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, including the Iguanodon, Spinosaurus, and long-necked plesiosaurs.

Inside-outside Dinosaurs by Roxie Munro (2009). A picture book featuring skeletons and illustrations of eight dinosaurs.

Buying, Training, & Caring for Your Dinosaur by Laura Joy Rennert (2009). Presents a humorous guide to selecting, owning, and caring for a pet dinosaur, covering feeding, exercise, veterinary visits, bathing, and training.

Poetry

City I Love by Lee Bennett Hopkins (2009). Collects eighteen poems by American poet Lee Bennett Hopkins that guide the reader through cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, and elsewhere, with illustrations by Marcellus Hall.

Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles by J. Patrick Lewis (2009). An illustrated collection of thirteen poems, each of which poses a riddle about a familiar story.

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertleby (2009). A collection of poems about clothes and animals wearing them.

Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell (2007). A collection of twenty-two children's poems about birds, including blue jays, toucans, and cockatoos.

Animal Snackers by Betsy Lewin (2004). Short poems describe the eating habits of many different kinds of animals.

Summersaults: Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian (2002). A collection of poems and paintings about the joys of summer by Douglas Florian.

Guess Again! by Mac Barnet (2009). On die-cut cover with lift-the-flap, cut-out, and folded pages. Engages young readers in a scenario that keeps them guessing over and over again.

Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems by Eloise Greenfield (2009). A collection of illustrated poetry by Eloise Greenfield that describes the relationship shared by brothers and sisters, and other family-related topics.

Change-up: Baseball Poems by Gene Fehler (2009). A collection of illustrated poems by Gene Fehler on various baseball subjects, such as pitching, batting, winning, losing, superstitions, and spectators.

Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems About the Rain Forest by Laura Purdie Salas (2009). A collection of original, rain forest-themed poetry accompanied by photographs, and presents a variety of common poetic forms with definitions of poetic devices.

A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems by Betsy Franco (2009). Contains thirty-four visual poems by American writer Betsy Franco, centered on the strange behavior of cats, including their acrobatics and ability to drink from toilet bowls and damage furniture.

Food Hates You, Too and Other Poems by Robert Weinstock (2009). A collection of nineteen illustrated, humorous poems about food.

A Fuzzy-fast Blur: Poems About Pets by Laura Purdie Salas (2009). A collection of pet-themed poetry for children that includes full-color photographs of dogs, cats, birds, snakes, fish, hamsters, and others.

Graphic Novels

I Am Going! by Mo Willems (2010). Piggie ruins a perfectly good day by telling Gerald the elephant that she is going, sending him into a panic.

Princess Candy: Sugar Hero by Michael Dahl (2009). For her eleventh birthday, Halo Nightly is given a collection of brightly colored candies from her Aunt Pandora, and when she learns that the sweets give her the powers of nature, she uses them to combat Doozie Hiss, her rival, who has superpowered hair.

Tiger Moth: The Pest Show On Earth by Aaron Reynolds (2008). Fourth grade ninjas Tiger Moth and Kung Pow visit the traveling carnival and find out that Weevil has planned an evil trick.

Wagon Train Adventure by John Kelly (2008). In 1849, twelve-year-old Sarah and her family and friends have an adventure while traveling west to California.

Babymouse #10: The Musical by Jennifer L. Holm (2009). As tryouts for the school musical begin, Babymouse takes the starring role in several imaginary Broadway productions, which also feature her debonair new classmate, Henry the hedgehog.

Stinky: A Toon Book by Eleanor Davis (2008). Stinky, a monster who lives in a swamp, comes up with all kinds of strange ways to get rid of a kid who has wandered into his territory.

Benny and Penny In The Toy Breaker: A Toon Book by Geoffrey Hayes (2010). Benny and Penny try to hide their toys from cousin Bo so he will not break them, but the trio then struggle to find something fun to do.

Beyond the Black Hole by Blake A. Hoena (2009). While trying to figure out how to use a black hole to take over the Earth, Eek and Ack accidentally get sucked into the black hole's gravity, and end up in the Z Universe with two pink and fluffy aliens named Zeek and Zack, who are determined to protect their planet, Zearth.

Buzz Beaker vs Dracula by Scott Nickel (2009). Dracula is captured by the brainy Buzz Beaker, who helps the blood-sucking bat become King of the Beach instead of Lord of the Vampires.

The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller (2006). Polo the dog sets out from his home and enjoys many adventures, including sailing his boat on top of a whale, roasting hot dogs over a volcano, and taking a ride in a spaceship built from a mushroom.

Backyard Bug Battle: A Buzz Beaker Brainstorm by Scott Nickel (2007). Buzz Beaker mixes up his Super-Sticky Bug Goo with his dad's super-fast grow juice resulting in a backyard full of gigantic bees and fleas.

Bella's Boat Surprise by Christianne C. Jones (2010). Bella is disappointed to learn that her family boat trip is onboard a motorboat, but soon begins to have fun. Includes discussion questions and writing prompts.

Bree's Bike Jump by Lori Mortensen (2010). Bree tries to think of a way to overcome her fears so she can negotiate the big, scary bike jump that looks like it is too steep.

Happy Happy Clover: Volume 1 by Sayuri Tatsuyama (2009). Clover the bunny has adventures in Crescent Forest investigating a haunted spring, getting chased by a farmer, and trying to avoid a fox.

Johnny Boo: Twinkle Power by James Kochalka (2008). Johnny Boo and his friend Squiggle try to show each other how to use their powers, and Johnny encounters the Ice Cream Monster while Squiggle searches for Twinkle Power in the sky.

Phonics Comics: Sugar & Spice by Wendy Wax (2007). Contains three short stories, featuring friends Sugar and Spice, designed to help young readers develop strong reading skills. (Beginner Reader)

There's a Wolf at the Door by Zoe B. Alley (2008). As his plans are spoiled over and over again, the wolf keeps trying to find his dinner, in this retelling of five well-known stories and fables.

Blast to the Past by Scott Nickel (2006). Darrin invents a time machine in his bedroom in order to go back in time a few days to retake a test he and his friend Ben flunked; but instead of zapping back to history class, the boys might just become history.

Airplane Adventure by Cari Meister (2010). Juan and Anna take a trip on an airplane to visit their grandma in Mexico. Includes discussion questions and writing prompts.

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon (2009). Danny Dragonbreath and his friend Wendell get an up-close underwater tour of the Sargasso Sea from Danny's sea-serpent cousin, encountering giant squid and mako sharks--and learn about standing up to bullies in the process.

Phonics Comics: Cave Dave by Carol McAdams Moore (2007). Presents three short stories featuring Cave Dave designed to help young readers develop strong reading skills. (Beginner Reader)

Phonics Comics: The Fearless Four by Lara Bergen (2007). Presents three short stories featuring the Fearless Four designed to help young readers develop strong reading skills. (Beginner Reader)

Phonics Comics: Teeny Genie by Judy Katschke (2009). Introduces twelve sight words through a comic story in which a boy who is new in the neighborhood tries to make friends by having a genie grant him wishes. (Beginner Reader)

Popular Books in a Series

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate DiCamillo (2009). Mr. and Mrs. Watson think it is a wonderful idea to bring their pet pig Mercy to the drive-in, and when Mercy arrives, she sets off on a mission to find her own buttery bucket of popcorn, much to the dismay of the other movie patrons.

Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants by Dav Pilkey (2003). When Professor Pippy P. Poopypants comes to Jerome Horwitz Elementary School to teach science, and he goes off the deep end because students make fun of his name, only Captain Underpants can save the school from the professor's perilous plot.

Flat Stanley: Stanley and the Magic Lamp by Jeff Brown (2003). The members of the Lambchop family react differently when a boistrous genie grants their wishes for fame, power, and the ability to fly.

Magic Tree House: Moonlight on the Magic Flute by Mary Pope Osborne (2010). Jack and Annie travel to Vienna, Austria, in 1762, where they meet the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister and help save the budding genius' life.

Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (2004). Nate the Great solves the mystery of the missing picture.

Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol (2007). Fifth grader Leroy Brown solves ten mysteries and, by putting the solutions at the back of the book, challenges the reader to do the same.

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes: Every Cloud has a Silver Lining by Anne Mazer (2000). Abby hopes to prove that she is as great as her siblings.

Sister Magic: The Trouble with Violet by Anne Mazer (2007). When strange things start happening and eight-year-old Mabel, who is very sensible, cannot figure them out, she discovers a family secret that affects her younger sister Violet.
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart [set/series] (2009). Nine-year-old secret agent Jack Stalwart travels the world in search of his lost brother as he solves thrilling international crimes. Jack leads readers on pulse-pounding adventures while imparting fascinating geographical, cultural, and historical facts along the way.
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows (2009). Features humorous stories about two mischievous and delightful girlfriends, Ivy and Bean.

Sisters 8: Annie's Adventures by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (2008). On New Year's Eve, the octuplets Huit--Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie, Marcia, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia--discover that their parents are missing, and then uncover a mysterious note instructing them that each must find her power and her gift if they want to know what happened to their parents.

Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye illustrations by Matt Wolf (2004). Newspaper editor and adventure author Geronimo Stilton--who is also a mouse--gets roped into his sister Thea's treasure hunt on a remote island after she discovers an intriguing old map.

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot: An Adventure Novel by Dav Pilkey (2000). Ricky Ricotta, a small mouse, saves a giant robot from his evil creator, Dr. Stinky, and in turn, the robot protects Ricky from the bullies at school and it saves the city from Dr. Stinky's plan to destroy it.

Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (2007). Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have always believed to be dead.

Folk & Fairytales

Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes by Margie Palatini (2009). Retells the fable of a frustrated fox that, after many tries to reach a high bunch of grapes, decides they must be sour anyway.

Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley (2009). An illustrated retelling of the story in which Chicken Little becomes convinced the sky is falling after being hit on the head by an acorn.

Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa (2009). A wealthy man in a Japanese village, who everyone calls Ojiisan, which means grandfather, sets fire to his rice fields to warn the innocent people of an approaching tsunami.

Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins (2009). Simple text and bold illustrations tell eight classic fairy tales, including "The Three Little Pigs" and "Little Red Riding Hood."

The 3 Bears and Goldilocks by Margaret Willey (2008). Goldilocks, ignoring her father's warning not to rush in where she does not belong, enters a cabin in the woods, cleans it to meet her standards, plucks from the porridge items unappealing to her before eating a bowlful, and falls asleep on the bed that suits her best.

Anansi and the Sky Kingdom as told by Bobby & Sherry Norfolk (2009). In this story from West Africa, Anansi uses his wits, his trickster skills, and the help of his friends to bring light to the world.

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales retold by Dawn Casey (2009). Seven folktales from around the world express the belief that the Earth and all living things are sacred, and that it us up to each of us to care for our part of the planet. Includes an introduction and "eco-activity" for each tale.

The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale by Koko Nishizuka (2009). A retelling of the traditional Japanese tale describing the origins of the beckoning cat and how it came to be a symbol of good luck.

Bokuden and the Bully: A Japanese Folktale adapted by Stephen Krensky (2009). A traditional sixteenth-century Japanese folktale about a swordsman who encounters a warrior during a ferry ride across a river.

The Chocolate Tree: A Mayan Folktale by Linda Lowery and Richard Keep (2009). Retells the legend of Mayan king Kukulkan, who goes against his brother's wishes and gives his people an amazing chocolate tree.

Even Higher!: A Rosh Hashanah Story by I.L.Peretz (2010). Each year just before the High Holidays, the Rabbi of Nemirov disappears. A skeptical stranger refuses to believe in such a miracle and decides to follow him.

Gecko's Complaint: A Balinese Folktale retold by Ann Martin Bowler (2003). A Balinese folktale in which a gecko's griping about enthusiastic fireflies sets off a chain of complaints that is finally resolved by the jungle's lion chief.

How Coyote Stole the Summer: A Native American Folktale adapted by Stephen Krensky (2009). A retelling of a Native American folktale about a coyote that tries to steal summer from Old Woman who keeps it tied up in a bag.

How Many Donkeys?: An Arabic Counting Tale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald and Nadia Jameel Taibah (2009). When Jouha counts the ten donkeys carrying his dates to market, he repeatedly forgets to count the one he is riding on, causing him great consternation. Includes numbers written out in Arabic and in English transliteration, as well as the numerals one through ten, and a note on the origins and other versions of the story.

How Spirit Dog Made the Milky Way: A Retelling of a Cherokee Legend retold by Michael O'Hearn (2009). Illustrations and easy-to-follow text retell the Cherokee legend in which a magical spirit in the form of a dog creates the Milky Way galaxy with cornmeal.

The King and the Seed by Eric Maddern (2009). Old King Karnak holds an unusual competition to find an heir to the throne, asking all the men in the land to grow one seed to determine who is worthy enough to be king.

The Mitten retold by Jim Aylesworth (2009). A retelling of the traditional tale of how a boy's lost mitten becomes a refuge from the cold for an increasing number of animals.

The Night the Moon Fell: A Maya Myth retold by Pat Mora (2009). When the moon falls into the ocean, it rises again with the aid of fish.

One Fine Trade retold by Bobbi Miller (2009). Georgy Piney Woods, the best peddler who ever lived, makes several trades so his daughter can buy a wedding dress.

Pig-Boy: A Trickster Tale From Hawai'i by Gerald McDermott (2009). Pig-Boy, a dirty, hairy trickster, uses his shape-shifting talents to get out of all sorts of troublesome situations.

Surf War!: A Folktale From the Marshall Islands by Margaret Read MacDonald (2009). A bragging contest between Whale and Sandpiper turns into a battle over the beach and sea, until both parties realize that the beach and the sea, as well as sea creatures and shorebirds, are interdependent.

Space & Nature

Tracks of a Panda by Nick Dowson (2007). A mother panda teaches her cub how to survive in their mountain habitat but as the sound of villagers clearing the forest approaches, she knows they must look for a new home.

Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop (2009). Full-color photographs and illustrations describe the physical characteristics, behaviors, habits, and life cycle of butterflies and moths.

How to Scratch a Wombat: Where to Find It--What to Feed It--Why it Sleeps All Day by Jackie French (2009). An illustrated introduction to wombats that describes their physiology, history, and behavior and how to take care of them properly.

Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson (2009). Text and watercolor paintings describe the plants, animals, and climate of the boreal forest and discuss threats to the ecosystem.

Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm (2009). Colorful illustrations and text introduces young readers to the importance of sunlight to grow plants, which humans and animals depend on to survive.

One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh (2009). An illustrated retelling of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's lunar landing in 1969.

Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember by Steve Jenkins (2009). Presents an illustrated discussion of what not to do around various dangerous animals, with warnings about petting a platypus, touching a tang fish, or pulling a python's tail.

Panda Kindergarten by Joanne Ryder (2009). Photographs and text follow sixteen panda cubs at the Wolong Nature Preserve, where they are raised and observed by scientists and workers while they learn survival skills that will allow them to be re-released into the wild.

Redwoods by Jason Chi (2009). While reading a book about redwood trees on the subway, a young boy travels as he learns, all the way to the forests of California.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson (2009). Text and photographs answer a variety of questions about snow, discussing how it forms, shapes of snow crystals, why no two flakes are alike, and more.

What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby (2009). Full-color photographs and easy-to-follow text details the unique characteristics and behaviors of bluebirds, and also describes courtship, nesting, hatchlings, fledglings, diet, and other related topics.

Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock (2009). Presents humorous scientific information about the use of bubbles by various animals, such as whales, otters, dolphins, herring, and water shrews, for various recreational or functional purposes, such as hunting, warmth, communication, survival, or as a game.

Armadillo Trail: The Northward Journey of the Armadillo by Stephen R. Swinburne (2009). Illustrations and text follow the armadillo's yearly journey north, describing the dangers it encounters along the way and the methods it uses to protect itself.

Even an Ostrich Needs a Nest: Where Birds Begin by Irene Kelly (2009). Illustrations and simple text introduce young readers to the different ways that birds build their nests.

Honk, Honk, Goose!: Canadian Geese Start a Family by April Pulley (2009). A father goose chooses a mate and stands guard while she lays six eggs, sits on the nest for twenty-eight days, and takes the new chicks for their first swim.

Life in a Coral Reef by Wendy Pfeffer (2009). Explains how coral reefs form, tells what they are made of, and describes some of the animals that live in or around coral reefs.

You Are the First Kid on Mars by Patrick O'Brien (2009). An illustrated introduction to what it might be like to live on Mars, covering a boy's journey into orbit, across the solar system, and into an inhabitable station on the red planet; and includes facts about Mars.

Plant Secrets by Emily Goodman (2009). Simple text and illustrations provide an introduction to botany and the life cycle of a plant.

2009-2010 Author & Illustrator Visits

Smash! Crash! by Jon Scieszka (2008). Jack, a big-rig truck, and his best friend Dan the dump truck, spend their days having fun crashing and smashing things all across town.

Robot Zot! by Jon Scieszka (2009). On a mission to conquer planet Earth, tiny but fearless Robot Zot and his mechanical sidekick leave a path of destruction as they battle kitchen appliances.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin (2006). When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Spring Babies by Erica Silverman (2010). Cowgirl Kate and her horse Cocoa watch over the new calves, a puppy, and some baby barn owls.

The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews (2004). A collection of nursery rhymes, both familiar and lesser known, illustrated with photographs in a city setting.

Below by Nina Crews (2006). Jack has adventures and rescues with his action-figure, Guy.

Sky-high Guy by Nina Crews (2010). Jack likes to play with his "friend" Guy without the interference of his little brother Gus, but when Guy gets stuck in a tree, Gus is the perfect companion to help Jack rescue him.

Russell Sprouts by Johanna Hurwitz (2001) First grader Russell Michaels grows more than an inch taller, becoming big enough to wear his red slicker and big enough to deal with family and school challenges.

Pee Wee & Plush by Johanna Hurwitz (2002). Pee Wee the guinea pig and his friend Lexi the squirrel help a new guinea pig adjust to life in the wilds of New York City's Central Park, but are unsure what to do about the approach of winter.

Mock Newbery Club arrives at seven finalists

2009-12-17T09:34:00.006-05:00

We began reading in October with a selection of 50 books. Favorites were quickly chosen, reconsidered, rechosen. Our Newbery readers have been tireless, frequent library visitors. We are so proud of them!

We had arrived at 12 finalists last month, but the librarians have decided, after the most recent round of voting, to cut it down to seven so that more people will read each title. The final discussions in January will be a joint venture between Lower and Middle School, involving Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Graders. We hope to arrive at a clear gold medalist as well as several honor books.

Nominations are done in the style of the real committee, with students nominating their top three favorites in order. First place nominees get 4 points, second place 3 points and third place 2 points.

Here is our list of finalists, also showing the recent round of cuts:

Newbery club members are asked to please try to read as many of these seven finalists as possible over the break. None are available in paperback yet, so do check your public library for copies - here's a link to the Brooklyn Public Library site where anyone with a library card can place books on hold.

The Ambassador's last days

2009-12-17T09:10:00.004-05:00

In a few weeks, a new Ambassador for Children's Literature will be named by The Library of Congress and Jon Scieszka will no longer be entitled to his sash. Fortunately for us, I have little doubt we may still spot him at La Bagel Delight wearing it to get free bagels.

Doubly exciting: he will return to Berkeley Carroll for another visit with the Third Grade in January!

His first visit was November 6th when he led a rousing assembly and visited every classroom. He also spoke to the Second and Fourth Grades about writing and his upcoming books. He was such a lovely guest.

You can read some wonderful, funny articles by Jon about the state of children's literature and the experience of being Ambassador for Children's Literature HERE and HERE.

He has some great advice for parents, too! From The Huffington Post article, some rules of thumb:

Let each child choose what she or he wants to read.

Expand the definition of "reading" to include non-fiction, humor, graphic novels, magazines, action adventure, and, yes, even websites.

If a kid doesn't like one book, don't worry about finishing it. Start another.

Be a good reading role model.

Avoid demonizing television, computer games, and new technologies.

PreK Open Class

2009-11-23T08:45:00.005-05:00

Thanks to all who came to last week's PreK Open Classes. Our guests were able to observe library routines such as using booklookers and listening for Ms. Peeps at the story rug. Then, with the help of the adult friends, children constructed their dream pet home as part of our Pet Care Research Unit.

Pretend Library Sleepover 2009

2009-11-18T09:32:00.009-05:00

Per Berkeley Carroll tradition, this week we celebrated the joy of bedtime reading and rituals with the First Graders in the form of a "Pretend Library Sleepover."

We turned down the lights, shared as many bedtime stories as we could, had a “midnight snack” and pretended to drift off into dreamland…until it was time to return to class.

First Book Talk of the year!

2009-10-22T09:28:00.008-04:00

Thank you Sirus for giving the first BCS Booktalk of the year!

Following the guidelines on our Booktalks Easy as 1, 2, 3, handout, Sirus presented Mary Pope Osborne's book, Magic Tree House: Summer of the Sea Serpent, to his 1st grade class. He told us about Jack and Annie's adventure fighting a scary ocean creature, while showing off the book's cover. Ending with the cliff hanger, "Will Jack and Annie figure out the purpose of the sword?...," Sirus made the book come alive with suspense and drama.

Toons and technology

2009-09-29T09:12:00.008-04:00

There are some wonderful online tools for enjoying and exploring graphic novels. Toon books are great for beginner readers of all levels!

Use Professor Garfield's Toon Book Reader to hear authors narrate interactive versions of their toons (in English, French, Spanish, Russian or Chinese!)

Then try building your own comic using the Toon Creator. Add props, text and characters, then print it out!

Summer Reading Slideshow 2009

2009-09-25T11:34:00.002-04:00

Summer Reading Book Talks!

2009-09-25T09:53:00.015-04:00

BCS students use Blabberize to share thoughts about their favorite summer reads!

Parent Night Info - 701 Library

2009-09-17T16:47:00.005-04:00

I hope to help the students answer these main questions:

How can I find books that I love to read?
How can I find information that I need?

• Some of what we do in the library is related to the classroom curriculum. Some is meant to teach kids how to be independent researchers. Some is just to instill a love of books and stories.

• We always want the children to be checking out books and reading things that inspire, amuse and excite. Encourage your child to take books from the library and ask them about what they are reading. Encourage them to ask for recommendations from their friends, teachers and librarians. Learn with them how to login to the library system and write reviews or recommendations for their friends.

• We believe all reading is valuable and do not value one type of book over another – graphic novels, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, easy readers are all wonderful ways to spend time, expand vocabulary and work on reading and comprehension skills.

• Even though certain phases of your child’s reading life may drive you crazy or leave you bored, try to ride it out. The phase really will pass.

• If you find that your morals or your sanity cannot take any more of a particular series or title, please talk to your child first and foremost. It is better for your child to hear your honest assessment than for me to suddenly cut them off and create negative feelings toward the library or librarians. You should also talk to me, because I may be able to help gently guide your child toward something similar but new.

• Know that your child may grow up to be a very different kind of reader than you are.

Policies (though nothing is ever set in stone)
• Second, Third and Fourth grade students may check out two books at a time. If they regularly bring books back on time, their limit may be increased to three, four or five books.
• Books are due in two weeks but may be renewed as long as no other student is waiting to take them.
• Students can return books or check out books at any time (they don’t need to wait for their library day) and I don’t need to be at the circulation desk (they know how to check out on their own).
• Children should be responsible for their own books, knowing what they have checked out of the library and when they need to bring it back. This information is available to the students at any time in the library or by logging in from home.
• Students may only take out one comic book at a time. This is because there is high demand for them and we want them available for as many students as possible. Generally, comics may not be renewed as there is almost always a student waiting.
• Parents are always welcome to bring their children to read and select books in the library after school.

LIBRARY DAYS 2009-10
Monday: 1/2 Umstatter, Patel, 1/2 Ellis, Pike
Tuesday: Vaccaro, 1/2 McKay, 1/2 Oberstein
Wednesday: Forsman
Thursday: 1/2 Mireles, 1/2 Umstatter, 1/2 Oberstein, 1/2 McKay
Friday: 1/2 Ellis, 1/2 Mireles

SECOND GRADE
Second Graders will hear lots of stories and begin to learn how to locate materials in the library. We will also think about how a library serves the community as part of their classroom study. In the second half of the year they will help the library stay organized by keeping the series carts in order.

THIRD GRADE
Third Graders will become expert alphabetizers and do some light community service by keeping our fiction collection in order. We will hold our annual Third Grade Mock Caldecott Awards in January after spending a couple of months carefully investigating the picture book offerings of 2009. We will also think about How Stories Travel as part of their immigration study.

FOURTH GRADE
The Fourth Grade is responsible for keeping the nonfiction collection in order this year, each student taking charge of one shelf of books. Fourth Grade Library class is combine with Computer so that research may be taught in both print and online mediums. We will spend several weeks on evaluation of websites, learning how to tell if a site is reputable and accurate. We will work closely with classroom teachers so that we can assist students with class research. Students will continue with keyboarding skills and will be allowed to come to the library for book checkout whenever they need something new to read.

4th Grade Mock Newbery Club - sign up now!

2009-09-17T16:43:00.002-04:00

Does your Fourth Grader love to read?

Ask her/him about joining the

Mock Newbery Club!

The Mock Newbery Club is a group for Grades 4, 5 and 6. Each grade will begin by meeting independently to read and discuss potential Newbery winners. In November, we will nominate favorites to create a shortlist. All students should read all books in the shortlist by January, when we will vote with the Middle School for our BCS Mock Newbery Medal winner.

Commitment

Read at least three books by Thanksgiving

Come to lunch meetings every other week with Ms. Sauro in the Library

Read all books in the shortlist (5 books) by January

Accept and try to delve into whatever books Ms. Sauro doles out!

Timeline

First meeting: Early October

First round of nominations: Week of Thanksgiving

Shortlist discussions with Middle School: Mid-January

Please note: The books considered for the Newbery are generally for Grades 3-12. We have selected front-runner books that should generally be appropriate for Grades 4-7. Some themes may of a very Middle School nature, so parents should be aware of what students are reading. I will be happy to provide another title if a certain book is deemed not right for a particular child by his or her parents.

Login - Search - Recommend - Review - Renew - Hold!

2009-09-17T16:24:00.009-04:00

Instructions for logging in and navigating the Berkeley Carroll Library Online Catalog!

SEARCHING

There are two types of searching – Basic and Visual. Use a Basic search if you know what you are looking for and a Visual search if you want to browse for ideas. The green arrows show how to go between the two types of searches.

BASIC

VISUAL

LOGIN

Each Second, Third and Fourth Grade student has a login for the library system and can sign in by clicking “Login” in the Grades 1-4 Library catalog (orange arrow). It is the same as their login and password for the computer lab. If there is a problem, please see me.

Once logged in, students can create lists of books they would like to read, recommend books to friends, write reviews of books they enjoyed, renew books they would like to keep longer and place a hold on books that they want to check out.

CREATE A LIST

You can create a list of books that sound good to you so that you can easily find them again when you come to the library! Click “Add to this list” (red arrow) to add to your list and Resource Lists (blue arrow) to see your list. Click on the title of the book to see more information, such as summaries and reviews.

RECOMMEND and REVIEW

Recommending a book (yellow arrow) allows you to send a message to a friend recommending a book to them. They will see your recommendation the next time they login.

Reviewing a book (pink arrow) creates a starred review that stays in the catalog forever. Let people know about the books that you love and find books other students enjoyed!

HOLD: You can put a hold on a book by clicking Hold (blue arrow above)

RENEW

Click on the My Info tab on top and find the button that says RENEW near the book you want to renew (red arrow). This is also a good place to check when your book is due.

Welcome back! 712 Library Info

2009-09-14T08:58:00.012-04:00

As many of you are new to the BC community, we thought you might like to know about the 712 library borrowing privileges and services available to parents and caregivers.

712 Library Policies & Procedures 2009-10

Maximum Books and Loan Period

-up to five books may be taken home for up to two weeks

-return books on the bottom shelf of the blue return cart

-books may be renewed but prompt returns are appreciated

Self Checkout

Self-service checkout takes only two steps.

1. Scan your patron card (hung at the checkout desk)

2. Scan the Berkeley Carroll barcode located on the back of the book

Library Hours
Mondays at the Library

The library is open Monday mornings for checkout and reader services from 8am to Noon. Julia Weist is returning this year as the Lower School Associate Librarian and she will be happy to assist you.

Kendra Barbary
PreK-First Grade Library Teacher

Julia Weist
LS Associate Librarian

Announcing the Summer Reading Lists

2009-05-27T15:35:00.013-04:00

The Berkeley Carroll Summer Reading Lists are now available online.

New this year is our Amazon aStore, where you can purchase the recommended titles and a small percentage of the profit will benefit the BCS Libraries. You may also find these books at our local bookstores, such as Community Bookstore or Barnes & Noble, or you could check the books out from the Brooklyn Public Library.

The Berkeley Carroll School Library's online catalog has a fabulous visual search feature and the reading lists can be found there, as well. Students entering Second-Fourth can also login with their BCS computer login and password to save lists, print lists, review books and recommend books to their friends! Choose your library and click on the tab that says "Visual" and then "Summer Reading Recommendations" to get started.

Finally, you can find the annotated lists here on this blog by clicking below.
PreK-1st Grade List
2nd Grade-4th Grade List
1st-4th Grade Student Picks

Summer Reading Requirements

PreK-Second Graders: We know that you will find something in the suggested reading lists to enjoy this summer. Feel free to print our summer reading log and keep a list of the great books you read this summer! We'd love to see your reading log in September.

Third and Fourth Graders: Please arrive in September ready to share your favorite book that you read alone this summer as well as your favorite book that you read with someone else. There will be activities at the beginning of the year that will involve these books so be prepared!

Third and Fourth Graders are encouraged to use their library logins to post reviews and recommendations this summer. Directions for how to do so can be found here.

All families should remember to take a photo of their child reading this summer, whether it's in Prospect Park or Paris! These photos are used in the Summer Reading Assembly in September.

Kindergartners Use Technology To Enhance Space Poems/Collages

2009-04-28T10:40:00.017-04:00

This month Kindergartners learned how to transform three dimensional collages into digital files and two dimensional prints, after creating artwork inspired by poet/illustrator Douglas Florian's poetry. We took the project one step further with Ms. Khordoc and Ms. Tyberg's class by using recordings of the children's voices to narrate a slide show of the corresponding collages. Enjoy the results posted here!

Who is in First Grade. . .?

2009-04-15T15:09:00.011-04:00

Great ideas often arise from spontaneous comments. After author/illustrator Nick Bruel read aloud his humorous book, Who is Melvin Bubble?, and conducted an interview with a first grader, several other first graders proclaimed, "I wish that someone would write a book about me!" Hence the idea for this fun project:

The First Graders wrote autobiographies in the style and format of Mr. Bruel's humorous story which introduces a six-year-old boy from the perspective of his family, friends and others. The final self-portraits were done in computer class with Ms. Mercado using the program Kid Pix.

The autobiographies have been on a book tour, appearing at the all Lower School Publishing Party and now each class will have a turn to be on display in the 701 Library.

So, Who is...?

Illustrious Illustrator Visits Fourth Grade

2009-04-02T15:31:00.005-04:00

Jules Feiffer, illustrator, author, winner of an Academy Award and a Pulitzer Prize, and a member of the Comic Book Hall of Fame, spoke to the Fourth Grade today about his life, his writing process and his sources of inspiration.

We learned that Bark, George, a student favorite, began as a bedtime story for his daughter Julie, who was a "tough customer" requiring a different story each night at the age of 18 months. He explained that stories often start with a "What if..." question, and in this case he wondered what would happen if George the dog's mother said, "Bark, George" and George said, "Meow."

We learned that two of the characters in The Man in the Ceiling are based on Jules himself - the main character represents how Jules felt as a boy who loved to draw and Uncle Lester shows how Jules felt when his first play flopped.

We learned that while some of the events in A Room with a Zoo are true, others are exaggerated or twisted around because Jules gets bored telling a story if he already knows how it ends.

His anti-war film, "Munro," was made to work through his own feelings about being drafted into the army at a young age - Jules himself felt a little like he was only "four years old" like the character, Munro.

Jules had a lot of advice for young writers and illustrators, saying that the process he goes through at age 80 is really the same process that they are going through at age 10. It's easy to get frustrated when you are young, he said, but you have to learn to be patient and just keep messing up and trying again.

Jules read from his newest book, which he illustrated and which his daughter wrote, called Which Puppy? It arrives in stores on April 7th and tells a story about the search for the correct puppy to take up residence in the Obama White House. We were thrilled to get a sneak peek!

Can I use Wikipedia?

2009-03-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

Wikipedia is frequently used by students and teachers as a resource when doing online research. Librarians used to insist that Wikipedia was not allowed to be used for school research because of the great possibility of inaccuracy, but its success and authority have reached levels that cannot be denied. We do realize that Wikipedia is one of the first sites to appear during a Google search and can be helpful for some types of questions. It is extremely important to know what Wikipedia is and how it might be used effectively and correctly for school research.

What is Wikipedia?
Wikipedia’s name comes from a combination of the word “wiki,” meaning a website that allows its users to change things, and “encyclopedia.” So it is an online encyclopedia that can be edited or changed by its users. The people who started Wikipedia did so because they realized that the Internet is used by so many people who are experts in so many things and they could all share that knowledge in one, free place. While there are many downsides to an encyclopedia that can be changed, the idea behind it is inspiring and should be respected by those who use it.

Can I use Wikipedia for school reports?
Yes and no. You can use Wikipedia as a place to begin your research because it can be a short cut for finding information. You cannot automatically trust the information you find there but you can use it as a jumping off point. A well-researched article will have footnotes to references listed at the bottom of the article. You can click on these and find out whether they might be resources for a report. You need to always be asking yourself if the information is coming from a trustworthy source and making sure it is up to date and unbiased. It is important that you click all references you plan to use and make sure that you can find them and that the source is a good one. If it is an organization you have never heard of, look for an “About Us” page and some information on when the site was last copyrighted or updated.

For example:
This is the references area for the Wikipedia article on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone. Click to enlarge and see notes on which sources are acceptable and which are not.

What are some of the symbols used in Wikipedia and what do they mean?
You may notice that some articles are “locked.” There are different colors of locks which signify different levels of access. The gold lock, as in the Obama article, means “Protected.” This happens when there is something in the article that people disagree with and want to discuss with other Wikipedia users before they decide together how to write it.

There is also a silver lock which means “semi-protected.” Articles with a silver lock cannot be changed by anonymous users who have not registered with the site, as in the Jonas Brothers article.

Douglas Florian: Poetry in Motion

2009-03-04T09:18:00.007-05:00

This Tuesday, Douglas Florian swept through Berkeley Carroll, bringing rhyme and humor to First Grade, Kindergarten and Prekindergarten classrooms. Children (and teachers) of all ages enjoyed his on-the-spot drawings and interactive readings.

Jules Feiffer to visit Fourth Grade

2009-02-19T09:26:00.004-05:00

Illustrious cartoonist and children's book author, Jules Feiffer, will be visiting Berkeley Carroll on April 2nd to speak to the Fourth Grade about the writing process. In preparation, each Fourth Grade class has heard one of his chapter books - A Room with a Zoo, A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears or The Man in the Ceiling. We are also examining his picture books and doing research on his life. Students will also see and discuss his animated anti-war film, "Munro," which won an Academy Award in 1961.

Third Grade Library Study: Movies That Were Books

2009-02-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

In Library, the Third Graders have begun a study of books that have been made into movies. We are looking carefully at the details to see what happens when stories are translated into film. We are asking questions about why certain elements are added or taken away and we are thinking critically about what we see.

As part of this study, Third Graders have some “Library Homework.” Each student needs to choose a book and movie pair to read and view in the next month on their own or with their families. The students will all give an informal, two minute report on what they discover – similarities, differences, why they think changes were made or not made, and their opinions of the two versions. They are encouraged to write a few notes for themselves but the presentation can be made any way they like.

The students have been given an opportunity to select from a large list of book and movie pairs, which you can see by clicking here. Other ideas are welcome – just check with Ms. Sauro.

Family Quiet Reading & Checkout Times

2009-02-12T08:50:00.007-05:00

The 712 Library invites families to enjoy the library space and borrow from the collection. Please feel welcome to use the library during the following times:

Morning Drop Off

8:00 - 8:30 A.M.

12 Noon Dismissal

12:00 - 12:30 P.M.

After School

3:00-3:45 P.M.

Douglas Florian will visit on March 3rd

2009-02-11T10:13:00.015-05:00

On Tuesday, March 3rd Douglas Florian, the author/illustrator of over 30 children’s books and recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, will present to Berkeley Carroll children in PreKindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade.Three of Mr. Florian’s books will be highlighted during his visit: Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars, Handsprings and Beast Feast.

In subsequent library classes, students will use technology and artistic experimentation to mimic Mr. Florian’s creative process. Copies of Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars (Kindergarten) and Handsprings (PreK & First Grade) can be ordered now through February 27th for $16 each. Mr. Florian will sign each book on the day of his visit! CLICK HERE to view and print the book order form.

PreK-First Grade Meets Author Nick Bruel

2009-02-10T09:29:00.010-05:00

On Friday, February 6, author and illustrator Nick Bruel visited the Berkeley Carroll Lower School. Ms. Barbary's library classes were treated to a fun reading and interview activity with the entertaining writer.

Books That Were Movies Survey

2009-02-04T10:32:00.001-05:00

The Third Grade is beginning a study of books that have been made into movies. A survey has been created to analyze which books and movies students have read or seen and which they prefer. Please CLICK HERE to take survey.

Caldecott Medal awarded by ALSC and by BCS

2009-01-30T14:45:00.004-05:00

The Association for Library Service to Children recently announced the winners of the 2008 Caldecott Medal. The ceremony took place during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference on Monday, January 26th. This year’s winners:

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At Berkeley Carroll, the First and Third Graders have been studying the Caldecott and evaluating the books of 2008 to determine which books they deemed worthy of their very own BCS Mock Caldecott Award. The results:

THIRD GRADE

FIRST GRADE

Thank you so much to Caldecott Committee Member Rachel Payne for her visit to our school. She helped us understand how the Caldecott Committee does its job and what a big task it is to choose a winner from more than 700 books each year.

2nd-4th Grade Summer Reading List 2009

2001-01-01T15:54:00.001-05:00

PICTURE BOOKS

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek : A tall, thin tale (introducing his forgotten frontier friend)
By Deborah Hopkinson ; pictures by John Hendrix.
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, p2008, c2008
In Knob Creek, Kentucky, in 1816, seven-year-old Abe Lincoln falls into a creek and is rescued by his best friend, Austin Gollaher.

The Black Book of Colors
By Menena Cottin. illustrations by Rosana Faria ; translated by Elisa Amado.
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, p2008
Raised black line drawings on black pages encourage people to use their other senses to experience art, helping them understand what it is like to be blind.

The Chicken of the Family
By Mary Amato ; illustrated by Delphine Durand.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, p2008, c2008
Henrietta's two older sister try to convince her she is really a chicken, so Henrietta sets off for the farm to find her real family, and discovers how much fun being a chicken can be.

Grace for President
by Kelly S. DiPucchio ; pictures by LeUyen Pham.
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, p2008, c2008
After finding out there has never been a female U.S. president, Grace decides to run in her school's mock election, where she learns about the American electoral system and sets out to be the best person for the job even though her opponent, Thomas, seems to be winning all the boys' votes.

Help Me Mr. Mutt : Expert answers for dogs with people problems
by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel ; illustrated by Janet Stevens.
Publisher: Harcourt, p2008, c2008
Dogs across the United States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.

How I Learned Geography
By Uri Shulevitz.
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, p2008, c2008
As he spends hours studying his father's world map, a young boy escapes the hunger and misery of refugee life. 'Based on the author's childhood in Kazakhstan, where he lived as a Polish refugee during World War II. Caldecott Honor 2009.

The Retired Kid
By Jon Agee.
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, p2008, c2008
Although he enjoys some aspects of his retirement, eight-year-old Brian gains a new perspective on his job of being a child after spending time in Florida's Happy Sunset Retirement Community.

The Storyteller’s Candle
By Lucia Gonzalez ; illustrations by Lulu Delacre
Publisher: Children's Book Press, p2008, c2008
During the early days of the Great Depression, New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpre, introduces the public library to immigrants living in El Barrio and hosts the neighborhood's first Three Kings' Day fiesta. Presented in English and Spanish.

Wabi Sabi
By Mark Reibstein ; art by Ed Young.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, p2008, c2008
Text mainly in English with some Japanese characters. Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanese concept of beauty through simplicity as she asks various animals she meets about the meaning of her name.

FICTION

Alvin Ho: Allerigc to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters
By Lenore Look
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, c2009
Alvin makes a new friend and learns that he can be brave despite his fear of everything when his father takes him camping, hoping to install a love of nature like that of their hometown hero, Henry David Thoreau.

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath
By Nick Bruel.
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, p2008, c2008
Takes a humorous look at the normal way cats bathe, why it is inappropriate for humans to bathe that way, and the challenges of trying to give a cat a real bath with soap and water. Includes fun facts, glossary, and other information.

Diamond Willow
By Helen Frost.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, p2008, c2008
In a remote area of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow helps her father with their sled dogs when she is not at school, wishing she were more popular, all the while unaware that the animals surrounding her carry the spirits of dead ancestors and friends who care for her.

Erratum
By Walter Sorrells.
Publisher: Dutton Childrens Books, p2008, c2008
"Erratum. n. a writer's or publisher's error in publication; pl. such errors or a list of them with corrections." When Jessica finds--and then loses--an unfinished book about her life, she learns that if she cannot keep it from falling into the wrong hands, the balance of the universe is in peril.

George's Secret Key to the Universe
By Lucy & Stephen Hawking with Christophe Galfard ; illustrated by Garry Parsons.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, p2007, c2007
George and his neighbor friend Eric travel through a computer portal into outer space encountering black holes while trying to escape an evil scientist.

Into the Volcano : A graphic novel
By Don Wood.
Publisher: Blue Sky Press, p2008, c2008
While their parents are away doing research, brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg go with their cousin, Mister Come-and-Go, to Kokalaha Island, where they meet Aunt Lulu and become trapped in an erupting volcano.

Julian Rodriguez: Trash Crisis on Earth
By Alexander Stadler.
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2008, c2008
Eight-year-old Julian Rodriguez is sent to his room for refusing to take out the trash, and imagines that he is a space warrior.

The London Eye Mystery
By Siobhan Dowd.
Publisher: David Fickling Books, p2008, c2007
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

The Magic Thief
By Sarah Prineas ; illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo.
Publisher: HarperCollins, p2008, c2008
Conn's life is forever changed when he tries to pick the pocket of the wizard Nevery and instead gets a strong jolt of magic, but, instead of punishing the boy, Nevery takes Conn under his wing, teaches him magic, and enlists his help in finding the person responsible for stealing the city's dwindling magic supply.

Masterpiece
By Elise Broach ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy.
Publisher: Holt/Christy Ottaviano Books, p2008, c2008
After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house, the two new friends work together to help recover a Durer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank You Notes
By Peggy Gifford ; photographs by Valorie Fisher.
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, p2008, c2008
Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has promised to write twelve thank-you notes by the day after Christmas so that she and her twin brother Mark can go to Hollywood to visit their father, but all her brilliant ideas to help finish the task more efficiently end up creating chaos in the house.

Pandora Gets Jealous
By Carolyn Hennesy.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books , p2008, c2008
Thirteen-year-old Pandy is hauled before Zeus and given six months to gather all of the evils that were released when the box she brought to school as her annual project was accidentally opened.

Savvy
By Ingrid Law.
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers , p2008, c2008
Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident. Newbery Honor 2009.

Swindle
By Gordon Korman.
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2008, c2008
After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the Smart Pick fruit picker.

The True Meaning of Smekday
By Adam Rex.
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, p2007, c2007
Twelve-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is left to fend for herself after Earth is colonized by aliens and her mother is abducted, and must try to stop another alien invasion with only the help of a cat named Pig and an alien named J. Lo.

The Willoughbys
By Lois Lowry.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, p2008, c2008
A tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, in which the four Willoughby children set out to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

NON-FICTION

Go, Go America
By Dan Yaccarino.
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2008, c2008
Presents hundreds of unique facts about each of the states, describing strange festivals, traditions, contests, laws, people, and landmarks across the country.

Knucklehead : Tall tales & mostly true stories about growing up Scieszka
Featuring Jon Scieszka.
Publisher: Viking, p2008, c2008
Presents a memoir of what it was like to grow up in the 1950s and other almost true stories by American children's author Jon Scieszka.

My Dog May Be A Genius : Poems
By Jack Prelutsky ; drawings by James Stevenson.
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, p2008, c2008
A collection of poems by children's poet laureate Jack Prelutsky that celebrate the joys of childhood and the wackier side of life.

Nic Bishop’s Frogs
Publisher: Scholastic, p2008, c2008
Full-color, illustrated photographs describing the characteristics and behaviors of a variety of frogs around the world.

Our White House : Looking in, looking out
Created by 108 renowned authors and illustrators and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance.
With an introduction by David McCullough.
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2007, c2007
A collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, and poetry that traces the history of the White House through the eyes of the children who have lived and visited there.

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City
By Janet Schulman ; illustrated by Meilo So.
Publisher: Knopf, p2008, c2008
Recounts the true story of Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk living in New York City who has become one of the city's most-watched celebrities and bird watchers, tourists, and residents admire the bird and his nest, built on a Fifth Avenue apartment building.

Piano Starts Here : The young Art Tatum
By Robert Andrew Parker.
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, p2008, c2008
Explores early twentieth-century jazz pianist and virtuoso Art Tatum's passion and talent for playing the instrument.

Planting the Trees of Kenya : The story of Wangari Maathai
By Claire A. Nivola.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, p2008, c2008
Relates the story of Wangari Maathai, a native Kenyan who taught the people living in the highlands how to plant trees and care for the land.

A River of Words : The story of William Carlos Williams
By Jen Bryant ; illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, p2008, c2008
A picture book biography of American poet William Carlos Williams, who studied to become a doctor, but still found time to write poetry.

United Tweets of America
By Hudson Talbott.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, p2008, c2008
A collection of detailed illustrations of state birds from all fifty United States.

Wangari’s Trees of Peace : A true story of Africa
By Jeanette Winter.
Publisher: Harcourt, p2008, c2008
Tells the story of Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Prize-winning environmentalist who, shocked to see entire forests being cut down in her native country of Kenya, decides to take action, beginning with the planting of nine seedlings in her own backyard.

We Are the Ship : The story of Negro League baseball
Words and paintings by Kadir Nelson ; foreword by Hank Aaron.
Publisher: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, p2008, c2008
Explores the history of Negro League baseball teams, discussing owners, players, hardships, wins, and losses; and including illustrations. Coretta Scott King Medal and Honor 2009.

What To Do About Alice? : How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!
By Barbara Kerley ; illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2008, c2008
An illustrated biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth that focuses on her experiences while her father was president of the United States.

Wild Tracks! : A guide to nature's footprints
By Jim Arnosky.
Publisher: Sterling, p2008, c2008
Presents detailed illustrations of life-size paw, claw, and hoof prints; and explains how to identify tracks and how fast the animal might be traveling.

Wolfsnail : A backyard predator
By Sarah C. Campbell ; photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell.
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, p2008, c2008
Close-up photographs and simple text describe how a wolf snail hunts, attacks, and eats it prey.

Summer Reading Recommendations 2010 - GRADES 2-4

2001-01-01T15:27:00.001-05:00

PICTURE BOOKS

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee, 2009. 2010 Caldecott Honor. Follows a group of family members and friends through the course of a day as they learn the importance of all things great and small.

The Book That Eats People by John Perry, 2009. The reader is warned to be careful around this book, which has already eaten several people and is always hungry.

Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story about Edna Lewis by Robin Gourley, 2009. Edna and members of her family gather fruits, berries, and vegetables on their Virginia farm and turn them into wonderful meals. Includes five recipes and facts about the life of Edna Lewis, a descendant of slaves who grew up to be a famous chef.

Chachaji's Cup by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Soumya Sitaraman, 2003. A boy learns about his family history and the Partition of India from his great uncle, through stories told over a beloved old teacup.

The Humblebee Hunter : Inspired by the Life & Experiments of Charles Darwin and His Children by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Jen Corace, 2009. On a beautiful day, some of Charles Darwin's many children help him study humblebees (bumblebees) in the garden at their home in the English countryside.

Let’s Do Nothing by Tony Fucile, 2009. Young friends Frankie and Sal, believing they have "done it all," decide to do nothing for a while, but Frankie has a little trouble with the concept and it is not long before the boys realize there is no way to do nothing.

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers, 2009. Jeremy sets out to discover all of the different "people" that make him who he is, including brother, son, writer, and runner.

Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by S. D. Schindler, 2009. In 1790, the suspicious residents of a small Vermont town try to trick the man who has been sent to count their population for the first United States Census.

Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa, illustrated by Ed Young, 2009. A wealthy man in a Japanese village, who everyone calls Ojiisan, which means grandfather, sets fire to his rice fields to warn the innocent people of an approaching tsunami.

Wink : the Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed by Phillips, J. C., 2009. Wink is thrilled to be accepted to the Summer Moon School for Young Ninja, but he cannot quite master the concept of being silent and stealthy when what he really wants is to be noticed.

FICTION

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder, 2009. In the middle of an Iowa cornfield, four children find a magic wall that enables them to travel through time and space.

Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club by Niki Daly, 2009. A controversial new teacher at Bayside Preparatory School introduces the exciting world of art to aspiring artist Bettina Valentino and her fifth-grade classmates, encouraging them to see everyday life in a different way.

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce, 2009. Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy, 2009. Ten-year-old Camille McPhee relates the ups and downs of her fourth-grade year at her Idaho elementary school as she tries to adjust to the absence of her best friend, maintain control of her low-blood sugar, cope with the intensifying conflict between her parents, and understand the importance of honesty and fairness.

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky, 2009. Clover Twig goes to work for a messy witch and discovers that the witch's cottage has quite a few secrets hiding inside it.

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce, 2010. Twelve-year-old Liam, who looks like he is thirty and is tired of being treated like he is older than he actually is, decides he is going to pose as the adult chaperone on the first spaceship to take civilians into space, but when he ends up in outer space with a group of kids and no adult supervision, he must think fast to make things right.

The Doll Shop Downstairs by Yona Zeldis McDonough, 2009. When World War I breaks out, nine-year-old Anna thinks of a way to save her family's beloved New York City doll repair shop. Includes brief author's note about the history of the Madame Alexander doll, a glossary, and timeline.

The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by David Roberts, 2009. When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson.

The Everafter War by Michael Buckley, 2009. The Sisters Grimm series, book 7. After their parents awake from a sleeping spell, Daphne and Sabrina become caught in the middle of a war between the Scarlet Hand and Prince Charming's Everafter army and learn a shocking secret about a deadly enemy.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, 2009. Newbery Honor Book 2010. In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers, and studies the natural world with her grandfather, the latter of which leads to an important discovery.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mark Elliott, 2009. Three young middle-school-age children, Abby, Amira, and Sadeed, exchange letters back and forth between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan and begin to bridge a gap across cultural and religious divides.

Falling In by Frances O’Roark Dowell , 2010. Middle-schooler Isabelle Bean follows a mouse's squeak into a closet and falls into a parallel universe where the children believe she is the witch they have feared for years, finally come to devour them.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman, 2009. Twelve-year-old Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other children at extraordinary puzzles, stunts, and more in hopes of a fresh start for his family, which has been ostracized since his father was falsely accused of embezzling money from Golly Toy and Game Company.

Gooney Bird Is So Absurd by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Middy Thomas, 2009. Gooney Bird Greene series. Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class studies poetry and her students write haiku, couplets, free verse, and finally, a tribute to Mrs. Pidgeon's mother organized by the irrepressible Gooney Bird Greene.

How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills, illustrated by Heather Maione, 2009. Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.

Justin Case: School, Drool and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail, 2010. Justin is very nervous about starting third grade and must make the best of things when he does not get the teacher he wanted, his best friend is in another class, and his favorite stuffed animal disappears.

Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson, 2009. Keena and her second-grade class go on a field trip to the United States Capitol where they meet a congressman; and Keena makes a big impression, which she documents in her new journal.

The Locked Garden by Gloria Whelan, 2009. After their mother dies of typhoid, Verna and her younger sister Carlie move with their father, a psychiatrist, and stern Aunt Maude to an asylum for the mentally ill in early-twentieth-century Michigan, where new ideas in the treatment of mental illness are being proposed, but old prejudices still hold sway.

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka, 2009. When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace one day who tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures in an attempt to find her.

Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel Book by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, 2009. Free is excited about a local poetry contest because of its cash prize, but when he and Dyamonde befriend a classmate who is homeless and living in a shelter, they rethink what it means to be rich or poor.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick, 2009. Newbery Honor Book 2010. Homer P. Figg escapes from his wretched foster home in Pine Swamp, Maine, and sets out to find his beloved older brother, Harold, who has been illegally sold into the Union Army.

Oggie Cooder, Party Animal by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Doug Holgate, 2009. Oggie Cooder series. Oggie Cooder has always wanted to swim in his neighbor Donnica Perfecto's perfect pool, and when Donnica's mother makes her invite Oggie to her birthday party, Oggie vows he will get his chance, no matter what obstacles Donnica sets up to keep Oggie away.

Operation Redwood by Susannah French, 2009. In northern California, Julian Carter-Li and his friends old and new fight to save a grove of redwoods from an investment company that plans to cut them down.

Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson, 2009. BCS Mock Newbery Medal Winner, 2010. Through letters to his little sister, who is living in a different foster home, sixth-grader Lonnie, also known as "Locomotion," keeps a record of their lives while they are apart, describing his own foster family, including his foster brother who returns home after losing a leg in the Iraq War.

Raymond and Graham Rule the School by Mike Knudson, 2008. Raymond and Graham series. Best friends Raymond and Graham have looked forward to being the oldest and toughest boys at East Millcreek Elementary School; but everything goes wrong, including the scary teacher.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, 2010. Kane Chronicles, Book 1. Brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane accidentally unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes the doctor to oblivion and forces his two children to embark on a dangerous journey, bringing them closer to the truth about their family and its links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

Roberto & Me by Dan Gutman, 2010. Baseball Card Adventures series. Stosh travels back to 1969 to try to prevent the untimely death of Roberto Clemente, a legendary baseball player and humanitarian, but upon his return to the present, he meets his own great-grandson who takes him into the future, and what he finds there is more shocking than anything he has encountered in his travels to the past.

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari, 2009. Twelve-year-olds Madeleine, Theo, and Lulu, and thirteen-year-old Garrison, are sent to a remote Massachusetts school to overcome their phobias, but tragedy strikes and the quartet must work together--with no adult assistance--to face their fears.

The Small Adventures of Popeye & Elvis by Barbara O’Connor, 2009. In Fayette, South Carolina, the highlight of Popeye's summer is learning vocabulary words with his grandmother until a motor home gets stuck nearby and Elvis, the oldest boy living inside, joins Popeye in finding the source of strange boats floating down the creek.

The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki, 2009. When friends Eddie, Harris, and Maggie discover that the scary adventures in their favorite author's fictional books come true, they must find a way to close the portal that allows evil creatures and witches to enter their hometown of Gatesweed.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, 2009. Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.

Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall by Emily Bearn, 2009. Wealthy, married mice Tumtum and Nutmeg find adventure when they secretly try to help two human siblings who live in a tumbledown cottage with their absent-minded inventor father.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham, 2010. Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone, who knows every judge, police officer, and court clerk in the small town of Strattenburg, finds himself involved in a murder trial because of knowledge he might have about a cold-blooded killer.

The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow by Tim Kehoe, 2009. Vincent Shadow has always been different from the other kids his age, thanks to his creative mind, which he uses to develop unique toys in his secret attic lab, and when a toy inventor offers Vincent the chance to make his dreams a reality, he realizes his creativity is what makes him special, not just strange.

Walnut Cup by Patrick Carman, 2009. Elliot’s Park series. The Walnut Cup, the only American stop on the World Squirrel Soccer League tour, is taking place in Elliot's park, but when the game ball, a perfectly round walnut, goes missing it is up to Elliot and his friends to find it.

We the Children by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Adam Stower, 2010. Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School; Book 1. Ben and his friend Jill find themselves in danger when they discover the secret history of their Massachusetts school and set out to derail a developer's plan to level the building to make way for an amusement park.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, 2009. Newbery Honor Book 2010. Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.

NONFICTION

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy with Wilson Kimmell Naiyomah, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez, 2009. Presents an illustrated tale of a gift of fourteen cows given by the Maasai people of Kenya to the U.S. as a gesture of comfort and friendship in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani, 2009. Illustrations and easy-to-follow text describe how brothers Bob and Joe Switzer invented fluorescent paint and colors; and explains how fluorescence works.

Django: World Greatest Jazz Guitarist by Bonnie Christensen, 2009. An illustrated, rhythmic account of the life of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.

Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Gary Kelley, 2009. A biographical tribute to the upbringing and career of Eleanor Roosevelt, who taught children in poor neighborhoods in New York City and worked as an ambassador, activist, and champion of civil rights.

The Fastest Game on Two Feet: And Other Poems About How Sports Began by Alice Low, illustrated by John O’Brien, 2009. Collects twenty illustrated poems for children on the origins of various sports, and includes selections entitled "If There Weren't Any Sports," "A Queen on the Green," "No Pedals, No Medals," "A Pie Plate in the Sky," and others.

A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing and Shout by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka, 2009. Collects over three dozen illustrated rhyming poems, with tongue twisters and bilingual pieces, drawn from contemporary and classic literary sources and anonymous authors.

Just the Right Size: Why Animals Are Big and Little by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Neal Layton, 2009. Illustrations and simple text help young readers to understand why some animals are big and some are small.

Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country) by Kathleen Krull & Paul Brewer, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, 2010. Explores what made Abraham Lincoln's sense of humor so distinctive and how his ability to find humor in even the most dire circumstances helped him survive his difficult life and helped the country cope with the Civil War.

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and the Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and Susan L. Roth, 2009. A children's book that tells the story of Dr. Greg Mortenson's promise to build a school in a remote Himalayan village after the villagers saved his life.

Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Bang and Peggy Chisolm, 2009. Colorful illustrations and text introduces young readers to the importance of sunlight to grow plants, which humans and animals depend on to survive.

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca, 2009. An illustrated account of the flight of Apollo 11 in 1969, the first manned mission to land on the moon.

Never Smile at a Monkey: and 17 Other Important Things to Remember by Steve Jenkins, 2009. Presents an illustrated discussion of what not to do around various dangerous animals, with warnings about petting a platypus, touching a tang fish, or pulling a python's tail.

A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, 2008. Draws from the science fields of cosmology, astronomy, paleontology, geology, chemistry, physics, and others to examine key events in the history of science, beginning with the Big Bang.

Redwoods by Jason Chin, 2009. While reading a book about redwood trees on the subway, a young boy travels as he learns, all the way to the forests of California.

Saving the Baghdad Zoo: A True Story of Hope and Heroes by Kelly Millner Halls, photographs by Major William Sumner, 2010. A photo-illustrated firsthand account of how United States soldiers and volunteers saved the animals of the Baghdad Zoo after the start of the Iraq War.

Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, 2009. Text and illustrations tell the life story and describe the work of African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth.

Spot the Plot by Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, 2009. An illustrated collection of thirteen poems, each of which poses a riddle about a familiar story.

The Teen Who Invented Television: the story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Greg Couch, 2009. Presents a picture-book biography of Philo Farnsworth, who created the world's first television image in 1928.

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Andre Carrilho, 2009. Offers a brief overview of the life of Sandy Koufax, discussing the obstacles and physical challenges he faced, his successful career, his retirement, and other related topics.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm, Andrew Arnols and Alexis Frederick-Frost, 2009.

Uses a story about a magical elf who helps a princess learn how to draw a comic to present techniques for and advice about drawing comics.

The Big Adventures of Majoko, Vol 1. by Tomomi Mizuna, 2009. Majoko, a wizard girl from the Land of Magic who was trapped inside a diary, and a young girl named Nana have adventures in a magical world where they meet creatures and come upon many surprises.

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires, 2009. Binky, a house cat who believes the family home is actually a space station, trains and prepares to travel into outer space, where his humans go everyday and need his protection.

Johnny Boo: The Best Little Ghost in the World by James Kochalka, 2008. Johnny Boo, along with his pet ghost Squiggle, play and encounter an ice cream monster while searching for the secret ice cream that Johnny Boo buried in the ground, but when the ice cream monster eats Squiggle, he must use his "Squiggle power" to get free.

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers by Chris Eliopolous, 2010. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers assemble to sniff out the Infinity Gems, six powerful gems that, once united, can bring the universe to its knees, before the super-powered Thanos finds them and uses their power for his own evil plans.

Max Finder Mystery: Collected Casebook, Vol 1 by Liam O’Donnell, 2006. Presents casebooks for ten mysteries taken on by twelve-year-old Max Finder and Alison Santos and encourages the reader to solve the cases.

Meanwhile by Jason Shiga, 2010. In this choose-your-own adventure graphic novel, a boy stumbles on the laboratory of a mad scientist who asks him to choose between testing a mind-reading device, a time machine, and a doomsday machine.

The Secret Science and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis, 2009. Eleven-year-old Julian Calendar thought changing schools would mean leaving his "nerdy" persona behind, but instead he forms an alliance with fellow inventors Greta and Ben and works with them to prevent an adult from using one of their gadgets for nefarious purposes.

Tiger Moth and the Dragon Kite Contest by Aaron Reynolds, 2007. Tiger Moth and Kung Pow become suspicious when the Fruit Fly Boys enter the kite-flying contest and only one of them shows up.

First-Fourth Grade Student Book Recommendations 2009

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1st Grade Picks

The BFG
Roald Dahl

Bob and Otto
Robert Bruel

Bone #8 Treasure Hunters
Jeff Smith

Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy
Dav Pilkey

Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People
Dav Pilkey

Cat Power!
Daniel Kirk

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Judi Barrett

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
Marla Frazee

The Daddy Mountain
Jules Feiffer

Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Greg Heffley's Journal
Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Rodrick Rules
Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
Jeff Kinney

Fire and Ice (Warriors Series)
Erin Hunter

Fly High, Fly Guy!
Tedd Arnold

Frog and Toad Together
Arnold Lobel

Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling

Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge?
Jon Scieszka

Hi! Fly Guy
Tedd Arnold.

I Spy : A Book of Picture Riddles
Walter Wick

I Spy Christmas : A Book of Picture Riddles
Walter Wick

I Spy Gold Challenger!: A Book of Picture Riddles
Walter Wick

I'm Too Fond of My Fur!
Geronimo Stilton

Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy
Barbara Park

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye
Geronimo Stilton

Magic Tree House: Dark Day in the Deep Sea
Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House: Afternoon on the Amazon
Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House: Summer of the Sea
Mary Pope Osborne

The Missing Piece
Shel Silverstein

Owen & Mzee : the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Isabella Hatkoff

Pinky and Rex and the Bully
James Howe

Princess Stories
Cooper Edens.

Puppy: Pet Care Guide For Kids
Mark Evans

Shoo, Fly Guy!
Tedd Arnold

Star Wars, I Want to be a Jedi
Simon Beecroft

Star Wars, Ready, Set, Podrace!
Simon Beecroft

Star wars : the Visual Dictionary
David West Reynolds

Super Fly Guy
Tedd Arnold

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy
Tedd Arnold

Zen Ties
Jon J. Muth

2nd Grade Picks

A to Z Mysteries: The Bald Bandit
Ron Roy

The Adventures of Daniel Boom, a.k.a. Loud Boy
David Steinberg

All About Sam
Lois Lowry

Anne of Green Gables
L.M. Montgomery

Babymouse : Queen of the World!
Jennifer L. Holm

The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket

Barack Obama : Our 44th president
Beatrice Gormley

The BFG
Roald Dahl

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella
Tony Johnston

Bone #1 Out From Boneville
Jeff Smith

Bottlenose Dolphins
Victor Gentle

Buried Blueprints
Albert Lorenze

The Curse of Ravenscourt : a Samantha mystery
Sara Masters Buckey

Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Greg Heffley's Journal
Jeff Kinney

Dinotopia
James Gurney

Ellie McDoodle : New Kid in School
Ruth McNally Barshaw

The five lost aunts of Harriet Bean
Alexander McCall Smith

Garfield Goes Bananas
Jim Davis

The Greedy Triangle
Marilyn Burns

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling

The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet.
Tony Abbott

Junie B., First Grader : Aloha-ha-ha!
Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Barbara Park

Kung Flu Klutz & Karate Cool
Mark Seidenberg

The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane
Joanna Cole,

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House: Winter of the Ice Wizard
Mary Pope Osborne

Math Curse
Jon Scieszka

Nelly in the Wilderness
Lynn Cullen

Paint the Wind
Pam Munoz Ryan

Please Write in this Book
Mary Amato

The Secret Zoo
Bryan Chick

Squids Will Be Squids : Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables
Jon Scieszka

The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Judy Blume

Toys Go Out
Emily Jenkins

Which Puppy?
Kate Feiffer

The Wild, Wild West
Geronimo Stilton

Third Grade Picks

All About Sam
Lois Lowry

All-of-a-kind Family
Sydney Taylor

Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer

Betsy-Tacy
Maud Hart Lovelace

C D B!
William Steig

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl

Charlotte's Web
E.B. White

Cinderella: (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story)
Barbara Ensor
Coraline
Neil Gaiman

Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Greg Heffley's Journal
Jeff Kinney

The Doll People
Ann M. Martin

Eragon
Christopher Paolini

The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling

Hunting for Hidden Gold
Franklin W. Dixon,

Inkheart
Cornelia Caroline Funke

The Invasion
Katherine Applegate

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick

Lafcadio
Shel Silverstein

The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan

Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs before dark
Mary Pope Osborne

Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli

Mary Poppins
Pamela Lyndon Travers

The Secret Zoo
Bryan Chick

The Star Wars Cookbook II
Frankie Frankeny and Martin Westley

Stuart Little
E.B. White

Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson

The Trumpet of the Swan
E.B. White

Where The Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls

The world according to Humphrey
Betty G. Birney

A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle

Zoo School
Laurie Miller Hornik

4th Grade Picks

The 4th Garfield Treasury
Jim Davis

The 9th Garfield Treasury
Jim Davis

The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket

Bone #1 Out From Boneville
Jeff Smith

By the Side of the Road
Jules Feiffer

Chasing Vermeer
Blue Balliett

Chet Gecko's Detective Handbook and Cookbook
Bruce Hale

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
Jeff Kinney

Dizzy: a novel
Cathy Cassidy

East
Edith Pattou

The Fellowship of the Ring
J. R. R. Tolkien

The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman

Indigo Blue: a novel
Cathy Cassidy

Into the wild
Erin Hunter

The Lottie Project
Jacqueline Wilson

Meet Samantha, an American Girl
Susan S. Adler

Murder, My Tweet
Bruce Hale

The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster

Rules
Cynthia Lord

The Salamander Spell
E.D. Baker

Sharks, the Super Fish
Helen Roney Sattler

The Thief Lord
Cornelia Caroline Funke

The Titan's Curse
Rick Riordan

The Truth Cookie
Fiona Dunbar

The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Christopher Paul Curtis

Directions for Using the Library Catalog

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The Berkeley Carroll Libraries Online Catalog is accessible from any computer with Internet access. Go here to get started.

The Catalog has two search modes – Basic, where you can search for a specific title, and Visual, where students can browse categories. The Summer Reading List, as well as lots of other fun categories to explore, can be found in the Visual search. Here you can see it circled in green. The tab for basic search is circled in red and the tab for visual is underlined in blue. The yellow arrow points to the Login button.

Students going into Second, Third and Fourth Grade can login using their usual computer user id and password. Email Ms. Sauro if you are not sure what this is.

When students login, they can explore the catalog and create lists that can then be printed and taken to bookstores or libraries. Click on “Keep” to begin creating a personal list (red arrow). The list they create can be found by clicking Resource Lists in the lefthand column (blue arrow).

Students can click on any book title to be taken to a screen with information about the book. From here, students can write a review of the book (yellow arrow) or recommend the book to a friend (purple arrow).

Finally, students can always see what books they have checked out and when they are due using the My Info tab (red arrow). Here they can also renew books (blue arrow) and see what books have been recommended by friends.

Reminder - Summer Reading Requirements
Third and Fourth Graders: Please arrive in September ready to share your favorite book that you read alone this summer as well as your favorite book that you read with someone else. There will be activities at the beginning of the year that will involve these books so be prepared!

Third and Fourth Graders are encouraged to use their library logins to post reviews and recommendations this summer.

All families should remember to take a photo of their child reading this summer, whether it's in Prospect Park or Paris! These photos are used in the Summer Reading Assembly in September.

PreK-1st Grade Summer Reading List 2009

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Beginner Readers

Are you ready to play outside? by Mo Willems (2008). Elephant, who is cautious and pessimistic, and Piggie, who is optimistic and sometimes reckless, go outside to play in the sun and hope that it does not rain. (2009 Geisel Medal Winner)

Annie and Snowball and the Teacup Club : the third book of their adventures by Cynthia Rylant (2009). Annie forms a club for girls who love teacups and other dainty things, but she will always love her cousin Henry and his big drooly dog too. (Fiction)

Cork & Fuzz : the collectors by Dori Chaconas (2008). Cork, a short muskrat, and Fuzz, a tall possum, both like to collect shiny stones, but Cork must act fast to save his friend when Fuzz angers a mother duck by trying to take a "stone" from her nest. (Fiction)

Giant John by Arnold Lobel (2008). Hired to perform odd jobs at the royal castle, Giant John's work pleases everyone until the musical fairies arrive and the friendly giant cannot resist the urge to dance. (Fiction)

Goose and Duck by Jean Craighead George (2008). A young boy becomes the "mother" to a goose, who becomes "mother" to a duck, as they learn about the rhythms of nature together. (Fiction)

I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems (2008). Gerald and Piggie have a misunderstanding over Piggie's new toy, but soon realize friends are more fun to play with than toys. (Fiction)

Ricky by Guido Van Genechten (2008). Ricky Rabbit, who has one ear that hangs down while the other sticks straight up, teaches young readers that there is nothing wrong with being different. (Fiction)

Chicken said, "Cluck!" by Judyann Ackerman Grant (2008). Chicken wants to help Earl and Pearl plant their pumpkins, but she only manages to get in the way, until grasshoppers invade the pumpkin patch and Chicken is the only one who can stop them. (Fiction) (2009 Geisel Honor Book)

Biography

Barack Obama : son of promise, child of hope by Nikki Grimes (2008). Full-color illustrations and easy-to-follow text presents a narrative description of the life of President Barack Obama, beginning with his childhood in Hawaii, his family, his education, and professional achievements. (Non-Fiction)

What to do about Alice? by Barbara Kerley (2008). An illustrated biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth that focuses on her experiences while her father was president of the United States. (Non-Fiction) (2009 Sibert Honor)

Nothing but trouble : the story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher (2007). Explores the life and achievements of Althea Gibson, the first African-American woman to win the Wimbledon Cup. (Non-Fiction)

Before John was a jazz giant : a song of John Coltrane by Carole Boston Weatherford (2008). A biography of John Coltrane that focuses on his childhood and adolescent years and discusses his inspirations, influences, family, the development of his musical talent, and more. (Non-Fiction) (2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award)

Different like Coco by Elizabeth Matthews (2007). An illustrated look at the life of fashion designer Coco Chanel, discussing her youth in France, and the development of her own particular style which caught on around the world. (Non-Fiction)

You can't do that, Amelia! by Kimberly Wagner Klier (2008). Describes Amelia Earhart's determination and efforts to become one of the world's first female pilots. (Non-Fiction)

Manfish : a story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne (2008). An illustrated biography of Jacques Cousteau, discussing how his youthful fascinations with filming and underwater exploration translated into his life's work, and telling of his later devotion to saving the ocean environment. (Non-Fiction)

Johnny Appleseed by Jane Yolen (2008). Presents an illustrated retelling of the life of Johnny Appleseed that captures the magic of his adventures and his impact on American history. (Non-Fiction)

Pocahontas : princess of the New World by Kathleen Krull (2007). An illustrated introduction to the life of the Indian princess Pocahontas and her contact with English settlers, especially John Smith. (Non-Fiction)

Helen Keller : the world in her heart by Lesa Cline-Ransome (2008). Describes how Helen Keller used her working senses, including touch and smell, to explore the world around her. (Non-Fiction)

Beyond Princess Books

Don't kiss the frog! : princess stories with attitude by Lou Kuenzler (2008). A collection of six stories about princesses who are anything but ordinary princesses. (Fiction)

The apple-pip princess by Jane Ray (2008). In a land that has stood barren, parched by drought and ravaged by frosts since the Queen's death, the King sets his three daughters the task of making the kingdom bloom again, and discovers that sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference. (Fiction)

The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Yim Bridges (2008). In a village in Thailand where everyone makes umbrellas, young Noot dreams of painting the most beautiful one and leading the annual parade as Umbrella Queen, but her unconventional designs displease her parents. (Fiction)

The princess gown by Linda Leopold Strauss (2008). If the wedding dress young Hanna's family is making is not chosen for the princess, they will go to the poor house but thanks to Hanna's sharp eyes and artistic ability, her father stands a very good chance of becoming Embroiderer to the Princess. (Fiction)

Mercy Watson : princess in disguise by Kate DiCamillo (2007). Mercy the pig is in for a Halloween adventure when Mr. and Mrs. Watson decide to dress her up as a princess and take her trick-or-treating. (Fiction)

Ella Bella ballerina and the Sleeping Beauty by James Mayhew (2008). Ella finds a music box after ballet class and is transported to the world of Princess Aurora where she helps save the princess from a spell. (Fiction)

The prince won't go to bed! by Dayle Ann Dodds (2007). When the young prince refuses to go to bed, assorted members of the royal household offer their ideas on exactly what he needs, but it is his sister, Princess Kate, who learns the truth. (Fiction)

Arthur and Guen : an original tale of young Camelot by Jon Koons (2008) Arthur and Princess Guenevere meet when they are young, and, with the help of a magical sword that appears from the middle of a lake, they fend off the advances of a band of thieves who mean to kill them. (Fiction)

Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis (2008). After her brother tells her she is too little to play with him, Lulu, dressed as Ladybug Girl, makes her own fun. (Fiction)

The fiesta dress : a quinceanera tale by Caren McNelly McCormack (2009). While Eva and her family prepare for her quinceanera, no one is paying attention to her younger sister, but when the dog gets out of the laundry room and steals Eva's sash, her little sister comes to the rescue. (Fiction)

The Hinky Pink : an old tale by Megan McDonald (2008). Anabel, a talented seamstress, is delighted to be summoned to the Great Castle of Firenze to create a special dress for Princess Isabella Caramella Gorgonzola, but becomes discouraged when her efforts are continually subverted by an unseen sprite. (Fiction)

Space & Nature Books

Wolfsnail : a backyard predator by Sarah C. Campbell (2008). Close-up photographs and simple text describe how a wolf snail hunts, attacks, and eats it prey. (Non-fiction) (2009 Geisel Honor Book)

Boy, were we wrong about the solar system! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski (2008). Looks at scientific discovery as a process of mistakes, mishaps, and enlightenment, and discusses how theories have changed throughout the history of research into the solar system. (Non-fiction)

Down, down, down : a journey to the bottom of the sea by Steve Jenkins (2009). Illustrations explore the ocean from the birds and waves down to the deepest, darkest bottom; and feature jellyfish, squid, whales, and more. (Non-fiction)

The curious garden by Peter Brown (2009). Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city of Manhattan. (Fiction)

You Are the First Kid On Mars by Patrick O'Brien (2009). Introduces young readers to what it might be like to live on Mars. (Non-fiction)

Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin (2009). Chronicles the history of space exploration, looking at space pioneers, programs, rockets, missions, and related topics from the perspective of Buzz Aldrin, one of the few astronauts to have walked on the moon. (Fiction)

Neil Armstrong : one giant leap for mankind by Tara Dixon-Engel & Mike Jackson (2008). A biography of former American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, who, in 1969, became the first man to walk on the moon. (Non-fiction)

Sports & Horse Books

Going, going, gone! : and other silly dilly sports songs by Alan Katz (2009). Provides new, sports-themed lyrics to well-known songs, including "On Top of the Bleachers" and "When Jimmy Gets in the Batter's Box." (Non-fiction)

Before they were famous : Babe Ruth by Vito Delsante (2009). A graphic novel offering a fictionalized account of the childhood of baseball legend Babe Ruth. (Non-fiction)

The Super Sluggers: Slumpbuster by Kevin Markey (2009). Eleven-year-old slugger Banjo "The Great Walloper" Bishbash is overcome by a nasty hitting slump as he tries to lead the Rambletown Rounders to the division baseball championship. (Fiction)

Black Diamond & Blake by Deborah Blumenthal (2009). After an injury, Black Diamond, a racehorse, is sent to a country prison where he forms a strong bond with the inmate assigned to care for him. Includes facts on programs that pair animals with prisoners who learn how to take care of them. (Fiction)

Seabiscuit : the wonder horse by Meghan McCarthy (2008). Seabiscuit, a funny looking horse with a losing streak, is bought and given a second chance by Charles Howard, and after new training and a loving jockey, Seabiscuit starts winning more races, but must prepare to run against War Admiral, the top racehorse in the country. (Non-fiction)

You never heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter (2009). Offers a brief overview of the life of Sandy Koufax, discussing the obstacles and physical challenges he faced, his successful career, his retirement, and other related topics.
(Non-fiction)

Graphic Books

Stinky : a toon book by Eleanor Davis (2008). Stinky, a monster who lives in a swamp, comes up with all kinds of strange ways to get rid of a kid who has wandered into his territory. (Fiction) (2009 Geisel Honor Book)

Johnny Boo by James Kochalka (2008). Johnny Boo, along with his pet ghost Squiggle, play and encounter an ice cream monster while searching for the secret ice cream that Johnny Boo buried in the ground, but when the ice cream monster eats Squiggle, he must use his "Squiggle power" to get free. (Fiction)

Babymouse #10: The musical by Jennifer L. Holm (2009). As tryouts for the school musical begin, Babymouse takes the starring role in several imaginary Broadway productions, which also feature her debonair new classmate, Henry the hedgehog. (Fiction)

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (2009). Lunch Lady and Betty, her assistant in both the cafeteria and her role of supersleuth, investigate the strange case of an absent teacher, his creepy substitute, and a plan to grab the Teacher of the Year Award by truly foul means. (Fiction)

Great Read Aloud Chapter Books

Cool zone with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume (2008). More adventures at school and at home with Jake, a first-grader, and his older sister Abigail, known to each other as the Pain and the Great One.

Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin (2000). A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for one hundred years is taken aback when a new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor. (Fiction)

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (2008). While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building. (Fiction)

Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley (2008). Snake and Lizard share a number of adventures, argue with each other, and end up as lifelong friends. (Fiction)

Daisy Dawson and the secret pond by Steve Voake (2009). Daisy Dawson, who can understand and speak with animals, attempts to find a couple of shy otters and take their picture to bring to school, with help from Boom the basset hound and Cyril the squirrel. (Fiction)

The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman (2009). When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson. (Fiction)

Stink-o-pedia : super stink-y stuff from A to Zzzzz by Megan McDonald (2009) Contains alphabetically arranged entries that provide strange-but-true information on a variety of funny, amazing, and sometimes smelly topics. (Fiction)

Toys Go Out : being the adventures of a knowledgeable stingray, a toughy little buffalo, and someone called Plastic by Emily Jenkins (2006). Six stories relate the adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys. (Fiction)

Toy Dance Party : being the further adventures of a Bossyboots Stingray, a courageous Buffalo, and a hopeful round someone called Plastic by Emily Jenkins (2008). Six stories relate further adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys, as they encounter a fearsome--possible--shark, enjoy a dance party, and deal with rejection by The Girl, who is growing up. (Fiction)

Poetry

The Blacker the Berry : poems by Joyce Carol Thomas (2008). A collection of poems, including "Golden Goodness," "Cranberry Red," and "Biscuit Brown," celebrating individuality and Afro-American identity. (2009 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books)

Pizza, pigs, and poetry : how to write a poem by Jack Prelutsky (2008). Explains to kids how to write poems about everyday subjects from their lives, such as experiences with their family, friends, and pets, providing tips, example poems, and exercises.

The swamps of Sleethe : poems from beyond the solar system by Jack Prelutsky (2009). A collection of humorous poems for young readers about life beyond the solar system.

Read a rhyme, write a rhyme : poems by Jack Prelutsky (2005). Presents a collection of complete and incomplete illustrated poems that encourage children to write.

City I love by Lee Bennett Hopkins (2009). Collects eighteen poems by American poet Lee Bennett Hopkins that guide the reader through cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, and elsewhere, with illustrations by Marcellus Hall.

Dinothesaurus : prehistoric poems and paintings by Douglas Florian (2009). Presents illustrated verse about various carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, including the Iguanodon, Spinosaurus, and long-necked plesiosaurs.

Mother Goose

The neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews (2004). A collection of nursery rhymes, both familiar and lesser known, illustrated with photographs in a city setting.

The neat line : scribbling through Mother Goose by Pamela Duncan Edwards (2005). A young scribble matures into a neat line, then wriggles into a book of nursery rhymes where he transforms himself into different objects to assist the characters he meets there.

Knick knack paddy whack illustrated by Christiane Engels (2008). An illustrated version of the traditional counting song that tells of the ten things "this old man" played before he came rolling home.

Dimity Dumpty : the story of Humpty's little sister by Bob Graham (2007). Humpty Dumpty's little sister is too shy to be part of her family's circus act, but she finds courage when her brother needs her help.

Mary had a little lamp by Jack Lechner (2008). Mary takes her "bendy," gooseneck lamp wherever she goes, much to the dismay of her parents and classmates, but after leaving it at home during summer camp, Mary finds that she has outgrown her need for her odd companion.

Popular Books in a Series

Roscoe Riley Rules by Katherine Applegate (2008). Short chapters, fast moving action, and a funny, first-grade boy!

Alvin Ho by Lenore Look (2008). Touching, drop-dead-funny chapter books about a young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, Alvin Ho, who loves superheroes and comes from a long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to be courageous, but first he must overcome his fear of everything.

Horse Diaries by Alison Hart (2009). For anyone who has every dreamed of hearing a horse's story. . .with exciting and knowledgeable text and lovely black-and-white art throughout, this series is the perfect fit for all lovers of horses and history.

Mercy Watson Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate Dicamillo (2009). Some may find it wonky to take a pig to the movies. But not Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who think the title of the film, “When Pigs Fly,” is inspirational. And not their beloved Mercy who becomes a pig on a mission.

Notable Picture Books

What can you do with a rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla (2008). A spunky, young Mexican American girl explains the many uses of her mother's red rebozo, or long scarf. (2009 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book)

ABC3D by Marion Bataille (2008). From the lenticular cover to the jazzy use of a red, white and black color scheme, this hand-size French alphabet book is as stylish as a pop-up can be. Letters here not only pop up, they move and transform.

Bats at the library by Brian Lies (2008). Bored with another normal, inky evening, bats discover an open library window and fly in to enjoy the photocopier, water fountain, and especially the books and stories found there.

A couple of boys have the best week ever by Marla Frazee (2008). Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon's grandparents during summer vacation. (2009 Caldecott Honor Book)

Help me, Mr. Mutt! : expert answers for dogs with people problems by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel (2008). Dogs across the United States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson (2008). Illustrations and easy-to-read text explore the light that makes a house in the night a home filled with light. (2009 Caldecott Award)

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2008). As he spends hours studying his father's world map, a young boy escapes the hunger and misery of refugee life. 'Based on the author's childhood in Kazakhstan, where he lived as a Polish refugee during World War II. (2009 Caldecott Honor Book)

How to heal a broken wing by Bob Graham (2008). When Will finds a bird with a broken wing, he takes it home and cares for it, hoping in time it will be able to return to the sky.

Just in case : a trickster tale and Spanish alphabet book by Yuyi Morales (2008). As Senor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle's birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all. Text in English with some Spanish.

Little Mouse's big book of fears by Emily Gravett (2008). Little Mouse draws pictures of some of the many things of which he is afraid, including creepy crawlies, sharp knives, and having accidents, and provides the correct scientific name for each of his fears.

Louise : the adventures of a chicken by Kate DiCamillo (2008). Longing for adventure, intrepid Louise leaves her comfortable nest and goes to sea.

Madam President by Lane Smith (2008). A little girl imagines what her day would be like if she were President of the United States.

Mail Harry to the moon! by Robie H. Harris (2008). Harry's older brother, unhappy that the new baby is making lots of noise and getting all the attention, thinks up creative ways to get rid of him.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes (2008). When Old Bear falls asleep for the winter, he has a dream that he is a cub again, enjoying each of the four seasons.

Ten little fingers and ten little toes by Mem Fox (2008). Rhyming text compares babies who, although born in different places and in different circumstances, each have ten little fingers and ten little toes.

Traction Man meets Turbodog by Mini Grey (2008). Traction Man braves the evil bin things in order to save Scrubbing Brush, who had been thrown away by the little boy's father and replaced with a battery-operated dog.

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (2008). Bear's efforts to keep out visitors to his house are undermined by a very persistent mouse.

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein (2008). Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanese concept of beauty through simplicity as she asks various animals she meets about the meaning of her name.
One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (2008). A boy creates ten paintings in this counting book that also explores the relationship of words within words. (2009 Geisel Honor Book)

2008-09 Author/Illustrator Visits

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel (2005). When a kitty discovers there is no cat food in the house, she decides to become very, very bad.

Boing by Nick Bruel (2004). A mother kangaroo and various woodland animals coach her joey as she attempts her first jump.

Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel (2005). When Bad Kitty won't play with him, Poor Puppy has to amuse himself with an alphabetical list of toys and dreams of playing in an alphabetical list of countries.

Who is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel (2006). An introduction to six-year-old Melvin Bubble as presented by his family, friends, and others.

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars : space poems and paintings by Douglas Florian (2007). A collection of twenty whimsical poems about comets, the stars, moon, and the planets.

Handsprings : poems & paintings by Douglas Florian (2006). An illustrated collection of twenty-nine poems that celebrate the promise of spring.

Winter eyes : poems & paintings by Douglas Florian (1999). A collection of poems about winter, including "Sled," "Icicles," and "Ice Fishing."

Insectlopedia : poems and paintings by Douglas Florian (1998). Presents twenty-one short poems about such insects as the inchworm, termite, cricket, and daddy longlegs.

Omnibeasts : animal poems and paintings by Douglas Florian (2004). An illustrated collection of forty-four rhyming poems about animals by the famous author of children's poetry.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999). George the puppy's mother is in for a big surprise when she takes him to the veterinarian to find out why he does not bark.

The Daddy Mountain by Jules Feiffer (2004). A little girl makes the perilous climb up her father's body, from his foot to the top of his head.

Henry, the Dog With No Tail by Kate Feiffer ; illustrated by Jules Feiffer (2007). Envious of the other dogs that have tails, Henry goes in search of a tail of his own, but in the end he decides he is happy the way he is.

Which Puppy? by Kate Feiffer ; illustrated by Jules Feiffer (2009). Puppies from around the world--along with some would-be puppies--compete with one another to become the First Family's new puppy.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett (1978). Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers--until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Pickles to Pittsburgh : the Sequel to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett (1997). Dozing off while contemplating Grandpa's unusual vacation, Kate dreams about Chewandswallow, a town where giant food falls from the sky and is shipped off to hungry people around the world.

Never Take a Shark to the Dentist : (and Other Things Not to Do) by Judi Barrett (2008). A list of things one should not do with various animals, such as "hold hands with a lobster."

Things That are Most in the World by Judi Barrett (1998). The reader who wants to know what are the quietest, silliest, smelliest, wiggliest things in the world finds imaginative answers to these and other questions about superlatives.

Dinosaur Books

I like dinosaurs by Angela Aylmore (2007). Photographs and simple, first-person text describe different types of dinosaurs, their physical characteristics, behaviors, and habitats. (Non-fiction)

Life-size dinosaurs by David Bergen (2004). Presents ten colorful fold-out pages featuring life-size pictures of dinosaur claws, teeth, and more, and describes when these predators lived, how they survived, and their habitats. (Non-fiction)

Mysteries of the fossil dig : how paleontologists learn about dinosaurs by Pamela Rushby (2006). An introduction to the methods and job responsibilities of a paleontologist that focuses on the excavation and study of dinosaur bones. (Non-fiction)

Gorgonzola : a Very Stinkysaurus by Margie Palatini (2008). When Gorgonzola the dinosaur learns that everyone runs from him to avoid his smell, rather than out of fear, he is grateful to the little bird who shows him how to brush his teeth and wash. (Fiction)

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea (2008). Little Dinosaur roars his way through a number of daily challenges, but he cannot seem to defeat bedtime. (Fiction)

I'm bad! by Kate & Jim McMullan (2008). A hungry Tyrannosaurus rex searches for food in the prehistoric forest but is thwarted in its attempts to find something to eat.
(Fiction)