VIRGINIA READERS' CHOICE BOOKS ( 7-15-08):
Each winter our students participate in the Virginia State Reading Association's Young Readers' Choice program.  During the 2007-2008 school year we used PTA book fair funds to buy two library sets of the Readers' Choice books.  Teachers shared the books and made sure that each class had a chance to read all of the them.  Every child voted for his/her favorite book and then each class made a poster charting their votes.  Posters were hung in the main hallway so that we could all see the different classroom favorites.  The school favorite was Once Upon a Time, the End: Asleep in 60 Seconds by Geoffrey Kloske and Barry Blitt.  The state winner was He Came with the Couch by David Slonim.  All of the books were in great demand at checkout time.  If you visit the public library, any of the Readers' Choice nominees would be excellent books to borrow for reading at home.  They would also be fine choices if you are purchasing books for your home libraries. 

Some questions to discuss with children after reading these books are:

An enrichment activity would be to visit the public library to see what other books these authors/illustrators have published. Children can find things about the books that are similar and things about them that are different.

STORYTIME LINE (9-15-08):
Mt. Daniel has a program called Storytime where students can call to hear a book read by one of our staff members.  The telephone number is 703-536-1385.  Flyers are sent home weekly as new stories are recorded.  Everyone enjoys this way of sharing our love of books. After listening to the stories, students could borrow the books from our library to see  the illustrations that go with the text.

THE SHELF ELF (11-17-08):
September and October library instruction introduces a character called the shelf elf. Our Mount Daniel shelf elf, named Skoob, helps the children to learn library manners and book care. We have a Skoob doll and a book that he has "written" to enhance the library lessons. One of our activities is reading different versions of The Elves and the Shoemaker tale. Everyone has enjoyed these stories about little elves who help a poor shoemaker and his wife to earn their living during hard times. Of the versions we have read during library time, our favorite is The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jim LaMarche. The Mary Riley Styles Library has many different versions of this classic tale, and it would be great fun for the students to borrow some of them for reading at home.  Students could compare the different books, noting what is alike and what is different.

THE CALDECOTT MEDAL (12-17-08):
Each year the American Library Association has a committee that chooses one gold medal winner for the Caldedott Medal.  This award is given for the "most distinguished American picture book for children" and is a high honor in the children's literature field.  There are also two to four silver Caldecott Medal winners, called honor books, each year.  At Mt. Daniel we study the Caldecott Medal and read many of the winners during library time. Of the gold medal winners, Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann is a favorite.  Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems is a silver medal favorite, as is its sequel and silver medal winner, Knuffle Bunny Too.   The ALA Web site has a list of Caldecott Medal gold medal and silver medal books.  They are excellent books to borrow from the public library.  They make wonderful gifts.

Enjoy your reading activities!  Check this page again for more news as the school year progresses.

Ms. Viscardi
(Mt. Daniel Librarian)s