AWESOME APRIL

Mo Willems is the New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of picture books and early readers that have changed the face of children's literature. He has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions, and two of his Elephant and Piggie early readers received Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals. Therefore, many of the students in grade 1 knew the author of the book they read this week in their library class entitled, City Dog, Country Frog. In this story, written with poignant text and expressive watercolors, there is a reflection on the natural course of friendship and life that will resonate with readers of all ages. The second book they read was entitled Chalk by Bill Thomson which takes place on a rainy day with three children in a park with a dinosaur spring ride and a bag of chalk. The children begin to draw and then...magic.

Students in grade 2 took turns reading Africa Is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight by reading about all the countries in the continent of Africa. This vast continent is made up of 53 nations. If you took the land of the United States and added it to the lands of China, Japan, and Europe, Africa would still be bigger.Unlike any other continent, it is divided into two almost equal lengths by the equator, and it is nearly as wide as it is long.

To celebrate the Arts in our library classes, K students heard the story entitled Louie by Will Hillenbrand. Louie, the pig, loves to draw, but it gets him thrown out of every school he attends. So he goes to live with his aunt and uncle who help him realize he has a wonderful talent.

Students in Jr K heard the newest Knuffle Bunny entitled Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems. In this third book in the series Trixie and her famiy are off on a fantastic trip to visit her grandparents-all the way in Holland. But does Knuffle Bunny have different travel plans? The first book is entitled Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale and won a Caldecott Honor. The sequel is Knuffle Bunny Too: a case of mistaken identity.

Alpha students enjoyed listening to Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith. There is a lot to do before Little Mouse is reay to go visit the barn. Will he master all te intricacies of getting dressed, from snaps and buttons to Velcro and tail holes? This Theodor Seuss Geisel honor book by Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Smith is filled with humor and excitement. Another story they heard was entitled I'm the Best by Lucy Cousins. Valuable lessons were learned and discussed with the students after listening to this colorful work.

Students in grade 3 had to solve 13 riddles in Spot the Plot by J. Patrick Lewis. Each riddle described a book the students may have read and some of the titles included The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Madeline, Cinderella, The Story of Ferdinand, Goodnight Moon, The Adventure of Pinocchio, The Polar Express, Rapunzel, Charlotte's Web, Tacky the Penquin, Click, Clack, Moo, and the Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Fifth grade students learned about all the many award-winning books for young readers by author Avi. His extraordinary range of books include fantasies, sports stories, tales of suspense and terror, historical adventures, and a graphic novel. He has written over 70 books and is the creator of the Breakfast Serials stories by well-known writers, which appear, chapter by chaper, in hundreds of newspapers across America, and now have more than forty million devoted weekely readers. He and his family live in Denver, Colorado.

Voting took place in the media center last week and over 70 voters from grades 3-5, who read at least 3 books, cast their ballots for their favorite book from this year's Sunshine State Young Reader's Award contest. The results were sent to the DOE in Tallahassee and we will know the winner by the middle of May. Thank you to all the teachers and students who participated in this state reading program.

A BIG THANK YOU again to all of our library volunteers. I am so grateful to Jodi Gayoso for making sure every week the library schedule is posted and coverage is available for all the classes. All of you are so appreciated and your efforts are making the students happy to visit the media center.