Elementary Library Catalog
Click Here to learn how to use our catalog.
Find eBooks and Audiobooks on your devices!
To read or listen, you must download the free app from your device's store. Directions are found by clicking here.
Author, author!
Our May author of the month was Jerry Spinelli. Jerry was born in 1941 in the town of Norristown, Pennsylvania. As a youngster he played many sports, including soccer and baseball. Jerry dreamed of becoming a major league baseball player, but in high school learned that he could not hit a curve ball so the major leagues were out. Luckily, he discovered he had another talent....Writing! Spinelli wrote a poem that was published in the local newspaper; and decided to put down the bat and take up the pen. Spinelli's books include Maniac Magee, Stargirl and Wringer among others. Learn more about Jerry Spinelli at Teachingbooks.net.
Our April author of the month was Eve Bunting. Mrs. Bunting was born in Northern Ireland in 1928. She attended school and college there. In college she met her husband Ed, who was an American working in Ireland. The couple got married and had 3 children. In 1958, the family came to the United States and settled in California.
In 1959, Bunting took a writing class and that was the start of her writing career. In 1972 her first book was publish. Since then, Bunting has written over 200 books and has won many awards for her stories. Among her awards are the Caldicott Medal and the Kite Award.
Eve Bunting still lives in California with her husband Ed. To learn more about Eve Bunting, visit TeachingBooks on our library page.
In 1959, Bunting took a writing class and that was the start of her writing career. In 1972 her first book was publish. Since then, Bunting has written over 200 books and has won many awards for her stories. Among her awards are the Caldicott Medal and the Kite Award.
Eve Bunting still lives in California with her husband Ed. To learn more about Eve Bunting, visit TeachingBooks on our library page.
Our March author of the month was Cynthia Rylant. Rylant credits her awesome writing skills to her life experiences. Her family was poor and there was no money for extras like books. As a young girl Rylant lived with her grandparents while her mother finished nursing school. The family lived on food they grew or hunted for. Her experiences made her a bit of a tom boy.
Later she went to college in West Virginia and worked as a librarian. Her library experience is where she developed a love of children's books. This was the inspiration for Rylant's authorship. The rest is history!
Later she went to college in West Virginia and worked as a librarian. Her library experience is where she developed a love of children's books. This was the inspiration for Rylant's authorship. The rest is history!
February's author was Megan McDonald. Megan McDonald couldn't always find her voice, unlike her characters Judy Moody and Stink. Megan was the youngest of five sisters. She grew up with them in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Megan was inspired to tell stories by her father. His work friends gave him the nickname "Little Johnny the Storyteller because he loved to share stories with them at work. The whole McDonald family loved telling stories. The family would compete for a turn to tell their stories at the dinner table.
Since Megan was the youngest, she always had a hard time finding a chance to tell her stories. Her grandmother noticed that Megan needed a way to share all her wonderful stories so everyone would hear them, so she gave her a notebook to write them down. That is how Megan McDonald began her career as a writer. Find out more about Megan and her stories at https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=2813 .
Megan was inspired to tell stories by her father. His work friends gave him the nickname "Little Johnny the Storyteller because he loved to share stories with them at work. The whole McDonald family loved telling stories. The family would compete for a turn to tell their stories at the dinner table.
Since Megan was the youngest, she always had a hard time finding a chance to tell her stories. Her grandmother noticed that Megan needed a way to share all her wonderful stories so everyone would hear them, so she gave her a notebook to write them down. That is how Megan McDonald began her career as a writer. Find out more about Megan and her stories at https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=2813 .
January was Caldicott Month. The Randolph Caldicott medal was created and named to honor illustrators of children's picture books. The honor is awarded annually by the Children's and School Librarians Section of the American Library Association. The first award was given in 1938 and was awarded to Robert Larson for his illustration of the book "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"
A new winner is awarded every year in the month of January. Click Here to learn more about the Caldicott Award!
A new winner is awarded every year in the month of January. Click Here to learn more about the Caldicott Award!
December's author, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books." Exerpt from https://www.janbrett.com/biography.htm
Learn more about Jan Brett's work on Teachingbooks.net or from her website, www.janbrett.com.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books." Exerpt from https://www.janbrett.com/biography.htm
Learn more about Jan Brett's work on Teachingbooks.net or from her website, www.janbrett.com.
November's author was Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the American Library Association for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature.
Among his Random House books are Road Trip (written with his son, Jim Paulsen); Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Notes from the Dog; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts; and five books about Francis Tucket’s adventures in the Old West.
Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean. Find out more about Gary Paulsen at TeachingBooks.net.
Sourced from Random House Publishing, at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/23384/gary-paulsen/
Among his Random House books are Road Trip (written with his son, Jim Paulsen); Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Notes from the Dog; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts; and five books about Francis Tucket’s adventures in the Old West.
Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean. Find out more about Gary Paulsen at TeachingBooks.net.
Sourced from Random House Publishing, at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/23384/gary-paulsen/
October's author was Mary Downing Hahn. Mary has written 38 books as is a librarian who became an author! She was born in Washington DC is 1937. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was a mechanic. Mary was a shy, quite girl with a great imagination.
Winne the Pooh was one of her favorite books and as a child she believe the 1,000 acre woods was a real place where she wished she could live with Pooh and his friends. As she grew she continued to read. Some of her favorite books growing up were Anne of Green Gables, Oliver Twist, Kidnapped, Great Expectations, The Little Princess and the Secret Garden. Learn more about Mary's books at Teachingbooks.net.
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=418
Sources: https://biography.jrank.org/
Winne the Pooh was one of her favorite books and as a child she believe the 1,000 acre woods was a real place where she wished she could live with Pooh and his friends. As she grew she continued to read. Some of her favorite books growing up were Anne of Green Gables, Oliver Twist, Kidnapped, Great Expectations, The Little Princess and the Secret Garden. Learn more about Mary's books at Teachingbooks.net.
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=418
Sources: https://biography.jrank.org/
September's Author was Dav Pilkey. He has written 55 books! He is the author of the series Dogman, the Mighty Robots, Big Dog and Little Dog as well as KatKong and many, many more. Learn more about Dav and his inspiration for his stories on TeachingBooks.net. You can use your school google account to log in for more!
2022 Caldicott Medal Winner is.......
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. According to SLJ, "The illustrations use rich colors and shading to show the intricate connection among all living creatures."
Activities for PK-2 Students -Mother's Day Craft
Junie B Jones Read Aloud
|
Books and fun
|
Part 1
|
Part 2
|
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
Fun with Bruce Hale
|
|
Mr. Rokos Reads.....
Britannica Fun-dementals
Play and explore
Click here for Teacher Resources - How to videos and more
Local library systems in our area.
|