Another Must-Have Holiday Book

I set out a lot of holiday books in the library before our winter break, and I was surprised at just how many we had. In fact, it seems that every time I get online or walk into a bookstore, I see or hear  of another holiday book. This is wonderful for readers! I also think most readers much like one would have a favorite holiday movie, readers also have a favorite holiday (Christmas) book.  (I don't think I can name just one, personally.) Perhaps it was a title read to you by a parent or teacher, or one you discovered on your own. It's a title we look for every time the season comes around, and Christmas wouldn't seem the same without it.

I purchased several for our library and I hope they will become more and more treasured as the years pass.

I found one new holiday book in particular that I'm particularly excited about, and when I found out it was by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, I knew it would be special. I was familiar with two of Thong's previous titles (Round is a Tortilla and Green is a Chile Pepper) and gladly read this one:

Thong, R., & Palacios, S. (Illustrator). 2014. 'Twas nochebuena. New York: Viking.

'Twas Nochebuena is a bilingual picture book that shares the holiday traditions of one Latino family. With delightful illustrations by Sara Palacios (winner of a Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Award in 2012) and rhyming lines in both English and Spanish, readers enjoy posadas, tamales, and joyous gatherings of friends and family during Christmas Eve or Nochebuena. The cover illustration of a hopeful girl holding a pot of poinsettias invites readers in, as does the bold red metallic title lettering. I opened the book and read it aloud, enjoying the Clement C. Moore rhythm it follows. The family faces are full of love and playfulness, and the joy of the season abounds on every page. I especially loved the part describing the tamale-making as it brought back a few childhood memories of my aunts and grandmother and me, making tamales of our own on Christmas Eve. (In the book, the family makes theirs with pollo, as did we; however, we also made sweet ones with piña. These were my favorite.) 

Many sweet images await readers: a generous piñata spilling candy, patterned bunting adorning streets, open doors with welcoming neighbors, and soft-colored lights trimming fireplaces and windows.  And so many scenes of holiday activities are included -- church service, family dinner, opening gifts -- that readers will surely find one or more that will connect them to their own memories.

One particularly lovely part of the book: a double-page spread of children finding their gifts under the tree -- a satisfied little one closing her eyes as she hugs a teddy bear, another trying to shake and guess, a toddler reaching for a box, and a naughty cat pulling ribbon off the tree while the dog sits happily with a bone in its mouth.

The English and Spanish text flow well, as Thong deftly rhymes in both languages. Reading it aloud will be a musical and interactive event for any librarian. There is a glossary of Spanish words in the back, and an author's note gives readers background into the beginnings of the book.

For me, reading this one was indeed like experiencing Christmas.

Read more about Thong's work here.

Read more about Sara Palacios and her work here:

And make room on your shelves for more holiday books. What will be YOUR next favorite?

Catch That Cookie! - A New Holiday Book

Books about gingerbread men are very popular around the holidays-- especially with kindergarten.  I knew our readers were already familiar with the books we had in our collection, so I started a hunt for a new gingerbread book to read aloud. Thankfully,  didn't have to search too long! I received a copy of CATCH THAT COOKIE! by Hollie Durand and Caldecott Medal winner David Small, and I was quite excited to read it! I know David Small's work, and consider THE LIBRARY (written by Sarah Stewart) to be one of my all-time favorite picture books.

Durand, Hallie. 2014. Catch That Cookie! Ill. by David Small. New York: Dial.

Marshall is the main character of the book, and when we meet him, he's a little skeptical of the "runaway gingerbread men" stories he's heard in school. When I read this part to our kinder students, they couldn't understand why he didn't believe! I love that! 

He helps his classmates bake the gingerbread men in school, carefully decorating his own cookie with six raisins for eyes and a "silver-ball belt". The cookies are placed in the oven, but when his teacher checks them for doneness, the oven is empty! Our readers love this part! In the rest of the story, Marshall uses logical thinking and clues to find the gingerbread men, and gingerbread footprints lead him to the discovery of the cookies' location. 

At the end, Marshall changes his thinking about gingerbread men and their ability to run. 

It's a fun story that really engages young readers! 

My favorite illustrations are the pages where Marshall sits in this car with his dad and his gingerbread cookie at the end of the book. Dad's expression says he's enjoying the secret, too.

This story completely held their attention, and afterward, during checkout, I laid out die-cut gingerbread men, glue sticks, crayons, dot stickers, and cutouts of bow ties and hearts. They decorated them, and it was so wonderful to see their creations:

The activity was simple, but tied it perfectly with the book. The clean-up was easy, too.
I also made this vine of our activity.






One of the most memorable moments for me was when one of the kindergarteners asked for a pair of scissors. I asked her what she was planning to do. She said she was going to show that someone had taken a bite out of the gingerbread man. Here is her cookie:

Isn't that so clever?

I'm thankful for CATCH THAT COOKIE! and I look forward to sharing it again.

Click here to read more about this book!

Makerspace Begins in the Library

Beginning a Makerspace in our library has been a goal of mine for awhile. I'd had the start of one here and there with minor efforts, but after reading about other makerspaces and the possibilities, I knew I wanted to try something more substantial. I worried about the details. What if I didn't have everything? What if I did it wrong?

I decided to just start it and go from there. This is part of my learning this year.

I knew that with the way our library is used every day, putting out all the materials all day long  every day wouldn't work. Just about every grade level visits every day (either in classes or individually), and the space is used in so many ways (collaboration, writing, research, and so on). So, instead I put everything (cardboard, tape, paper, how-to-books, origami stuff, etc.)  on a library cart. I figured I could wheel it out whenever I wanted to, and then wheel it back in the back room anytime. But the cart didn't exactly look very nice.  Scratches, tape residue, and the effects of wear and tear definitely made it not so appealing.  Thankfully, my parent volunteer repurposed it and made the cart look a million times better!  Here's what it looks like now.

This is one side. I love the tape dispenser that happily hands out duct tape or wasabi tape.  

This is the other side. We have cardboard, pipe cleaners, beads, etc. 

This part is my favorite. 

This was beyond what I expected! (Orange is my favorite color by the way.) My volunteer did an amazing job, even stocking the cart with other items, and attaching curtain rods for the tape! She  put side holders for craft books and origami instructions.

I couldn't wait to wheel it out!

I knew that Genius Hour would be the perfect time to bring out the cart. During this time, students are engaged in projects individually or in groups, pursuing topics of interest. Many of them visit the library to do their work, browse, or read.  As soon as Genius Hour began, I put out a sign, placed baskets on the table, and then stood back and watched. Some walked over to the materials, picking things up, and then looking around. They read the sign and some got started. Some felt very comfortable in just trying something out. Others needed to see someone else get started. Eventually everyone started working on something.

It was a busy, bustling hour. Our students were completely engaged. Based on their questions about materials, and my own observations, I can see what I need to have for next time.

It was really wonderful to see the items they created, and to hear them think aloud.

After it was over, I was so glad that I just got started. I realized that our learners would show me everything I needed to know, and that as long as I was giving them space and materials they needed, and the opportunity to to create, everything WOULD be perfect.

An I-Can-Read Holiday Book

Everyone is looking for holiday books this time of year, and I just read one that I wanted to share here. (By the way,  isn't it amazing just how many holiday books there are? My wonderful parent volunteer collected many of them for a display, but still wasn't able to pull all of them because we ran out of shelf space in our seasonal area.)

Now to the book:

Paterson, K., & Brown, J. (1997). Marvin's best Christmas present ever. New York: HarperCollins.

I found this one in my library and decided I needed to read it. First of all, Katherine Paterson wrote it. Second of all, Katherine Paterson wrote it. 

Katherine Paterson won the Newbery Medal in 1978 for Bridge to Terabithia, and in 2013, she received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award.  I have a wonderful memory of attending the 2013 Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet in Chicago, IL, where I waited in line (happily) to congratulate Katherine Paterson for the award. I'll never forget that day. 

Honestly, I don't know if I made much sense when I spoke to her. My eyes came to tears with absolute book joy. 

But back to the book! 

This is the story of a boy who really wants to give his family something wonderful for Christmas. Marvin lives in a trailer with his family on a farm that belongs to someone else. Realizing that Christmas is coming, he asks his sister for gift-giving advice. Noting that his gifts haven't exactly been perfect in the past, Marvin sets out to do something really special. He finally decides upon making a wreath to display outside their home. His sister helps him make the large wreath, and the gift is admired and appreciated. But then Christmas passes, and Marvin can't part with the wreath. Other holidays come and go, and each time someone in his family wants to get rid of it, someone else wants to keep it. Marvin's family comes together, and what you realize is that his gift connects them and helps Christmas last longer. At the end, it becomes special in another way. I'll let you read the ending for yourself! 

The plot was completely unexpected - an early reader page turner. Jane Clark Brown's illustrations portray farm and family life with perfect delight: Dad walking home from the barn, Marvin and his sister feeding the chickens, Mom walking in from a shopping trip as playful cats greet her at the door. Details in the illustrations such as Dad's mud-soaked truck, the children's drawings on the refrigerator door, and those cats playing on every other page invite the reader into the family's home and story. The story is about much more than Christmas. It's about compromise, and selflessness, and persistence.

I will reread this one, and make Christmas last longer for me. And I will thank Katherine Paterson again for yet another story she's given me.