March Book Madness 2016

I started up our March Book Madness this week with voting starting today. With a week off for Spring Break, we just might run into April, but that's okay because we are talking about books and comparing them!

I started out with 16 books for the sake of time.  I am only including 3rd - 5th grade this year, but in previous years I have included K-5 with picture books competing as well. 

I matched up books on a Padlet, and shared it with classes during library time. Then I created a QR code for a Google Form, and gave each teacher a copy to post in their classrooms. The Google form will collect the votes for me.

I included both relatively new books, and titles that are classics, too. I did my best to make the matchups interesting from the beginning, and right now, I think that it's working. (Readers are putting the books on hold, and this makes me happy!) Teachers have some of the books in their classroom libraries, and since I announced March Book Madness, some of them are incorporating the books as read-alouds. 

The picture above is part of a banner that I have hanging in the hallway outside the library. What I love about posting this banner is that, inevitably, readers will gather around it throughout the day -- as they walk down the hall -- and point out the covers and share thoughts and opinions about the book with one another. 

Our first round voting will go until next Monday, and I'll announce the new matches then. 

Here are some of the 16 books in our March Book Madness this year: 

My goal with March Book Madness is to get readers talking about books and perhaps have them try titles they hadn't considered. I know that when I hear someone tell me about a good book, I can't wait to find it and try it for myself. 

Have you started a march Book Madness in your school? What are some of the books you've included? 

April is School Library Month!

In the library, I never run out of things to celebrate: new book arrivals, readers getting a long-awaited book in their hands, and the use of space in ways that meet the changing needs of today's learners.  Events such as World Read Aloud Day, Dot Day, and Read Across America Day are also fun and provide opportunities for celebrations with readers from around the country. But in April, school librarians will take the month to observe School Library Month, and I am happy to join in! 

AASL (American Association of School Librarians, a division of ALA) has designated April as School Library Month, complete with a spokesperson (author Megan McDonald) and a Public Service Announcement. (See below.) I'm a member of AASL, a group that supports school librarians with resources, connections, and an awesome network. 

I am not sure exactly how I'll celebrate, but I have some time to figure it out! The AASL website will help, and I'll look within my school community to see what I can do. Whatever I choose, it will be something that will serve the children and teachers in my care.) I'll also connect with fellow librarians via Twitter to get some ideas. We always share! (By the way, the ALA store sells this wonderful poster that I keep up year around in the library. I love it!) I also have the opportunity to celebrate with my fellow Texas librarians at our annual Texas Library Association Conference in April. That will make it extra special! :-)

Observing School Library Month is important to me.  Knowing that I'm a part of a network of librarians in AASL and ALSC inspires me to be better every day and helps me know that I am part of something bigger. It's a joy to know this! And it is also a daily call for me to do more than I think I can, and to do my utmost in every endeavor.

Last year's School Library Month spokesperson was actress Julianne Moore. Watch her PSA below:

If you are a school librarian, how will you celebrate School Library Month?

Springtime Reading

Last year's Green Book Cover display!

I'm wrapping up my Spring Break, so spring is definitely on my mind. Just before we all took a break, one of my wonderful library volunteers helped me get the library ready for the season by displaying books with green covers -- all throughout the library, not just in the picture book section. I'm not sure if everyone notices it when they first walk in, but once I point it out, they love it! 

And when one of my teachers requesting spring-themed books, I started to think about what I would pull. It got me to thinking about other books that would be perfect to read at this time of year. And, because I know other librarians are probably pulling books for a spring list, too, I thought I'd share mine here. I've included nonfiction, poetry, and story books. 

I hope this list helps someone! No doubt, I will add to it. Of course, we can read these books in the winter, fall, and summer, too. Enjoy! 

FISH IS FISH by Leo Lionni

Each week I look for a great read-aloud for the little ones in our library. Sometimes I look at a book and just KNOW it's the perfect one to share. Sometimes I have to really search the shelves, both virtual and physical.

When I picked up this book again, I knew it was my choice for the week.

It turns out that this was the perfect book for first graders especially. They were finishing up a study of biomes. Since the setting of the book is a pond, it tied in wonderfully. 

I introduced Fish is Fish by asking the readers about friends. "Do you have a best friend? Does he or she tell you stories? Do YOU tell your friend stories?" (The story is about the friendship between a frog and a fish.) Hands went up and readers now had a reason to listen. 

As I began to read the book aloud, I became very involved in the reading of the words -- and reading them just so, while my readers were completely wrapped up in the illustrations. Once again I saw how reading a book aloud to someone helps me understand it in a much deeper way. In some ways, it was almost like I was reading the story for the first time -- but, of course, I wasn't. Something about expressing it fully to someone else -- and not just reading it to myself -- unfolded all of its possibilities. 

With my repeated readings to kindergarten and first grade, I understood that for me, this book was about change and acceptance. Tadpole became a Frog, and Minnow was not happy about this. But though he lamented the change in his friend, he didn't realize that he was growing, too, turning into Fish. And as Frog goes on to travel the world above the water, and returns to tell Fish of the amazing things he saw (drawn gloriously by Lionni in fish fashion), Fish acts out on his longing to do the same. Realizing the impossibility of this, Fish understands --instead -- that where he is, and who he is, is not only perfectly okay, but wonderful, too. 

There is so much to this book. (More than I can write here, and more that I think about each time I read the book.) The illustrations are fanciful and imaginative (bringing an instant "Wow!" from any audience), and the story is very much a page-turner (something I pointed out to our readers). Everything about it is inviting. (No doubt, you'll be inspired as we were to draw fish and turn them into other creatures.) 

I should also point out a memorable line in this book: (As a reader, I chose to see it optimistically.)

"Frogs are frogs, and fish is fish, and that's that." -- Leo Lionni, Fish is Fish (Knopf Books, 1970). 

Recommending Books in the Library

This week was a busy one in the library. Our Spring Book Fair got picked up, and we immediately got into full swing with classes, 2 grade-level presentations, Read Across America Day, Genius Hour, and Makerspace activities.

But even with all of these wonderful events,  I have been even more intentional about reader's advisory. As I see readers enter the library and browse the shelves, I am already trying to figure out what they need. When a reader tells me what they are looking for, I do my best to find the perfect title, and I consider it a good challenge. When they take me up on my recommendation, I am happy as a clam! They check out the book and walk away, and once again, I am grateful for all of the reading I do.

Sometimes the readers will come back in the library and thank me for the recommendation. They may not outright say "Thank you", but they come in talking about the book very excitedly, or asking me questions about the characters or plot. When they do this, it REALLY brightens my day!

These are just four of the books I recommended this week.  (Naming all of them would be tough because there were so many and I do not remember them all!)

I know the every day, every night reading now will help me in the future and will have many benefits. Not only does it bring me joy at the moment, but it makes possible for me to support the readers in my library. While I may not remember every detail of every text, I always remember the experience, and sharing that with another reader comes through in my excitement about the book.

What books have you recommended to readers in your library this week?

P.S. This is the book I am reading now: