Library Lion

One of my all time favorite picture books is Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen. It is a very sweet tale of a lion that wanders into a library and quickly gains a love for story time. Being an animal lover and book lover I immediately take to these types of books and there are plenty out there. For Example...

Another all time favorite is of course Dewey. While the other books are make believe, Dewey was a real life library cat. Abandoned at birth and left for dead in a library book drop, the small town librarians took pity on the tiny kitten. He was nursed back to health and adopted by the town who in turn named him Dewey.

Oh how I wish and dream of such a thing happening in our library. While I know we couldn't keep a kitten or really, any animal in our library I still find joy in the book.  I find joy in all the books that contain libraries and animals. They are charming and after my own heart. While I try to read a diverse selection of books to the children I find that every year I pull Library Lion off the shelf to read. Good thing the children like it also.


So that brings me full circle, back to the original intent of this post. Last Monday I walked into the library, logged into the computer, worked on my lesson plans, checked in some books, drank my coffee, checked my email. I did not go into the the other room where the book shelves are. At 8:30 2A walked in for their class. We gathered in the other room and I began to let them know what their assignment was for the day. Mid explanation I glanced up and gasped. I don't think I finished saying whatever it was I was saying because there, on top of the bookshelves was our very own library lion. I started laughing, only slightly hysterically, while the 2nd graders became more and more perplexed, unsure if I had lost my mind. After gaining control of myself I let them in on the joke. I pointed to the top shelves and they all laughed in relief that no, Mrs. Natalie had not lost her mind after all.

So now we have our very own library lion. I am happy to say that it came from the book fair. I noticed him there. Of course I loved him and even thought how cool would it be if he were in our library. It would be just like the book. Ahaha little did I know! Thank you to whoever decided the lion needed a home in our library. He warms my heart and brightens up our stacks.

He needs a name! What should we name him?

Mole's Hill

I am starting to introduce the Kindergarten classes to the difference between Author and Illustrator. I make it a habit of reading the Title, Author and Illustrator before I start reading a book. Most times the children love repeating back the names to me. It seem that people who write books don't have common names. This week I am focusing on the job of an illustrator. I try to get the kindergarten classes to look at a picture and decide why the illustrator decided to use that type of art. It isn't uncommon for the children to think that all pictures are painted or drawn. They don't tend to realize that the illustrator of a book can use many different types of artistic expression to get their point across. I love to introduce them to books where the art work isn't typical. One of my favorite examples is Mole's Hill by Lois Ehlert.

Lois Ehlert is known for her beautiful collage artwork. Her text is always simple, highlighted by vivid colors and texture. Mole's Hill is perhaps lesser known then her more famous works, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Color Zoo yet, I believe it to be the better of the three.

ribbon applique

The story is based on a Seneca tale called "When Friends Fall Out". The story is set in the woodlands of Wisconsin and the illustrations are inspired by the Woodland Indian's artwork. Typical art forms used by the Woodland Indians are ribbon applique and sewn bead work. Clearly, the geometric patterns and shapes of Ehlerts book are meant to mimic the same patterns and shapes used by the Native American's who inspired the story.  Ehlert also took special care to represent the plants and animals found in the Wisconsin woods in her book. They are beautifully illustrated with bright color cut outs and textured paint.

It always take the kindergartner's a few minutes after reading the book to figure out how the pictures are made. Usually, I hear photos, paint, drawing. I ask them to look closer and pass the book around. Eventually one child, in great excitement yells out, "it is paper!"

Ok ok I need to see more pictures of African Wildlife

I just couldn't stop saving pictures. Rather than taking up the whole webcam blog I decided to post more African animal pictures in their own blog post.

Vervet Monkey. So stinkin cute!

Dik Dik

Jackals!

Eeeeeeek baby Zebra!

Wild African Dog

Lions playing

Yellow Mongoose

Bat Eared Fox cub

Who doesn't love this! African Buffalo

Cape Fox

Gorgeous Cheetah

OMG CUTE!!!!

Gemsbok

Ok ok I am obsessed with baby animals!

Who has hippo love cause I don't so much. 

Everyone loves the meerkats!

Just plain awesome!

These are such cool animals!

Waterbuck

African Wild Cat. Can I have one?

Wildebeast and calf

Lion love

Ok I think this is the cutest thing ever!
Baby Hyena!

Penguins

Warthog.
I just can't resist a good "bird on the back of an animal" picture 

Warrior Cats

Since last year I have been asked by various students and parents if the library had the Warrior Cats series. The first time I was asked I had never heard of it. The second time I did a little investigating and the third and fourth time I seriously thought about acquiring this series in the library. We finally have the first series of books known as the Warriors Series. These are the original books starting with the first installment titled Into the Wild and ending with The Darkest Hour. While the author of the books is listed as Erin Hunter there are actually four authors. Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Victoria Holmes and Tui Sutherland all work together to write these books. They use the name Erin Hunter as their pseudonym. A pseudonym is a fake name usually used by authors and artists.

This series tells the tale of Rusty an ordinary house cat (kittypet) who seeks adventure in the wild. He soon discovers there are many wild cats that are made up into four clans. Each clan follows a strict warrior code of honesty and loyalty to the clan. The series follows Rusty as he transforms from a cautious kittypet into a wise, just, loyal and fearless warrior known as Fireheart. While this series is thrilling and full of adventure each book become a little darker as the series goes on. As you can imagine, books about warriors, even cat warriors, can become quite serious and dark at times. Yet, I think children will find them exciting to read. They certainly will love following Rusty through his journey toward becoming a Warrior Cat.



 

Owney

I thought I would share another new library book with you. Owney The Mail-Pouch Pooch by Mona Kerby is based on a real 19th century dog who became famous for guarding the U.S. Mail. It is amazing to think that there was a real little terrier mix dog who loved mail pouches and railroad cars so much he made a life of traveling and ensuring the mail was safe.

Mona Kerby does an excellent job of piecing together the many tales of Owney's travels. From jumping rail cars to travel the world Owney led an exciting life. He was not just one person's pet because he was fiercely independent. No one ever knew where he would show up but when he did he was honored with medals and tags that soon made his collar very heavy. Owney refused to take off his medals so one kind postman made him a special harness to help him carry his medals around. 

Owney was so well loved that when he died he was preserved for the world to remember him. He now lives in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

I hope you take the time to read this special story of Owney, the dog that traveled the world guarding the U.S. Mail.

Duck

We just recieved a small shipment of new books. Most of the books have been requested by various children. But I also ordered a few that looked cute, cool and interesting. Today I read one of our new picture books to Kindergarten. Let me tell you, I was simply delighted with Duck by Randy Cecil and I believe the Kindergarteners were too!

The illustrations are done in oil and are vibrant yet soft at the same time giving it a dreamlike appearance. The story is of Duck, a carousel animal who longs to fly. While she dreams of flying like a real duck she knows she cannot. One day a lost duckling wanders into the amusement park and catches Ducks attention. Soon Duck and Duckling are inseparable. Duck takes Duckling under her wing, mothering him and teaching him. You will be touched by the mother and child theme the author takes and perhaps even cry a little when Duck realizes the most important thing for Duckling is to teach him how to fly, even though it means being left behind. I won't lie, my eyes teared up a bit while reading to Kindergarten.

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

The 2nd grade class is starting to learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. Most of the students already know that non-fiction books are "real" and fiction books are "make believe". The question is how can they tell which type it is just by looking at the book? You have all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover". It couldn't be more true than when you are trying to decipher a fiction book from a non-fiction book. Can you tell which of the following books are fiction and which are non-fiction?

You might be surprised at the books that are actually fiction and the ones that are truly non-fiction. When you are in a library the easiest way to tell is to look at the call number. A call number is the label on the spine of the book that provides you with the location or "address" of the book. It tells you where the book lives on the library's shelves. But, because library books are organized by type of book,  the call number also tells you what kind of book it is. Not all libraries are the same but most of them use the Dewey Decimal System to label non-fiction books and some sort of locator symbol to label fiction books. Here is how the St. Philip's library works.

Fiction has one of the three locator symbols: FIC, E or YA

Non-fiction has one of the following: Number, REF or B

And they all stand for something

FIC: fiction
E: easy reader
YA: young adult
Number: example 509.893
REF: reference
B: biography

So what are the books I posted above?

Call number: 598 STE (non-fiction because of the Dewey number)

"In a simple yet informative language, award-winning children's science writer Melissa Stewart introduces readers to some of the ways human action or inaction can affect bird populations. More than just a book about birds, A Place For Birds will open readers' minds to a wide range of environmental issues."

Call number: 598 ARN (non-fiction because of the Dewey number)

"Birds:Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines looks at how feathers, body structure, and wings vary from bird to bird. Readers will learn the mechanics of bird flight from takeoff to landing and discover how wing types meet the survival needs of each species."        

Call number: E PEN (fiction because of the E for easy reader)

Ming-Li a Chinese girl is devastated to hear her country's leader had call sparrows the enemy of the farmers and soon announce a great "sparrow war" to banish them from China. While her village gathered to rid itself of sparrows Ming-Li vows to save the sparrow's, one by one,  no matter the consequences.

This tale is based on the true story of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung's war on sparrows in 1958. Yet Ming-Li is a made up character as are her actions making the book a work of fiction. In reality the sparrow population in China was decimated in three days leading to a growth in the locust population that ended up contributing to a famine that killed between thirty to forty million Chinese over the next three years.