Ms. Nancy’s Library Blog

Private note to the second-grade boys: Fairy tales are not just for girls. Sometimes they’re gory, or creepy, or have really, really bad endings. You’ll like them. Just sayin’.
Library Motto of the Week: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Private note to the eighth-grade students: You’ll be in high school soon enough. Let’s not [...]

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Kid book reviewers are coming out of the woodwork to review books online for the library. Recent reviews include the books “Parties & Potions” and “Spells & Sleeping Bags,” both by Sara Mlynowski; “Down the Rabbit Hole: an Echo Falls Mystery,” by Peter Abrahams; and “11 Birthdays,” by Wendy Mass. There are many good titles [...]

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Here is a fun way to check out eBooks for little kids. TumbleBooks is a great site — free and easy to use. They have selections for little kids, language learners, lots of new books, and audio books for bigger kids, too.
Have fun exploring the site, I think you will like it. You can also [...]

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“My alma mater was books, a good library.”
– Malcolm X
We’re still reading Halloween and autumn books this week, as well as mysteries and books about guinea pigs. We like guinea pigs. And kittens and puppies, too.
Some favorites:
Anything by Eva Ibbotson (who says that her kids taught her that children like to read about ghosts, wizards, [...]

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(from the book “Becoming Naomi Leon,” by Pam Munoz Ryan.)
1. Play. Do it every day and pretend often. Dress up and act out. Dramatic play will help you understand the concept of story.
2. Look. Take in the details of your environment. Listen to how people speak, notice names… and if something really strikes you, write [...]

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Dear students and teachers,
Let’s not do the full Oregon Battle of the Books this year, with buzzers and bells and a full-on competition. I’d like to keep it simple. I was thinking… how about for those students (and staff) who are interested, we read as many of the books from the lists as we can?
I [...]

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In October, we like to celebrate scary stuff in our library for three weeks out of four. I tell the students that it is the only time I encourage them to read “junk food” books — Animorphs, Twilight, Scooby Doo, and anything and everything to do with scary plots, ghosts, haunted houses, etc., etc.
I also [...]

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“Hello, hello. Are you there?
Hello! I called you up to say hello.
I said Hello.
Can you hear me, Joe?
Oh no, I cannot hear your call.
I cannot hear your call at all.
This is not good, and I know why.
A mouse has cut the wire, goodbye!”
– “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”
Dr. Seuss

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“The world is dark, and light is precious.
Come closer, dear reader.
You must trust me.
I am telling you a story.”
– Kate DiCamillo, “The Tale of Despereaux, being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread”

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Download audio or listen here:

“American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV.”
– The Kaiser Family Foundation
Seven to ten years. I have a 7-year-old at [...]

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