This week, my students and I have been reading Library Lion, written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. It's hard to believe that it has been ten years since this gem of a book was published. It hasn't lost any of its appeal. There was absolute joy on the faces of the students as we read.
The fourth graders could share the humor in a different way now that they are older. They also appreciated the language and we talked of creating a reader's theatre or skit for the book. The striding, marching, and reaching would all be fun to act out. There's wonderful dialog and an emotional arc to work with as well. Stay tuned. We might have to squeeze this into our plans! You can see how the story inspired the fourth graders here: Fourth graders share their ideas for taking care of the library.
With the second graders, I showed them the StoryLie Online version:
With the kindergarten and first graders, I read the story and act it out. I have the students roar with the lion during the two points in the book. It is much fun to see their faces light up at making such a sound while in the library. We don't really ever roar in here.
Library Lion is a visual and auditory treat, so reading it would be enough, but we are still in the midst of creating our rules and establishing routines. This book leads us right into this conversation. Along with noting the helpful manner of the lion, we work through these questions:
Why are rules important?
What will it look like and sound like when we are taking care of our library space and the materials in it?
What does effective browsing and borrowing look like and sound like?
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