Bigger Than a Bread Box...

I always loved this part of the description of a surprise gift, one which you had not yet set your eyes upon.

So...yes, it is bigger than a bread box...and smaller than a closet.  Hmm...not quite right. Bigger than a bread box and ... smaller than a couch. That was the expected, but completely surprising gift I received at 3:15 today. Friday. The end of the first week of school. The book order I placed in August arrived today. Today! This was no traditional book order. This was a very large book order.  When will I find the time to process them? Looks like I need to find and train some willing volunteers!

Check out the best book order I have ever received. Really. Ever.

One Cart. Full. BOTH sides.

I think there are Newbery Books on this shelf...

Seriously...look at these titles!...
more on Wonder, Three Times Lucky, Bird in a Box,
The One and Only Ivan, Liar and Spy, Palace of Stone, Jake and Lilly, Mighty Miss Malone, Capture the Flag and the others in a later post!

I am rounding out some areas of the collection
that had been sorely neglected.

I know circulation is going to go up!

These readers have been waiting quite a while.

My choices and theirs -- filling out the book order with student requests.

Along with bring some new energy to my fiction section, I also ordered some great new nonfiction!

I love books that are puzzles! 
I already have a project in mind for this 1.

Tried to get my hands on Over and Under the Snow all last winter and spring.
These two books will not be on the shelves long.

I don't think I'll even have a chance to shelves these either.

And Poetry!  It's not just for April!

Incredible. Beautiful. Stunning.

I love found poems! 
Poem in Your Pocket Day, here we come!

Hoberman and Emberley. Awesome.

And Biographies! I love to share an inspiring story.

Excited to share this "local girl" with the 5th graders!

Inspiring. Incredible. Enough said.

So many cooks...so little time...
Fannie in the Kitchen has some competition!

No one does it like...Cheryl Harness

Sadly, I missed meeting Sy Montgomery last year.

Did I mention Graphic Novels?  No more empty shelves for me!

No more "Here yesterday...gone today."

Long time coming. Sidekicks and Owly!

Maye now there will be a Lunch Lady on the actual shelves...
two copies of each doesn't seem to do the trick.

Smile, Zita, Zebrafish and so much more!

And Picture books! Anyone want to make some Caldecott predictions?

The Academy Award wining film has been beautifully and skillfully
captured by William Joyce.

Our young school gardeners will easily relate to this wonderful story.

Two different takes on understanding the world around us.

Beautiful message beautifully illustrated.

A school wide favorite!
I'm looking forward to this author/illustrator study with my first graders!

And this author and illustrator study with my kindergartners!

I want to share this with all my students.

I am happy to be adding circulating copies of these books!
(read: I have these, but on my "teaching" shelf)

And...more will arrive in due course. This was the biggest order I had ever placed.  Bigger than a bread box indeed.

Happy Friday!

Now You See Them...Now You Don't

Graphic Novel section Thursday morning before book checkouts started for the year:

Graphic Novel section Friday at noon (there were no Thursday afternoon classes!):

Where did they all go? Into the hands of readers!

Connecting the Dots

Get Connected!  

International Dot Day is September 15th-ish.

Join in this celebration of creativity and courage,

inspired by 

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, 

as children across the globe are empowered to

"Make their Mark."

There are #DotDay projects going on around the country and across the globe.  Check out FableVision's International Dot Day Webpage for exciting and fun ideas. 

Here's how I celebrated International Dot Day with my students last year:
Fourth and Fifth Grade -- Readers are Thinkers
Third Grade -- Dot Thoughts
Second Grade -- A Dot-ty Celebration
First Grade -- Connecting the Dots

As for this year, I'm thinking about a mash up between "Inspiring Dot Thoughts" and "Dot Heard 'Round the World" -- possibly having my fifth grade students write and illustrate notes about a Dot-ish experience they have had and then send these notes to other children elsewhere on the globe. I haven't figured out where yet...
How are you going to connect the dots?

Something Great and Unexpected is Coming My Way

The excitement in the upper grades at my school is pretty crazy right now, and it is not coming from the students. It's coming from the teachers. The students' excitement?  That will begin tomorrow, when I share with them that something great and unexpected is coming our way.  If all goes well, the amazing and truly wonderful Sharon Creech will be visiting our school later this month.  We, as a school, have always been Creech readers, but the Skype visit with Sharon elevated her to rock star status. ( See the post One Tuesday Morning to read about the Skype visit.)

In preparation for the visit, the three fifth grade classrooms are reading her latest book, The Great Unexpected.


The Great Unexpected is ...wonderful!  Or...as Lizzie would say, "Lar de dar!"   To see how much I love this book, check out my Great Unexpected Blog Post.
The Great Unexpected just hit bookstores today, so go out and buy a copy.  Now. 


How is this for awesome?  One of these teachers walked up to me today, quoting the book and telling me how much she loved it! We were like our students - quoting and sharing our favorite parts.  The reader/story magic is not just for students...

What a way to begin a new school year!   I am, honestly, feeling like one very, very, lucky librarian...for something great and unexpected is coming my way...Welcome Sharon Creech!  May I introduce your readers...

Are you ready?

It's a question I am often asked as summer draws to a close and a new school year approaches...

Am I ready? 
What is it I am to be ready for? 

Exciting learning experiences with my students?
Creating a classroom community?
Finding cool ways to connect students, books, and technology? 
Developing fun collaborative lessons with grade level teachers?

Then, yes, I am ready.

I love this first day.  Its a fresh start for everyone.  You can read the hopeful expressions on teachers and students faces alike.  The 437 or so faces that I helped greet this morning all looked pretty excited to be back at school.  Even those who feel prepared but not ready or ready but not prepared are all thrown together on this first day to begin creating a new learning community. 

Cool stuff.

Ready or not, here we come!

Caution: Library Under Construction and Students Entering

School starts tomorrow!

I am really looking forward to getting back into my library and spending time with my students.  I think I have the best job in the school -- I get to hang around at the intersection of reader and story and watch the magic happen.  Stick around.  We've got a great year planned.

With just one week before the start of school, I decided to rearrange my library!  I am feeling great about this -- even after a week of very long days physically re-shelving about 4,000 books.  I still need to create more signage (not my forte) and bring in a few other items, but I cannot wait for tomorrow when my students will see the newly refurbished space.  Hmmmmm.  I hope they notice.

I tried to make the flow into and through the library more open.

I created an instructional space on the left.  It is bounded by the fiction section.

I created a new Early Reader Section.

I moved all my tables and desktops into one area. 

It will make managing 28 5th graders on desktops/laptops a bit easier!

Looking back toward the entrance. (It is still only a 30 by 20-ish size space.)

I created a Graphic Novel Section.

Stay tuned!  I'll share first week reactions and stories as the week progresses.

In the meantime, Happy New School Year to all!

I had a little nut tree

I had a little nut tree,

Nothing would it bear,

But a silver nutmeg,

And golden pear;

The King of Spain's daughter

Came to visit me,

And all for the sake

Of my little nut tree.

This old English rhyme came into my head as I walked out into the field to gather hazelnuts from my parents' tree.

A tree which had born no fruit for 15 years.

Has now produced nuts for the first time.

The hazelnuts fall out of their husks when ripe. 

Or Just fall wholesale off the tree!

Not a huge harvest this year, but a bounty nonetheless.
Let the fall harvest begin!