Love Stories You can find all of these books in our Fall Creek Elementary Library.

Dog and Bear Two Friends Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Three easy-to-read stories reveal the close friendship between dog and bear. Perfect read for newly independent readers.

Don’t Forget I Love You by Miriam Moss
Mama Bear remembers to say “I love you” to her son before she leaves him for work.
This story will reassure children and remind them their parents’ love is forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Dolores by Barbara Samuels
When Dolores’s curiosity gets the better of her, and she opens the Valentine gift box in her sister’s top drawer, one problem leads to another until she manages to charm her way out of trouble. Will she remember that in matters of the heart it’s important to give, as well as take? You can’t help but laugh when you read this one.

If You’ll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant
Planning successfully before Valentine’s Day a boy writes and illustrates individual cards for his family and friends.

The Kiss That Missed by David Melling
One evening, when the king is in a hurry, his goodnight kiss to the Little Prince goes astray. It’s up to the King’s Knight to bring the kiss back to the castle.

Lizard’s Guest by George Shannon
When Lizard and Skunk get into a silly disagreement, Lizard proves he is a true friend and commits to making things between each other right, no matter what it takes.

Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman
A heartwarming tale of a girl who learns that the best day to say “I love you” is every day!

Mole and the Baby Bird by Marjorie Newman
When Mole finds an abandoned baby bird he decides to take it home and look after it. But wild things aren’t meant to be kept inside forever, and soon Mole must decide what is best for the bird he loves.

Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis
Tiny Too-Little really needs a kiss. The one that he loves is right up there. Will Tiny ever reach her?

Olive, My Love by Vivian Walsh
Olive is determined to return the heart her best friend Dexter dropped on her doorstep. But once he reaches Dexter’s he learns his friend gave him the heart as a symbol of his love.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
An anonymous valentine changes the life of the lonely Mr. Hatch, turning him into laughing friend who helps and appreciates all his neighbors.
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  Song and Dance
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
ITBS ITBJM ITFC ITNE ITSH TBE
Describes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience.

Blues Journey
By Walter Dean Myers
ITD ITNE ITSH TBM
In this picture book for older readers, Myers offers blues-inspired verse that touches on the black-and-blue moments of individual lives. A call and response poem accompanies each painting illustrated the author’s son.

Bubble-gum Radar
by Rosemary Wells
DRE DRP ITBSA ITSH SOP
When the Franks hurt, bother, tease, trip, trick, act up, bully, and joke their way through the school day, they push away all of their classmates. This is no laughing matter, especially when Mrs. Jenkins announces square-dance practice time.

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop
by Christopher Raschka
SMI ITBS ITBJM ITEN LAE
Introduces the famous saxophonist and his style of jazz known as bebop.

Dance With Me
by Barbara Juster Esbensen
ITFC
A collection of poems depicting the dance of nature.

The Dancing Man
by Ruth Lercher Bornstein
DRE GRE ITFC ITNE
Wearing his pair of special silver shoes, young Joseph sets out to dance with the world.

Dizzy
by Jonah Winter
GRH ITBS ITBJM ITCA SOP SOE TBE
After arriving in New York, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was soon playing with the famous Cab Calloway Band, but his clowning around got him fired. Dizzy kept trying out his new music, which took over the world of jazz. He had invented "bebop!"

Drumbeat in Our Feet
by Patricia A. Keeler
ITBS
"Informative passages and lyrical verse explore the history and rhythmic qualities of traditional African dance as performed long ago and today. Note about Harlem-based African dance troupe Batoto Yetu, photographs, and map in backmatter"

Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
CAE DRP GRE ITBS ITBJM ITCA ITCH ITD ITEN ITFC ITNE ITSH LAM NEE SOP
A brief recounting of the career of this jazz musician and composer who, along with his orchestra, created music that was beyond category.

Ella Fitzgerald : The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
ITBS ITCH ITEN ITNE ITSH SOP TBE
A brief recounting of the career of this jazz musician in the voice of "Scat Cat Monroe."

Ellington Was Not a Street
by Ntozake Shange
In her poem “Mood Indigo,” Shange recalls her childhood when her family entertained many of the "-men/who changed the world," including Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Barretto, Dizzy Gillespie, "Sonny Til" Tilghman, Kwame Nkrumah, and Duke Ellington.

Happy Feet : The Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hoppers and Me
by Richard Michelson
ITBJM ITCA
A young boy who loves to dance listens as his father retells the story of the night he was born, which coincided with the opening of the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.

Heaven’s All Star Jazz Band
by Don Carter
ITFC
A young boy imagines his grandfather playing with jazz music greats up in heaven.

Hip Cat
by Jonathan London
ITBJM ITCH ITFC ITNE TBE
Hip Cat journeys to the city by the bay to live his dream of being a jazz musician.

Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits
by Wynton Marsalis
This electric collaboration between Marsalis and Rogers is an insider's A to Z guide through the greats of jazz. This is a must for anyone who has ever been drawn to a scat by Ella or a riff from Miles or who has whirled around the dance floor courtesy of Count Basie.

The Jazz Man
by Mary Hays Weik
GRE SOE
Nine-year-old Zeke, who lives in Harlem, listens to the wonderful music coming from the jazz musician's piano across the court and escapes for a while from the harsh realities that worry him.

Jazz on a Saturday Night
by Leo & Diane Dillon
ITBJM ITCA ITEN
Learn about this popular music form and hear each instrument play on a specially produced CD.

Let’s Dance!
by George Ancona
ITCH
Simple text and photographs describe various dances from all over the world.

Lookin’ for Bird in the Big City
by Robert Burleigh
R.C. Buckley LAE
A fictionalized account of the time when trumpeter Miles Davis spent many hours trying to find Charlie Parker in New York City.

My Mama Had a Dancing Heart
by Libba Moore Gray
ITBS ITBSA ITBJM ITCA ITCH ITFC ITSH TBE
On a hot, humdrum day Ty meets a man who, using a washboard, comb, spoons, and pail, fills that night with music.

Once Upon a Time in Chicago : The Story of Benny Goodman
by Jonah Winter
ITBJM ITEN
A simple biography of the great jazz musician, Benny Goodman, and how his extraordinary musical ability was originally encouraged by his immigrant father.\

Ragtime Tumpie
by Alan Schroeder
ITBS ITBJM ITCA ITCH ITEN ITFC ITNE ITSH LAE SOP TBE
Personal subject
Tumpie, a young black girl who will later become famous as the dancer Josephine Baker, longs to find the opportunity to dance amid the poverty and vivacious street life of St. Louis in the early 1900s.

Ruby Sings the Blues
by Niki Daly
ITEN ITFC ITNE LAE
Ruby's loud voice annoys everyone around her, until she learns to control her volume with the help of her new jazz musician friends.

Satchmo’s Blues
by Alan Scroeder
ITBJM ITCA ITFC ITNE ITSH LAE
A fictional recreation of the youth of trumpeter Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.

Savion! : My Life in Tap
by Savion Glover
ITB ITD ITNE LAH
Examines the life and career of the young tap dancer who speaks with his feet and who choreographed the Tony Award-winning Broadway show "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk."

Stompin' at the Savoy
by Bebe Moore Campbell
BJM
On the night of her jazz dance recital Mindy feels too nervous to go, until a magical drum whisks her away to the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem where she finds her "happy feet."

Stompin' at the Savoy : The Story of Norma Miller
by Norma Miller
ITEN
First-person account of the life of Norma Miller.

Ty’s One-Man Band
by Mildred Pitts Walter
ITBS ITBSA ITBJM ITCA ITCH ITFC ITSH TBE
On a hot, humdrum day Ty meets a man who, using a washboard, comb, spoons, and pail, fills that night with music.

When Uncle Took the Fiddle
by Libba Moore Gray
ITCA ITEN ITFC ITNE ITSH TBE
Uncle's inspired playing of the fiddle causes sleepy family members to pick up other instruments and join him, while the neighbors come to join the celebration.

Wynton Marsalis
by Stephen Feinstein
ITEN
A biography of one of America's greatest trumpet players, Wynton Marsalis.
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  Books On Disabilities The puppet troupe The Kids on the Block visited our school and along with showing us an entertaining show they donated some books on disabilities to our library. These are the titles we now own thanks to their generous gift –

Ian’ Walk A Story about Autism by Laurie Lears
In this story a young girl realizes how much she cares about her autistic brother when he gets lost at the park.

Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis
Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross show readers a happy little girl whose wheel chair never limits her life.

Prudence Parker and A Sign of Friendship by Christine Burk
Prudence Parker learns sign language to speak with new friend Haley who is deaf.

Don’t Call Me Special A First Look at Disability by Pat Thomas
Young children can find out what a disability is, and learn how people deal with their disabilities to live happy and full lives.

We’ll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Emma and her father discuss what they will do when the new baby arrives, but they adjust their expectations when he is born with Down syndrome.

Puppies For Sale by Dan Clark
A young boy picks a disabled pup, one with the same needs as the boy.

Rolling Along The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair
by Jamee Riggio Heelan
Taylor and Tyler are twin brothers and best friends. But the twins are different in one significant way: Taylor has cerebral palsy, while Tyler does not. Taylor explains why wheelchairs allow many people to be more independent.

All About Sign Language Talking With Your Hands by Felicia Lowenstein
This book talks about how important sign language is as a way to communicate with others.  ¶ 2:03 PM 0 Comments

  Online Serial Novel Kids are going online week after week to read the next installment in the serial novel The Gecko and Sticky by Wendelin Van Draamen. Van Draamen is the Edgar and Christopher Award-winning author of the popular Sammy Keyes mystery novels for middle grade readers and the Shredderman series for younger readers.

The serial started on the Maricopa County Library District’s Web site January 8th and will run through May 21, 2007. There is an archive of past week’s chapters to catch up on if you are just tuning in. The url is http://www.mcldaz.org. The interactive nature of the novel makes it unique, with activities, Web links, and other information that adds to the experience.

This could be a new way to get kids to read. Thank you Maricopa County Library System for this reading adventure!   ¶ 12:32 PM 0 Comments

  100 Day Books This Tuesday, February 12th, our school will celebrate its 100th day of school. The 100th day of the school year is a special day students in our school look forward to. Celebrations and activities help children grasp the number and reflect on the community they’ve built as a class in the past hundred days together.

Try reading some of these books with your classes.

In The 100th Day of School by Angela Shelf Medearis, the children learn 100 spelling words, plant 100 seeds, bake 100 cookies, and "do everything the 100 way" to celebrate this special day.

Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten by having her children bring one hundred of something to school, including a one hundred-year-old relative, one hundred candy hearts, and one hundred polka dots.

Mr. George Baker, by Amy Hest, is one-hundred-years old and still learning. Each day this man rides the bus with his six-year-old neighbor to school to learn to read.

The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis is a classic story of the relationship between Michael, a boy, and his one-hundred-year old aunt. Michael’s mother wants to throw out the battered old box that holds the pennies, but Michael understands that the box itself is as important to Aunt Dew as the memories it contains.

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin would make an enticing read aloud for a second or third grade class. In this chapter book, a family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for one hundred years is taken aback when a new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor.

The following math books teach the concept of one hundred:

From One to One Hundred by Teri Sloat
One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinezes
Chicka, Chicka, 1,2,3 by Bill Martin, Jr.
Let’s Count by Tana Hoban
Only One by Marc Harshman

Don’t forget the folk tale “The Sleeping Beauty.”

And the new book that inspired my writing this list is The American Story 100 True Tales from American History by Jennifer Armstrong.
This collection of three to four minute stories introduces a cast of personalities throughout our country’s history from 1500s to 2000.
The tales will certainly hold readers' attention.

Labels: 100

  ¶ 5:38 PM 0 Comments

  New Folktale Versions to Storytell Our school is lucky to have Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton, two talented storytellers working with our third grade children this month. Each student in Mrs. McDaniel’s third grade classroom will learn to tell a story to an audience. It’s exciting to see the children gain confidence as they practice their storytelling techniques with encouragement from their classmates and teachers. Listening to others’ stories encourages students to come to the library to find the stories to read.

Mitch and Martha have also been busy publishing their own versions of folktales. We now have these books they authored in our collection: The Hidden Feast is a tale told originally in our country’s south. In this story barnyard animals have a good time at their neighbors’ party until dinner is served. Rooster, not happy with the cornbread served, rudely storms out. The twist ending explains why, ever since, Rooster scratches in the dirt. Tricky Rabbit A Story from Cambodia to Read and Tell tells of a banana-loving rabbit who devises a clever plan to fill his tummy with his favorite fruit. Two pourquois tales they have retold are How Fox Became Red, A Folktale from the Athabaskan Indians of Alaska, and, Why Animals Never Got Fire, A Story of the Coeur d’Alene Indians.

And, Two Fables of Aesop is both fun to read and fun to tell!  ¶ 2:20 PM 0 Comments

  The Civil Rights Movement Through Literature As educators we introduce children to the leaders of the civil rights movement. And the civil rights movement was graced with extraordinary individuals who provided vision and inspiration. But it was also comprised of thousands of heroes whose names are largely unknown to history; people who stood for justice in countless ways as they went about their daily lives.

One way to broaden children’s awareness of this time in our history is to share stories that echo their own lives or the lives of those around them; stories about “everyday” people, even children.

The following are titles published within the last few years that tell the stories of courageous individuals who did not accept injustice. We have the following books in our library.

In A Sweet Smell of Roses, Angela Johnson writes about two young African American sisters who join a freedom march during the civil rights movement.

In Grandmama’s Pride by Becky Birtha, six-year-old Sarah Marie experiences segregation for the first time. Every summer, Mama, Sister, and Sarah Marie take the bus down south to visit Grandmama. The three of them sit in the back of the bus, because, as Mama says, it is the best seat. Later, on a walk into town, the girls don't drink from the water fountain because Grandmama says she'll make fresh lemon-mint iced tea when they get home. Throughout the summer, Aunt Maria teaches Sarah Marie how to read. Then Sarah Marie notices signs in town she hadn't been able to read before, like the one on a bathroom door that says "White Women" and another that says "Colored Women." Sarah Marie faces a hard realization about the segregated South of 1956. But in the fall she reads about events happening in places like Clinton, Tennessee, and Montgomery, Alabama. And by the next summer, when they go back to visit Grandmama, they all sit in the front of the bus.

In 1965, third-grader Sheyann Webb and her friend Rachel West help change America by singing and marching for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Singing for Doctor King by Angela Shelf Medearis.

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford tells of the 1960 civil rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, as seen through the eyes of a young Southern black girl.

Jacqueline Woodson’s picture book The Other Side is set around the middle of the twentieth century, in a town where a fence marks the literal dividing line between black and white. African-American Clover watches with interest the young white girl, whose name turns out to be Annie, playing on the other side of the fence each day. Before long, the two girls are chatting through the fence, and soon sit on top of the fence side by side. Woodson’s story gives children an understanding of our society prior to the civil rights movement.

The School Is Not White! A True Story of the Civil Rights Movement by James Ransome tells the Carter family’s struggle to integrate an all-white school in Drew, Mississippi, in 1965.

Mississippi Morning by Ruth Vander Zee tells the story of a boy who discovers a shocking truth about his father. At the same time he becomes aware of the racial hatred that exists in his community.

A Bus of Her Own by Freddi Williams Evans is based on real events that took place in a rural community in Madison, Mississippi in 1949. A community of African-Americans joined together to buy a bus for their children to ride to get to school. At this time African Americans attended separate schools from whites and didn't have transportation to and from school.

When their school is burned to the ground, the people of Chicken Creek rebuild in Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar. Freedom schools like this one helped African-Americans learn about people and places important to their heritage. In 1964, the Mississippi Summer Project brought 600 volunteers to the state of Mississippi to help black students at last learn about their own rich heritage.

These books could be read all year long to help children see how individuals can make differences in our world. I hope you will share these titles with your students.  ¶ 11:53 AM 1 Comments

  Fiction Read Alouds Here are a few of my favorites from recent years.

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan Scholastic, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Becoming Naomi Leon is the story of a brother and sister abandoned by their mother and now living with their grandmother in a trailer named Baby Beluga in Lemon Tree, California. After seven years, their mom returns, determined to take Naomi and create a new family with her boyfriend and his daughter. The confidence, love, and security Naomi and her brother and grandmother have developed is in danger of being destroyed.
This book has an engaging plot with interesting, unique characters. Not only is it a page-turner, but it also discusses Mexican culture as well.

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker Hyperion, 2006.
Gr. K-3
Third grade Clementine will work her way into your hearts. She has spunk, perseverance, and plenty of character. This book pulls you into the story with scenes and characters that you remember long after the book is finished.

The Great American Mousical by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
Harper Collins, 2006.
Gr. K-5
Can the mice that have their own theatrical community below Broadway perform when their star turns up missing? Read to see if the show does go on! Julie Andrews Edwards says her idea for the story occurred while she was working on a PBS program, Broadway: The American Musical. They were filming in one of the famous Broadway theaters when a mouse came out to observe. The theater people admitted the lower levels of the theater were quite overrun with the critters.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins Scholastic, 2003.
Gr. 2-5
When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building chasing after his little sister, he finds himself in an underground world. The inhabitants of this world welcome him as their prophesized hero, although he feels woefully inadequate taking on this role. This is the first in a series of books that children will eagerly await reading.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt Clarion, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Turner Buckminster moves to Phippsburg, Maine when his father becomes the town’s new minister. Life is hard to unbearable until he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin , a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves. When he hears the local town fathers plan to evict the families on this island in order to turn the island into a tourist spot, Turner hopes he can convince his father to stand with him in opposing this decision. This historical novel is based on an actual incident in 1912 on Malaga Island off the coast of Maine.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale Bloomsbury, 2005.
Gr. 3-5
When word comes that the prince will choose a bride from the young ladies who live in the province of Mount Eskel, Miri accompanies other girls her age to the Princess Academy where they are to learn how to become princesses. Soon they are competing for the prince’s attention, until danger faces them al,l and they need to put aside their bickering to save each other.

Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Ginee Seo Books, 2006.
Gr. 2-4
In this beginning chapter book, nine-year-old Roxie Warbler knows just what to do if she finds herself buried in an avalanche, but she doesn’t know what to do about a gang of children at her new school nicknamed Helvetia’s Hooligans. After a playground confrontation lands Roxie and bullies on a deserted island, her survival skills increase her confidence and change the Hooligans from foes to friends.

Space Race by Sylvia Waugh Delacorte, 2000.
Gr. 3-5
It’s time for eleven-year-old Thomas Derwent and his father to return to their planet from Earth. The first in a science fiction trilogy. The next two titles are Earthborn and Who Goes Home?

The Teacher’s Funeral A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck Dial, 2004.
Gr. 3-5
Some books are just better read aloud, and this is one of them. Russell Culver's narration transports readers back to 1904, when he was 15 years old and still in eighth grade at Hominy Ridge School, "an out-of-date, unimproved, one-room country schoolhouse in the backwoodsiest corner of Indiana." Living on a farm with his father, big sister, Tansy, and little brother, Lloyd, he dreams of hopping a freight train for the Dakotas. When old Myrt Arbuckle, his teacher “hauls off and dies” he believes his dream may come true until his sister takes over the teaching.

Toys Go Out Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, A Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins Schwartz, 2006.
Gr. 1-5
Six stories tell the adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys.
Children who talk to their own toys will particularly enjoy the conversations of this trio. If you’re talking about point of view in stories, have your students break into pairs or small groups to write dialogues or scenes between two or more of their own toys and perform them for each other.

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin Little, Brown, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
A Taiwanese-American girl describes a year filled with excitement and self-reflection, as she shares adventures with a new friend, discovers untapped talents, learns about her heritage, and tries to harmonize her two cultures. Author Lin states in the author’s note, “I wrote it because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.” This book, and the next on my list, expose children to people of other races, cultures, and communities, and spurs them to broaden their worldviews.

Younguncle Comes to Town by B.M.Kamath Viking, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
Younguncle’s stories of pickpockets and monkeys keep his older brother’s family in modern day India entertained. The book is infused with background details, beginning with the opening paragraph: Now the rain had slowed to a murmur and the lane was empty except for a buffalo, its black hide agleam, standing meditatively under the shi-sham tree on the other side. The author, born in New Delhi, introduces American readers to Indian culture, family life, lore, and legend.
  ¶ 12:53 PM 1 Comments