It's a Library Card

I Read Banned Books... and I Bet You Do Too!

According to The American Library Association: "A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.  Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection."  

So many of my favorite books have been challenged and actually removed from libraries across the country.  If these books were banned from MY school library when I was a kid- I never would have read them... and "The Bridge to Terabithia" is a book I would take on a desert island.  Have you read any of these banned books? (You rebel!)

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson 

This book was challenged because of language used in the book, views on religion and SPOILER ALERT, because the little girl in the book dies.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I totally left this book off my top ten last week... it should be there.  When this book was challenged, it was called "lewd" and "twisted".  One mom said  “This book is negative. I read it. I don't see the academic value in it. Everything presented to the kids should be positive or historical, not negative.”

I. Love. This. Book.  

All of the books in the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

This book (and the rest of them) were challenged because of magic, all the scary stuff and the fact that Harry didn't set a good example... he flew on his broom when he was told not to.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

I think every student read this book last year for Lemme Reads!  Go Leopards!!  The grasshopper uses some language that some parents didn't like, and they didn't like the magical aspect of the book.  I think Lemme loved it... am I right?

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

This is the sweetest book about two male penguins that raise a baby penguin together.  The book was challenged because it was seen as "anti-family".  I love this book- and I think this book is pro-family... love. 

All of the Junie B Jones books by Barbara Park

The spunky little girls is prone to troublemaking... she even calls people names and sasses back to her teachers.  Parents take issue with the fact that she struggles with grammar. Her adverbs lack the suffix “ly”;  and words like funnest and beautifuller are the mainstays of her vocabulary.

I love her!  Kids love her! 

Most of the books I read in high school are on these lists: "To Kill a Mockingbird", "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", "The Outsiders" and ALL of my favorite Judy Blume books!

To see if your favorite books have been banned or challenged in the past, visit these links from ALA:

Most Challenged Books 1990-1999

Most Challenged Books 2000-2009

I love word art!

So I took the lyrics from "Baby" by Justin Beiber and pasted them into these cool sites to show you what they can do.  You can do this with your own songs, poetry, list of names... you can paste in words from a speech or an entire website.  These would be great printed and framed as art, put on a tshirt, or used as a cover of a story.  Thank you Justin Beiber for inspiring this librarian.

Wordle.net: This is the original site... the mother of all word art sites. 

ABCYa! Word Cloud: Wordle for Kids!  Very safe, very easy! 

Word it out: Like Wordle, but it takes some time to make your art look cool... so many options!  So if you have time and mad skills, give it a try!

And here is a Wordle design for the more serious crowd : ) 

WWW (World Wide Wednesday)

 Hey there, Lemme Teachers!  Need some new ideas for your Daily 5: Listen to Reading?  Try these links!  All you need is a computer with Internet access and a set of headphones, and you are set!  Did you know you can log out of your account on your computer and log in as student, and the kids can use the computer without accessing or damaging your files? 

Storyline Online: Brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild.  This is a great collection of well known picture books, all read aloud by actors. 

Koljr: Part of Aol Kids, Koljr offers a selection of picture books.  Their books are categorized by: animals, fairy tales, rhyming stories, family & Arthur. 
 

Meegenius:  Free audiobooks for kids K-3. Great for Daily 5!  All books come with audio playback and word highlighting, and can be personalized just the way you like them.

TumbleBooks: Brought to you free by the Iowa City Public Library.  An online collection of animated, talking picture books, audiobooks and ebooks for children. Includes picture books in Spanish and other languages. TumbleBooks can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. No password is necessary.  You must go through the library website to access TumbleBooks.

And of course, the granddaddy of all literacy sites: Starfall.com.

Do you have any great sites to add to this list?  Leave a comment and I will add your link to my list!  Happy surfing!

Did I mention?

Did I mention the beautiful library sign that is at the top of my blog?  It was made by the ladies at Things With Wings!  Jill Brown is Will & Sam's mom (they are Lemme Leopards!), and she is 1 of 4 Iowa City artists that work together to make beautiful mixed-media art.  Here is their blog:

Things With Wings

I can't tell you how many compliments I have gotten on our beautiful sign!  They even made one for Mrs. Dickson at Weber School!  

Who wouldn't want one after they see mine! : )  

Kid makes cool "Got Origami" carton with Yoda-riffic surprise inside!

So. Cool. Click. This. Link.

MITCHELL ROCKS!!

Got Origami?

NEW! Click here to see Mitchell on Mr. Angleberger's website!  So cool!

 I am telling you that last year I fell in love with this book.  

I wrote a love letter to the author (not a REAL love letter... well...).  Anyway, I wrote him a letter telling him how awesome he is, how his book is awesome and how he is going to inspire so many 10-12 year old boys to read.  I told him that his book was way funnier than the Wimpy Kid books (I did- and I really think it is!).  He wrote back to me!  He even sent me a bunch of stuff in the mail- a great big huge Yoda and some other things!  The book is slowly catching on at Lemme... I thought it would be flying off the shelves.  So today, Mitchell came to library with the coolest origami Yoda!  I was so excited that I took pictures and sent them to Mr. Angleberger.  Here they are!

Have you read this hilarious book yet?  Did you love it?  Tell me your thoughts!  What is your favorite quote?

Update!  I emailed  Tom Angleberger the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda!  I sent him the pictures of Mitchell and his Yoda, and this is what he replied:

First of all, thanks for sending these pictures and connecting kids with the book! Fantastic!

Secondly, what Mitchell is holding there is the Kawahata Origami Yoda! That is a serious, high-difficulty piece of origami! I've tried it and failed it myself.

So please tell him that I'm very impressed and that I'd like to put his picture up on my Website.
Thanks!!!
-Tom

Tom's site:

http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com/

Directions for making a Kawahata Origami Yoda (or just ask Mitchell to make you one!)
http://www.spitenet.com/origami/Yoda-v.shtml

Friday Funday!

This video gives us all permission to add a little more fun to our lives!

Thursday Thirteen (13)

This week I am sharing the 13 books that make me LLOL... literally laugh out loud!

  Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

 

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

 

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstien (poetry)

Punk Farm by by Jarrett Krosoczka

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley

Stinky, Smelly Feet by Margie Palatini

 Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

Falling for Rapunzel by Wilcox

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

No Talking by Andre Clements

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Strange Case of Origami Yoda 

by Tom Angelberger

(I think I sprayed milk out of my nose while reading this!)

Surviving Brick Johnson by Laurie Myers

Will the e-Book Kill the Hardback?

I have read every single Stephen King book... but would I read them on a Kindle or an iPad?  Stephen King thinks that ebooks are the future- and they will eventually take over the traditional book.  So what?  Does it matter?  If people are reading- isn't it ok if they are reading an ebook as opposed to a traditional book?  I love books... I love the way they feel, I love the way they smell, I love the crinkle sound the pages and spine make when you open a brand new book.  But... I also loved film in my camera, and now I rock a digital camera.  I used to love my boombox, but I threw out all my tapes and got a cd player... and I threw that out and bought an iPod... all of my music is now digital.  Will I buy an ebook reader?  The jury is still out.  And as Stephen King says, if you drop a book in the toilet, you can fish it out, dry it and read it.  But if you drop your Kindle in the toilet... you are done.  Here is his interview on Cnn... decide for yourself!

The Countdown to Wimpy is ON!!

Wimpy Kid fever!! If you are like me, you can't wait for the next, PURPLE edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (The Ugly Truth)! I can't wait to see what Greg's up to! The Lemme Library has 5 copies on the way... do you think that will be enough?

It's A Book - By Lane Smith

Can you blog with it?

Can you Twitter with it?

Can it text?

No... it's a book.

WWW (World Wide Wednesday)

Did you know that we have great online resources at our fingertips that are provided by GWAEA?  All of these sites are for student and teacher use and can be accessed at school with or without a password. Sites will be password protected when you aren't at school.  If you would like a password, ask Mrs. Butcher! 

iClipart For Schools is a searchable database of nearly 8 million royalty-free images, including clip art, photos, web graphics, illustrations, fonts, sounds, animations, and videos selected for students and educators.

Atomic Learning is an electronic help desk with thousands of short tutorial movies covering many common software applications such as Word, Excel, FrontPage, MovieMaker, Photo Story, Powerpoint (from Microsoft); Acrobat, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Photoshop (from Adobe); netTrekker, Picasa, Geometer's Sketchpad, Inspiration/Kidspiration, and KidPix. 

DE streaming is a digital video database with over 5000 full-length educational videos and 50,000 video segments.  Students and teachers may integrate this digital media into projects and presentations.

Learn360 is a video database with other online resources and tools for students and educators.  You can stream 153 Reading Rainbow episodes!

netTrekker is an educational search engine that connects students and educators to over 300,000 educator-selected web resources.   This is one of my all time favorite search engines for teachers!  You can narrow your search by subject and grade level.  All content is appropriate for school use!

Soundzabound is a database of royalty-free music.  Download and use copyright-safe music files in MP3 format from this website.  
Teachingbooks.net includes original movies and multimedia interviews of authors, book guides, book readings, thematic booklists, book awards, and valuable links.

World Book Web is a suite of online research tools including the well-known encyclopedia, primary source collections, student activities, teacher tools, pictures, audio, and video, as well as current periodicals and related websites.  Resources include: World Book Kids (K-4), World Book Student (4-12), World Book Advanced (7-college).  It also includes special resources: World Book Discover, two Spanish-language encyclopedias, a French-language encyclopedia and several digital libraries: Living Green, Early Peoples, and Inventions and Discoveries

Who You Gonna Call?

No ghosts in the Lemme Library... but lots of ghost stories! Check out the Ghostbusters in the New York Public Library... and then go check out one of Mrs. Butcher's favorite ghost stories! 

 

Ghost Stories:

The Ghost of Fossil Glenn by Cynthia DeFelice (F DEF)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (F GAI)

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn (F HAH)

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (F HAH)

 

BRAND NEW!! The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn (F HAH) 

Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (F HAH) MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!!

No Ghosts... but very spooky!

Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac (F BRU) the sequel is The Return of Skeleton Man

The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki (F PRO)

Malice by Chris Wooding (F WOO)

Kidnappers are scary too!

The Lambkins by Eve Bunting (E BUN)

Stolen Children by Peg Kehret (F KEH)

Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts (F ROB)

Picture Books for Older Students

All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever by Jane Yolen

The Honus Wagner baseball card is the most valuable baseball card of all time! But he was born poor, ugly, bow-legged, and more suited to shoveling coal in his Pennsylvania mining town than becoming the greatest shortstop of all time. How could it happen? Did those strong arms and fast legs turn him into a Pittsburgh Pirate and one of the game’s most unforgettable players?

 Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan
While still dressed in evening gowns, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt go on a night flight above Washington, D.C. on April 1933. Extensively researched, the story contains actual dialogue and facts of the account. Breathtaking illustrations tell the trip of these two American heroines as it might have been.

Baloney (Henry P) by Jon Scieszka

Henry P. Baloney needs to come up with a very good, very believable excuse for being late to szkola yet again--or he's in big trouble with his teacher Miss Bugscuffle. But never fear! Henry has a doozy of a story. You see, it all started when he misplaced his trusty yellow no. zz zimulis. One thing led to another, and before he knew it, he was on a razzo blasting off into space, where he eventually landed on the planet Astrosus.

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

During World War II, a young Japanese-American boy and his family are sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Despondent in their desolate surroundings, father and son pull the camp together to build a baseball diamond and form a league.

Black and White by David Macaulay

At first glance, this is a collection of four unrelated stories, each occupying a quarter of every two-page spread, and each a slight enough tale to seem barely worth a book--a boy on a train, parents in a funny mood, a convict's escape and a late commuter train. The magic of Black and White comes not from each story, however, but from the mysterious interactions between them that creates a fifth story.

Cloud Tea Monkeys by Juan Wijnaard

Tashi lives in a tiny village below the tea plantations where her mother earns a living. One day her mother falls ill, and Tashi must pick tea to earn the money for a doctor. But she is too small to reach the tender shoots and the cruel Overseer sends her away empty-handed. Tashi needs a miracle. Then, on the mountains high above the plantation where only monkeys live, something extraordinary happens that will change her life for ever.

Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka

Peanut butter and jelly. George and Martha. Frog and Toad. Cowboy and . . . Octopus? Yes, that's right. Meet Cowboy and Octopus, the next great pair to become a household name. Cowboy likes beans'n'bacon and bacon'n'beans. Octopus eats raw seafood. Octopus prefers knock-knock jokes, but Cowboy doesn't get them. How will these two ever be friends?

The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket 
There's dreadful news from the symphony hall—the composer is dead! If you have ever heard an orchestra play, then you know that musicians are most certainly guilty of something. Where exactly were the violins on the night in question? Did anyone see the harp? Is the trumpet protesting a bit too boisterously? In this perplexing murder mystery, everyone seems to have a motive, everyone has an alibi, and nearly everyone is a musical instrument. But the composer is still dead. Perhaps you can solve the crime yourself. Join the Inspector as he interrogates all the unusual suspects.

Crow Call by Lois Lowry

This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly

The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka

After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince and they lived happily ever after... or did they?

The Princess can't stand the Prince's froggy habits - the way he hops around on the furniture, or sneaks off to the lily pond. The Prince is unhappy, too, and decides that it would be best if he were changed back to a frog. But finding a witch who will do the job is harder than he expects.

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg

Alan accidentally allows Miss Hester's dog Fritz to enter a magician's garden and is horrified when he thinks Fritz has been turned into a duck.

The Girl on the High Diving Horse by Linda High

Ivy Cordelia is plain lucky. It's the summer of 1936, and she gets to stay in Atlantic City all summer long, where there's so much to see: boxing kangaroos, human cannonballs, card-playing cats . . . and high-diving horses! If there's anyone luckier than she is, it must be the girl on the high-diving horse, who daily performs her dangerous-looking act while the crowd cheers. Ivy's dream is to be that girl. But could she ever be that brave?

 

Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask by Xavier Garza

Young Carlitos attends his first lucha libre match in Mexico City. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador-the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. The masked wrestler even smiles at Carlitos! He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil-los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss! In the end, though, the Man in the Silver Mask triumphs and, in the process, gains a lifelong fan.

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

A tale of a girl in the relentless grip of math-mania. What if you think of everything as a math problem--and you spend your morning tabulating your teeth and calculating your corn flakes? You've got the math curse, that's what!

Probuditi by Chris Van Allsburg

For his birthday, Calvin's mother gives him two tickets to see Lomax the Magnificent. Even though Mama hints that his sister, Trudy, would love to go, Calvin invites his friend Rodney instead. The boys return home greatly impressed by the magician. When Calvin's mother goes out, she leaves him in charge of Trudy. Calvin and Rodney  make her the first subject for their own hypnotizing machine. Much to the boys' surprise, the machine works. But unfortunately they cannot undo what they have done.

Rapunzle by Paul Zelinsky

Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan
Before basketball star Michael Jordan's name was uttered reverently in households all over the planet, young Michael was just a shrimpy kid trying to play ball with the big boys in the neighborhood. Tired of being teased by the biggest boy on the court, Michael is convinced the only solution is to grow taller. His mama smilingly suggests putting salt in his shoes and saying a prayer every night.

Science Verse by Jon Scieszka

When the teacher tells his class that they can hear the poetry of science in everything, a student is struck with a curse and begins hearing nothing but science verses that sound very much like some well-known poems

The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier
Go beyond Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella! Some princesses are well-known to all children—but others, equally magical (and sometimes, a lot funnier) have remained anonymous, mysterious, and far from the fairy-tale crowd.

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

This is a story about cats -- and people -- who couldn't get along until a smoky and fearful night brings them together.  The Los Angeles riots made author Eve Bunting wonder about what riots meant to the children who live through them -- and what we can all learn from such upheavals.

Squids will be Squids by Jon Scieszka
A collection of new and wacky fables with fresh morals, which are about all kinds of bossy, sneaky, funny and annoying people. A general moral offered by the book is, "If you are planning to write fables, don't forget to change people's names and avoid places with high cliffs".

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka A riotous romp through fairy-tale-land that will have readers clutching their sides happily ever after.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs  by Jon Scieszka

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
Four people enter a park, and through their eyes readers see four different visions. As the story moves from the bossy woman to the sad man, from the lonely boy to the young girl whose warmth touches all she meets, the perspectives are reflected in the park's shifting landscapes and changing seasons. 

The Wall by Eve Bunting

The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
The lonely widow Minna Shaw finds a wounded, sky-fallen witch in her vegetable garden. The witch disappears before dawn, but leaves her old broom behind. Minna begins to use it around the house and finds that "it was no better or worse than brooms she'd used before." However, one morning, Minna sees the broom sweeping by itself! Opportunistically, she trains it to chop wood and fetch water.  When the neighbors find out about this "wicked, wicked thing", they accost the widow and demand that the broom be burned.

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of their house—and, as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out. 

Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van Allsburg

At the edge of a cliff lies the wreck of a small sailboat. How did it get there? "Waves carried it up in a storm," says an old sailor. But is it possible that waves could ever get that high? There is another story -- the story of a boy and his obsessive desire to be the greatest sailor, the story of a storm that carried the boy and his boat to a place where boats glide like gulls high above the water and not upon it.

The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg

In a story recounted through the daily log of Captain Allan Hope, the sailors aboard the Rita Anne become mesmerized and transformed by a mysterious glowing rock, and only music and books can restore them to normal. 

Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg
On the last page of the Caldecott-winning book Jumanji, young Danny Budwing is seen running after his brother, Walter, with a game tucked under his arm. Now after twenty years, Chris Van Allsburg is ready to reveal what happens when Danny and Walter roll the dice. This time the name of the game is Zathura and the battling Budwing boys are in for the ride of their lives.