Star Light, Star Bright

It is that time of year again. Resolutions are being made, and broken. Young and old are making goals to become better, fitter, smarter, stronger, nicer or whatever in 2011. Isaac even came home talking about the goal he had set at school this week. For the record, I did not make a resolution -- I always break them.

All of this evaluation and reflection is driven by a sense of wanting to achieve something and to leave a mark on the world. Peter Reynold's The North Star is a great book to read as we begin the New Year and evaluate where we go from here. It is a reminder for adults of the struggle to find the path that will bring us the fulfillment that we seek. It is a lesson for children on how to find the path that is waiting for them. And, for parents, it is a caution against forcing children down a path that they do not understand or choose.

Each of us has a North Star, a belief that guides us through life. It may take a while to define it and allow it to lead us, but it is out there waiting to be our beacon. Life can be overwhelming and scary as children navigate the different paths that are before them. As parents we can be a substitute for their North Star, but we cannot wholly replace it, either with ourselves or our desires for our children. The best we can do is point them on their way, gently guide them to safety if they start down a dangerous path, and hope and pray that they find the route that brings them peace.

Happy travels.

Re-Focusing for the New Year

School starts back tomorrow after a week and a half of no schedules, no structure, and no school work. The alarm clock will go off at the usual time. I will make lunches as I usually do. I will get Isaac's usual breakfast ready. And we will all head off to our usual places for the day. I am hoping, though, that I can make the rest of this school year a bit unusual.

I brought home some journals to peruse during the holidays that I hadn't had the time to read in the fall, and I actually accomplished my goal of going through them over the break. One of them had an article about how to attract boys to the library. It was written by a middle school librarian, so many of her ideas would be hard for me to implement. But the general attitude that she promotes for getting boys interested in the library transcends age and grade levels.

Libraries in general, and school libraries in particular, are not the quiet domains of books and periodicals any longer. They are, or should be, noisy, busy places that are student-centered and child/adolescent-friendly. They house computers, games, videos, and cds, along with the books and magazines.

I have a fairly strong contingent of boys that I see in the library regularly. But I want more. So, at the risk of making this sound like a New Year's resolution, I am going to find ways to attract more boys to the library this year. Whether that means buying more graphic novels, allowing some more freedom on the internet, bringing in some games, or simply having the right attitude, I will be searching for the right mix of elements to pull the boys in.

Wish me luck.

What to Read in 2011

The "Best of " lists are out and have been coming out for a few months. Various publications and organizations look back at the children's books published during the calendar year and give their opinion of what was "best." School Library Journal publishes its own list in the December issue. If you are looking for good books for 2011, here are some picture book highlights from the list.

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton starts off the list. Isaac loved this book when we checked it out of the library. It's a great depiction of imaginative play.

Mo Willems makes the list with another Elephant and Piggie book, We Are in a Book! We love this author/illustrator, as I have said before, and this book is delightful. It is an easy reader and it brings an added element of reader interaction with the characters.

Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Jonah Winter depicts the wanderings of the garbage barge that wasn't allowed to dock because no one wanted its load of trash. I remember this news story from my own childhood and Isaac enjoyed the humorous, though informative, portrayal.

There are many other excellent titles on the list. These were our favorites.

Happy New Year and happy reading.

O Holy Night

It is Christmas Eve. Isaac is in bed, the presents are under the tree, Santa's cookies have been baked (and eaten), and Mom and Dad are settling in for what will probably be a short winter's nap.

The Christmas books came out of the boxes with the Christmas decorations a few weeks ago. We have read How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Night before Christmas, and Bear Stays Up for Christmas, among others over the past few days.

This evening after attending a beautiful Christmas Eve service at our church, going out for dinner, discovering that all of the grocery stores closed at 8:00 (including Walmart, if you can believe it), and preparing Santa's treats, Isaac finally went to bed after threats of "Santa will fly right over our house if you are still awake." But not, of course, without stories.

Instead of a repeat of one of the myriad Christmas books we own, I was compelled to stay with the real message of the evening during story time. I pulled Isaac's Bible off of the shelf and opened to the Christmas story. We read about Gabriel appearing to Mary, Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the heavenly host of angels bringing the news to the shepherds, and the Wise Men traveling to find the new King.

Isaac will wake up thinking about what Santa left for him, but he went to sleep with the story of the first Christmas echoing in his head.

Merry Christmas and sweet dreams.

The Culmination of an Idea

A few months ago I wrote about the book Why? by Lila Prap. I mentioned a project idea that I had and I actually implemented it this year with my 4th grade students. Since this blog was where the thought first sprouted I thought I would share the results.

The students I worked with loved the book. Reading it out loud to the classes was one of my favorite experiences so far this school year. Shared laughter between teachers and students can be a rare experience and when it happens I savor it.

The classes I worked with created projects in different formats using some new online tools that I began playing with this year. Their products are fun and creative. Just thought I would brag on my students a bit.

Here they are.