GRAPHIC NOVELS HITTING THE SHELVES

One of the new trends in the library, and in Sycamore Park's library, is the presence of graphic novels. Many people dismiss graphic novels because they connect them to comic books. Some say they don't have a serious place in the library and in the students' journey to literacy. However, graphic novels are important in so many ways! As Macmillan.com says so well, "graphic novels are a great way to go for kids making the transition from image-centric books to more text-based books, and for those just learning English". Pictures give visual hints about what is happening in the story if children are struggling with the words. Also, because the story is told with panels of pictures, the students are challenged to think critically as they move from panel to panel. Macmillan's PDF about graphic novels and their place in the classroom is linked here and is an interesting read.

I can tell you that in Sycamore Park's library, graphic novels are EXTREMELY popular, and our collection is continuing to grow. They can sometimes be difficult to find because they are often placed in the nonfiction as they are considered a form of art. I have outlined some of the library's new and popular graphic novel series below in case your students (or you) are interested in checking them out! Some of them are quite entertaining!

Pilot & Huxley
Taken from Amazon.com: Pilot & Huxley get zapped to another dimension by aliens seeking to enslave Earth. Things get weird when they traverse a swamp of bees, battle a sea monster, and end up in the nose of a giant dragon. But with help from a girl who can transform into a monster, they might just make it back home.

Thea Stilton Series
Taken from Amazon.com: The Thea Sisters are five fun, lively students at on Whale Island, who want to be real, live journalists just like their hero, Thea Stilton. Between classes and friendships, love and small fits of jealousy, they’re finding life is really exciting!

Olympians
George O'Connor highlights an important person from Greek mythology in each volume of this exciting and beautifully illustrated series.

Frankie Pickle
Amazon.com talks about this graphic novel/chapter book hybrid: Wight's children's book debut introduces a protagonist as singular as his name. Frankie Pickle (short for Franklin Piccolini) fuels his everyday life with fantasy.

I hope you and your students enjoy this new book trend!

TEACHER FAVORITES

The votes are in! I have officially heard from almost all of the teachers and staff about their favorite books, and that means a fun new display in the library! When you walk into the library, you will now see a Teacher Favorites display (below).

Each of the books has a post-it on the front with the name of the teacher who chose that book as their favorite (one of mine is shown as an example below). The kids can then check out these books. Kids are already excited to be reading books their teachers love, and the books are flying off the shelves!

I was thrilled with the variety of books that were mentioned by all of the teachers. We had Charlotte's Web (thanks, Mr. Wygal!) and Little Women (Mrs. Meza!), which are such classics, and then we had newer books such as the bear books by Karma Wilson, recommended by Mrs. McFarland, and the Percy Jackson series. For the rest of this week, I am getting pictures of the teachers and staff with their favorite books for use in a digital picture frame in the library and for a bulletin board in the school. Fun things on the horizon!

FEBRUARY DISPLAYS

February means exciting displays in the library! Currently, the display as you walk into the library is for Valentine's Day! This includes nonfiction, picture, and chapter books for all grades.

There is also a display for Black History Month, and we have LOTS of new books for this topic. You could pick up Claudette Colvin, a Newbery award-winning book with moving illustrations for the older grades about fifteen year old Claudette who refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus nine months before Rosa Parks. Consider grabbing Fifty Cents And A Dream, a beautifully illustrated look at Booker T. Washington as a young man. Or maybe you'll pick up Before John Was A Jazz Giant about John Coltrane and his love of music. We have books on Oprah, Rosa Parks, basketball stars, leaders of the political realm, inventors, musicians. We have modern stories and older ones. Come check out our selection!

And last but not least, the library now has three sections for books that are new to the library. One section is for new picture books, one is for new fiction chapter books, and one is for new nonfiction books. These new sections are labeled with large blue "NEW" signs, so keep an eye out for them! The nonfiction ones may be helpful in some of your lessons, and I am listing them below. Enjoy!

Citizen Scientists: Be A Part of Scientific Discovery From Your Own Backyard
590.72 BUR

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
551.46 NIV

Trash Origami: 25 Paper Folding Projects Reusing Everyday Materials
736.98 LAF

Island: A Story of the Galapagos
508.86 CHI

Harlem's Little Blackbird
782.42 WAT

Over and Under the Snow
591.43 MES

STORIES ONLINE

One of the items on my always-growing "To-Do" list is to update the Sycamore Park Library's home page. I have started the process, and one of the new additions is going to be a section of links to websites that have online stories for kids. I have found a few websites that are particularly kid-friendly and high-quality, and they are listed below with a short description.

Between The Lions - Stories

This website, by PBS Kids, has stories that children can watch and listen to in a variety of categories, from Folktales and Fables to Art and Music. The story is read aloud along with an entertaining video. Also, one plus of this website is that the words of the story run along the screen and are highlighted when they are spoken.

Storyline Online

This website is sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild. It has actors and actresses reading the stories, and the stories are accompanied by a video. Fun for adults, too! However, the story selection is limited.

Barnes & Noble Online Storytime

Barnes & Noble has videos that you can access of authors reading their books. This is one of my favorites because it features several stories that are so popular with the kids, such as Pinkalicious, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, The Polar Express, Fancy Nancy, and many more. It's entertaining to hear the author him or herself reading the book.

Scholastic Listen & Read

This website features 54 nonfiction read-along books in categories such as American History, Animals, Science, Social Studies, and more. This website tells stories through words, images, and sound. A plus is that it reviews difficult words at the end of the story!

I hope you enjoy these resources! More will be posted on the library homepage, found here, soon!