First graders learned a little bit about orangutans this week while reading Little Sibu, An Orangutan Tale.  Here's what the publisher has to say about the story:

Little Sibu, a playful orangutan, enjoys his life of swinging freely through the treetops of the tropical Indonesian rainforest under the protective gaze of his mother, Hati. Each night he returns to the safe haven of his mother's nest. But, when Little Sibu turns seven years old, Hati realizes that he must learn to care for himself. Little Sibu finds his own food, travels away from his mother during the day, and builds his own nest. He quickly discovers how to make his way in the world around him.  Through this captivating story, author Sally Grindley presents a factually accurate portrayal of the everyday life of an orangutan in a tropical rainforest. She helps young readers to understand this endangered species, and appreciate the joy and tenderness of orangutan families. John Butler's colorful and dramatic illustrations will encourage readers to swing through the treetops with Little Sibu and his family.



After reading the story, we watched a hilarious short video of an orangutan appreciating a good magic trick.  It's hard not to fall in love with this adorable orangutan and watch the video over and over!

Upcoming Author Visit

Don't forget that you can purchase a Kate Klise book and have it autographed during her visit to Old Bonhomme!  Your student brought home an order form on Tuesday, December 15.  Another order form will be sent home the day we return from winter break.  All book orders must be returned by January 8, 2016 so the books can be ordered and shipped to the school in time for the author visit.

Books with a local flair!

Check out these new books at the Old Bonhomme Library--Really...Check them out!
You might see some familiar places in these books!

Wordless Picture Books

Scholastic blog post by Amy Mascott

We all know the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," so just imagine how many great conversations your family can have when you enjoy a whole (wordless) picture book picture book at home!  Reading specialist and literacy consultant Amy Mascott, in her blog post for Scholastic, praised the benefits of wordless picture books.  "Wordless picture books allow the reader (or viewer) to create their own story using the illustrations provided.  They allow for thought, creativity, and interpretation.  They allow for adaptation."  Check out the rest of her post, Must-Reads for Older Kids (Wordless Books), on Scholastics website to learn specific ways wordless picture books can booster your reader's skills...and how you can have fun with them as a whole family!  (Link located to the left)


Here is a list of the wordless picture books in Old Bonhomme's library:

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Ball by Mary Sullivan
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris van Allsburg
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola
Sector 7 by David Wiesner
Tuesday by David Wiesner
Floatsam by David Wiesner
Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

Feel free to send me an email and request a certain book be sent home with your child.   I'd love to have you try one or two of the wordless books sometime soon!

2015-2016 Mark Twain Nominees

Fourth grade students spent the first several weeks of the school year being introduced to the the 2015 Mark Twain Nominees.  The 12 nominees were chosen by librarians and student selectors across the state of Missouri.  Students in fourth through sixth grade are encouraged to read these nominees and then vote on their favorite--the winning book being awarded the Mark Twain Award in April.  All fourth graders received a bookmark with a list of the Mark Twain Nominees on it to use while reading some of these good books!

Old Bonhomme students only need to read at least four of the nominees by March 1 in order to vote on their favorite.  Upon completing one of the nominees, students fill out a slip of paper that a parent must sign before turning it in to Mrs. Kelley (the form students must fill out is located on the Mark Twain Nominee book case).  If a student reads all 12 of the nominees, his/her picture will be displayed on a poster that can be taken home at the end of the school year.  This is a big deal and we want to celebrate this accomplishment!

Mark Twain Nominees

Al Capone Does My Homework
Counting By 7s
Dorko the Magnificent
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Gaby, Lost and Found
The Great Trouble
Jinx
Navigating Early
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
The Water Castle
What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World
Will in Scarlet

Genrefying our library

Old Bonhomme’s library went through a major transformation over the summer.  Our library ditched the Dewey Decimal System and became genrefied.  Now, the word genrefication might sound like an affliction, but fear not--it’s a good thing!  Genrefying the library simply means shelving books that are on the same topic together.  Now that the library is genrefied, our young readers can easily access books on topics that interest them.  Sports books are found in the sports section, art books are found in the art section, and books about animals are found in the animal section.  There’s even a “Make It/Do It” section where kids can find books that teach them how to make or do things ranging from origami to cooking to science experiments. 

All you have to do is Google “ditching Dewey” and you’ll find that this is a hot topic in the exciting world of libraries--most librarians agree with this new way of organizing an elementary library while others are dead-set in following the hard-fast rules created in the 1800s by Melvil Dewey.  This librarian decided to do what was best for our young readers and made the change!  

If you are curious about how a genrefied library looks, stop on by during fall parent/teacher conferences.  There is still a lot of work to be done before the transformation is complete but you’ll get a good idea of how our library is now organized.  And for all of you die-hard Dewey lovers out there, fear not!  All fourth graders will be taught how to use the Dewey decimal system before leaving OB so that they’ll be able to access books at the Fifth Grade Center.  

Genrefication is our friend and your kids already love it!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Oh, cool.  I didn’t know we had books about ____!”  It’s music to this librarian’s ears!  

Don't forget the 

Old Bonhomme Library 

is open for family checkouts this summer! 

Visit our wonderful library on Mondays from 9:00 am - 11:00 am June 1-July 27.  (Please note that the library will not be open on Monday, July 7.)   This is a great opportunity for incoming fourth graders to start reading the Mark Twain nominees!

I hope to see lots of OB Eagles at the library this summer!