National Picture Book Month

I think November has to be a top five favorite month of mine, because it is National Picture Book Month. This celebration is a recent one for schools, libraries, authors and readers to promote literacy at all ages. Many times in the library we hear these words, "I want to check out a chapter book!" Chapter books are certainly wonderful, but often students want to rush to chapter books because they think picture books are too easy. 

In reality, many picture books are written for older readers at high reading levels. Books with illustrations working together with text can give readers a better understanding of challenging concepts.

During November I hope you'll challenge yourself to read a few picture books and enjoy the work of both authors and illustrators!  I've created a calendar for the month of November with author suggestions in orange and topics in black. Look for my tweets for celebrating great picture books through the rest of this month!

Let's read, share, and celebrate the power of picture books!

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (HES_Media_SMCPS)

Five Great Picture Books

I just LOVE Picture Books! There is so much enjoyment that children of all ages can find in a picture book. Even adults can find humor and topics that will really make them think. Below are five of my new favorites!

Triangle by Mac Barnett and 
illustrated by Jon Klassen

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.









Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.








Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.






Picture books are not always fiction (made up stories). They can also be nonfiction too!








Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatheford and illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.










Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz, Amy Shrodes and illustrated by Sue Cornelison

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.



Check out these great picture books and many other at the HES Media Center and at the Public Library.

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (HES_Media_SMCPS)

Technical Difficulties With Picture Book Post

If you are looking for my picture book post mentioned in the HES Media Center Smore Newsletter, I'm experiencing some technical difficulties with the post. I'm hoping to have it up by Thursday. Thanks for your patience!

Miss Hazuda (@HES_Media_SMCPS)

National Library Card Sign-up Month

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month. Do you have a library card for your public library? Our school library will do our best to meet your library needs through the school year. However, our public library provides many additional services. You can check out more books, attend programs, and access additional online resources.

Some of our favorite books for younger readers about the public library include those about animals visiting the library including Book! Book! Book!, and Bats in the Library. Even Curious George likes visiting the library!

For the older crowd there are books like The Library Card, The Forbidden Library, and Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library. Instead of getting stuck in the library we hope you’ll visit the public library during September. 

Click here to visit the St. Mary's County Public Library Homepage. You can find all kinds of helpful information at this site. I know that I'm on their site a lot, searching for books, using their resources, and many other things.

If you or your children don't have a library card, there are many ways to get one. Click here to visit the library card page on the Public Library website.  It gives you a few options on how to apply for a card.  You can apply online or in person.  If you want to apply in person there is also a form that you can download, so you can fill it out before you go.

Happy Reading!!



Miss Hazuda (@HES_Media_SMCPS)

Great Books for Back to School

Like any major event, back to school has a lot of great books. Here are some of my favorites. One of my new favorite is School's First Day of School by Adam Rex. I can't believe no one had ever written this book before. It is a fun one. But be aware it is a little bit long for some young kids. Other great books about school are The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, David Goes to School by David Shannon, and my all-time favorite, Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin. Check out the video below of Pete the Cat.

For the older kids some great chapter books about school are Adventure According to Humphrey by Betty Birney (the first in a series), Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson, Bad Kitty School Daze by Nick Bruel, and Amelia's Notebook by Marissa Moss.

All of the books that I've mentioned above are available at the public library and the Hollywood Elementary library.

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HES_Media_SMCPS)

Happy Chinese New Year

Calendars are an invention of people. Time passes from day to day with the cycle of the sun rising and setting. Centuries ago people tried to measure time. They created the calendar as a measurement tool to keep track of how fast time was moving. However, just like there is more than one kind of pencil, or one kind of television, or gaming system, there is also more than one kind of calendar. 

The Chinese New Year begins this year on February 16, 2018. Just like our New Year is always on January 1st, the Chinese New Year is always on the first day of their calendar. One of the most interesting things about the Chinese calendar is that they identify each year with an animal. The Chinese say that people who are born during a Year of the Dog are honest, friendly, faithful, loyal, smart, stratightforward and have a strong sense of responsibility.

The Chinese people celebrate their culture in a 15-day celebration of the New Year. They celebrate with fireworks, parades, special rituals and foods.  Click here to watch a Youtube clip to see how some Chinese people celebrate the New Year.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, skip the fortune cookies, which are really an American invention, and try out a tangram puzzle. Tangrams are ancient Chinese puzzles. See below for printable Tangrams.  If you’re in the mood for something with a more artistic flair, download and color this Year of the Dog page. Click here for a link to a coloring page.

Don't forget to look for books on the Chinese New Year at the public library. We will have a few books available to check out at the HES library.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is more than just a day to celebrate love. It’s a celebration of who we are as people. As humans we thrive because of our relationships with other people. We work together in groups to solve problems. We have teams to accomplish goals. We have friends to spend time with. We learn from others of all ages. 

The people around us make a difference to us every day.

Which is why February 14th is a great day to write letters and cards to friends and family members we appreciate. 

Valentine’s Day has a long history and there are many different traditions celebrated around the world. The United Kingdom began the tradition of sending flowers, chocolates and cards. In the area of Slovenia (in Europe near Austria and Hungary) February 14th is a celebration of spring. Men and women go out into the fields to being their work. In some countries in Central America February 14th is a traditional day to do acts of kindness for friends. 

Let's keep the kindness going this week whole week. Here are a few things that you can do:

Monday: Read about the traditions of Valentine's Day on Pebble Go.   
               If you need the user name and password, please email me. Please
               make sure you mention who your student is, because this log in is
               only for HES students. Once in the database, go in 
               to Social Studies, and then Holidays. 

Tuesday:  Make a card for a friend or relative. Follow these directions at 
                 Instructables for a simple card or for a more challenging card.

Wednesday: Find a fun craft to do on PBS Kids.

Thursday:  Do like puzzles? Do this interactive word search from National  
                  Geographic Kids. 

Friday:  Do a Random Act of Kindness for someone. In fact, Random Acts
              of Kindness day is February 16th. 
              Here are some ideas for people of all ages.

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)