Books About Summer

Summer is always such a fun time for me to get caught up on my reading! I try to read books that I want to get for our library, but also ones that I can recommend to former students!




I also like to read books that have to do with the season. So below you will find some of my favorite summer books! All these books can be found at the St. Mary's County Public Library.

I love poetry books. Acrostic poems are some of my favorites. Summer: An Alaphbet Acrostic by Steven Schnur does not disappoint. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. After reading this book a great follow up activity is to make your own acrostic poems. They don't have to be about a season. They could be about anything! Names, favorite sports, favorite foods, etc. are all great topics for acrostic poems. If you like this book, make sure you look for all the other seasons.




A great picture books about summer are Clifford Keeps Cool by Norman Bridwell! Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Clifford has always been a favorite character of mine since I was in elementary school! Reading these books always brings back great memories of reading with my mom!





I'm not usually a fan of chapter books that have animal as main characters, but I just love the Humphrey books. Betty Biney has written a great summer book, Summer According to Humphrey. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is book number six in the series. I hadn't realized that there are twelve books about Humphrey! I've got a few books to read to catch up! But these don't need to be read in order. It might help with knowing the characters, though.

If you have some great books that you have been reading, please share them in the comments!

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Summer Reading

www.mycutegraphics.com

I can't believe that it is already late July! Where has the summer gone? I know that I have not done a great job of keeping this blog updated last school year. There was just so much going on last year, before I knew it the year was over. My goal is to update once a week this school year. I will be also posting some events from last year as well. I'm going to try to do some "Throwback Thursday" posts.

This summer I've been doing some reading. Of course, most have been books that are going in our library. But I managed to fit in three grown-up books on vacation. I read one of the books on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. To see the list of other books on the lists see the links below. They will be available for check out to the students this coming school year. If they read 5 or more books, students can earn a spot on the Black-Eyed Susan Wall of Fame.

BES Picture Books

BES Chapter Books (4-6)

BES Graphic Novels (4-6)

 Hope everyone is having a great summer and doing lots of reading! Keep checking back for more updates! If you have read a great book, please post it in the comments.

Miss Hazuda(@HESMediaCenter)

National Picture Book Month

November 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. For example, Carole Boston Weatherford's book Freedom on the Menu tells the story of the Greensboro Sit-in. Doreen Rappaport's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Eleanor, Quiet No More) chronicles the First Lady's transition from childhood to the White House. Photographs like Nic Bishop's in his book Frogs capture wildlife in action-an experience many children don’t have.

Reader understanding of all of these topics are enhanced because of their illustrations. The picture book format provides the right balance to make the topic more accessible for students. 

During November I hope you'll challenge yourself to read a few picture books and enjoy the work of both authors and illustrators!  You can print this November calendar with picture book suggestions. Let's read, share, and celebrate the power of picture books!

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Scholastic Book Fair

My students know that two of my favorite times of the whole school year is Book Fair time! This year our Fall Book Fair will be October 24th-October 28th. We will be open during Fall Festival that will be taking place on Thursday, October 27, 2016 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. 

I think I get so excited about Book Fair because I love getting new books! There are a lot of great titles that will be available. Check out the link to our home page to see the great books and a lot of additional information. You can also download the Book Fair App. Click here for more information.

Here are some of my favorites!

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.

Click here for a summary on Goodreads.

Can't wait to see you at the Book Fair! If you need suggestions, I'm more than happy to help!

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

October Already!

It had been a while since I have been able to post anything on the blog. The new school year was off to a fast start and I barely had time breathe! And then I got sick! I have not been that sick in many many years. I'm still not 100% yet, but I'm on the road to being there soon! 

I think fall is finally here! I went out to dinner last night with my parents and it was a lot cooler once the sun went down. October is one of my favorite months due to the change in the temperature, the leaves beginning to change color and it is almost time for Book Fair!

The Fall Book Fair will be October 24th through October 28th. We will be open during the Fall Festival from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Keep an eye out for another post about the Book Fair. The flyers will be coming home soon, as well as the All for Books sheet.

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)