May I suggest?

The American Library Association has put together a great list of suggested websites for kids. Follow this link: http://www.ala.org/greatsites. I'm sure you'll find something of interest!

This week I will be showing Mrs. Zuehl's 3rd graders this website list during library class in the computer lab. On Thursday I travel to Kanawha.

Next week I will have class for 3-Bruns and 4-Kahlstrof on Tuesday and the 1st graders and 4-Hildman on Thursday.

Until next time!
Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 teacher Librarian

All About Thanksgiving Day...

It is once again time to celebrate that American autumn holiday known as Thanksgiving Day! For some it will be a day of visiting with family and friends. Others will enjoy a bountiful table of delicious foods and a nap afterwards. Some will watch a parade and a football game. Most will do all of the above!

Below is a list of books/DVDs/audio Cd's all about celebrating Thanksgiving:

BOOKS
How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting
Thanksgiving (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by David. F. Marx
Let's Get Ready for Thanksgiving (Welcome Books: Celebrations) by Joanne Winne
Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27) by Mary Pope Osborne
Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young by Nancy White Carlstrom
Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell
The First Thanksgiving: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed
Rivka's First Thanksgiving by Elsa Okon Rael
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern
'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Green
Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons
My First Thanksgiving by Tomie dePaola
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes and Shannon Stimweis
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons
Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern
Samuel Eaton's Day by Kate Waters
Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters
If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy
Indian Two Feet and His Horse by Margaret Friskey
The Pilgrims and Me by Judy Donnelly
Corn is Maize by Aliki
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnson

DVDs
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Inside Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Garfield: Holiday Collection (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

Audio Cd's
Thanksgiving: A Windham Hill Collection (various artists)

This week I will be in Britt on Tuesday with Mrs. Jass's kindergartners where they will listen to the book How Many Seeds in A Pumpkin? written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Mrs. Tangeman's 2nd graders will watch the DVD, A Magical Journey Through the Library.
Next week I will meet with Mrs. Zuehl's 3rd graders on Tuesday and be at the WHMS in Kanawha on Thursday.

Thanksgiving Day is really a special day to count our blessings and all that we treasure. It's a day to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

I love autumn!

We were reminded last weekend that winter is on the way! Thankfully, the snow melted. Until next time!

This week I will be in Britt on Tuesday, visiting with K-Geelan and 2-Glawe. Kindergartners will listen to the stories In November by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Jill Kastner and Tractor by written and illustrated by Craig Brown. Second graders will listen to Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Julie Paschkis. It is story containing elements of worldwide Cinderella stories. On Thursday I will have Mrs. Zuehl's 3rd graders and we will discuss biographies and their arrangement in the library.

Next week I meet with K-Jass and 2-Tangeman in Britt.

Autumn is my favorite season! I love all the beautiful colors and smells. It's a time to dance in the falling leaves and to catch a wisp of a wood burning fire. It's also time to curl up with a good read. Let me know if you need any suggestions!

READ EVERY DAY!
Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

What Is Veterans Day?

WHAT IS VETERANS DAY?
Great Britain, France, and other countries celebrate November 11th as Armistice Day to commemorate the ending of World War I on November 11, 1918. Fighting ceased at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month. Canada celebrates Remembrance Day on this same date.The history of the Veterans Day in the United States is as follows:1919 - President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day to remind Americans of the tragedies of war.1938 - The day becomes a federal holiday.1954 - Congress changes the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all United States Veterans.Today, in the United States, Veterans Day commemorates the courage and patriotism of all the men and women who have served in the United States military from the birth of the American nation through this current Afghanistan/Iraq war.

Here are some books to read that honor our U.S. military sailors, soldiers, and Marines:

1. For Younger Children...
2. Veterans Day by Jacquelin S. Cotton
3. Pepper's Purple Heart: a Veterans Day Story by Heather French Henry
   Veterans Day by Robin Nelson
4. H is for Heroes: A Military Family Alphabet by Devin Scillian
5. The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
6. America's White Table by Margaret Theis Raven
7. The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II by Louise Bordon
8. The Wall by Eve Bunting

For older children, Tweens, and Young Teens....

1. Behind the Blue and Gray: One Soldier's Life in the Civil War by Delia Ray
2. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
3. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
4. The Tuskegee Airman: Black Heroes of World War II by Jacqueline L. Harris
5. Veterans Day: Remembering Our War Heroes (Finding Out About Holidays series)
   Veterans Day by Marlene Targ Brill
6. Guns for General Washington: A Story of the American Revolution by Seymour Reit
7. Bull Run by Paul Fleishman
8. Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
9. Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
10. Cherry Ames, Army Nurse (#3) by Helen Wells
11. Cherry Ames, Veterans' Nurse (#6) by Helen Wells
12. Yankee Doodle Boy by Joseph Plumb Martin
13. Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng
14. Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Meyers

For Older Teens and Adults...

1. Going Solo by Roald Dahl
2. The Boys' War by Jim Murphy
3. Uncle Sam Wants You!: Military Men and Women of World War II by Sylvia Whitman
4. A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin
5. The Navajo Code Talkers by Walter Dean Meyers
6. Forgotten Heroes of World War II by Thomas E. Simmons
7. Cold Ground's Been My Bed: A Korean War Memoir by Daniel Wolfe
8. If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story by George Wilson
9. Visions From a Fox Hole: A Rifleman in Patton's Ghost Corp by William A. Foley, Jr.

Of course, these are just a few titles! Check at your local school or public library for more choices.

On Tuesday, Nov. 9 I will meet with 3-Bruns and we will learn about biographies and make our own autobiography; and 4-Kahlstorf where we listen to America's White Table by Margaret Theis Raven. On Thursday, Nov. 11, the 1st graders will listen to Turkey Surprise and 4-Hildman will listen to America's White Table.

I know this post is long, but I think it is so important that we honor and remember those men and women of our military. Here is one last thought. It's a poem written by Courtney Tanabe.

Because of You, Unknown Soldier

Because of you, I am here. Because of you, I am able to live freely.
Yet I do not know you and I have not done anything for you.
But there you stand, ready to fight. And there you are prepared to die for me.
You've fought before. And you'll fight again for someone you don't know.
So thank you Unknown Soldier fighting for me.
I'm here because of you and I owe my future to you.

Until next time,

Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

In November

It's hard to believe that November is here already! One of my favorite books is In November by author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Jill Kastner. [Harcourt, c2000] It is full of beautiful illustrations of the colors of autumn and musings about this month of the year. Read a few of the book's excerpts....

"In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still."
" They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings - for the food on the tables and the babies in their arms."
"In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring."

November is also the month we celebrate our service men and women. [Nov. 11] Thank a sailor. Thank a soldier. Thank a Marine. THANK A VETERAN! We really should celebrate our military heroes every day of the year!

This week I will meet with the first grades and 4-Hildman on Tuesday and K-Jass and 2-Tangeman on Thursday. No books will be checked out.

Don't forget to attend the Book Fairs being held in the elementary and middle school library media centers during Parent-Teacher Conferences this week. [Tuesday and Thursday, 4:00-7:45pm] The profits from your purchase is used to buy books for these 2 libraries. Thank you!

Next week I will meet with K-Geelan and 2-Glawe on Tuesday and -Zuehl on Thursday.

Until then,
Mrs. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian