Winter Bingo

The Oakland Public Library is once again offering Winter Bingo! Complete a row on the Bingo card and bring it to any OPL library branch between December 17, 2016 and January 14, 2017 for a prize. Click on the image below to download the card. Have a wonderful Winter Break!

Centers

The students enjoy the days that I put out centers in the library. Here are a few pictures from last week.

Chess is almost always the most popular center with all the grades. Here are some 5th graders playing No Stress Chess, a great game for learning the rules.

 The puzzle center also very popular. It's a fun way to have students work together towards a goal.

Reading on the rug. Always a great center choice!

Thank You Jon Agee

What a wonderful visit from Jon Agee today! Not only did he read Lion Lessons to us, but he also made some amazing drawings for us as well. Very entertaining for the TK through 2nd grades. Don't miss the pajama and pizza party tonight at A Great Good Place for Books at 7 pm!

Jon Agee Author Visit

We are so excited for Jon Agee to visit Thornhill! He will be here at 9:00 am on Thursday, November 10th. His latest book, Lion Lessons, has starred reviews piling up. Be sure to bring a check for $19.75 (payable to GGP) if you want to purchase a signed and personalized copy at the visit!

Of course the students will want even more time with Jon Agee, so be sure to visit him later at A Great Good Place for Books for the Pajama Party! Hey, Friday is a holiday so why not live it up? The Pajama Party will be from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. GGP will also have two other Jon Agee books available for purchase and signing at the event: It's Only Stanley, and Little Santa.

Tikvah Means Hope

On the 25th anniversary of the Oakland Hills Firestorm, the second graders and I are reading Patricia Polacco's memorable story, Tikvah Means Hope.

Justine and Duane are excited to spend the warm October night in Mr. Roth's Sukkah, a hut made as part of the Jewish harvest celebration of Sukkoth. (Pilgrims got the idea of Thanksgiving from the Sukkoth celebration.) In the morning, the sky was red and smoke filled the air as the Firestorm grew from a small grass fire into the most damaging fire in California history. Justine and Duane are reunited with their families and, thankfully, all of their neighbors are alive. But Mr. Roth is still terribly sad. Where is his beloved cat, Tikvah? Read this beautiful story to find out.

The second graders recognized the places in Oakland that were portrayed in the pictures. I shared some personal experiences about that sad time in our city's history. We talked about how the children must have felt back then when this happened, and what we can do to prevent this tragedy from happening again. Next time you and your student are near the Rockridge BART station, take some time to visit the Oakland Firestorm Wall—2000 hand-painted tiles created by local residents that share their sad, thankful, and hopeful memories related to the Firestorm.

Thank You Dev Petty!

The students were so excited to visit with author Dev Petty today! If your student missed the opportunity to purchase a book, never fear. A Great Good Place for Books in Montclair will have signed copies of I Don't Want to Be a Frog and I Don't Want to Be Big available for sale.

Dev Petty's Green Shoes

Dev Petty Greeting the Students

Dev Petty Visiting Thornhill!

Dev Petty

TK, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders, get ready to meet author Dev Petty on Tuesday, October 18th at 11:00 am! The best-selling author of I Don’t Want To Be a Frog will visit our school with her new book, I Don’t Want To Be Big. Both books will be available for sale courtesy of A Great Good Place For Books, and Ms. Petty will be signing any purchased books.

“Frog does NOT want to grow up. Doesn’t need to be tall. Doesn’t want to be able to jump high enough to see the tree frogs. He’s just FINE being small. Besides, if you grow up, you don’t get to do fun things like jump in mud puddles with your best friend, Pig. Do you? 

This hilarious story­—which uses humor to teach that it’s great being exactly who you are—is sure to bring a smile to every kid who just wants to stay a kid, in addition to those who are the smallest in their class. It’s a sly and smartly funny tale that will have children and parents laughing together.”

GGP accepts cash, checks (preferred; make checks payable to “GGP”), and credit cards. Prices include tax. Books will also be available prior to the event at the store in Montclair Village. Ms. Petty will sign purchased books at school on October 18th.

I Don’t Want To Be Big     $18.50

I Don’t Want To Be A Frog    $18.50 

Students' Work Decorates the Library

The fourth graders' artwork is beautifying the bulletin board for the fall season. See what their favorite books are on the Fall Into These Terrific Books display.

The Bulletin Board

Ginger Pye. Lola H.

The third graders' Dictionary Dudes (and Dudettes) adorn the top of the book shelves in the library. We practiced looking up words, and learning what dictionary entries tell us about these words.

Tarek W.'s Dictionary Dude

Alice O.'s Dictionary Dude

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

This week in the library we are celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th to October 15th. It's a time to celebrate Hispanic American culture, the independence of several Latin American countries, and the contributions of Hispanic Americans. ¡Celebra!

Here are some stories we enjoyed this week in honor of Hispanic Heritage.

The kinders heard the story, Hooray, a Piñata! by Elisa Kleven. We discovered what happens when your piñata is too cute to hit with a stick! (I've seen it happen, have you?) We also found out that it is nice to have friends that understand your feelings. Elisa Kleven will be talking about her new release entitled, The Horribly Hungry Gingerbread Boy, which takes place in San Francisco, when she visits Books, Inc. in Berkeley this Sunday, October 2nd @ 12 pm.







The first graders and I read Erandi's Braids, written by Antonio Hernández Madrigal and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. In this bittersweet story, Erandi makes tough decisions, but in the end she learns her selfless sacrifice was the right thing to do for her family.











Second graders enjoyed Mice and Beans, by Newbery Honor winner Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Silly Abuela can't remember a thing! Watch those pesky mice take advantage of her failing memory as she prepares for her granddaughter's 7th birthday. Sometimes having mice isn't such a bad thing, especially if you're memory could use some help!










Third graders learned about the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, in Ada's Violin. In this inspiring true story by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport, we learn about Ada's life in Cateura: a poor town built on a garbage dump. She dreams of playing the violin and leaving this life filled with unbelievable poverty. With so little money it seems impossible to make life better in Cateura, until a music teacher arrives. Read the story to see what happens when a community joins together for their children, celebrates their ingenuity and artistry, and speaks the universal language of music.

Adult Ladybugs Are Here

We have eight adult ladybugs in our habitat today! They're happily munching raisins—thanks to Luciano, Alexander, and Lillian! I can't wait for the release next week! The students love observing the incredible metamorphosis and learning about the life of the ladybug.

Caught Reading

Reading for pleasure! What a wonderful thing it is to share a Friday afternoon with friends, reading books, relaxing on the library rug.

Fourth Graders Reading

Ladybugs in the Library

Observing metamorphosis is such a great way to bring science alive for students. And writing down the observations is great practice for the budding biologist. Our library ladybugs are in the larvae stage. We will have to wait and watch for their next stage: Pupa!

The Ladybug Observation Center

The larvae up close.