Stella's little brother Sam has an inquiring mind. He is filled with so many question about winter. In Stella Queen of the Snow Marie-Louis Gay reminds us that winter is a magical time of year. Stella doesn't always have the most accurate answers. Her frequent and fanciful explanations bring a smile to the reader's face. This story of winter through a child's eyes is not to be missed.

Due to lack of snow prior to the holidays, we spent some time making our own winter in the Library. It's Winter by Jimmy Pickering reminds us that winter is a time for fun: snow angels, icicles, sledding, even snow dinosaurs. I hope we have some over the holidays so that we can enjoy some of what winter has to offer!

Our Kindergarten friends had a blast this week singing The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Every verse added another item to a very neat looking snowman. With colourful and detailed illustrations, Fleming creates a scene that seems to come alive by the end of the story.

Here are a couple of pictures of the exciting life of Mrs. Markuci's travelling spoon!

If you were a kitchen utensil what would you be? I found myself asking this question as I read Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Scott Magoon. Spoon is down on himself and wishes he could be more like knife. As the story progresses, Spoon learns that there is more to life than just cutting and spreading. This story reminds us that even if we are not good at everything, if we look deep within ourselves, we will find that we are good at some things.

I love a good infomercial. Oxi Clean, Sham Wow, and Slap Chop are just some of my favourites that come to mind. Melaine Watt is one of the most popular authors in the FM Library. I can't keep Chester and Scaredy Squirrel on the shelves. I don't think that Have I got a book for you! will be any different. Our main character employs almost every imaginable sales tactic to convince the reader to buy his book. Our Grade 2 and 3 students had a good laugh at the many uses of the main character's wares including door stopper and decorative hat (don't try this at home friends). If anyone asks me what I want for Christmas I'll for sure reply "The Book House"! Just remember, when you get to the end of the story you don't need to replace the book:-)

Any parent of a young child has experienced the frustration of a dawdling child. Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? by Bill Martin and Michael Sampson, entertains the reader with the many delaying tactics utilized by cats. Our Kindergarten friends had a good laugh at all the humourous distractions our main character had to deal with in this story. Through repetitive phrases and vivid illustrations the reader's attention is held fast. For parents, this story shines a humourous light on, what can be, a frustrating situation.

Lucy and the Bully by Claire Alexander takes an interesting look at bullying and its root causes. This book deals honestly with a difficult issue and the problem in the book is resolved in a surprising way.

At first, I thought Stick Man was about a wooden super hero. Pretty soon I realized that this story wasn't about a super hero but a regular guy with a mistaken identity. The illustrations by Axel Sheffler are equally entertaining to Julia Donaldson's imaginative tale of a stick. Cross an oak branch with Planes, Trains and Automobiles and you get the idea. A surprise visit by a jolly old man at the end of the story is the perfect ending to this hilarious tale.

Have you every had a bad day? If you have, then A Good Day by Kevin Henkes is for you. I had the opportunity to share this book this week with our Kindergarten friends. We follow 4 animal friends who are all having bad days. This story shows us that good things are bound to happen after bad things. The optimistic view of this book reminds the reader that every day is a new day.

EWARENESS: ONLINE RESOURCES AT FM

Google is great. I use it all the time. During the month of October we went beyond Google and explored some really cool websites. Do you know that all students with the Halton District School Board have access to a multitude of amazing online resources to help them with their school work? October was Ewareness month at Florence Meares. The grade 4 to 8 students had to opportunity to enter a contest by answering a few questions that required them to visit some of our online resources including World Book Online. Grolier Online is another super resource that students also have access to. The username and password are posted in the computer lab.

For a complete list of online database resources have a look at the Elementary Internet Tools website. Click on Information Databases on the left. If you are accessing these websites from home it may ask you for your library barcode number. Send me a quick email and I'll send you your barcode number so that you can access the sites from home. I have also compiled some Florence Meares Library Links that I know you will find useful.

I hope now students will think beyond Google when then are completing their homework and assignments. I know I will.

Canadian Mountainbiking!!

Now for something completely random. Mountain Equipment Co-op recently announced the winner of their "MEC Sweet Spots Video Contest". The winner was "MTB Through BC!". I felt like I was on vacation for 10 minutes as watched this video. What a beautiful country we have. Enjoy!!!

What an amazing country we live in. Every Remembrance day I reflect on how lucky we are to live in Canada. On Wednesday the Florence Meares school community gathered in the large gym to remember the soldiers who sacrificed so much for us. In the Library the Grade 2 and 3 students listened to The Enemy by David Cali and Serge Bloch. It's a story about 2 soldiers who fight each other over a number of years and who long for peace. Simple drawings are combined with realistic photography to create a unique visual effect.

What would life be like if no one helped each other? Famer Duck knew, only too well, that life like this wasn't fun. The lazy famer just stayed in bed all day long while Farmer Duck did all the chores. All of the animals on the farm knew this wasn't right and decided to do something about the situation. This story is all about working together and helping each other, something we do every day at Florence Meares.

The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. We meet many new friends. Sometimes in our coming and going to school we have the chance to meet new four-legged friends. Being a dog lover myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Wendy Wahman. This how-to manual explains how to handle yourself around dogs. It reminds us to always ask the owner before we meet a new dog. This entertaining book is full of practical advice.

Sharing your favourite things with your siblings can be hard. Sharing with 20 other classmates can be even more difficult. Our Kindergarten friends enjoyed this lighthearted look at the difficulties of sharing. The main character has a tough time sharing anything with her sibling and disaster ensues as her beloved tricycle suffers the consequences. After reading this story you will know that sharing is best:-)

We have had a couple of exciting weeks in our Library. I have had the pleasure of having every class visit for their Orientation. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone and I hope to see you all frequently up in our Library.

We have talked about library routines and book exchange time lines. Care for books was another topic we looked at and we talked about the difference between happy books and sad books. Ask your child what the difference is. We also talked about the 5 finger rule. If there are more than 5 words on a page that are too hard to read you need to try another book. Now that your child has signed out their first book please take the opportunity to listen to them read or even read with them. This will show your child that reading is important.

I want take the time to thank our incredible volunteers. Our school would not have such a fantastic Library without your help. Thank you:-)

Welcome to the new Florence Meares library blog!