5 fun read-aloud children's books

Ha! I found a way to combine my Bookspot and 5 things Friday post . . . tada!

I have been on a children's book kick lately. I think it is because of excessive exposure to these books during the library's summer reading program.

Sooooo . . . I have five books that are some of my new read-aloud favorites:

1. Olivia . . . and the missing toy by Ian Falconer. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2003. (ISBN 9780689852916)
   
   Also by this author:
   Olivia
   Olivia saves the circus
   Olivia forms a band
   Olivia helps with Christmas
   
   
   A day-in-the-life of Olivia, an adorable pig who lives with her mom, dad and two little brothers. In this book Olivia loses her "best toy."
   
   Kid factor:
   The illustrations are great. Ian Falconer is not only the author but the illustrator and he does a great job! The illustrations have lots of little things going on in them but the overall picture is uncluttered and easy on the eyes.
   
   Adorable pig . . . enough said.
   
   Adult factor:
   I have to say the illustrations again. Love them!
   
   The adorable, independant, special pig . . . Olivia is truly one-of-a-kind.
   
   Readability . . . this book is easy-to-read but challenges a child to expand their vocabulary and phraseology.
   
   
2. Do like a duck does by Judy Hindley. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002. (ISBN 9780763632847)
   
   A mother duck challenges a furry stranger to imitate a duck and proves he is not a duck but a fox.
   
   Kid factor:
   Great beginning reader book! The story is in rhyme and repeats words and phrases.
   
   Uses fun words like 'flop,' 'hup,' 'yum,' and 'plop!'
   
   Ducklings!
   
   Adult factor:
   The story is in rhyme and easy to read-aloud and the kids interact well with the story.
   
   Humor: it is amusing to see the mother duck get the best of the sly fox.
   
   
3. Clink, clank, clunk by Miriam Aroner. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2006. (ISBN 9781590782705)
   
   A group of animal friends ride to town in a car that clinks, clanks, and clunks.
   
   Kid factor:
   Counting . . .
   
   Animals . . .
   
   Fun words . . .
   
   What could be better!
   
   Adult factor:
   Ditto! :-)
   
   
4. Hello, goodbye window by Norton Juster. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. (ISBN 9780786809141)
   
   2006 Caldecott Award Winner
   
   A girl's perspective of her relationship with her grandparents, revolving around the "hello, goodbye window."
   
   Kid factor:
   Wonderfully illustrated.
   
   Story is from a child's perspective.
   
   Adult factor:
   Reminded me of the special times I had at my grandparents house.
   
   Snippets of childhood wonders.
   
   
5. Skippyjon Jones and the big bones by Judy Schachner. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2007. (ISBN 9780525478843)
   
   Also by this author:
   Skippyjon Jones
   Skippyjon Jones in the doghouse
   Skippyjon Jones in mummy trouble (personal favorite)
   Skippyjon Jones and the treasure hunt
   
   Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese cat who imagines himself as a superhero Chihuahua, imagines the neighbor dog's bone to be a dinosaur fossil.
   
   I saved the best for last!
   
   Kid factor:
   Imagination is a huge theme in this book. I mean a Siamese cat who imagines himself to be the superhero Chihuahua dog, "El Skippito Friskito?" What kid wouldn't love this book!?!
   
   The book has colorful illustrations.
   
   And each book includes a CD with the author reading the story! Bonus!
   
   Adult factor:
   Four words . . .
   
   La cucaracha . . . Spanish accents!

Ready, set, go!

I have my books all checked out.

I have my list of jobs I want to complete.

I'm all ready for my long weekend!

And tomorrow is a bookspot day!

Tomorrow is my Friday . . .

Yea! Tomorrow is my last day of work until Tuesday!! It will be a mini vacation -- and I think I need it.

A little breath before all the fall activities and commitments begin.

Makin' some changes of another variety altogether

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5

I hate being wrong. I hate is so much that I took fifteen minutes to figure out how to underline the word hate simply to show how much I hate being wrong. Bah!

I have this person whom I interact with often. This person drives me nuts with complaints, lies, disrespect, inconsideration, unfairness, etc, etc, etc. One of the things that dislike most about the situation is that this person complains about others who complain, lie, disrespect others, inconsideration, and unfairness. See where I'm going with this . . . yeah.

I am my own worst enemy.

Thankfully . . .

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

Now the tough part . . . going on from this point . . . making the changes.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

And lots of prayer!

Makin' some changes (around the house)

My dad and his workmen came over last week beautified my yard. Well, they would probably say they water-tightened the basement -- but I'm a girl and I say beautify!

The basement has been filling during the spring thaw and if it rains hard and much. So they (my dad and this workmen) put some plastic along the base of the house so the water would not drain right next to the house.

Like I said . . . pretty! :-)

BONUS: My weeds are gone!

Front (above & below)

Back (below)

I cleaned and rearranged my living room on Sunday afternoon. (I vacuumed a million spiders and cobwebs up!) If you want to compare: this and this is how my living room looked last year about this time. I had changed it a little bit after Christmas. But I like the new arrangement a lot!


Try to ignore the sea green carpet . . .

If you'll notice, Cleo nonchalantly walks through almost every photo . . . attention-monger . . .

This of course never changes . . .

5 random things about me . . .

1. Favorite Muppet: the loveable Grover
   
   
2. Favorite spectator sport: Football, don't ask me why--I really have no idea
   
   
3. Historical figure I wouldn't have minded meeting: Abraham Lincoln
   
   
4. Language I've always wanted to learn: Russian -- it would be fun to speak this language I think
   
   
5. Dream car: Dodge Charger

Long week

This has been a long week. I still have a lot to do. I kinda of feel like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland . . .

. . . well except for this moment . . .

. . . while I have a lapful of purring kitty.

I love the night

I had a meeting this evening and walked home in the night. Night is so beautiful. A different kind of silence.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a night owl. I love to stay up late (and wake up late!). Tonight I was reminded of one of the reasons why.

There is a light breeze -- not too warm and not too cold. The cicadas buzzing surrounds.

::sigh::

I found this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that mirrored my thoughts:

The Day is Done

THE DAY is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
That my soul cannot resist:

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

Olympics-mania

I just finished watching one Iowan win the gold and one Iowan's golden dreams slip through her fingers. Granted there are close to 3 million people living in Iowan and don't know either of these Iowans personally but I think the fact they are from my state makes watching the Olympics a little more personal.

I have been watching the games almost every evening since they started. I have had the television on in the background as I go about my routine. I have my favorites: gymnastics, diving, swimming. And a few that I find interesting: beach volleyball, trampoline, discus, pole vault.

I have to admire the talent and dedication these athletes have. I have no sporting ability whatsoever and these athletes . . . amazing.

Humbling . . .

One of those days . . .

Errgh . . . today was one of those days where I didn't get half of what I wanted to get done. At least it seemed like it.

The day started out well but I just seemed to be spinning my wheels. Oh well, there is always tomorrow . . .

I think part of my problem may be sleep deprivation due to the Olympics. :-P

5 things this library aide does at work

One of the comments I receive when I tell people that work at the library is "Oh, I would love to have a job like that -- you get to read all day!"

Granted I love the fact that I get to work with books all day, however, rare is the time that I read books at work (one exception would be children's books for storytime). So I though my five things Friday would focus on some of the things I do at my job. Keep in mind though that I do so many more things than are on this list. :-)

1. Maintain our Accelerated Reading book list.

The school district participates in a reading program that evaluates children and young adult books for reading levels based on vocabulary, length, and other criteria (I don't completely understand the process). Then the school district purchase tests that evaluates the student's comprehension of the book, vocabulary, etc. Anyway, each school year the library receives a list of the tests the school district has (for elementary and junior high level readers) and I edit the books in our collection so the record in our database reflects the level and points and also make sure the book has the correct label information.

2. Inventory our Juvenile Fiction.

This project is ongoing and will probably take me a while. I am actually touching every book in our Juvenile Fiction collection to make sure the book matches our database, the information in the database is complete (including the accelerated reading information), and all labeling information is correct.

3. Download or Create and Edit Records for New and Donated Books.

These records go into our database so patrons and staff can find, discover, and search for books. Each record has certain information in it (title, author, etc) and then has other tracing information (series, subjects, summaries, etc). Most of the records I download from other sources and then edit to fit the requirements we have for our library's database. Occasionally I have to start from scratch. This is one of my favorite parts of my jobs because it is the closest I get to reading the materials -- I do some skimming to get the correct subject headings and sometimes I have to create a summary of the item. Plus it is a constant challenge -- especially with materials with subjects I am unfamiliar with like . . . carpentry or plumbing.

4. Book Processing.

Once the books have been entered into the database we process the books -- put on labels and barcodes, put on book covers (if needed), stamp the books with our name/location, and then shelve the books.

5. Customer Service.

This is a very broad task. It can include researching a reference question, checking out books, reserving books, finding books, showing patrons how to find books, answering computer questions, answering questions about library hours, suggesting books for patrons to read, and many, many other things.

Those are some the tasks I (and my co-workers) complete daily. There are things we do that I didn't talk about because this is 5 things Friday not million things Friday (okay so a million is a little bit of an exaggeration--but only a little). :-)

State Library of Iowa

Do the Duck Dance

These are the commuter ducks from my parents farm. The commute to the farm from the neighbors then go home at night . . . usually.

Looks to me like they may start a dance craze.

Varmints!

I went out to the farm to pick some produce this past weekend and this is how we found the corn . . .

stripped . . .

and eaten!

Once upon a time . . .

I love storytime at the library! I think all adults should attend a storytime -- whether they have kids or not.

This morning I was working the circulation desk during the story hour and I laughed and smiled the whole time.

The kids really got into some of the stories -- they laughed and smiled a lot!

I think that a lot of people -- once they consider themselves adults -- discount children's or young adult books. Personally some of my all-time favorites would not be considered 'adult' books. I also like the juvenile non-fiction better than some of the adult non-fiction books. They are easy to understand and have lots of pictures!

For my bookspot this month (last Friday of the month) I am going to focus on children's books . . . I'm excited.

In the meantime, I think I will do a little reading . . .

The Olympics

I've been watching the Olympic games the last couple of days. It is amazing the dedication and commitment these athletes give to their respective sports. I truly admire the strength and talent they show.

I really enjoy watching the games. I like cheering on the athletes. I have this habit of cheering for the underdog, whoever that may be. (I think this habit drives the brother & the sister crazy!) But I figure everyone needs cheering on (up) every once in a while.

I haven't cried yet which is a plus -- I can hear all the eye rolls (even from NYC). I will admit I did tear up a bit a couple times. :-)

5 wildlife encounters

So today has been an eventful day. I had a class in a neighboring town and encountered all kind of 'wildlife.'

1. Scrounging House Finch -- During a class break I was watching the house finches scrounge for food outside the classroom window.

(BTW: If you ever need to learn what kind of bird you are looking at try WhatBird (dot) com -- very helpful! You can limit your search by color, size, shape, location, etc.)

2. & 3. Hitchhiking Beef Calves -- on the way home I passed two calves on the highway trying to hitchhike. Okay, not really but they sure were having fun outside the playpen. And I think they were giving the two motorcycles that passed them a second look!

(Obviously this is not an actual photo of the calves. I was driving and trying to avoid a calf sized dent in my vehicle -- plus I didn't have my camera.)



4. Startled Red-tail Hawk -- just as I passed the hitchhikers, a hawk flew up out of the ditch. I think I was just as startled as it.


5. Then I go home and found this --

:-)

Photos from the pit . . .

(Almost) before pictures . . . (I forgot to take a true before photo)

Mid-way through . . .

The end . . .

almost . . . :-)

I'm still here . . .

I ventured into the "pit of despair" today. It took me 5 hours to dig out!

But it is a halfway functional room now. I only have a gigantic plastic bin and 2-3 boxes to go through yet. :-P

I have some photos . . . but I will have to post those tomorrow because I don't have the umph to walk across the room for my camera.

Book-aholic

I was reminded today that I have an addiction to books. When I read this post, I thought "that's me." I have a compulsion to buy books when I step into bookstores. I have stacks of books I haven't read yet -- I'm waiting for a rainy day, of course -- and books I just can't wait to read that I just have to buy.

But I am trying to change my ways.

I have been 'weeding' my book collection. I am trying to even exchange my books. If I buy or receive one I try to sell or give on away. In fact, just this morning I was looking at my bookshelf thinking I needed to pull some of my books.

I have also been using Bookins to swap my books. This is a much cheaper alternative to purchasing books -- even though I may have to wait a few months longer.

And of course I use the library. I do have easy access! :-)

One thing I will have to finish this year is the commitment I have to purchase books from the book club I joined. I only have one book yet to purchase on that commitment and then I will discontinue the membership.

I do know that I have spent a whole lot less this year on books than I did last year.

60 percent less. Not too bad I'm thinking. And next year maybe 60 percent less than this year?

I could make that my New Year's Resolution!

Another Monday . . .

Monday again . . . it seems that after a relaxing weekend the inevitable Monday rolls around.

On the plus side there is only 4 more days till the weekend!

5 of my favorite artists or paintings

1. Self-portrait by Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Durer was a German artist from the 15th century. He painted, created woodcut prints, and did some engraving.

see Wikipedia for more info

2. The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg

I don't know much about this artist. I read a blog entry on mental_floss about it and I really liked this painting!

3. Lands of Enchantment by Norman Rockwell

I have always like Norman Rockwell. I love most of his portraits of Americana. It took me a while to choose one to post here!

more info on Wikipedia

4. The Musicians by Caravaggio

I couldn't find the painting I was looking fore but I like this one too. I really like some of the Baroque artists. I like their use of light. I don't know why . . . I just do.

more info on Wikipedia

5. Lewis and Clark Expedition by Charles M. Russell

I like Western artists like Charles Russell's themes. (Frederic Remington is another popular Western artist.)

more on Wikipedia