May Lunch bunch

Back by popular demand the Bluebonnet lunch bunch. We are now reading books from the 2011-2012 list. We will vote in January 2012 on these books. We had 81% of 3rd-5th grade students voting last January. Next January I'd like to have 90% of 3rd-5th graders vote.

The book we are reading now is The Hallelujah Flight. The pictures are good and the story is humorous and give you a sense of the historical time that the book portrays. I hope students check this book out after we have read it.

Bluebonnet Winner/TLA

The Bluebonnet winner for our campus was The Uglified Ducky.

And by now you know the State Bluebonnet winner was The Uglified Ducky. The award was presented on Wednesday and I'm guessing the author has a sore hand now. I have just gotten back from the TLA convention where Willy Claftin was awarded the 2010-2011 award. Although I did not go to the luncheon I did see the long line of librarians waiting for the author's signature on their book(s). I did get a signed book but, I bought it at his booth in the exhibit hall.

We have been already reading the books on the list for 2011-2012 list. I wonder who will win next year? Any predictions? What book on the list is your favorite?

Voting

We will be voting this week for the Bluebonnet book. Students must have read 5 out of the 20 books on the list to be able to vote. The deadline for voting is Jan 31.

I had a student ask "What are we voting for?" Good question!

The author of the book that wins will receive an award at the Texas Library Association convention in April. Librarians sent in applications for a student to present the award. Alas, I did not win a spot but the librarian at Clements/Parsons did. So, we have a student from our district (CCISD) who is going to help present the award!

I wonder which book will win for our campus.

December/January

December and January's book is The Uglified Ducky by Willie Claflin.
It has a CD so I don't read it to the students I run the CD and change the pages with the CD. Many of the students actually laugh during the reading. It is really a cute story. It's a variation of the Ugly Duckling only instead of a swan living with ducks it's a moose. I'm betting this one will be the winner. It's a great story and has great pictures and the CD doesn't hurt it's chances either.

The reader of the story is the author Willie Claflin in the voice of Maynard Moose. The author is actually a storyteller. We have one of his CDs in the library (no book) and I laughed out loud when I heard some of his Moose Tales. He mixes and modernizes fairy tales. Its really very entertaining.

Voting is the last week of January as the "polls" close on the 31st. We will find out early in Feb. which book will be the winner. The author of the winning book will receive an award at the Texas Library Association convention in April. This year the convention is in Austin.

November Lunch bunch

The book we are reading this month is The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. It is a biography. This will make the 5th book I have read to the students of Williams/Ledger in grades 4th and 5th.

We started reading off this list in Feb. Last year. So if they were in lunch bunch last school year when we read Tap dancing on the Roof and Hinky Pink, and were here for all the lunch bunches this year they will be ready to vote in January.

This year we have read that Book Woman, Sparrow Girl and The Fantastic Undersea life of Jacques Cousteau. The next book we will read will be The Uglified Ducky. It has a CD with it and instead fo me reading the book I'll let the CD do it. I think it will be more enjoyable.

October Lunch Bunch

This month we have been reading Sparrow Girl. The genre is historical fiction because it is based on an event that happened in China in the 1950's.

Students who have attended all the lunch bunches this year and the 2 from last year will soon be able to vote for the Bluebonnet book. I hope we have more voters this year than last year! We should as we have more third and fourth graders this year.

I wonder which book will win?

Bluebonnet Lunch Bunch

I have really enjoyed reading to students during their lunch for 3 years now. On Friday I went into the cafeteria to walk the next lunch bunch down as I always do. It was a 5th grade class so I was standing at their table waiting for them. I looked across the cafeteria where I usually line the students up there was a group of students (who had lunch boxes) were waiting for me. They all waved and smiled. :)

Thank you to all those students who show excitement and enthusiasm for books and literature.