Week of January 4

To kick off the new year, we are reading a fun Beehive book all about developing grit and determination. A stray kitty gets a job in a Japanese house with sumo wrestlers, chasing mice in exchange for food. But when eating like a wrestler slows him down, kitty realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance–and with a little help from a big buddy–SumoKitty is born! A funny and heartwarming story inspired by the Japanese saying “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” There are excellent pronunciation guides to Japanese words throughout the book, so I’m having fun trying to learn them. Students get to vote on this Beehive book in each class.