School News

This week we'll be reading and voting on Toad on the Road by Stephen Shaskan, another Beehive Book nominee.  What happens when little toad can't seem to get out of the road?  His mama comes to the rescue! But not before he causes lots of funny run-ins and mash ups.  This is a fun read aloud, especially for the younger grades. ...

For this short week, I'll be reading Blizzard to some of the lower grades and doing a book talk about The Kid From Diamond Street for the older grades.  Blizzard is very appropriate reading this week with all of the snow we've had, but it's also a fascinating picture book about the author's experience during the New England blizzard of 1978.  He and his family were snowed in for almost a week until he realized he might be the only one who could ...

This week we are reading What To Do With A Box by Jane Yolen and Chris Sheban.  I will also be previewing a fun informational book, Give Bees a Chance, by Bethany Barton.  Both are Beehive Book nominees this year, so kids can vote on them.  In the first book, we see what happens when you play with a box.  Using their imaginations, kids can build a boat, a library or a seascape -the possibilities are endless!  The wonderful artwork captures the ...

Life in Antarctica is no paradise.  For starters, it's freezing! Plus, penguins have a lot of predators.   That's what Mortimer, the penguin, wants to tell you.  Written by Jory John and illustrated by award-winning Lane Smith, Penguin Problems tackles all the troubles a little penguin can face in his cold, snowy climate.  There's a lot of humor and a good dose of wisdom thrown in this picture book about facing the humdrum of life with ...

It's a week full of festivities here at Upland before we get out for our holiday break!  For our final read-aloud before Christmas, I'm sharing Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins. This is another hilarious addition to the Bruce series that is so popular with our students.  In fact, Mother Bruce won the Beehive Book Award last April as best picture book. Bruce is a bear. He is a grump. He is a pretty decent cook. And he is a mother. One thing Bruce is ...

  This week we'll be diving into the Christmas season by reading Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner.  This is a fun book in the Snowmen series, which is always popular at our library.  It's Christmas Eve and people are snug in their beds, but something is stirring outside. The snowmen are preparing to celebrate! Under the glow of moonlight, all the snow families are slipping away to gather in the town square for a night of caroling, ...

This week we are reading Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima. I am also giving students a quick peak into Beauty and The Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp.  Both books are Beehive Book nominees. Kelp is a darling little narwhal who doesn't mind being a different from the other narwhals of the sea.  But when a strong current carries him away, Kelp encounters some ...