'TIS THE SEASON TO BE READING...
And that's just what we did in our scheduled library periods in December! I dug out some less familiar picture books to add to the classroom teachers' seasonal reading.
The Froggy series has been a hit with the younger primary students and this particular story has just added to their enjoyment. They were delighted to help out with the calling of "FROGGY!" almost as much as talking about his first Christmas with his friends and family!
And that's just what we did in our scheduled library periods in December! I dug out some less familiar picture books to add to the classroom teachers' seasonal reading.
The Froggy series has been a hit with the younger primary students and this particular story has just added to their enjoyment. They were delighted to help out with the calling of "FROGGY!" almost as much as talking about his first Christmas with his friends and family!
Another unexpected Christmas tale found in our collection was this one! Lots of unexpected turn of events for Santa while, at the same time, building in a predictability that allowed students to 'read along'!
Predictability with repeated phrases is a great hook for reading to an audience! And this particular Christmas story builds upon the old favourite "I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly". Of course the children think they know what is going to happen but, as any writer worth their salt knows, a twist at the end is a great idea!
This next one was written by a Newfoundland author Kevin Major and has a story line that includes a collection of vintage Christmas postcards and a thoughtful child who takes imaginative trips down memory lane with her elderly great aunt!
I did want to read a traditional tale but when searching through our collection, I came across these first lines and was hooked:
'Twas the night before Christmas, and in this great house
the creature who stirred was a boy, not a mouse.
And while upstairs his parents were dreaming and snoring,
with Santa so close, sleep seemed pretty boring.
Carter Goodrich's version does include the classic poem by Clement Moore, beautifully illustrated on one side, and comments in verse, from the boy who can't sleep on the other! (A feeling of excitement shared by many of my young listeners!)
There are so many wonderful stories written for this season! Sharing just a few and hearing excited students talk about what they are looking forward to was a terrific way to spend part of my day!
I'm looking forward to hearing about the reading over the holiday and with the long break we had, I am sure some students may have been tucked indoors with a book or two!
'Twas the night before Christmas, and in this great house
the creature who stirred was a boy, not a mouse.
And while upstairs his parents were dreaming and snoring,
with Santa so close, sleep seemed pretty boring.
Carter Goodrich's version does include the classic poem by Clement Moore, beautifully illustrated on one side, and comments in verse, from the boy who can't sleep on the other! (A feeling of excitement shared by many of my young listeners!)
There are so many wonderful stories written for this season! Sharing just a few and hearing excited students talk about what they are looking forward to was a terrific way to spend part of my day!
I'm looking forward to hearing about the reading over the holiday and with the long break we had, I am sure some students may have been tucked indoors with a book or two!