Best series books for your elementary library

Just like the title of this post says, I’m going to recommend popular series books based on what I’ve learned from my library. For those of you that are librarians, you probably already know how important it is to have many diversified series’ books in your collection. Series books are critical for student motivation to read as well as circulation. Like Stephen Krashen points out in “The Power of Reading”, its not how hard the reading is, its how much they (your students) do. Volume is the only factor to reading attainment.

With Krashen’s quote in mind, here are a few good series that you need to have in your library.

Geronimo Stilton: Adventures about a mild-mannered mouse who works as a journalist for a fictional newspaper. Geronimo is always finding himself smack dab in the middle of a risky and always dramatic situation. Colorful words and accompanying illustrations on every page make this a perfect series for students in grades 2-5. Currently there are 33 books in the series.

Bone by Jeff Smith: Half Casper the Ghost, half Snoopy, Bone is a graphic novel series that motivates boys to read like crazy. A must have, especially for boys in grades 3-6. Currently there are 6 books in the series.

Katie Kazoo by Nancy Krulik: Katie is a fourth grader who wishes she could become anyone else but herself. Her wish comes true, and every book in the installment trouble ensues when Katie turns into a person or animal. Highly recommended for boys and girls in grades 2-4.

Garfield by Jim Davis: Probably the original graphic novel series. Kids still love Garfield. My guess is that students first get exposed to Garfield through their local newspapers comic section. Garfield flies out of my library faster than any other series. Recommended for boys and girls grades 2-6.

Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey: Potty humor and super heros always sell well with adolescent boys. If you don’t mind booger and diaper jokes, these two series always command young boys’ attention. Personally, as long as its OK with the parents, I’m all for students reading these risque types of books. Approximately 7-8 books in each series.

Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne: Jack and his younger sister Annie travel to historic places using a magic treehouse. A tremendously popular series. Teachers often tie the Magic Treehouse series into classroom instruction. Highly Recommended for students in grades 1-4. Currently there are 38 books in the series.

Matt Christopher (Various Sports): The quality of writing leaves a little bit to be desired, but young boys gravitate towards these type of books because of their interest in athletics. Recommended for boys in grades 2-6.

Junie B. Jones- A classic. Students as early as first grade are exposed to this series and often start reading chapter books because of Junie B. Approximately 20 books in the series. Highly recommended for students in grades 1-4.

Animal Ark by Ben Baglio: You can never go wrong having lots and lots of animal books in your collection. Animal Ark is a series where a girl named Mandy, the daughter of a local veterinarian finds animals in trouble and attempts to help them with the assistance of her friends. Recommended for students in grades 3-6.

Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix: A futuristic, an overpopulated earth and government control are all part of the world that effects the children that are the main characters in the books. Recommended for students in grades 4-7.

The Circ Files- April 07

I’d like to introduce you to a new monthly feature at School Libraryland that connects readers to the most popular book of the month from the K-5 school library at my school. I’m calling it “The Circ Files.” And if you’re one of those that just cringed because the last thing you need in your life is another book review, I promise to make this short and to the point.

The wonderful M3 Report Tool (insert smirk) will assist me in gathering the data from my circulation module.

In April 2007 the most popular book in the library was, (drum roll please….)

The Ultimate Lego Book by Dorling Kindersley

Yes, Lego’s are still extremely popular and no, I’m not b.s.’ing you. This book details some of the most amazing Lego structure’s ever built. It also gives a few pointers and building strategies for kids to try when they are building. Kids love this book because they’ve either seen Lego structures like it at Disney or The Lego Store in NYC, or because they own and still play with Lego’s themselves. This book is a huge hit with boys, too!

Yep, good ole’ plastic Lego’s. Who knew?

Photo borrowed from DK

Good Books; or Titles that Every Elementary School Library Needs

When I took over the elementary school library where I currently work, the collection was (and still is to some extent) in shambles. The nonfiction section was severely outdated. The Reference section was still in possession of encyclopedias from the 1950’s. And the Easy section was moldy. No seriously, there was mold growing in the books.

After I purchased a dust mask and a pair of rubber gloves from the hardware store, I went to work weeding out all of the unused and potential biohazards from the collection. While I worked, I kept on a loop in my head a line from a presenter at a recent workshop, “the school library is not an archive, the school library is not an archive…”

One of the things that I discovered while weeding out picture books in the easy section was how strong the collection was with Clifford the Big Red Dog and the Berenstain Bears and how weak it was with original picture books and stories that teach. Aside from obtaining a few of the classics from well known authors, my goal was to purchase good down-to-earth children’s literature that would support the curriculum, provide instructional opportunities for staff, and motivate youngsters to read.

Over the last two years I’ve made my share of mistakes when purchasing books. I’ve bought books that were too hard, too long, too edgy and even a few that landed my butt in the principal’s office. I often found myself wishing that I had access to an annotated list or something similar that recommended “must haves” to new school librarians. Here is a short list of books, in no particular order, that every new school librarian should consider having in their clip.

Wolves by Emily Gravett - Clever. Very clever. A rabbit that goes to the public library to research its biggest fear: WOLVES!! Very well put together with excellent illustrations. Could be used to introduce research to lower level (K-3) grades.

Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O’Malley- The story is told from the perspective of a young boy and young girl who argue back and forth about how to put together a fairy tale for their English project. Students will indentify with at least one of the characters, and will be drawn to the illustrations. I don’t read many picture books to 4th and 5th graders but this book is extremely popular.

Where Did Daddy’s Hair Go? by Joe O’Connor- A great character education book that discusses how every individual is unique. I blogged about this a few weeks ago.

Dogzilla and KatKong by Dav Pilkey - Dogzilla is included in the Houghton Mifflin reading series. Students love the animals as the main characters and the illustrations are uncommon.

How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes by Joseph Bruchac- Bruchac is the author of many pourquoi tales but this is one of his better books. Students love this genre and there are many avenues to pursue if you’d like to make it an extended unit of study.

Biscuit (series) by Alyssa Capucilli- A great set of lower level (step 1 &2) books that have one or two sentences per page. Features an adorable golden retriever puppy as the main character.

Henry and Mudge (series) by Cynthia Rylant- Another set of lower level chapter books, perfect for students in younger grades. I use these books to talk about how to select a “just right book” and often recommend them to emergent readers ready to make the next step.

Dog’s Rule by Daniel Kirk- This is considered a poetry/song book and it’s put together very well. Every other page contains a new song and story about dogs. In the back of the book there’s a CD with the rhymes put to music, so students can follow along while reading. In my few years as a librarian, I haven’t seen many books that utilize this concept.

The Shelf Elf by Jackie Hopkins- A great book to talk to students about library etiquette and book care. You’ll want to use this one in September and October when you’re talking to the little ones about taking care of what they take out.

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens- Another great character education choice. Prairie Dogs take the main stage as their community is turned upside down when a dog’s tennis ball invades their home. Numerous discussions and activities about the characters and their actions can take place after reading this book.

Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems- Youngsters will be able to identify with Willems’ style. The “pigeon” has turned into a series with numerous activities that can be found here.

Bone (series #1-#4) by Jeff Smith- A graphic novel series with a main character that’s a hybrid between Snoopy and Casper the Ghost. The storyline and writing are excellent and will hook students at any level, especially those in Grades 3-8

Food for thought: the complete book of concepts for growing minds by Saxton Freymann- Lots of possibilities with this one…math, ELA, science.

Late for School by Mike Reiss- Excellent illustrations, a great selection to to read at the start of the school year.

So, what’s it like to be a cat? by Karla Kuskin- A story that’s conducted as an interview. Perfect for introducing interviewing as a strategy to acquire information.

Traction Man is here! by Mini Grey- A story with a hilarious superhero. Boys will love this one.

Snow Dude by Daniel Kirk- It’s the gingerbread man only with snow. If you live in the northeast, its a must have for the winter months. It’s also a safe choice to recommend to your principal for a read-aloud.

The extinct files: my science project by Wallace Edwards- A book about dinosaurs that is written as a research project. If you follow Big Six or a similar information problem solving program, this book would be a perfect launch-pad to start discussions about research.

Image Citation:
Smith, Jeff. “Bone #1″ Cartoon Books. 2007. 21 Feb 2007 <http://www.boneville.com/gallery?file=ScholasticCovers/>.

My New Favorite Book

Has it really been a month since I last blogged. Well, yes it has. I started coaching Boys Varsity Hockey at the school district in which I teach. Its been a blast getting back into shape and working with the kids, but coaching has turned into my second job. Libraryland has slipped to third in my queue, and I’m not too happy ’bout it.

But anyways….

I am a huge fan of public libraries, and I enjoy going there just as much as I do going to Barnes and Noble. In fact, when I leave the public library my bankroll stays the same, whereas at Barnes and Noble, I may drop a c-note or two.

So, on one of my recent trips to The Galleries, a fantastic public library in the city of Syracuse, I made a point to visit Children’s World to check out the new children’s literature. Jan Brett’s new creation was there. So was the new Curious George. I love Curious George.

But, the one book that sucked me in was called, Where Did Daddy’s Hair Go? by Joe O’Connor. As a feller who may end up a cue ball, I found this book personally comforting. But, you need not be balding to appreciate the book’s underlying message, that everyone is unique in their own way, and that it’s OK to look different. It makes a terrific choice for anyone looking for character education literature on diversity.

So, get to your public library and check it out. You all must be dying to, after this stirring review.

One of the best children’s books

When it comes to children’s literature I am a non-traditionalist. Growing up and in my elementary years I was always read the classics by my teachers, anything written by Patricia Polacco, Eric Carle, or Jan Brett. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the books written by these authors. But in all honesty, their stories weren’t edgy enough for my glue-sniffing, rambunctious 9 year-old personality. I was and still am a fan of the un-classic stories and picture books. If it’s radical, rude, or politically incorrect, I would probably love it.

So, what do you like, you ask?

Think Walter the Farting Dog, think Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus, think Dogzilla and Kat Kong. Hell, I’m even a fan of this book.

But the one that takes the cake for me is a picture book called Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O’Malley. The story is outstanding and always seems to hook the elementary crowd, particularly those in 4^th and 5^th grade. You know something is remarkably good when 5^th grade boys beg you to buy more picture books like Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude.

So to Kevin O’Malley and my other unorthodox author friends, keep ‘em coming.