Submitted by Ms. Amanda!
School
Polka-dot Fixes Kindergarten
Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
For many kids, the first day of school can be a harrowing experience. Everything is new and strange, and you don’t know who your friends will be. In Polka-dot Fixes Kindergarten, written by Catherine Urdahl and illustrated by Mai S. Kemble, we meet Polka-dot. Polka-dot is beginning kindergarten, and that means that she will have to be a big girl, and take care of things by herself. Up until this point, her grandpa has always fixed everything with his handy fix-it kit. When Polka-dot ripped her skirt, Grandpa was there with duct tape. When she scraped her knee, he was ready with dotted bandages. So when Polka-dot starts kindergarten, and meets a little girl who isn’t always nice, Polka-dot doesn’t know if she is ready to fix things on her own. For anyone who can remember how daunting that first day of school was, this will be a great book to share. Polka-dot makes mistakes at school, like everyone else, but when she’s called upon to help out, she is ready and willing to step up. The illustrations are bright and lively, with a realistic touch that will bring you back to your first day of kindergarten. If you’re looking for a book to help your little one feel more confident beginning school, this would be a great pick! See this book listed in our catalog
When I Grow Up
Submitted by Ms. Carol!
When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic is a very humorous story about a little eight year old boy who has dreams of being lots of things when he grows up. It’s show-and-tell in Mrs. Krupp’s class today, and the children are to tell everyone what they would like to be when they grow up. Billy is so excited he even goes first! Billy says he would like to be a great chef, who makes unusual dishes, such as toast on a stick or twinkies au gratin. Of course Billy doesn’t stop there. He has many ideas. Maybe he’ll be a snail trainer, or a professional pickle inspector. He could milk giraffes and make giraffe cheese. Maybe a gorilla masseuse, a rodeo clown, or a tarantula shaver. Billy has quite an imagination. Billy’s grandpa just turned one hundred and three, and he has had many jobs, but he still doesn’t know what he wants to be, so of course Billy has time to do decide, and maybe he can do all these things! This is a cute story about growing up, and the pressure of deciding what you want to be. It’s okay to not know, and to take your time and just see what the future brings. See this book listed in our catalog
Good Dog, Aggie
Submitted by Ms. Jill!
Good Dog, Aggie by Lori Ries. Ben loves his little dog, Aggie. She is a good dog; she runs fast, and she is a good eater. But Aggie does not listen to what Ben tells her. Ben takes Aggie to Doggie School to learn “sit” and “stay,” but Aggie doesn’t learn. Aggie is so naughty that she gets sent home! Next Ben tries teaching Aggie “sit” and “stay” on his own, the same way they do it at Doggie School, but Aggie still doesn’t learn. Aggie jumps up, chases squirrels and cats, and gets Ben into trouble by making a mess. Is Aggie really a bad dog after all? Poor Ben! Poor Aggie! Just when it seems that Aggie will never learn “sit” or “stay,” kind Mr. Thomas helps Ben see what Aggie is good at doing, and that she can learn. She just needs to learn a different way than the way they do it at Doggie School. Once Ben finds out what works for Aggie, their hard work and perseverance start to pay off. Good dog, Aggie! I especially love Good Dog, Aggie because this story reminds me of my own adopted doggie, Oscar. Like Aggie, Oscar wanted to be a good dog but didn’t know how! It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to teach him, Oscar just didn’t learn. But just like Ben and Aggie, Oscar and I found someone to help us, and now Oscar is finally learning to be a good dog too! See this book listed in our catalog or find more stories about Aggie and Ben
Big Bouffant
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
I love Big Bouffant by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown, and find myself relating to the main character Annabelle: I too like to stand out from the crowd, enjoy things that are a bit retro, and get bored if my hairstyle stays the same for too long. In this story, Annabelle is appalled by her classmates’ lack of imagination where hairstyle is concerned. Look at all those boring ponytails and braids! Annabelle needs a hairstyle with pizazz! When she sees a photo of her grandmother, sporting a striking bouffant, she has her eureka moment. Annabelle tries to build her own bouffant (with honey, and mayonnaise, among other unconventional implements) leading to a “hair emergency!” Luckily mom is there to save the day, and Annabelle heads to school the next day with a beautiful (and stable) bouffant. A few students snicker, but the bouffant really takes off, and soon everyone wants high hair! But as soon as she starts the trend, Annabelle grows tired of it, and is on to the next. No girls at school are wearing homemade gowns… If you have a future fashionista in the home, be sure to read them Big Bouffant! (Warning: exposure to this book may lead to ACTUAL bouffants among elementary aged children.) See this book listed in our catalog