|
Principal's Book of the Month
I'm so excited about our Principal's Book of the Month program! Each month I will be reading our selected book to students in their classroom. The book's focal point will be centered around the character trait of the month. Teachers will be in attendance to hear the book read so they can work with students to make the text come to life in the classrooms.
The Book of the Month provides a perfect opportunity to encourage students to think about the text of the book and how it relates to their own experiences, their world, and to other books they have read. It can also be an opportunity to integrate other academic activities, such as writing and author studies. Involving parents will also make the activity powerful.
NOVEMBER 2008
Title: The Principal's New Clothes
Author: Stephanie Calmenson
Book Summary: Mr. Bundy, the principal of P.S. 88, is the sharpest dresser in school. In fact, he's the sharpest dresser in the whole town! But when two tricksters come to town and design a suit of magic cloth for Mr, Bundy, everyone is in for a big surprise!
Lesson: Always tell the truth, no matter how hard that may be. And don't forget, honesty is still the best policy.
OCTOBER 2008
Title: Ish
Author: Peter Reynolds
Book Summary: Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere.
Drawing is what Ramon does. It¹s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single reckless remark by Ramon's older brother, Leon, turns Ramon's carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, though, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just "right."
Lesson: This wonderful book emphasizes the age-old truth, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
SEPTEMBER 2008
Title: The Relatives Came
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Book Summary: The relatives' station wagon: It smelled like a real car, looked like a rainbow, and was roomy enough for a crowd. Lucky! Because a big crowd in all shapes and sizes piled into that old wagon at four o'clock one summer morning and piled out of it the next day at their relatives' place on the north side of the mountains. All in good moods.
The visitors settled in everywhere throughout the house, laughing and making music and hugging everyone from the kitchen to the front room. And they stayed for weeks.
Lesson: What happened, happened for good and what is happening is also for the good. Out of sight is not out of mind.
MAY 2008
Title: The Wall
Author: Eve Bunting
Book Summary: A young boy and his dad have traveled all the way to Washington, DC to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They have come to find the name of the boy's grandfather, his dad's father. The little boy calls the memorial "my grandfather's wall." As the father and son look for the grandfather's name, they meet others who are visiitng the memorial, including a veteran in a wheelchair and a couple weeping while hugging one another.
They see flowers, letters, flags, and a teddy bear that have been left at the wall. When they find the name, they do a rubbing and leave a school photograph of the boy on the ground below his grandfather's name. When the boy says, "It's sad here," his father explains, "It's a place of honor."
Lesson: It is important to remember the contributions to freedom of those who died, as well as those veterans who are still living.
APRIL 2008
Title: Miss Rumphius
Author: Barbara Cooney
Book Summary: As a child, Miss Rumphius dreams of traveling to faraway places. Her grandfather assures her that this is possible, but also advises her to do something to make the world more beautiful. As an old lady, Miss Rumphius returns to her home by the sea, but realizes she has yet to fulfill her grandfather's wish. Inspired by her garden, Miss Rumphius creates a world of loveliness for those who live nearby.
Lesson: Live a life that leaves the world more beautiful, just as Miss Rumphius was inspired by her grandfather.
MARCH 2008
Title: Odd Velvet
Author: Mary Whitcomb
Book Summary: From the first day of school, Velvet's classmates think that she is strange. When the other girls bring their dolls for show-and-tell, she brings a milkweed pod. With her purple dress, huge glasses, and peppermint-stick tights, this girl is clearly too odd to be picked as a play partner-or a friend. But slowly, her unique characteristics-her rock collection, her ability to draw lovely pictures with only the eight basic crayons-seem more interesting than strange, and a wonderful birthday party at her house cements the other children's acceptance of this imaginative child.
Lesson: Be confident in who you are! Everyone should embrace differences rather than fear them.
FEBRUARY 2008
Title: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
Author: Eileen Spinelli
Book Summary: This warmhearted tale examines the effect that love and tender regard can have on a lackluster existence. Mr. Hatch is a drab, predictable gentleman who leads a painfully ordered and uninteresting life. One Valentine’s Day a giant candy-filled heart is delivered to Mr. Hatch with a note that reads, "Somebody loves you." Just the thought of someone taking an interest in him completely changes the way Mr. Hatch interacts with his neighbors and co-workers. The newly adorable gentleman becomes so much a part of the peoples lives that when it is disclosed that the heart was delivered by mistake, his friends and neighbors rally around him in a loving demonstration.
Lesson: If you reach out to others, even in small ways, others will often reach back to you.
JANUARY 2008
 Title: Happy Birthday Martin Luther King
Author: Jean Marzollo
Book Summary: This story is a basic introduction to the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Beginning with his childhood and education, the author touches on King's work as a pastor and then focuses on his involvement with the civil rights movement.
Lesson: Dr. King's dream was that people everywhere would learn to live together without being mean to one another.
DECEMBER 2007
 Title: The Polar Express
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Book Summary: On Christmas Eve a boy is taken on a mysterious train to the North Pole. The trip to the pole is a glorious experience through dark forests and high mountains. When he arrives, Santa chooses him to be the child that receives the first gift of Christmas. He asks for an receives one bell from the harness of the reindeer. It is with great sadness that he discovers he has lost the bell on the way home. At home he finds the bell again, and learns a special secret about it.
Lesson: One of the greatest things inherent in youth is the ability to believe.
NOVEMBER 2007
Title: Thank You, Mr. Falker
Author: Patricia Polacco
Book Summary: Little Trisha is overjoyed at the thought of starting school and learning how to read. But when she looks at a book, all the letters and numbers just get jumbled up. Her classmates make matters worse by calling her names. Only Mr. Falker, a stylish, fun-loving new teacher, recognizes Trisha’s incredible artistic ability–and her problem, and takes the time to lead her finally and happily to the magic of reading. This autobiographical story is close to author Patricia Polacco’s heart. It is her personal song of thanks to teachers like Mr. Falker, who quietly but surely change the lives of the children they teach.
Lesson: Knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey, you have to chase it through the pages of a book.
OCTOBER 2007
Title: The Three Questions
Author: Jon J. Muth
Book Summary: Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.
Lesson:
The most important time is now.
The most important person is whoever you are with.
The most important thing is to do that person good.
SEPTEMBER 2007
Title: The Dot
Author: Peter Reynolds
Book Summary: Vashti is convinced that she cannot draw. When her art teacher says, "just make a mark and see where it takes you," the girl stabs at the paper in fury, leaving a distinct dot. The teacher tells her to sign it and turn it in. Next day, Vashti sees her "drawing" hung on the wall in a gold frame. She decides that she can do a better dot than that and ends up creating a whole exhibit of her dots. Her career as an artist has begun.
Lesson: Art as well as all endeavors can begin anywhere if a single first step is taken.
|
