Pride Elementary Media Center Book Blog

The Toy Society!

2011-12-19T11:33:00.005-06:00

As part of our 5th grade Exploratory classes this year, these students met in the library on Friday mornings from Aug.-Dec. to design, draft patterns, and create toys by hand!

The Toy Society is a world-wide collective of toy makers – of varying skill levels– who make toys and leave them as gifts for perfect strangers.

When a member leaves a toy gift it’s called a “Toy Drop” and is posted on The Toy Society's website.

Finders are invited, but not expected, to let The Toy Society know they have found a toy, and these notes are also posted on the site. But it’s not expected to hear back from finders; The Toy Society is about giving someone something and expecting absolutely nothing in return, which is a real rarity these days!

We are so proud of the imaginative toys our students were able to create and prouder still that they were happy to let them go in hopes that they would brighten the day of a stranger!

To watch for "Finders" stories, or to learn how you can become a member of The Toy Society, head to the website: http://www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com

Toy Society Drops Complete!

2011-12-19T09:22:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, December 17, 2011 a small group of teachers, a Toy Society student and her family completed Toy Drops around the downtown area of Madisonville, KY. The Pride Elementary Toy Society hopes that each toy finds a good home and brightens someone's day! "Finders" are encouraged to visit thetoysociety.blogspot.com to let the Toy Society know they have rescued a toy.

The Toy Society doesn't normally "drop" at a residence, but two of our droppers know the person who lives in this home and we knew this toy would find a good home with them!

My Father's Dragon

2011-12-07T11:42:00.003-06:00

Have you ever thought reading was boring? Well think again! My Fathers Dragon is the best book ever!

It was the best ever because he went on many wild adventures!

A little boy's father finds an alley cat. Then one day the boys father decides to find a dragon captured on an island. Before he can, he has to go through a jungle and a river. He meets many animals and insects on his journey to get the dragon.

I hope you like my book. Thank you for letting me share my book with you.

by J.B., 4th Grade

Moda School Block Challenge

2011-11-30T13:28:00.007-06:00

This terrific group of students(also known as the Quilt Block Team) has been meeting in the library to design quilt blocks for the Moda School Block Challenge during 5th grade Exploratory time. They worked together to design and create their blocks! These blocks will be entered into the School Block Challenge and will be displayed in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky. Way to go, Falcons!

CALLING ALL FALCONS

2011-11-29T19:43:00.002-06:00

Read a great book lately? Don't keep it to yourself! Share your thoughts with your friends and fellow Falcons here on our book blog!

You may submit your typed or handwritten book reviews in the library at any time! For examples of student book reviews, read some of the past student entries on this blog. I will be glad to help you get started as well!

I can't wait to read about your favorite books!

P.S. Staff members, we'd love to publish your reviews!

Drumroll Please......

2011-11-01T14:25:00.001-06:00

The winner in our staff Pumpkin Parade was Mrs. Wyatt who submitted this spectacular pumpkin likeness of our favorite Chihuahua wannabe, Skippyjon Jones!

Pumpkin Parade!

2011-10-30T21:04:00.001-06:00

I cannot think of a better way to reintroduce our Media Center Blog than by sharing some photos from our 2011 Pumpkin Parade! Students were asked to decorate a pumpkin to represent a character from one of their favorite books!

You did a GREAT job, Falcons!!

I'd also like to thank the following staff memebers for submitting pumpkins:
Mrs. Baldwin
Mrs. Blades
Mrs. Lester
Mrs. Holley
Mrs. Holt
Mrs. Gordon
Mrs. Wyatt

Your creativity blew us all away!

Check back soon to see which one of our teacher/staff entries is the winning pumpkin!

Where did we go?

2010-10-30T07:34:00.000-06:00

Our Library/Media Center blog is currently on hold. In the meantime, please check out some of the fun links on the right.

Hopefully, we will be able to bring the blog back before you know it!

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

2009-10-29T07:16:00.011-06:00

All I can say is this is the best book ever! It includes Greek mythology and is it very long, but it is a great book. I'm reading book two now and I'llw rite a review later.

The story starts out when Percy Jackson goes to Yancy Academy in New York CIty. Percy is a trouble maker and gets kicked out of a lot of schools. Percy has dyslexia and a bit of a temper. He has to deal with Nancy Bobofh's bullying, portecting his scrawny friend Grover, not getting kicked out of school and trying to survive not getting killed by Mrs. Dodd's, his teacher. (I would recommend this book to fourth and fifth graders).

Grover turns out to be a satyr(half man, half goat) and tells him satyrs usually find demigods(sons and daughters of gods and goddesses) at schools. Then bring them to Camp Half-Blood. Percy went to Camp Half-Blood and met some new people. He met Annabeth Chase, a demigod of Athena, goddess of wisdome and battel, Luke, a camper who has been offered a quest a long time ago, Clarrisse, daughter of Ared, god of war and Chiron, the camp activities director who was Mr. Burnner, Percy's teacher. Chiron is a centaur(half man, half horse) but disguised himself as a teacher watching Percy and Yancy. Percy later discovers he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea.

Will Percy complete the quest given by Chiron to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightening bolt and return it to Mt. Olympus before the end of the summer solstice? Will he survive a jump off the St. Louis Gateway Arch? Will he be fried by a fire-breathing Chimera? Will Hades bring terrible things into Percy's life in the Underworld? (Hades is the god of death)

With Percy being a water guy, will Zeus(lord of the sky) zap him out of an airplaine? Will Luke turn on Percy and worship Kronos as his leader? Will Grover get his searchers license to search for his god Pan, a quest that no other satyr has returned from alive?

Well, just read this amazing book! It's awesome!

Post by Irelane, 5th grade, Mrs. Blades' Class

We want to know....

2009-10-23T06:43:00.005-06:00

Now that Halloween is right around the corner, we want to know...what are your favorite scary/creepy books to read this time of year?

Summer Reading at the Public Library!

2009-06-10T10:27:00.003-06:00

Click here for information on the Summer Reading Program at the Madisonville Public Library!

Happy Reading!

2009-06-10T09:34:00.005-06:00

What are you reading?

Happy Summer, Pride Falcons!

PLEASE tell us about the books that you are reading so we can continue to share great books over the summer! You may include a photo of yourself (and the book you are reviewing, please) when you send in your book reviews.

Click here to email your posts and photos to Mrs. Cotton.

Lost and Found

2009-04-28T13:23:00.006-06:00

Lost and found is a fantastic book! Once I started it I couldn’t stop, and if you don’t real like reading long books this book is a short chapter book. Also the author has tons of books out.

I will just tell you one thing in the book; the boys are twins. One's Ray Jay and the other is Jay Ray when one of them go to school they figure out something. They can make a real fun game out of read the book and figure out what they do with that thing. So read the book and you will figure out the thing they make a fun game out of but will it be so fun in the end.

~submitted by Karissa, 5th grade

Robot Dreams

2009-04-28T12:44:00.004-06:00

Have you ever read a book that is soooo borning that you can't even finish the first page? I have! Well, have no fear, I can save you! I have a perfect book for you! It's called Robot Dreams by Sarah Varon.

Do you ever get tired of reading long chapter books with too many words? Do you just get tired of words, words, words all the time? Well I have some good news for you! This cool book that is fun to read has no words. It's sad and exciting. After you read the first chapter you want to keep reading and you won't want to stop. It's a great book and I hope you take my advice and read this great book!

It's about a robot that gets separated from his friend. He has many sad and fun adventures. If you want to come along on one then you should read this book!

~submitted by Erika, 5th grade

Be sure to come by the LMC to check out this and other great Graphic Novels!

Review by Ashley: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

2009-04-14T13:22:00.005-06:00

This is one of my favorite books! I like it because it is a mystery book. It's about a little girl named Molly and her dog Petula.

They are staying in Manhattan and do you want to know how much that costs? It costs NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS a night! Also Molly had only $2.96 left to pay for her room.

Oh and Molly wants to learn how to hypnotize people, but, there is someone following her.

This book kind of gets me a little hynotized! This book is the best book that I have ever read. I wish you would check it out at the library. I would love to tell you more, but you have to read it to find out the rest.

PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!!!!
~submitted by Ashley, 5th grade

The China Miracle

2009-01-20T13:27:00.005-06:00

Have you ever had a book written about you? Well I have! Hi, my name is Kasey and my grandma wrote a book about my sister and me.

This book tells about my mom, my grandma, and I going to get my little sister Kailey. You see, Kailey is from China so this book tells about our adventures in China. It also talks about the lifestyle of the Chinese. History is also one of the main things in this book.

So all my fellow readers, I hope you like this book as much as I did. It will be coming to the library soon. Also my grandma will be coming to the local mall in February for a book signing. I hope you come to get a book(plus I will be there). Happy Reading! :D

~submitted by Kasey, 5th grade

And the Winner is...MYSTERY!

2009-01-12T11:45:00.003-06:00

The results from our first genre poll are in and your favorite choice was Mystery! Mysteries are awesome because they entertain us and they put our brains to work! When you are reading a mystery you're constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the criminal, or in some cases, supernatural aspects! Most of us try to solve the crime or puzzle right along with the characters in the book and sometimes you may even solve the crime before the detectives in the book!

Mysteries can be creepy, funny or downright scary! We have lots of Mystery series in our library as well as individuall Mystery titles. Here are a few examples to get you going in the Mystery genre.

Series:

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
The Boxcar Children mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Carol Marsh Mysteries by Carol Marsh(featuring real kids in real places)
Encyclopedia Brown mysteries by Donald Sobel (Mrs. Cotton's childhood favorites)
Hank the Cowdog by John Erikson(laugh out loud funny mysteries)
Hardy Boys by Franklin Dixon
Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene
Whishbone Mysteries by Anne Capeci

Individual Mystery titles:

Bernie Macgruder and the Disappearing Bodies by Phylis Reynolds Naylor
Beware the Ravens Aunty Morbelia by Joan Carris
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by James Howe
Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
Ghost Children by Eve Bunting
The Haunted Clubhouse by Carolyn Leavitt
The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine by Diane Stanley
Rex Tabby, Cat Detective by Kirk Daniel
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Why not check some out on your next visit to the library?

Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing

2009-01-12T08:54:00.004-06:00

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

The book I read was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I choose this book because it has been my favorite book for as long as I could remember. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is about a boy named Peter, his little brother Fudge, and thier pet turtle Dribble. In this book, Fudge gets into all kinds of trouble. The least of which is eating Peter's pet turtle Dribble, while he was at school. There are many more episodes of trouble and meanness in this book. It is sure to entertain you as well as tickle your funny bone.

~Ryan, 5th grade

Thanks to Ryan for her post about Judy Blume's wonderful book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing! Our library has copies of this and other great books by Judy Blume!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2009-01-05T11:33:00.010-06:00

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The book I read is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is about a little girl
and her dog who came from her home by [way of] a twister to a place called
the Land of Oz.
There were four witches. One from the North, one from the South, one
from the East and one from the West. One of those witches is dead...read the book
to find out which one!

Dortothy meets these people in Oz, but they're not ordinary people, they
are Winkies. They told her how she could get back home but she has to go to the
Great and Terrible Oz. The next morning she goes looking for Oz and on her way she meets a scarecrow, tin woodsman, and a lion. Read the book to see what happens next!

Thanks to Adarian for telling us about this book! The book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is quite different from the movie that you may have seen. Dorothy has many adventures and you'll meet many interesting characters as you follow her along the road to Oz. I agree w/Adarian that you should give it a try!We have the entire OZ series in our library, come check one out for yourself!

What are YOU reading?

2009-01-05T11:16:00.007-06:00

Winter is the perfect time for cuddling up with a good book, don't you think? Besides the summer months, winter is my favorite time of year for enjoying books!

As for me, I've been doing bunches of reading lately! In addition to reading a series of fantasy novels that were very hard to put down I've been reading these books:

Now it's your turn! So tell us Falcons(that's staff and students)...what 'cha reading?

Click on the comments link below and tell us what you're reading and don't forget to let Mrs. Cotton know if you'd like to post a book review or tell us all about your favorite book here on this blog.

These Pumpkins Have Character!

2008-11-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

While we are waiting for more of your book reviews(keep 'em coming, kids!) I thought it would be the perfect time to show off some of our creative Pride Falcons!

Take a gander at some of the awesome pumpkins-turned-book characters that were created for our first ever LMC Pumkin-Art Gallery this Fall!

Which one is your favorite?

Superfudge

2008-11-12T10:13:00.005-06:00

I read the book Superfudge by Judy Blume. This book is all about a boy named Peter who is tired of his little brother named Fudge bugging him and always sneaking his way out of trouble. It turns out when he grows up, he wants to be a bird. Do you know what's even worse for Peter? He found out his mom is going to have another baby! Plus, he is moving to Princeton for a whole year! Dealing with sixth grade and trying to control Fudge in kindergarten. He already has one brother on his nerves. Will his new baby sister Tootsie be the same? Only one Fudge is enough!

~Review by Irelane, 4th grade

Thanks Irelane for your great review!

Froggy Eats Out

2008-11-03T12:37:00.005-06:00

We love the silly, funny Froggy books by Jonathan London and have many of them for you to check out in our library media center! Keyasia read and reviewed Froggy Eats Out. Thanks Keyasia! Froggy was ver very hungry one day. He started tolook for some food and couldn't find any. His mom told him they were going out to eat for their anniversary. They went to the best restuarant in town but Froggy made a mess with his food, so they went to another resturant to eat.

I liked this book because I think it's a very good children's book and it was funny!

~Keyasia, fifth grade

Baloney, Henry P.

2008-10-31T12:16:00.006-06:00

Baloney (Henry P) by Lane Smith and Jon Scieszka

This is a great book by the wacky team of Smith & Scieszka. Full of fun language that uses foreign and nonsense words. Thank you Jeremiah for writing this review!

The book I read is about the boy who was late for school. He told the teacher that he misplaced his zimulis and said he got stuck in a rocket ship and pushed a lot of buttons. The rocket wouldn't stop! The boy tells of his adventures on that rocket in outer space. When he finishes telling his story the teacher tells him to take a seat (and get started wrting a tall tale. I'd love to he says, but I seem to have misplaced my zimulis!" )

I liked this book because it is funny and has cool picutres. I think you would enjoy the pictures and the story, especially the boy, in the book Baloney(Henry P)!

~Jeremiah fifth grade

Click here to check out the website for this book!

Calling all Falcons!

2008-10-23T20:36:00.003-06:00

What's Cooking in the Library Media Center?

2008-10-18T10:14:00.012-06:00

Pride Falcons must love to cook because Cookbooks are some of the most popular books in our library!

Cookbooks are informational, or non-fiction, books. They can be found in the 600 section of the Dewey Decimal System and have often have the call number 641.5. We have a nice collection of cookbooks, the most popular by far being the Star Wars Cookbooks. Here are some of our brand new cookbooks.

Ratatouille What's Cooking? A Cookbook for Kids published by Disney Pixar. This Ratatouille themed cookbook includes recipes like Gusteau's Ratatouille, Chocolate Rats, and Remy's Famous Omlets! A fun cookbook w/recipes that are simply and easy to prepare with just a few ingredients.

Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Ispired by Dr. Seuss! by Georgeanne Brennan. This cookbook is just what you would expect...fun and zany! The recipes are a little more difficult than those in the Ratatouille cookbook, but how could you resist Noodle-Eating-Poodle Noodles or Yot in the Pot?

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cool Kids' Cooking by Sandra Lee. This cookbook has it all! Sandra Lee teaches you how to read a recipe, all about kitchen gadgets and includes a section on healthy foods! Some of the recipes in this book fit into these fun categories...brainy breaks, sleepovers, movie munchies and dynamite drinks!

Kids Cook 1-2-3: Recipes for Young Chefs Using Only 3 Ingredients by Rozanne Gold. This cookbook is full of simple and delicious recipes for you to try using only THREE ingredients! A few of the yummy recipes in this book are Puffy Maple Pancake, Chicken Oooh-la-la and Heavenly Chocolate Mousse Cake. Mmmm!

I hope you will come by the library and check out one of these great new books or take a look at our coookbook collection!

And remember the rule:

If you check out a cookbook you must cook something for the librarian.

I wonder why no one ever believes me when I tell them this is a rule?

Peter and the Star Catchers

2008-10-10T07:36:00.003-06:00

Peter and the Star Catchers is an awesome book! The characters,the setting the plot it was all genius!

If you haven't read this book it's about some boys who unfortunately end up on a ragtag, poorly constructed boatwith a half drunk captain and a mean first mate who gives the orders. After getting on the boat Peter the leader sees a woman and a girl among the men. The girl (Molly) and Peter stare at each other for a short while then introduce each other. As soon as they got talking they had to stop because Peter has to go th his new "room". It's a disgusting room with no beds or even a table or chairs.

After this Molly and Peter have a few more adventures before they arer attacked by a fearsome pirate named Black Stache. Black Stache is the kind of guy that has fun torturing some poor defenseless person.

Anyway after the attack Peter, Molly, and the rest of the guys end up on an island, but luck is definitely not with them. The pirates are also on this island along with a tribe of savages. After almost getting eaten by Mister Grin (if you want to find out who Mister Grin is, read the book!) after meeting beautiful mermaids, the boys (and girl) come out alive. After more odd events Peter ends up staying on the island while the others go home.

That is most of the book except for some things that your just going to ahve to read about. As I it is awesome, so go on read it.

~review by Nora, fifth grade

Aaaaah...Books!

2008-10-06T12:05:00.005-06:00

Don't you just love books? I know I do! There's nothing better than curling up with a good book on a crisp Fall day! When I finish reading a good book, my brain says "Aaaaaah!"

What is your favorite book?

Staff and parents, what was your favorite book as a child?

What books would you like to see added to our media center collection?

What books are you currently reading that you just cannot put down?

What books make you say "Aaaaaah"?

~Mrs. Cotton

Do you know Mo?

2008-10-06T12:00:00.001-06:00

I love author/illustsrator Mo Willems! Now I've never actually met Mo, but he did sign a book for me once (thanks to Ms. Eliassen) and he even called me his "pal"! Mo and I are pals! How cool is that?

I'm certain our students are familiar with this award winning author's work. Mo Willems books include: Knufflebunny, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog, Leonard the Terrible Monster, the Elephant and Piggie series and many more.

I've read many of Mo Willem's booksaloud to students in every grade from Kindergarten through 5th...and they seem to get almost as big of a kick from these books as I do! The books are short, easy to read and...well, they're silly, goofy and kooky(especially the Pigeon books).

You can visit the Pigeon online if you go here. And you can learn more about Mo Willems by heading to this page.

One of my new favorites by Mr. Willems is about Edwina, a dinosaur who doesn't realize that dinosaurs are extinct. No one else seems to notice except for Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. Reginald goes on a quest to prove that Edwina is extinct!

As important as it is to read books that teach, enlighten and make us think, sometimes a good giggle is just what we need! Visit the library media center and get your hands on these giggle-inducing books!

~Mrs. Cotton

A Rabbit's Journey...

2008-10-05T15:00:00.002-06:00

I recently read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. WOW! What a wonderful book! Edward is a china rabbit owned by a little girl named Abilene. Abilene adores Edward. Sadly, Edward loves no one, not even Abilene. When Edward gets tossed overboard the Queen Mary, his journey begins. Over time and through many adventures, Edward finally learns what it is like to love someone. sniff...sniff...I still get all sniffly thinking about the wonderful way this books ends. You'll love it! Come by the media center and check out this fantastic book!

~Mrs. Cotton

Our New Media Center!

2008-10-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

The new Library Media Center was worth the wait! Take a look around our LMC and keep your eyes on our blog for photos of the many fun activities and happenings in our LMC!

My favorite books for adults

2008-10-01T11:01:00.001-06:00

The following post was contributed by Mrs. Leigh Baldwin. We miss you, Mrs. Baldwin!

Here are a few great parenting resources that I have used and shared shared with many families:

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Faber & Mazlish. Excellent book on communicating with children and teens. Clearly written and easy to read. Contains very useful and practical advice.

The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children: Parenting From the Heart by Vannoy. A very inspirational and uplifting resource.

SOS Handbook for Parents by Lynn Clark and 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas Phelan. These two books contain very helpful suggestions for managing children’s behavior. I think they are best for those with elementary-age children.

On a different note…
For a fun book that really makes you think, I recommend The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century. This is an intriguing book about globalization…an all around great read!

-Leigh Baldwin