February is Pennekamp's Literacy Celebration Month! This month is filled with literacy events and activities to get students and their families excited about reading.

A very popular aspect of the Literacy Celebration is the Read-a-thon, which starts on Friday, February 7. From this website you can download the Read-a-thon log sheet. Students use the log sheet to keep track of the minutes they read from February 7 to February 27. Please total the minutes read and turn in the log sheet on Friday, February 28. Students receive raffle tickets for the number of minutes they read (details are on the Read-a-thon log sheet). Let's show how much Dragons love to read!

Also during the Literacy Celebration all students are voting on the nominees for the California Young Reader Medal. If you'd like to see the specific titles on which students are voting, visit the CYRM page of this site. In addition, students in grades 4 and 5 have the chance to read and then vote on the chapter books nominated for the CYRM. The nominees in that category are The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley; The Losers Club, by Andrew Clements; and The Detective's Assistant, by Kate Hannigan. Any 4th- or 5th-grade student who reads all three will be invited to a voting "pizza party" in March. 

Many students are also preparing for the upcoming Super Literacy Quiz Bowl games. There's a lot of information about the SLQB right here on this website. Registration is now closed, and a remarkable 82 students are playing! Good luck and bravo (or brava!) to all the SLQB participants.

For our younger Dragons, I'm pleased to announce the second annual Night at the Library, which will be on Wednesday, February 26. Parents and students in TK, K, 1st, and 2nd grade are invited to come in their PJs to Pennekamp's library after dark. We'll hear and read picture books and do a variety of fun things. This year the event is timed as follows: from 4:30 to 6:00 is for TK and kindergarten students and their parents; 6:30 to 8:00 is for 1st- and 2nd-grade students and their parents. All students must be accompanied by a parent.

The Literacy Celebration is supported by the Pennekamp PTA. I am very proud and happy to be at a school that values books, reading, and all types of information literacy. I hope you enjoy the Literacy Celebration and that reading is always a shared pleasure for you and your family.

This morning the American Library Association announced the 2020 winners of its Youth Media Awards. Top prizes went to The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which won the Randolph Caldecott Medal (for illustration); and New Kid, by Jerry Craft, which won the John Newbery Medal (for text). 
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Caldecott Honors went to Bear Came Along, illustrated by LeYuen Pham; Double Bass Blues, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez; and Going Down Home with Daddy, illustrated by Daniel Minter. Newbery Honors went to The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander; Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidicker; Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga; and Genesis Begins Again, by Alicia D. Williams.

View the complete list of awards here; or for a longer discussion including images visit today's post on American Libraries.

Happy new year, Dragons! The library is starting the year with the addition of many beautiful books. These will be displayed throughout the library and integrated into the collection. How are we able to have these fresh, new, up-to-date books? Largely through the generosity of the Pennekamp PTA, which funds the maintenance and development of our library collection. I'd also like to thank the many families that purchased gifts for the library during our recent book fair, and thank you also for a very kind gift from the book fair's organizers. During the year families often donate books that their own children are no longer using, and this too helps fill gaps in our collection (this is why we have sooo many Minecraft guides!). Please come by and check out a beautiful new book or two. It's really your generosity that makes our collection as complete and modern as it is.

​Class visits in January will mostly be devoted to reading aloud the picture books nominees for the California Young Reader Medal. There are three longer picture books nominated for grades 3, 4, and 5, and five picture books that are nominated for students in the younger grades. Every elementary school in the district participates in this competition every year. I read the books aloud, we discuss them and consider their merits, and then each student votes for her or his favorite. At Pennekamp this year, students in grades 4 and 5 who read all three of the chapter-book nominees by the end of March can also vote on that category. 

The book club for grade 5 is off to a good start. The book we are reading for January is We're Not from Here, by Geoff Rodkey. After humans have destroyed earth, the search for a new home brings one family to the planet Choom to show that hosting the whole human race will be a good idea. Being newcomers proves difficult, and the stakes are incredibly high; how can Lan, who's just a kid, overcome the dominant species' reluctance? Another interesting aspect of WNFH is the identity of the central character, Lan. Geoff Rodkey has written a great post about this--I read it here on The Nerdy Book Club. I'm looking forward to hearing the students' reactions to this timely science-fiction story at our club meeting on January 22. 

Many students have been steadily reading the books for the Super Literacy Quiz Bowl (good job, students!), but for those who haven't, there's still time to get in the game. The Manhattan Beach public library has been displaying and checking out the selected books, and the PK library has at least one copy of each book for reading here. Students who wish to compete are asked to read at least ten books from the list for their grade. The SLQB takes place during the school day, and all students in grades 3, 4, and 5 attend the event (so I figure students might as well play!). Signups are due on January 10, and the three grade-specific consent forms are available at the library and as pdf right below this post. 

The Pennekamp book fair is coming right up! This year the fair has a cool Arctic theme, and as in years past, there will be scores of books that are favorites with Pennekamp's students. The fair is from December 10 to 13, and hours are as follows: Tuesday, 12/10, 7:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 12/11, 7:15 to 2:00 p.m. (open early that day for the super popular "Donuts, Dads, and Dear Ones" time, 7:15 to 8:30 a.m.); Thursday, 12/12, 7:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Friday, 12/13, 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday from 12:45 to 1:45, there will be a special guest at the fair: Dog Man will be greeting shoppers and posing for photos! Volunteers are needed to help at the fair and also for set up and tear down. For volunteer signup and complete information about the fair, click right here on this link. Happy shopping!

I'll be reading books this month about darkness and the moon (as we switch off of daylight savings time), Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. On display in the library right now are many beautiful nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics. Several grades are currently learning how to recognize and use nonfiction materials. I'll also be reading books about food because Thanksgiving is of course a big home-cooking holiday, but also to encourage all Dragons to donate during our school food drive. The drive accompanies the "Turkey Trot" fundraiser and is organized in partnership with our local Cub Scout pack as part of the annual "Scouting for Food" event. For the specific readaloud selections for each grade, please click over to the Weekly Readalouds page of this site. 

Our October charitable drive to collect playground balls was a great success! Thirty sports ball were donated to Purche Avenue Elementary School in Gardena. The drive was inspired by Dav Pilkey's "Do Good" tour, including his El Segundo event on October 27, 2019. Thanks, PK, for being generous!

Excitement is building for the upcoming Super Literacy Quiz Bowl! This event takes place in February, and signups will begin in December. The SLQB is a fast-paced trivia game for grades 3, 4, and 5 that tests teams on their knowledge of a set of selected books. Sounds fun? It is! To get started, students should begin reading the selected books. The PK library has at least one copy of each of the books. On the day of the event, students will be randomly placed on teams with other students in their class. Anyone who wants to sign up to play should read at least 10 of the books for his or her grade, but there is no other requirement--everyone is encouraged to participate. 

In March there will be a special event related to the California Young Reader Medal. Any 4th- or 5th-grade student who reads all three of the Intermediate nominees will be invited to a voting party during the school day at lunch. The three Intermediate nominees are The Detective's Assistant, by Katherine Hannigan; The Losers Club, by Andrew Clements; and The War I Finally Won, by Katherine Brubaker Bradley. (The three nominees are also on the SLQB lists for grades 4 and 5.)

In the community, the Manhattan Beach public library continues to offer great activities and resources for all ages. Of particular interest is the ongoing Mock Newbery Book Club for students in grades 5 to 8. You can subscribe to a monthly email from the library about all that's going on there. Another Manhattan Beach literary landmark is Pages, our local independent bookstore. Pages always has author visits and other events coming up--see their website. If you have never made it to Pages, I really recommend you visit! The store is beautiful, the children's section manages to be both extensive and carefully curated, and the staff is super knowledgeable and helpful. You know when you could visit the Manhattan Beach public library and Pages bookstore? On the evening of the Manhattan Beach Pier Lighting and Holiday Open House, which is Wednesday, November 20, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. See the schedule here, and maybe I'll see you there!

Fall is here, and with it come books about trees, spiders, and ghosts! For specifics of what I'm reading aloud and what books are on display in the library, please check the Weekly Readalouds page of this site. Also this month grade 5 is being advised on research skills--the students should now be ready to tackle the explorer report that has just been assigned. Of importance to their research are our two online encyclopedia: Britannica School and World Book Online. Ask your child's teacher or me for log-in information. Grade 3 is learning how the Dewey Decimal System works and how to find nonfiction books in this library and in libraries everywhere. Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, will be recognized in this month's readalouds.

Ever wonder how the library is able to purchase the latest "hot" books and keep the informational books up-to-date? The answer quite simply is the Pennekamp PTA, which generously funds almost all the books the library acquires year after year. The Pennekamp PTA membership drive is in its last two weeks. The PTA funds not only library purchases but also provides many items that make our school amazing. You are encouraged support the PTA at whatever level is comfortable for you. Thanks for helping to make Pennekamp an outstanding school!

It's time to begin an exciting Pennekamp annual tradition: the Super Literacy Quiz Bowl! Taking place during the PK Literacy Event (February 1 to 29, 2020), SLQB is a trivia game in which students are quizzed on facts and details from a grade-specific list of books. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 are encouraged to participate, but participation is optional. For reading lists and more information, click here. Students who think they might like to play should begin reading the books now, but since competition is not until February 2020, it's a good idea to take notes that can be reviewed closer to the event. I've been talking to grades 3, 4, and 5 about it and will continue to do so--we're very much at the beginning of SLQB season. Whether or not a student plays (and really, participation is optional), SLQB calls attention to a bunch of terrific books that are read and talked about by our students. If you have questions about SLQB, please come by the library or send me an email--I'm delighted to talk about it.

Dav Pilkey’s October 27 appearance in El Segundo is sold out! Didn't get tickets? He is also appearing on Saturday, October 26, 1:00 p.m., at Santa Monica High School. Here's the link for tickets.

Dav Pilkey is touring the world to promote his "Do Good" campaign. Dav wants to encourage readers of all ages to do good and make a positive impact in their communities. Pennekamp's "do good" project is a drive to collect NEW playground balls for Purche Avenue Elementary, a Title 1 LAUSD school in Gardena. Specifically needed are NEW handballs, kickballs, basketballs, and volleyballs. The drive is from October 7 to 25. Please bring your donation to the Pennekamp library. Everyone who donates at the library will be entered into a raffle to win a pair of tickets to Dav's sold out appearance in El Segundo on Sunday, October 27--a $50 value! The raffle winner will be announced at the end of the school day on Friday, October 25.   
 
The County of Los Angeles Library’s annual bookmark contest continues through October. This year there is no specific theme; any original design is welcome, but designs cannot incorporate existing characters from print, television, film, or video games. The contest entry form can be downloaded and printed from the PDF link below. Student designs are judged by various age categories (so younger students are not competing against older students). Entries are due by November 1, 2019. Library winners will be notified November 15, and grand prize winners will be announced in February or March 2020. 

School is really in full swing now! Classes are visiting per the weekly schedule, volunteers are signed up and trained, and students and parents are checking out books. Teachers and students are using the databases and other online resources that are funded for our use by the Pennekamp PTA and the California State Library. What I'm reading to classes can always be found on this website. I will be taking note of Constitution Day, which is observed on September 17. The fifth-grade teachers would like their students to mark September 11, so with fifth-grade classes I will read the level 1 version of that topic in Britannica School, as well as read a picture book related to the event, such as September Roses, The Survivor Tree, or The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

So with all that in place, the remainder of this post is about some special upcoming community events.

Saturday, September 21, is the International Day of Peace, a worldwide holiday declared by the United Nations. This year's theme is "Climate Action for Peace." Come out this Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 for "Stand in the Sand for Peace"! Participants will gather on the MB pier and arrange themselves on the sand to spell PEACE for an aerial photograph.
 
Dav Pilkey’s visit last year was a huge success, and I’m thrilled to announce that he will be appearing again in the South Bay this year! Dav is the author/illustrator of the Dog Man series, the Captain Underpants series, and many other books. {pages} bookstore and Scholastic are sponsoring his visit, which is part of Dav's “Do Good” tour. The event is Sunday, October 27, at 2:00 p.m., at the El Segundo Performing Arts Center. Also appearing will be Dan Santat, winner of the Caldecott Medal and illustrator of Dav’s series Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot; and Gale Galligan, cartoonist of the Babysitter’s Club graphic novels #5, 6, and 7. Tickets and more information about the event can be found at https://www.pagesabookstore.com/event/dav-pilkey-returns-south-bay-special-guests
 
It’s time for the County of Los Angeles Library’s annual bookmark contest. This year there is no specific theme; any original design is welcome, but designs cannot incorporate existing characters from print, television, film, or video games. The contest entry form can be downloaded and printed from the PDF link below. Student designs are judged by various age categories (so younger students are not competing against older students). Entries are due by November 1, 2019. Library winners will be notified November 15, and grand prize winners will be announced in February or March 2020. 
 
The Manhattan Beach public library branch is offering a Mock Newbery Book Club, a group activity for strong readers in grades 4 to 8. The Newbery Medal is a prestigious award that recognizes books written for young people. Every year before the medal is awarded, there is widespread chatter among book lovers about what might win. This is a chance to dive in to that conversation! Club participants will learn the criteria for the actual Newbery judging and engage in dialogue about books with other readers. The club meetings begin on September 24, and space is limited, so do not delay in signing up. A link to the flyer is below. Register online at bit.ly/2xZwHVR 

This is the last week of class visits to the library. Classes are visiting to hear my favorite end-of-year readalouds and to return books. I will be here next week, but classes do not visit the library. I will be plenty busy next week, seeing to the return of all the books and putting things in order for next year. 

All books are due on or before June 7. A hold will be placed on the report card of any student who fails to return or pay for his or her library books by the end of the school year. A hold will also be placed on a student's report card if his or her parent has unresolved library books at the end of the school year. Please return all library books OR pay for any that have been lost or significantly damaged. I can tell you the price of books for which payment must be made. Payment must be in exact change or a check payable to MBUSD.

The Pennekamp library is closed over the summer. Fortunately there are several great public libraries right nearby. The Manhattan Beach public library has a summer reading program including activities and cultural events for every age. There's a nice PDF of summer events just below this post. The best way to find out about everything happening there is to sign up for the library's electronic newsletter. I know many families like the libraries in Redondo Beach, Torrance, and El Segundo. All are great options to make sure everyone has exciting reading materials for the summer!

The district summer reading lists are a great source of pleasure reading suggestions. While the lists are organized by grade level, most students can find something of interest on any of the three lists, so I encourage you to take a look at all three. Lists for this year and from previous years are posted on this website. 

The summer is a great time to read! I hope everyone finds time to read every day.  It's a great habit to build, and one very enjoyable way to encourage your child's reading habit is to have a reading time of your own. Consider creating a cozy reading spot, too. Some people keep track of books or pages read over the summer--this can be fun and motivating. Or why not start a summer book club for your child and a few friends? Participants can meet every couple of weeks to discuss a book they've all chosen to read  (and you can provide the snacks!). Traveling this summer? It's likely there are children's books about or set in your destination. Bring books when you travel, or listen to a book all together on a family car trip. Check out the local independent bookstore in places you visit. Whether here or elsewhere, read aloud during the afternoon snack and of course at bedtime. Talking with your children about what they are reading (and what you are reading) improves comprehension and builds valuable social skills. Finally, the very easiest way to encourage reading is simply to have a changing variety of books and other reading materials around the house and in the car.

Thanks for all your support over the school year. I'm already looking forward to seeing everyone again when school resumes!

Poetry will be featured in May--the books on display and also some of the weekly readalouds. I love poetry; often picture books are like poetry in their economy of language and reliance on literary devices often used by poets, such as rhyme, alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia. If I were to recommend one poetry book for a family's home library it would be A Child's Anthology of Poetry, edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword and Victoria Flournoy McCarthy. 

There are some cultural events in May, including Ramadan, Mothers Day, and Memorial Day. I will be reading and displaying books on these as well.

May is Asian-Pacific Island Heritage month, so you can be sure books on the cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands will also be in play.

The winners of the California Young Reader Medal have been announced: The Bear and the Piano (not PK's choice), Emmanuel's Dream (PK's winner), and The War that Saved My Life (PK's winner). Information about the contest and our voting results can be found here. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 8 and 9, PK's third-grade will have guest visits from the children's services librarian at the Manhattan Beach public library. She will be giving each student a public library card. There are some great library events coming up, including a Dodgers storytime. The public library's summer reading program starts on June 1, 2019.

The MBUSD summer reading lists for summer 2019 are now posted and can be found on this site. The three elementary lists of nonrequired books for pleasure reading were compiled by the five elementary library resource specialists. 

On Friday, May 17, the wonderful Julie Jones will be substituting for me at the library. I will be attending my son's law school commencement (proud mom here!). 

Friday, May 31, is the last day this year for students and parents to check out books from the library. The fifth-graders may even be a bit before that, as participation their special year-end events is conditional on having a clean slate in all school matters.

May 24 is the last meeting of the book club for grade 5. Our current book is The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu.

Can you believe it's the end of the year? Wow, time flies :-)