April is National Poetry Month. Every day during this month, April Wayland, longtime friend of Pennekamp and our visiting author during this year's Author's Week, is writing a poem and posting it on her blog: April Wayland's Poem-a-Day Project.

April 14 is Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day. Be sure to have a poem in your pocket that day to share with everyone you meet. For other ways to enjoy National Poetry Month, visit Poets.org (but be advised that not all content is necessarily suited to children). 

The is Pennekamp's Science Week, so the focus for all class visits is science. DK will be focusing on observation, a key activity in scientific inquiry. Kindergarten will be furthering their study of the solar system. 1st grade is looking at the study of dinosaurs, in particular the revisions that paleontologists have made over time. 2nd grade will be hearing Rocks in His Head, a remembrance by Carol Otis Hurst of her father's lifelong fascination with rocks, which also supports the 2nd-grade project on ancestors. 3rd grade will be thinking about how our various sources of energy can be traced back to the energy of the sun. 4th grade will hear one of two choices: a biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, who applied his knowledge of electricity to the invention of television; or The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, a story of how art and science can be combined to stimulate curiosity and knowledge. 5th grade, which is now studying the human body, will learn about Gregor Mendel, considered the father of genetics.

Other announcements: Scholastic book orders are due this Thursday, March 31. The library's book club for students in 4th and 5th grade has chosen Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, for our next reading selection. The club meets again on April 20. The library should be back on the regular class visit schedule this week, except that Mrs. Curry's class will not be coming to library due to a time conflict with Young At Art. Also, please don't forget: if you are planning to buy anything from Amazon, click through from this website's homepage to the Amazon site, and up to 15% of what you spend is credited to Pennekamp's PTA. 

Just for your interest, pictured below are the dinosaur models that are the subject of The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, one of the two titles for 4th grade this week. Bringing the new scientific study of dinosaurs to popular awareness was the life's work of sculptor and model-maker Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins.

Although the Crystal Palace that originally housed the models was destroyed in a fire in 1936, the dinosaurs crafted by Waterhouse Hawkins can still be found in Syndenham, a suburb of London (photo from "Sydenham Town: the community website for London SE26," http://www.sydenham.org.uk/crystal_palace_park_07.html).

Finally, March is Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month (sponsored by the SPCA, Petfinders, and other organizations). In addition to hearing Rocks in His Head, 2nd grade will be hearing Great Big Guinea Pigs, by Susan L. Roth, which explains the surprising facts about the ancestors of today's guinea pigs. 

Pictured below are my family's guinea pigs, Ruby (a spayed female, on the left) and Nibbles (a male, on the right). 

Ruby and Nibbles passed away several years ago after full lives. They were marvelous pets. Rather than purchasing a guinea pig from a pet store, a family interested in getting a guinea pig might consider adopting a "rescued" guinea pig. Lots of information about keeping guinea pigs as pets can be found on the internet, such as the "Guinea Pigs" page from the Humane Society's website.

March is Women's History Month, and this week grades K to 4 will be hearing books recognizing interesting achievements by women. Grade 5 will hear Dust Devil, sequel to Caldecott Honor Book Swamp Angel, both of which feature a larger-than-life heroine in a clever tall tale. DK will be thinking about the rainy days of spring: revisiting the water cycle and musing about whether the weather affects our moods. 

The library will be closed this week on Thursday, March 24, from 8 to noon, and all day Friday, March 25, so Ms. Barbara can attend an off-campus training in preparation for the district libraries' software update. Classes have been rescheduled for the coming week: Warner, Monday (3/21), 2:15-2:45; Barney, Wednesday (3/23), 12:20-12:45; Harding, Thursday (3/24), 12:10-12:40; Rumble, Thursday (3/24), 2:15-2:45; Ahrens, cancelled for this week. 

Ms. Vavao has rescheduled her class's library visit this week to Wednesday, 11:30 to noon.

The next reading selection for the book club for grades 4 and 5 is Keeper, by Kathi Appelt. The Manhattan Beach Public Library (310-545-8595) should have copies on hold for club members at the reference desk by the middle of this week. 

The Scholastic order forms are due to the library by March 31.

March 21 and 22, the library is accepting donations of new or gently used K-8 books for the MBMS Access Books drive. 

This is Brain Awareness Week. Grades 4 and 5 will be seeing print and internet resources about the brain. Grade 4 will also hear the humorous brain-themed picture book Tuff Fluff: The Case of Duckie's Missing Brain, by Scott Nash. Grade 5 is hearing The Brain, by Seymour Simon, and looking at various print and internet resources about the brain. Brain Awareness week provides an opportunity to talk about taking care of your brain, including diet, sleep, the need to wear a helmet, and the seriousness of sports-related brain injuries. For adults who wish to improve memory, decision making, and other brain functions, check out the brain-training site Luminosity.

Students in DK, Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grades will be hearing books related to Saint Patrick's Day. DK did not have time for their baseball books last week, so we will do them this week. 1st grade will be hearing about the remarkable folk artist Grandma Prisbrey and her bottle village, in honor of Women's History Month. The bottle village is located in Simi Valley and can be visited, but reservations are required. Sadly, the village is somewhat deteriorated, but preservation efforts are ongoing.

The book club for grades 4 and 5 will be meeting this week, on Wednesday, March 16. Pre-enrollment is required. This month's selection is Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke.

Next week the library will be closed from 8 to noon on Thursday, March 24, and all day Friday, March 25. I must attend training sessions at that time to support our new circulation and cataloging software. Classes that normally visit the library during those times have been rescheduled, as follows: 

Barney: Wednesday, March 23, 12:20-12:45
Rumble: Thursday, March 24, 12:10-12:45
Harding: Thursday, March 24, 2:15-2:45
Warner: Monday, March 21, 2:15-2:45
Ahrens: will not attend library that week

On Saturday I happened upon the Manhattan Beach Little League opening day parade, which put me in the mood for books about America's Pastime, baseball! Grades DK, K, 1st, 3rd, and 4th will all be hearing picture books or short stories about baseball and its relationship to American culture and history. DK students will also be hearing books on inventions, to support their study of levers, pulleys, and other simple machines. Grade 2 will be hearing a picture book biography about Mary Anning, lifelong fossil hunter, who discovered the ichthyosaur at the age of twelve. Grade 5 will hear Independent Dames, which highlights the contributions of women at the time of the American Revolution. March is Women's History Month, so all month I will be choosing books that show the contributions of women to politics, science, sports, and art.

The book club will not be meeting this week but will meet on March 16. Our selection is Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke. Members in attendance will be voting on the three books we have read, which are the nominees in the Intermediate category for the California Young Reader Medal.

On February 26, I had the pleasure of attending the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Children's Books and Literacy Dinner. Many authors were in attendance. Speakers included Judy Blundell (Jude Watson), Brandon Mull, Andrew Smith, and Dr. Cuthbert Soup, and emcee Cecil Castellucci.

Manhattan Beach Unified School District Library Media Specialists (elementary school and middle school) and Teacher Librarian (high school) at the Southern California Independent Booksellers dinner, February 26, 2011. At our table was famed author Eve Bunting!