We are lucky to be in a community that supports outstanding literary and cultural experiences. Some really exceptional events are coming up in January 2018.

Kwame Alexander, author of many books and winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal for The Crossover, is doing a "meet and greet" at Pages Bookstore on Saturday, January 13, at 1:00 p.m. Also appearing is Mary Rand Hess, coauthor with Kwame Alexander of Solo, a new young adult novel (intended for high school age and up). Special guest musician Randy Preston will also be appearing. RSVPs are requested: contact Pages bookstore at RSVP@pagesabookstore.com. I would suggest this event for  middle school students or older and of course literary-minded adults.

Matt de la Peña and Loren Long are appearing at the Manhattan Beach public library on Thursday, January 18, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. They are promoting their new book, Love. Matt de la Peña's Last Stop on Market Street won the 2017 Newbery Medal, and Loren Long's Otis books are very popular with PK's students. RSVPs are requested: contact Pages bookstore at RSVP@pagesabookstore.com

At the Manhattan Beach public library on Wednesday, January 24, from 3:30 to 4:30, Navajo performer Ben Hale will showcase traditional dances and tell stories from a variety of North American tribal groups. Students in MBUSD study American Indian cultures, and this performance is a great opportunity to learn "up close" about the indigenous cultures that long preceded the European influx. If you would like to broaden and extend your child's education beyond the classroom, this would be an excellent way to do so.

Again this week the readaloud selections are themed on the winter holidays or winter itself. For specifics, please see the Weekly Readalouds page of this website.

In other news, the 5th-grade book club begins tomorrow. Plenty of information about the club can be found in last week's blog post or the Book Club page of this website. A big shoutout to Michael Mackavoy at the Manhattan Beach public library, who already has on hand a dozen copies of the club selection for January (about which I am being mysterious--I will announce it at our meeting tomorrow).

The L.A. Regional Food Bank picked up our donation on Friday. They were very appreciative, and I am too, for the marvelous and extremely generous way Pennekamp stepped up to help feed the more than 1 million people in Los Angeles who experience food insecurity. As soon as I find out the weight of our donation I will announce it.

There is an exciting film event at the Manhattan Beach public library this week: on Wednesday, December 20, at 3:30, there is a screening of Queen of Katwe. I saw this film a while back and really enjoyed it. It is based on the experiences of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl who competes in chess. The film is 124 minutes long and is rated PG. It's been a while since I've seen it, but as I remember it, I think it would be best for students in grade 5 or older. It is being shown as part of the library's "iCount" film series. For more information about Phiona Mutesi and the Chess Academy and Mentoring Center in Kampala, visit the website http://www.queenofkatwe.com/ 

Friday is a school holiday, and many but not all classes were able to reschedule their usual Friday library visit time. Oh, and by the way, you may keep your Pennekamp library books over the winter break--in fact, you might want to have some extras on hand until we meet again on January 8.

Happy holidays!

This week all classes are hearing books about Hanukkah, Christmas, or winter. We'll do that again next week--I just mix the themes around so everyone gets a little of all of them.

I'm excited to be reading some books I have not read aloud before. Third grade will hear A Parakeet Named Dreidel, by famed author Isaac Bashevis Singer. Fourth grade will be hearing A Boy Called Dickens, by author Deborah Hopkinson and illustrator John Hendrix (the team we can thank for Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, one of my favorite readalouds ever). Five of the poems in Winter Bees will be heard by fifth grade. Winter Bees is another genius book from Joyce Sidman that combines factual information about nature with really delightful poetry. Images of these great books are below.

I'm so pleased that the past week has gone well for Pennekamp's food drive to benefit the L.A. Regional Food Bank. A lot more food was donated last week, pretty certainly putting us above our 500-pound goal. The last day to donate is this Thursday, December 14. Collection bins are in the library and the school office. Thank you to all the generous families who have donated, and let's finish strong!

Consent forms are due by Friday, December 15, for the Pennekamp library's book club for 5th-grade students. Book club is a fun, non-curricular activity for students who like to read and talk about books. Parents of book club members commit to getting the monthly book selection for their son or daughter; often the public library can put copies on reserve for us, but sometimes the best way to get a book is to buy it, so I do want families to be aware of this aspect of the club. The first meeting will be Monday, December 18, in the library at lunch recess.

Pennekamp's food drive to benefit the L.A. Regional Food Bank has been extended until Thursday, December 14. Please consider donating nonperishable food items to help the 1.4 million people in Los Angeles who are "food insecure." The Pennekamp PTA will provide a popsicle party for the whole school if we reach 500 pounds (or more) of food this year. I'd say we are close to that, but considering that last year Pennekamp collected over one thousand pounds of food (boosted by the extraordinary generosity of one PK family), we are hoping that a little more time will give more families a chance to donate. Collection bins are located in the library and the school office.

This week we are looking at stories about gifts, generosity, and gratitude. Specific titles can be found on the Weekly Readalouds page of this website.

​The Pennekamp library's book club for students in grade 5 starts in December. Pre-enrollment is required, and consent forms are now available. The first meeting will be in the library at lunch/lunch recess on Monday, December 18. Book club is an optional, social activity for students who enjoy reading and talking about books. It is not related to the curriculum. As a parent, you will need to help your child obtain a copy of each of the 5 books we will read between January and June. Students commit to reading the chosen book each month before the meeting at which it will be discussed. The books are generally chapter-length fiction of roughly 300 pages. Typically we choose books that are either available in paperback or at the public library (so we don't all have to buy an expensive hardcover book), but the PK library is not able to provide copies of the monthly selections. Please consider carefully if the club is what you and your child want to do. I am delighted to welcome up to 25 students to the club. Membership is first come, first served.