Last week I was out-of-town for my son Austin's college graduation, which was of course a very proud and exciting event for me and my family. I apologize for the library being closed and for missing open house, but I hope you will forgive me under the circumstances!

This week the library is up and running at its usual pace, if not an accelerated one, due to the approaching end of the school year. Classes will be visiting the library this week and will do so next week. Classes will not be visiting the library during the partial week of June 16. The library will be closed to all patrons on June 16 for the annual "shelf-reading party," made possible through the awesome efforts of our wonderful library volunteers!

Attention parents and students: All PK library books are due no later than June 13. Please note that a hold will be placed on a student's report card due to unreturned library books. This applies to books checked out by the student or by his or her parent. Please contact me if there are any questions or concerns about library circulation. For any library materials that are lost or damaged beyond repair, payment must be made in exact change or a check payable to MBUSD.

Many parents have asked whether the Pacific library will be open this summer and… it will! MBEF has generously agreed to the funding that makes this possible. Students from any MBUSD school will be able to visit the Pacific Elementary library this summer to browse and check out books. As is the rule districtwide, a student must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult when using the library.

This week is the last meeting of the 5th-grade book club. What a great group this has been! It has been a genuine pleasure meeting with these students to discuss a novel every month. Their commitment to reading and the focus they bring to our discussions have made the club a very rewarding experience. The book club will start again in December for next year's 5th-graders. 

Finally, a note from the world beyond Pennekamp: The Kickstarter campaign to bring back Reading Rainbow has succeeded far beyond its initial goal. Opinions vary on Kickstarter and the appropriate uses of it, but personally, I am delighted to see so many people willing to support a program that put its faith not in flashy special effects but rather in exemplary children's books that enrich our experience of the real world. "Take a look, it's in a book…"

This week in class readalouds we are looking at books about journeys. Some are light-hearted, some more serious, some historical, some involving animals...there are a lot of different variations on the topic. One noteworthy book, which I'm reading to a couple of classes in grade 4 and a couple in grade 5, is this year's winner of the Caldecott Medal: Locomotive, by Brian Floca. This long, incredibly detailed book about the Transcontinental Railroad is about as perfect a picture book as I've ever seen. Also very worthy of special mention is Flight of the Honeybee, by Raymond Huber. Although I have only taken a passing glance, what I've found so far on Mr. Huber's website is fascinating--information about bees, of course, but also some thoughtful musings on children's books and other topics. There's a link there to a very nice 6-minute film about bees.

We have an interesting literary event happening right here in Manhattan Beach: Our local independent bookstore--Pages--is hosting Stuart Gibbs, author of some very popular middle-grade novels. His Belly Up did very well with Pennekamp's 5th-grade book club a couple of years ago; and now there is a follow-up, Poached, another zoo-themed mystery (with an immediately appealing cover). Mr. Gibbs has two other successful storylines going: The Last Musketeer, followed by Traitor's Chase and Double Cross; and Spy School, followed by Spy Camp. I would recommend any of these super entertaining books to readers from grade 4 up through middle school. So, back to the event: At Pages; Wednesday, May 14; 7:00 p.m. Contact the store for more information (310-318-0900).

The public library has plenty of copies now of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein, for our 5th-grade book club. They are being held at the "express library," which is open Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 6, and Saturday from 11 to 3. Thanks to library manager Don Gould for obtaining these for us. The next and final book club meeting will be on June 2. By the way, our "express library" branch will be offering the usual summer reading program--be sure to sign up to keep track of your reading and earn prizes!

Our focus shifts this week to books about nature, animals, and springtime. Specific titles can be found on the Weekly Readalouds page of this website, but a few books merit mention here. First grade is hearing a new, very beautiful nonfiction book: See What a Seal Can Do, by Chris Butterworth. We'll take a look at some specific aspects of nonfiction books, such as front matter and back matter, the use of captions and distinctive fonts, and of course illustrations, which in this book are spectacular. Third grade is hearing The Eagles Are Back, by Jean Craighead George, the celebrated writer of books about animals and nature, including Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain. George died in 2012; this eagle book (published in 2013) was one of her last. 

The fifth-grade book club met Monday, March 31. We discussed A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz. This book provides so much entertainment and meaning, I am impressed with it time and time again. There are two other related books by Gidwitz that follow the first one--In a Glass Grimmly and The Grimm Conclusion, both of which are on my  list of books I plan to read this summer. The book club’s next selection is Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage. Copies are available at the Manhattan Beach Public Library “bookmobile.”

With grades 4 and 5, we are almost done with our novels! I am hoping to finish with all classes of both grades by the end of April.

I received an interesting link regarding the Cook Prize--the nonfiction book contest that third grade participated in this year. Turns out the contest involves schools and libraries around the world! Here is the link to the Cook Prize 2014 map. This is a contest we will certainly do again next year--the nominees this year were all very interesting.

Happy April break, everyone! I look forward to reading a lot, in search of the best books for the summer 2014 lists of recommended pleasure reading. You might want to take one last peek at last year's lists before they are replaced with the new ones.

This week we wrap up Pennekamp's literacy month! Over the past several weeks our school has (among other things) completed reading logs, pocketed poems, listened to picture books read by members of our local Rotary Club, celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday, written screenplays, and most of all, enjoyed reading. This coming Friday is our reading celebration party, with a DJ! My focus this week in the library is books having to do with the creation of stories: Max's Words, by Kate Banks, for first grade; Little Red Writing, by Joan Holub, for second grade; and Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude, by Kevin O'Malley, for third grade. 

I am using a couple of videos this week. Dear parents, if you should like to use these at home, please note that advertisements, sidebar images, and the like that accompany online videos are beyond my control, so proceed with caution. The TK students will be seeing "This Too Shall Pass," by OK GO, which demonstrates many of the "simple machines" (wheel, lever, pulley, inclined plane, etc.) they have been studying. Kindergarten is seeing a short video about Luis Soriano, a librarian in Colombia who brings books to children using burros for transportation. His story is the subject of our readaloud this week: Wating for the Biblioburro, by Monica Brown. CNN included Mr. Soriano in its video series on heroes.

Grades 4 and 5 continue with their novels. I was hoping to finish before April break but I don't think we're going to make it! By the end of April we will, for sure.

This is the first year Pennekamp has participated in the contest for the Cook Prize, which is specifically on science, technology, engineering, and math books. The winner among our third-grade students is… The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos, by Deborah Heiligman. All votes are due by April 20 to Bank Street School, the sponsoring organization, so I assume we'll find out the big winner sometime around the beginning of May. May 1 is also when we find out the statewide winner of the California Young Reader Medal--a contest in which all district elementary schools (including Pennekamp) routinely participate.

Next Monday is the next meeting of the book club for grade five. We will discuss A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz. I have added a "tab" to this website with book club information. There you can see how our book club members rate the books we read!

This week includes one of my favorite Pennekamp traditions, the Richstone Feast. This dinner event is Thursday night, March 27, and there are two seatings: 5:15 and 6:45. The form for purchasing tickets is available in the school office. The Richstone Family Center assists families dealing with domestic abuse. Pennekamp's fifth-graders put on the annual Richstone Feast to raise money for this very worthy organization. If you cannot attend, please consider donating a prize for the raffle (again, the school office can receive those). A big shout-out to Mr. Warner, for leading this event year after year, and particularly to the fifth-grade students for so ably and responsibly working to help families in need.

This week we are reading books that are fairly short and easy, to make sure the students have ample time to choose good books for the winter break. Grade 5 is finishing up the California Young Reader Medal nominees, either voting this week (Mr. Ahrens's and Mr. Warner's classes) or hearing the final nominee, The Worst of Friends, in Mrs. Curry's class. Grades TK, K, and 1 will begin hearing CYRM nominees when school resumes in January. With grades 2, 3, and 4 I am planning to try a different contest this year--one or both of those run by the Bank Street School in New York. I have been impressed in the past with the nominees for its two contests, one of which focuses on children's literature in general, the other specifically involving "STEM" books (on science, technology, engineering, and math).

Students in the upper grades (3, 4, 5) will be permitted to take an extra book over the winter holidays, so third grade may have four books; fourth grade may have five; fifth grade may have six. I hope that gets the students even more excited about reading over the break!

The fifth-grade book club had a wonderful first meeting on Monday, December 16. What a great group of committed, thoughtful readers. I'm going to have to be "on my game" to keep up with them! Our first book is Jinx, by Sage Blackwood. Copies are available at the Manhattan Beach public library, which now operates from its "express library" bookmobile at the old library site. The hours are Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 6, Saturday from 10 to 2. I suggest you call first to make sure they have copies, as they are being brought in from various branches to meet our need. The number is 310-545-8595. Thanks to our awesome children's librarian, Melissa Messner, for helping me arrange this.

I wish the whole Pennekamp family a joyous and restful winter break. 

Below please find the consent form for participation in the Pennekamp library's book club for 5th-grade students. For more information, please take a look at the blog post below (December 4, 2013). All 5th-grade Dragons are invited to participate, but space is limited, so please 1) return your consent form soon, and 2) make a sincere commitment if you choose to join. Book club is a completely optional, social activity for students who enjoy reading and talking about books.

Two great events are being offered by the Manhattan Beach branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library.

On Thursday, December 12, at the Joslyn Community Center, Jim Gamble Puppet Productions will present a Nutcracker Marionette Show. The time is 4:00 p.m., the event is recommended for children ages 4 and above, and reservations are not required.

At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13, there will be a Winter Wonderland Pajarama at Pages: A Bookstore, located at 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. Children's librarian Melissa Messner will read stories and lead a sparkly winter craft! No reservations are required, and the event is for children ages 4 and above.

Below please find the 5th-grade book club consent form.

Book club is a social activity for students who enjoy reading and talking about books.  Participation is completely optional.

Book club begins with an introductory meeting on Monday, December 16, in the library at lunch recess. Interested students should bring their lunch that day and plan to eat in the library.

In general, students will help select the books we are to going to read in club this year. At our introductory meeting I hope to talk about book possibilities!

Depending on what we choose, the books may be accepted by the 5th-grade teachers for the assigned book reports, but since we will be choosing as we go, that really can't be guaranteed. It will be up to the teachers to decide. 

The consent form (below) should be returned as soon as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

This is finally the official week of Pennekamp's Earth Day celebration, although in the library students have been hearing environmentally themed books throughout the month of April. Today (April 22) is Earth Day, which first took place way back in 1970 but has been consistently celebrated in the United States and elsewhere around the globe since 1990. The library has a superabundance of books promoting environmental awareness, so please come by if you'd like to pick up books for your family on any of the many topics that relate to Earth Day. Classes hearing about Earth Day in the library are kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. 

Grade 4 is continuing with guide words practice. Last week the students worked with the dictionary; this week is a little more challenging, as students are finding environmental topics in the encyclopedia, which requires not only using guide words but finding the correct volume of the encyclopedia as well. Congratulations to the first batch of winners of ice cream coupons, who were selected at random today during Mr. Romines's class visit.

Grade 3 is reviewing information literacy skills in preparation for state testing, and in accordance with the guidelines provided in the California Department of Education "Model School Library Standards."

May I again remind people of the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival, which is the coming two weekends. I'm hoping to make it up to Santa Monica for at least a couple of screenings!

The 5th-grade book club will meet on Friday, May 3, instead of this week. Several book club participants have asked for more time to read the book. The date of the meeting has no bearing on the due date of the students' book reports; please honor whatever due date your child's teacher has set.

The library will close at 1:30 on this Wednesday, as I must attend a districtwide meeting of library staff. Thanks for your understanding.

Welcome back from our week off! I hope everyone had just the week they wanted, whether yours involved skiing, resting, catching up on things, or reading (I do admit a preference for that last one...).

This week the library welcomes members of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, who will be reading to kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students. The Rotary Reads program is a long-standing and beloved tradition. It is just one more way that our schools and community affirm the pleasure of reading, its role in lifelong learning, and the social benefits of cultivating a community of readers.

This week the library begins circulating titles from our new Graphic Novels section! Thanks to the PTA for funding the purchase of new books in this genre. The graphic novels in this section will increase the range of readers and interests met by our library collection. This genre offer excellent options for beginning readers as well as for students interested in drawing and comic books. Many of these books can be completed in one or two sittings, which can be encouraging for students who begin books but don't always devote the time needed to finish books. They will also serve our lunchtime readers, now that our lunchtime library has been "reclaimed" as a quiet space.

Book club meets Friday, March 8. We will be discussing The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy.

Classes this week will hear Dr. Seuss titles, except for a few classes picking up readalouds and activities missed in previous weeks: Romines, a PowerPoint on the five major reference books; and some 3rd-grade classes still completing the CYRM nominees.

Also this week, I will not be at school on Thursday and Friday, so the library will be closed. My apologies. Classes have been rescheduled as much as possible. 

Saturday, February 2, 2013, was Groundhog Day, and in case you missed the results, Punxsatawny Phil did not see his shadow, which predicts an early spring!

The coming Sunday, February 10, 2013, marks the start of the new year in Chinese culture. The lunar new year is celebrated in many places with large Chinese populations, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and "Chinatowns" in U.S. cities. Many activities are planned in Chinatown Los Angeles, including a spectacular parade on Saturday, February 16, starting at 1:00 p.m. The coming year is the Year of the Snake.

I will return to work this week after missing several days last week due to illness. I plan to pick up with the nominees for the California Young Reader Medal, and I hope to complete our voting before the February break week, starting February 18. Classes (including all DK/TK classes) that have completed the voting will hear stories in honor of Chinese new year. 

The book club for students in grade 5 will meet Tuesday in the library at lunch recess. We will finally have our discussion on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and choose a new book, this time from the historical fiction genre. 

This is the last week that the library's books for adult readers will still be in the library. These books are available for "adoption" by Pennekamp parents, staff, and teachers; donation requested is 50 cents per book. After this week, the books will be moved to the staff lounge for a couple of weeks, for one last chance at local adoption; after that, they will be donated to a public library that can use them.

Don't forget the Access Books fundraiser featuring Jeff Kinney at Pages: A Bookstore. The event is Tuesday, February 5, at 5:30 p.m. This ticketed event will almost certainly sell out, so if your child is interested in attending, tickets should be obtained right away from the Access Books site. Click on this link:
Jeff Kinney at Pages for Access Books