​Parent-Ade: When Life Gives You Distance Learning is a virtual program series from the L.A. County Library covering a variety of topics related to parenting in this difficult time. The next topic is “Balancing Work and Home,” which will be discussed on February 24, at 4:00 p.m. (English) and 5:00 p.m. (Spanish). There is also a page of parent & student resources. See the flyer below for more information, or follow this link to attend the upcoming session.

On Tuesday, February 23, at 4:30 p.m., Gordon Korman will be appearing in a virtual event through {Pages} bookstore.

To attend the event, you need to to REGISTER HERE. It is not necessary to buy a book, but you do need to register!

Full details are below. I'm so excited for this event! Hope to see you there!

​Vaccines are coming, cases are somewhat down in L.A. County, and some students are beginning to return to campus. With these hopeful events taking place, I’m excited to announce that circulation privileges are slowly and gradually being offered to students.
 
So far students in grades 3, 4, and 5 are permitted to check out books from the PK library. The limit is two books at a time, and the loan period is three weeks.
 
To check out a book, a student needs to log in to the PK library catalog. The easiest way to get to the catalog is from this website, under the Resources tab, it is the first item on the list. From the catalog home page, choose Pennekamp. Then go to “Log In” at the upper-right corner.
 
To log in, enter the student ID number as User Name. The students have been told the Password—I’d rather not put it here on this public website. Please email me or your child’s teacher if you need the password.
 
Once a student has searched the Catalog and found a book to check out, click on the book’s title. At the right-hand side of the book’s record, click the button Hold It.
 
I will check out the book once it is put on hold. Please give me a little time to check out requests! The My Info tab of a patron’s record shows whether books are still on Hold or are now listed as Items Out.
 
Books that are checked out and ready to be picked up will be in the red wagon at the PK office. Please return library books there, too. In compliance with safe handling guidelines, returned books will be quarantined for several days before they are checked in and shelved.

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The library will be checking out books to 5th-grade students who need a realistic fiction novel for their schoolwork.

Students have been shown the PK library catalog, and I have explained how to log in and put a book on hold, which I will then check out. Books can be picked up from the school office according to instructions from your child's teacher.

Realistic fiction as a genre is specifically contemporary, so books in this genre may include any of a variety of contemporary topics (e.g., racism, poverty, immigration, illness, loss of a loved one, family composition, interpersonal relationships, personal or group identity). 

Of course any student is free to choose and obtain a book on his or her own. I encourage parents to take an interest in what your student is reading--not necessarily out of concern, but because it's super fun and enlightening to talk with these young people about what they are reading! (I know because I get to do so every week.) 

I'd like to remind everyone that the Manhattan Beach public library is checking out books through its excellent Sidewalk Service.

The PK 5th Realistic fiction resource list in the PK catalog can be accessed from the right-hand side of the "Catalog" page. The books on this list are books I have read and know to be realistic fiction, or books cataloged as realistic fiction (in their "official" catalog entry), or books that have been listed as realistic fiction elsewhere (book reviews, lists created by public libraries, lists from literacy or education websites, etc.). Please note: I am not personally recommending all the books on the realistic fiction resource list! They are examples of the genre. It should still be up to each student and his or her family to make their own choices about reading material.

Happy new year, Dragons and Dragon families! I hope you had a safe, healthy, and fun winter break. It is tough doing things differently and continually revising plans, but I am so impressed by how steadfastly we are all working to protect the health of not only our own family and friends but everyone else, too. On to a brighter 2021! We'll get there!

The PK library is not circulating books at this time. Teachers are borrowing books, and students have been provided with library books required for assigned reading or research, but that's about it. Please note that the Manhattan Beach public library is doing a great job with its sidewalk service, so please make use of this if you are in need of books. They have an extensive collection of audiobooks and ebooks, too. By the way, there are still some books that were checked out from the PK library before the March shutdown that have not been returned. If you happen to have any PK library books, please return them by placing them in the red wagon in front of the school office on school days before 2:00 p.m.

​Weekly Zoom visits for every class continue. January's themes are new books for a new year (January 5 to 8), Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (January 11 to 15), and inventors and inventions (January 18 to 22). Then, with the week of January 25, we begin reading the nominees for California Young Reader Medal! The students always enjoy participating in this annual contest. I hope to finish presenting the nominees before the February break. Voting will take place during the week of February 22, and PK's results will be announced during the week of March 8, which is a math-themed week just ahead of Pi Day on March 14 (3.14, that is).

There's one notable exception to the weekly themes: in the week of January 5, grades 4 and 5 will be hearing ​Balderdash! John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books, by Michelle Markel, because it's almost time for the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards, including the Newbery Medal, which recognizes "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." With these awards and the CYRM contest, this is surely awards season for children's literature--a very exciting time for those of us who love these books. It's interesting to look back at all the wonderful works that have received Youth Media Awards, as well as to ponder why some very popular, distinguished, or ground-breaking books have not. So take a look at the various awards and the previous winners. For each award there's a list of past winners if you click through on each prize's name and look under "Further Information" at the right. Be sure to look beyond the most well known Newbery and Caldecott medals to the many other awards that recognize books of great variety and importance.

​Oh, and here are some very cool toy houses and other structures: Archamelia :-)

Best wishes as we move into the holiday season and wrap up this year!

Some class library times have changed due to the start of hybrid learning mode. The updated schedule is posted here.

Snow, generosity, and the winter holidays are the library's themes for the month of December. Specific class visit selections can be found on the Weekly Readalouds page of this website. 

Charitable giving is the subject of some of the books I'm reading this month. Second-grade is hearing Maddi's Fridge, by Lois Brandt, which concerns food insecurity--sometimes not being able to obtain sufficient food for oneself or one's family. It's estimated that in Los Angeles, food insecurity affects 1 in 5 people (including adults, children, and seniors). The back page of Maddi's Fridge suggests ways to help, such as donating to a food pantry, so the students and I looked briefly at the website of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and also FoodPantries.org, which lists many food assistance sites including some that are nearby. We also took a look at the book's recipe for Cheesy Pizza Bombs, a favorite of one of the characters. They look fun and easy to make!

Not all classes will hear books about Hanukkah and Christmas, but for those that do, I aim for a balanced approach. Again this year I will be reading Hanukkah at Valley Forge, by Stephen Krensky, to grade 5. It finds common themes in the story of Hanukkah and the colonists' fight against English rule, such as the desire for religious freedom and eventual success despite tough odds. That will be followed by Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914, by John Hendrix, along with a short clip from the film Joyeux Noel. I'm happy to have found some new (to me) holiday picture books to present this year, including Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale, by Gloria Koster, and Little Santa, by John Agee. 

With grade 3, I am focusing on the upcoming endangered animal report. I will be talking about internet research (including our two online encyclopedia, World Book Online and Britannica School). The PDF of that talk is below, and it includes links to websites that have been used successfully for this report in the past. I will walk the students through how to check out books from the Manhattan Beach public library, so if you are the parent of a 3rd-grader, it would be a great time to locate your County of LA Library card and figure out your PIN; or if you don't have a card (or can't find it), you can get a digital card right away by filling out this form. Finally, at the PK drive-through on December 16, each student will receive a book on her or his animal that has been checked out from the PK library. The PK library has resources on the animals that are on the list that the students received. If a student chooses an animal not on that list, the student will need to find a book elsewhere, on his or her own. There are an awful lot of specific endangered animals, and our collection, while excellent, simply doesn't have a book on every one.

I wish everyone a lovely, safe, and cozy winter break! 
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November always surprises me. It's Halloween, and then the very next day, we're looking at the end of the year.

During library visits this month I will be reading about nighttime and the night sky food, and gratitude. Specific selections can be found on the Weekly Readalouds page of this website.

Last month 3rd grade and I enjoyed reading The Bake Shop Ghost, by Jacqueline Ogburn. A pdf of its recipe for "Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake" is below. Mrs. Cannon's class suggested that the authors of The President of the Jungle should write a sequel, so we've sent letters to the authors inquiring about this possibility. I'll let you know when we hear back! Fifth-grade students who are researching explorers should be sure not to use the website "All About Explorers" as a reference. It is a teaching tool that is full of incorrect information (which is pretty funny so long as you know it is not a reliable source!). Finally, if you have not yet joined the Pennekamp PTA, and are financially able, I suggest you consider doing so. The Pennekamp PTA funds many wonderful educational benefits enjoyed by our students, including almost all the books our library purchases. I am very grateful for the PTA's support. 
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This week we'll be focusing on voting in an election. An excellent new book in our collection--I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference, by Mark Shulman--has some great suggestions for related online content. From the U.S. government itself there's "Ben's Guide," with voting information and games. The PBS Kids video "Presley Explains Voting to Kids" is here on SafeYoutube. Finally, who doesn't remember "I'm Just a Bill"?! And also from Schoolhouse Rock if less well known: "Three Ring Government."

The City of Manhattan Beach has put together an extremely helpful resource page that explains the many locations and methods for voting in this neighborhood. 

Have you made a plan to vote? 

I'd like to invite the Pennekamp community to the new Puzzle Perch! It's just like a Little Free Library but for jigsaw puzzles! It is located at my house, which is very near Pennekamp (Dragon families, email me if you don't know where I live). Our beautiful Puzzle Perch was made by Luke and Jessica, founders of the Puzzle Republic. You can follow their awesome puzzle project on Instagram @thepuzzlerepublic. The Perch offers puzzles for everyone! Since so many visitors to the Perch have been children, we've just added more 100- and 300-piece puzzles. Come by and borrow a puzzle, then once you've finished making it, bring it back and borrow another!

I'm excited to announce that Stuart Gibbs will be doing a virtual visit with students through Pages, our local independent bookstore. Gibbs's middle-grade books including the Spy School series and the Funjungle mysteries are very popular with PK's upper-grade students. Purchase a copy of Spy School Revolution, his brand-new book, through Pages (use this link), and you can attend the virtual visit. Below is the information and the PDF.