Melissa Sweet!

Sci-Tech Preschool Story Times!

Hey Science lovers! I came across some great preschool storytime programs for the last couple of weeks of summer. Best of all, they are free and look like alot of fun!! These special storytimes are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco at 10:30 AM. Here are the story times that are scheduled in the next couple of weeks: 

  August 13^th & 16^th

 We Love Ice Cream!

 I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Learn about this cool treat and make your own homemade ice cream.

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 August 20^th & 23^rd

Puppy Playtime!

Have fun with a doggy-themed experience that includes a take-away collage & is sure to have your pre-schooler saying Bow-Wow-WOW!

Here is their website for more information: http://www.mindstretchingfun.org/mind-stretching-fun/preschool-story-time.html

Back to school.....almost!

School is almost here!!! Check out the following program going on at the Frisco Public Library!!!

Get Ready for Kindergarten Storytime!!! All kiddos that are entering into Kinder this year, should check out the Frisco Public Library storytime on Aug. 17th. They have two times available, 10:30 and 11:15! Help them get reading for Kinder by checking out this program!

Bluebonnet Book Reviews for 3rd-5th graders

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan takes place in a Mall off the highway, where a small makeshift circus calls home. Ivan is a silverback gorilla who lives in this circus and has been the center attraction of the mall for quite some time. During his stay at the circus, he has made friends with Stella the older elephant and Bob the stray dog who visits at night. Ivan is a curious gorilla who is a "famed" artist and loves to create artwork for the night custodian's daughter Julie. The circus owner "Mack" has been struggling with the steady decline of mall visitors and is not able to properly take care of the animals because of the decline. In efforts to improve the mall circus, he decides to buy a baby elephant named Ruby. Stella immediately takes in the frightened elephant and treats her as if she was her own. As time goes on Stella becomes very ill from a foot wound and ends up passing away. Before dying, she asks Ivan to help free Ruby by finding a way to get her out of the circus. Through Ivan's multiple attempts and getting Julie's help, he is successful in completing this task. Ruby and other animals make it to the zoo and eventually Ivan is able to move there as well. This story is about friendship and struggle. It also shows you that if there is a will then there is a way. By the end of the book everyone will fall in love with Ivan and cheer him on as he goes through his efforts to rescue Ruby. 

I would highly recommend this book to students ages 8 and up. Any animal lover is sure to love this book and would be excited to know that this was based on a true story. Students will be encouraged to go and even visit the real Ivan at the Atlanta zoo and see how he is doing. This story provides a realistic example for students to see where story ideas can come from, and they can even work on comparing the fictional story to the real life version. The One and Only Ivan is a must read for all!

Applegate, Katherine. 2012. The One and Only Ivan. Harper: New York, NY. ISBN: 978‐0‐06‐1992261.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder is an 2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. This realistic fiction chapter book follows the life of a child named August Pullman, who suffers from a facial deformity. Because of his deformity, August has struggled with making friends and fitting in. August has been home schooled his entire life and at the start of middle school, his parents decide to send him to school for his 5th grade year. The story tells about his challenges with bullying, making friends and trying to fit in despite his abnormal looking face.  This novel also tells of his victories and how staying positive can take you places. Wonder is mostly told from August's point of view, but it also has several other narrators such as his sister and his school peers. It was interesting to hear the other narrators sides of the story and this really added more depth to the book, which aides the readers understanding of the characters actions and feelings. 

 Wonder is a great book for students in 4th through 6th grade. Many of the situations that he faces such as bullying and friendship problems, easily relate to the older elementary level and the problems that they face daily. Wonder is truly a wonderful book and I highly recommend everyone to check it out!

Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knoph. ISBN: 978037596902

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

Check out a book trailer that I made for this book!!! Hope you enjoy it!

2x2 Book Reviews for Kinder-2nd Students

We have a great lineup of 2x2 books this year for students in Kinder, First and Second grade. Read my reviews on a few of my favorites: 


Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack

This silly book features two characters, a optimistic rabbit and a pessimistic mouse. The two characters are having a picnic (good news) when all of the sudden a storm blows through (bad news). The story continues with the rabbit pointing out the positives in each situation, followed by the mouse's negative statements. In the end, the mouse finally has it and ends up bringing the rabbit over to the negative side. Once the mouse sees how sad the rabbit is, he is motivated to find something good in the world.

Good News Bad News is wonderful story that children of all ages will enjoy. Preschoolers will love the repetition of words throughout and will have fun reading along with you. This book has great stopping points for the reader to explain what is happening in each picture and tell why it is good or bad. There is also a moral to the story, which offers a great teaching point to young readers. I highly recommend checking this book out and sharing it with the youngsters. They will immediately fall in love with the characters; rabbit and mouse, and will be wanting to find more good news/bad news situations in real life!

Mack, Jeff. 2012. Good News Bad News. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN: 1452101108. 

I Know a Wee Piggy by Kim Norman

I Know a Wee Piggy is a fun loving book about a pig who is tired of his usual skin color, so he tries out new colors. On each page, the reader is left wondering what color the pig will try next. At the end of the story, he ends up stumbling into an art contest at the county fair where his “new skin color” wins! This is a silly book that children of all ages will love!

This would be a great book to read aloud to preschoolers. There is a lot of repetition used throughout with many key words that the kids can help read with you as you read aloud. Not only does this book use a lot of repetition, but you can also talk about colors and have the students name the color on each page. There are a ton of great teaching points through this story and the action will keep the young kids interest as well. This book is a must see and is on the 2013-2014 Texas 2x2 booklist!

Norman, Kim. I Know a Wee Piggy. New York, NY: Dial Books For Young Readers, 2012. Print. ISBN: 9780803737358

A Kiss Means I Love You by Kathryn Allen

A Kiss Means I Love You is a book about feelings and body language. This would be a great introduction for younger kiddos learning about emotions. Each page features a picture of a young child using a particular emotion or gesture with clever rhyming words to describe what those emotions/gestures mean. The younger kids will like seeing pictures of children their own age act out each emotion and will be motivated to act out the emotions too! I think this would be a great book to use during Pre-K story time and even to use among the older grades. I know several grade levels have TEKS that talk about character’s emotions and think that this would be a great introduction to that TEK. If you are looking for a simple book with real world connections then this is the book for you!

Allen, Kathryn Madeline. A Kiss Means I Love You. Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2012. Print.  ISBN: 9780807541869