Library Art!

This year, students were invited to create artwork at home to be used to decorate the library walls. The only requirement is that the art work had a reading theme. So far we have received 6 pieces of art and they are a excellent addition to the Isbell Library! Check out the video below to see their masterpieces! I hope to see more added to the collection!

Bluebonnet Book Club Reminder!!

Veteran's Day 2014!

Every year, the students at Isbell write letters to the Veterans in the library. This year, 2nd graders created virtual letters that I sent off to local VFWs. Click on the links to check out their letters!!

Miss Wood's Class:

Book 1:  http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/miss-woods-class.html

Book 2: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/miss-woods-class-part-2-veterans-day-2014.html

Mrs. Scozzafava's Class: 

Book 1: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-scozzafavas-class-fdc90hcds.html

Book 2: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-scozzafavas-class-part-2-veterans-day-2014.html

Miss Mantzey's Class:

Book 1: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-mantzeys-class.html

Book 2: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-mantzeys-class-part-2-veterans-day-2014.html

Mrs. Lukaszewski's: 

Book 1: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-lukaszewskis-class.html

Book 2: http://www.flipsnack.com/Blaire316/mrs-lukaszewskis-class-part-2-veterans-day-2014.html

Storybook Pumpkin Patch!

This year, students in 1st, 3rd and 5th grade got to participate in the Storybook Pumpkin Patch! Check out the participant video below!!! Thanks for joining in on the fun!!

2014 Storytelling Festival!

Last Friday, our fourth graders went to Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco to attend the Storytelling Frisco. The kids had a blast and were blown away by the student and professional storytellers. Before the festival began, music was playing in the background and when "What Does the Fox Say" came on, the kids went crazy! It was pretty entertaining to hear all of the 4th graders sing and dance, check out the video below!

Rump Book Review!

Do you believe in magic? How about trolls, witches and gold loving pixies? Welcome to Rump's world. In this fractured story tale version of Rumpelstiltson, we learn of a young boy with a unfortunate name "Rump". After his mothers death, he lived with his Gran in the mountain where everyone was forced to dig for gold for the gold digger King. One day, Rump stumbles across his mother's old spinning wheel, and is drawn to it and eager to put it to use. One thing leads to another and Rump discovers that he has a special talent that leads to terrible things. Rump takes the reader on a journey through his trials and tribulations on finding out his destiny, and how to get out of the mess he has created for himself. 

If you love fantasy and magic then I highly recommend this book! You will not be able to put it down and each chapter leaves you wanting more. I was excited to find that Liesl plans on writing more fractured story tales in the future and can't wait to read them! 

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures Book Review

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures is a 2014-2015 Bluebonnet Book Award Nominee by Kate DiCamillo. This story revolves around a young girl named Flora, or Flora Belle as her annoying mother calls her. Flora is a lonely girl who doesn't have many friends and confides in her comic books for all the answers to life's questions. One day while enjoying her favorite comic book, Flora sees her neighbors enchanted vacuum run around the backyard and suck up a innocent squirrel. Flora decides to save the poor squirrel after reflecting on how to do CPR from her beloved comic books and learns that this is no ordinary squirrel. The squirrel is a real life superhero who she names Ulysses. This story takes you on an adventure through Flora and Ulysses eyes and shows you what determination and love can really do. I highly recommend this book if you are an animal lover and/or love superheroes. It's a fast read that will be sure to delight readers of all levels! Holy bagumba!

Book Character Parade 2014!

On May 23rd, we had our annual Book Character Parade. The staff and students went above and beyond! Below are some of the staff pictures from the parade!

5th Grade-The Sneetches

4th Grade-The Day the Crayons Quit

Office-I Spy

2nd Grade-Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

3rd Grade-Polar Express

1st Grade-The Three Little Pigs

Kinder-Bad Case of Stripes

Special Pops-Where's Waldo?

Specials-The Paperbag Princess

Camping out in the library!

This week we are celebrating Children's Book Week a week late. To celebrate, we have been camping out in the library. The kiddos have been coming to the library and turning in their books. I have been showing Mrs. P reads "Sally's Poor Brain" and shared with them some fun summer reading programs. Then the students get to camp out and read around the library. They absolutely love it and you would never guess Summer is right around the corner! Below are some pictures of the kids camping out!

Countdown to Summer!!!

Countdown Clocks

Lone Star Storytelling Festival Auditions!

Lone Star Student Tellers Auditions!!

Auditions for the Lone Star Storytelling Festival are going on now until May 4^th! Every year FISD 4^th graders attend the Storytelling Festival at Dr. Pepper arena and we would love to hear a story from an Isbell student! Students ages 8 and up can try out by submitting a DVD or You Tube video to Frisco Public Library of them telling a story. If you are unable to record them, I am more than happy to record them. Just shoot me an email (beatharb@friscoisd.org)! You can learn more by visiting:  lonestarstories.org

Up, up and away!!!

February is Overdrive month for all Frisco ISD schools. Overdrive is a great resource that we use to allow students to check out eBooks. Each FISD student can check out 2 eBooks for 2 weeks for free!!! All the students have to do is type in their 5 digit student id #. This month, if student check out a eBook their name gets entered into a contest to win a free e-reader!! 

Also the librarian that doubles her ebook check out gets their name entered into a drawing to win a free hot air balloon ride. I told my Isbell students, "when would you ever have another chance to send your librarian up into the sky???" They of course thought this was hysterical and are more excited about sending me up into the sky than the e-reader (oddly enough). It is probably because I told them I'm afraid of heights! :) Be sure to check out overdrive by clicking on the links below!!! Happy E-Reading!!!

http:/friscoisd.lib.overdrive.com

For help and directions click here!

Neil Shusterman is coming to Frisco!

Attention 4th and 5th grade parents and students! I wanted to make you aware of an exciting, upcoming author event that will be taking place in our district and also at the Stonebriar Barnes and Noble. Neal Shusterman, author of many young adult books has a new book (reviewed for Grades 5-7) he will be releasing at a launch party in Frisco on February 11, 2014. Mr. Shusterman’s book (coauthored by Eric Elfman) is titled Tesla’s Attic and the review for the book is below. Mr. Shusterman is scheduled to visit Frisco ISD middle schools beginning the week of February 10^th and will be autographing books that are presold to our students. Attached to this e-mail you will find an order form if you are interested in purchasing one of these books for your child. All forms are due to the school librarian by January 31^st. Each Frisco ISD student that pre-orders a book will have their name placed in a drawing for the chance to win a special ticket to attend the Launch Party in Frisco on February 11^th in the evening. Students that have their name drawn will be invited to the Launch Party along with a parent/guardian. This event will be an unforgettable evening with a chance to meet and hear Mr. Shusterman and Mr. Elfman talk about their new book. There will also be a limited number of special addition books available for purchase at the Launch Party as well for those in attendance. Mr. Shusterman will make an appearance at Barnes and Noble on the evening of February 13^th at 7 p.m. We are thrilled about having authors like Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman visit our school district and look forward to our students getting excited about his new book.

Review for Tesla’s Attic by Neil Schusterman and Eric Elfman:

Booklist (January 1, 2014 (Vol. 110, No. 9))Grades 5-7. Everything changed after the toaster hit Nick on the head. It fell from an attic full of junk in the ramshackle Victorian house in Colorado Springs that 14-year-old Nick, his father, and younger brother have moved into from Tampa. Nick disposes of most of the things in the attic at a garage sale. What begins as a story about an adolescent boy coming to terms with his mother’s death—and his guilt about the house fire that took her—quickly takes a turn for the supernatural and sinister as Nick discovers that the items he sold are the magical inventions of Nikola Tesla. And he must recover them before they fall into the hands of a murderous secret society, the Accelerati. The first entry in a planned trilogy, this collaboration between Shusterman and Elfman tempers the scarier elements of Nick’s quest with deft, humorous writing and plenty of the ordinary adventures of a new kid in school finding his niche. Hand this one to fans of Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles or Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn (2004).

The dog days are over!

The Isbell students are dog crazy!!! Several students get picked every month to read to therapy dogs that visit. The kids absolutely love reading to the dogs, it is so much fun to see! Below are some of the pictures of them reading from December and January! 

All about Robert Munsch!!

The month of December was a whirl wind in the library! Hence, why I'm just now writing about it in January! Oops!! We had a busy month in the library! 

Second grade students came to the library and learned more about the author, Robert Munsch! They had fun learning about his background and how he came up with all of his wonderful stories. Below are some pictures of the kids visiting the stations. 

If you would like to see what they learned, you can visit the website that we made: https://sites.google.com/site/robertmunschauthorstudy/home