DADS READ...and Boys Win

The competition was stiff, but one group - TEAM # 8 (pictured above) - prevailed at the 2nd annual DADS READ competition held yesterday after school. Nearly 100 5th grade boys and their dads or male mentors participated by reading three books, chosen by the lower school librarians, over a three-month period. Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac, The Last Newspaper Boy in America by Sue Corbett, and Powerless by Matthew Cody gave the boys and their dads plenty of great guy stuff to talk about. Fourteen teams of men and boys huddled together at the competition, answering 30 questions before the champions were crowned...or awarded their light-up trophies as it were. Congratulations to Hollis and Rev. Cobb, Ivey and Mr. Chaney, John and Mr. Fitzgerald, and Nate and Dr. Davis for answering all 30 questions correctly! If any of the DADS READers are looking for their next good book to share, consider stopping by the library or our favorite local children's book shop, bbgb tales for kids, at 3100 Kensington Avenue in the Museum District. Tell them you're Saints, and the kind ladies there will know exactly what to recommend. Happy Reading!

A Medal for Daisy

The Caldecott Medal was awarded on Monday to Chris Raschka for his colorful, wordless picture book, A Ball for Daisy, which tells the story and shows the emotions of a little dog whose ball has gone lost. No stranger to "heavy medal," Raschka won the top prize in 2006 for The Hello, Goodbye Window, and his groundbreaking Yo! Yes? was an honor book in 2004.

This year's committee also recognized Blackout by John Rocco, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, and Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell.

Second graders, voting in a mock Caldecott election through library class, chose William Joyce's The Man in the Moon as their favorite followed by Steven Savage's Where's Walrus? and Smith's Grandpa Green. The boys also considered A Nation's Hope, written by Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, as well as Kevin Henkes's Little White Rabbit. All are great books - worthy of awards and an audience of readers.

2011 Caldecott Contenders

The 2011 Caldecott Medal will be announced on Monday, January 10. Second graders will vote in our mock election this week. Check back to see if they pick a winner!

Saints' Artwork Rocks

While visiting St. Christopher's last spring, Jarrett Krosoczka frequently pulled out his iphone and snapped pictures of various things around campus - bulletin boards, books, even librarians. He, like many of us, was especially charmed by the bright Punk Farm animals that adorned most every surface of the building and were created by the first grade boys with help from Mrs. Hoppe, art teacher extraordinaire. Following his departure, we checked Mr. Krosoczka's blog frequently, hoping to find a post with pictures from our school. Nothing. Weeks went by, and still nothing. Mrs. Snead gave up and went on vacation, but Mrs. Whitehurst persevered. This month she was rewarded by the sight of some familiar farm faces. http://tinyurl.com/2f46ldl Thank you, Mr. Krosoczka, and well done, boys!

Are You Ready to Rock?

Spring Break isn't the only exciting event on the horizon. On March 24, we will welcome popular author and illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka to the lower school!

Mr. Krosoczka's break-out book was Punk Farm, which features a band of jammin' animals that rock the barnyard behind the back of Farmer Joe. For an encore, there was Punk Farm on Tour. Check out http://www.punkfarm.com/ to hear the band, and stay tuned for first grade's animal research and art projects.

As if that weren't enough fun from one man, he followed with another stellar performance - a graphic novel called Lunch Lady & the Cyborg Substitute, which sealed Mr. Krosoczka's fate as a superstar in the children's book world. Think Jon Scieszka and Rick Riordan fame. Two more Lunch Lady books have since been released, while another, Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown, is due out May 11. Word is that actress Amy Poehler will star in the forthcoming Lunch Lady movie. For more information on the books as well as wallpaper and activity downloads, visit http://www.lunchladycomics.com/.

Mr. Krosoczka has kindly agreed to autograph pre-ordered books during his visit. Order forms will go home Monday, February 22, and are due back to the library no later than March 2.

Coming Attractions from Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid

It's no secret to Percy Jackson fans that The Lightning Thief is coming to theatres on February 12 (see trailer below), but did you know that Rick Riordan is writing a new series called The Kane Chronicles? The first book, The Red Pyramid, is due out May 4 and tells the story of Carter and Sadie Kane, ordinary kids who happen to be descendants of Egyptian magicians. They are called into action when Egyptian gods appear in the modern world. To see the animated book cover, click here http://www.thekanechronicles.com/. If May seems like too long to wait for a good mythology book, consider reading Anne Ursu's The Shadow Thieves to pass the time. In it, two cousins battle a creepy Underworld army created from the shadows of real-world teens (their friends!) to overthrow Hades. You may remember the Greek myth about Persephone, the maiden of spring and daughter of Demeter, who is taken to the Underworld by Hades. When she eats the pomegranate, she is forced to remain there a portion of each year, thus giving us winter. It is referenced in the The Shadow Thieves and is my favorite myth. What's yours?

The Lightning Thief...coming soon to a theatre near you!

AND THE WINNER IS...

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. This new version of Aesop's beloved old fable is the Caldecott Medal Winner for 2010. Nearly wordless with beautiful watercolor illustrations, it tells the story of a pair of animals whose acts of kindness toward one another lead to an unlikely friendship. Honor books for this year include All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee (a 2009 Honor Award winner), written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Joyce Sidman.

AND

With over 50 percent of the vote, the hands-down winner of SECOND GRADE'S MOCK CALDECOTT ELECTION is Otis by Loren Long followed by The Lion & the Mouse and A Penguin Story, which tied for second place.

Caldecott Challenge Time: The first boy in second grade who can tell me the correct number of books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and housed in the Lower School Library collection will win a copy of The Lion & the Mouse. A couple of hints: it's "your Destiny," and there's more than one Pinkney.