For the past fifteen years The Foote School has participated in the selection process for the prestigious Irma Black Award, given by the Bank Street School in New York City.  Here, we just refer to this award as the Bank Street Book Award. This children’s book award is particularly meaningful, as it is selected exclusively by children.  This year the four finalists were: I Want My Hat Back, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, You Will Be My Friend, written and illustrated by Peter Brown, What Animals Really Like, written and illustrated by Fiona Robinson, and All the Way to America, written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. After carefully reading and discussing the four Bank Street book finalists, every MAG student and 3rd grader had the chance to cast a vote for the book they liked best.

And finally the votes are in!  Drum roll please…….The winner of the 2012 Irma Black award is What Animals Really Like.  Fiona Robinson’s funny and engaging books turns everyone’s expectations on end. Do cows really just like to moo? Think again.  Humor with a message mixed in really works to create a winner in What Animals Really Like. Now we know what Foote students really like!

 And Then It’s Spring captures perfectly the seemingly endless sense of  anticipation when all the snow has melted and spring is almost, almost finally here.  Julie Fogliano’s text reads like poetry: “First you have brown/ all around you have brown/ then there are seeds/ and a wish for rain…”  She infuses the story with heartwarming optimism and gentle humor.  The tone of And Then It’s Spring is matched perfectly by Erin Stead’s charming and completely engaging illustrations of the young boy and his team of very patient gardeners: a turtle, a dog, a bird, and a rabbit.  When the moment of spring arrives, all the quiet anticipation is rewarded with the sudden and thrilling awareness that “now you have green/ all around you have green.”  And Then It’s Spring is a book that is to be enjoyed again and again, just like spring!

There is so much to love about Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?, a wonderful new picture book written by Susan Shea and illustrated by Tom Slaughter.  Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? is filled with charming and thoughtful rhymes, cheerful and bright paper-cut illustrations, and simple flaps that reveal questions that all the kindergartners have answered with tremendous enthusiasm.  ”If a snakelet grows and becomes a snake, can a cupcake grow and become a cake?”  We all know the sad answer to this question, but Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? has served up smiles all around.

Mrs. Quinn’s class and their reading buddies from Calvin Hill met in the library today to share some great picture books!

  This week in kindergarten we are reading two wonderful books told in verse: Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman and Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats. In Samantha on a Roll,  Samantha just can’t wait to try out her new roller skates, but her mother is simply  too busy to take her outside. But Samantha is irrepressible and before she knows it, she finds herself at the top of Hawthorn Hill with roller skates on her feet. The thrilling ride downhill is filled with great humor, unexpected turns and amazing adventure. Christine Davenier’s whimsical illustrations, capture Samantha’s every emotion as she sails along in this wonderful book.

The kindergarten classes have also loved reading Ezra Jack Keats’ beautifully illustrated version of the classic counting poem Over in the Meadow.  After reading only one or two verses, the rhythm and rhyme become apparent and irresistible, and the kindergartners have been able to join in as we all  learn about the different animals in the meadow.

 This week in library we are reading The Secret Message, a wonderful story by Mina Javaherbin, based on a poem written 800 years ago.  In this story, a wealthy merchant attracts customers to his shop  with the help of his prize possession, a beautiful caged parrot.  When the merchant’s business takes him to India, the parrot’s homeland, the merchant inadvertently carries home a message for the parrot. Javaherbin’s retelling of this ancient story is filled with surprising twists and turns. Bruce Whatley’s vibrant illustrations bring to life the bustling bazaar and the tropical forests of India. It’s no secret the MAG has loved reading The Secret Message.