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Sunday, June 21, 2020 is National Indigenous People's Day in Canada!  It is a day to celebrate Canada's 1.4 million Indigenous people.

This week's story is written by a local Gitxsan nation author.  It is a personal story from her childhood and the stories that she was told by her grandmother.

While you are listening to the story, think about ways that Mother Nature has blessed you and your family.  Also, think about you might use the "knowledge" in this story in your life when dealing with stress, anger or sadness.

For the first time EVER, public libraries in British Columbia are offering their summer reading programs digitally online!  Starting on Monday, June 15, 2020, BC children can sign-up online to be part of the summer reading club.

Information from the BPL can be found on their website and accessed here.  The theme for 2020 in "Explore Our Universe".

More information on the 2020 Summer Reading Club can also be found in this press release.

 

This is another one of new personal favourite pictures by the one and only Peter H. Reynold's!  The illustratrations are gorgeous and change as the reader experiences the travels of Rose.  This is a story with many themes and messages - in it are glimpses of resilience, perseverance, and hope - ideals that we should all be striving toward in our ever-changing, unpredictable world...

Sometimes, books fall into our hands at just the right moment!  While in the library last week, I came across this beautifully illustrated book about the gift of wonderment...

In these uncertain, ever-changing times in which we are currently living, Annaka Harris urges all of us to allow ourselves to and teach our children that it is okay to "wonder" about things that are unsure....what a powerful concept!

Please listen carefully to the last page of our book - it gives all of us permission to be curious and that it is okay not to have all of the answers!!

This week, we have an extra special treat for our read-aloud!  Mrs. Lusignan is going to read a book written and illustrated by her extraordinarily talented niece, Janice Stouffer.  It is a book about acceptance and being kind to ourselves and to others!  Enjoy Mrs. Lusignan's reading and the gorgeous illustrations in this book.  We also have a copy of the book in our library for you to enjoy later...

Spring and summer are times for planting!  This story shows what can happen when you plant something unusual - something unusual grows!  The simple text in this book lets the reader explore how bliss can be shared with others!  Our book's illustrator is an author too.  Peter H. Reynolds has written and illustrated numerous of his own books including:  Ish, The Dot, The Word Collector, The North Star, Sky Colour and many more.  If you are familiar with any of these titles, you will surely recognize his unique style of illustration.

Click on the picture of my garden to hear our story...

This week's read-aloud is based on an Oscar-Winning Short Film by Matthew A. Cherry!  I have included a link to the short film:

You can listen to my reading of Matthew A. Cherry's book before watching the short film or after watching it - the choice is yours!  I am wondering if you can list the differences and similarities between the two pieces?

 

This week's "read-alouds" is more of a "read-at-home"!

Candlewick Press has published a story for children about Coronavirus.  It is written by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson, and Nia Roberts and is illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

I include it here as a way for parents and children to examine this virus together.  Parents, you can choose to read some of the book or all of it to your child(ren) depending on the age of your child(ren) and on how extensively you wish to cover the topic.  CLICK HERE to view the book.

 

This week, I am taking a risk!  As teachers always encourage students to take risks, I challenged myself to take a risk with this week's read-aloud...This story was first a song - a well-known song by one of the most famous groups of all time - The Beatles!  The lyrics of this song (which are also the words in this book) were written by two members of the band:  John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  Our illustrator, Henry Cole works with black and white and adds little pops of colour on each page.

First, I introduce the book here!  After you listen to the introduction, click on the picture below to hear the story-song!

With a Little Help from My Friends | Book by John Lennon, Paul ...

Hi again!

For our second read-a-loud, I have a chosen an older title!  Little Beaver and The Echo is 20 years old!!  Our story focuses on the feeling of loneliness - something that we are all feeling right now as we are away from our classmates, friends and teachers.  Watch and listen to see how little beaver deals with this feeling...

Click on my picture!