Francis Library Blog: December 2014

It's that time again for the end of year stats generation and reflection. I love running reports on the different types of books that students have checked out over the past year from our school library. Usually there is a direct correlation to lessons I have had in library or that teachers have had in class. Sometimes the books that make it to the top ten are totally random. For picture book fiction, there are no surprises. In kindergarten, I do a Mo Willems unit to introduce or continue the idea that books and reading are fun. Last year, I also separated our early readers from the rest of the picture book collection to encourage emerging readers to make choices they could actually read. Seven out of the top ten books fall into the early reader category. And five out of those seven are by Mo Willems. The Blessing Cup by Patricia Polacco is a picture book for older readers. Because it is on the RI Children's Book Award list, it is widely read this year. And Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds probably made the list because I read it as part of our Caldecott book award unit in second grade last year. The take away from this top ten....the Mo Willems and early reader section lessons are a success, but I need to push more non-early readers too so students get exposed to amazing literature from a wider variety of authors, reading levels, and themes.