Today is the last SLOCA day for our students and tomorrow officially ushers in our much anticipated holiday break! Before we go, we would like to provide another resource you can use while you’re enjoying your time off.
This month as we pursue ways to exercise our gratitude, Dr. Bleisch faithfully brings us her list of books specific to teaching our monthly character trait.
We learned last week that Gratitude is:
Being thankful and showing appreciation for those in our lives and for what we have and receive. Catch phrase: Say thank you as much as possible.
Since our school library will be closed over break, you can find most of these books at your local public library or you can purchase them using the links below.
Happy reading!
The Thank You Book – an Elephant and Piggie book, by Mo Willems (J PB WIL)
Gerald and Piggie are best friends. Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. In The Thank You Book!, Piggie wants to thank EVERYONE. But Gerald is worried Piggie will forget someone . . . someone important. For Preschool and up.
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon (J PB SCA)
Pictures and rhyming text celebrate a family’s day spent going to the beach, shopping at the market, eating at a restaurant and spending the evening with the rest of the extended family. For Preschool and up.
Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (J PB POL)
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a compassionate teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem. A picture book for 1st grade and up.
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
In a moment of fright, Sylvester the donkey asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock, but then he can not hold the pebble to wish himself back to normal again. Finally restored to his family (we won’t give away the end!) Sylvester realizes that he doesn’t need magical wishes. Back at home with his mom and dad, he has everything he could ever want and need. For Preschool and up.
There is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me by Alice Walker
“There is a road at the bottom of my foot walking me….” In a beautifully poetic and gently provocative text, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker invites readers young and old to see the world — and our place in it — through new eyes. Glowing colors and radiant images accompany this joyous celebration of the connections and interconnections between self, Nature, and creativity. For Kindergarten and up.
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Suess
Compared to the problems of some of the creatures the old man describes, the boy is really quite lucky. For Kindergarten and up.
Thank You, Earth: a Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulleye Sayre
A love letter to the Earth in a loosely rhyming text with striking photographic images from around the world. For Preschool and up.
Thank You, Miss Doover by Robin Pulver
Miss Doover’s class is learning how to write thank you notes. Poor Jack has to write draft after draft, trying to express his thanks to Great-Aunt Gertie for her gift of stationery—a gift that he and his new puppy, Puddly, find useful in unexpected ways. Will he ever accomplish his task? Pulver offers cheerful and often funny instructions on letter writing. Sisson’s illustrations expand the wit of the story. For grades 1 and up.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boeltz
All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for “want,” just “need,” when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy soon sees that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants. For Kindergarten and up.
Thanks a Million: Poems by Nikki Grimes
In sixteen extraordinary poems that range in form from a haiku to a rebus to a riddle, Nikki Grimes reminds us how wonderful it is to feel thankful, and how powerful a simple “thank you” can be. For Preschool and up.
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has big dreams. As soon as she gets a glossy baby grand piano, she’ll be on her way to Carnegie Hall. But what Zoe gets is a wheeze-bag organ. She signs up for the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, which gives her one more thing to worry about, on top of her workaholic mother, her anxiety-ridden father, and her confusing social life. Life isn’t perfect—but it is full of surprises. On the Intermediate Battle of the Books List. For grades 4 and up.
Thank you, Dr. Bleisch, for your continued guidance in our literature selections! We look forward to more next year!
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