Responsible Owners & Happy Pets Have Something to Celebrate!

Did you know that February is Responsible Pet Owners Month? That's something I just learned when I googled February holidays! Since many of us are, or would like to be, pet owners, I thought this would be a good topic for this month. 

Being a responsible pet owner means understanding the type of animal you are caring for, knowing how to take care of its physical and emotional needs, and following through on the promises you made when you begged your parents to get it for you! It also means being aware of  how your pet affects your environment and the other people who live in it. Pets cannot be responsible for themselves. There is a lot to learn!

So this assignment is going to be easy. Do an internet search for "Responsible Pet Owners Month". You will find many websites with articles about all aspects of responsible pet ownership. Read and report on one of those articles. Share something helpful that you learned. Be sure to include the name of the website (and a link if you want). When you sign your name, include the name (and species) of your pets!

One Great and Powerful Book!

       The other day I went to see "The Hobbit". I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for more than a year! I remembered reading the book (more than once) and listening to an audiobook version (more than once!) and loving it. Several years ago, there was an animated movie, but it was TERRIBLE! I was hoping that with Peter Jackson as director, this one would be as great as the book.
        I should have known better. Movies are NEVER as good as the book! (Harry Potter fans might disagree.) What I saw in my head was much funnier, scarier, and more exciting than what I saw on the screen. Oh, well, if seeing the movie inspires someone to read the book, I guess that is a good thing.
        It's not that I don't like movies. I love many movies. One of my favorites of all time is "The Wizard of OZ". You may not believe this, but there was a time when people didn't own movies. They had to see them in the theatre or on TV. The "Wizard of Oz" was (and still may be) shown on TV every year around Halloween. I watched it every year for about 25 years and knew every word and every song by heart. I still do... don't get me started...
          The movie is based on a book titled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. It was written in 1900, and is the first in a series of 14 books about the land of Oz. I am ashamed to admit that I have not read a single one of these books.      
           SOoooooooo... I went to see "The Hobbit" last week and saw previews for "OZ - The Great and Powerful"!! Oh oh - another version of my favorite movie! How could it possibly be any good? Well, for one thing, the special effects are going to be a lot better than the ones from 1939. This one seems to be told from the Wizard's perspective, rather than from Dorothy's. That could be interesting.
            I decided that it would be a good idea to read at least the first of the Oz books before this movie opens. I would like to know if the director used anything from the book that was not included in the original movie, and if the characters are anything like Mr. Baum meant them to be.
         There have been many versions of the Oz stories, many parodies, and many stories based on the characters in the land of Oz. Take a look at Wikipedia and you'll see a long list!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books

       This month, I'd like you to take a trip to the land of Oz by reading at least one chapter of any of the Oz books, or another version of The Wizard of Oz, or an article about the books or L. Frank Baum. Please share something that you learned with us. Be sure to include titles, websites, and/or links to what you found.
        So, have Courage, follow the yellow brick road to the library or the internet, use your Brain and Heart to write a great post by January 31st!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!!!!

Winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, but some of that white stuff has already   fallen!
This month you'll be looking for a story, poem, article, or book with "SNOW" in the title, or in which snow plays an important part. (You cannot use the poem from the back of Reading Log #1.)

The word "Snow" appears in the titles of books of every genre. You can probably remember some picture books from your childhood, like Ezra Jack Keats' Snowy Day or maybe you had a copy of the wordless The Snowman.



A quick look at the library catalogue revealed these examples:
Snow Bound by Harry Mazer (Survival/Adventure)
Snow Walker by Catherine Fisher (Fantasy)
A Perfect Snow by Nora Martin (YA Fiction)
The Snow Pony by Alison Lester (YA Fiction)
Phantoms in the Snow by Kathleen Duble (WWII - Historical Fiction)
and don't forget Wolf Storm (on the Great Stone Face List), which is about a blizzard and avalanche!!

Here's a tune to listen to while you search:
http://htftp.domainbg.com/borkozin/music%20for%20the%20soul/20%20-%20Let%20It%20Snow.mp3

The Moral of the Story: According to Aesop

  

   

      

Aesop is a legendary man from Ancient Greece. It is really not known whether he actually lived or not. The popular story says that he was a slave who was ridiculed for being ugly. He got revenge on those who laughed at him by creating stories in which he taught them a lesson. The characters in these stories were portrayed by animals who have human characteristics. Each of them ends with a moral lesson. Whether he actually lived or not, Aesop is considered the greatest fabulist (one who writes fables) of all time. The large collection of stories called "Aesop's Fables" has been rewritten by many authors and have been reprinted countless times.

      We will be reading several folktales together in class, but will not have time for all of the fables. Your assignment for this month is to read at least three of Aesop's fables and write about one of them. You need to write a summary of the fable, tell the moral, and then give an example of how this moral can be applied in real life. It may be a true example from your life, or just one that you can imagine. You have until the end of November to do this. 

      Moral: Don't put off until tomorrow that which you can do today!

Oh, The Places You'll Go! and How to Find Your Way Once You Get There.

If you're thinking of travelling, it's a good idea to get yourself a map. 

This month, you'll be taking a look at books with maps in them -- not necessarily atlases, but books that include maps so that the text will be easier to understand. Whether it's a book about a real place or an imaginary land, having a map to look at can make the text much more enjoyable. 

Below is a list of a few books that have maps, or in which a map is an important part of the story. Some are fiction (historical or fantasy) and some are non-fiction. These are all at the Barrington Public Library and of course, the BMS Library and the classroom library have many as well. Choose whatever seems the most interesting to you. Spend some time poring over the maps to see what you can learn. Please share the book you read and what you learned with us here. You have the entire month of October to do this. Check back often to see what you're friends have read. 

Oh, the things you'll learn when you read a map!

Fiction:

    Fantasy:

The wind singer : Book #1 by Nicholson, William.     The wind on fire bk. 1; Wind on fire trilogy After Kestrel Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and is forced to flee, she, along with her twin brother and a tagalong classmate, follow an ancient map in quest of the legendary silver voice of the wind singer, in an attempt to heal Amaranth and its people.

    Historical Fiction:

Soft Rain : a story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cornelissen, Cornelia Soft Rain, a nine-year-old Cherokee girl, is forced to relocate, along with her family, from North Carolina to the West.

Non-fiction:

     History:

Lewis and Clark on the trail of discovery : the journey that shaped America by Gragg, Rod. Describes the expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the unknown western regions of America at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Includes facsimiles of journal entries, maps, and letters inserted in folders and under flaps.

Guide books: White Mountain Guide. by Applachian Mountain Club - 2006 Austria: Eyewitness Travel    Eyewitness travel.    Memoir: Three cups of tea by Thomson, Sarah L.  An adaptation of the bestselling book about the American Greg Mortenson's building of over 60 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.