6.30.2013

That Book Woman and More

Books about books are always a favorite and they seem to come in all different flavors and reading levels for that matter!  This summer, we happened upon a new one that somehow was the perfect complement to our family stay in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the adult book I just finished reading in said mountains about a woman who sheds her to-be executive self and starts a year round CSA farm (The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball).

In "That Book Woman" by Heather Henson a young boy with all sorts of twang in his voice tells his story about becoming a reader.   He is perplexed at first by anyone's interest in books, so his transformation may mirror that of other reluctant readers out there.



The book was inspired by the real "Pack Horse Librarians," AKA the "Book Women," who roamed the Appalachian Mountains in the 1930s as part of FDR's effort to bring books to remote areas.  If the subject interests you, you may want to check out "Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky" by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer.



For other children's books about books, "Alfred Zector, Book Collector" by Kelly DiPucchio or "The Librarian of Basra: A Story from Iraq" by Jeanette Winter.



Be sure to be friends with LP Reads on Goodreads.com so you can check the bookshelf "Books about Books" for more titles.

6.23.2013

Summer Reading at LP

Hello Summer Readers!
Here are all of the details you've been eagerly awaiting about LP's Summer Reading Program.



Los Perales Elementary School
SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2013
The LP Summer Reading Program encourages children to read books over the summer and earn a $5 or $10 gift certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair, simply by following these easy steps:


1.        READ this summer! Read books, journals, magazines, even newspapers and record them online at Biblionasium.com. Students may read on their own or with a parent or caregiver. The reading goal for each grade is:
Grade
# Of Pages To Read
Completed K - entering 1st
20 books
Completed 1st  – entering 2nd
300
Completed 2nd – entering 3rd
600
Completed 3rd  – entering 4th
900
Completed 4th  – entering 5th
1,200
Completed 5th  – entering 6th
1,500


     
2. COMPLETE YOUR READING LOG New this year: Students will be asked to log their reading on Biblionasium, which can be accessed online either from home or the Moraga library. See below for detailed instructions about signing up for Biblionasium.  In addition, all parents/children will be asked to complete an online confirmation form at the end of summer in order to collect their gift certificates.
3.        COLLECT your $5 Gift Certificate for the Scholastic Book Fair in November 2013! 
*Students entering 6th grade will receive a $5 gift certificate to use at the Scholastic Book Fair or online.
4.        READ 5 CATEGORIES AND GET AN EXTRA PRIZE! Read at least one book in ALL of the following categories and get another $5 gift certificate ($10 total):  Non-fiction, Biography/Autobiography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Poetry.  
How To Sign Up for Bibionasium
  • Create a parent account at Biblionasium.  You will be asked if your child has a username and password assigned from an instructor.  Please click “No.”  
  • Next, you will be prompted to set up an account for your child.  During this step, you will create your child’s log in and password as well as enter the Classroom Code “LPRead060,” which is case sensitive (note: It is not LPReads060, but LPRead060).  This classroom code will link all LP Summer Readers together in a summer “class” of sorts, making it possible to send out reading challenges and to create mid-summer and end of summer reports about our collective page number progress.  On this same sign in screen, you will be asked your child’s reading level.  If you know it (either from your child’s teacher or from assessments done in the computer lab), you may enter it here.  This is optional.  You can learn more about Reading Levels on Biblionasium and look to this equivalency chart to roughly convert amongst the various leveling systems (Lexile, DRA, etc.). If you find yourself out and about and wondering about a certain book’s reading level, check out the app called Level It Books.
  • Once you have set up your accounts, your child can log in using their unique username and password to log their reading.  First, they must add their current book selection to their bookshelf by clicking on “My Books.”  Once a book is placed on the bookshelf, it can be logged in the “Reading Log,” which is accessed via the left side column.  For the LP Reads Program, we are asking students to meet page number requirements (noted above) in order to earn their $5 Gift Certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair.  Incoming first graders can also track their page count; however, their requirement is to read 20 books.  Students who are participating in the local library summer reading programs may want to also log their time using Biblionasium.
  • Lastly, be sure to have your children include the genre of each book they read in the comment section of their Reading Log.  Students who read from all of the following genres will earn an additional $5 gift certificate for the 2013 Scholastic Book Fair: Non-Fiction, Biography/Autobiography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Poetry.


Why Biblionasium.com?
It is interactive
  • Students will have the opportunity to take part in reading challenges sent out by LP Reads throughout the summer (e.g., Read a Poetry Book this week).
  • Students can share their favorite reads with schoolmates and friends.  
  • It connects kids to book list resources and can help them find books that are at their right reading level.


It Offers Reading Incentives
  • Children who log their reading five times a week, earn the chance to win gift cards from Amazon, iTunes, or Gamestop.  
  • Students earn real-time acknowledgement throughout the summer for their reading accomplishments. Via Biblionasium’s badges/awards system, students earn accolades for doing things like reading five books or reading a book from a specific genre.    
  • Parents and students can create their own challenges or earn awards by completing challenges initiated by LP Reads.


It Streamlines the Program’s Accounting
  • We are reducing paper consumption this year while automating the process of logging each student’s pages read and gift certificates earned.  Less time processing paperwork translates into more time helping kids find their next great book!  

    Be sure to keep an eye on the LP Reads Blog for book recommendations and hopefully guest posts from students (Have your child submit any blog contributions to dustie@spiffychicks.com).