Yesterday something very odd happened. While waiting for my son to finish playing in a golf tournament in Middlebury, I sat in the shade with a box of new library books to read. It was a very hot day, and the air shimmered in the heat. Everything was very still. I started reading the book pictured on the left:
Chipmunk's Hole by Dee Phillips, Bearport, c2012. What a wonderful nonfiction book this is! I was soon engrossed. I can't wait to show it to my students and teachers as a great example of nonfiction elements. Not only does it have a Table of Contents, loads of great photos, labels, maps, fact windows, words in bold, and a glossary, but the text is so appropriate for the children in my school.
The strange part is coming up... As I was reading along, enjoying the pictures and information, I became aware of a rustling sound in the leaves near where I was sitting. I glanced down and lo and behold there was a chipmunk looking up at me. Did it just wink at me? She? He? paused for a moment before scampering away and popping into a small opening. I didn't have time to take a picture of the chipmunk, but I did get one of the hole.
Just like in the book!
How cool is that?
Here's another hole I found.
Could it be another entrance?
Reading this book brings to mind another wonderful book about chipmunks: Chipmunk Song. Joanne Ryder first published this book in 1987 by Dutton Children's Books with illustrations by Lynne Cherry, and it belongs in every child's repertoire. It is a delightful, fantastical exploration by a young boy in a chipmunk's burrow. Not to be missed!
The next book in my box to read is a picture book entitled King Arthur's Very Great Grandson, by Kenneth Kraegel, Candlewick Press, c2012. I am almost afraid to open it. What might scurry by while I am reading it???
I have been a librarian for many years, so it should be no surprise that I have quite a sizable collection by now. A favorite thing I love to do at this time of year is to set them all on display in our huge case to welcome back the 400+ children that will stream through those doors in less than a week. This display is so much fun! Children and parents love it, spending a long time checking it out. They recognize many but also discover a few stories they aren't familiar with. It's a visual literacy of the soft kind!
Here are pictures from last year. The challenge this year will be how to squeeze in a few more characters. A trip to Livres Babar on Greene Avenue in Montreal this summer yielded a large Gruffalo (Julia Donaldson) and a small Wodney Wat (Helen Lester). I will start work on it tomorrow. I can't wait to get out all those old friends. Bring on the stuffies!
