The American Library Association announced the Newbery and Caldecott winners last week. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill won the Newbery Medal. Newbery Honor books are: Freedom Over Me written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan, The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog written by Adam Gidwitz and illustrated by Hatem Aly, and Wolf Hollow written by Lauren Wolk. The fourth and fifth graders discussed the awards and the books when they visited the library this week. We discussed and read several of the Caldecott winners in many of the third grade classes.
The Caldecott medal was awarded to Javaka Steptoe for the book Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Honor books are: Leave Me Alone! illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol, Freedom in Congo Square illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, Du Iz Tak?illustrated and written by Carson Ellis, and They All Saw a Cat illustrated and written by Brendan Wenzel.
This week was Kindness Week at our elementary schools! In most of the younger grades we read and discussed the book, Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler! by Margery Cuyler.
Ms. Estes and Ms. Meunier's third grade classes found biographies on American Heroes for a class project. Ms. Emmon's and Mr. Owens' classes checked out historical fiction books to read for an upcoming project.