Friday Focus: Books about School (Picture Book Edition)

It’s been a great first week at Maury. I’ve seen almost all of the students in the library already, and I can’t wait for the weeks ahead. For the theme of first edition of the Friday Focus this year, school was a natural choice. All of these great books are available in the Maury library. Come by to check them out!

The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
This is one of a series, and I actually read The Librarian from the Black Lagoon to my first grade classes this week. In this book, a student is very worried about going to school. He imagines his teacher, Mrs. Green, as a scary monster who terrorizes children. When he meets her, he’s happy to learn that she’s not a monster at all. This one is funny, but probably best for students in grades 1 and up since it could be a bit scary.

It’s My School by Sally Grindley
It’s Alice’s first day of Kindergarten, and her brother Tom is not happy to have her at his school. “It’s my school,” he tells her angrily. Then Tom sees another child take Alice’s toy on the playground and rushes to his sister’s defense. Tom handles the playground issue politely, so he serves as a good model for older siblings who might watch out for their younger brothers and sisters. This is a great book for families in this situation.

I Am Too Absolutely Small For School by Lauren Child
Children may already be familiar with Charlie and Lola from the TV show, and their books are a huge hit in our library as well. In this book, Lola’s declares that she is too small to go to school, and it’s up to Charlie to convince her otherwise. Charlie describes all of the fun things that will happen at school, and Lola finally decides to go to keep her imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson, company. This is great for kids who are a little nervous to start school.

Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
The Froggy books are a little formulaic, but that’s what makes them so fun to read aloud. Kids learn quickly what’s coming next, and will happily chime in with a well-placed “Whaaaat?” In this book, Froggy accidentally goes to school in his underwear, happily waking up to discover that it was all a dream.

I.Q., It’s Time by Mary Ann Fraser
I.Q., the class mouse, wants to make something special for Parents’ Night. But he keeps getting called away to help the class with their schoolwork! Will he be able to finish in time? This is a great choice for kids who are learning to tell time.

I'll be back next week with some great chapter books about school.

Fun Facts about Maury's Library

Welcome back to school! In honor of our first week back at Maury, I thought I'd share some interesting facts about the library. I am really looking forward to great times in the library this year!

• All classes share library time with Ms. Sweeney every week.
• We were renovated in 2007 by the School Libraries Project of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
• Parents can check books out from Maury's library! Ask Ms. Sweeney for a parent borrower application.
• We have an exciting reading program every year. Three years ago, the theme was dragons and volcanoes. Two years ago, the theme was crayons. Last year, the theme was Jumanji. Stay tuned-we're announcing this year's theme at the end of September!
• We are a Reading is Fundamental school. Three times a year, every Maury student receives a free book provided by RIF.
• We have an Amazon wishlist.
• We have 7,353 titles in the library. We have 7,807 books in the library. You can search our library catalog by going here and selecting Maury Elementary.
• Ms. Sweeney has been the librarian at Maury since 2007. She has a Masters degree in Library Science from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations/Communications from Elizabethtown College.