#IMWAYR - A Library Theme

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This week we bring you some great books about those hallowed repositories of the written language - libraries. As the kid of a career librarian, I have many, many fond memories of days spent "at work" with my mom, set free to roam the stacks, browsing through books at my leisure. My daughters love the library and beg to go to storytime on a regular basis. These books, culled from my mother's collection, are regular requests from my daughters when we visit my mom and dad. Each one has a different rhythm, a different feel but each one showcases the buildings that for me hold so many memories - the library.
  

Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen) is such a beautiful, peaceful book with beautiful, peaceful illustrations. It opens doors to discussions about rules and rule-breaking, about acceptance of differences (after all, who lets a lion in to the library?!) and about making a mistake and making amends. Paired with other books, Library Lion really does lend itself to a wide variety of emotional intelligence themes. Used well, it could be an excellent book for transforming students' thinking about who belongs where, understanding and acceptance. The alliteration of the title just cries out for young writers to come up with their own places and animals (Starbucks Starfish, anyone?), creating the starting point for some fun and interesting stories, with equally fun and interesting drawings. Then again, it is such a calming read that maybe you just want to read it in that lull that comes right after lunch.

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The Library (Sarah Stewart) is a quirky little gem of a book. The main character, Elizabeth Brown, is not interested in any of the things "normal" children want to do; she only wants to read. And as she reads, and reads, and reads, she accumulates such a vast collection of books that she ends up trapped in her own house. What she does with those books is suggested by the titile. The rhythm of this book is wonderful and Elizabeth Brown will resonate with your little ones who always have their noses in a book. Again, great for discussions about differences and making a difference (a perfect pairing with Miss Rumphius!) and transforming thinking.

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Wild About Books (Judy Sierra) is just pure fun! Completely different in tone from the first two books, Wild About Books is for noisy reading, with a rollicking rhyme that just begs to be emphasized with the pacing and pitch of your voice. It's message is also different from the first two, as it focuses on learning to love reading and subsequently writing. It does open the door for discussions about differences though, as each group of animals choose to read different books. A great one for beginning of the year activities about choosing "just right books", it might even encourage your students to work on building their own classroom library!

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Have you got any favourites about the library? We'd love to hear them!