21st November World Hello Day

World Hello Day is celebrated on November 21st, highlighting the beauty of greeting one another and the importance of personal communication for living together in peace. The greeting is a sign of respect, recognition, and in sum, a way to say: "I see you, and wish you the best". 

I have written about this day before, but as I begin to gather books together for the start of the new year, I think about how important it will be to say hello to new peers and include them in your circle. Teachers will come looking for books that set a tone of welcome and inclusion and which assure students that even though a friend is in another class now, you will still see them often and you will make new friends as well.

Here are some of the books in my pile so far:

• Say Goodbye ... Say Hello  by Cori Doerrfeld

• Say Hello  by Jack and Michael Foreman

• Old Friends, New Friends  by Andrew Daddo

• How Do You Say Hello?  by Ashleigh Barton

• Hello and Welcome  by Gregg Dreise

• Say Hello! by Linda Davick

• Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora

• Hello, Friend! by Rebecca Cobb

• Hello: A Counting Book of Kindnesses by Hollis Kurman

• Hello!  by Tony Flowers

• Hello by Viola Wang

• Say Hello? by Sung Mi Kim

• All Are Welcome  by Alexandra Penfold

• A World for Me and You: Where Everyone is Welcome  by Uju Asika

• Ways to Welcome by Linda Ashman

• The Circles All Around Us  by Brad Montague

• Circle Round  by Anne Sibley O'Brien

19th November World Anteater Day

There are four extant species anteaters, including the silly anteater, the giant anteater, and the northern and the southern anteaters. These solitary animals are all found in the Americas, from Mexico to South America. They are known for having poor sight but an excellent sense of smell, on which they rely for foraging, feeding, and defense. World Anteater Day raises awareness of the need for conversation as anteaters face growing habitat loss.

Anteaters are related to sloths and armadillos which seem to feature in picture books more than anteaters do, but today I put out four anteater stories and three had gone by this afternoon.

Our library has:

• What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

• I'm Going to Eat this Ant  by Chris Naylor-Ballestros

• Conker and Nudge by Andria Meserve

•  But I Don't Eat Ants  by Dan Marvin

• Alice and Anatole by Sam Childs

• Anthony and the Ants by Gemma Raymor• Animal Adaptations  by Radka Piro

18th November International Day of Islamic Art

UNESCO has proclaimed November 18 to be the International Day of Islamic Art. The idea for the observance was initially proposed by the Kingdom of Bahrain and adopted by UNESCO in 2019. The goal is to promote the diversity embodied in Islamic Art - art, craft, calligraphy, architecture, or music. By definition, Islamic art refers to the visual arts produced since the 7th century by people living on territories ruled by Muslim populations. The early works of Islamic art were deeply influenced by Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian, and Chinese arts. The day is a way to show appreciation for cultural diversity and to strengthen intercultural dialogue, tolerance, and peace.

There are so many picture books that introduce child readers to the Islamic way of life. They are very good at showing children similarities and differences between growing up in the Islamic faith and their faith. There are not so many that just highlight Islamic Art. I would start with these three by Hena Khan and Mehrdokht Armini

• Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns 

                                

• Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets

• One Sun and Countless Stars 

Two other books by Hena Khan will also give you insights into buildings which highlight Islamic art

• Night of the Moon  illustrated by Julie Paschkis

• Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library  illustrated by Nabila Adani

Two books by M.O. Yuksel and Hatem Aly

• In My Mosque

• Ramadam Kareem

For more books featuring the Islamic way of life for children see this Pinterest page.

To find out more about Islamic art see here. For lots of art ideas see this blog post or video.

22nd November Go For a Ride Day

Select your favourite mode of transport, from bike to boat, from skates to sledge, pack some supplies and see what adventure the ride takes you on. The preschoolers come to the library looking for books about transport and diggers so this day gives you an excuse to do a  display of the various ways you can go for a ride. Here's a selection that your library might have too.

Bicycle

• Christopher's Bicycle  by Charlotte Middleton 

• The Red Bicycle  by Simone Shin

• Mulga Bill's Bicycle  by A.B Patterson and Kilmeny Niland

• I Love My Bike  by Simon Mole

Car

• Mr Gumpy's Motor Car  by John Burningham

• Rattletrap Car  by Phyllis Root

• My First Car Was Red  by Peter Schossow

• Racing Car is Roaring  by Mandy Archer

Truck

• The Truck Cat  byDeborah Frenkel

• Yellow Truck Road Train  by Mandy Tootell

• With Any Luck, I'll Drive a Truck by David Friend

• Little Blue Truck  by Alice Schertle

Bus

• The Boy on the Bus  by Penny Dale

• Little Cat and the Big Red Bus  by Jane Godwin

• We Catch the Bus  by Katie Abey

• Bunnies on the Bus  by Philip Ardagh

Train

• The Train Ride  by June Crebbin

• Steam Train, Dream Train  by Sherry Dusker Rinker

• Runaway Train by Benedict Blathwayt

• And the Train Goes ... by William Bee

Boat

• Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

• Mr Gumpy's Outing  by John Burningham

• Bunnies in a Boat by Philip Ardagh

• Anchored by Debra Tidball

Plane

• Catch That Plane!  by Sally Sutton

• Emma Jane's Aeroplane by Katie Haworth

• Violet the Pilot  by Dino Yipadee

• A Shorebird Flying Adventure  by Jackie Kerin

Helicopter

• The Little Yellow Digger and the Helicopter by peter Gilderdale

• Roto and Roy: Helicopter Heroes  by Sherry Duskey Rinker

• Ellie Copter  by Deano Yipadee

• Hovering Helicopters by Tony Mitton

Rocket

• Space Song Rocket Ride  by Sunny Scribens

• Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket  bySue Fliess

• Rocket Ship, Solo Trip  by Chiara Colombi

• Dinosaur Rocket  by Penny Dale

Tractor

• Tractor  by Sally Sutton

• Duck on a Tractor  by David Shannon

• Driving My Tractor  by Jan Dobbins 

• Otis  by Loren Long

How else could you go for a ride?

ferris wheel, skateboard, scooter, ambulance, firetruck, garbage truck, skis,  camel, surfboard, motorbike, backhoe?

15th November I Love to Write Day

 It is I Love to Write Day . This day was started by an American author called John Riddle, who believes that writing is a perfect way for individuals to express themselves creatively! You should spend some time writing today. Don't overthink what to write; just write what you feel like. If you have a class today is a good excuse to have fun writing. A lot of children (and adults) do not like writing and they find it a chore. Perhaps this is because it wasn't fun or they couldn't choose for themselves what kind of writing to do. When I first started teaching the students in my class had a journal and they wrote something in it every day for ten minutes. Sometimes they wrote lists, story ideas, messages to themselves, nothing especially formal, but it was a routine they certainly embraced.

Put out some lined paper, paper made into books, envelopes, coloured paper, pencils, and some picture books that might inspire students to have a go.

16th November World Idea Day

World Idea Day was founded because ideas are powerful tools to do good things in the world. Without ideas, we would be neither creative nor innovative. In that regard, progress would simply not happen. However, ideas have to be realised and concretised in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!

Read about how ideas feature in our thinking, our creativity and play here:

• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada is such a popular book in our school library that I bought a second copy.  They are always on loan to a teacher and in classrooms.

• Once Upon a Big Idea  by James carter

Provides lots of discussion about ideas and where they might lead.

•  I Have an Idea!  by Herve Tullet

This book is an exploration of the creative process from the hunt for an idea to the frustration of choosing the wrong side, to the exhilaration of having just the right idea.

• The Most Magnificent Idea  by Ashley Spires

The girl in this story, with her dog at her side, loves to make things. Her brain, she says, is an "idea machine," so full of ideas that she can hardly keep up. But then one day... it isn't. All of a sudden, the girl can't come up with a single idea for what to make. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing. The girl realises, with no ideas taking up space in her brain, it's filling with sad instead.                          

• The Very Important Idea  by Emma Dodson

This amusing picture book tells the story of a rat and a cat, and explores the nature of ideas. Where do they come from and how are they rated? A good idea for a cat is not necessarily the same thing as a good idea for a rat...as Rat discovers not long after being employed by Mr Fat Cat.

10th November Carl Sagan Day

November 10th is Carl Sagan Day, marking the birthday of this incredible American astronomer, scientist, and author best known for his research on extraterrestrial life.

When Carl Sagan was a young boy he went to the 1939 World's Fair and his life was changed forever. From that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe and seeking to understand it better. Star Stuff follows Carl from his days star gazing from the bedroom window of his Brooklyn apartment, through his love of speculative science fiction novels, to his work as an internationally renowned scientist who worked on the Voyager missions exploring the farthest reaches of space. This book introduces the beloved man who brought the mystery of the cosmos into homes across America to a new generation of dreamers and star gazers.