28th April Save The Frogs Day

Save The Frogs Day is on 28th April.  It is the largest day of amphibian education and conservation action. Frogs are an integral part of the food web! They help clean waterways by eating algae, eating insects that transmit fatal diseases to humans, and serve as a food source for other species.

I have written about frogs on this blog several times before, but I am writing about it again just to say how popular frog books have been in the library this week. We haven't had a frog display for quite some time, but the day was coming up and the other displays, Autumn and Mathematics didn't have many animal books and they are often what the students are looking for so we put out frogs and they have walked out the door!

These were the first to go, and I was surprised to see how many were information books not stories.

and these three Ken Kimura books:

26th April to 2nd May Canadian Children’s Book Week (CCBW)

Canadian Children’s Book Week (CCBW) celebrates talented Canadian authors and illustrators, both English and French. This year, it takes place from April 26 to May 2, 2026. This is an incredible opportunity for children across Canada to meet Canadian authors and enjoy stories that reflect their reality and culture.

Canadian Children’s Book Week connects Canadian creators with children and teens across Canada. The touring authors, illustrators, and storytellers speak to audiences about the delights of reading Canadian children’s books, and offer an inside look into their own work. These workshops and presentations can be a turning point in a child’s life, inspiring a lifelong love of reading.

The 2026 Book Week poster and theme: This Is Our Home, These Are Our Stories/Nos histoires chez nous.

32 authors, illustrators, and storytellers tour across every province and territory.

28,000 young Canadians participate

Over 400 readings and workshops throughout the week.

Our school library draws attention to books by Canadian authors and illustrators, but I know we miss labelling many of them because as yet I haven't twigged to the fact that they are Canadian. There are many authors we can access, but not all of their books are easily purchased here. We have several books by Michael Munsch, Ashley Spires, Melanie Watt, Barbara Reid, Jeremy Tankard, Julie Flett, Elly Mackay, Elise Gravel, Marie-Louise Gay, Jon Klassen, Kallie George, Kyo Maclear, Cary Fagan, the Fan Brothers, Julie Flett, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Kathy Stinson, Nicholas Oldland, Kady MacDonald Denton, Phoebe Gilman, Paulette Bourgeois, Sydney Smith and Qin Leng and these are labelled, but there are are others I need to 'tag', such as these:

Now I need to keep an eye out for Tiffany Stone, Renata Liwska, Annika Dunklee, Frank Viva and Rukhsana Khan as well because they work and live in Canada.

21st April Thank You for Libraries Day

Thank You for Libraries Day is 21st April, a dedicated time during the year to express our gratitude for libraries' existence. They represent equal access to information and resources for all providing a safe space for anyone to get news, use a computer, join a book club, do a school project or do homework! With the help of passionate librarians, you can delve deep into any given topic from history, science, literature, poetry, and arts without financial limitation.

As a dedicated Library aficionado I write about libraries often, as recently as the 11th of this month when I wrote about the library that made me, but I can't let an opportunity like this go by, as I am back at school now and doing my bit to enthuse students about reading, researching and just generally enjoying what the library has to offer this term.

Read one of these books about libraries and smile...

20th - 24th April Playground Safety Week

 

National Playground Safety Week is observed annually in the USA during the last week of April. This year it will be held from April 20th to 24th as it highlights the importance of responsible play. A playground is a place, usually outdoors, specially built to give kids a space to have fun together with other children in the neighbourhood. It is a time to focus on children’s outdoor play environments, and show gratitude for those who effectively maintain playgrounds.

My daughter is a landscape architect who has designed several playgrounds in parks and schools. She loves doing this, but is often dismayed when she revisits them sometime afterwards to find they have not been well maintained. Things such as pumps are no longer working, the colour scheme has changed, the surface under the climbing frame is damaged. This is so disheartening and I feel for her.

The school I teach at has a compact, yet quite adventurous playground that includes climbing, hanging, water play and sand, lots of sand! The sand gets in shoes, on carpets and occasionally even in the library books.

Next time a teacher suggests reading outside in the sand I'll give him these books about playgrounds:

• Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott and Bob Graham. Jack and Alex meet almost every morning in the sandbox at the playground. Jack likes trucks — big ones, the kind that can wreck things. Alex likes dolls — pink ones, with sparkles. But Jack doesn’t want to play dolls, and Alex doesn’t want to play trucks. Readers will smile at the quintessential playground squabble on display.

 • Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Roman and Jackie Davis. Lulu and her dog Bingo meet up with Sam on the playground and want to play together. Sam likes the sandbox but Lulu thinks the monkey bars are better. They just can't agree...until Lulu asks, "Have you ever played Ladybug Girl?" 

• Grug in the Playground  by Ted Prior. Playgrounds are full of fun and challenges for Grug!

• Floss the Playground Boss  by Corinne Avers and Sam Usher. Floss is the playground boss! That is, until a new boy named Peter moves into the house on the opposite side of the playground from Floss.  When Peter decides he doesn’t want to play along with Floss’ rules, she learns that having friends can be much more fun than being the playground boss!

• Rulers of the Playground  by Joseph Kuefler. A funny, relatable story about how becoming "rulers" of the playground in the end is less fun than playing together and sharing. 

• Where Did You Go Today? by Jenny Duke. A visit to the local playground becomes an exciting adventure thanks to the transforming powers of a child’s imagination. Familiar landscapes turn into exotic and mysterious worlds to discover and explore.

• Our Playground Rules! by Callie George and Jay Fleck. This picture book plays with the double meaning of "rules" to explore how following a few simple rules of kindness can make playtime more fun for everyone! 

• My Dream Playground  by Kate Becker and Jed Henry. Right now there is just an empty lot down the street, but this little girl dreams that one day there will be a playground — a real playground, a fun playground — right in her own neighbourhood. When she sees a man measuring the empty lot, she’s sure that he’s there to help make her playground dream come true. And he is!

• Welcome to Our Playground  by Moira Butterfield and Harriet Lynas. In this fascinating book, young children can learn all about the different games, toys and playtimes around the world, as well as the playgrounds, fields and beaches children play in, and the many different words they use when they play.

•  Let's Go to the Playground by Ruth Walton. Come on a journey around a playground to find out all about forces and motion. Discover what pulls you down a slide, how a swing works, why a roundabout makes you feel dizzy and much more.

• My New Playground  by Jonny Zucker. A bright, colourful book to help children prepare for the school playground. Playground activities such as skipping rhymes and climbing frames are explained and flaps to lift help the child discover the fun to be had making friends and playing games.

• Staying Safe on the Playground  by Lucia Raatma. How can you prevent playground accidents? What clothes can help you stay safe when playing on equipment? Why are soft surfaces important on playgrounds? Look inside to find the answers to these questions and more. By learning a few rules, you can stay safe hand have fun on the playground.

• The Right to Play: How Jane Addams Fought for America's Playgrounds by Elizabeth Brown and Olga Lee

Jane wanted to give the boys and girls in her care a place outside where they could run and play, just as she used to. So she commissioned the first model playground in the US, sparking a nationwide movement to build safe, dedicated spaces for children of all abilities to play.

16th April Autumn

It is quite some time since I did an Autumn display at school, but I do enjoy sharing Autumn books with my preschool classes. Outside the library there is a row of deciduous trees on the school footpath and we like watching how long before the trees are bare and how the leaves change colour. This fascination started over ten years ago when the then head of the school shared a book that she loved in assembly. It was Alfie's Long Winter. After the reading we collected leaves from the footpath, stuck small google eyes on them and each student had their own Alfie to care for.

This book which was published in 1995 is now old and looking somewhat lacklustre. I looked into buying a secondhand copy, but was shocked when the cheapest one I could find was over $70. What? The story is fun, but the illustrations show a very American looking farm and they are not what today's children are used to colour-wise.

• Alfie's Long Winter by Greg McEvoy

A breeze blew. Alfie closed his eyes, and - held on tight. "AL-FIE, AL-FIE, AL-FIE..." All the leaves on the ground shouted together. But Alfie could not jump. And so, Alfie's long winter began.

Searching for replacement books with a similar theme, I found

• The Little Yellow Leaf  ( 2008) by Carin Berger

It’s autumn. Brightly coloured leaves are falling everywhere. Finally, as the days get shorter and the nights get colder, a little yellow leaf discovers that it is the very last leaf on the tree. The little yellow leaf does not want to let go … not quite yet. Even when the first frost arrives, this little yellow leaf holds on, determined.

• The Leaf that Wouldn't Leave (2009)  by Trish Trinco and Bryan Langdo

Luigi, an autumn leaf reluctant to leave his branch, teaches us to be brave when facing new experiences and shows us that an amazing world waits beyond the backyard!

•  Leif and the Fall (2020) by Allison Sweet Grant, Adam Grant  and Merrilee Liddiard

Leif is a leaf. A worried leaf. It is autumn, and Leif is afraid to fall. “All leaves fall in the fall,” say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel, he uses the resources around him to create a net, a kite, a parachute in hopes of softening his landing. The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch?

• The Very Last Leaf (2020) by Stef Wade and Jennifer Davison

Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over?

• A Very Big Fall (2022) by Emmy Kastner

The weather is pleasant, the view is fine, and everything just feels fresh. But when autumn breezes begin to blow, adventurous Birch, nervous Oak, and grumpy Maple each have their own way of facing the new crispness in the air. The squirrels take pleasure in warning the leaves about the transformations to come: new colours! And more ... an actual fall. But will the ground be the end or a new beginning.

• When Leaf Let Go (2024) by Angie Marie Carlson and Csongor Veres

When an unexpected storm rolls in and changes everything, Leaf must make a choice - cling to what she knows or trust the Wind and let go. With gentle encouragement from nature and a whisper of bravery, Leaf learns that letting go can be a beautiful part of life’s natural rhythm.

I have written about Autumn before here and here. These entries have more to say and suggest other book titles.