So They Build - Beavers

So they build...the library display initiated by planning for  NSS and the book Bowerbird Sings the Blues listed Beavers first in the list of animals that the library will highlight. Each of the animals will have their own short-term display.

The library doesn't have an abundance of books about beavers. We don't have beavers in Australia so they are a novelty for my students that they see mainly in story books. It is International Beaver Day on the 5th April and I have written about this day before so, here I propose to only list what is on display.

And for your graphic novel fans, my students enjoy the Flying Beaver Brothers series.

12th July Paper Bag Day

Paper Bag Day 2022: It is celebrated on 12 July annually to make people aware of the pollution caused due to plastic and the serious threat that it poses to the natural environment. Plastic waste takes thousands of years to decompose. Therefore, it is important to understand the ill effects of single-use plastic bags.

Paper bags are made from renewable raw materials, are recyclable and biodegradable.

In 1852, an American inventor, Francis Wolle, established the first paper bag machine. Further in 1871, Margaret E. Knight designed another machine that can produce flat-bottom paper bags. She became famous and came to be known as "the mother of the grocery bag". In 1883, Charles Stilwell invented the machine that can produce square-bottom paper bags with pleated sides making them easier to fold and store. In 1912, Walter Deubener used a cord to reinforce paper bags and add carrying handles. Over the years, several inventors came and improve the production of paper bags.

One of Margaret Knight's best known inventions is a machine that could make flat-bottomed paper bags of the kind used in American grocery stores. Her invention meant that the bags could be produced efficiently and as a result they became hugely popular. 
Interestingly, when Knight went to patent her invention she found that someone else had got there first - a man, she had shown the invention to named Charles Annan tried to steal Knight's idea and receive credit for the patent. Knight did not let him get away with it. She proved that the invention was hers and won the patent.

Margaret Knight wrote in a letter to a friend, "As a child I never cared for things that girls usually do; dolls never possessed any charms for me…the only things I wanted were a jack-knife, a gimlet, and pieces of wood. My friends were horrified. I was called a tomboy; but that made little impression on me. I sighed sometimes because I was not like other girls; but wisely concluded that I couldn’t help it and sought further consolation from my tools. I was always making things for my brothers: did they want anything in the line of playthings, they always said, “Mattie will make them for us.” I was famous for my kites; and my sleds were the envy of all the boys in town" Source

If you want to know more about Margaret Knight or if you want your female students to feel inspired about STEM, read:

• Marvellous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully

• Margaret Knight: Girl Inventor by Marlene Tang Brill

• In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up by Monica Kulling

• Margaret Knight and the Paper Bag  by Virginia Loh-Hagan

If you just want to read about paperbags for fun, try:

• One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey by Henry Cole

• The Paperbag Princess  by Robert Munsch

Paper Bag Princess Day was held on Saturday, March 5, 2022

• Baghead by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

• Courage Hats by Kate Hoefler

I don't know this book, Benjamin Brody's Backyard Bag but even without owning the book its premise would make a great activity to do with a group of children. In this story Benjamin conducts a playful experiment to find out how many things he can do with an empty paper bag.

What's with the mice?

What is with the mice? So many children's novels for six to ten year olds have mice as characters. I have students who are addicted to Geronimo Stilton and will read any of the series of books that started with him. I have Year 2 students who 'just love' Emily Bearn's Tumtum and Nutmeg series, even boys. In a quest to stretch these good readers I bought some other titles with mice as main characters. Four that I bought were beautiful hardback books, 'ooh just like Despereaux' said one of my girls and readily embarked on Cynthia Voigt's Young Fredle. Back she came saying, 'this was good, what next?', so then she read Bless This Mouse  by Lois Lowry. Such good authors writing for younger children, what a joy! The other two were Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck and  A Nest For Celeste by Henry Cole, also good reads with quality black and white illustrations.

So you can imagine my joy recently when I saw a small hardback novel about a mouse written by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by the Redwall illustrator, Christopher Denise called Following Grandfather. I bought it and went home to read. It is not in the same category as the books above. In fact I am not sure who it is for.  What audience did Rosemary Wells have in mind? It is about a very close, warm relationship between Jenny and her grandfather. He seems to have raised Jenny because her parents are busy running a restaurant, but then he dies and Jenny is left 'searching' for him. So yes, it is a book about death and the severing of strong ties. Is this for all eight year olds or specifically for a child in need of reassurance after the death of a grandparent? It is set in Boston and draws on the history of Italian immigration to that area and this context, I think will be difficult for young Australian readers. Jenny is named for her grandmother, Jennie, so why change the spelling of the name?  It is a warm, well-written story and the opening paragraph kept me reading. It is also a lovely looking book with crisp white paper and appears to be the perfect size, but for me, it just falls short of hitting a target.

21st June International Surfing Day

Wikipedia says that International Surfing Day is held annually on or near the date of the summer solstice (which is the winter solstice in Australia). It is usually the 21st June, except in leap years when it is on the 20th. This day is designed to celebrate the sport of surfing, the surfing lifestyle and the sustainability of ocean resources. Another purpose is to attract new participants to surfing.

This new book Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey and Henry Cole is bound to enthuse young children and to make them think about giving surfing a go. If you haven't got the book look at the trailer. Once I watched this trailer I went in search of more information about Kristy Dempsey and found an interview with her on the Nerdy Chicks Rule blog. Wow she is one special woman! A school librarian who says,

"I am addicted to matching the right book to the right person. I work as a librarian at a Preschool-12^th grade school and I love being able to put the right book – you know the one that will addict them to reading– in the hands of my students."

Every school library and every student needs a librarian like her! I am flat out doing it for my 3 to 8 year olds. I can't imagine doing it for 3 to 18 year olds!