1st May National Banana Day

Yesterday at school we made a wonderful display of books that feature bananas on their covers. We did this because we seem to have some new 'banana' books. The children are beginning to come back to school so it felt good to put together a display.

Then this morning my husband made banana bread and I thought about bananas again. When I looked online to see when it was Banana Day I saw that here in Australia it is National Banana Day today and that the farmers have issued a baking challenge to see who makes the best banana bread.

So I have made a Pinterest page with books that feature bananas. It includes these four new books:

• The Day the Banana Went Bad by Michelle Robinson and Tom Knight

• One Banana, Two Bananas by Charlotte and Adam Guillain and Sam Lloyd

• Iguanas Love Bananas by Jennie and Chris Cladingbee and Jeff Crowther

• Would You Like a Banana by Yasmin Ismail

Too hot February!

We have sweltered at school since the term began. The heat and humidity seem interminable. It doesn't make for productive teaching when everyone just wants to get cool. Why aren't schools air-conditioned? I tried the 'power of suggestion' by putting together library displays about swimming and ice cream.

Many of the preschool classes have been to the library for the first time and it is a long walk (not really but they think it is) so we pretended to eat ice cream, acted out an ice cream poem and read Sam Lloyd's Two Little Aliens . In this story two aliens find ice cream and don't know what to do with it. It always makes the children feel so knowledgeable and they laugh at the aliens.

The displays worked. All the ice cream books left the library very promptly.They went before I even had the chance to share Bob Graham's Vanilla Ice Cream or Peter Sis' Ice Cream Summer. I always  enjoy sharing Mr Plunkett's Pool too, as there are so many scenarios that arise and can then be  discussed by the children, especially with my students who think that everyone has a pool or lives near the beach.

Below are some of the books we put out on display.