Library Specials Videos
This week, we have Grand Canyon Reader Award Picture Book Nominee #7 "The Good Egg," by Jory John and Pete Oswald. Maybe this one will be your very favorite! We will vote later this spring after we have read all ten nominees.
From the publisher: From the bestselling creators of "The Bad Seed," a timely story about not having to be Grade A perfect! Meet the good egg. He’s a
verrrrrry good egg indeed. But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten. As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect. So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change.
The Grand Canyon Reader Award Picture Book Nominee #6 is “
Bear Came Along,” by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.
Click here to watch a chat with illustrator.
From the publisher: “A Caldecott Honor Book! A cheerful and action-packed adventure about the importance of friendship and community from a successful author and illustrator duo! Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of adventures until a big bear came along. But adventures aren't any fun by yourself, and so enters Froggy, Turtles, Beaver, Raccoons, and Duck. These very different animals take off downstream, but they didn't know they needed one another until thankfully, the river came along. This hilarious picture book and heartfelt message celebrates the joy and fun that's in store when you embark together on a ride of a lifetime.”
World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, and Salt River Elementary School staff are celebrating by reading one of their favorite picture books, "Outside In," written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby. We hope you enjoy this mindful contemplation on the many ways nature affects our everyday lives, even when we don't think it does.
Click here to learn more about the book. Click here for more details about
World Read Aloud Day.
The 2021 GCRA Picture Book Nominee #5 is "Nobody Hugs a Cactus," by Carter Goodrich.
Click here to watch the book trailer. From the
publisher: Carter Goodrich, who also wrote a previous Grand Canyon Reader Award nominee (and an SRES favorite) picture book, "We Forgot Brock," shows with his latest book, Nobody Hugs a Cactus, “…that sometimes, even the prickliest people—or the crankiest cacti—need a little love.”
Mrs. Yurek reads "
JOEY: The Story of Joe Biden," by Jill Biden with Kathleen Krull. This book is beautifully illustrated by
Amy June Bates and provides background information on the man who grows up to be the 46th President of the United States. Also,
watch the author, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Joe Biden, discuss the book.
Mrs. Yurek presents "
The Next President," by Kate Messner, with an abridged read aloud that explores the “unexpected beginnings and unwritten futures of America’s presidents." Also,
click here to listen to a conversation with the author from the
Picturebooking podcast.
Get ready to enjoy
Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee #4: "The Wall in the Middle of the Book," by Jon Agee. Perhaps this one will be your very favorite this year? Read it to decide!
From the publisher: A foolish knight is certain that his side of the wall is the safe side in this clever, amusingly meta picture book by the acclaimed creator of “It’s Only Stanley” (a 2019 nominee which the SRES chose as a third place winner (it’s about a dog who kept waking his family up overnight because he was tinkering with something). Watch the
official book trailer for "The Wall in the Middle of the Book" from the publisher.
Check out this great Brightly interview with the author.
Join Mrs. Yurek for a read aloud of
"The Book Report from the Black Lagoon," by Mike Thaler. About the book: Hubie has to do a report on a full book. Not a comic book. Not a picture book. A real book with chapters! How is he ever going to get through all those pages of words? Good thing there is the perfect book for every occasion! Learn more at
https://mikethaler.com/.
"Can I Be Your Dog?" by Troy Cummings is Read Aloud #3 of the 10 Grand Canyon Reader Award nominees that Mrs. Yurek will share this school year. Students will vote in the spring (2021!) for their very favorite picture book! From the
Grand Canyon Reader Award website: A heart-tugging dog adoption story told through letters--deeply sincere and almost desperate pleas for a forever home--from the dog, himself!...Won't anyone open their heart--and home--to a lonesome dog? Readers will be happily surprised to learn just who steps up to adopt Arfy.
We continue our month-long celebration of all things “Mo” for author
Mo Willems. He’s written the Elephant and Piggie series, as well as many other books! This week, enjoy a fresh SRES Read Aloud: "
City Dog Country Frog," by Mo Willems, pictures by John J. Muth. In this heartwarming story, City Dog encounters Frog on a visit to the country. Through each season, they build upon their new friendship. But what happens to frogs in the winter? A beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the new life that comes with spring.
Click here to watch Mo talk about the story in this book trailer.
Once you watch the video below (or read the book yourself!), please take the following AR quiz: Quiz number 137464.
Mrs. Yurek welcomes students to “Mo-vember”! This is a fun event that celebrates a favorite author, Mo Willems! Watch as she guides students through the steps to find the website
PigeonPresents.com! Excitement is brewing for a deep dive into all things “Mo!” The Special Areas’ team will be including “Mo-vember” themed activities all month long!
SRES Scholastic Book Fair, Pt. 2 (see video info below for more info)
Shop the digital SRES Scholastic Book Fair from Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1! Get free shipping on book-only orders of $25 or more!
Click here to view the SRES Book Fair digital catalog, which includes interactive book info. You can also visit the
SRES Scholastic Book Fair virtual storefront, which includes even more titles for more age ranges, plus other fun literary products and gifts. Watch the video below to learn about the SRES Scholastic Book Fair, how to purchase, and the many ways investing in literacy benefits children, their families, AND our school!
Enjoy the SRES read aloud, "What a Citizen Can Do." While you read, think about this: How do the illustrations add to the story? Take a page or a two page spread (pause the video on select page) and read only the text out loud. How does the meaning of the words change when the illustrations are added? This can be repeated for any spread/page.
Makerspace Alert: The illustrator, Shawn Harris, uses a very unique collage style which includes sketching out a scene, creating the pieces of the scene from construction paper, putting the scene together, then adding ink or paint on the top to add details. The art work in "What a Citizen Can Do" is paper collage. Check out this quick video to see how you can use torn paper to create your own images.
We Don't Eat Our Classmates Read Aloud: Mrs. Yurek’s latest read aloud is a new book by a favorite author of Salt River Elementary School students! The publisher writes, “Penelope Rex is very nervous about her first day of school. When she walks into the building she is surprised to learn that her classmates are delicious children. Penelope tries her best to make a good impression, but finds herself in very tricky situations. Readers will enjoy following Penelope on her challenging and delectable new journey…” in the next Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee, "We Don’t Eat Our Classmates," by Ryan T. Higgins. Click here for a fun activity book from the publisher!
International Dot Day is named for the classic Peter H. Reynolds storybook, "The Dot." Available to read on BookFlix or Tumblebooks, the book shares the story of a girl who begins a journey of self-discovery after a caring teacher challenges her to “make her mark.” SRES students are encouraged to participate by creating something that starts with “just a dot” and sharing it by posting a picture, video, or sending the original back to school with their homework.
2021 GCRA Nominee Read Aloud #1: The Book Hog is an exciting new story, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, who also wrote The Watermelon Seed, and read by Mrs. Yurek, this is a title that is also one of the ten nominees for the 2021 Grand Canyon Reader Award. The publisher shares that “…the Book Hog loves books—the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell— and he’ll grab whatever he can find. There’s only one problem: He can’t read! But when a kind librarian invites him to join for storytime, this literature-loving pig discovers the treasure that books really are...”
The Watermelon Seed: Mrs. Yurek reads a long-standing SRES Library favorite, (a GCRA Nominee from the 2015) where author Greg Pizzoli introduces readers to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. What will he do if his greatest fear is realized? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that readers will love.
From Emory Health Institute: In “COVID-19 Helpers,” Seattle-based author and illustrator Beth Bacon and Kary Lee describe how people from all walks of life are helping to fight the virus. In age-appropriate language and using beautiful illustrations, Bacon and Lee describe what COVID-19 is, how it is transmitted and all of the people who are working to keep everyone safe. The key message of the book is that we can all help fight COVID-19, including children.
Mrs. Yurek re-introduces us to Magnolia, who famously brought a dinosaur to school. In this next installment, Magnolia warns us of the pitfalls of bringing a circus to the library. This story is sure to become a favorite book with a library setting! Elise Parsley writes and illustrates this silly book about library misbehavior!
Very young children are active and busy. It can often be a challenge for them to relax when the time arrives to sit and listen to a story read by a teacher, librarian, or even a family member. Mrs. Yurek introduces a calming technique to use when settling down to read. It’s a technique that Daniel Tiger uses in the story Daniel Tiger Goes to the Library, read by Mrs. Yurek in this SRES Library Read Aloud. Click here for more information for a successful read aloud time with our youngest readers.
SRES Library Read Aloud: "Library Mouse," by Daniel Kirk (click here to read more about the book). A small creature offers his big voice for aspiring authors everywhere. Every child can be a writer and "Library Mouse" shows them how! Join Mrs. Yurek as she reads another made for SRES Library Read Aloud. After, “write about what you know” and… wait for it... MakerSpace Alert! Click here to learn how to create your own mini-mouse book.
Book care is a big responsibility when reading a book. Learning how to keep your book safe from babies and pets in addition to making sure it stays clean and dry is a job for any patron who frequents a library. In this short video, Mrs. Yurek reviews book care and the importance of reading every single day.
In this gentle story about perseverance, one small girl rises to great heights as she learns to heal her library, one book at a time. Watch this book trailer created by the author. Click here for additional activities related to this story plus a mini book care rules poster!
Whether you are completely unfamiliar with Accelerated Reader or just need a quick refresher on how to take an AR quiz on a book you recently read, Mrs. Yurek will take you through the steps which include how to login and how to navigate through the process.
Mrs. Yurek gives students an overview of the SRES online library catalog, Destiny.
Read aloud of Book! Book! Book! by D. Bruss
Welcome to the SRES Library, 2020-2021SY Edition!
2020 Grand Canyon Reader Awards - Mrs. Yurek created 10 read aloud videos to showcase the nominees of the 2020 Grand Canyon Reader Awards (you can find all 10 videos on our YouTube channel). Mrs. Yurek reads books throughout the year and SRES students vote for their favorite - stay tuned for the results to learn which book took the coveted No. 1 spot!
GCRA Picture Book Winners
GCRA Picture Book Winner (3rd Place): Cookiesaurus Rex
As soon as Cookiesaurus Rex comes out of the oven, he declares that he is King of All Cookies. He should be frosted before all of the standard-shaped cookies, in a nice bright green. But the other cookies are getting sprinkles, or shiny stars, or even gumdrops . . . WAIT ONE STINKIN’ STOMPIN’ MINUTE! Cookiesaurus wants a do-over. Problem is, he might not end up with the kind of “do” he wants. Readers will love the funny back-and-forth between this cheeky cookie and the hand that frosts him. See who gets his licks in at the end!
GCRA Picture Book Winner (2nd Place): Be Quiet!
"Be Quiet!" was written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins. It is about a mouse named Rupert who wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picture book. One that's “visually stimulating!” He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends, Nibbs and Thistle, just WON'T. STOP. TALKING.
GCRA Picture Book WINNER (1st Place): After the Fall