Bearnard Writes a Book by Deborah Underwood

sequel to Bearnard's Book

Bearnard and his friend Gertie love to read his book, but wouldn't it be nice if Gertie had her own book? Bearnard volunteers to write it. There's only one problem: he doesn't know how to write a book. A visit to Storybook Land should sort that. 

Thoughts: What a fun adventure Bearnard and Gertie go on! It's a fun story that also teaches the basic steps in writing a story. Would love to share this with older kids and then have them write their own stories. Pair with How to Write a Story by Kate Messner, The Story of a Story by Deborah Hopkinson, and Let's Tell a Story! Fairy Tale Adventure by Lily Murray (also available in Jungle Adventure, Space Adventure, and Pirate Adventure). 

Themes: Bears, Books, Writing, Elementary 

(Illustrated by Misa Saburi. Henry Holt, 2022.)

Bearnard's Book by Deborah Underwood

When Bearnard is invited to be in a book, he's thrilled. At least until he tries to imitate bears in other books. Can he be in a book? 

Thoughts: What a fun book! I like the nods to other bear books (Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington Bear, Baby Bear). I love that Gertie is a great friend and always encouraging Bearnard. The illustrations have bold outlines. If you like books that have Easter eggs, check out Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki. 

Activity kit is available on the publisher's website here. 

Themes: Bears, Books

(Illustrated by Misa Saburi. Goodwin Books, 2019.)

17 Years of Blogging

Seventeen years ago today I started my blog What Is Bridget Reading? for a grad school project. Where has the time gone? I've had my degree for 16 years and I'm coming up on 15 years in my position as youth services librarian. After all this time, I can still definitively say that I love books, libraries, and working with children and teens in libraries. Here's to many more years of loving what I do and blogging about it. 

Shark Week Party

Shark Week is a popular event and it seemed like a good idea to use it for a teen library program. I've hosted this event twice: 2015 and 2022. The parties are similar, but I like to think my planning style has become more streamlined. 

Snack are a big party of a Shark Week Party. They are themed and we had the following: 

• Shark Teeth (Bugles)
• Sour Watermelon Sharks 
• Goldfish 
• Life Preservers (gummy ring candy)
• Shark Fins (tortilla chips)
• Chum (salsa)
• Swedish Fish

We played the following games:

• Hit the Shark  as suggested by Bryce (shark target, pool noodles for spears)
• Shark Bite 
• Sharks vs. Dolphins 
• Shark Scavenger Hunt (I used the Shark Matching Game from Natural Beach Living.)

All in all a simple, but very fun party for teens.

A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson

A forest mystery paired with groups of animals. Where did the mice go? 

Thoughts: What a unique way to incorporate collective nouns into a story. Animal group names or collective nouns are one of my favorite things. I even did several events one summer using them as a theme. See those events here. I love the forest setting and the mystery. I can't wait to use this for a fall themed storytime. The extra information in the back of the book will likely spark an interest in collective nouns with a new generation. 

Find an activity kit and educator guide from the publisher here. 

Other Books That Use Collective Nouns

• A Troop of Kangaroos by Lisa Mundorff 
• A Curious Menagerie by Carin Berger
• An Ambush of Tigers by Betsy R. Rosenthal
• A Tower of Giraffes by Anna Wright

Themes: Fall, Collective Nouns 

(Sourcebooks, 2024.)

Not-a-Box City by Antoinette Portis

companion to Not a Box

Building a city all by himself, Bunny doesn't want any help. But height, strength, and artistic ability soon sway him. 

Thoughts: I'm so glad Bunny is back and still using his imagination. I love all the new characters and details of the finished city. Looks like the library is the biggest building in the city. I wholeheartedly approve.

Find activities for Not a Box on the author's website here. (Here's hoping there will be some activities for Not-a-Box City soon!)

Themes: Boxes, Building, Rabbits, Working Together

(Harper, 2024.)

I Survived Event

The I Survived book series by Lauren Tarshis continues to be a very popular series at my library so I decided to host an I Survived Event in April this year. Many librarians have done this before. I took a deep dive into their events and picked what would work best for me logistically. 

The event featured three books: 

• I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79 A.D.
• I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
• I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

At the beginning of the party I had the kids vote on which book they'd like me to read the first chapter of. After 4 parties, I'd read the first chapter in all three books. 

We then moved on to the activities. I had three stations set up.

• Volcano Blast: Build a volcano and watch it erupt. 
• Earthquake Challenge: Build a Lego house and see if it can withstand an earthquake. 
• S.O.S. Titanic: Build a boat that can float with and without passengers. 

For details about the supplies, procedures, and resources, see the post on my Storytime by Bridget site.