1000 Books Before PREP

Last week, at our school staff meeting, I launched our reading initiative called 1000 Books before Prep.  This idea is not new; I read about it from the Licking County Library, Ohio who said it originally came from an idea by the Australian author, Mem Fox. I am keen to see the influence of our school library in our community. I also believe in the power of reading in developing students who are ready for school; children who will arrive at school confident and with a wide vocabulary. I enlisted my daughters to develop the paper work - Kate to produce the art work and Miriam to create the recording sheet.
The idea was to start small, so I have initially offered our little pack of 1000 Books before Prep to our staff. I thought the teachers with pre-schoolers would be the keen ones, but to my surprise not only the parents of young ones signed up for a pack, but also the teachers with nieces, nephews and grandchildren also took packs.
The rules are simple: 1. Read 1000 books before the child begins Prep (Kindergarten)
                                   2. Enter titles onto recording sheet
                                   3. You do NOT have to read 1000 different titles; books can be repeated
                                   4. When 100 books are completed, then bring the  booklet in to the library,                                                receive your certificate  and collect your next 1-100 booklet.
If you read 10 books a week, then it will take two years to complete the challenge.
Just today, only four days after the challenge was launched, I had one teacher text me to report that he  and his girls have already conquered twenty books. Yes, a challenge is useful.
I hope to officially  introduce 1000 Books before Prep  to our parents at the beginning of the  school year and continue advertising it and spreading the word in our school library.

School Holidays

We are about to enjoy two week's school holiday here in Australia. It is time to refresh and read, read, read. Hopefully there will be some good books on which to report.

Figgy in the world

This book is written by the Australian author, Tamsin Janu.  She lived for three months in Ghana, West Africa, and this is where Figgy in the World  is set.  Figgy, an eight year old, sets out to go to the United States to get medical help for her grandma. She travels alone, except for her goat, Kwame. On the way through Ghana she meets up with a nine year old orphan boy, Nana, who becomes her travelling companion. The pair meets both kind and menacing people, but this does not halt their quest.
This book is well-written and takes the reader through the Ghanian countryside.  It is a story of innocence, hope and adventure.
As an adult, I felt it difficult to believe that two children aged only eight and nine years old could traverse the countryside by themselves with seemingly no one looking for them; no search party.  Figgy was missing from her village and her grandma. Why could she travel for so many weeks and no one came looking for her? I could understand with Nana because he was an orphan who had deliberately run away, but Figgy?
 This did not spoil the story; it just made me feel a little uneasy.
I think the book would be enjoyed by children aged 9-12.

Kelsey and the quest for the Porcelain Doll

What a delightful little tale written by Rosanne Hawke. Here is a story within a story. Kelsey is not happy about travelling to flood-ruined Pakistan with her parents. Her grandmother in Australia talks to her on Skype and tells her the story of the porcelain doll, Amy Jo. Both Kelsey and the doll are on adventures which will change their lives. This book is suitable as a read aloud by the classroom teacher or a great snuggle-up and read by students from aged 7 to 11. The themes covered in the book are: courage, friendship, relationships, empathy.
Schools who subscribe to Australian Standing Orders (ASO) will find this on their shelves.
Magpies magazine states: "There are PDF teachers’ notes ‘aligned with the Australian Curriculum’ from the publisher’s website, www.uqp.com.au