Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Tops and Bottoms, adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens, Scholastic, Inc, 1995, ISBN 0-590-97550-1
Fay School summary: This tale celebrates the trickster tradition of overcoming hardship by using one's wits when Hare turns his bad luck around by striking a clever deal with the rich and lazy bear down the road.
Really cute story that can be used in so many ways! Besides being a really clever story of survival in hard times, it teaches lots about vegetables: those we eat that grow above the ground (broccoli, lettuce, celery), and those we eat that grow below the ground (carrots, beets, radishes). And the corn, which grows in the "middle" according to Hare. With a little expansion, this story can be used to show some elements of food production and be used to prompt prediction.
Would work well to create a felt board divided in half horizontally: sky above and dirt below. Attach the vegetables and their roots/stalks appropriately. Bring in fresh vegetables too! (Some kids don't know that vegetables don't always come in a can...).
Here's a link to some other books about vegetables and gardens.

BTW, Fay School in Southborough, MA, has a terrific website for their school library. Look under the Academics tab at the top of the page. Library and Curriculum are listed under Academics. You gotta love that!

Spot the Plot by J. Patrick Lewis

Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Chronicle Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-8118-4668-4
"The sky shook, the wind tossed..me in the air. Toto-ly lost." Remind you of a book? That's the premise behind this clever collection of riddles. All are designed, of course, to get you to think of a book you may have read (hopefully!). Some are well known, such as Peter Rabbit and Cinderella, and others might require a little more reading experience, such as Ferdinand the Bull and Pinocchio. Included is one of my favorites from early childhood: the one about the rabbit who can't go to sleep til he says goodnight to the _____. Answers are given in the back, if you really need them.
Good for a year end read-aloud.
Sylvia Vardell has a great write-up about this book and other Riddle Poems on her blog: Poetry for Children. Credit goes to Deborah Sloan's blog, The Picnic Basket, for this link to Sylvia Vardell.

Website of the Week

Wow! Look at this website about animals. A to Z Animalshas a lost of animals, a glossary of terms, pictures, games, you name it!

Lousy Rotten Stinkin Grapes by Marge Palatini

Lousy Rotten Stinkin Grapes by Marge Palatini, illustrated by Barry Moser, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009, ISBN 978-0-689-80246-1.
Summary: Retells the fable of a frustrated fox that, after many tries to reach a high bunch of grapes, decides they must be sour anyway. (from the publisher). Unlike Aesop's tale though, someone does get these grapes in the end. At the foxes direction (because, after all, he is the clever one), all the forest animals work together to try to get the grapes. Funny generalizations characterize the animals: bear ("your job is brawn. Not brain") and beaver ("my dentally challenged chum."), who actually have better ideas than the fox.
This book is mentioned on the great website Read Kiddo Read along with some other great books in the "Storybooks" section.

Website of the Week

The Children's Literature Web Guide

Incredible source of websites links for children's literature: Awards, Bestsellers, Teaching ideas, authors, stories, Readers Theater, REsources for Teachers, parents, storytellers, and writers and illustrators.

Internet Public Library

Great website: The Internet Public Library: Kidspace
A great place to answer ANY reference question! A quality site run by the Drexel University College of Information Science and Technology. In addition to Reference help, Searching areas include: Our World, Computers and the Internet, Health and Nutrition, Math and Science, Art and Music, Sports and Recreation, a REading Zone, and even Fun Stuff!
IPL for Kids