Happiness is...

Happiness is helping a child find a book about baking on a Friday afternoon and getting treats on a Monday morning.  Thanks for sharing, Mystery Baker, you shouldn't have but how nice that you did! Many Stone Bookworms share Ms. Esme's penchant for kitchen fun.  Fans of culinary how-to, feed your appetite for reading in our growing collection of cookbooks in the 641.5 shelf of the nonfiction section! 

Library scrapbook

Just wanted to share some pictures of our smiling Stone Bookworms...the happiest readers in Rogers Park!

 

Hans Christian Andersen Projects Are Dazzling

Well, the Hans Christian Andersen projects are in from the fourth grade, and they are stunning. Boxes bring scenes to life, as did the artwork and songs and quilt. So many creative interpretations of some of our favorite stories! Here is just a small sampling. Please come by during report card pick up on April 19th to see more masterpieces inspired by the great Dane! The only ugly ducklings here are in the dioramas.

Hooray! Author Natasha Tarpley Coming to Stone!

Stone is so pleased to be welcoming author Natasha Tarpley to our school on Thursday, April 27th, to talk about her life as a writer and her newest middle-grade novel The Harlem Charade, great for fans of Blue Balliet's Chasing Vermeer! Grades 5, 6 and 7 will get to meet her and will be doing a fun online scavenger hunt in library in preparation.  Visit Natasha Tarpley's website or this wonderful interview at The Brown Bookshelf to learn more about her and her commitment to diversity in children's books!  Special thanks to The Book Stall for making this wonderful visit possible.  Please support your independent bookseller because goodness knows our independent booksellers support us!

Follow up:

We fit close to a Guinness record number of enthusiastic students into the library to meet our esteemed author and to share in her wisdom and inspiration.  Ms. Tarpley revealed elements of the mystery genre ...setting, problem, suspects, hero/detective and clues (including red herrings!)...that are sure to inform our own creative writing.   And what a surprise, EVERY Stone Bookworm in attendance received a FREE autographed, hardcover copy of Harlem Charade!  It's no mystery what book all of our noses will be in for weeks to come.  Thank you to the talented Natasha Tarpley and thank you, magical friends at The Book Stall!  This was a visit we won't soon forget!