PS/LS Media Center News

Summer time brings lots of additional time for reading. Explore new places and revisit favorites between the pages of good books. Look for both fiction and nonfiction at your local library and bookstore such as these and make reading fun part of summer fun.

Miss Smith Under the Ocean by Michael Garland
When classroom teacher, Miss Smith, reads from her incredible storybook, the story comes alive taking the children on an ocean adventure that reminds the children of classic stories such as Moby Dick, Treasure Island, and Swiss Family Robinson.

Zero, the Hero by Joan Holub
All the numbers that "Zero" doesn't add anything and has nothing to offer, but "Zero knows he's worth a lot and gets a chance to prove it when the other numbers get into trouble in this humorous story of numbers.

Discovery Kids Horse and Ponies gives a 3D look at favorite horses and lots of facts.

Discovery Kids Lions, Tigers, Leopards, and more gives a 3D look at these wild animals and lots of facts.

Hidden in the Jungle gives young readers information about camouglage and animal safety.

From baseball to flowers to monsters and rainbows, language and imagination combine in popular poetry books for kids to bring new ways of looking at familiar images and experiences. April is National Poetry Month, and the celebration has begun in Lower School with poetry readings and research on many related topics. Although Shel Silverstein remains at the top of the list of most popular poets for kids, Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Bruce Lansky are also favorites. Click here http://lsmc.athensacademy.org./#_ and find a variety of poetry books when you enter subject search for poetry.

On March 22nd, Lower School students will have a visit with children's author Laurie Myers. She has written award winning chapter books for children ages 7 - 11 and co-authored several short story collections with her mother Betsy Byar and sister, Betsy Byar Duffy. Mrs. Myers has written historical and realistic fiction that has been on award winning lists of the International Reading Association, receiving the Teachers' Choice and the Parents' Choice Award. For brief author videos and more information about Laurie Myers' books, go to http://home.comcast.net/~lauriemyers/books.htm

Natalie Buczynsky and Jonathan Shelnutt, authors of The Unofficial Heroes Of Olympus Companion are speaking to our students in the Lower School Library February 2nd. They will be sharing their writing and publishing experience of a companion book for Rick Riordan's popular Percy Jackson series. Our students are particularly interested in hearing what they say since Natalie and Jonathan are also students in Oconee County. Most readers of the Percy Jackson series want to learn more about the Greek gods and goddesses that take center stage in Riordan's books, including Natalie and Jonathan, so they began their own research on this topic and have published their first book at age 15.

Lower school students are getting to know many of our favorite authors each month as they celebrate the authors' birthdays. Our January authors are Bill Peet and Lloyd Alexander. We have learned many interesting facts about these two writers and their works.

Bill Peet is the author and illustrator of many entertaining and poignant picture books including the favorites Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, The Caboose Who Got Loose, and Big Bad Bruce. Children were fascinated to learn that Bill Peet worked as an illustrator for Walt Disney as he began his career as an author, and finally left his position there to devote his time to writing and illustrating children's books.

Lloyd Alexander was the author of one of the most beloved fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain and over thirty other books for children. He is winner of numerous awards including the Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor,and the National Book Award for Juvenile Literature. With the popularity of the fantasy genre growing every year, students are drawn to these powerful novels of the struggle between good and evil and the triumph of the human spirit played out in strong characters and action in a fantasy world. One of the titles in this series was the inspiration for the animated Disney film, The Black Cauldron.

Check your local library or book store for these books and more information about our January Birthday Authors.

The new Preschool Library Collection has been growing this Fall through parents and children who have shared the joy they have experienced reading a good book by donating to the library. From picture books for our youngest Spartans to beginning readers for prefirst students, both fiction and nonfiction have increased, and children are coming every day to see what's new. Watch for a list of specific titles the first of the year.

Join Trek as he ventures through a world of learning for our youngest Spartans. This feature of World Book Online offers students the opportunity to engage in multimedia enriched pre-reading and reading instruction that will captivate early learners. There are interactive games, narrated stories, and original videos that address main components of preschool instruction. The "Know It" section serves as a richly visual interactive tool in which young children can explore and learn about nonfiction topics of interest and importance to them in a safe environment. This resource can be accessed from home by going to http://www.worldbookonline.com/ewol/home. Refer to your password bookmark for username and password information. It can also be found on the Electronic Resource page of the PS/LS Media Center website.

If you are looking for a fairy tale, here is what you do, you look for 398.2 in the library. It will be easy to find suggestions in our Lower School library where our second grade students have displayed their report projects on one of their favorite fairy tales. Stop by and take a look at the creative and informative displays.

"Reading Out of This World" is the theme for this year's book fair, and it reminds us of the many great books coming to the Discovery Center on October 17th. Watch for more information to come.

Click here and enter title to view cover pictures and read more about the book.

Jack the Cat by Russell Horres
In this historical fiction picture book, local artist, Kate Sherill, has collaborated with the author to portray some of the events leading up to Fort Sumter's involvement in the Civil War.

When Moon Fell Down by Linda Smith
This book, written in rich descriptive language, will peak the imagination of young readers as they explore the possibilities of what would happen if the moon fell down.

The Calendar Mysteries (Audio Books 1-6) by Ron Roy
The stories in this collection were written by the author of the popular A to Z Mysteries and are also available in the library in print format. Characters in the Calendar Mysteries are the younger siblings of Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose from the A to Z Mysteries.

Bird Brain-Teasers by Patricia Merrell
If the first grade unit on birds has peaked your interest in learning more on this topic, take a look at this collection of facts about birds shared in puzzles, games, and avian trivia. It has been a hit with first grade through adults.

You Can't See Your Bones with Binoculars by Harriet Ziefert
In lighthearted text, Harriet Ziefert takes kids on a tour of their bones, all illustrated in humorous cartoons with X-ray images overlaying each spread's featured bone.

Storm Runner by Roland Smith
For middle grade students, Roland Smith has written a fast paced, adventurous story about young Chase Masters and his father, who are "storm runners". As Chase works with his father in pursuing hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods across the country, he learns far more than he expected about weather, his world, and the people who experience these events.