UNICEF fact of the day - November 30th

$3 pays for a woolen blanket for a child to use during an emergency, like a flood or earthquake.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 29th

$2 pays for two doses of the polio vaccine for a child in Ethiopia.


Photo courtesy of UNICEF.org.

Ms. Bartlett's Picks of the Week

Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman, illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Three children love to go visit their Grandpa, and this day he has a treat for them. He dusts off his tap shoes and banjo and shows them what he used to do as a song and dance man, with tap shoes, musical instruments, and jokes galore.

Like Jumanji, this is a Caldecott Medal winner for beautiful illustrations, and the story is just as lovely.



Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Shade is a Silverwing bat and the runt of his entire colony. It doesn't help that his dad has gone mysteriously missing and the bigger newborn bats pick on him about his size. Even worse, during the long migration south for the winter he never expected to get swept out to sea in the middle of a storm - alone! Will he get back to his colony? Will anyone help him?

My 10-year-old nephew recommended this book and the two sequels, Sunwing and Firewing, to me during the summer and they have become three of my favourite books. If you like heart-stopping adventure and excitement, these books are definitely for you!

UNICEF fact of the day - November 28th

If a class raises $58, it could buy a suitcase full of 20 different wooden toys, puppets and puzzles that will help 20 displaced children in Columbia. (There are 14 million displaced children in Columbia due to violent conflicts and clashes.)

If you liked the Spiderwick Chronicles, you might like...

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis







Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang by Mordecai Richler









Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

UNICEF fact of the day - November 27th

Just over $1 buys a month worth of hygiene supplies for a street child in Lao PDR, the poorest country in east Asia.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 24th

$1.15 buys a student in Liberia three scribblers and 14 pencils.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 23rd

$23 buys a first aid kit with bandages, tape, gloves, scissors, a blanket, eye ointment and disinfectant.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 22nd

$40 pays for 20 square metres of tarpaulin that can make a shelter big enough for several families in case of an emergency, like an earthquake or flood.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 21st

$20 pays for a double-sided chalkboard, 2 chalk brushes, and 200 chalk sticks for a school.

Ms. Bartlett's pick of the week: Jumanji

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

What would happen if you found a board game under a tree? What if it contained a warning that you had to finish the game? Would you play it?

See what happens to Judy and Peter when they play Jumanji - will those monkeys ever get out of the kitchen?! Although it's not all fun for Peter and Judy, it's definitely a lot of fun to read.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 20th

$10 pays for a container that keeps vaccines safe and at the right temperature.

Author visit - Sharon Jennings

Sharon Jennings is coming to visit! The author of a number of children's books as well as some ever-popular Franklin stories, Ms. Jennings will speak to the grades 1 and 2 classes on Monday, November 20th. Below is a brief biography of Ms. Jennings, provided by the TD Canadian Children's Book Week website.


SHARON JENNINGS

As a young adult, Sharon studied drama and belonged to various theatre groups. This led to many part-time jobs teaching drama to children. After graduating from York University with a Master's Degree in English, and having received two diplomas in Speech Arts from The Royal Conservatory of Music, Sharon began working as an editor for educational publishers. She was able to combine her interests and edit several language and dramatic arts textbooks.

After a stint as senior editor of a primary language arts program, Sharon began writing her own stories, inspired in part by the exploits of her three young children. Now Sharon spends much of her time visiting classrooms and libraries across Canada, and has taught Writing for Children at Ryerson University for three years. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre gave away a copy of Sharon’s book When Jeremiah Found Mrs. Ming to every grade one student in Canada in 2002.

Sharon is a Past-President of CANSCAIP (The Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers), a member/volunteer of the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and a member of The Writers' Union of Canada and of The Osborne Collection.
Sharon is available for readings for children, Kindergarten to Grade 5; lectures for adults on writing for children. As well, she is frequently asked to speak on “the creative life”.

Sharon’s books include No Monsters Here, Into My Mother’s Arms, and Priscilla and RosyThe Bye-Bye Pie. Her most recent book, The Happily Ever Afternoon, was released in the spring of 2006 by Annick Press.


We look forward to meeting Ms. Sharon Jennings!

UNICEF fact of the day - November 17th

$1 pays for 8 children to have a pencil and scribbler.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 16th

$12 could pay for a family to have a kit that will enable them to drink clean water.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 15th

Just over $4 will pay for a mother and child to have the medicine and care needed to prevent the baby from getting HIV at birth.

Adventure stories - virtual display

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

Phillip is shipwrecked and floats ashore to a desert island. But he's blind! How will he survive without being able to see? Will the other shipwreck victim on the island, Timothy, help him?





Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Brian is thirteen and on a small plane when it crashes in the Canadian wilderness. He is the only survivor and all he has are his clothes and a hatchet his mother gave to him. How will he survive all alone in the wilderness?





The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

This is the story of three animals who walked and ran, and fought and struggled together, who escaped death at almost every step, and who finally came home after travelling hundreds of miles to get there.



Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Shade is a young Silverwing bat, the runt of his colony, determined to prove himself on the long and dangerous winter migration. During a storm he is swept out over the ocean to a remote island. How will he get back to his colony? Will he get there in one piece?



Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Billy saved his money for many months to buy his two dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann. Old Dan had the brawn and Little Ann had the brains, and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team around. They even win the Gold Cup for the coon hunt. One night, Billy and his dogs go hunting and ran into a mountain lion. Will the dogs win or is the mountain lion too much for the little hounds?

White Fang by Jack London

He was three quarters wolf and all fury, born in a cave in the frozen arctic and taught no kindness by the humans who reared him. But one man saw White Fang's intelligence and nobility and had the courage to offer the killer a new life. Will White Fang respond?

UNICEF fact of the day - November 14th

If the school raises $250, it could buy a kit that has enough school supplies for 80 children and their teachers, including scissors, pencils, erasers, and scribblers.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is upon us, so check out these sites to learn more.

Did you know that some Nazi prisoners of war (PoWs) and Jewish refugees were kept in the same camp near Fredericton, NB? CBC Archives - Conflict and War has links to dozens of CBC audio and video clips relating to both World Wars, the Holocaust, women in war, and other conflict-related topics.

Canada Remembers allows you to search for clips of veterans speaking of their experiences, including Mr. Alexander McInnis from Port Hawkesbury.

Veterans Affairs has a Kids' Zone with games, trivia, and art.

The Virtual War Memorial is a registry of over 116,000 Canadians who died serving their country and often includes information on where they are buried. This is a big help if you are searching for memorial or burial information on a relative - I found out where my great-great-uncle is buried just by knowing his first and last names and where he was born.

Reading Challenge!

Time to start reading, everyone!

Schools in Cumberland County (grades Primary-6) will be competing against schools in Pictou County as well as schools in Clare County, Ireland, to see which school can read the most. The winning school will win $3000 worth of books for their school from Scholastic. There are also other prizes within each school and county, such as books or a chance to play ball hockey with some members of the contest sponsor, the RCMP!

The contest officially begins on Tuesday, November 14th, so you can start logging your books then. Each participating student will get a library card for the Cumberland Regional Library, which should arrive in early December. In order for students' books to count towards Parrsboro Regional Elementary School's total, students MUST have returned the permission form that will be sent home today, November 10th, by Thursday morning, November 16th.

For more information about the Reading Challenge, go to FightingCrime.ca and follow the links, or click here.

A document that contains information for parents can be found here. This is an at-home program and teachers will not be logging books read by the child at school.

Happy reading!

UNICEF fact of the day - November 10th

$20 pays for sports equipment for an entire class in Malawi.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 9th

If a class raises $75, it could pay for a child to go to school for a year, including books, supplies, and part of the teacher’s salary.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 8th

If your class raises $50, it could pay for a child to be immunized against measles, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis and supply vitamin supplements for a year.


Picture courtesy of UNICEF.ca.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 7th

If a class raises $35, it could pay for a child who has been through a war, natural disaster or another emergency to have toys and sports equipment to play with.

Books by authors born in November - virtual display

Frances Hodgson Burnett was born on November 24th, 1849.

She wrote A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, which are two of Ms. Bartlett's favourite books.


Madeleine L'Engle was born on November 29th, 1918.

She is the author of the A Wrinkle in Time series, which includes A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Troubling a Star, as well as almost 20 other books.



Lucy Maud (L. M.) Montgomery was born on November 30th, 1874.

Her most famous novel is Anne of Green Gables, but she also wrote many other stories and novels, including Emily of New Moon.

UNICEF fact of the day - November 6th

If a class raises $110, it could pay for one orphaned child’s medicine, vitamins, school books and fees for an entire year.


**All UNICEF facts were found within the UNICEF Canada website.