Tales from the Seabury Library

Welcome back to school
and Tales from Seabury Library!

I took the summer off from writing; I wasn't neccessarily intending to, but I went a little crazy pulling up carpeting and painting at home.

Plus, I had a daughter to launch off to Paris for the school year. Can you imagine the time, Ladybug and Superstar parents, that you'll be ready for that? I remember the days when saying "goodbye" at the preschool and kindergarten doors was a tearjerker.

(My daughter Halley, Seabury alum and summer school aide, is writing a fun - occasionally harrowing - blog of her own: Tacoma Girl in Paris. Check it out if you're interested.)



We're back in the swing of things at school. There are shiny new books in the library and we have a super group of kids. I love meeting new children each year and welcoming old friends back.

The Ladybugs had their first visit to the library last week. In their classroom, a big emphasis is on friendship, so we read three favorites from last year. "Gossie," "Gossie and Gertie" and "Ollie," all by Olivier Dunrea.

The trio of gosling stories are funny, sweet and deceptively simple. And the children absolutely love them. The first book is about how Gossie loses her red boots and gains a friend. The second deals in the simplest fashion with the shifting power in the friendship. And in the third, the two girls wait impatiently for "Ollie" to hatch from his brown egg. It isn't 'till they try reverse psychology that he cracks his shell.

The Seabury Library doesn't have Dunrea's fourth book about the three goslings: "Ollie the Stomper." I'll have to get it soon ... or it would be a great "Birthday Book" for a Ladybug to present to the library on his or her birthday. (If you order it, or anything else, through Amazon links on this page, we get a kickback.)


The other book I read to the Ladybugs was a new one called "Best Best Friends, " by Margaret Chodos-Irvine, which I reviewed Sept. 12 for The Tacoma News Tribune. I can't link to the review here because stories go into the TNT's paid archive system after two weeks. But the book is another that's perfect for preschoolers. Two girls go from being best, best, friends, to enemies, to "best, best, best friends" all before they're picked up at the end of a preschool day. Pretty typical if you know preschoolers.

I'm having a great time in library with the other classes, too.

The Superstars loved "I Am TOO Absolutely Small for School," by Lauren Child. I had to promise I'd read them two more books about Charlie and his little sister Lola next library.
I also read them a couple of books I was considering writing about in this week's review. They helped me with their opinions/reactions.

My reviews appear almost every Tuesday in the Soundlife section. Right now I'm scrambling to finish a novel by Ursula LeGuin that ties in to Banned Books Week next week. The book is good so far, but mature.

Last week in the Sharks, I started reading "Akimbo and the Lions," by Alexander McCall Smith. The class is studying Kenya. McCall Smith is the author of the "Ladies Detective Agency" series for adults. His series for kids has gotten pretty good reviews. Mr. H has a second of the books in his classroom.

In the two older classes we've missed a library because of the OPI trip, but we've spent time browsing for good books and remembering what it takes to be a responsible Seabury Library user.
I emphasized that checking out a book is like signing a contract and that the person who signs out the book is responsible for it, even if someone else takes it home and loses it. Translation: Don't let anyone "borrow" the books you've already "borrowed." That seems to be a trend with our generous students here.

Other book care tips we talked about: Use flat bookmarks instead of pencils or bending page corners; try to keep our books from ending up underfoot on the minivan floor; keep books away from baby sisters, puppies and raspberry jam; and carry them close to your body or in a backpack when it's sprinkling.

We don't have library fines for overdue books, so we rely on everyone's good will to get the books back here on time and in good shape so that other Seabury students can enjoy them.
That leads in to my biggest goal for the library. I want students and teachers at Seabury using the library so much that the books don't have time to gather dust on the shelves. I hate dusting and I love to see children reading.

I do my best not to be like "Mrs. Beamster in "The Librarian from the Black Lagoon," who bolted the books together so they would stay in alphabetical order.



Talk to you soon!