Happy December!!!

It is a busy time of the year. Everyone is decorating, shopping, keeping secrets from friends and family! Don't forget to make time to read some of your favorite books together. Many of you have heard me tell you that this is a big time of year for tradition. I pull out many of my favorite seasonal books to read again at this time of year. Some of my favorites are Auntie Clause by Elise Primavera, The Polar Express by Chris VanAllsburg, The Mitten by Jan Brett, The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen, Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble and Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo.  For older readers, a classic is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, and I also love The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco.

So, grab a blanket and a cup of cocoa, sit in a comfy chair and read one of your favorite books!

October 2011

October is here! What a great month in the library!


We recently participated in a Week of Respect. Violence Awareness/Safety Week is coming up soon too.  October is Fire Safety Month.  In honor of that we will be visiting the Smoke House at school.  Visit Sparky the Fire Dog on the web at http://www.sparky.org/#/Sparky for lots of fun fire safety activities.  Read the book No Dragons for Tea - it is a great fire safety book for kids.


At the end of the month, of course, we'll be celebrating Halloween.  Visit the library to see all the great season books on display and check one out.


Please let me know what you're reading! I always love to hear about great books!


One more note, MO WILLEMS, one of my all-time favorite authors, will be visiting Barnes and Noble on Route 17 in Paramus on October 11th at 7pm. Unfortunately I have another committment and can't go to see him (boo hoo). If you go to see him, be sure to take a picture and show me!


Have a BOO-tiful month!


Mrs. Gridley

Welcome Back to School!

I hope you had a great summer! It flew by didn't it?

Did you read any good books this summer? If so I'd love to hear about them so I can add them to our library's collection!  I read tons of books this summer!

Summer is Here!

Welcome June!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer! Keep reading!

Go to Marshall Hill's web site at http://www.wmtps.org/marshall/inmh/index.htm and click on Marshall Hill News and Lists to view all of the summer reading lists.

Remember to do your summer reading and turn in your lists in the fall!

See you in September!

Mrs. Gridley

Author Visit - Margie Palatini!

This year has just flown by! At both Marshall Hill and Westbrook Schools we're eagerly anticipating Margie Palatini's visit! 

She will be coming to Marshall Hill on June 7 and Westbrook on June 16. We've been busily reading her wonderful books in preparation, and we can't wait to meet her.

Before she gets here, be sure to visit her at her website http://www.margiepalatini.com/.

This week I received a new shipment of books from the Junior Library Guild. Their selections are just terrific. In the box was the latest Mo Willems book "Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator" - another soon to be classic I'm sure! There was also another book called "Press Here" by Herve Tullet.  Here's a link to the trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj81KC-Gm64. What an ingenious book! The first and second graders that I read it to (or should I say that interacted with it) absolutely loved it.

Spring is FINALLY here!

Here in West Milford we're all excited for the arrival of spring. I think we've had enough of all of that snow, right???

I'm looking forward to my second book fair of the school year. The week of April 25th is the week of Westbrook's annual book fair. Can't wait!  Monday night is family night, for any of you that would like to come with your parents!

Also, I have a son at Macopin Middle School, and I just found out that the book fair there is next week as well. Monday night is the school fair, where the students will be displaying their science and social studies projects, and the book fair will be open then.

And more exciting news about books! The Friends of the West Milford Library (FOL) are having their annual book sale! There are bargains galore in books for kids, teens and adults. They have hundreds (maybe even thousands) to choose from. The FOL book sale will be held at the Presbyterian Church (next to the bike shop in town) on Wednesday April 27 from 3:00-8:00, Thursday and Friday April 28 and 29 from 10:00-8:00 and Saturday April 30 from 10:00-1:00. I hope to see you there!

I hope everyone had a great spring break, and enjoys the upcoming 3-day weekend!

Please remind your parents to vote on April 27th!

Mrs. Gridley

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!  What time is that? BOOK FAIR TIME!!!

I'm sure many of you share my love of the Scholastic Book Fair.  The school PTAs are so generous with their time and their donations.  New books are so terrific, and I especially love it when you, my students, tell me what books excite you, so I can choose them from the book fair for the library!  I know one student at Marshall Hill has repeatedly asked me for the 3rd "Big Nate" book. He'll be happy to know that I saw it today as the PTA was unpacking the book fair!

That's right, Marshall Hill's book fair is the week of Feb. 28-March 4.
Westbrook's book fair is at the end of April. I am so lucky to be able to attend both!

Family Literacy Nights are coming up too.  I'll be at Marshall Hill's on Tuesday March 1. We'll be "buddy reading" in the library, and raffling off Eric Carle books and matching stuffed toys as well.

I understand I'll be seeing some Marshall Hill graduates - 7th graders from the RED cluster at Macopin, who will be volunteering their time to help with the buddy reading. I look forward to meeting you!  I've been told that you discovered this blog in your 3rd period Financial Literacy class! Feel free to write/comment and tell me what middle schoolers are reading these days!

I love books, don't you? 

I've been reading a new kind of book for the last month. Ebooks!  I recently got an ipad, and with that I have been able to download apps for Kindle, Borders, Nook, and ibooks. I wasn't sure I was going to like reading electronic books - I thought I might miss some book experiences, like the smell of a new book, and the feel of the pages.

One benefit I keep telling everyone ... when I fall asleep reading, I don't lose my place now!!!

How many of you have e-readers? I'd love to hear about what you're reading and how you like it!

So what are we reading in school now?  Kindergarteners have just finished listening to all of Kate and Jim McMullans books: "I'm Dirty," "I Stink," "I'm Bad," and "I'm Mighty."   They loved all of them!

I always enjoy Jon Scieska and Lane Smith's books - "Cowboy and Octopus" is a great one. So is "It's a Book!"  Mr. Marshall has posted a video book review of "Cowboy and Octopus" on YouTube (click on the underlined book title to go there).  You can also hear It's a Book! on YouTube.

First greaders are gobbling up all of Mo Willems's books - he seems to be coming out with more and more Elephant and Piggy books, and they are just great!  Visit Pigeon Presents to play some games that go along with his stories.

Fifth graders are creating a brochure about a state. They've been researching facts about their states, and even heard some of the lesser known and sillier facts from listening to bits and pieces of "Go Go America"  by Dan Yaccarino. In this book, many of the states list some of the crazier laws that are still on the books.

Hope you're enjoying all those great new books out there! Let me know your thoughts!

Mrs. Gridley

There's "snow" time like Winter to read a good book!

I don't know about you, but I think this time of year is the best time to snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book!  There are "snow" many good stories to read (yes, there goes Mrs. Gridley with her silly jokes again!).

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
The Hat by Jan Brett
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Dragons Don't Throw Snowballs by Debbie Dadey
A Redwall Winter's Tale by Brian Jacques
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen


Happy Reading and stay warm!!!