Dr. Seuss Week

This week we are celebrating Dr. Seuss upcoming birthday (March 5th) by celebrating his cleverly-written stories each day along with dressing up according to the book of the day. On Friday, the library will host a Dr. Seuss Reading Restaurant. Upper grade level students will be our restaurant waiters & waitresses and will help lower grade level students pick their favorite book and read it to them. Our schedule below lists the dress up activity along with the book of the day.

MONDAY
Crazy Socks Day --- Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

 

Our students sporting their crazy socks!

Decorate your own crazy socks here:

TUESDAY
Pajama Day --- Dr. Seuss Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss

WEDNESDAY
Wacky Clothes Day --- Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss

THURSDAY
Silly Hat Day --- Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

FRIDAY
Favorite Dr. Seuss Character --- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Charro Days Week

This week we celebrate the communal relationship between Mexico and the United States as our city, Brownsville, Texas borders Mexico. The history of this celebration dates back to 1937.

"In 1937, during the Great Depression, local business leaders searched for an antidote to the gloom that engulfed Brownsville and the rest of the country. 

One year later, the community came together for the very first Charro Days to celebrate what made Brownsville unique: Its location on the border with Mexico and the rich cultural heritage enjoyed by Brownsville’s residents.

From the very first celebration, Brownsville residents and visitors dressed in the traditional costumes of Mexico and honored the Mexican cowboys -- the Charros -- who were heroes of the borderlands

Horse-drawn, hand-made floats processed through downtown Brownsville in those early years, with marching bands from Mexico, soldiers from old Fort Brown and children from area schools dressed as charros and chinas." (http://www.charrodaysfiesta.com)

Through the years, we have seen some changes in the way things are done. This year had less floats but more dancing horses while most schools displayed their talents either with their charro dances or with their school bands. Our campus celebrated with a Charro Days carnival and dress up days the entire week.

Brave Irene by William Steig

Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.

But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission. Surely, this winning heroine will inspire every child to cheer her on.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47886.Brave_Irene

Brave Irene Steig, William AR Quiz No. 17512 EN Fiction  IL: LG - BL: 3.9 - AR Pts: 0.5  AR Quiz Types: RP, RV, VP  Rating:  Plucky Irene, a dressmaker's daughter, braves a fierce snowstorm to deliver a new gown to the duchess in time for the ball.

Story Plot

Being Brave

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor-- and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke.
http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?mode=book&isbn=0763655988

I Want My Hat Back Klassen, Jon AR Quiz No. 155570 EN Fiction  IL: LG - BL: 1.0 - AR Pts: 0.5  AR Quiz Types: RP, RV  Rating:  When Bear loses his hat, he patiently asks the animals he comes across if they have seen it, and just as he is about to give up his search, a deer helps him remember exactly where he left his beloved hat.

Activities Pack

Corduroy by Don Freeman

 Written and illustrated by Don Freeman, published in 1968, Corduroy is a gloriously ordinary story about a little bear who wants somebody to buy him.  One day, a girl comes across him, looks in his eyes, and asks her mother if she can buy him.  Her mother says no because Corduroy is missing a button.  That night while all the other toys are asleep, Corduroy ventures off into the store to find a button.  He sees a mattress of buttons and attempts to pull one off thinking that it is his, and ends up falling over onto the floor, knocking a lamp down.  A male security guard comes and puts him back on the shelf.  The next day, the little girl returns to the store with money to buy him and brings him back to her house, giving Corduroy his first home.

     The genre of the story is fantasy because it includes the fantastical element of a stuffed animal who is alive and has feelings, which is not something that could happen in this world. But it could be argued that the story is fiction because although the stuffed animal is able to talk, Don Freeman uses Corduroy to depict a relationship between a girl and a boy in a real-life setting

     From this perspective, although it might be looking too deeply into it, I think that the story is about a girl who sees a boy at a store and wants to bring him home, but her mother will not let her because he is clearly not up-to-par with a person she thinks her daughter should be hanging out with.  Corduroy goes to steal the missing accessory for his clothes, but gets caught and is put back where he belongs. The girl buys him, and mends his clothes. 

      This story touches on class issues through discrimination against people because of their appearance, and portrays gender in obvious ways in both the text and the illustrations; we may not think children are absorbing these.

http://reviews-of-childrens-literature.pbworks.com/w/page/10581682/Corduroy

Corduroy Freeman, Don AR Quiz No. 5464 EN Fiction  IL: LG - BL: 3.5 - AR Pts: 0.5  AR Quiz Types: RP, RV, VP  Rating:  A little girl wants a stuffed bear, but her mother refuses to buy it for her.

Activities

Games

Puzzle Sheet