New Books By Favorite Authors!
Funded Jan 9, 2025To Berkeley and the Chesmar Foundation,
We are beyond grateful for your incredible generosity and support of our school library. Thanks to your donation and the Chesmar Foundation's matching gift, we now have ten absolutely beautiful new books to share with our students, and we could not be more excited.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the boxes was just how stunning each book is. Goodness gracious, the illustrations in every single one are absolutely breathtaking. Each book is a little work of art. And for our youngest readers, illustrations are everything. Before they can read the words, they're reading the pictures, and these new books give them so much to explore, wonder about, and talk through.
We started the school year with Grumpy Monkey as our first read-aloud. It's not only a funny and engaging story, it's also a perfect way to teach kids how to care for library books. "No monkey business!" becomes our library motto, and the kids love repeating it all year long. So you can imagine the sheer joy on their faces when they saw we had a brand-new Grumpy Monkey book waiting on the shelf for them. They were buzzing with excitement.
Another huge hit has been Knight Owl and Early Bird. The first book in the series was a crowd favorite last year during our storytime read-alouds. The blend of bravery, humor, and heart captured everyone's imagination. When the sequel appeared, the kids were thrilled. "There's another one?" they shouted, eyes wide with wonder. It's such a joy to watch students fall in love with a story and then discover there's more of it to enjoy.
Mr. Fox's Book of No and ¡Shhh! Tenemos un plan are going to be interactive storytime gold. These titles have such a great rhythm for reading aloud, and the children get really into the call-and-response of them. They can't help but yell out "NO" or giggle when the characters tiptoe through their silly plans. These are books that invite participation, build confidence, and turn storytime into something truly magical.
We're also putting Maisy Loves Trees to great use right now. Our Pre-K 3 classes are beginning a month-long study of trees, and this sweet book is the perfect introduction to the topic. It's colorful, gentle, and full of curiosity, just like our little learners. Having a book that meets them exactly where they are in their learning is such a gift. They get to see familiar things like leaves, branches, and nests while also picking up new vocabulary and ideas.
All of these books are already becoming beloved additions to our library shelves, and the excitement they've generated is contagious. There's nothing like watching a preschooler clutch a book to their chest and say, "I want to read this one again!" That kind of joy, curiosity, and connection to reading is what your donation made possible.
Berkeley, we are especially touched that you continue to support us again and again. Your love of books shines through in every donation you've made, and I truly believe that your generosity is planting the seeds of a lifelong love of reading in our students. Whether they're giggling at grumpy monkeys, dreaming of becoming brave little owls, or quietly studying the leaves outside with Maisy, they are engaging deeply with books in ways that matter.
And to the Chesmar Foundation, thank you for matching Berkeley's gift and helping us stretch this donation even further. Your support helped bring more high-quality, engaging stories into the hands of our youngest readers, and for that, we are so grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haywood