Central Grade Staff Favorite Books Then and Now
Our Library Media Paraprofessionals that staff our library have always enjoyed books.
Mrs. Davis was fortunate to grow up in a home filled with books. Her mom is a retired librarian. One of Mrs. Davis' favorite books growing ups was Mr. Poppers' Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. According to Mrs. Davis, she always wanted to have a pet penguin.
Mrs. Davis' favorite book at the moment is Knuffle Bunny A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.
Mrs. Hein has fond memories of reading all the Nancy Drew mysteries she could get her hands on. She also loved hearing her third grade teacher read Charlotte's Web.
One of her all time favorite books is The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Mrs. Kuipers' favorite book as a child growing up was Black Beauty. She had a beautifully illustrated book and it was read to her numerous times until she was able to read herself. Mrs. Kuiper's favorite elementary books now are the series of many mysteries by Joan Lowry Nixon. Mrs. Davis has introduced her to many, many favorites in our school library. Thanks to her, she read a great deal of children's literature. Mrs. Davis is her inspiration for reading.
Mrs. Rokos's favorite books as a child were the Little House series and now she would say Matilda by Roald Dahl.
My godmother first introduced me to the Little House series by giving me Little House in the Big Woods for a birthday present. later, she gave me Farmer Boy. I loved reading about how the Ingall family lived in the wilderness of America, the simplicity of living with all the joys and hardships of life. I read them all several times and even reread them as an adult when my daughters were reading them.
I read all the Roald Dahl books when my son began reading them and we both enjoyed them so much. They were fun to read. I think my favorite was Going Solo which was sort of an autobiography of Roald Dahl's life. Matilda was great too!
- Mrs. Rokos
Mrs. Harmeson's mother taught Kindergarten and1st grade when she was in elementary and junior high. She had two older sisters, so books were very important. There was always a night-time story before bed. Mrs. Harmeson loved the Babar series, partly because some of the books were written in cursive. As she got older she read as many Nancy Drew books as she could check out of the library. Mrs. Harmeson sometimes tried to read a whole book in a day. There are so many book she loves today, but Amelia Bedelia is a favorite. She always makes Mrs. Hameson and the humor is timeless.
Betty Jewell also enjoyed all the Nancy Drew books. " I loves mysteries. A couple of favorite, now, that I enjoy sharing with my students are Harry and the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, plus the other Harry stories. But not to leave cats out, especially since Mrs. Jewell loves cats more, she loves the Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant. She's the same author who writes the Henry Mudge books which are so popular among the younger students.
Mrs. Charland also loved the Ramona series. Ramona Quimby Age 8 was probably my favorite. "Gosh, it is hard to pick a favorite elementary book now", Mrs. Charland says. She likes many other books like the Harry Potter series. As for her favorite book she would say Maniac Magee.
My favorite book when I was a child was The Phantom and Tollbooth by Norman Juster. It had everything, fantasy, word play, and cool pictures too. In fact I read it aloud to my fifth graders every year and enjoy it as much as when I was ten.
-Mrs. Westerman
My favorite book from elementary was The Wind in the Willows. I loved how the author gave the animals humorous characteristics, and I enjoyed the adventures they got into. My students and I have enjoyed reading The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson. It's a fantasy story about the Disney Villains taking over Walt Disney World. It has a lot of action and suspense, and it's set in one of the coolest places on Earth!
-Mr. Balcom
I know I read Barbar when I was young, I read Addy, American Girl to my students because teaches students about slavery and what life was like during that time period. It also teaches that "If you fill your heart with hate there 'ain't' no room for love." Many students may have a cowrie shell necklace to remind them of Addy's mother's words.
-Mrs. Harmeson
Check out their favorites when you visit the library. They you may become you favorites too.