Wednesday, 24 June 2020

NORMAN CROSSES CANADA... (and Miss Elden Drives)

Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey 


NORMAN: Summer vacation is finally here! Time for our cross Canada road trip!
MISS ELDEN: Buckle up your seatbelt Norm, we've got a long trip ahead of us.
NORMAN: First let's stop at the gas station and get some snacks, I'm already hungry.

Hi boys and girls!  Well, this is it - our final library dog blog for this school year. Norman and I have been working so hard on it we have decided to take a vacation. We are going to drive across Canada and see all of the beautiful provinces in our great country.  Norman already knows all of the provinces of Canada because we have read today's story together a lot. It is called Carson Crosses Canada and it is written by the same author as all of those hilarious Stanley the dog stories that we love so much, Linda Bailey.  In this story, an old lady named Annie, and her dog Carson, drive across Canada in their car to go see Annie's sister. It is a great story and teachers you something special about each province in Canada. 
Norman has already got a few pit stops planned on our Google Maps route - he wants to see dinosaur fossils in Drumheller, Alberta, go up the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, and stop for a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal, Quebec...and he also wants to try some yummy local treats like maple syrup, poutine, and fish and chips along the way 😄

Carson Crosses Canada Video:

Colouring Sheet:
Norman and I hope you have enjoyed looking at our library blog - you can always come back and listen to the stories again in the summer time if you'd like! 

Have a great Canada Day and a fun, safe and reading-filled summer!
xo, Miss Elden 📚 & Norman 🐾

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

UP THE CREEK!

Up The Creek by Nicholas Oldland 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest

MINGSI: Who's ready for our trip across Canada??
GEISHA: Can we take an Uber?
MISO: I'm going to ride the moose.
NORMAN: This is going to be a LONG trip.

Hi AJ boys and girls! There are many amazing characteristics about our country, but one of the things I love best is all of the incredible animals that live in Canada. Did you know that moose and beavers don't live in any other areas of the world except for Canada? In today's story, three best friends, Moose, Beaver and Bear have a disagreement about how to properly get from Point A to Point B in their canoe. Their argument finally leaves them "Up the Creek."

Listen to the story and find out how they rescued themselves.  After you have listened to the story, you can colour a cute Canadian animal colouring page!

Up the Creek Video:

Colouring Sheet:


I hope you enjoyed the story today - I love how the animal friends ended up solving their problem!
xo, Miss Elden 


Monday, 22 June 2020

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a WHAT?!?!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose by Chrissy Bozik 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

MISO: Well, here we are sitting around the campfire like true Canadians...what do we do now?
MINGSI: I think we ask the Moose and the Beaver to toast us some marshmallows. 
GEISHA: Somebody needs to tell that Moose he needs a bath - P.U.! 
NORMAN: The toasted marshmallows are yummy, but Miss Elden says she and I aren't really "the camping sort." I think she's right - I don't see a comfy bed or a bathroom anywhere, I'm going home!! 

Hi boys and girls!  Welcome to the last week of our library blog for this year - it's Going Across Canada Week! We are going to celebrate our great country by reading some fabulous Canadian stories this week - all in preparation for our next big holiday on July 1st, Canada Day. We Celebrate Canada Day on July 1st each year because on July 1st in 1867, Canada became its own country. Norman and I have already decided to wear red and white, eat poutine, and listen to Justin Bieber at our Canada Day party this year - what are you going to do?

To kick off Canada Week, we are going to read a really funny Old Lady story called There Was and Old Lady who Swallowed a Moose. There are lots of silly Old Lady stories in our library that I know many of you have read - she swallows things like books, snow, leaves, bells and more. In this story, the old lady swallows a MOOSE. Can you imagine swallowing a moose that could weigh 1200 pounds?? Wait until you see what happens at the end of the story - it is something that lots of Canadians like to do in the summer.  

After you have listened to the story, you can colour a map of Canada and see where all of the provinces and territories are, and work on a Canada word search!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose:

Activity Sheets:

1) Map of Canada:


2) Word Search:


Make sure to read for at least 15 minutes today, because READING IS FUN!
xo, Miss Elden 




Thursday, 18 June 2020

Help Us, Mr. Mutt!

Help Me, Mr. Mutt: Expert Answers For Dogs With People Problems by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel 


NORMAN: Hey Stella, remind me why we are writing to Mr. Mutt again?
STELLA: Because Miss Elden tried to give us smooth peanut butter for a snack today, when she knows we only eat crunchy.
NORMAN: I thought I liked smooth peanut butter?
STELLA: Well The Queen (ME!) doesn't and things need to change! Hopefully Mr. Mutt will have some good advice for us.

Hi boys and girls! As you can see Norman and Stella are writing to Mr. Mutt to get some advice on how to deal with me and my mix-up this morning with their peanut butter.  Who knew dogs would be so picky about such a yummy treat? In today's story, other dogs write to Mr. Mutt to get help with their people problems, and then Mr. Mutt answers their letters with some VERY funny advice. There's one big problem that Mr. Mutt has of his own though - the cranky cat who lives in his basement starts to write letters to him too, letting him know that she's the boss.  I think you will laugh at this funny story.

After you have listened to the story, you can work on a cute cat and dog colouring sheet, or a cat and dog crossword puzzle - or you can work on both if you'd like! 

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!:


Activity Sheets:

1) Cat and Dog colouring sheet: 


2) Cat and Dog Crossword: 


I hope you enjoyed this story of six silly dogs writing to Mr. Mutt about their people problems. Don't worry about Stella and Norman, I went to the grocery store and got them crunchy peanut butter so they are happy as can be now!
xo. Miss Elden 



Welcome to the SHAREMORE Hotel

There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

NORMAN: Hey Miso, I just got the keys for our room at the Sharemore Hotel, let's go check it out!
MISO: Ummm, Norman, these dinosaurs just told me that they're staying in the hotel too...
NORMAN: Perfect! Tell them to meet us at the pool for happy hour!

Hello boys and girls! Norman and his friend Miso are dreaming if they think they are going to get any sleep at the SHAREMORE HOTEL. They will have to SHARE a lot more than just a bed - at this hotel, you have to SHARE a room with another animal.  Some of the guests are right out of the jungle! I know that Norman usually sleeps as quiet as a mouse, so he might not be able to sleep when he hears some of the other guests snoring.  Maybe he and Miso should have checked Trip Advisor for hotel reviews before they made their booking, what do you think?

After you have listened to the story, you can work on a fun T-Rex pattern colouring sheet!

There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor Video:

Dinosaur Colouring Sheet:
Do you think you'd want to stay in a hotel with a dinosaur? Sometimes I think I run my own dog hotel because I spend all day with Norman serving him breakfast, lunch and dinner, cleaning up after him when he tears one of his stuffies apart, and fluffing up his pillows before bedtime. 
xo, Miss Elden 



Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Six Dinner Norm

Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore




MISS ELDEN: Norman, why do you have six bowls in front of you?
NORMAN: I just read the story of Six Dinner Sid and now I want six dinners too.
MISS ELDEN: I already gave you one dinner Norman. 
NORMAN: Norman got one dinner, now you need to feed the five other dogs that look just like me! 

Hi boys and girls! Isn't Norman being silly asking for 6 dinners? He got the idea from the story we are going to read today called Six Dinner Sid. It is about a very funny and clever cat named Sid, who tricks 6 different families on his street into feeding him 6 different dinners every night! A friend of mine found a cat on her porch one night that reminded us of Sid, because it was so hungry she fed it 6 times a day!  She ended up adopting him and now he only gets one dinner a day, but he doesn't mind because he has a special home to live in with an owner who loves him.  I am including a photo of the cat so you can see him eating his 6 different dinners: 


Doesn't he look just like Sid from the story? If you like the story Six Dinner Sid, you should click on the link to see the second Sid story, called Six Dinner Sid a Highland Adventure. Wait until you see what happens when Sid meets a Scottish Highlander cat!  After you have listened to the stories, you can work on a cat breed word search. Keep your eyes open for the Highlander cat in the word search, just like the one in the Sid story!

Six Dinner Sid Video:

Six Dinner Sid: A Highland Adventure Video:

Cat Breeds Word Search: 


I hope you enjoyed the Sid stories today!
xo, Miss Elden 


Tuesday, 16 June 2020

PIGS!

Pigs by Robert Munsch 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 


NORMAN: Hey Miso, I've got a funny joke for you. Why should you never share a bed with a pig?
MISO: Why?
NORMAN: Because they HOG all the covers HA HA HA!
MISO: Oh Normie, your jokes are so funny!
 
OINK! That is pig talk for "hi boys and girls." Today we are going back to the farm with Miso and Norman to read a story about pigs. Lots of people think that pigs are dirty animals, but they are actually very clean. They roll in the mud because it helps them keep cool, not because they like to get dirty. Norman sometimes likes to roll in the mud too - but he's just doing it because he thinks it's fun. Too bad for him the fun ends when Miss Elden has to give him a bath!

Our story today is written by the famous Canadian author, Robert Munsch. He writes very funny and silly stories that kids of all ages can enjoy. In the story "Pigs" a little girl named Megan opens up the gate to the pig pen and the pigs get into all kinds of mischief. Wait until you see what happens on the school bus at the end of the story, it is so funny! 

After you have listened to the story, you can work on a pig colour-by-number sheet. For this colour by number sheet, you will need to do some addition to figure out which number corresponds with which colour!

Pigs Video:


Colour-by-number sheet:
Click here for printable version of colour-by-number sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e8Tcti1-ISGG8sHAPV1RlhaedItMyXgm/view?usp=sharing

If you feel like reading some more Robert Munsch stories, you can find them in our online catalogue and read them on your personal devices at home. Just click the link on the top right hand corner of the blog "How to access digital ebooks from our library" for step-by-step instructions on how to access them! 
xo, Miss Elden  




Monday, 15 June 2020

DUCK ON A BIKE

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

NORMAN: Can you believe this duck can ride a bike? Now I've seen everything! Do you think we should learn how to ride bikes too?
MINGSI: I don't think I want to ride a bike - I'd rather be pushed in my stroller.
GEISHA: Riding a bike looks easy, I'm going to try riding a unicycle!
MISO: I think I'll stay at home in my cozy bed and read stories instead.

Hi boys and girls! Today we are going to read a story by the very funny author David Shannon. He is very talented because he is the author AND the illustrator of all of his stories. You might remember we talked about David Shannon when we were reading those funny How I Became a Pirate stories, because he did the illustrations in those books as well. 

Today's story is called Duck on a Bike, and is about a very talented duck who rides his bicycle around the farm. All the other farm animals get a little bit jealous of duck, but wait until you see what they all do at the end of the story, it will make you giggle!

After you have listened to the story, you can work on a colouring sheet of two famous ducks riding a bike - Daisy and Donald Duck!

Duck on a Bike Video:


Colouring Sheet:


I hope you enjoyed the story today, maybe you might be able to go for a bike ride yourself this week, just like Duck!
xo, Miss Elden 
 


Friday, 12 June 2020

Felipe and Claudette

Felipe and Claudette by Mark Teague 


Hi boys and girls! Today Norman has chosen a story for us to read about a cat named Felipe, and a dog named Claudette, who live at an animal shelter. Felipe and Claudette are waiting patiently for people to adopt them and take them home to become their pets. Claudette is a very silly and happy dog, and Felipe is a bit of a snobby cat, but they end up becoming the best of friends. Sometimes shelter animals have to wait for the exact right person to come along and adopt them - and when that happens, the people and the animals live happily ever after! 

After you have listened to the story, you can work on a cat and dog word search if you'd like 🐈🐕

Felipe and Claudette Video:


Word Search:


Didn't you love the happy ending in that story? I'm so glad Felipe and Claudette get to live together forever 💜
Make sure to spend some time reading this weekend, because READING IS FUN!
xo, Miss Elden 

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Who's that grumpy cat?

Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story by Sam Lloyd


NORMAN: Hey Blossom, come join us - Miss Elden is going to read us a lovely bedtime story.

BLOSSOM: *Yawn* Your bedtime stories are boring Norman. I'm going to go on a naughty adventure like Mr. Pusskins.
NORMAN: You do know that Mr. Pusskins and the Pesky Cat Crew climb up onto high things like fences in that story, don't you?


BLOSSOM: WHAT?!?! I hate heights! Move over, I'm coming for story time! 

Hi AJ boys and girls! Isn't Mrs. Morrison's cat Blossom cute and funny? To start off with, she was just like Mr. Pusskins in the story we are going to read today. She thought bedtime stories were boring and she needed more adventure. But, she ended up joining Norman and I for a story when she found out Mr. Pusskins and his naughty friends climb high fences  - she HATES heights!

Mr. Pusskins is a very crabby cat, even though his owner Emily loves and spoils him. He kind of reminds me of another famous crabby cat called Grumpy Cat. You might recognize her from the photo below: 
Photo Credit: The Official Grumpy Cat Facebook Page

Norman is trying to figure out why cats are so grumpy sometimes. He knows that dogs are always happy no matter what! 

Today I have made a video of both of the Mr. Pusskins stories for you to enjoy. The first one is called "Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story" and the second one is called "Mr. Pusskins and Little Whiskers." I think you are going to like them both. After you have listened to the stories, you can colour a cute fuzzy cat colouring sheet 🐈

Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story & Mr. Pusskins and Little Whiskers Video:


Colouring Sheet:

Keep up all of your great reading!
xo, Miss Elden 

Pirate Girls Rule!

Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

NORMAN: Avast me hearties! Look at all the booty I collected on my travels on the High Seas. I need to bury my treasure quick though, I saw Barbarous Bertha's ship through my telescope, and she's one of the scariest pirates on the Seven Seas!

Hi boys and girls! As you can see, Captain Norman has a whole chest of treasure from his travels at sea. Do you think he might let me choose some nice jewellery from it if I give him a few extra treats today?

Did you know that some of the fiercest pirates in history were girl pirates? Two of the most famous were named Anne Bonny and Mary Read. They became best friends and pirate partners who looted and pillaged fishing ships in the Bahamas in the 1700s. They were actually real life "Pirates of the Caribbean!"

Today we are going to read an action packed story called "Pirate Girl" about a little girl named Molly who is kidnapped by a band of mean pirates. They think that they can scare her, but they can't, because she has a secret about who her mother is that will leave the pirates shaking in their boots!

I am including two different pirate sheets for you to work on today. One is a colouring sheet and the other is word search!

Pirate Girl Video:


Activity Sheets:

1) Colouring Sheet:


2) Word Search: 


Make sure to find some fun and exciting books to read at home today!
xo, Miss Elden


Tuesday, 9 June 2020

It's time for some horsing around!

Horseplay! by Karma Wilson 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

MINGSI: What's the deal with these horses? It's the middle of the day and they're asleep!
NORMAN: They were up all night horsing around and playing games. They're too tired to help the farmer with the chores now.
MINGSI: I'm kind of getting tired too, maybe we should go have a nap.
NORMAN: Ok, but I'm not sleeping on the ground with the horses. I take my naps on Miss Elden's bed.

Hello boys and girls! Norman and his pal Mingsi are back on the farm today with some baby horses. Baby horses are called foals - these ones are named Baby Ben and Baby Jerry, and boy do they LOVE to play. After playing so hard they tire themselves out and then need to take a long nap. The horses in the story Horseplay! also like to play. The trouble is, they like to play all night  and then they sleep all day! Finally, the farmer has to stay awake all night to make sure the horses go to sleep - can you figure out what happens the next day?  I don't really have to worry about Norman staying awake all night - he likes to sleep all night AND all day!

How cute is this video of one of the foals learning how to run and play at the farm? Norman and I think he has some pretty neat dance moves!

After we have read the story together, you can work on this fun horse maze activity sheet. You need to get the pony through the maze to its treats - once you have done that, you can colour all of the pictures! 

Horseplay! Video: 


Maze Activity Sheet:

I wonder what the next farm animal Norman will want us to read about will be?  Maybe an animal that likes to roll around in the mud as much as he does...stay tuned to find out!
xo. Miss Elden 

Friday, 5 June 2020

Are You a Horse?

Are You a Horse? By Andy Rash 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

MINGSI: Norman, are you a horse?
NORMAN: No silly, I'm a dog just like you.
MINGSI: But you're really big and run fast like a horse.
NORMAN: That's true, but horses eat hay, and I like to eat pizza and cookies.

Hi boys and girls!  I hope you all had a good weekend, and now are ready for another fun week of stories with Norman and his doggie friends on the library blog. Today, we are going to read a really funny story called "Are You a Horse?" about a cowboy trying to find a horse to put a saddle on so he can go for a ride. But the cowboy has a big problem - he doesn't know what a horse looks like! I think you are going to laugh at this very silly story about a very silly cowboy.

After you have listened to the story, you can colour a picture of a mama horse and her foal on the farm. 

Are You a Horse? Video:


Colouring Sheet:


Make sure to check back tomorrow, when Norman and his friends get to meet some real baby horses!
xo, Miss Elden 

The Lighthouse Dog

The Lighthouse Dog by Betty Waterton

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

MISO: Norman, are your sure we want to go into the lighthouse? I think it looks a bit big and lonely in  there. Plus, we are surrounded by water, but neither of us even likes to swim.
NORMAN: We should definitely go in, I heard the Captain's Wife is bringing an extra large pizza!

Hi boys and girls!  Today we are reading a story called The Lighthouse Dog. I love this story because it is funny, adventurous, and has a really cool dog in it called Molly who LOVES to eat pizza. Norman loves to eat pizza too, his favourite is pepperoni. A Lighthouse is a tall building that has a light near the top. Lighthouses are often built on the coast of an ocean and help protect ships from crashing into shore by sending light out towards the sea. Back in the old days, there used to be a lighthouse keeper who would make sure that there was always a light burning or turned on in the lighthouse to make sure anyone in a boat in the ocean would stay safe and away from crashing into the shore. Sometimes the lighthouse keeper would have to stay up all night to make sure the light never went out!  This story takes place off the eastern coast of Canada in the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world. The first largest Ocean in the world is the Pacific Ocean, which is the ocean found on the Pacific Coast, right where we live in British Columbia.

I have also included a nice colouring sheet of a lighthouse scene if you would like to work on it as well.

I hope you enjoy the story as much as Norman and I do - Norman loves a story where a dog is a hero!

The Lighthouse Dog:


Colouring Sheet:


Make sure to read lots of books this weekend!
xo, Miss Elden

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

THE GOOD EGG

The Good Egg by Jory John 


NORMAN: I've heard some of you are naughty eggs. You should try being good, like me and The Good Egg. 
NAUGHTY EGGS: We like being naughty. It's more fun.
NORMAN: I've got an EGGCELLENT joke for you: What do you call a mischievous egg?
NAUGHTY EGGS: What?
NORMAN: A practical yolker! 😂

Hi boys and girls! Today we are going to read the story The Good Egg. It is written by Jory John, who is the same author who wrote that other great book we love, called The Bad Seed. Norman thinks it would be hard to live in an egg carton with 11 naughty eggs. He knows that if you're a good boy like he is you get lots of treats and belly rubs. 

Let's read The Good Egg together and see what happens when the Good Egg decides to leave the egg carton. After the story, you can work on a Good Egg activity sheet where you can draw yourself as an egg!

The Good Egg Video:

Activity Sheet:


I hope you enjoyed out EGGCELLENT story today!
xo, Miss Elden 

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long


Hi AJ boys and girls! As you can see from the photo, Captain Norman of the High Seas is getting very in character for us to read Pirates Don't Change Diapers today. I think he wants me to help him bury his gold medallion and jewels so nobody steals them. You can see Norman is wearing his captain's uniform, and he also has a pirate hat (that is too big and keeps falling off his head), a telescope (so he can spot other ships from afar) and his trusty cutlass (a sword with a curved blade.) Do you think he knows that pirates didn't allow dogs on ships because they thought they brought bad luck? I won't tell him if you wont 🙊

Today we are going to read the sequel to How I Became a Pirate, called Pirates Don't Change Diapers. Wait until you see what happens when the pirates become babysitters for Jeremy Jacob's little sister Bonnie Anne. My favourite part is when some of the pirates put diapers on their heads. You are going to laugh out loud at this story!

I am also attaching a really fun pirate colour-by-number sheet. There are lots of numbers and different colours in this one, so make sure you use the legend at the bottom of the sheet to figure out which colour goes with which number! 

Pirates Don't Change Diapers Video:


Colour-by-number sheet: 

Click here for printable version of colour-by-number sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xLVAaPsffVgostHF0AiIJjNkYJoTU_LH/view?usp=sharing

I hope you enjoyed the story - aren't those pirates funny? Make sure to do some reading for fun today!
xo, Miss Elden 

Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Old MacDonald Had a Boat

Old MacDonald Had a Boat by Steve Goetz 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest

GEISHA: Where are we headed on this speed boat Captain Norman?
NORMAN: I'll let you know when I can figure out how to turn the boat on Geisha.

Hello boys and girls! As you can see from the photo, Norman and his friend Geisha sometimes like to play around on a speedboat. Norman thinks he's the real Captain, but I think he still needs to take some lessons on how to drive the boat before I'm going to head out with him at the helm.

Norman's best friend Stella, actually DOES know all about speed boats though. She goes to work as an archeologist's assistant, and sometimes she has to take a boat to get to the digging site. Take a look at her on one of her work days heading to the work site in the photo and video below:

Monday, 1 June 2020

When dogs take over the school!

Stanley at School by Linda Bailey 

Photo Credit: Roy Priest 

Hi AJ boys and girls! Do you think dogs should come to school with us? I know that when I leave for school in the morning, Norman always follows me to the door like he would like to join me. He would probably love spending time reading books with all of you in the library. Maybe we can convince Ms. Desautels to let him be an honorary student, what do you think?

For those boys and girls back at school today, I hope you are having a good day. If you are doing your learning from home, then you can go to school with Stanley and his friends, Alice, Nutsy and Gassy Jack.  

Let's read Stanley at School together, and then you can colour this detailed pattern colouring sheet of a cute little Pug. It will look SO beautiful once you have used all different colours to fill in the patterns. 

Stanley at School Video:


Pug Pattern Colouring Sheet:

I hope you enjoyed reading all of the funny Stanley the dog stories together. See if you can find a dog book to read before bedtime tonight too!
xo, Miss Elden