Monday Happenings

Today, 5th grade came to the library and I shared The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel and illustrated by Jim LaMarche.  This is a beautifully illustrated story about Henry, a young boy growing up during the Great Depression.  His family struggled to make ends meet, but Henry "didn't complain, because it was nobody's fault."

On Christmas Eve, Henry's dad borrows a truck and takes Henry to cut trees to sell in New York City.  The day is a good day, made even better by the people they meet while selling the trees.  As Henry enjoys the moment, his dad talks to the men about the hard times they were facing.  These new friends come to help Henry and his family and make a lasting impression on Henry, one that stays with him through his life. 

The story comes full circle, and reminds us that "the best presents are the ones you don't expect."  The best gift for me was learning that the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is milled and used  by Habitat for Humanity each year to build a home in the area from which the tree came.  I loved reading the information about how the trees are found, as well as the additional information on Habitat for Humanity. 

Many of my 5th graders were unfamiliar with Habitat for Humanity, so this book created an opportunity for learning and discussing.  I found this short video on how the tree is milled, which was very interesting for the students:  Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Video

This book would make a wonderful addition to a holiday book collection!

Much to be Thankful For!

November has been a very busy month and one that helps me to realize all that I have to be thankful for as the librarian of Curtis Elementary! Our month started off with our author Skype visit with Laurel Snyder, and we are very thankful for the time she gave to our book club!  The students are still talking (bragging! :) ) about their visit and are already asking when our next book club will start! You can see by their faces that they were very connected to Snyder and listening to every word she was saying!


On Election Day, the students at Curtis were able to participate in the election process thanks to Mrs. Medlin, Mrs. McKenzie and Mrs. McKinney creating a "polling site" in the upstairs computer lab! Through library lessons, students learned about the election process and the importance of exercising your right to vote. With the upper grades, I shared non-fiction text and online resources related to voting and the president. Lower grades listened as I read My Teacher for President by Kay Winters and Duck for President  by Doreen Cronin to help them understand the job of the president. On voting day, students filled out voter's registration cards and went through the verification process, before casting their vote on an online ballot.  This was a great "real world" learning experience for the students!

During this same week, students learned about the sacrifices our service men and women make for us as we read America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven and illustrated by Mike Benny.  Student Council members then presented America's White Table to our visitors during our Veteran's Day Lunch.  At the beginning of each lunch period,  members shared the significance of each item set on the table.  It was a wonderful addition and was appreciated by the many veterans that attended the lunch. 

Next in our busy month was our visit by Troupe d' Jour and their Shakespeare presentation that was provided for all of our students by our wonderful PTA!  The presentations varied by grade level and consisted of Romeo and Juliet or The Tempest.  Audience members were brought up to participate in the performances and students were very excited about the presentation.  The performers not only shared information about Shakespeare and some of his plays, but also worked in science, social studies and many ELA TEKS that supported what students were learning in their classes!  The performers spent their lunch visiting with some of the Quest students who are focusing on Shakespeare during their time with Mrs. Cheshire, as well as shared "sword fighting" techniques with the afternoon library aides.  It was a fun and enriching day!

Our month is ending on a fabulous note, because right before our Thanksgiving break, we received a huge book order from our ATPE Foundation literacy grant that we were awarded last spring!  The grant was for adding new books to our nonfiction area which we were able to accomplish.  Teachers had input and were excited to see all of the new resources. Students who visited the library were also able to see the new books and definitely have their eyes on a few to check out when they get back!  I predict that one of the favorites with the students will be the new military and war books! 

I am thankful for all that November brought to the Curtis Elementary students and can't wait to see what December brings!  Oh, and I didn't even share about the Mystery Skypes we did!  Our Global Connections map has some new additions, but that will have to be another post!

Author Skype with Laurel Snyder

On Tuesday, students in the Curtis Book Club were able to Skype with the author of the book we have been reading, Bigger Than a Bread Box.  During the summer, author Laurel Snyder posted on Twitter that she would like to do Skype visits with students this fall. Bigger Than a Bread Box was being released in paperback in September, so I thought this would be a perfect book to read with the book club.  The book club, consisting of 5th and 6th graders, has met most every morning at 7:30, beginning October 1st and continuing through to November 6th, when we Skyped with Snyder.  Our fabulous PTA purchased the books for the book club, AND the author went by the book store to personalize the books!  The students were very excited about their signed copies of Bigger Than a Bread Box!
 
As we met and read each morning, the students would share questions and connections they were making with the characters and the events in the book.  On average, we would have 12-15 members of the book club each morning, some  bringing up their breakfast so that they wouldn't miss anything.
 
Finally, our day to meet the author arrived!  The students were in the library and ready to go, questions prepared for Snyder to answer.  She spent about 20 minutes sharing with the students about her childhood, her escape into books, and her goal to become a writer.  Snyder recounted how she submitted her first manuscript many times before it was finally accepted, talking to the students about not giving up, and how she learned from each rejection.

Students were able to come up and ask their questions of Ms. Snyder.  Some students asked about advice on becoming a writer, while others asked wonderful questions about aspects of the book.  I was so very proud of the students' questions!  You could tell they had connected with the book, and it was great to see their interactions with the author! 

This was such a fun way to spend our mornings!  Looking forward to the next book club!

Book Character Pumpkin Decorating

Curtis students and their families helped make our library a very festive place last week!  Students were encouraged to participate in the Book Character Pumpkin decorating contest and they came through in a BIG way!!  One after another, the pumpkins came in!  I couldn't believe my eyes; they were ALL so creative!!  Like these, for instance!! "Gruffalo" was brought in by a family who has recently relocated to Weatherford from Ireland! 

 

There were so many incredible entries that I was thankful I didn't have to judge!  Altogether, there were about 50 pumpkins.  I had encouraged "family participation" and it seems the families had a great time together creating their book character pumpkins.  One mom shared with me that she remembered doing this when she was in school and was excited to get to do this with her boys!  Here are their pumpkins, "Pete the Cat" and "Tin Man"!



 

This activity was a hit and we will certainly do this again next year!  Here are some more pumpkins!



 

 



 

 

 

And finally, because we called it a "contest" we had to pick winners... even though, quite honestly, they are were all FABULOUS!!

 



 

GREAT JOB, Curtis students & families!  Thanks for making the library a fun place to be during Halloween!   

 

Mystery Skypes

It has been a busy few weeks in the Curtis Library!  As you know, we just finished with our record-setting book fair!! Thanks to everyone for helping and shopping!!  Before our book fair however, we participated in two Mystery Skypes!  I had seen teachers and librarians tweeting about this on Twitter, and thought it would be a great experience for our students.  Turns out it was! The premise of a Mystery Skype is that two classes Skype, neither knowing where the other class is.  Through "yes" and "no" questions, they try to determine the location of the other class. The first class to participate was Mrs. Pitman's 5th graders who came into the library early one Tuesday morning.  The students brought with them maps and atlases to use during the Skype.  There were also laptops set up for students to use.  Mrs. Pitman and I had worked with the students to help them understand their responsibilities during the Skype.  Since this was our first time, our mystery class was kind enough to go first and they guessed our state within five questions!!  Way to go Mrs. Kilpatrick's class!  Then it was our turn!  We were definitely nervous, but through questioning and some deductive reasoning, Mrs. Pitman's class was able to guess Massachusettes as the location of Mrs. Kilpatrick's class!!

The Mystery Skype was so fun, I talked Mr. Prentice's first period class into doing a Mystery Skype that Friday.  I had seen another teacher looking for a class to connect with, so I went to Mr. Prentice, who had been working with his students on map skills during the first six weeks.  Mr. Prentice assigned jobs to his students and I prepared them for the format of the Skype visit.  Due to scheduling issues, the students had a "Lunch & Learn" and Skyped during their lunch period.

The Mystery Skype class asked their questions first, and were able to guess that we were located in Texas.  The students had been advised to be careful with accents and using "y'all"!!  :)  Then it was our turn!  Mr. Prentice's class used great questioning strategies and map skills to determine Mrs. Parisi's class was located in New York! 
Here is a video of the end of the Mystery Skype:

This was an engaging learning experience for both of these classes and something we hope to repeat in the near future.  I am sure that questioning techniques will improve the more the students participate, and what a great way to apply those map skills the students have been learning!  Thanks to both of these classes for representing Curtis Elementary so well! Two more locations have now been added to our Global Connections Map in the library!

Book Fair is Here!! October 15-19

We are very excited about our Fall Book Fair that is open all week 7:30-4:00! Family Night will be Tuesday, October 16th and the book fair will be open until 7:00 PM with a PTA meeting following!   This is a wonderful opportunity for families to purchase quality books at reasonable prices.  There are books for all ages, from preschool to adult!  Flyers were sent home with students last week, so check backpacks if you haven't seen one!  If you can't make it to the book fair in person, you can shop online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/curtislibrary Books will be shipped to our school, free of charge.
Come check out all the books at the Fall Book Fair in the Curtis Library!

International Dot Day Celebration

What a great week we had in the library, celebrating International Dot Day ALL WEEK LONG!!  Each grade level made their mark in a little different way, from bookmarks with Kinder to iMovies to Skype visits.  It was definitely a full week, and a wonderful way to start the year.  The celebration is centered around Peter H. Reynold's book, The Dot, which encourages creativity and making your mark, whatever your mark might be.  As I shared with the students, it is a little book with a big message!  In addition to library activities, students were also able to use computers, iPads, and iPod Touches to create dot art.  This week, the fun continues during art classes, when students will create dot masterpieces!  Here are some pictures from the week!


One way to Make Your Mark!



5th Grade Skypes with Wisconsin Students!



2nd Grade Skyping with Iowa students

3rd Grade Skypes with Florida students



1st Grade iPad Dot art



Welcome Back, Curtis Readers!

What a fabulous first week of school we had last week!  I was able to see most all students in grades 1-6 and get books into their hands!  It was wonderful having a library full of excited readers, and I can't wait to start seeing students on a regular basis.  Please refer to the LIBRARY INFORMATION page to see what day each class comes to the library. 

I had a lot of fun the first day of school, going around to see what each teacher had chosen for the First Read of the New Year!  Here are some of the pictures from the different grade levels!

I am looking forward to a GREAT year!!  Happy Reading!

Elections & Worms

True to my word, here are a couple of books that are PERFECT for my younger friends! The first book is Babymouse for President by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. Those of you who have followed the blog this summer will remember that I was lucky enough to meet these two at BooksmART in Dallas! I have been anxiously awaiting this new book, and it did not let me down. Babymouse has decided to run for student council president, and of course, her nemesis or rival, Felicia Furrypaws, is also running. At first, Babymouse has no direction with her campaign other than to win. She learns that making a lot of empty promises or trying to bribe voters won't get you very far. You will want to check this book out to see if Babymouse is able to win the election!  This will be a fun book to read as we prepare for the upcoming presidential election.  I know that I have some huge Babymouse fans at Curtis, and this book will be hard to keep on the shelf!

Holm, J.L., & Holm, M. (2012). Babymouse for President. New York: Random House


The next book I read was from the Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner & Brian Floca.  The first book is Marty McGuire, and I enjoyed reading it in May and then immediately passed it on to Mrs. Lemons to read to her class.  In this second book, Marty McGuire Digs Worms!  Marty & her best friend Annie work together on a class project for a competition that focuses on helping the earth.  After a failed attempt to make paper, Grandma Barb helps the girls with an idea to build a bench to hold worms for their cafeteria.  Marty is sure that the worms will take care of all the leftover food so there will be less trash.  She doesn't realize that the worms can't eat all of the leftovers for the whole school.  Her friends get upset with her when they can't put their food in the bin, and Marty is disappointed in how slowly the worms eat the food scraps.  Like Babymouse, Marty also has a "thorn in her side" in Veronica, one of her classmates.  Veronica is disgusted by Marty & Annie's project and thinks her petunia project is perfect!  Only time will tell if the worm bin wins the competition, and whether Marty has any friends left when it is all over.  If you haven't read Marty McGuire, start there, then check this book out!  It will be waiting for readers when school starts in August!

Messner, K. (2012). Marty McGuire digs worms! NewYork: Scholastic, Inc.

Bigger Than a Bread Box

I know I have spent more time recently sharing about middle grade books, and I promise I will share books for younger grades next, BUT I just finished this book and wanted to tell you about it!

What would you do if you had a magic bread box and anything you wished for that could fit in it would appear?  That is exactly what Rebecca has in the story Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder. 

When Rebecca's mom needs time to figure things out, away from Rebecca's dad, she packs up the car, with Rebecca and her little brother Lew, and they head to Atlanta, where Rebecca's Gran is waiting. Soon after arriving at Gran's, Rebecca discovers a bread box collection while hiding in the attic. As she is sitting there, she wishes she had a book. Looking in the last few bread boxes, she finds a book in a pretty, decorative one. Rebecca is drawn to the bread box and takes it with her to her room. Later, as she is in bed wishing for everything to be okay, wishing she was back home in Baltimore, she also wishes for gulls. You can imagine her surprise to find a couple of gulls in the bread box. Rebecca finds that anything she wishes for that can fit in the bread box, will suddenly appear. As she starts at her new school, she decides that wishing for a few things might make it easier to make friends. Eventually Rebecca begins to wonder where these items are actually coming from and realizes that by making some wishes, she is stealing. Throughout the story, you can feel the emotions that Rebecca is going through, from anger towards her mom, to insecurity about being at her new school, to sadness about missing her dad, to the love she feels towards her little brother, Lew.

It seems odd to describe a book with magic as "real" but that is exactly what you get with this book. This is a perfect read for 4th-6th grade students looking for a book about real life and magic all mixed up in one! Not to mention, the author, Laurel Snyder has volunteered to do a Skype visit with students at Curtis Elementary in the fall.  The book is in hardcover right now, but you could check it out from the Weatherford Public Library before school starts.  In September, the book will be released in paperback!

Snyder, L. (2011). Bigger than a bread box. New York: Random House.

Aliens & Bank Robbers!

I just finished two books that students in grades 4-6 are sure to want to read.  The first one is one of our new Texas Bluebonnet nominees, Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith.  Scrub is sent to spend the summer with his grandmother while his parents are working.  He hasn't spent much time with her, so it is a little awkward at first.  His grandmother runs the Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, which plays host to some rather strange visitors.  Whatever is going on here has the sheriff very interested!  He spends a lot of time driving by the inn, questioning Grandma about the tourists and threatening to shut down the bed & breakfast.  Scrub meets a friend, Amy, who is very curious about space, aliens and Grandma's bed & breakfast. This makes Scrub very nervous and he works hard to keep Amy from discovering just exactly what is going on at the Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast.  Pick up this book to read all about how Scrub spends the summer helping his grandmother cater to out of this world visitors!

.  The other book I read was Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger.  You may recognize this name from another favorite, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.  This story begins with 12 year-old Lenny loaning his friend Casper $10 to buy a fake mustache.  Lenny become suspicious when a short mustached "man" begins robbing banks,and Casper seems to be missing during these times.  When Fako Mustacho launches a campaign to take over the country, Lenny must figure out a way to stop this craziness.  Lenny teams up with Jodie O'Rodeo, a teen TV star, to save the world from this mad man.  Is he able to keep Fako from being successful in taking over the world?  You will have to read to find out!

Texas Traveling & Reading

As many of you know, I am finishing up my graduate classes for my Master in Library Science degree.  This month, I took a Field Research elective class and traveled down I-35 in search of libraries and museums with a Texas connection.  Having been a 4th grade teacher for many years, AND a native Texan, this class provided an opportunity for me to make some discoveries!  I used one of the new Texas Bluebonnet nominees, Clete Barrett Smith's Aliens on Vacation for my theme, changing it, of course, to Librarians on Vacation! A friend and fellow grad student went with me, making it all twice as fun!   If you would like to read about my adventures, you can find more about it at Reading Across Texas! 

Now for a book to go with it!  I've been working on my Bluebonnet books, but made time to read Bold Women in Texas History by Don Blevins. This book would be a great resource for students in 4th & 7th grades, since Texas history is their focus, but it would also be a great book for anyone interested in Texas history.  It outlines the lives and accomplishments of eleven women important to Texas. Some were familiar names such as Bessie Coleman, Lizzie Johnson and Barbara Jordan.  There were several women unfamiliar to me, such as Mollie Kirland Bailey, a circus owner, nurse and spy!  Now that is bold!! I enjoyed learning about the lives of these women and discovering more about Texas in the process. Included in the book are short biographies about athletes, catttlewomen, artists, and politicians, all making contributions to the state of Texas as well as our country!  This was a very informative and entertaining book!

BooksmART at Dallas Museum Of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art hosts BooksmART each June which gives families a wonderful opportunity to interact with authors and illustrators, all for FREE.  The line up this year was AMAZING!!  The 2012 Newbery and Caldecott winners were there, Jack Gantos and Chris Raschka, as well as the creators of both the Babymouse and Squish series, Jennifer and Matthew Holm.  I was also very excited to meet Clete Barrett Smith, the author of one of the 2012-2013 Bluebonnet nominees, Aliens on Vacation.  It was a great day and I will definitely go back to BooksmART again next summer! 


By the way, Curtis students, I got a copy of Babymouse, Queen of the World signed by Jennifer & Matthew Holm, AND I have two copies of Aliens on Vacation signed by Clete Barrett Smith. I will be giving these away to some lucky Curtis students, so check back for information on the giveaway!!

Summer Reading

I am working my way through the 2012-2012 Bluebonnet nominees and I hope that you will join me!  Visit Weatherford Public Library this summer to start reading these books before August!  Here are the 2012-2013 Bluebonnet Nominees!
 
Just recently, I finished Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem. Lucy, the 13 year old daughter of the American Ambassador to Ethiopia, is tired of being confined to her house.  She wants to have more freedom and decides to sneak off with a friend.  She is kidnapped and held captive.  Fortunately, Lucy has a fondness for learning, and through reading has become knowledgeable about the region, including plant and animal life.  Will this knowledge help her as she attempts to escape?  You will have to read the book to find out!

Before school was out, I was able to read Postcards from Camp by Simms Taback to some of the 2nd and 3rd graders.  This is a fun read because of the actual letters and postcards that you can pull out from the book.  Remember to put them back so that the next reader can enjoy the book just as much!  Anyway, the book is a series of letters and postcards from a father and son.  This is the first time the son has gone to sleepaway camp and he is sure he will not like it.  His dad ignores his complaints and pleas to be picked up from camp.  How does the son handle this? Check out the book to find out!

Library News for May

Don't forget that all library books are due Friday, May 18th.  Please look for any missing books in all of those hiding places (under beds, in closets, on bookshelves, under the couch, etc.) and help us get all books back on the shelves before summer! 

On Friday, May 18th, a librarian from Weatherford Public Library will visit Curtis to share with students all about their Summer Reading Program!  Don't take the summer off!  READ!!  :)  You can visit Weathford Public Library for more information on the summer reading programs for all ages!

While on vacation, snap a picture of you reading and email it to me at sford@weatherfordisd.com and I will post it on our webpage and Facebook page!  I can't wait to see all the places we are reading this summer!! 

If you haven't found our new Facebook page, check out the Curtis Elementary Library Media Center page on Facebook!

Beth Ann Rogers Literacy Initiative Grant



Photo courtesy of Derik Moore

Curtis Elementary Library recently was awarded the Beth Ann Rogers Literacy Initiative Grant from ATPE.  We are so very excited to have received this grant and will be considering ways to add to our collection using these funds.  Thanks ATPE for choosing Curtis Elementary Library!

Drop Everything And Read Day, 2012

Curtis Elementary will be celebrating National DEAR Day on Thursday morning.  The entire school will drop everything and READ!  Watch for pictures to come!  In the meantime, here is a short video of some of our Curtis family dropping everything to READ!!

Spring Break Fun!!

Spring Break at the Weatherford Public Library

Spring Break 2012 is just around the corner! For parents looking for activities to keep kids busy, and for kids not looking to sit around the house all day, there is a great alternative:  Spring Break at the Weatherford Public Library.

Monday, March 12 is for the creative genius in every child. ARTstravaganza is back! Two separate sessions offer experiences for different age groups. At 10:30 am, kids in 1^st to 3^rd grade can indulge in the most forbidden of arts – thumb-painting!  At 2 pm, children in 4^th to 6^th grade become art sleuths, learning about art through amazing forgeries.

Tuesday, March 13 is for the mad scientist in all of us. Wacky Science returns to prove that scientific inquiry isn’t just about stodgy old people in lab coats – it’s about the mess! Two one-hour sessions offer experiments appropriate to different ages. Kids in 1^st to 3^rd grade will learn about the properties of light at 10:30am. At 2 pm, children in grades 4^th to 6^th will solve a heinous crime using cool experiments.

Toddlers and preschoolers! Want to know what lies on the other side of the rainbow? On Wednesday March 14 at 10:30am, join us to celebrate the beauty of nature in Rainbow All Around Me. Children aged 4 to 6 will find books and activities best suited to their development in Preschool Storytime and kids from birth to 3 can enjoy great songs and stories just for them at Toddler Time.

There is no better way to get ready for Spring Break weekend than to catch the blockbuster films that enchant kids and adults alike. Come to Best of the Box Office on Thursday March 15 for two opportunities to enjoy a family favorite lasting under two hours. At 10:30am, join us for the latest adventure of the most unlikely martial arts expert -  a wise-cracking panda that must confront an enemy from his past. At 2pm, a fairy tale classic is reimagined as only Disney can do it – everyone will love the story of a girl in a tower and the hapless thief she entraps in order to find the wonderful lights she spies every year on her birthday.

These programs are presented by Weatherford Public Library. Unless specified, no reservations are needed for youth programs; however, advance notice is appreciated to accommodate groups of any size. Please call 817-598-4150 or check our website www.wpltx.com for more information on the events planned for our library.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!! by Shawna Ford

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!! by Shawna Ford
Click above to go to a Dr. Seuss Wallwisher page!  Tell me what your favorite Dr. Seuss book is as we get ready to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America day on Friday!

From First to Sixth Grade- We are learning research skills!!

Students have been working on research skills in the library recently.  I was so excited to have first graders come in to learn about WebPath Express and how to evaluate websites.  We talked about different resources for research and looked at websites to determine which ones were appropriate for first graders. 

Fifth graders came into the library and compared the ease of use of a traditional encyclopedia to Britannica online.  They then worked in groups to choose a topic to research using both tools and created a Thinking Map to display their new knowledge.

Then Second & Third graders came in and practiced using Webpath Express and locating the library blog.  The students worked together to brainstorm topics and search for information about those topics on websites found through Webpath Express.  This is a useful research tool for students because the results returned are able to be sorted by grade level and are more appropriate for school research.

Book Fair is Coming! We LOVE Books!

We will have our book fair during the week of February 13-17 with several opportunites for you to visit the book fair with you family.  On Tuesday, February 14th come get "Breakfast and Books" with your child.  The book fair will open at 7:15 for families to shop.  Students must have an adult with them to visit during this time.  We will also have our Family Night on Thursday, February 16th when we will be open until 6:00 PM.    To help our teachers encourage a LOVE of reading in their classrooms, you can help add to the classroom library by purchasing a book from a teacher's Wish List. Look for notes to come home about all of these great events during our "We LOVE Books!" week! 

If you would like to shop online, just click here!  Scholastick Book Fair Online Shopping
The books will be shipped to the school for free and delivered to your child's classroom.  I look forward to seeing you during our book fair week!  If you would like to volunteer during the book fair, just let me know! 
Mrs Ford
sford@weatherfordisd.com

WallWisher-Bluebonnet Books

I have set up an online message board where you can tell me about your favorite Bluebonnet books. Leave a post-it and we will look at it during your time in the library. Remember to be short with your thoughts! There isn't much room on a post-it!! I can't wait to read your reactions to the Bluebonnet books we will vote on at the end of the month!  Just click the link below to find your way!

Curtis Elementary Library Media Center by Shawna Ford

Check Out Our "New Books" Shelf!

We have many new books in the library and these are easily found on the "New Books" shelf located near the circulation desk!  One new book that I've just finished is Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan.  It is a great story about a family going through some changes: the dad leaves the family for awhile to try to write a book.  Mom, Will & Elinor adopt not one, but FOUR dogs AND a cat, and they all try to adjust to Dad not being there.  Suprisingly, Elinor can hear the animals talk, which is where the magic comes in.  It seems that if you are old enough or young enough or even brave enough, then you can hear the animals talk.  Come check this book out and discover the magic that Will & Elinor and their family find!