RESEARCH AT HOME Parents often ask about young children doing research at home on the internet. One site that I would recommend, available to all library card holders in town, is Grolier's Online. This is a reference database that includes access to both Grolier's Encyclopedia and The New Book of Knowledge. It was given a 2006 Notable Online Service Award by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and has received favorable reviews in School Library Journal. The following directions should facilitate your using this resource at home: l. On the internet, go to http://mvlc.org (http://mvlc.org), the web site for the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (Topsfield is a member). 2. Choose the "Other Reference Databases" option on the left side of the screen about half way down. 3. Go to "Select a Subject Area" and pull down arrow. Select "Encyclopedias" and press "Go". 4. Choose "Grolier Online" 5. You will now be asked for your town library card number. Enter your number without spaces and press Go. 6. On the following screen, press "Grolier Online" again. 7. This screen is the home page for Grolier Online Passport which contains the databases for both Grolier's Encyclopedia and The New Book of Knowledge. In the upper right hand corner there is an additional option to jump to Grolier Online Kids. For the very youngest students, this will limit the number of responses to any one query.

BOOK REVIEW Max's Words by Kate Banks was recently added to the Steward School Library picture book collection. First Grade has enjoyed listening to the story about Max and his exciting word collection. Max's brother Benjamin collects stamps and his brother Karl collects coins. Max really wants to have his own collection like his brothers so he begins collecting words by cutting them out of magazines. He starts with small, familiar words and gradually moves onto more difficult, unfamiliar words. In the end, Max is writing creative stories with his word collection. Benjamin and Karl are drawn in as they watch Max organizing his words and writing a story. This book is a great introduction to story writing. The pictures by Boris Kulikov are colorful and imaginative! BIRTHDAY BOOK CLUB The Birthday Book Club Program, offered by the TESPTO, provides an opportunity for families to honor a student's birthday through donating a book to the school library. In advance of each child's birthday, a form is sent home inviting families to participate in the program. Donations may take the form of a child's favorite book or a monetary donation to purchase a book needed in the library. Suggested titles are always available from the school librarian and there does not need to be an exact match between the donation and the cost of the book. A bookplate is placed inside the cover of the new book stating the child's name, date and the birthday being honored. The "gift" is then presented during the student's library class and the honored child is the first student who may borrow the book. Recently, friends have been giving friends Birthday Books for the library and surprising them with the donations during library class. Yet another way of celebrating that special day! These Birthday Book donations have greatly enhanced the collection we are able to offer our students at Steward and we are sincerely grateful!

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We are happy to have this opportunity to communicate with the parents in our community and welcome your comments. We can be reached at stewardbooks@yahoo.com.
stewardbooks@yahoo.com.


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