To the Book Fair and Beyond....

Want an out-of-this world way to support our school?

Visit our fall book fair!

September 30th-October 7th

The Purefoy Elementary PTA is hosting a super Scholastic Book Fair September 30th through October 7th.  This fair promises to be a reading event packed with excitement for our students, teachers and families!

-NEW ONLINE FAIR-

¤ We will be offering the chance to place an order on-line for books!  This allows loved ones that do not live here, to be able to purchase books for our students.  The books will be shipped directly to the school with not shipping fees!!  Shop online now at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/purefoy.

           

¤ Donuts with Dad: Wednesday, October 5th at 7:15 am.  Dads can bring their kids to school early, have a donut, and shop for books all before heading out to work!

¤ Family Night: Thursday, October 6th.  We will be open from 6:00 - 7:30pm.  Everyone is invited to shop at our book fair and have fun playing games, making a craft and more to raise money for our One for Books fund-raiser.

¤ Teacher Wish List baskets will be available at the book fair.  You can help support our teachers by purchasing books personally selected by our teachers for their class room libraries.

The Book Fair will be open:

             ◊ Friday, September 30th, from 9 am to 2:30 pm

             ◊ Monday, October 3rd - Thursday, October 6th, from 7:30 am - 2:30pm

             ◊ Wednesday, October 5th, Donuts with Dad, 7:15 am

             ◊ Thursday, October 6th, Family Night, from 6 pm - 7:30 pm

             ◊ Friday, October 7th, from 7:30 am - 1 pm

We believe that the more a child reads, the stronger reader he or she becomes.  Strong reading skills are essential to a child's success in school and in life.  In order to promote reading in our school, we have designated our teachers’ classroom libraries as the beneficiary of our One for Books fundraiser.  We are excited about the opportunity to help our teachers’ build their libraries.  We will have a grade level competition, with the winning grade receiving a Pajama Day!

Cindy Slavin - Purefoy PTA, Book Fair Chair

Hope to see you soon!

Good Book: You Choose Series

The Titanic: An Interactive History

by Bob Temple, Capstone Press, 2008

YOU are aboard the Titanic, the world's largest ocean liner. The ship is sinking, and the ocean water is freezing. Will you survive? These adventures abound with historical facts as readers decide which way the story will progress. Suggested for grades 3-6.

More about the You Choose series
Get a sneak peek with Google Preview:


   

Find the You Choose books in the nonfiction section, shelved with their historical era.

New Books!

Sad news that FISD isn't providing any funds for new books this year - but happy news that our PTA is awesome at fundraising. Thanks to Scholastic dollars generated at last year's book fairs we've been able to make our first book purchase of the year.

Stop by and check out a new book soon!

New Titles Include:

• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
• New Bad Kitty books by Nick Bruel
• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
• Press Here by Herve Tullet
• Field Trip Mysteries series by Steve Brezenoff
• Plus extra copies of new 2x2 and bluebonnet books and many more...

Thank you again Purefoy PTA! Without your help would not have a single new book in the library this year for our students and teachers to enjoy.

Have you thought of a book we should have in the library? 

Send us your suggestions online or fill out a slip for the bookworm bowl and hopefully we can purchase it soon.

Happy Reading!

Good Book: The White Giraffe

The White Giraffe 

by Lauren St. John, Puffin Books, 2006

When Martine’s home in England burns down, killing her parents, she must go to South Africa to live on a wildlife game preserve, called Sawubona, with the grandmother she didn’t know she had. Almost as soon as she arrives, Martine hears stories about a white giraffe living in the preserve. But her grandmother and others working at Sawubona insist that the giraffe is just a myth. Martine is not so sure, until one stormy night when she looks out her window and locks eyes with Jemmy, a young silvery-white giraffe. Why is everyone keeping Jemmy’s existence a secret? Does it have anything to do with the rash of poaching going on at Sawubona? Martine needs all of the courage and smarts she has, not to mention a little African magic, to find out. Suggested for grades 4-7.

More about author Lauren St. John
White Giraffe Teacher/Book Club Guide
Photo: RareWhite Giraffe Spotted in Africa

   

Find it in the fiction section at call number F VER.

Join us for Preschool Storytime

 

We've had lots of moms and tots pop in for storytime on Fridays.

Hope you can join us sometime too!

 

September is Library Card Month

Do you have a Frisco library card?

September is National Library Card Month

We are blessed to live in a community with a wonderful public library! Besides the usual public library greatness, the Frisco Public Library has special storytime programs, a collection of 2x2 and Bluebonnet Books always available to read in the library, online resources for research and a large collection of ebooks and audiobook on Overdrive you can download anytime.

Click here to learn more about applying for a public library card. It's free and fun!

Good Book: Dragonbreath Series

Dragonbreath

by Ursula Vernon, Dial Books, 2009

It's not easy for Danny Dragonbreath to be the sole mythical creature in a school for reptiles and amphibians - especially because he can't breathe fire like other dragons (as the school bully loves to remind him). But having a unique family comes in handy sometimes, like when his sea-serpent cousin takes Danny and his best iguana friend on a mindboggling underwater tour, complete with vomiting sea cucumbers and giant squid. It sure beats reading the encyclopedia to research his ocean report . . . Suggested for grades 2-4.

More from author Ursula Vernon
More about the Dragonbreath Series
Video: How to Draw Danny Dragonbreath

Dragonbreath Book Commercial:


   

Find it in the fiction section at call number F VER.

Bluebonnet Spotlight: Novels

Deciding which bluebonnet book to read next?

Learn more about the chapter books on the 2011 list below.

[Book Summaries from the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List] 

The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children

by Keith McGowan, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

So you think Hansel and Gretel is only a fairy tale, right? Meet Sol and his little sister Connie who have just moved into a suburban neighborhood curiously devoid of children. Their father and stepmother are acting very strange, meanwhile the next door neighbor’s dog keeps digging up funny looking bones. With unique illustrations by Yoko Tanaka, this modern twist on the classic fairy tale is creepy fun.  

Online Extras

 

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy

Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau

King is a lovable mutt with an unmistakable voice. Although loyal and true to his family, King finds himself in the P-O-U-N-D when his owners suddenly vanish. Thankfully, he is rescued, renamed Buddy, and soon smack dab in the middle of another mysterious disappearance when his new master also goes missing. Will Buddy’s mental lists of clues and his strong sense of smell be enough to bring Connor home? Follow Buddy’s adventures in The Case of the Lost Boy, the first book in “The Buddy Files” series.

Online Extras

The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity

by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex

Little does Steve Brixton, aspiring detective, know that checking out a book on quilting from the library will be the beginning of his first case. Falsely accused of working for a criminal mastermind by ninja librarians, Steve turns to his trusty Bailey Brothers’ Detective Handbook to solve this case of mistaken identity. Adventure and humor fill this fast paced clever mystery. The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity is the first volume in the Brixton Brothers Series.

Online Extras

The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found

by P.W. Catanese

Happenstance awakens in a cavern beneath an active volcano, remembering nothing about himself or his life. When he is rescued by the extraordinary Lord Umber, the irascible Oates, and the mysterious Sophie, he begins a fast‐paced adventure full of peril and discovery. As he tries to evade the watchful eyes of the assassin on his trail, will Happenstance discover his true identity—or the real reason that Umber has chosen him? Find out in this first installment in the Books of Umber series.

Online Extras

The Strange Case of Origami Yoga

by Tom Angleberger

 

A nerd you say Dwight is, but on his side Yoda is. Tommy is starting an investigation to figure out how the origami Yoda puppet that Dwight insists on keeping on his finger doles out such relevant advice. Kids present evidence (or lack thereof) trying to figure out if Yoda is real or something out of Dwight’s imagination.

Online Extras

Out of My Mind

by Sharon Draper

 

Melody is just a regular kid that wants all the same things that every fifth grader wants. The only difference is she is confined to a wheelchair and she cannot speak because she has cerebral palsy. Do you think you know what that’s like? Sharon Draper defies your every pre‐conceived notion about kids with special needs in this powerful novel.

Online Extras

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows

by Jaqueline West

 

Olive and her parents have always lived in very bland apartment complexes with plain white walls and no surprises. When they suddenly buy an old completely furnished house, Olive is curious to explore it and begins to discover very strange things. Olive must confront her deepest fears as she races to protect her newfound friends from the darkness lurking inside the house.

 

Online Extras

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

Life for Turtle in 1935 is no day at the beach. Her mother’s new job means that she gets shipped off to live with family members she has never even met. Life in Key West, Florida is definitely not like those annoying Shirley Temple movies. Photos and notes at the back of the book show what life was really like for author Jennifer Holm’s great grandmother, whose memories inspired this humorous historical novel.

 

Online Extras

Wild Times at the Bed & Biscuit

by Joan Carris, illustrated by Noah Jones

Grampa Bender along with Ernest the mini pig run The Bed & Biscuit, a boardinghouse for wounded animals. When the fox kits run away, Ernest and the residents of the Bed & Biscuit scramble to make sure the wild animals are ready to return to their natural habitat. Will Ernest finally make them understand that they only want to help?

Online Extras
Book Trailer Animoto

 
Happy Reading!

[September] Student Reading Suggestions

Add a sticky note to our virtual wall. It only takes a moment, click anywhere on the screen below.

What's the best book you've read since school started?

Good Book: An Island Grows

An Island Grows

by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Cathie Felstead, Greenwillow Books, 2006

 

An island is born and as it grows, lava flows, waves pound, and sands mound as the island becomes inhabited, told in an easy story format with cut paper art. Suggested for preschool-grade 2.

Lava and Land Formation Animation from the Jason Project:

More about author Lola Schaefer
More about island formation
Hawaii Volcano Webcam from USGS

Fast Land Changes Brain Pop Video and Activities

   

Find it in the picture book section at call number E SCH.