Hello Book Bums families!
Happy September! Let's start the month with some fun facts.
• September is the only month not named for a Roman god or goddess.
• September is the only month with the same number of letters in its name as the number of the month (9).
• Flowers for September are aster and morning glory.
• September is the month with the most songs with its name in the title. (How many can you think of?)
• September is the second most common month for birthdays.
• September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
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Word of the Week
dedicate (ded-ih-kayt) verb/action word - 1. to set apart for a definite use, 2. to commit to a goal or way of life, 3. to inscribe as a compliment
To help ensure she would finish her book by the book club meeting, she dedicated the last thirty minutes of her day to reading.
Literary Calendar
• September 4 is the birthday of author and cartoonist Syd Hoff.
• He is best known for his early reader series Danny and the Dinosaur.
• He died in 2004 at the age of 91.
From our Bookshelves
I purchased Survivor Tree, by Marcie Colleen, a while back while in NYC. This is a beautiful book that I’ve been saving for months to share with you. I’m providing it early so you have plenty of time to purchase it before September 11th, for this is one you will want to share with some children you love. It can be difficult to believe that it’s been more than twenty years since the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were attacked and our nation mourned, together, the loss and pain of so many. One might ask, “Why share such a terrible story?” And yet, we must remember and tell the story. Survivor Tree does so in a way that reminds us of loss while also inspiring hope.
Dedication Page:
For us all,
May peace and hope grow from the darkest of our days.
—MC & AB
Tips for Teaching Readers and Writers
Adding the suffix e-r (teach-er) and o-r (survive-or) to the ends of words can change action words (verbs) to a person or thing (noun) that does that action.
o-r (comes from Latin) e-r (comes from English)
PERSON THING PERSON THING
editor aspirator player binder
educator resistor lover equalizer
director deflector driver warmer
contractor regulator teacher mower
professor generator explorer locker
Here’s an easy-to-use (but not foolproof) tip:
If you can add the suffix -i-o-n to the end of the word, it’s likely you’ll add o-r, not e-r, to make the verb into a noun to indicate the doer of the action. (e.g., indication—indicator, & action—actor)
There are some words that have an -er or -or where it’s not quite so obvious what the action is. What about barber? The word barb, it turns out, is a verb that means to cut. Okay. Now that makes sense. But what about usher or author?
Whew! The more I know, the more I know how much I don’t know.
Tips for Families
I learned from the back matter of Survivor Tree that the surviving tree is a Callery pear tree (also known as the Bradford pear tree). You might be interested to know that as of January 1, 2023, the Ohio Department of Agriculture deemed the Callery pear tree illegal to sell, grow, or plant in Ohio due to its invasive nature.
To check out Ohio’s invasive plant list, click here.
Just for Fun
I have a craft-loving granddaughter and together we had so much fun making friendship bracelets last weekend. When I tell you this is the easiest, most gratifying craft we’ve done together, I’m not exaggerating! The beginning of a school year is the perfect time to make and share friendship bracelets.
You need:
1) a scrap of cardboard (We used an Amazon box.)
2) something to make circle shapes on the cardboard (We used the rim of a teacup to trace around.)
3) scissors to cut out the circles & to cut 1/2” slits (You’ll need one circle per bracelet maker.)
4) about seven 30-inch-long strands of yarn or embroidery floss (We used yarn.)
Watch the below video to see how to use this easy-to-make cardboard loom to transform your yarn into professional-looking friendship bracelets.
You’d think it would take a long time to make these, but it doesn’t! We couldn’t believe how quickly they came together. Emry made one during a 20-minute car ride. She plans to make bracelets for all her friends, now, and she can absolutely do it by herself. She’s eight, but I bet even younger, elementary-age kids could do it too.
You could even create a special bracelet-making bag, box, or basket filled with yarn and some cardboard looms for inexpensive gifts. Is it too early to begin Christmas shopping? If not, start with this one!
Shh. Don’t tell, but I’m making friendship-making kits for all my older nieces and nephews.
Pause for Poetry
Practical Grammar
Did you know that when you’re referring to a company or an organization (a singular noun), we should use the pronoun it rather than they?
Wrong:
The Strand, my favorite store in NYC, changed their hours.
Right:
The Strand, my favorite store in NYC, changed its hours.
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