An Ode to Jory John

An Ode to Jory John  

As we embarked on this idea of what  distance learning looks like from our library perspective, I was certain I wanted to keep kids connected to books in fun and thoughtful ways. When I think about my time with my students in the story room during library classes, I find myself reflecting about the emotions that are invoked in my students. I wanted those same feelings of laughter, joy, thought and critical thinking to transfer in this whole process of distance learning.

My next step was to create goals to stay connected to my students and allow their relationship with books and stories to continue to be fostered. I knew the first week I needed to come up with a fun and engaging story, and with good fortune I found two books. 

 Jory John wrote Penguin Problems, a funny story about the troubles of being a penguin. A few years later he published Giraffe Problems, and I am sure we can all guess the trouble that comes with being a giraffe.

I sent these stories out to be shared with students in Early Childhood and their families. I then gave students the task of thinking of other animals and their problems. Click on the link Animal Problems to see the animals they thought about and all those animal problems.