And the Winner for the 2005-2006 K-3 Golden Sower Award is…

The votes have been counted and the winner announced for the 2005-2006 K-3 Golden Sower Award. This prestigious honor is named after the 19,000 pound bronze figure which adorns the Nebraska State Capitol building. It represents Nebraska’s rich agricultural heritage and stands for the propagation of life, hope, and prosperity for Nebraskans. To librarians and media specialists, the Sower also encompasses the values of encouraging independent reading, introducing different types of literature, and increasing library skills in children.

This years K-3 first place winner is The Substitute Teacher Plans by Doug Johnson. In this humorous story, Miss Huff, an elementary school teacher, decides that she needs a break after spending months with students like Nancy, who floats across the classroom using her bubble gum; Allen, who thinks he is Tarzan and swings from light fixture to light fixture belting out AAAAA-EEEEEE-AAHHHHHH; and Greg, who crawls around the classroom, growling like a wild animal. So that night, she creates two separate lists: one for her substitute, and one for herself.

Though everything seems fine, there is one small problem…Miss Huff accidentally mislabeled the lists. At 9:15 a.m., while Miss Huff is reading one of her favorite novels, her class is riding the roller coaster at Ocean Park. While Miss Huff is doing the math problems in her checkbook at 1:00 p.m., her class is enjoying themselves at the circus, clapping at the trapeze artists and laughing at the clowns.

It’s not until the following day, when Miss Huff is confronted by her principal, that she realizes her error.

This book would make an ideal read-aloud for teachers and their students because of the humor that is found on every page. It’s also a great read for anyone who has mistakenly grabbed the wrong list, like taking the grocery list to the hardware store or picking up your house chore list, instead of your errands-to-run list. Could you imagine vacuuming the dentist’s carpet or cleaning the windows at the drycleaners?

The next time you are looking for a good book to read to your children, grab the to-do list and check out this year’s Golden Sower Winner, The Substitute Teacher Plans. I am sure no matter what you have going on, you will enjoy the time you spend reading this book to the student in your life. For more information about other 2005-2006 Golden Sower winners or past winners, contact me at 564-7116 opt. 4.