Library Happenings

Henning School

Aimee Bissonette is a teacher, lawyer, occupational therapist, business owner and mom. She has written 12 picture books, both fiction and nonfiction. 

Writing is her most favorite thing to do and second is being a lawyer helping other authors get their books published. She loves the North Woods along Lake Superior’s shores.  She can oftentimes be found hiking mountains and walking on sandy beaches. She is a strong woman herself and writes about interpersonal relationships. She loves to travel and eat new foods, meet people, and see new sights.  Having moved multiple times throughout her childhood, she has lived in several places. She now lives in Minnesota with her family.

This week we feature her book “North Woods Girl” illustrated by Claudia McGehee. This is a lovely tale of a child that visits her grandmother in the North Woods.  They visit lakes and ponds in all the different seasons.  The child follows the grandmother along the paths in the woods and listens to the sounds that are there. She hears the quiet of the snow laden forest, she hears the mud as her boots trudge along, she hears the birds overhead, the frogs in the water, and she takes in the scents around her. This is a beautiful book with illustrations that are fantastic. This book made me cry as it makes you feel the emotions of the child and the love they have for their grandmother. 

The daughter of the grandmother wants to move the grandmother out of the north woods and into the city, but the granddaughter worries that grandmother wouldn’t know what to do if she was moved as her life is in the north woods. We have such an opportunity in life to be wonderful role models to our children and grandchildren and this story shows us just how important that is.

The State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society has awarded the Henning Public School Library a grant in the amount of $9,325. This grant will provide over 449 books to the Henning Public School Library.

This  grant helps provide a quality learning experience for our local Minnesotans by providing exemplary library bound (as much as possible) books that feature depictions of various aspects of the State of Minnesota. Students will develop knowledge, skills, and understanding about many areas of Minnesota by reading about Minnesota, its geography, heritage, culture, people, landforms, arts, sports, and more. Books will be purchased for all ages of people who frequent the library. This grant will help represent diverse ethnicities and people as we are purchasing books that feature a wide variety of people who have contributed to Minnesota.  

In addition, because Minnesota history is a vital component of our middle school curriculum, we want a strong selection of books that depict Minnesota history, industries, contemporary Minnesotans, immigration, the contributions of indigenous people , Minnesota authors/illustrators, and state bird/fish/foods, etc