It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey as a way to share what you have read and/or reviewed in the past week. It's also a terrific way to find out what other people are reading.

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers have given this meme a children's literature focus: picture books, middle grade novels, etc. They "encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting the other bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

 

 

 

As the fall season starts to really make its presence known with chilly nights and leaves starting to change colors, things have really started to get busy at school and at home. Now that we're halfway through the first grading period at school, we're having more meetings and more planning. We're dealing with more data and trying to determine how we're going to make progress with every child.  At home, there are more fall chores to be done to get ready for cold weather. Through all of that, there's still a few chances to sit and relax with a book.

 

I'm reading a great book (digital ARC) from NetGalley.  The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White is an exciting, middle grade fiction novel that takes readers to a futuristic world with quests, dragons, and lots of magic. I'm still reading it, but I will definitely review it when I get a chance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the picture books that I've read this week:

 

 

 

 

Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol 

 

 

I loved this picture book! It's a terrific story for anyone who's ever yearned for a little bit of peace and quiet! The grandmother in this book lived with a big family in a small house. She had a lot of knitting to do before the weather turned cold. But the little kids were all over the place and making it impossible for her to get any work done. Finally she snapped! She gathered up her stuff, yelled, "Leave me alone!" and took off. Young readers will enjoy Granny's adventures, and maybe consider giving the grown-ups in their own lives a break. Hilarious illustrations make this a fun book to share!

 

 

 

 

The Water Princess by Susan Verde, Georgie Badiel, Peter Reynolds (Illustrations)  

 

 

What a terrific and important picture book to share with kids! In our fast-paced world filled with countless modern conveniences, it's hard to imagine that there are people in the world (women and young girls, mostly) who have to walk miles and miles daily to get water to carry back to their homes. We rely on turning on a faucet and having plenty of clean, running water. This beautifully illustrated story tells us about Gie Gie's daily journey with her mother. This book is based on the childhood experience of African model Georgie Badiel and also includes more information about Ryan's Well and the Georgie Badiel Foundation, two organizations working to change this crisis and bring clean water to the people who desperately need it. This would be a great companion book to  A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrations)  

 

 

 

This is a beautiful picture book that takes readers through the entire gardening season. As the little girl and her nana prepare the garden, nourish it with water, and harvest the produce, there's a whole world of activity that no one ever sees. There's lots of different animals, worms, and bugs helping to make the garden what it is. Warm, heartwarming illustrations along with the informative text make this a great nonfiction resource for young readers interested in gardening.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown 

 

 

This one is popular in my school library, but somehow I'm only just now getting around to reading it myself. This book is a fun reminder that everyone has to be able to let loose and be "wild" from time to time. Mr. Tiger gets tired of being so proper and serious all the time. Finally he removes himself to the wilderness! Young readers will enjoy finding out what happens when he gets in touch with his wild side!