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 cold winter winds started blowing and snow started falling, I couldn't think of a better meal to go along with football and reading than a big pot of chili! Hope you're finding warm, comforting things to eat while you cuddle up with your favorite books! Here's what I've been reading this past week:

Middle Grade Fiction

Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes

I had the opportunity to read an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel in verse that was provided to my #BookRelays group. I really enjoyed reading this book that explores the lives and struggles of the members of a high school poetry writing class. Each of the kids are taking this class for different reasons, but they all participate in Friday Open-Mike Poetry Readings and prepare for a school Poetry Slam in which the boys compete with the girls for bragging rights. The students are each struggling with their own troubles: health problems, family issues, racism, anxiety, depression, etc. They all find ways to express their feelings and their hopes through poetry.

I think this is a terrific book to share with young readers. I love the way we get to look inside the lives of a variety of kids with all of their struggles. The book looks past the stereotypes that we see on the evening news and shows us what experiences kids bring with them to school. And while the kids in the book are juniors in high school, the book is appropriate for all middle-grade readers.

I also think that this book makes a terrific mentor text for reading, writing, and experiencing poetry. I think that oftentimes poetry is intimidating for students, and this book shows it as something that is approachable for everyone. Darrian Lopez, the main character, learns early on in the book that poetry doesn’t even have to rhyme. Once the kids in the class realize the power of words and feelings to make poetry sing, they start producing poems as ways to express their stories and heal their spirits.

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

In this middle grade novel in verse, readers live vicariously through Kevin, a seventh-grade bully. Through Kevin’s notebook that is filled with poetry, we see the nasty, unkind thoughts and actions of a troubled young man. When Kevin starts making poems out of pages from old books and sticking them on the walls for everyone to see, he creates quite a stir at his middle school. But when his notebook falls into the wrong hands, suddenly the bully becomes the bullied as Kevin begins to be on the receiving end of the taunts and tricks.

I think this is a book that would be very popular in middle grade classrooms. And while it may seem satisfying to see retribution played out against a character who seems to have no regard for the feelings of others, there are some good messages in this story. Kids get to see that treating people unkindly isn’t cool no matter who the target is. This is also a great mentor text for found poetry and using words in different ways to express oneself. I also think that novels in verse are great for readers who enjoy the free-flowing form of this genre; readers are able to cover a lot of ground in the book fairly quickly, which I think encourages those that sometimes have difficulty focusing on longer texts.

Picture Books

Grandma's Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

This beautiful picture book reminds me of when I was a little girl and would get such delight out of seeing all of the things in my grandma’s purse. I remember sitting on her lap, much like the little girl in this story, and looking at all of her pictures, trying on her sunglasses, enjoying a piece of gum, and so on. When she got a new purse, she would put the old empty purse in the toy box at her house. Young readers will recognize that many of the items in their grandmothers’ purses are similar. The illustrations are colorful, friendly, and filled with the wonderful details that will have grownups taking a second look at their own purses.

I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni, Ashley Bryan (Illustrations)

This is just a beautiful collection of poetry, with masterful illustrations that are bold, vibrant, and musical, that celebrates all the ways that we are loved: by our parents, by leaves on a rainy day, by wildflowers dancing in the sun, by an old tablecloth remembering all of the good food and laughter...Just in time for Valentines Day, this would be a terrific book to share with those we love and those who need to feel loved!

Love by Matt de la Pena, Loren Long (Illustrator)

What a beautiful picture book to share with readers of all ages. This book celebrates all the way that love manifests itself in our busy, hectic lives. At the heart of all of these examples is kindness towards friends, family, and strangers. This is an awesome reminder of what’s really important and a terrific book to include in classroom libraries during the days leading up to Valentines Day.

This Is Not a Valentine by Carter Higgins, Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)

This is a sweet picture book that would be perfect to share with young readers during the days leading up to Valentines Day. The little boy is giving and sharing all sorts of sweet and thoughtful gifts with the little girl who is his friend at school. But none of these are Valentines! This could generate a nice discussion about ways to show kindness to others. The illustrations, rendered in brush marker, gouache, graphite, colored pencil, crayon, ink, and charcoal, have a childlike whimsy that help make this such an endearing book. This could also make a nice Valentine gift for a special friend.

Dooby Dooby Moo (Farmer Brown's Barnyard Tales) by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (illustrator)

This is a fun picture book that will definitely appeal to fans of America’s Got Talent! Duck and his barnyard friends have decided to enter the talent contest at the fair. First prize is a trampoline! But Farmer Brown is sure that those animals are up to something and is keeping a very close eye on them. Young readers will have fun finding out how these animals will get their act together to win that awesome prize. This book is definitely a great read aloud, especially if you practice mooing or quacking their contest songs! The illustrations are hilarious!

Winter is Here! by Kimberly Weinberger

With simple, rhyming text and brightly colored, welcoming illustrations, this sweet picture book captures all of the fun of a cold, winter day. This would be a good one to have as part of a winter collection on a primary grade bookshelf. From getting bundled up, catching snowflakes on your tongue, making snowballs, ice skating, and coming back inside to enjoy some hot chocolate, young readers will delight in all of it. This could also be a good way to inspire young writers to tell about their own favorite wintertime activities.

Hot Fudge (Bunnicula and Friends #2) by James Howe

Written from the point of view of Harry, one of the family’s dogs, this picture book mystery will have young readers trying to figure out who stole everyone’s favorite sweet treat. When Mr. Monroe makes a big batch of fudge, the whole house smells delightful. The family leaves, and Harry and the rest of the house pets are left to guard the house. But when they wake up from their naps to loud noises and missing fudge, they need to take immediate action. This would be a good book to share with kids to discuss point of view or as a good mentor text for mystery writing. Make sure that you let kids know that they should never give chocolate to pets, as it could make them very sick. There is a note about that, but as it’s in small print that appears at the end of a recipe for fudge, it may get overlooked.

Monster Valentines by Joanna Cole, Beverly Collins, Jared Lee (Illustrator)

This cute picture book reminds young readers that good friends often like different things, but those differences shouldn’t get in the way of a good friendship. Rosie and Prunella are complete opposites. Prunella, like most monsters, is mean and rough. Rosie, on the other hand, is sweet and nice. They get into a fight when they have major disagreements over the Valentines they are making. Young readers will have fun reading to see how these two monsters make up. The illustrations, created by the artist from the Black Lagoon series and Dynamite magazine (from my own childhood!), are hilarious. This would be a fun book to share with kids leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Snowy Day: Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer (Editor), Margot Tomes (Illustrations)

This is a nice collection of stories, poems, recipes and crafts centered around snow. Black and white drawings by Margot Tomes enhance the literature in this book. There is poetry by Aileen Fisher, Eve Merriam, Ogden Nash, X. J. Kennedy and Karla Kuskin. I found this book at a library book sale and I think it would a nice addition to any classroom library.