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.

This week I celebrated my birthday. Another year older and another great year of reading awesome books. Thank you to everyone who sent me such kind birthday greetings and wishes. I had a nice fun lunch at Molly Woo's, a local Asian bistro in a shopping center near my home. I also received a fun gift of an AppleTV device that allows me to enjoy streaming content on my television. Now that I can watch all of the awesome Netflix shows on my television, I have to remember that I still love reading books. Anyway, here's what I managed to read this week:

Young Adult/Adult

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

I found an original edition of this in an old box of books in my basement. I have always enjoyed the movie version, so I picked it up. This coming of age story from the early twentieth century, follows Francie Nolan, an adolescent girl growing up in Brooklyn, New York. The story takes us through the years as she deals with poverty, alcoholism, the changing roles of women, and her own entrance into adulthood. While the story is definitely dated (published in 1944), I loved it. The characters really stuck with me, so much that I even dreamed about them one night. I was kind of sad when I finished the book, as I wanted to continue with Frankie’s journey! The book does have adult themes, so I definitely think it’s for grownups.

For Every One by Jason Reynolds

This book is a letter and poem, like the title says, for everyone. Everyone feels alone and in need of encouragement from time to time. And while there are no quick and easy answers, it helps to know that others feel the same way. This could definitely be a great pick-me-up for anyone that feels discouraged or a way to initiate a terrific conversation.

Picture Books

April Fool! by Harriet Ziefert, Chris L. Demarest (Illustrator)

Kids always get a big kick out of playing tricks and making up crazy stories on the first day of April. The little boy, Will, tells all of his friends a fantastic tale about an elephant he saw on his way to school. Fun, colorful illustrations and rhyming text make this a book that would be fun to share with beginning readers.

The Easter Bunnies by A.J. Wood, Caroline Repchuk

This fun, rhyming picture book has flaps to lift up and pop up illustrations that will provide interactive, counting fun for young children. This would be a fun read aloud book to share with little kids during the Easter season.

The Chocolate Rabbit by Maria Claret

This is a cute picture book that tells readers about the first chocolate rabbit. There was a family of rabbits that helped their artist father gather eggs for him to decorate for Easter. The little boy rabbit, Bertie, was trying to get a glimpse and a taste of a pan of chocolate that was cooling on the stove. An accidental slip leads to a big mess and the beginning of a tasty tradition. This would be a nice book to share with kids during the days leading up to Easter or to have as part of a seasonal collection.

Silly Tilly and the Easter Bunny by Lillian Hoban

When I first wake up in the morning, it is definitely difficult for me to function before I’ve had my coffee. Tilly the Mole woke up and she knew today was a special day. In the excitement of trying to get her act together for the Easter Bunny, she has to find her Easter bonnet, make tea, and remember what she was trying to remember. Young readers will enjoy finding out if she can get it together in time to greet Mr. Bunny. Simple text and sweet, colorful illustrations make this book a good one to share with kids in the days leading up to Easter.

Happy Easter by Kurt Wiese

Procrastination leads to all sorts of crazy things happening. Mama Rabbit waited until the day before Easter to color eggs and hide them in people’s gardens. She sent her children off to get eggs from the Red Hen. Red Hen reluctantly gave them a pile of eggs that weren’t hatching. There was a big surprise in store for the rabbits. Young readers will enjoy finding out what happens. This book was originally published in 1952, and I think the simple narrative and sweet illustrations make this a fun book to include in your Easter book collection.