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 weekend we're having the first chilly, rainy days of many more to come as fall starts to arrive. I know that we'll still have plenty of warm days ahead before the actual arrival of autumn. But the little pile of leaves on the ground is a reminder that it's not too far off. Before too long it'll be too cold to read outdoors. Then it'll be time to trade the outdoor chairs for the comfy sofa in front of the fireplace and the iced tea for cups of hot tea. Time to start laying in a supply of good books for those cold wintry days to come! Here's what I've been reading this past week:



Middle Grade Fiction

The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden (The Vanderbeekers #2) by Karina Yan Glaser

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this book and a copy of this book was also provided to my #BookRelays reading group on Twitter. This book is a follow-up to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, so fans of this family’s adventures are in for a treat.

The book picks up a few months after where the first book left off. It is now summer break and the kids are out of school with time on their hands. Isa is away at music camp, leaving her twin sister, Jessica, alone in their shared bedroom. Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney decide that they want to surprise their elderly upstairs neighbors with a special garden planted in an unused lot owned by their neighborhood church. Jeet is in the hospital after suffering a stroke and Miss Jessica now spends all of her time at his bedside.

However, the church treasurer is trying to sell the lot to condominium developers while the pastor is away on a family emergency. The kids are desperate to finish the garden in time for Mr. Jeet and Miss Jessica to see it. They also would like to see if they can prevent the land from being sold.
It’s nice that these kids get along so well with each other and seem to be good at working together to accomplish something important.

I’m a little bit bothered that they’re doing this work without permission by breaking into the locked property. The parents in this book have no idea what’s going on because the mom is busy helping Miss Jessica at the hospital and the dad is busy with his building maintenance duties. The kids have good intentions, but I would rather see them work on this project with permission and maybe even some adult supervision.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

It was a sultry, lazy, late August afternoon and way too hot to do anything out of the air-conditioned house. Hungry for the type of book that would sweep me away into another time and place, I went down into my basement to see what I had on the shelves. I ran across an old paperback copy of The Hobbit and I knew that was it!

I had read this book many, many years ago and I remembered it fondly. What a wonderful afternoon I had being swept back into the world of dwarves, wizards, and elves. This classic book has fantastic adventure as the hobbit and thirteen dwarves go on a quest to reclaim gold and jewels taken by Smaug, a nasty dragon. The hobbit and the dwarves encounter murderous trolls, evil goblins, wolves, giant spiders, and all sorts of other dangers. Before Harry Potter had an invisibility cloak, Bilbo Baggins had a magic ring that made him invisible.

This is definitely a book worth sharing with young readers today. In addition to the exciting plot adventure, the book has awesome messages for kids to take away. There are lessons about courage, humility, and greed. The main character, Bilbo, learns much about his capacity for daring deeds, self-confidence, and wisdom along the way. He also learns that even though there is so many exciting things to do in the world, there’s also nothing more important than home. Even though there are so many awesome new books being published all the time, every once in a while, it’s good to blow the dust off of a classic.

Picture Books

We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands by Rafael López

Beautiful illustrations and a lovely adaption of the song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", this is a gorgeous book to share with young readers to encourage unity and an inclusive, welcoming community. The same bright, uplifting artwork that made The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell wonderful story time books are united with the familiar spiritual song that will have youngsters singing along. The book includes sheet music for the song. 

Mission Defrostable (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast #3) by Josh Funk, Brendan Kearney (Illustrator) 

Fans of the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast picture book series are in for a treat. This third installment has the breakfast food duo teaming up with an unlikely hero to figure out why the temperature has gotten so cold that everyone in the refrigerator is freezing. With brightly colored, humorous illustrations and rollicking, rhyming text this book will be a fun adventure to share with young readers and may inspire older readers (like me) to clean out their fridge! 

Business Pig by Andrea Zuill 

This cute picture book tells the story of an adorable little pig who is different from the rest of his litter because he wears a suit and tie, helps with the barnyard accounting, and has an impeccable resume. But sometimes being different is a bit for discouraging for this little pig. Despite all of his efforts, he can't get anyone to adopt him. This would be fun to share with young readers as a way of starting a discussion about accepting our friends' differences and liking people for who they are.

Look at Me!: Wild Animal Show-Offs by Jim Arnosky 

Kids are always fascinated with nonfiction picture books about animals, and this one should be very popular. This book uses beautiful artwork and large fold out pages to show how animals use dramatic colors, feathers, and other flashy features to help them survive. This well-researched book includes an author's note and a list of more resources for further study, making this an awesome nonfiction book to have on the shelf. 

Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell, Corinna Luyken (Illustrator)

This book is a touching look at how listening with kindness and accepting another person's story can be an important part of building relationship with our friends and neighbors. Adrian Simcox tells everyone at school about his beautiful white horse with a golden mane. Chloe can't believe that Adrian has a horse because she makes all sorts of assumptions based on the size of his house, the fact that he eats the free lunch at school, and his cluttered desk next to hers. The more she hears him talking about his horse, the more determined she is to confront him. This story would be a good way to start a discussion about how to listen with compassion and how everyone's story matters. The sweet story and the lovely illustrations make this a good one to share with young readers at the beginning of the school year.

Hey, Hey, Hay!: A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them by Christy Mihaly, Joe Cepeda (Illustrator) 

With lyrical, rhyming text and lovely painted illustrations, this book celebrates summer on a farm and the process of cutting, baling, and storing hay for the winter time. Many kids that live in cities and suburbs have very little knowledge of farming and the hard work involved. I love that the farmer in this picture book is also a mom and the text is told from her child's point of view. This would be a great book to share with young readers as part of a study of farms, especially if you're planning a field trip to visit a farm. The book also includes a glossary of the farming terms used and a recipe for switchel, which is a special drink they enjoy after working hard all morning.

Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott

This sweet picture book shows young readers that good friends can have different tastes and interests and still get along together. Whether you like to play with trucks or dolls, it's possible to play both together. This would be great to share with primary grade kids to start a conversation about acceptance and building community. 

Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie

This adorable picture book has a terrific message for young readers about the importance of being yourself. The little dog in this story is a stow-away in a package of silverware. When the surprised family opens the box, he tries to be the very best fork he can be. The family keeps him because he's sweet, but he's trying so hard to be a fork (or anything else that they might be), that he's missing what they really want. Kids will have fun reading to see how the family is going to convince him to just be a sweet dog. This book would be good to share at the beginning of the school year to start a discussion about how to be accepting of everyone as they are.

Sweet Success by Liz Reed, Jimmy Reed 

This cute picture book uses clever illustrations and a simple narrative to teach young readers a great message about perseverance and doing your best. Scoops struggles to create an awesome birthday gift for her friends, the Cherry twins. When her painting of them winds up being a big mess, she's about to give up and go home. An unexpected race gives her the opportunity to reconsider and remember how much fun it is to finish what you've started. The illustrations were created using polymer clay, acrylic paint, spray paint, sandpaper, tissue paper, a macro lens, oil paint, dental floss, coffee grounds, sugar packs, caulk, recycled cardboard, foam, hair, glue, cloth, paper, flowers, wire, wood, sticks, turf, rocks, resin clay, felt, gum wrappers, wood varnish, ribbon, chalk pastels, colored pencil, aluminum foil, tape and crayons. Certain to spark children's creativity, this would be a fun book to have on the shelf. 

Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear, Esme Shapiro (Illustrations) 

Yak and Dove are terrific friends that appreciate their differences and their similarities. Sometimes friends don't always get along, and these two have their moments. Young readers will get a kick out of reading about Yak's auditions for a new best friend. The book is divided into three sections or chapters with warm, cheerful illustrations. This would be a terrific book to share with young readers as a way to celebrate great friendships.