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.

Hopefully everyone had a relaxing and fun Thanksgiving. We had a nice time visiting with family and eating way too much, of course. The cold weather has settled in, and if we weren't watching football, I was curled up with a book. The holidays are upon us, and I have gotten out some of my favorite Christmas books to share with children. Here's what I've been reading the last few days:

Middle Grade Fiction

Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Ghosts (Sam Wu is Not Afraid of ... #1) by Katie Tsang, Kevin Tsang, Nathan Reed (Illustrator) 

I had the opportunity to read a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. This middle grade illustrated novel is one that will be attractive to the target audience of upper elementary kids. Sam Wu had unfortunate accident during a school field trip and now he feels compelled to prove to the whole school that he is not a "scaredy cat". Kids will definitely be able to relate to his embarrassment and will enjoy reading about Sam's attempt to get a ferocious sidekick pet, show his friends that he is not afraid of it, and eradicate a ghost that he believes is haunting his home. Because of Sam's Chinese heritage, readers also have the opportunity to learn a little about some of the foods his family enjoys. This is a fun book that will be a popular one on a middle grade book shelf.

Horrible Harry and the Holidaze (Horrible Harry #16) by Suzy Kline, Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrations) 

This early reader chapter book has Harry and his third grade classmates learning about five different winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three King's Day, and Korean New Year. Miss Mackle has decided to have students' parents come in to tell about their family's cultural traditions surrounding each holiday. When it becomes clear that Harry is upset about something, Miss Mackle helps by arranging a holiday field trip Shady Pines nursing home to play Hanukkah games with his great grandfather and the other residents there. This book is a nice resource for elementary students to learn about different cultural traditions surrounding the holidays. There is a list of other resource books at the end for those that wish to find out even more.

The Thanksgiving Treasure (Addie Mills #2) by Gail Rock 

I remember being very fond of the Addie Mills' stories when I was in fourth grade. My fourth grade teacher read them aloud to us. So I was pretty pleased when I found a copy of this Thanksgiving edition at a library book sale recently. Addie Mills is an outspoken, sassy sixth grader growing up in Nebraska in the late 1940s. She lives with her father and her grandmother and her best friend, Carla Mae, lives next door. This book tells the story of the Thanksgiving of 1947 and Addie's strong desire to live up to the meaning of Thanksgiving by becoming friends with Mr. Rehnquist. Mr. Rehnquist and Addie's father have strong animosity towards each other following a business dispute from many years prior. Young readers would be able to relate to the way Addie interacts with her father, grandmother, and best friend. There are several dramatic moments as Addie finds herself very close to getting into trouble. And there are several heartwarming moments as Addie learns about building relationship with those who are lonely and marginalized from society. This is one that would be a good addition to middle grade book collections.

Picture Books

'Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist, Elena Selivanova (Illustrations)

This clever picture book shares the Nativity story with young readers using rhyming text that follows the rhythmic pattern of the famous Christmas poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas". The illustration are very detailed and beautifully colored to bring the Christmas story to life. Because of the familiar rhyming pattern, this would be an engaging, fun read aloud for church groups.

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano, Marjorie Priceman (Illustrations) 

Brightly colored illustrations showcasing a New York neighborhood along with a heartwarming (and mouthwatering) story of friendship, generosity, and the spirit of Christmas make this a terrific book to share with young readers during the holiday season. Jose's family's roast is too big for his mami to cook in their small apartment oven, so Jose's father arranges to cook it in the neighborhood pizzeria's oven. While they're taking the roast out of the building, they encounter the neighbors who each seem to be unhappy about one thing or another. But as they return home with the cooked roast wafting its delicious scent everywhere, suddenly their friends are full of holiday cheer. This story really celebrates the abundance and happiness that surrounds those that are ready to let go of their negativity and be in community with friends, family and neighbors. This book could definitely become a holiday favorite to have on the bookshelf.

This Is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten 

This sweet picture book is a retelling of the nativity story using lyrical rhyming text and warmly colored illustrations. From the brown and dusty stable to the star shining brightly above, this cumulative poem would be a nice read aloud to share as a bedtime story or with a Sunday School group as a read aloud during the holiday season.

Jingle Bells, Homework Smells (Gilbert and Friends) by Diane deGroat 

Young readers that are too excited about the upcoming holidays to focus on schoolwork will definitely be able to relate to this fun picture book. Gilbert has a homework assignment over the weekend to draw the main character of his favorite book. But the weekend is filled with holiday activities and winter fun. Monday arrives and he's forgotten all about doing his homework! This would be a good way to discuss how to balance the fun of the holiday season with schoolwork responsibilities.

Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies (Gus and Grandpa) by Claudia Mills, Catherine Stock (Illustrator) 

This well illustrated early reader chapter book draws young readers into a cozy kitchen with a young boy and his grandpa making cookies. Mouths will water as kids read descriptions of rolling out dough and eating the scraps, baking, and decorating yummy cookies. But when all the kind neighbors start bringing plates of cookies, Grandpa doesn’t have the heart to tell them he’s just baked his own six dozen. When the two find a way to share, young readers will come away with a terrific message about sharing. This is definitely a great book to have on an elementary bookshelf during the holiday season.

My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate, Cal Massey (Illustrator) 

This picture book is a nice way to introduce young readers to the celebration of Kwanzaa and the underlying principles that make up the special time of year. Easy to understand text and vibrant illustrations make this a terrific book to have as part of a holiday collection in classrooms and at home.

Jingle the Christmas Clown by Tomie dePaola 

This is a nice holiday picture book that shares the story of how one lonely little clown learned that he was not too little to help the people in a small village celebrate Christmas Eve. Jingle is in charge of the baby animals of a traveling circus. When he is left to care for the animals while the rest of the circus travels on to a more affluent city to perform, he receives the generous hospitality and care of the older townspeople. As a way of repaying them, he decides to perform a circus show with the baby animals on Christmas Eve and learns to true magic of giving.

This Is the Star by Joyce Dunbar, Gary Blythe (Illustrator) 

This gorgeously illustrated picture book tells the story of the birth of Christ using lyrical rhyming text in a cumulative style. Coming into the holiday season, this would be a lovely book to share with young readers. Although, as a warning to Sunday School teachers or librarians who might use this book as a read aloud - the book uses the word "ass" in reference to an animal at the inn where Mary and Joseph stop for the night; and while it definitely SHOULDN'T be an issue, with some kids it might. And since it is a cumulative tale, it is used many times in the story. So definitely consider your audience when choosing this book.

Oliver and Amanda's Christmas (Oliver and Amanda Pig) by Jean Van Leeuwen, Ann Schweninger (Illustrations) 

The Pig family is getting ready for the holidays and young readers will definitely enjoy sharing the fun with Oliver and Amanda as they write letters to Santa, pick out the family tree, make cookies and open presents. Easy to read text and lovely illustrations make this a good book to have as part of a holiday collection on the elementary bookshelf.

Who Is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate, Ashley Wolff (Illustrator) 

This sweet picture books tells young readers how the farm animals all prepared to welcome their special guests - Mary and Joseph and the night of the first Christmas. Lovely illustrations and simple, rhyming text will help young readers realize just how special the birth of Jesus was, making this a nice read aloud for bedtime or to share with church groups during the holidays.

Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia #11) by Peggy Parish, Lynn Sweat (Illustrator) 

Amelia Bedelia, the popular scatterbrained maid who takes everything literally, is helping the Rogers family get ready for Christmas. Kids will giggle as she stuffs stockings, trims the tree, and lends a hand in the kitchen. This would be a fun way to talk about idioms and plays on words during the holiday season.

The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig, Diane Goode (Illustrator) 

This picture book tells the story of the famous ballet and is a good one to share with young readers as a way to enhance the music and stage performance. It's kind of a dry story to share on its own, but I have shared it with children as preparation for attending the ballet performance as a field trip. You might also share it along with recordings of the music or videos of the ballet. 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shines Again by Darrell Baker 

Most kids are familiar with Rudolph from the famous song and the TV show. So this is a fun follow-up story that shares the message that one never shines so bright as when you're helping others. The other reindeer still make fun of Rudolph, and he begins to feel sorry for himself. His nose isn't glowing anymore either, so he runs away. He's not gone for long before he runs into trouble and has to step up to rescue some baby rabbits from some nasty wolves. His brave adventure makes him forget about his own troubles and that's when he realizes just how important he is to everyone's Christmas. This would be fun to share with kids during the days leading up to Christmas.

Donkey's Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri 

Beautifully painted illustrations complement this sweet story of the animals welcoming Baby Jesus when he was born in the stable. All of the animals are so happy to welcome the child, but Donkey is worried. Everyone else's welcome sounds so gentle and lovely, but Donkey's voice is so loud and harsh - "Hee-aw!" But as the shy animal comes forward, it is the Christ child that welcomes him with a smile and laughter. This could be a terrific book to share in Sunday school with the message that Jesus loves each of us and we all sound beautiful to Him when we are welcoming and praising him.