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.
December is just going by so quickly! Now that the tree is up, I've got to turn my attention to Christmas shopping and getting ready to travel to visit family. But with all of the hectic activities and the cold weather, all I want to do is sit by the fire with a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Reading is a great way to relax for a bit during the holiday season, and there are some awesome books to help folks get into the holiday spirit! Here's what I've been reading this past week:
Middle Grade Fiction
I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and then share it with my #BookRelays reading group. This is a fun book that kind of reminds me of The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic . Both books have a main character that is having a difficult time navigating all of the stress of being a middle schooler these days. In this book, Lexi has to deal with her younger brother's chronic digestive disorder that has him in the hospital frequently, her parents' financial difficulties as they struggle to make ends meet with each hospitalization, and the shifting sands of the middle school social scene. Lexi believes that if she does everything she can to have good luck and to be perfect, all of these problems can be managed. So when she comes across a bag of wishing stones at an antique store, she doesn't need to think twice about using them. But while the wishes definitely seem to be coming true, there's something off about the results. Like the other book, this book has a good message about not worrying about things that can't be controlled and that one doesn't need magic in order to live one's best life. There's also some good lessons learned about not being so rigid, but trying new things without making excuses. This will definitely be popular with kids in grades 5 - 8.
I received a review copy of this middle grade fiction novel from the publisher and I have to say that I just loved it. This book takes readers into the mind and heart of a twelve-year-old Afghan refugee who, with his grandfather, is trying to recover from the trauma of losing his parents in a brutal bombing attack.
Sami and Baba (his grandfather) have spent several years making their way from Afghanistan to Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally America. They’ve recently arrived in Boston and settling into their new life together. But when Baba’s rebab, a special Afghan musical instrument and heirloom, is stolen, Sami feels responsible for somehow getting it back. Through the help of his new friend, Dan, Sami finds the instrument in a pawn shop, but to his dismay, the store owner wants $700 for it. Because he doesn’t have any money of his own, Sami starts making a series of trades, hoping to trade higher and higher until he has enough money to reclaim his Baba’s instrument.
This book is a window into Afghan culture, focusing on social customs, religious traditions, and holidays. The book also has some terrific lessons about the power of relationships. In a letter from the author that accompanied this book, she states that a “broken boy from a broken nation meets strangers who become friends. His hurting family opens itself to outsiders who become brothers and sisters. It’s about the way sharing music and stories turns loss into joy, and how kindness writes the sweetest songs.”
In addition to showing young readers how people from a different culture live, there is also plenty that they will realize they have in common with Sami. Sami’s love of sports, especially soccer, will definitely resonate with many readers. Sami’s shyness and reluctance to call out those that bully him is also an issue that many will appreciate. I love books that show us the things we have in common, along with teaching us unique qualities of others.
Picture Books
This charming picture book has young readers experiencing Christmas from the point of view of a Christmas tree. This tree loves being near the train tracks - especially the excitement she gets each time a train goes zooming past her. When a family chooses her to be their tree, she misses the trains so much. But she learns to enjoy the happiness the child experiences while he plays with his new toy train, set up right underneath her branches. After the holidays, the tree is replanted right next to the train tracks again and is able to enjoy the little boy playing nearby. This might be a good way to discuss point of view with young readers, and may even serve as a good mentor text for young writers working on their own holiday narratives.
This is a nice story that takes young readers back to 1880, a time when life on the prairie was very difficult, especially if you needed a doctor. Emma's mother is a doctor (during a time period when there weren't very many women doctors) and one of their neighbors on the Nebraska prairie has gone into labor on Christmas Eve. Emma's mother and Emma hitch up the horse and wagon and ride into the night, so that they can help. While Emma's mother is helping deliver the baby, Emma helps Hansie and Will, the expectant family's children, celebrate Christmas by decorating the tree with them and cooking porridge for them to eat. After the baby is born, Emma feels especially proud that she was able to step up and help when these children needed it most. The lovely watercolor illustrations complement the story nicely. This book would be a good one to share with young readers during the days leading up to Christmas.
With soft lyrical poetry by the author of Goodnight Moon and gorgeously painted illustrations by Floyd Cooper, this beautiful picture book celebrates the first Christmas. This Nativity story would be a terrific bedtime story to share with young children or as a read aloud to church groups.
This beautifully written and illustrated picture book is a heartwarming story to share with young readers. Simon and his mother are homeless. They live in a cardboard box and only have room for themselves and a few Christmas decorations. But even as cold and as tough as things are for them on Christmas Eve, when another homeless woman knocks on their door, they let her in and share what little they have. The boy has a beautiful dream about angels after the old lady departs. As their situation improves and they are in an apartment the next Christmas, they reflect on the true meaning of giving and sharing during the holidays. This is a good book to start a conversation with children about those that are vulnerable and cold and hungry in our communities and to explore ways to share our blessings with those that are in need.
This picture book is a neat way to tie together Santa Claus and the Nativity story for young readers. Obviously Christmas is exciting for kids, especially when they think of Santa and presents. That's fine, but it's also good to let kids know that toys and presents aren't the most important aspect of this holiday. In this story, Santa goes for a walk in the woods and gets tired. As he sits under a tree to rest, he tells the worried forest animals the story of the first Christmas. When the animals realize that Christmas is about joy and love over the birth of Jesus, they're relieved. They all feel inspired to go home with Santa and do everything they can to help make a happy Christmas for everyone.
This lovely retelling of an Italian folktale has a lot for readers to unpack and enjoy during the holiday season. With illustrations rendered in warm, comforting tones, dePaola's Befana shows us what can happen when we become too wrapped up in our own agendas and cling to rigid ideas about what it takes to be "good enough" to be invited to share our gifts. Old Befana represents so many in our world that are ignored, marginalized, and written off as "cranky." The notion that her home is never clean enough pushes her to sweep constantly. She has become so used to being left out, that when a brilliant star shines into her darkness, she doesn't know what to make of it; she does her best to shut it out so that it doesn't interrupt what she believes she is supposed to do. And even when the procession of Holiness is presented to her in the daylight, she still holds tight to what she knows - sweeping. As she starts to consider what has been offered to her, she finally decides to accept the invitation to present herself and her gifts to the Child King. But the difficulty of letting go of the only way she knows to live has held her up and now she is too late to go with the procession that reached out to her. But when she lets go of her ideas about what it takes to live right during the night of miracles, she is finally able to take to the sky faster and higher than she ever thought possible. Grateful for the invitation to share her gifts, she does so generously as she continues her search for the Baby King of Bethlehem. This story would be a great way to talk about how we can let go of our notions of what it takes to be good enough to share our gifts with each other.
I just all of your Christmas titles, here! The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains is one for our family -- I grew up right next to some train tracks and we have a family train that has been passed down and we love setting it up under our tree. I'll have to see if I can find this one locally. And even that cover of I Got the Christmas Spirit puts me more in the Christmas spirit!! Thank you for the shares, Jana! We do not yet have our tree up, so that will happen this week. But like you, I just want to sit and read -- too bad I have end-of-semester grading. :)
ReplyDeleteSeeing a Tomie DePaola book brings back such memories of teaching first and second grade. We thought we had read everyone, but we were wrong. The Legend of Old Befana is new to us!
ReplyDeleteThe Christmas Treee Who Loved Trains is new to me. Unfortunately, all copies are out at my local library but definitely adding it to my list of holiday read alouds. Have a great week Jana!
ReplyDeleteI received a copy of The Eleventh Trade from the publisher, too, and I'm so glad I did because it wasn't a book that was on my radar. I think it's an important book since it can help readers understand the situation of others.
ReplyDeleteLove the description of The Eleventh Trade, and know I would enjoy it, Jana. Thanks for all the beautiful Christmas books, many new to me. There are so many different ones. We used to place a train around our tree, so the The Christmas Tree That Loved Trains looks special. (I put up my tree yesterday, now need to decorate it!)
ReplyDeleteI am also very interested in The Eleventh Trade, thanks for the review of that one and many great Christmas books (I think I am a little behind on updating holiday collections in my library).
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