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 lovely Mother's Day! It was chilly, gray, and damp here but it's still wonderful to celebrate Mom!

The weather had its ups and downs this week. We did have a few days that were perfect for taking the books outside and enjoying them in the sunshine. Summer will be here before you know it. Here's what I've been reading this past week:

Middle Grade Fiction

Drew Pendous and the Camp Color War (Drew Pendous #1) adapted by Sterling Children's

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from the publisher in exchange for a review. This boldly illustrated, exhuberant book is number one in a series that features the kids from Cool School and their nemeses at the Cruel School. The kids from Cool School have a hero in Drew Pendous, who has a Magic Pen, which he uses to draw things to life. Drew's twin, Ray Blank, attends the Cruel School and uses his Magic Eraser to rub out all sorts of things. In this volume, all of the kids and teachers have ended the school year and are heading to summer camp. These two schools will face off in a Color Contest, but wind up teaming up with each other against a villain who is determined to steal all of the colors of the world with a mighty vacuum. The book is sort of silly, but it's aimed at kids aged 5-9. I know plenty of young readers that will have a great time reading about the antics of these kids. It's a fun, light read that will be great during the summer months!

Drew Pendous Travels to Ancient Egypt (Drew Pendous #2) adapted by Sterling Children's

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from the publisher in exchange for a review. This book is the second in the Drew Pendous series and has the kids from the Cool School embark on a field trip to the local museum. At the museum, they notice that one of the ancient Egyptian sphinx statues is missing its nose. Curious about the cause, Drew uses his magic pen to draw a time machine and travel back to ancient Egypt to find out what happened. He is surprised to learn that his evil twin, Ray Blank, is responsible for using his Magic Eraser to remove the sphinx's nose. It's up to Drew to put a stop to his twin's evil plans to erase even more important historical artifacts. Like the first book, boldy colored illustrations and a humorous adventure will make this silly book popular with the target audience of 5-9 year olds.

Picture Books

A New Home by Tania de Regil 

Moving to a new home can be scary and difficult for anyone of any age. But for young children, leaving a place that they've lived in forever to go to someplace completely new, the change can bring up all sorts of questions. The two kids in this clever picture book are basically changing places. The little boy is moving from New York City to Mexico City, and the little girl is moving from Mexico City to New York City. As the book progresses, the children are both asking the same questions: Where will I play? What kinds of foods will I eat? How will I make friends? My favorite moment is when they actually pass each other in the airport. This would be a good book to share with young readers who are about to move or maybe have just moved to a new community. It also seems like a good way to help kids realize that we all have the same sorts of questions and needs and fears. And that change is a normal part of growing up.

The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood, Hannah Marks (Illustrator)

This fun picture book shows what happens when the characters take control of the book. The author is trying to write a good story about a panda. The trouble starts when Panda insists that he doesn't have a problem. The author explains that there has to be a problem for him to solve. It becomes clear that Panda is the problem as he takes the story further and further off the track. This would be a fun book to share with young readers to talk about story elements and to help them create their own stories with good problems and solutions.

A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

For fans of the Mercy Watson series of chapter books, this book is a treat. It's also a great way to introduce young readers to the series. With boldly colored illustrations, this awesome picture book shows what can happen when you open your heart to new and unpredictable situations. The Watsons lead very ordinary lives and long for something new and exciting to happen. When a very young and vulnerable piglet literally lands on their doorstep, they are presented with an opportunity to shake things up and build a wonderful relationship.

The Gift of Ramadan by Rabiah York Lumbard, Laura Horton (Illustrations)

This interesting picture book tells the story of a young girl's efforts to participate in her family's observance of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. The central aspect of this special time is fasting from sunup to sundown. Sophia really wants to join her parents and grandmother in the fast, but quickly realizes that she's too young to go without eating for the entire day. I love that her grandmother helps her to realize that there are other ways for Sophia to observe this holy time. I also think that this picture book would be terrific to share with young readers as a way of helping them understand the traditions of this religion and to see how it is very similar to other religions and family traditions. This kind of understanding can go a long way to helping to build community and a world in which we can appreciate each other.

Let's Have a Dog Party by Mikela Prevost 

Parties are lots of fun and so Kate wants to throw Frank a birthday party. Kate is adorable and well-intentioned, but the party she puts together for Frank is replete with all of HER favorite things, and those things are loud and boisterous. Frank is just looking for his favorite napping place for some quiet rest, but Kate and her friends are shouting, singing, and dancing. With presents, decorations, and party favors strewn all over the place, the loud celebration becomes too much for Frank - and he runs and hides. This book shares a good message with young readers - that in order to be in relationship with others, we need to be mindful of their needs. When Kate realizes that she needs to help Frank be comfortable, the relationship is restored to its happy place for both of them. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor, acryla gouache, and colored pencils with a bit of collage, support the story well, making this a terrific read aloud to share with kids.

Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, Shahrzad Sliney (Illustrations)

This sweet picture book is terrific to share with young readers during the spring. Inspired by the beautiful weather and her favorite tree, Sylvia writes a poem to celebrate the spring season and ties it to a birch tree in the park. When she passes it on her way to school the next day, there's a new poem tied to the tree. Thrilled by the response to her poem, Sylvia becomes so excited about her new friendship - with the tree. Young readers will enjoy Sylvia's new friendship - but it's not the friendship they (or Sylvia) are expecting. There's so much to love about this book - it's a great mentor text for young writers who are trying to express themselves with poetry; it also helps readers see that sometimes friendship blossoms in unexpected places. Lovely illustrations, along with the text that mixes the sweet narrative with poetry make this an awesome book to have on the shelf.

The Full House and the Empty House by LK James

This interesting picture book celebrates diversity as a strength in friendships. In this story, there's an empty house and a house in which all of the rooms are full of things. And these two houses are best friends that dance and frolic together. The two houses appreciate their differences and use them to enhance their experiences together. Young readers might need help wrapping their minds around the choice of houses to illustrate this message about the power of diversity in building relationship, but the illustrations, hand-drawn in ink and edited digitally, support the story well and will help with comprehension.

Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story by Lesléa Newman, Amy June Bates (Illustrator)

With immigration issues dominating the news, young readers should also learn about those who came to America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. People wanted to come to America for many reasons, and this story helps readers understand a bit about Jewish people who immigrated from Russia. Gittel and her mother were on their way to board a ship bound for America. But when health inspectors refused passage to her mother, Gittel was sent onboard by herself. With beautifully painted illustrations and fascinating, compelling text readers will travel along with her and gain an appreciation for the difficulties these travelers experienced along the way. An author's note along with a list of resources for further research into our country's immigration history make this a nice book to use as part of an immigration unit.

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, Erin E. Stead (Illustrator)

Oh I can relate to the young boy in this lovely picture book. After getting through a long, nasty winter, I long for the time when all of a sudden everything seems to pop with life and color. The little boy plants flower seeds when everything is still all brown. But he's hopeful and patient and he waits through rain and weeks of brown. Just as he's beginning to worry that maybe his seeds won't sprout, everything changes! This is a book with so many great messages about hope, faith, seasons, and patience. The beautiful illustrations, created using woodblock printing techniques and pencil, create such a comforting and hopeful feel, making this an awesome book to have on the shelf.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from the publisher in exchange for a review. This boldly illustrated, exhuberant book is number one in a series that features the kids from Cool School and their nemeses at the Cruel School. The kids from Cool School have a hero in Drew Pendous, who has a Magic Pen, which he uses to draw things to life. Drew's twin, Ray Blank, attends the Cruel School and uses his Magic Eraser to rub out all sorts of things. In this volume, all of the kids and teachers have ended the school year and are heading to summer camp. These two schools will face off in a Color Contest, but wind up teaming up with each other against a villain who is determined to steal all of the colors of the world with a mighty vacuum. The book is sort of silly, but it's aimed at kids aged 5-9. I know plenty of young readers that will have a great time reading about the antics of these kids. It's a fun, light read that will be great during the summer months!

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from the publisher in exchange for a review. This boldly illustrated, exhuberant book is number one in a series that features the kids from Cool School and their nemeses at the Cruel School. The kids from Cool School have a hero in Drew Pendous, who has a Magic Pen, which he uses to draw things to life. Drew's twin, Ray Blank, attends the Cruel School and uses his Magic Eraser to rub out all sorts of things. In this volume, all of the kids and teachers have ended the school year and are heading to summer camp. These two schools will face off in a Color Contest, but wind up teaming up with each other against a villain who is determined to steal all of the colors of the world with a mighty vacuum. The book is sort of silly, but it's aimed at kids aged 5-9. I know plenty of young readers that will have a great time reading about the antics of these kids. It's a fun, light read that will be great during the summer months!