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.
After being away from home for over a week, it was good to get caught up on things. Not only was there a mountain of laundry from the trip, but their was a mountain of things to read!
Thanks to excessive heat warnings and stormy weather that only made things steamier, I was happy to stay indoors. I tackled the mountain of laundry and worked on my pile of books. I also made a pot of red beans and rice.
The red beans and rice are all gone, but somehow the mountain of laundry is back (a little smaller than after the trip) and there's STILL a mountain of books to read. Hopefully you had a chance to hang inside the air conditioning and read some good books as well. Here's what I read last week:
Middle Grade Fiction
Picture Books
This
is a cute picture book about friendship. Zander is a monster, and his
parents and almost everyone around him is a monster. His sister is a
fairy. Zander has a friendly relationship with a bird, but denies that
they're friends. Kids will enjoy reading to find how Zander comes to
terms with making a friend when it isn't in his nature to do so. Zander
reminds me of my 4th and 5th grade students. They're at an age when
they're deciding who they are and what kind of friendships they'll have
and what it means to be a friend. I would love to have this book in my
classroom library.
This
is an adorable picture book that tells the story of a little girl who gets
the pet unicorn she ordered, but it isn't quite what she expected! Lucy
orders a unicorn for a quarter, and she spends days waiting and dreaming
of all the awesome things she'll be able to do with her new pet. When
Sparkle, who looks suspiciously like a goat, arrives, he eats
EVERYTHING, smells funny, and has fleas. Young readers will love the
humorous illustrations as they try to find out if Lucy will be able to
make this uncooperative animal into a good pet.
This
is an imaginative picture book that tells readers about the very first day in a
new school building, from the point of view of the building. The school
where I teach was a brand new building nine years ago, and I remember
the excitement of setting up my classroom (where I still teach BTW);
knowing that I was the first person to put stuff on any of the shelves! I
really love the idea of sharing this with students on the first day of
school. This could serve as a great mentor text for writing from a
different point of view. I definitely need to get my own copy!
Anyone
who has ever been faced with the task of writing can relate to the
anguish of not having any good ideas. The author of this book does a
great job of capturing the meandering train of thought that comes around
when you go with your dog for a walk. The narrator takes Wednesday for a
walk through the neighborhood; past rivers, trains, a soup kitchen
line, etc. A chat with a former neighbor stirs up a lot of ideas. I love
the wandering nature of the text and the collage of paintings and
photographs that accompany the flow of thoughts. This would be an
awesome book to have in my classroom library, since I think kids could
relate to it and it might serve as a nice model for getting some of
their own ideas going.
This
beautiful nonfiction picture book approaches the rain forest by telling
readers about all of the animals who make their homes in and near an
almendro tree. The focus on each page is the number of each species that
relies on the food and other resources that just one of these trees
provide. The information is fascinating and the illustrations, which
were rendered in acrylic and pencil, will surely draw in the 4th and 5th
grade readers in my classroom. The back of the book tells readers about
different organizations that work to protect the plants and animals of
the rain forest. There's also two pages devoted to math activities to use
with students. I'm really glad I purchased this book to be a part of my
classroom library. I also appreciate that a portion of the proceeds
from the sale of this book goes to support the work of the Natural
Resources Defense Council.
This
fun picture book tells the story of a shelter cat who is adopted and is
adjusting to his new home with a boy. Told from Won Ton's point of
view, the entire story is told in haiku. According to the author's note,
the story "is told in a series of senryu, a form of Japanese poetry
developed and similar to haiku. Both senryu and haiku typically feature
three unrhymed lines containing a maximum of seventeen syllables (5-7-5,
respectively); each form also captures the essence of a moment. In
haiku, that moment focuses on nature. In senryu, however, the foibles of
human nature - or in this case, cat nature - are the focus, expressed
by a narrator in a humorous, playful, or ironic way."
This book
really captures the essence of the fun and playfulness of cats. The
humorous illustrations support the text. This will be an awesome mentor
text to share with my students.
This
picture book is a great sequel to Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku!
Won Ton has adjusted to the routine of his life with this boy.
Everything is going along just fine, until a dog shows up! Told in
senryu, a form of Japanese poetry very similar to haiku, this humorous
story told from the cat's point of view will be another great mentor
text for my students!
This
is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book biography about a
young man in Ghana who wasn't going to let his disability keep him from
achieving his dreams. Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was born with one strong
leg and a mother who was determined to let him grow up being able to do
things for himself. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my students
and having it in my classroom library.
For
those who are ready to throw up their hands at all of the anger, hatred
and violence in the world today, this nearly-wordless book has so much
to say. As the little boy in this book is walking down the street to
mail a letter, he faces so many acts of war and brutality. A bully at
the mailbox is the last straw, and finally the word "No" is repeated
three times. This book was originally created as a response to the
growing amount of bullying that takes place in neighborhoods and
schools. On the book jacket the author says, "When I read recently of
one teacher's struggle to end bullying on the playground, I was moved,
and angered. How can we expect children to stop bullying when adults
can't seem to? Surely children must be aware of what goes on in the
world around them?" The illustrations along with the word "No" have the
potential to kick off some great discussions. It's also a great example
of storytelling, using just one word. I'm really looking forward to
sharing this book with my students.
This
is a fun picture book with rhyming text about what happens one day when
pigs take over the whole house. The silly pictures of pigs getting into
all sorts of mischief had me smiling, and I'm sure it will get lots of
giggles as a read aloud!
This
is an awesome picture book with beautifully painted illustrations that
takes the children in the story on a walk down memory lane by way of
their aunt's collection of hats. Susan and her sister, Sarah, visit
their great great aunt on Sundays. After tea and cookies, the girls look
forward to looking at her hats. Each hat that comes out of its box has a
special memory attached and Aunt Flossie tells the story. I think this
would be a good mentor text to use with my students. I love how an item,
such as an old hat, can become the centerpiece of a personal narrative.
I'm glad I have this book in my classroom library!
This
heartwarming picture book is one I definitely want to share with my
students. The narrator is a girl who plants a garden with her father
every year. She tells a story that her father has told her each and
every time they plant it. The story tells of an older gentleman, Mr.
Bellavista, who would plant vegetables and flowers in the vacant lot
next door. The man spent hours tending his plants, and in one careless
moment it was ruined by the storyteller's father. Brilliant storytelling
and beautifully painted illustrations come together to tell readers how
awful this young man felt about what he'd done and what he did about
it. There are so many powerful messages that kids need to read in this
story: themes of forgiveness, kindness, and generosity. I also believe
this is a great mentor text for writing personal narratives. I'm so glad
I have a copy of this in my classroom library.
