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.

Thankfully, we seem to be having a little bit of a break from Winter. The temperatures have gone up into the 50s, and we've actually had some nice days to get outside. I'm not going to get too excited, at least until I see what the Groundhog does on Friday. At any rate, I'm sure we're in for plenty more nasty winter weather, but I'll take what I can get for now. I still managed to get caught up on a few of the picture books that have been stacking up. Here's what I've been reading this week:

A Couch for Llama by Leah Gilbert

Families whose comfy couches are the centerpiece of their happy homes will definitely be able to relate to and enjoy this adorable story. The family in this sweet picture book cuddle, enjoy stories, eat, and play on the family sofa. Eventually it’s time to get a new couch. On the way home from the furniture store, the couch flies off the top of the car and into the field of a llama. Young readers will get a kick out of watching this animal fall in love and finding out how the family will get their new sofa back. The illustrations are very warm, cozy, and kid-friendly and they show family scenes that will be familiar to lots of children.

Nature's Lullaby Fills the Night by Dee Leone, Bali Engel (Illustrations)

The softly colored, beautiful illustrations along with the gentle, rhyming text tells readers all of the differ ways insects and other animals in the natural world wrap it up for the night. This would be a terrific bedtime read aloud for those that love the outdoor world.

Bagel in Love by Natasha Wing, Helen Dardik (Illustrations)

Young readers who have ever been left out of the fun will be able to relate to poor Bagel. Bagel loves to dance, and he has his heart set on entering the Cherry Jubilee Dance Contest. But when he starts asking around trying to find a partner, everyone says no. This book has bright, lively illustrations and is full of bakery puns. This would be fun to share with elementary kids during the Valentine season. This would also be a terrific way to discuss word play and idioms in the classroom.

Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing by Leda Schubert, Raúl Colón (Illustrations)

Pete Seeger was a legendary musician, social activist, and children’s author. This picture book biography uses simple, yet almost lyrical text (with stanzas that start with the word “Listen”) and beautiful illustrations to tell the story of how this man encouraged so many people to get involved in making the world a better place. A biographical timeline and bibliographic references make this book a good nonfiction resource for any bookshelf and a terrific starting point for further research. This book would also pair well with Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger. It would also be fun to share videos and recordings of Seeger’s most popular songs with young readers who may be unfamiliar with him.

Dream Big by Kat Kronenberg

Set in the African savanna, this beautifully illustrated picture book tells a story about believing in yourself and making your dreams come true. Baboon sees so many of his neighbors wishing and believing: Caterpillar becomes a butterfly, Tadpole becomes a frog, Flamingo becomes a beautiful, pink bird. But is it too late for him to make his own dreams come true? This would be a good book to share with young readers to promote a growth mindset.

The Magician of Auschwitz by Kathy Kacer, Gillian Newland (Illustrations)

Many books for young readers have been written about the Holocaust, but this is a good to share for younger students (elementary), as it tells something of the hardships for those who were prisoners of concentration camps, like Auschwitz, without getting too graphic about the horrors of it all. Instead, this book focuses on a true-life story of the kindness a famous magician (and fellow prisoner and bunk mate) showed the young boy who is the focus of this story. The Nazi guards would order Herr Levin to perform magic tricks for them, but the magic for Werner was in the gifts of hope and friendship that Levin shared with him. The illustrations are rendered in a limited palette, which is very effective in showing the the bleakness of the prison camp. There is biographical information and photographs at the end of the book showing Werner and Levin in later years.

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.

With the brutally cold weather and nasty snowstorms, I haven't ventured out to the library at all lately. But I have curled up with blankets and coffee and enjoyed an afternoon of one of my favorite movies, which inspired this week's reading selection (it was so long, it actually took me over a week to read it)...

Little Women (Little Women #1) by Louisa May Alcott

On a recent blustery winter day, I curled up on the sofa and watched the 1949 version of this classic novel, starring June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, and Margaret O’Brien. This has always been one of my favorite movies, but I had never read the book. I was able to download it onto my Kindle for free. I’m glad I read it, because it digs into the story much more deeply than the film version does. There is lots of wonderful descriptive writing and character development. It is long - the Kindle version has 585 pages; but with all of the winter weather advisories and wind chill warnings, there was plenty of time to enjoy it. It’s also very old-fashioned, so younger readers may have a difficult time sticking with it.

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

This was a powerful story, told in verse, about a year in the life of a 12-year-old who was sentenced to house arrest for stealing a wallet at a grocery store and using a credit card from the wallet to purchase medicine for his sick brother. As part of Timothy’s probation, he is required to keep a journal to reflect on what happened. This middle grade novel is made up of the entries to that journal.

As the story develops, the reader finds out that Timothy has a baby brother who is critically ill: his airways aren’t developed properly and, so he is dependent on a trach tube in his throat to breathe. The baby needs round-the-clock care, while at the same time Timothy’s mother must work extra hours to make ends meet, and Timothy’s father has left the family. Clearly, Timothy has all sorts of issues that he must sort out with the help of a court-appointed counselor and his probation officer.

This is a powerful story that I really believe a lot of kids will be able to relate to. Sadly, I have had students in the past that wore court-ordered ankle monitors and were on house arrest. And while their circumstances were different, the attitude of the protagonist would certainly ring true to these readers. Also, anyone who has ever had family circumstances with financial and medical issues, would certainly find this book compelling. And this is also a great book for teachers and others involved with youngsters to read as a powerful reminder that kids today are dealing with so many issues and that we need to be mindful of that when we try to help them.

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.

It's been a busy and eventful holiday season for sure! Christmas and New Year's Day brought with it snow, special times with family and friends, and lots of surprises, for sure! And no sooner did all the fun times come to an end, but a wicked cold winter settled in to make life even more complicated! It's a good thing there are plenty of good books to read! So grab yourself a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with something fun to read! Here's what I've been reading over the last few weeks:

Snow Lane by Josie Angelini

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for this review. I was expecting this to be an interesting novel about a fifth grade girl growing up during the 1980s. I was pleasantly surprised by just how compelling this story was. The book takes readers through a year in the life of a very troubled and dysfunctional family. At first I kind of thought they were quirky because they were a big family. But as the story developed, I realized that this family situation is abusive and unsafe for everyone in it. While I found myself feeling tense and even kind of depressed for the circumstances in which Annie found herself, I really felt like I had to find out what was going to happen.

I’m not sure who to recommend this book to. The main character is a fifth grade girl, so it would be of interest to that age group. However, there is definitely a lot of strong, profane language and criticisms of her family’s religious (Catholic) and ethnic (Italian) background that might make educators or parents pause to consider whether it’s appropriate for particular groups of children. Definitely consider the maturity of your reader(s).

The subjects of abuse and mental illness are both very important. And I think a lot of what Annie and the rest of her siblings experience might resonate with those in similar circumstances. So, this could be a really important book to share, especially if it helps kids decide to reach out for help if they need it. It’s also a book that might help others understand what families like this are going through and bring compassion and empathy to the situation. Annie’s positive attitude - her strong desire to try to make things better rather than complain, can serve as an inspiration to all readers.

Winterhouse (Winterhouse #1) by Ben Guterson

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this middle grade novel from NetGalley in exchange for this review. For middle grade students (grades 5 and up) who enjoy mysteries and puzzles, this would be a fun and entertaining read. Elizabeth Somers’ guardian aunt and uncle are taking a winter vacation and have sent her to spend Christmas break at the Winterhouse hotel. When she arrives at this extravagant resort, she is blown away by how wonderful it is. She makes fast friends with another young guest, Freddy, and the two of them explore all of the hotel together. As time passes, she starts encountering all sorts of weird secrets and mysteries, including an old book that seems to have magical powers itself. The plot twists and turns take readers through an adventure to determine what message this book is trying to share with Elizabeth and what it all means for the fate of Winterhouse and everyone in it.

I believe that mystery lovers will enjoy this book. Young readers that like reading about resort hotels and solving puzzles will have some fun with it. I do think that the plot development drags in several spots. My attention started to wander through the descriptions of the time spent solving the big jigsaw puzzle in the lobby, Freddy’s work to develop his invention of the Wonder Log, and the exclusive Winterhouse-made candy, Flurschen. Through these extra details that aren’t as important to the actual mystery of the story, young readers might lose interest.

More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin

I bought this book many years ago, along with Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking, and every so often I love to get these books out and be inspired to make real food. Colwin, who sadly is no longer with us, was a writer who also loved food. She loved reading about food, writing about food, and cooking and eating good food. Creating good food doesn’t have to be an ordeal, and this book makes me hungry enough to get in the kitchen and get to it! The essays and recipes in this book are just fun to read, too (even if you never do get around to fixing them).

Picture Books

How to Find an Elephant by Kate Banks, Boris Kulikov (Illustrations)

When we have as many gray, dreary days as we do in the winter, it seems we have a string of days that are just perfect for finding elephants! I love how the little boy in this book doesn’t sit around moping on cloudy days, but he grabs a blanket, his flute, and a lunch and goes out looking for elephants. Young readers will have fun looking, too. Because the clever, colorful artwork invites you to find the hidden elephants, too. This could be a great mentor text for young writers to create their own hidden animal stories.

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw (Goodreads Author), Matt Carr (Illustrator)

When young children see someone in a wheelchair or someone that is differently abled, then they naturally are curious and have lots of questions. The author of this awesome picture book was born with spinal muscular dystrophy, which makes his body grow smaller and weaker as he gets older. With awesome photographs and a relaxed, conversational text style, young readers can see that Shane is not so different from everyone else. This could be a great conversation starter about people with disabilities and kindness. It’s also a great mentor text for informational writing using photographs and text to help readers learn about a topic.

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect by Richard H. Schneider, Elizabeth J. Miles (Illustrator)

This is a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations and a terrific message about caring and kindness. Little Pine was a beautiful tree and it was hoping to be selected as the Queen’s Christmas tree. But through the course of the winter, Small Pine opened its heart and sheltered and fed animals in desperate need. These acts of kindness resulted in damage to Little Pine’s branches. But these imperfections only made the tree more beautiful to the Queen because they were made by living for the sake of others.