Monday, March 4, 2019

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.







March has begun. There are only seventeen days left until spring. We turn the clocks ahead next weekend. All of these seem to be good signs that warmer days will come along soon. But when I look out the window, and snow is still falling, it's hard to imagine that spring is just around the corner. At any rate, there's still my warm spot on the sofa and my huge stack of books...So, here's what I've been reading this past week:



Middle Grade Fiction  






I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade novel in exchange for a review. This is a fun, updated take on the Baby-Sitter Club series by Ann M. Martin. Middle school tween readers will definitely be able to relate to idea of trying to make money by babysitting. This is the age when kids want to have their own money and there aren’t that many other money-making opportunities for younger kids.

In this book, Malia, Bree, and Dot have been best friends for years. Now that these thirteen-year-olds are in seventh grade, they’re desperate to make money so they can throw the most awesome birthday party ever. Malia finds an old, battered copy of Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin and the three girls believe they stumbled across the best idea ever. But starting their own business is more difficult than they ever imagined when they have to overcome obstacles like difficult-to-manage children, unscrupulous competitors who steal their ideas and their business, and the day-to-day social drama of middle school.

This book has lots of fun updates so that today’s kids can relate to it. But there also are some funny lines to make older readers like me a bit nostalgic for the good old days. The voices of the adolescent girls ring true as they deal with their own friendship drama, family issues, and popular culture. I could see this being a pretty popular book for kids in grades five and up. By the way, good news for fans of The Baby-Sitter Club – Netflix has just announced they are creating a ten-episode series!






I have had this classic novel in my Kindle for some time. Inspired by last year's PBS series, The Great American Read, this year I'm trying to read more classic literature. Many of the books highlighted on the program are books that I should've read somewhere along the line, but never got around to. And I believe there are several that I did read at one time and have forgotten (that seems to be happening more and more as I get older!).
This was kind of a fun book. The accidental arrival of an orphan girl rather than an orphan boy turns everything at Green Gables upside down. The precocious girl, who kind of reminds me of a nineteenth century Ramona Quimby, is so upbeat and charming that they decide to keep her. No matter what kind of trouble she gets into - accidently baking linament into a cake, dying her hair green, fights at school - she has such a positive attitude that her trouble doesn't seem to last long. One of my favorite quotes from her is, "I'm not in the depths of despair this morning. I never can be in the morning. Isn't it a splendid thing that there are mornings?"



Picture Books






This clever picture book uses humorous text and illustrations to tell the story of an egg who is maybe too good for his own good. The Good Egg is the only good egg in a carton containing a dozen. The fun is in seeing how good this egg is in contrast to his naughty family. When he realizes that he's literally cracking up, he knows he has to make a change. He leaves the carton and goes out into the world to find a different way to live. There's lots of fun messages in this story about finding ways to relieve stress and not worry so much, about not having to be perfect all the time, and learning to tolerate the imperfections of others. This could be a good mentor text for young writers wanting to write a narrative that describes family life.






This book uses rhythmic text and beautiful illustrations to show a moment in nature: a pair of wolf cubs playing in the woods and causing a bit of a ruckus. The book is also a cumulative tale as each page introduces the sounds a disturbed creature makes as they become aware of the playful cubs. This would be a great tool to use to talk about the use of onomatopoeia in literature and maybe to use as a mentor text for young writers trying to describe the sounds of a particular environment.





Friends don't have to be the same, in fact, this sweet picture book tells the story of a very unlikely pair of friends. With fun rhyming text and lovely illustrations, this story celebrates the unique talents and gifts that the tall man and the little mouse possess that make them an extraordinary pair. The man does all the tall jobs - untangling swings, getting kites out of trees, etc. And the little mouse lives in the nighttime world collecting all the tiny things that the tall man won't miss. When the man is stymied by the town's clock that needs to be fixed, an all-night study session brings him into a close encounter with the little mouse that he didn't even know existed. Young readers will definitely be able to predict how this little mouse will become an enormous help to the tall man. It's nice to have stories that show that you're never to little to bring your talents and gifts to the world and to be helpful to those around you. This book could be a good way to help develop a growth mindset, as the mouse's small size doesn't stop her from doing her best to help. This could also be a good mentor text for young writers who want to write about how people and things that are opposites can actually be good for each other.






What a fun birthday present this book would be to a young reader who loves a good party. This is a terrific list of all of the "rules" of celebrating a birthday properly. The lively, colorful illustrations and the humorous informational style make this a fun book to have on the shelf everyday, not just birthdays. This could be a fun mentor text for young writers who want to write their own books of rules. 






Having a cold can be a miserable experience for anyone, and if you're young it can seem like it takes forever to feel well again. This sweet picture book shows a young girl that has a cold and all of the loving gestures the members of her family provide - goofy jokes from dad, chicken soup from grandma, even the dog is a loving companion. The softly colored illustrations are warm and comforting and the book has some good suggestions for quiet activities for the one who is sick. This book, along with Bob, Not Bob! by Audrey Vernick, would be great to share with one who is home from school with a cold as well as anyone else who knows what it feels like to be sick.






This adorable picture book is a fun twist on the classic poem, "The Tyger" by William Blake. Instead of "Tyger Tyger, burning bright" the forest creatures sit around the fire reciting, "Bunnies, bunnies, burning bright, in the forests of the night -." The tiger tries his best to convince these animals that tigers are much more frightening the bunnies. Young readers will enjoy figuring out which animals are the scariest. The lovely illustrations and fun dialogue between the tiger and the other animals make this a terrific book for a read aloud. Also it would be a good way to fit in the study of the classic poem as well.






Fans of rodeos and bronco riding will enjoy this well-researched picture book biography that tells the story of George Fletcher. Fletcher grew up at the turn of the century during a time when people were still settling the northwest part of the country. An African-American, Fletcher faced a lot of meanness and unfair treatment because of his skin color. But Fletcher was really good at taming wild horses and with that talent he became a champion cowboy. The culminating event chronicled in this book was the Pendleton Round-Up Saddle Bronc Championship in 1911. The riveting narrative style and beautifully painted artwork from the illustrator of last year's Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, combine with informational notes and resources at the back of the book to make this a terrific nonfiction resource to have on any classroom, library, or home bookshelf.






This wonderful picture book uses bouncy rhyming text and warm, welcoming illustrations to celebrate all of the ways each person is magnificent and uniquely special. This book has an inspirational tone to it, that would be uplifting to share as a read aloud. 





This sweet picture book tells the story of two jellyfish brothers whose love for each other helps them reunite with each other after a catastrophe threatens to separate them forever. Young readers that enjoy adventure and survival stories will enjoy finding out how, after a huge storm wave washes Vincent far away, Spencer enlists the help of many friends to search the ocean for his lost brother. The lovely, digital illustrations along with the suspenseful story will make this a fun one to read aloud.





Young children who are just learning about different emotional states and beginning to understand that you can feel lots of different emotions on any given day will appreciate this sweet picture book that compares different feelings with animals. Example: "On Tiger Days I want to climb. I'm wild and I'm fierce. I pace around and pounce and roar, that's just want tiger days are for. Each page has a lyrical text and simple illustrations of a different animal and emotional state. This could be a good mentor text for young writers trying to describe different ways of feeling.






This cute picture book will have young people giggling as poor Bobo gets all stressed out and worried. Bobo is a mischievous zoo animal that stole the zookeeper's flashlight. When Bobo and his friend, Fifi, were playing around with it, it stopped working. Convinced that he broke the flashlight, Fifi gleefully announces that Bobo is in big trouble because she's going to tell on him. Young readers will definitely be able to relate to Bobo's problem. This could be a good way to discuss ways that we can take responsibility for mistakes that we make.






This awesome picture book makes a great mirror book for young readers of the Muslim faith that want to recognize themselves and their families in stories. And it also makes a great window book to help young non-Muslim readers understand the traditional head-covering worn by many women of this faith. The little girl considers the hijabs worn by the different women in her family and neighborhood and how each wears it according to their own personal style. The little girl is proud of all of these different people and each inspire her to be the best person she can be. The last page is a note that explains the hijab in a little more detail.






The simple text combined with the clever artwork in this easy reader has more than meets the eye at first glance. Everyone seems to like his or her wheels in this book, but when you look closer you can see that the little girl on her bike has an advantage over those on the crowded road. Her trip to the park certainly seems more relaxing and more efficient. This could be a great book to share with young readers about ways to find more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, especially as springtime and warm weather makes walking and bike riding more pleasant.






This adorable picture book has a sweet story about a little bear and his special hat. Harold loves this awesome wooly hat and feels so special in it. This hat makes hime unlike any other bear around, so he wears it all the time. Young readers who are especially attached to a special article of clothing or maybe a special blanket or stuffed animal will definitely be able to relate to Harold's despair when a crow takes off with his hat. Harold tries several time to offer up trades to the bird in order to get his hat back, but each time the bird takes his offering without returning the hat. Obviously Harold gets kind of mad when he doesn't get the hat back, so when the crow leaves the nest, Harold climbs up there to get the hat back himself. What he finds up there changes everything. This story, along with the lovely illustrations has a great lesson about what truly makes someone special.

























































































4 comments:

  1. Oh, Jana, you always share such wonderful sounding books! I have The Good Egg, but haven't opened it yet! Love the sound of The Tall Man and The Little Mouse and Harold Loves His Wooly Hat. I've noted more! Thanks for every one! And I didn't know next week was clocks turning again, seems like "something" is coming quick. I woke up to 0 degrees this morning, now up to 7! Winter is definitely still here!

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  2. I loved The Good Egg. I have a few of these in my stack from the library - Spencer and Vincent and the birthday wish book. Oh, No, Bobo sounds funny. Snow here, too, even though it's March!

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  3. How in the world did I miss the fact that Best Babysitters Ever series was an undated take on The Babysitters Club!! My daughter used to LOVE the old series and she's spent quite a few years babysitting. I'm also looking forward to reading Under My Hijab! The Tall Man and the Small Mouse is a new-to-me title, so I'm going to add that one to my list. Thanks for all the shares and have a wonderful reading week, Jana!

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  4. What fun books. I like how picture books can get across a message in a fun and unique way.

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