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.
I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend. I was treated to some beautiful roses, candy, and fun lunch at our local Italian restaurant. I'm truly lucky to have such a wonderful husband to be my Valentine! We're going to continue the romance on a Caribbean cruise next week. It'll be nice to soak up the sun and stare at the ocean. Instead of worrying about coronavirus and quarantines, I'll be visiting islands and enjoying myself. But just in case we're quarantined for weeks, I'll make sure to have plenty of books to read! When I return, I'll let you know which books I got to read! But here's what I read 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. Young readers will have a lot of fun accompanying Mia on her quest to help her grandmother’s cricket farm become successful. Mia and her family have moved back to Vermont because Mia’s entomologist grandmother has recently suffered a stroke and Mia’s parents want to help her recover. But there seems to be a lot of misfortune with the cricket farm and Mia’s grandmother believes that someone is trying to sabotage it. After so many disastrous occurrences, Mia is starting to think that her grandmother may be right.
Mia’s new friends help investigate several of the main suspects. While that’s happening, Mia is also trying to recover from an injury that she sustained from a gymnastics accident. While her physical injury has healed, she still suffers from an emotional trauma that she has kept secret from her parents. There’s plenty of mystery, along with characters that will be inspiring to young women who aspire to pursue their dreams and become whoever they wish to become.
I love that the characters are natural and authentic. So many kids will be able to recognize themselves in this book, which is so important. The book addresses important issues, such as abusive and misogynistic behavior especially towards young women, support for young women who are interested in participating in STEM activities, and sustainable food options that incorporate insects into the diet. I’m still not sure that I’m ready to try eating a cricket (even if it does come in tasty flavors like barbecue, garlic, or maple), but this book has me thinking about it more and more!
Picture Books
Jack is the Bat Boy for the Lady Town Ladies baseball team. The Ladies are up against the Big City Brats in a big game. Through all the innings, Jack is eager to be able to get in the game and swing the bat. But Jack is pretty mischievous and it's doubtful he can contribute much when he's more interested in snacks and naps. But the score is really close, and the Ladies need a miracle to win the game. Young sports fans will have fun reading to see if Jack will get his chance to save the game. This might be fun to have in a collection of sports books, especially in the spring when baseball starts up.
We are all meant to live in relationship with others, and this lovely picture book celebrates the joy of sharing love, music, and kindness with those that need it most. With poetic text and beautiful illustrations, this book tells the story of a whale that sang so beautifully everyone in the ocean relied on her to fill their hearts with joy and emotion. But when the whale experienced the vastness of the world and felt lonely, she changed her tune. Young readers will enjoy finding out how the whales love is returned to her.
There are all kinds of families in our communities, and it's terrific when a picture book recognizes that and celebrates the stories of those who are being raised by kind, generous, brave individuals who step up when a child's birth family is unable to care for him or her. The little girl in this beautifully illustrated book wishes she could be with her own parents, but Mama Rose is "just like a mama." The book uses lyrical, repetitive text to share the ups and downs of daily life - mealtime, bedtime, chore time. But through it all, the little girl knows that she is loved. In a note at the end of the book, the author explains, "As a schoolteacher working in an urban environment with all of its complications, I have witnessed great success stories, I know countless grandmothers, aunts, big sisters who did not retreat - who valiantly cared for children not their own...I wrote Just Like a Mama to celebrate fictive kin, adoptive parents and guardians who have chosen to love and care for a child when they have no obligation to do so."
Saturday has always been one of my favorite days of the year. For people who work hard at school or other jobs, there's something special about a day off - being able to do what you want to do and time to just relax and enjoy life. The little girl and mother in this awesome picture book, have a wonderful day planned - story time at the library, a salon visit for new hairdos, relaxation in the park, and a special trip to the theater for a puppet show. But their plans meet up with trouble when things start going wrong - the story time at the library was cancelled, the hairdos were ruined, the park was crowded and noisy, and they were unable to attend the puppet show. This book helps young readers see that even when things go wrong, it's possible to make the best of it if you remember that special relationships are the most important thing of all.
This modern folktale uses fun, engaging text and gorgeous illustrations to share the joy of snow in wintertime with young readers. The little boy in the bed gets a big fluffy feather bed to keep him warm through the cold winter nights. He's warned that the bed is for sleeping, not jumping. But he can't resist. As he jumps and jumps, the feathers fall out of the bed onto the world below. This book is a terrific companion for A Big Mooncake for Little Star. It could be an awesome mentor text for young writers that wish to make their own folktales.
