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.

Thank goodness the spring weather has finally arrived. I know that everyone is having their own ways of coping with the anxiety and uncertainty of our "new normal". It's wonderful that we've found new ways to be together through technology, even if we can't be in the same place together. But to be able to go outside and enjoy the warm weather is HUGE. Even though we try to walk on separate sides of the street as our neighbors, we can at least wave and say "hello". As we were walking the other day and folks were starting to work in their yards and kids were playing, I said to my husband that I could almost imagine that nothing is different, at least for a little while. I hope that you all are staying healthy and safe and finding ways to take care of your whole self. Reading is a huge part of that, although I must say, that some days it's just so hard to focus. Most of the books I'm including this week also have some video resources attached, so that those that don't have access to the books right now, might still be able to share them with kids and enjoy them. Here's what I've been reading this past week:

The Bear Must Go On by Dev Petty (Goodreads Author), Brandon Todd (Illustrator)

Now that we're all practicing social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic, children are away from their friends and coming up with new ways to be together. With the technology available to us, I've seen more and more young people taking to Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms to put on their own performances. The forest animals in this book have decided to put on a show for all of their friends. Bear is very shy, but very happy to help the other animals prepare. All of the details have been arranged and the stage is set. Except, when it's showtime, the animals realize they've forgotten something VERY important. Young readers who have ever participated in a performance at school or church or some other place in their neighborhoods will definitely be able to relate to the stress in getting an act together.

Here's the Book Trailer on YouTube.

Here's a video of the author, Dev Petty, reading the book aloud to a group of children.

Don't Feed the Coos! by Jonathan Stutzman, Heather Fox (Illustrator)

Many years ago, my family took a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We were staying on the fifth floor of a hotel that had a balcony overlooking the beach. My sister and I had great fun throwing small bits of crackers out to the seagulls. But after a while, more and more of them came and the folks on the beach below were NOT pleased. That's when we learned why you're not supposed to feed the birds. This book made me chuckle, because the little girl in the story learns the same lesson. An innocent little bit of bread to one pigeon, starts a whole frenzy of birds following her wanting more and more and leaving a big mess. This would be a good way to talk about cause and effect in literature and also conflict and resolution as the little girl tries to figure out how to get away from the birds.

Here's a link to a trailer on YouTube.

Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre

Spring is here, and thankfully, we are able to get out and go for walks in the neighborhood (maintaining safe, social distance from others). In our neighborhood, we have several ponds and I love watching the frogs. Often they jump in the water with a splash as I approach. This lovely picture book uses gorgeous, close-up photographs and spare, lyrical text to celebrate the joys of watching frogs. There is also an author's note at the back giving more detail on the frog's in her neighborhood and resources for further study. It really is a great way to relieve the stress of the times to get outside and observe nature. This book will help readers take a closer look at frogs.

A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson, Nina Crews (Contributor)

With beautiful photo collage illustrations and lyrical text, young readers will be able to see what it is to dream and be inspired to achieve whatever they put their own minds to. During these days of social distancing, it is so important for children to be able to have positive dreams for their lives going forward. Every young reader will be able to recognize themselves in this book and hopefully learn to articulate their own dreams.

Here's a video of Nina Crews reading the book aloud on YouTube.