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.
Today I'm going in to my school for the first time to start getting ready. I am excited to start cleaning up and getting the room organized. I've got A LOT of new books to establish into my classroom library. I've seen so many awesome pictures on Twitter and Facebook of many of my online friends' rooms, and that has made me antsy to get to it.
At the same time, I have to wonder where the summer went. It seems to go by faster and faster each year. There are two weeks left before the "official" start of the year. I want to get my room together, get organized and plan for an awesome school year. But I also want to make sure I enjoy every last drop of summer! And that means I also want to keep reading all of the kids' books I can get my hands on before I'm too busy to do that!
So here's what I've been reading this past week:
Middle Grade Fiction
I
received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for this
review. Judy Moody books are good to transition emerging readers more
comfortably into longer chapter books. They are aimed at readers who
have outgrown Junie B. Jones. I also think these books remind me a
little bit of Ramona Quimby from the popular series by Beverly Cleary.
In
this installment, Junie gets a look at her grandmother's Bucket List.
Once she gets over her dismay at the implications of this type of list,
she decides to make her own list of things she wants to accomplish
before she goes to fourth grade. Among the items on her list are
learning to do a cartwheel, learning a musical instrument, going to
Antarctica, and riding a horse. Some items are easier than others, but
Judy is up to the challenge!
I like that Judy has made a list of
goals. She's very focused on achieving them. Grandma gently reminds her
to be patient, because the whole point of this sort of list is to enjoy
the progress and journey toward reaching the goals. It's important to
have fun working through the items.
I also like that she learns
to focus on others, instead of just herself. Grandma's been working on
raising money to help buy children's books for the local library. This
inspires Judy to want to help others, too.
I like this book
because kids enjoy reading this series. They learn reading skills right
along with Judy; in this book she has difficulty learning how to use
contractions. But they also can take away great messages about patience
and sharing, while enjoying the humor of a precocious third grader.
Picture Books
This
is a cute and timely picture book about a little girl who's trying to
figure out who POTUS is. She goes to work with her mother, who works in
the White House. She's heard her mom talk about POTUS and she's dying to
meet this POTUS. There's an awesome twist at the end. This would be a
great book to have on the shelf, especially in this election year.
Adorable board book to get little ones ready for Halloween!
I
think everyone knows a Bossy Flossy, and at one time or another has
been a Bossy Flossy. This cute picture book tells the story of a little
girl who wants to tell everyone what to do and how to do it, including
her own mother and her teacher at school. Young readers will enjoy
finding out what happens when Flossy meets Edward, who also likes to
tell everyone what to do. Colorful, collage-style illustrations will
pull young children in and make this a popular book on the shelf.
With
gorgeous illustrations and engaging, informative text, this awesome
nonfiction picture book takes us on the nighttime journey of a coyote
trying to find prey so her family can eat. Since coyotes can be found in
every state in America, and increasingly in suburban and even urban
areas, many children will be able to relate to the narrative style of
this informational text and come away with a better understanding of how
these animals adapt to the environments and neighborhoods around them.
The back of the book provides more information about coyotes and further
resources for more study. I would LOVE to have this book in my
classroom library!
This
hilarious picture book uses clever, rhyming text and vibrant, funny
illustrations to tell the story of a cute, little classroom pet that
goes wild when the it gets out of its cage. The children of classroom 2D
are so excited to get an adorable, little class pet. Because of its
small size, the teacher warned them not to take it out, but they did it
anyway. There will be lots of laughs as kids read to find out what if
the kids and their teacher will get control of this crazy hamster.
This
picture book by Zachariah OHora is so much fun. Oskar and his brother,
Theodore, love spending their Saturdays reading and relaxing in the
peace and quiet of the library. But the peace is ruined by a five-headed
monster looking for food. Kids will laugh out loud as these two try to
figure out a way to get the peace and quiet back and NOT get eaten. The
illustrations are awesome, with nods to many of our favorite kidlit
authors!
This
is a fun book that is a celebration of friendship no matter what planet
you call home! Yelfred and Omek are best buddies on the planet Boborp.
They do everything together. But they get very angry at each other when
Omek drives Yelfred's new spossip without permission and then schmackles
it. The story, along with the illustrations, is hilarious and I think
kids will really enjoy it. But I also think this book would be great for
teaching reading skills like sounding out the nonsense words and also
using context clues to figure out what those words mean. I definitely
want to get a copy of this book for my classroom library!
Ooko
is a little fox who is looking everywhere for someone to play with. He
has a difficult time finding a friend. He tries changing his appearance
and his personality, anything to win friends. The sweet narrative style
and the humorous illustrations will draw youngsters in to find out if
the fox will ever find someone to be his friend.
This
book is a beautiful celebration of books and reading. Lucas spends all
of his time wishing he could fly. One day his mother gives him a book to
read, and he realizes there's more than one way to fly. Gorgeous
watercolor illustrations make this a perfect book to share during the
first days of school.
Wow!
This book is definitely for everyone and one that I need to purchase
for sure! Using the same uplifting narrative style and beautiful
illustrations of "What Do You Do With an Idea?", this book captures the
heart of what I think has most everyone its grip: fear and anxiety. The
little boy in this book is walking around with a fearsome problem (I
love that the author doesn't name it) and as he tries to avoid it, it
keeps getting bigger. Finally, he faces it and learns something
beautiful!
Bryan
Collier's stunning illustrations come together with engaging rhyming
text to show readers how to take a different look at familiar things all
around us. Readers get a chance to experience the city from the
perspectives of a little girl, who incidentally is Bryan Collier's
daughter, and a bird flying overhead. According to the Artist's Note at
the end of the book, "The art for this book was done in watercolor and
collage. I think collage works so well with this story because it
illuminates all the smaller elements and shapes to form a whole picture.
When I read this text for the first time, I was immediately inspired.
In this kaleidoscope of color's and shapes, I hope you can almost hear
and taste the sounds and smells of this vibrant and colorful city day.
And as night falls and the stars come out, you'll see how city and
nature combine in a gentle mix of new tones and shapes to discover."
This would be an awesome book to have in my classroom library!
This
heartwarming picture book tells the story of Hee Jun and his family as
they adjust to their new life in the United States. Everything is so
different when his family moved to West Virginia from Korea. Eventually
he begins to learn English and fit in with his new friends. This story
has a great message about making new friends and being kind to someone
who is new in our school community. This would be a great book to share
at the beginning of the school year.
This
awesome picture book uses lush, painted illustrations and a simple (but
powerful) narrative to share a great message with young readers.
Everyone has something to contribute, and no one of us is better than
all of us. There are great themes of patience and teamwork as great
equalizers.
This
fun picture book about a little goblin who defies all of the odds and
all the people who don't like him to help out his friend, is going to be
a lot of fun to share with kids. Goblin was going about his day as
usual, playing with his best friend, Skeleton, when plunderers came an
took everything, including his friend. Young readers will have fun
trying to find out how Goblin is going to help get his friend back.
This
is a clever picture book that celebrates the special differences in
everyone. Octicorn is half octopus and half unicorn, and has a tough
time feeling like he fits in. This book has a great message for young
readers along with humorous illustrations.
This
fun picture book is a step-by-step guide to becoming a superhero. The
book is meant to be humorous, and the suggestions and illustrations
certainly are. As a read aloud for younger kids, I might point out that
they really shouldn't try to do some of these things themselves, like
trying to breathe underwater. I also am not sure I like the kids
stealing the cookie jar and taking it up to the treehouse. With that
said, kids will enjoy the silly antics of the main character and it
could be a good mentor text for writing other step-by-step guides.
This
inspiring nonfiction picture book tells the story of the Recycled
Orchestra of Paraguay. "A town built on a landfill. A community in need
of hope. A girl with a dream. A man with a vision. An ingenious idea."
This book really captures the meaning of a growth mindset. The
illustrations were created "from a hybrid technique of collage, acrylic
glazes and paints, drawings, and digital mediums, then executed on
stipple paper." I definitely need to get this book for my classroom
library!
Bold,
colorful illustrations and playful, rhyming text will make this a fun
book to share with children. Pixie is lonely because she lives on a tiny
island with no one to play with. One day Beachy the whale washes up on
shore, and this starts a marvelous friendship. This is a cute book!
I
love doughnuts and grab them whenever I get the chance. This
fascinating picture book biography of the inventor of one of my favorite
foods is going to be very popular with my students. According to the
book's jacket information, the author was "on a tour of the Boston
Harbor (and) she heard the guide offhandedly mention, 'The guy who
invented the doughnut is buried over there.' That comment made Pat
curious, and sleuthing led her to an amazing master mariner with a tasty
secret!" The book includes an author's note with more information, a
timeline, and a bibliography.
Adorable
illustrations of cuddly bears along with simple, rhyming text make this
picture book about a bear band lots of fun. This would make a terrific
read aloud to small children and could even be a good introduction to
the concept of making music with instruments.
Many
kids feel like they wish they had a different name, so I think there
will be a lot of young readers who enjoy this rhyming picture book.
Wilma Lee Wu wishes she could change her name. When she goes to the
Change Your Name Store, she gets to try on several different names to
find one that is right for her. This book would be a good companion to
Thunder Boy by Sherman Alexie, which also deals with how special a
person's name is.
This
beautiful nonfiction book uses poetic text and breathtaking paintings
to tell the story of the hard labor, much of it slave labor, involved in
the building of the White House. This has been a topic of conversation
lately, since First Lady Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic
National Convention. This book also has an author's note and resources
for further study.
Opening
your mind to different ways of doing things and seeing situations from
different perspectives are two awesome messages found in this charming
picture book. Lily and Salma are best friends and do everything
together, including eat lunch at school. But they each pack different
sandwiches. Lily's father packs peanut butter and jelly for Lily and
Salma's mom packs hummus in pita bread for her. This leads to an
argument between the two girls that spirals out of control. Warm,
inviting illustrations and the engaging narrative style of the authors
will draw young readers in to find out how these two girls will solve
their problem.
This
is an awesome picture book that has a great message for kids. Jeremy
really wants to have a new pair of black high-top sneakers with two
white stripes. Almost everyone at school has a pair, but him. But
Grandma says he needs new snow boots for winter. The engaging and
relatable narrative style of the book will draw in young readers to
think about the difference between needs and wants and also to learn a
great lesson when Jeremy sees an opportunity to look past his own
disappointment and do something kind for someone else in need. This
would be awesome to have in my classroom library.
This
is a nice concept picture book that explores courage by looking at a
number of ways that it manifests itself. "There are many kinds of
courage. Awesome kinds. And everyday kinds. Still, courage is courage -
whatever kind." I would point out, that some of the examples of courage
seem more like self-discipline or patience or kindness, rather than
courage: "Courage is two candy bars and saving one for tomorrow." But
that could make for an interesting discussion; whether or not each
example is courage or something else. At any rate, it is a sweet book
with heartwarming illustrations.
I
guess I just don't understand who the intended audience for this book
is or what the message is supposed to be. It's just sort of a creepy
narrative about the unfortunate plight of a fish that winds up in a
sardine can. If it's trying to share some environmental moral, I don't
know of ANY of my students that are willing consumers of sardines. So,
it would just sort of leave everyone feeling bad, with no real way for
kids to feel hopeful about fixing a problem in the world.
