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.
This was a tough weekend, as the fifteenth anniversary of the horrific events on September 11, 2001 brought back all of the pain and heartache of that day. It's important to remember, and it's especially important to share this with our students. My students, fourth and fifth graders, weren't alive on that day. But many of them know a thing or two about that day. I'm glad that we have so many awesome book resources to share this day with them appropriately.
On Friday, I shared:
This
is an absolutely beautiful picture book that celebrates kindness and
universality of the pain and suffering brought upon America on September
11, 2001. Only 9 months after the horrific events of that day, a
village in western Kenya is so deeply moved by the story of what
happened, they organized a ceremony to present to the American diplomat a
gift of 14 cows. This is a very moving story which features stunning
artwork.
We discussed the awful part of what happened that day. But I'm glad this book focused on how people in another part of the world desperately wanted to help heal our pain. That led to a conversation about what we can do to help each other learn and be safe.
Next week, we're going to read:
I'm looking forward to finding out how all my other teacher friends shared the events of this day with their students and children.
I also managed to finish a Young Adult novel, in addition to a small stack of picture books. Hopefully, I'll find more time to read next week.
Here's what I've been reading:
Young Adult Fiction
I
had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley
in exchange for this review. While this book's content is definitely too
mature for the students in my classroom, I have to say it was a
fascinating and compelling look into the world of adolescents struggling
with depression and turning to self-harm (i.e. cutting) in order to
cope with their despair.
At the beginning of the book, seventeen year old Charlotte Davis (Charlie) finds herself in a rehab center for young people who harm themselves. She won't talk about what led to her admission to this program, but she finds an outlet through crafts and drawing. A complication with her health insurance results in her being released from the program. Unable to stay with her mother in Minneapolis, she boards a bus to Tucson to start a new life.
Without enough money or social supports, she finds herself slipping into her old ways of dealing with difficult circumstances. The story line grabbed hold of me through her search for a job and a place where she could afford to live. All of this is made even more complicated because she's seventeen and doesn't have a checking account, a car, or other important life skills.
The author does a great job of giving Charlie an authentic voice. I think that this could be an important book for young people to read, whether or not they have the same issues as Charlie. This book certainly helps people understand more about depression, and with understanding, we develop empathy and are more inclined to look for ways to help the Charlies around us. This book would probably be all right for high school students to read, although parents and teachers should be aware that there is rough language, drinking, drugs, and sexual content that may require some adult guidance and discussion.
At the beginning of the book, seventeen year old Charlotte Davis (Charlie) finds herself in a rehab center for young people who harm themselves. She won't talk about what led to her admission to this program, but she finds an outlet through crafts and drawing. A complication with her health insurance results in her being released from the program. Unable to stay with her mother in Minneapolis, she boards a bus to Tucson to start a new life.
Without enough money or social supports, she finds herself slipping into her old ways of dealing with difficult circumstances. The story line grabbed hold of me through her search for a job and a place where she could afford to live. All of this is made even more complicated because she's seventeen and doesn't have a checking account, a car, or other important life skills.
The author does a great job of giving Charlie an authentic voice. I think that this could be an important book for young people to read, whether or not they have the same issues as Charlie. This book certainly helps people understand more about depression, and with understanding, we develop empathy and are more inclined to look for ways to help the Charlies around us. This book would probably be all right for high school students to read, although parents and teachers should be aware that there is rough language, drinking, drugs, and sexual content that may require some adult guidance and discussion.
PICTURE BOOKS
Just
like the first two Little Elliot books, this one is so sweet and is
packed with so many great teachable moments. Little Elliot and Mouse
take a trip across town to the amusement park. But poor Little Elliot is
afraid of many of the attractions (too wet, too fast, too dizzy, etc.).
Through Mouse's kindness and patience, the two wind up having a
terrific time after all. The stylistic digital illustrations, along with
the adorable story, make this a wonderful book to share with young
children.
This
is a fun and engaging picture book that many young readers will be able
to relate to. "Ruthie has a problem at school. It is not the students.
It is not the classroom. It is not the reading or the writing or the
math. It is the Snurtch." All sorts of misbehavior is due to Ruthie's
Snurtch. Everyone has there own Snurtch. Acknowledging it seems to be
the first step towards getting it under control. The digital
illustrations are adorable.
This
is a really cute rhyming picture book that shares all of the different
fun things that pets can do and be. Great for little kids considering
getting that first pet. The illustrations and light text make this a fun
book.
This
picture book about Paula and her friend, Maggie, tells the story of
friendship, peer pressure, and forgiveness. Paula and Maggie have been
best friends forever. But then other kids begin to tell Paula that
Maggie is too big and clumsy. Paula begins to hang around with the other
kids and pretend that Maggie doesn't exist; until those same kids start
making fun of Paula. This book would be great during the first days of
school as classes are trying to build classroom communities. This book
presents the opportunity to have great discussions about kindness and
friendship. Beautiful acrylic paintings illustrate this story
wonderfully.
This
nonfiction picture book is simple and easy for young readers to
understand, and yet very interesting and engaging. The concept of
movement among plants gives the reader pause, since we don't usually
think of plants as animated organisms. Their movement is so very slow
compared to other creatures, we often don't notice it. The
illustrations, created using cut paper collage with watercolor, are
lovely. The book also includes more detailed information in the back
pages, along with a list of other resources for further research. This
would be great to have in my classroom library as a starting point for
research about plants.
This
is a cute picture book to share with young readers during the first
days of school, although it could be used anytime you'd like to have a
teachable moment about friendship. Sophie starts school with Bonnie and
Baxter, her two squash friends that she grew in her garden. She has no
interest in making friends, but squash don't last forever. Adorable
illustrations, along with a sweet story, will make this a nice book to
share with primary students.
Have
your tissues ready when you read this heartwarming picture book. This
book tells the story of two polar bears, Gus and Ida, in New York City's
Central Park Zoo who spend all of their waking hours together, playing,
swimming, and relaxing. But then, Ida becomes very ill and eventually
passes away. The text, along with beautiful digitally rendered
illustrations, tell a story that would be good to share with readers who
may need help dealing with grief in their personal lives.
This
is a beautifully illustrated picture book that shows what can happen
when we let kids wonder and use their imagination. All day long, a
little boy is told to keep his head out of the clouds and to stop
daydreaming. Finally, he gets to Art class and he can't think of
anything to draw until his teacher invites him to use his imagination.
This
was a fun book that I shared with my students. The vibrant
illustrations helped tell the story of a young boy who is punished with a
blue whale that he has to care for and take everywhere with him. The
students were excited to imagine just what it would be like to try to
deal with all of the problems an animal this size could cause. A fellow
teacher recommended it to me, since my students had recently enjoyed
Giraffes Ruin Everything by Heidi Schulz and If You Ever Want to Bring
an Alligator to School, DON'T. Several of my students seemed to
automatically make connections to these other two books.
This
beautiful picture book takes readers out of the house into the
nighttime world of the country. All of the activities and noises that
occur in the dark while everyone else is sleeping, are shared so gently,
that this would make a terrific bedtime story. And, as with Rylant's
other books, the gift of description really transports you to that
lovely nighttime of the country, even if you live in the middle of a big
city. My favorite page tells about the rabbits that come to eat the
apples that have fallen off the tree, "but only when they think you are
asleep." The gorgeous illustrations also help are this book a must-have
for my classroom library.
