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 that everyone had a nice Easter/Passover last week. Even though it looked a lot different, I was very busy helping my church put together online worship experiences and revising the curriculum so they could continue Sunday School online. I am so happy that spring weather is here and I can get out and walk. But...it does seem kind of lonely without the other people around! My neighborhood seems to be a bit of a ghost town.

I did manage to work on my pile of picture books that I checked out from the library, before they closed. It seems a bit easier to read these books, than some of the thicker novels that I have around. It is difficult to concentrate these days. I have read articles from psychologists and other experts that say that many people are having the same problem, due to the anxiety and stress of the unknown. At any rate, I'm thankful for the stress-free books that I do have on my coffee table. Here's what I've been reading this past week:

My Bison by Gaya Wisniewski 

This lovely picture book tells a story of a girl's love for the natural world around her, specifically a bison that returns to the woods near her home every spring. At the beginning of the story, her mother raises her up in her arms to see the animal. Falling in love with the bison, the girl spends a lot of time looking at and talking to her new friend. Through the years, this continues, and the grown woman uses her time with the bison to enjoy the special memories of her mother and her life in the area. During these days of quarantine and isolation, it's still possible to strike up a special relationship with the natural wonders in our backyards and neighborhoods. In my own backyard, as spring takes hold, the same robin comes back to the same spot in our maple tree to build a nest. These bits of familiar help me remember a time when coronavirus didn't exist (it wasn't that long ago, but it seems like it).

One Earth by Eileen Spinelli 

Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22 this year. And while most of us are still isolated in our homes because of the coronavirus pandemic, spring weather is making it possible to get outside and enjoy nature in our own neighborhoods and backyards. With comforting, rhyming text and beautiful illustrations, this lovely picture book counts all of the pieces of nature that make our world wonderful and then counts backward with ways that families can help take of our planet. Some of the ideas, like weaving rugs from plastic bags, might be a good craft to try while we're still sitting around the house.

One of These Is Not Like the Others by Barney Saltzberg 

This clever picture book uses humorous illustrations and simple text to help young readers understand how variety and diversity in our world is something to be celebrated.

How to Make a Shark Smile by Amy Blankson, Shawn Achor, Claudia Ranucci (Illustrator)

This fun picture book helps young readers develop a positive mindset and choose not to live in fear and unhappiness. Perfect for these stressful days of social isolation, this is the story of Ripple, a dolphin who moves to a new aquarium. All the other fish in the place are miserable and frightened of Snark, a nasty shark. Ripple teaches all the fish, including Snark, how to develop a positive mindset. Soon all the fish are smiling and laughing. The book includes tips on developing a positive mindset, which appears to be very helpful for such a time as this!

My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan, David Díaz (Illustrations), Francesca Sanna (Illustrations)

Gorgeously illustrated, die-cut pages will have young readers mesmerized as they enjoy this celebration of seasons and all of the special ways the Earth is important to us. With Earth Day this year coming in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it's even more important to appreciate the natural world. This would be a good book to use to celebrate springtime.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak 

Most people that know me know that winter is one of my least favorite seasons. And with social isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, I'm so grateful to see winter give way to spring. I love to be able to get outside and walk or be in my yard. This lovely, lyrical conversation between a young boy and the outside world celebrates the transition from the cold, windy world of winter and the warming, colorful world of spring. This might be a good way to talk to young readers about point of view and speaker's voice in literature, as sometimes it's hard to tell who's speaking on the pages. This book is a nice follow up to the author's other seasonal transition books, Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter.

This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward 

This cute picture book helps young readers see the importance of diversity and inclusion. Gray always feels left out, so decides to create a story that only has the color gray in it. Before too long, though, the other colors come along and make it difficult for Gray to continue. But, as things go, Gray realizes that it's important that everyone gets a chance to contribute. This might be a fun book to include with an art lesson on colors - primary, secondary, complimentary.

Someday by Alison McGhee, Peter H. Reynolds

With sweet simple text and comforting illustrations, this emotional picture book would be great to share on Mother's Day. But be sure to have a box of tissues handy. It's hard to read this ode to the stages of life and relationship between a mother and her child.