It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!
Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.
We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.
Last Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read
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Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: This week I received some nonfiction picture books from the library, and was so happy to jump in. So far I have truly enjoyed the ones I’ve read, and plan on featuring them on future Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays: Mrs. Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, What To Do About Alice: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drover Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley, and And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson. Additionally, I read a fun picture book called Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall which is a quirky look at having a baby.
I also read three YA books. My favorite was probably Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael which is a story of a young man who, after his grandmother’s death, finds out he has a twin, and goes on a road trip to confront the family. I also read Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin which helped reassure my awe for Beaudoin’s craft. He is so unique. Finally, I read Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick, the Printz winner, and I don’t even know what to think. I am going to have to reread this one at some point.
Trent read some amazing books this week!
- Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli (Sam likes to win, but sometimes there are other things that are more important. The cartoon style illustrations made this book even more fun.)
- Camp Rex by Molly Idle (What amazed me about this book is that the narrative itself is full and funny, but the pictures add a whole new element to the story. I love when authors do that.)
- Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Amy Krouse Rosenthal never disappoints. A yes day is a kids biggest dream!)
- Nighty Night, Little Green Monster by Ed Emberley (Really liked how the author used cutouts and made this book interactive.)
- Cat the Cat: What’s Your Sound, Hound the Hound?, Elephant and Piggie: I Love My New Toy, and Elephant and Piggie: A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems (I love everything that Mo Willems writes, and I love being able to share these amazing picture books with my son.)
Ricki: I was floored by the nonfiction YA book, Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis. Based on my multiple readings of The Diary of Anne Frank, I thought I knew a lot about the people who hid during the Holocaust. I learned that Anne’s story is not typical at all. Many of those who were hidden were beaten, and they often switched locations very frequently. This book is a phenomenal resource. Teachers might read a few (or all) of the stories with their students to show different perspectives. I will be writing a full review, but I needed to share this text with you!
I also reread the professional development text We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools by Gary Howard. This is a well-researched book that I enjoyed, but I think there are others about this topic that are much better. Henry and I read and loved Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon. We also read Marge Blaine’s The Terrible Thing that Happened at Our House. This was a cute book that would be a great resource to families who have a parent who is returning to work.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: For the first time in a while, I am not sure what I am going to read next. I need to dive into my TBR pile and just pick something! I know I have the rest of my nonfiction picture books to read, but that’s it. Not sure what else, so we’ll see!
Ricki: Upon Kellee’s recommendation, I started Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. So far, I love it. I am also beginning the professional development text, Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents by Deborah Appleman.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Blogging Confessions
So, what are you reading?
Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!
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Some nice titles this week. For some reason, I feel like I’m about to binge on Non-Fiction- whether for kids, teens or grown-ups. We’ll see. Have a great reading week!
Great posts this week and fun reading! Number One Sam is one of my favorites from this year! I think little ones will love this one for years to come 🙂
I’m mailing Brown Girl today! 🙂
I Can.Not.Wait!!!!!!!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
(Your giveaway book was put in the mail Saturday, so you should get it soon as well :D)
Thank you so much, Holly! I can’t wait to get it from Kellee!!! You rock. 🙂
Kellee, those nonfiction picture books sound amazing. I’m going to have to look for more of those on my next trip to the library.
Rikki, I haven’t read Hidden Like Anne Frank, but I have an old collection of memoirs by kids in warring countries from World WAr II to Northern Ireland and Bosnia. It’s been awhile, but I think it’s called Why Do They Hate Me? I was amazed at the courage shown by the young people inlcuded. My favorite Holocaust memoir is The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender.
I get all my nonfiction picture book ideas from Alyson Beecher’s NF PB Wednesdays 🙂 There are so many good ones out there!
Thank you for these two titles, Kay! I will check my library next week to see if they are available. I appreciate it!!! 🙂
I don’t know Sean Beaudoin, Kellee, so will look for his books. Loved Mrs. Moore thought otherwise. I have the Anne Frank/hidden book on my list, need to read it. I’m reading The Boy On The Wooden Box next! Also have Yaqui Delgado, a must read soon! Thanks both of you, & have a great week!
The Infects is my favorite by him Linda. It is like Zombieland–so funny! He has a way with voice that is incredible.
I love all of the NF PBs coming out about lesser known people from history. I love getting to know them.
(Your giveaway book was put in the mail on Saturday. You should get it soon :D)
Linda, we will have to compare notes when we finish! Happy reading this week!
Books, books, books! Hurrah. I just finished Yaqui and was so impressed. So well written. Kellee- you did some fantastic nonfiction reading this week. Many of those titles are ones I have loved – I shared Mrs. Moore at the end of the year with my students and they talked about it for ages. An inspiring story. Ricki – Owl Moon is a book I absolutely treasure. I read it to my own children every winter.
Isn’t Yaqui a special book? It is an important one.
The NF PBs I read were so fantastic. Mrs. Moore is an amazing woman, and one I’d never heard of. So glad there is a wonderful PB about her.
Carrie, I think Owl Moon will become a regular book for us. It is stunning. I’m loving Yaqui so far. It is good fun. I am very curious where it is headed and excited at the possibilities. 🙂
What to Do About Alice is one of my favorite nonfiction PBs. Looking forward to reading her book about Emerson, which should be arriving at my door this week. Amy Krouse Rosenthal is always perfect. Have you read her… well, I’m not quite sure what to call it. It’s a memoir but it’s not like any other memoir you’ll ever read. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. I love using bits of that as mentor texts in my composition classes. I don’t know Sean Beaudoin either, but will look for The Infects. I loved Zombieland! I did not care for Midwinterblood–I actually still have a few pages to go to finish it. Clever concept, but it felt more like an exercise to me than a novel. Perhaps it will all come together at the end in some more satisfying way? I’ll try to finish it this week.
Looking forward to reading some recommendations in coming weeks… love having access to public libraries here in the US again, hit my limit on reserves! 🙂 Want to look into Hidden Like Anne Frank… curious about Brother, Brother as well! 🙂
Enjoy your time at home Debbie!