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 Books We’ve Owned for a Long Time but Haven’t Read
Wednesday: How Being a Mom Has Changed My Identity (Kellee)
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: School is taking up a bit more of my time than I anticipated (I was just told I was teaching a new class a week ago, so I am working on building a curriculum for the class in addition to my journalism class and being reading coach), so I am not having as much reading time as I’d like. During my week, though, I was able to read a phenomenal graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell. I loved it, and my students are going to love it. When reading it it automatically connected to Smile and Hurt Go Happy in my brain. I also read 3 picture books that I really liked: How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge, Manfish by Jennifer Berne, and The New Girl…and Me by Jacqui Robbins.
Trent and I read some awesome picture books this week. The most important one we read this week was a photo book that my mom made of Trent’s first visit to Chattanooga. It is in chronological order and chronicles his time there. I love how she put it together, and I love that Trent and I can revisit any time we want!
Our other favorites were:
- Pardon Me by Daniel Miayres is a book that reminds me a bit of Hat Back, but not so much that it didn’t seem unique. Cracked me up!
- Oliver by Brigitta Sif is a new empathy book for me. It was great and I LOVE Oliver.
- The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett is a beautiful wordless picture book that I loved sharing with Trent. The ending was superb.
- Big Bug by Henry Cole gives a great introduction to perspective.
We also read Gravity by Jason Chin and Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan, which were both recommended, but I just didn’t love them as much as I wanted to. Jim really liked Summer, but I just didn’t connect with it.
Ricki: First of all, I want to publicly apologize for not visiting more blogs this week. Reading other educators’ blogs is one of the highlights of my week. I don’t always comment, but I am constantly perusing, and I love learning from you all. Last week, I started school, and I was overwhelmed by the massive amount of work on the syllabi I received. I am back on the wagon, and I am sorry!
I will be sneaking YAL into my coursework, but please expect to see a lot of PD texts. I will post reviews highlighting the best PD texts I find. Of course, you can expect to see the usual YAL in reviews, as well. This week, I read Judith A Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan’s Teaching Young Adult Literature Today. I have a review scheduled for next Thursday, September 11th because there was no space in the blog this week. This text highlights the great things that are happening in the field. Some good friends for the ALAN Workshop are featured authors, and I learned much from them. This is a must-read for scholars and educators in the field.
Henry and I read two phenomenal picture books. I bet some of you have read them, too! We fell into Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles. My husband and I loved this book and plan to purchase it. This is the best picture book I have read that addresses racism and discrimination. It is also a tale of friendship. We also loved the duality that existed in The Letter Home by Timothy Decker. If you haven’t read either of these books, I can’t recommend them highly enough.
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I am currently reading Be a Changemaker by Lauria Ann Thompson, and I am finding it very inspiring and well done. I will finish it this week. I also am reading Allie Gator and the Seven Stones by Sean Eckenrod on my phone, so it may take a while to finish it because it isn’t an every day book. Trent and I are going to continue working through the picture books I got from the library after reading IMWAYR posts.
Ricki: I was fortunate to receive a copy of Atlantia by Ally Condie. I am excited to read this one. I will also be reading qualitative research methods texts. I was thinking about trying Rosenblatt’s Literature as Exploration this week, too. It is very widely cited, and I want to learn more from this great text. Reader Response is awesome, no? 🙂
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Book Characters That Would Be Sitting At My Lunch Table
Friday: Laurie Calkhoven Guest Post
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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You’ve again shared some good books. Isn’t it amazing how our time is not exactly our own lately? Back to work means less reading time, I agree. Thanks for the work you’re sharing! I like Manfish a lot when I read it, Kellee. And Ricki, I just found Freedom Summer in our library this past week. I was looking for a book for one specific class, & there it was! Happy Reading!
Exactly. School starts and time starts to change 🙂
Have you read The Fantastic Undersea Adventures of Jacques Cousteau? It is another great look at his life.
Linda, how funny that you came upon it this last week, too! I agree that time isn’t our own, but yet, I do enjoy what I am doing for work. There just isn’t enough time in the day!
I just read Flight School by Lita Judge for this Monday’s Reading and loved it! I will check out her other titles.
I also read Oliver (if we are talking about the same one) – being the Oliver and the Alligator. I love the artwork and will check out more of the Oliver titles.
Thanks for hosting us and still making a point to visit our blogs!
I want to read Flight School–I have heard wonderful things!
My Oliver book isn’t part of a series I don’t think… I’ll have to check out the Oliver book you read!
Emily, I haven’t read either! I will have to check them out. Thank YOU for stopping by and joining in on the fun!
Kellee, I loved your post about your changing identity. I remember going through the same thing. For the first ten years of my career I was all school. Then the first kiddo arrived and things had to change. It was ok. This was the next phase of my life. I was not prepared for the Mommy guilt that, for me, is always looming. I think that is how it is for moms. Enjoy your little one. Mine are now 12 and 8 and it was gone by ridiculously fast.
Thank you 🙂 Sometimes it is really, really hard to make a change. Even when it is the best change ever 🙂
Gigi, I also loved her post. I think we are both struggling with changing identities due to our babies. Kellee captured the emotions perfectly, in my opinion.
I LOVED The Man with the Violin. It’s definitely one of those books that made me choke back some tears. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts about it.
Me too Beth. It was beautiful from cover to cover. I found it so amazing how well the illustrator showed the curiosity of children and the go-go-go of adults.
I agree. I loved it too! I discovered it a few months ago, and it still sticks in my mind!
Trent’s own book! How cute! John Skewes has a series about a dog that gets lost in various cities and lots of people buy them and add pictures of themselves in it as a photo album/picture book.
I need to look for Freedom Summer!
Isn’t it neat? It reminds me of the books you used to be able to order, and you sent in your name so throughout the book it said your name in the narration. Love the idea of the John Skewes books–going to go check them out 🙂
YES! Please do! It is absolutely stunning.
Wow, you both had very busy weeks! I am getting back into my fall routine, too, with both sons back at school.
Love the homemade book your mom made for Trent, Kellee! I made similar homemade books for my sons when they were little and learning to read. They still have their All About Me books, filled with photos of them and family members.
Enjoy your books this week!
Sue
Book By Book
I love the hear that this book will mean a lot to him, Sue 🙂 It is so much fun to read about yourself, and later it will be a perfect memory keeper.
I made a homemade book for a friend, and I started an identical one for Henry. Obviously, the friend’s was finished, and Henry’s is not! I should add that to my list of things to do. 🙂
Both of you have read some good books. I do want to check out Freedom Summer, and I look forward to seeing some of your books for your PhD. I’ve found my reading branching out as I have changed my career this summer.
It’s amazing how changes in our lives change our reading.
Kay, I always enjoy your Monday posts. You do branch out very much! I will keep you posted about the good ones that I read for my PhD!
Gosh – there’s so much to comment on! Ricki – D. Wiles’s picture book Freedom Summer is indeed wonderful and goes perfectly with her new 60s trilogy addition, Revolution. Kellee – I love that you read a book written especially for Trent. 🙂 I, too, loved The Girl and the Bicycle!
I love that my mom did it–how much fun, and it, I’m sure, will mean a lot for Trent his whole life.
The Girl and the Bicycle is wordless perfection.
Holly, I will most certainly get Revolution. Thank you for sharing about this! I fell in love with Freedom Summer. 🙂
Kellee – Did you see that Birgitta Sif has a new one? I enjoyed it. She does quirky really well. You and Trent read some great picture books this week. Ricki – I know busy – it was crazy busy this past week. And Freedom Summer is really good.
I didn’t know! My library doesn’t have it yet, so I’ll have to request it.
She does do quirky well–I can’t wait to see the new one.
And thanks 🙂
It IS really good! Busy is good, but it can be overwhelming. I was so busy that I didn’t do the laundry, so I have two loads in right now, and I need to sit down and get organized!
Hi Ladies, I so know what you mean about getting into that school routine and trying to maintain your reading life! It’s so important so I fit it in when I can, but it definitely took a hit!
Kellee, You have some great PBs on your list that you read! Pardon Me is funny! I love those snarky books 🙂 I’ll be getting El Deafo this week and I can’t wait to read it. My baby niece has been diagnosed as being deaf, so these books are hitting home. I have Hurt Go Happy I need to read at some point!
Ricki, I’ve had Atlantia listed to read since I heard Condie was writing it! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. It will be interesting to see if she can write something different from the Matched trilogy!
Have a great, short week!
Michele, I believe El Deafo will be a text that your family will definitely connect with. Although both Cece and Joey’s (in HGH) journeys are different than your niece is going to have, I believe it gives a peek into living with deafness.
Michele, I am very excited to get started on it. Condie is an incredible author, so I suspect it will be good. I will let you know how it is!
Kellee, I can’t wait for my copy of El Deafo to arrive. Really looking forward to that one. I recently read a blog post about Birgitta Sif–maybe at 7 Impossible Things? can’t remember…–and put her on my list. Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have her books, but I may request they order them. Ricki, I sympathize with your busy schedule and reading life of required reading. Good idea to work some YAL in so that you still feel like you’re reading things you want to read. Louise Rosenblatt’s ideas infuse my teaching every day, I think. I ought to reread Literature as Exploration… it’s been years since I’ve read it!
El Deafo is. so. good! Enjoy when you get it.
You would love Oliver by Sif, right up your alley, so I would request it if I were you 🙂
My copy of Literature as Exploration is in the mail on its way! I have obviously read excerpts, and I know what it is about, but I am interested to read it in its entirety. Have a great reading week!
I still haven’t read Hurt Go Happy and it’s been on my TBR for ages. I really need to get to it. I agree that Freedom Summer is a great book for looking at racism. I am off to read a bit before sleep so I can get up and teach. Have a wonderful week.
El Deafo now on the ordering list, connected to Hurt go Happy and Smile? Wow… Thank you… Hope you both enjoy your reading weeks! 🙂