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 Authors We’ve Only Read One Book From But Need To Read More
Friday: My Time on the Walden Committee and Call for Applications
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: I had quite a good reading week! I made time for a bunch of smaller texts I needed to read and truly enjoyed them.
First, I had a 3 books from Cinco Puntos Press to read: Conspiracy Girl by Karen Chacek, The Lovesick Skunk by Joe Hayes, and Festival of Bones by Luis San Vincente. All three of these books were so unique! I would love to talk to someone else who has read Conspiracy Girl, so if you do, contact me! The Lovesick Skunk was NOT what I thought it was going to be, and ended up being a quite funny nonfiction picture book which I will most likely review in the future. Festival of the Bones is a great celebration of the Day of the Dead, and I look forward to sharing it.
I also read 3 Netgalley books: Stubby the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero by Blake Hoena, A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager, and The Zoo Box by Ariel Cohn. All three of these were wonderful in different ways. Stubby told a story of a true hero, Two Daddies introduces the idea of LBGTQ families, and The Zoo Box is a Jumanji-esque graphic novel that was a lot of fun.
Additionally, I read Bramble and Maggie books 1-3 by Jessie Haas and The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. Bramble and Maggie books are wonderful early reader chapter books about a girl and her horse. The Way Back Home is probably in my top 5 favorite Oliver Jeffers books now. He is so quirky!
Trent and I also read quite a few wonderful books: Frank! by Connah Brecon, Baby Beluga by Raffi, The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper, Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, and Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney. Frank! we will review later this week. I could not believe I hadn’t read Goodnight, Gorilla before! What a fun almost wordless book. Perfect for bedtime. I also LOVED reading Baby Beluga because I listened to that song so much when I was a kid. The others are just great board books!
Ricki: This week, I enjoyed reading Rory’s Promise by Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols. It was an interesting historical fiction that reads more like a creative nonfiction due to the depictions of real-life people. I learned a lot about orphan trains and enjoyed this new information about history. I also read a great nonfiction picture book called Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas written by Lynne Cox and illustrated by Brian Floca. I loved learning about the elephant seal who refused to leave her home in Christchurch, New Zealand and think kids will love this story, too!
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: In my advanced reading class, I give my students 10-20 minutes a day to read and some days I get to read with them. Last week I started Cleopatra in Space and plan to finish it this week. My plan includes The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg and another graphic novel that is at school and its name I can’t remember.
Ricki: Unfortunately, there will be no pleasure reading this week. I have chapters upon chapters of textbooks I have to read for my doctoral studies. I’ll be reading several chapters in Creswell’s and Maxwell’s books about Qualitative Methods. I will also be reading Shirley Brice Heath’s Ways with Words. So far, I enjoy this last one. I’ve mentioned it in previous posts, but in case you missed it, it is a foundational ethnography about the ways children learn to use language in the 1970s southeastern United States.
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read List
Friday: Rory’s Promise Blog Tour with Book Trailer, and Author Q&A
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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Goodnight Gorilla was something I just read this year as well and one I enjoyed. Definitely one of those books which I wondered why I hadn’t read it sooner! Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas was a surprisingly good read. I’m really glad I’m actively reading more non-fiction!
I agree, Earl. I have been trying to read more nonfiction, and I have discovered several books that have been quite delightful.
I hadn’t even heard of it until I had Trent. I am so glad that I have discovered it now!
The Way Back Home & Elizabeth, Queen of The Seas both sound good, along with so many others. Thanks Kellee and Ricki, hope it’s a good first week of autumn for you!
Elizabeth was enjoyable! Thank you, Linda. Autumn is my favorite season of all, so I am thrilled it has arrived!
The Way Back Home was great! I hope to own the whole boy and penguin “series” at some point.
I hope autumn hits here soon–it is MUGGY here still. Happy fall to you as well 🙂
That’s it. I’ll have to pick up a copy of Rory’s Promise. It looked good to me, but I doubted that the students would pick up an Orphan Train book when the Joan Lowery Nixon series I have is gathering dust! Too many people have mentioned it, so now I have to read it!
Ms. Yingling, it is enjoyable. I don’t think the cover will suck kids in, but I had fun with it. It reminded me of the books in the Dear America series.
I agree with Ricki–the cover does it no help, but it is fun. Like she said, fans of Dear America will really like it.
Wow, Kellee – you DID have a good reading week! Ricki – hang in there with your academic reading!
Kellee has been quite the busy bee, right?!
It was a good week! Sometimes reading shorter texts can really help your confidence and book numbers 🙂
Both of you read some good-sounding books. All of them are new to me! I have been hearing a lot about Stubby lately, and would love to read his story. I must say that Ways with Words sounds much more appealing than Qualitative Methods. Good luck with your graduate school reading!
I know, right? I read Ways with Words as a break to the Qualitative Methods stuff. It is neat to read such a classic, foundational study. I have heard much about it, but I had never had the opportunity to read it. I plan to do a blog post about it when I finish. 🙂
Stubby is one amazing dog! He is very much worth reading about. 🙂
Wow, Kellee, you read a LOT of books this week! Good night Gorilla was a big favorite at our house, too 🙂 You need to read all of Rathmann’s books – her illustrations are just filled with great, humorous details and her books are such fun! Another of our favorites by her is 10 Minutes Till Bedtime.
Hope you both enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
She certainly was busy this week! I enjoyed your post this week, Sue. I hope you have another great week this week!
I had never heard of Rathmann until you all (one of my blog friends) shared Goodnight Gorilla with me. I am so glad I found her! I’ll have to request 10 Minutes Till Bedtime.
I’ve read 10 Minutes Till Bedtime!!! Had no idea it was the same illustrator/author!!! Fun!
Thanks for the Bramble & Maggie recommendation! My kidlit students always want books about girls & horses and besides Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, I’m clueless! Now I’ve got something to recommend. I really need to get the rest of Oliver Jeffers’s books. I definitely enjoy his kind of quirk. Ricki, I don’t know how fun your reading week sounds. Qualitative Methods makes my head hurt! But hopefully you will find something useful. I liked the book about Elizabeth the elephant seal too–and loved Brian Floca’s illustrations!
I agree that Brian Floca has a way with ink! I really enjoyed the little quirks in the illustrations. Qualitative Methods is no fun–hence why few are commenting about it. Oh well. I will be back to pleasure reading soon. 🙂
Bramble and Maggie will be perfect for girl/horse recommendations! They are a perfect niche. I don’t know many horse books either, so I am glad I could help 🙂
Every time I think I’ve read all of Jeffers books, I find another one, and they always entertain! I love his quirk also 🙂
Hi Ladies!
Ricki, I hate when professional reading gets in the way 🙂 Even if it helps us in the long run!
The Zoo Box was a fun read, I just talked about it on Carrie’s blog too! Love the bright, graphic illustrations!
Michele, I agree. There are some professional books that are quite pleasurable, but the Qual books are a bit dense. I am learning a lot, though, so I can’t complain! 🙂
The Zoo Box was an interesting, fun read. Very much reminded me of Jumanji. I love the idea of a picture book/graphic novel mix, and the illustrations were great!
Stubby the Dog Soldier sounds interesting. But then again I’m a sucker for dog books. 🙂
You will love this dog, Beth 🙂
Wow! That was a lot of books Kellee. I need to read more early chapter books. I’ll look for Bramble and Maggie. Keep pressing on Ricki. I remember days of textbooks trumping choice. Not ideal, but it will pass. 🙂
Ricki – good luck with all of your coursework reading. Sometimes it just is what it is and pleasure reading needs to be put on hold. Kellee – some great picture books – Oliver Jeffers is just so talented, isn’t he? Love Goodnight Gorilla. (And 10 minutes till bedtime!)
Go Ricki Go!! You can get thru it! 🙂 Kellee- love the books you’re reading… 🙂 Goodnight Gorilla = chewed upon, loved, cute, fun book- led me to so many other books by her (beyond Officer Buckle and Gloria!! 🙂