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.
Congratulations
ANNE S.
for winning the set of hardcover copies of the Double Vision series!
Last Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Series We Want To Start
Wednesday: Nonfiction Graphic Novels List
Thursday: Bramble and Maggie blog tour with a Q&A with author Jessie Haas
Friday: Author guest post from Teresa Flavin, author of The Shadow Lantern
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Last Week’s Journeys
Kellee: I had a wonderful reading week. I finished This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki and An Army of Frogs: Frogs versus Scorpions by Trevor Pryce and Joel Naftali. I really wanted to love This One Summer. I love coming-of-age stories, and I love graphic novels (and I love so many of First Second Books’ books); however, I just felt like this one was missing something. I did like it, but I wanted to love it. The artwork was fabulous though! And the blue really added a special tone to it. Well done, but I just didn’t connect to it the way I wanted to. In the world of anthropomorphic books, Trevor Pryce’s and Joel Naftali’s Army of Frogs is definitely holding its own. This action-packed adventure about Darel, a not-so-ordinary frog, and the war he finds himself in the middle of is going to be a huge hit for fans of Warriors, Seekers, Guardians of Ga’hoole, Wolves of the Beyond, Silverwing, and Redwall. What does make this series stand out even more, though, is the AMAZING illustrations! You should read it for the story, but you HAVE to read it for the illustrations.
Additionally, I did read a ton of picture books that I got from the library after IMWAYR friends praised them. Reading all of these picture books has prompted a start to a new “series” that I’ll have randomly–“From My (Huge) Library Pile.” Since so many of them are so good, I want to be able to share them with you. My first “From My (Huge) Library Pile” post will be this week, and I already have 2 others planned.
Trent and I mostly did rereads this week; however, we did read Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt (recommended by Alyson) which is a wonderful book about different types of books in all different places. I specifically liked that there were babies in the illustrations showing books in babies’ lives.
Ricki: I finished Rosenblatt’s Literature as Exploration. I couldn’t stop highlighting! I always type up all of my highlights (because I am a little bit obsessive), and I will be doing a lot of typing. She just gets it. I think any reader of this blog would love the book. Rosenblatt is the reader response guru. She validates what I believe about teaching reading.
Henry’s grandparents and aunt bought him several adorable puppet books, like this one. We were all laughing hysterically this week as Henry kept grabbing the puppets. I also loved The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail by Maureen Stoler Kanefield. It has a fantastic moral and teaches children to make the most of their unique qualities. I rarely review picture books, but I will definitely be reviewing this one in the upcoming weeks. I want to read it a few more times first. 🙂
This Week’s Expeditions
Kellee: I started Mira’s Diary: Home Sweet Rome this weekend, and I am so happy to be back in Mira’s world. I adored the first one, so I am very much looking forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd book of the series. I also have some graphic novel e-galleys from First Second Books that I plan on reading soon. Additionally, I am still rereading my Walden books in preparation for ALAN.
Ricki: For professional development, I am reading Mingshui Cai’s Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults: Reflections on Critical Issues. I am also planning to read Suzanne Myers’ Stone Cove Island, a YA book that will be released next month. Of course, Henry and I will find some new picture books to read. It depends on his mood. (Don’t tell anyone, but I am planning his first birthday party, which will be Goodnight Moon-themed! I’ve been working on the decorations all weekend. I figure that my blog readers won’t tell the guests.)
Upcoming Week’s Posts
Tuesday: Top Ten Characters Who We Would Love To Be For Halloween
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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Can’t wait to read what picture books you’ve read and enjoyed! I was impressed with the illustrations for Army of Frogs when we had it in store.
Plus, we won’t tell the birthday boy the surprise theme! How cool!
There are some great ones!
Wasn’t the Army of Frogs artwork beautiful! I was truly impressed!
Thank you for the compliment! I am very excited. I stayed up late last night organizing the decorations. 🙂
Bramble and Maggie look too young for my students, but I still may read them. They look pleasantly intriguing.
They are super cute books!
Ms. Yingling, they are too young for my students, too, but I found them to be quite enjoyable. 🙂
Since I loved the Redwall books in the past, will have to check out the Army of Frogs books, Kellee. And Ricki, Goodnight Moon sounds like such fun for a birthday party, especially for one who will only sit still for ‘that’ book. Have a great week both of you!
Army of Frogs is a great new anthropomorphic series. A fun adventure 🙂
Thank you! I was pretty excited when I thought about it. I am hoping he notices his mom’s attention to detail.
I felt the exact same way about This One Summer though the artwork was amazing.
I’m glad I am not alone. I really, really, really wanted to like it….
The situations felt very authentic for that age, but I just didn’t connect with the characters. I am not one that needs to have likable characters, but I just didn’t have strong feelings about them. I had a ‘meh’ kind of reaction. One of our bloggers at Rich in Color really liked it though.
I need to read that book, so I can join the conversation!
Ricki, what a cute theme! You’ll have to post some pictures!
Kellee, I saw the mass PB reading binge you’ve been on! Those were some great titles, can’t wait to see the upcoming post!
Have a great week!
They are all such great picture books–I cannot wait to share them 🙂
I will most certainly post pictures! What a great idea! Thank you, Michele!
Oh, my older son LOVED all those animal books like Warriors, Guardians of Ga’Hoole, Silverwing, etc. when he was younger (and I liked them quite a bit, too – read the first Warriors so I could review it for Family Fun magazine and ended up reading the first 6 books nonstop!) – I’m sure he would have liked this new series, too.
The only book/puppet combo I’ve seen is the Stellaluna finger puppet my son had – he loved that, too! Sounds like a lot of fun.
Enjoy your books this week –
Sue
Book By Book
I thought I wouldn’t like the animal fiction books, but I like most of them. They are actually so much fun and action-packed.
Oh, a Stellaluna finger puppet sounds fantastic. I will have to see if I can find one of those!
I really did love This One Summer, and the artwork was incredible. One of the most beautiful and artful graphic novels I’ve read in a long time. I’m not entirely sure why I loved the story so much. I just thought it got a particular time in the lives of many girls exactly right and didn’t it make it easier or less complicated than it is. I thought it had powerful things to suggest about so many complex topics–family, friendship, sexuality, relationships–but never in a didactic way. It was so moody and atmospheric. I felt like I was living Rose’s story. But I definitely know what you mean about liking and admiring a book but not loving it in the way you were expecting to. I feel like I’ve been having that reading experience a lot lately. Not sure if my expectations are out of whack or what! Ricki, I so want to reread Louise Rosenblatt now. Thinking of making that a winter break project!
I can completely see what you are saying as well, and I definitely respect the book; however, I just didn’t connect to it as I wanted to.
I want to read the Rosenblatt now. You two raving about it really intrigues me!
Elisabeth, we will have to compare notes after your reread. I think I will reread it in a few years to make sure I stay on track. 🙂
It sounds like a week filled with good books! I’m looking forward to hearing about the picture books. I feel so far behind with those, and there are so many I want to catch up on. The Goodnight Moon birthday sounds wonderful!
Thanks, Kay! You are welcome to come. 🙂
I am looking forward to sharing them 🙂
All new titles for me on this post! I love the idea of a Goodnight Moon party, Ricki! 🙂
Thanks, Holly! I am very excited. It should be a lot of fun!
Kellee I am very excited about this new series you are planning on your blog – from your library pile :-)Ricki – I hope you post a few pictures of this Goodnight Moon themed party. I bet the cute quotient will be huge!
I’m excited as well, Carrie 🙂
Kellee – Trent is such a well read little baby! 🙂 Glad he enjoyed the recommendation.
It was a very cute book, and I loved the message of the different kind of books and how they are everywhere.
Army of Frogs sounds just up my alley. I like books with titles reminiscent of biblical plagues.
Never got to read This One Summer… not rushing now. Do love blue though! Hooray to puppet books, love them… Happy reading to you both.