IMWAYR

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 Characters We Would Want With us on a Deserted Island

Friday: Candlewick Press Picture Books

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: First, I want to apologize to anyone who feels that I have not been visiting their blog. Last week, after commenting on many blogs, I went back to visit one and did not see my comment. After talking with the blog author, I realized my comment just disappeared. I started looking at some of the other blogs and past weeks, and I could not find my comments. It seems they were just never getting posted! 🙁 I promise I read your blogs! I worked with some of you, and I think I figured out a solution (I have to enter the comment and spam number/words a couple of times and click post), so hopefully I will not have this problem in the future. 

This week I continued to reread for my committee commitments, but I did finish Touched by Paul Mauer and a collection of Peanuts comics. I look forward to sharing Touched with you. It is quite an intense read, and one that high schoolers will truly connect with. I also was able to start reading Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson. I am not very far into it, but I do find that it is very lyrical and descriptive. I hope I enjoy it as much as others have.

With Trent, we read mostly Mo Willems’s books this week: three Cat the Cat books and three Elephant and Piggie books. I really love the Cat the Cat books, and I know they are going to be a favorite when he is a little bit older. They are interactive, and simple, yet so much fun. I read Elephant and Piggie: Are You Ready to Play Outside? for the first time, and it is one of the best E&P books I’ve read. I love when Gerald is being down to earth, and in this one he is just a super friend. Finally, we also read Naked by Michael Ian Black, and it made me laugh out loud! Have you read it? If not, it will surely make you giggle.

Ricki: I finished an incredible professional development book: Critical Encounters in High School English by Deborah Appleman. The book provides scaffolded lessons to teach literary theory to students. One aspect I liked about this book was that Appleman stresses that literary theory is not just for AP English students. She provides lessons and ideas for all levels of students between grades 6 and 12. This book made me really excited about literary theory. The activities in the appendix are wonderful. I will be writing an extensive blog post about this book soon. I need a few days to digest it all!

Henry and I read seven picture books this week! Our favorite was My Pet Book by Bob Staake. It was very fun to read. We also loved the nonfiction book, The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins. This book proves that nonfiction picture books can be quite marvelous. If you are looking to teach metaphors, I would recommend checking out Ninja Boy Goes to School by N. D. Wilson. The other books we read were just okay, so we won’t share them. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I go back to work today, so I am going to have to work on figuring out the balance between being a mom, working, and reading (future blog post about this). I do hope to finish Boys of Blur and then get to brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (thank you Holly!). I also plan on reading a couple of more Elephant and Piggie books with Trent, and then we’ll delve into other picture books we got from the library.

Ricki: This week, I plan to finish Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. I am also reading the textbook, Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century by Pam Cole. I am listening to The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin—which is excellent thus far.

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Authors Who Are Highly Represented in Our Libraries

Wednesday: Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Winner Announcement

Friday: Bloomsbury Picture Books

 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!

  and

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.

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Julee Murphy for winning a signed copy of Minion by John David Anderson!

Last Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Movies (for their story)

Thursday: Because I’m Disposable Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, and Giveaway (Giveaway open until 8/5!)

Thursday: Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award 2014 Finalists!

Friday: Schneider Family Book Award 10th Anniversary Blog Tour

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I am currently doing a lot of rereading for my committee work, so my other reading has really been put on hold for a bit. I was reading Touched by Paul Maurer before I started rereading, and I still pick it up a bit each day–we’ll see if I an finish it this week.

Trent read some amazing books this week! I love sharing wonderful picture books with him:

• Always Time for a Laugh by Disney (Jim got the Disney Storytime app which has some ebooks. We started with the Monsters, Inc. story.)
• Just a Tugboat by Mercer Mayer (I just love the Little Critters, and I hope Trent does, too.)
• Owen’s Marshmallow Chick by Kevin Henkes (Kevin Henkes’s board books are so well done! They each have a mini-plot, a conflict, great characters, and, of course, a lesson.)
• My First Palette: Six Little Books from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (We bought this at the Hunter Museum of American Art, where my dad is the director, and then we read it throughout the museum. Perfect! And Trent really was captured by them.)
• Stick Kid by Peter Holwitz (This is a great story!! Have you read it? If not, read it now!)
• Discovering Art: Cats by John Harris (My mom got this book to share with Trent. It mixes art, a HUGE part of our life, and cats, our favorite animal.)
• The Three Little Bears Board Book by Byron Barton (Jim, my husband, read this to Trent on Facetime while we were away. So sweet to see Trent’s reactions
• Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by James Dean (You cannot go wrong with Pete! I love reading I Love My White Shoes. The singing aspect really does keep the attention of kids. The newest Pete is a wonderful story as well, with just a great lesson. I missed the song though.)

Ricki: This was one of those weeks where I started several books. I did, however, finish A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. I know many of you have read this book, but if you haven’t, I recommend that you drop everything and find a copy. This is a magical tale that will stick with me forever. After I finish books, I almost always give them away because I only have space for the new books. I am keeping this book close because I can’t bear to part with it.

I also reread a picture book from my childhood—The Elves and the Shoemaker by Eric Suben (A Little Golden Book). It was good fun to enjoy this text again.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: Like I said above, I will be rereading this week. They are all amazing books, so I am excited to do it 🙂 I’ll also keep reading Touched when I have a chance. When I’m done with this, I plan on reading Boys of Blur, but I do not think that’ll be this week.

Ricki: One of the many books I started this week was Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. I’ve had this book on my Kindle for a long time, so I decided to give it a try. It is very dark, and I am in love with the story thus far!

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Top Ten Characters We Would Want With us on a Deserted Island (skills, company they keep, hotness, etc.)

Friday: Candlewick Press Picture Books

 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!

  and

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 Blogging Confessions

Friday: Minion blog tour with exclusive excerpt

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week I have been rereading a lot and am currently on vacation with Trent. I was able to fit in two wonderful books that I cannot wait to share with kids. First, I read Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, the current Newbery winner. I can definitely see why this text won. It is funny, clever, beautifully written, and super unique. I especially love how she combined prose with comics. I also read Comic Book Squad: Recess! edited by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, and Jarrett Krosoczka with stories by them, Dan Santat, Ursula Vernon, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Dav Pilkey, Eric Wight, and Gene Yang. What a perfect graphic novel anthology! It is as wonderful as it sounds.

We are actually off a book this week with Trent because of the travel. We’ll catch up, and I will hopefully have 8 books to share next week. This week we read:

• Maisy’s Colors by Lucy Cousins (I, personally, thought this book was a meh board book about colors, but Trent seemed to really like it. He took it right out of my hands to look at it.)
• Alice in Wonderland: A BabyLit Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams (I love these BabyLit books. They are a great way to introduce some classics in an appropriate way.)
• A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na (I loved this book. The art was BEAUTIFUL and the text was lyrical. This is definitely a library book that we’ll have to buy.)
• Corduroy’s Party by Lisa McCue (A cute story of Corduroy celebrating his birthday.)
• Rereads: The Going to Bed Book and Are You a Cow? by Sandra Boyton (My mom bought these for Trent, so we reread them for what, I am sure, is not the last time.)

Ricki: This week, I read Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. This is tells the story of a high school girl who is relentlessly bullied. It will feel very real to readers. I loved it. I also read Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier, a captivating graphic novel about a grandmother telling her granddaughter about her childhood experiences during the Holocaust. Henry and I also read and loved Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. I am very frightened of bats, but I loved this beautiful story.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am going to be doing a lot of rereading this week, but I hope to find some time to continue reading Touched by Paul Maurer which I started on Sunday. I also have Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson and the newest installments of Amulet and Captain Underpants to read. We’ll see what I get to. Trent and I have plans to read some Pete the Cat this week.

Ricki: I tend to read my paper books much more slowly than my Kindle books. This week, I will be finishing A Snicker of Magic. Please don’t take my slow pace with this book to mean that I don’t enjoy it. It is my bedside book, and I am often exhausted from taking care of the baby. This is one of the best books I have read for the 8-12 age level. I think readers of all ages would love it. I also started Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This is my downstairs book. 🙂 I am not very far into this one, but so far, I am very interested to see where it will go.

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Movies (for their story)

Thursday: Because I’m Disposable Blog Tour

Thursday: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

 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!

  and

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

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 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!

  and

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

We celebrated our one year anniversary last week!!!

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers

Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?

Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year

Friday: New Year’s Resolution

Saturday: Wrap Up

**Click on any link to view the post**

Congratulations to our SIX book giveaway winners!!

Holly M. (Remember Dippy)
Gigi M. (Golden Boy)
Kelly V. (All Our Yesterdays)
Kristen H. (The Lost Planet) 
Linda B. (All the Truth That’s in Me)
Cassie L. (Dead End in Norvelt)

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Not to toot my own horn, but I am so impressed by how much time I am able to find to read these days. I love having reading in my life regularly again. This week I read some more amazing novels.

• First was A.S. King’s Reality Boy, and it does not disappoint. Like all of King’s novels, it deals with some tough subjects with a voice that rings true.
• Next was The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman. I am glad I picked this one up. I didn’t know anything about it, and it surprised me (as did a couple other books I read this week). Milk of Birds is about two girls, one in Sudan and one in the US, that are pen pals. Through narrative and letters you learn about both of their lives. So good!
• Then I read Golden by Jessi Kirby, which is a contemporary high school story with a mystery twist.
• Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian was another that surprised me because I hadn’t heard of it. Actually it blew me away a bit. It is about Tom, a hugely popular high school soccer player and the Somali immigrant soccer player who he befriends, and how Tom’s life changes because of the new look at life he has because of his new friend.
• Imperfect Spiral by Debbie Levy is a book about Danielle who is babysitting a young boy when he is hit by a car and killed. The book looks at all of the effects of this young life’s loss.
• Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden is about Cricket who is an orphan who lives in a home for boys and the anger he holds because of how rough his life has been.

Doesn’t that sound like an amazing reading week?!

On top of the novels, I read some great picture books as well (I’ll blog about them later): A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett, Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko, The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham, Picnic by John Burningham, Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation by Candlewick Entertainment, One My Way to Bed by Sarah Maizes, and Moo! by David LaRochelle. Trent and I also kept on reading our picture #bookaday:

• What Makes Elmo Happy? by Lee Howard (I love Sesame Street. Everything about it. I love that they teach lessons and still make it fun. Sesame Street books are no different.)
• Baby Animals at Night by Kingfisher (This is a great nonfiction board book. One I hope to buy. It looks at a handful of animals and what they do at night. I specifically loved that it looked at some less known animals like tarsiers and fennec foxes.)
• The Cat Comes Too by Hazel Hutchins (A simple board book about how a cat helps his owner.)
• What is That? by Tana Hoban (Tana Hoban’s books are wordless and in black and white to help catch babies’ eyes, and boy do they! The pictures always catch Trent’s attention. And it is fun to make up what to say for each illustration.)
• Brave: Magic in the Mist by Disney (I am a huge Pixar fan. I think everything they do is brilliant. This book is a cute adaptation of Brave, and I think it does a great job of holding the integrity of the movie. Also, it is in verse which adds even more to the story.)
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (I love Knuffle Bunny and was so happy to read it to Trent! It is one I need to buy so we can read it over and over and over again. I have the second one to read to him. Maybe this week.)
• Little Duckling by Rebecca Harry (A cute board book with sound that has a little duckling trying to find someone to teach him to swim.)

Ricki: Unlike Kellee, I had a rough week. My poor son had a very high fever and woke up every few hours crying. I was reminded of what it was like to have a newborn again. Thank goodness, he took a turn for the better today and is feeling well again. We only read three picture books, two I loved and one I didn’t. I fell in love with The Noisy Paintbox by Barb Rosenstock (and illustrated beautifully by Mary Grandpré). I learned a lot about synesthesia and will be buying a Kandinsky print. I loved learning about his magical childhood. I also enjoyed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. I have always heard about the book and was glad I found it in the library. I also read The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. This is our district’s K-2 summer reading text. My son is still only 7 months old, but I was curious about it. I thought it taught a good lesson, but it was very basic, and I can think of many other books that do a better job.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: This week I plan on reading Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin, Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael, and Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. I hope they continue the streak of great books I’ve been reading.

Trent and I will continue to read our picture books. We finished the board books from the library, but I have a pile of non-board picture books that we may dive into.

Ricki: I am halfway through Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis. Whew. This book has been an emotional ride for me. I am learning about the ways in which people hid during the Holocaust, but reading about the narrators’ immense sadness and grief is weighing on me. I’ll absolutely be writing a full review on this one when I finish it, but I recommend it to anyone is looking for a powerful work of nonfiction.

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

 

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Classics AND Top Ten Classics We Want To Read

 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!

  and

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.

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to our winners:

Beth Shaum (How to Cheer Up Dad)

Melissa Guerrette (Eleanor series)

 Last Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists

Friday: Lisa Martens’ Guest Post: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: Top 5 Books on Brain Matters

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Another really great reading week in the Moye house. I read some phenomenal books. First was The F-It List by Julie Halpern which was a true yet fun look at living with a friend with cancer. Then was Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys which blew me away! Anyone who wants to argue that YA isn’t literary or thought-provoking should read this novel. It had a fascinating setting in a 1950s New Orleans brothel and an amazing protagonist. Next was Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan about a young albino teenager in Tanzania. It was filled with such deep themes such as identity, family, and prejudice. Last was Winger by Andrew Smith. Wow. What a way to end the week. It was a book that kept me reading and guessing—well written and a wonderful voice. Between these books and Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott I read last week, I think I’ve read some of my top books of the year in the last 2 weeks.

Trent and I continued our journey into literature as well:

• Diddle Diddle Dumpling by Tracey Campbell Pearson (A fun take on a classic nursery rhyme.)
• So Many Bunnies by Rick Walton (Looks at counting, ABCs, and rhyming. Almost too much in one book and some of the rhymes/combos were quite a stretch.)
• If You Were a Penguin by Florence Minor (Loved this one. A lyrical picture book, but with information about penguins within. This was from my summer TBR post, and I am glad we were able to get to it.)
• Sandbox by Rosemary Wells (Not my favorite Rosemary Wells book, but still well done and the textures will fascinate a young reader.)
• In the Garden by Elizabeth Spurr (Loved how simple yet how detailed this book was. Using few words it tells the story of a young boy growing a garden.)
• Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes (Kevin Henkes can do no wrong. A cute story about sharing and siblings.)
• Who Are They? by Tana Hoban (A wordless picture book in black and white to catch a baby’s attention. Works on counting and animals.)

I forgot to mention last week that many of these books are from Trent’s first visit to the library!!! Although we have read library books since he was born, this was the first time we went to visit (library books get delivered to my house if I request them). My mom and I took Trent who was mesmerized by all of the books, and I was able to pick up a huge pile of board books–score!

Ricki: This week, I read a great book about a girl who is a Siren. This was my first book within the Siren/Mermaid trend, and I had a lot of fun reading it. It is from a smaller press (WiDo) and is called Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. Henry and I also read What’s Your Favorite Animal? which is a delightful book that is edited by Eric Carle. Fourteen famous children’s writers/illustrators draw and describe their favorite animal. I loved it. We also read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, One Little Match by Thomas S. Monson, and The Sleepy Book by Margaret Wise Brown. All three were very good.

 

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started Reality Boy on Sunday, and I hope to finish it soon. I then will go on to Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. After that I am not sure. Any one read any of these: Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian, The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman, or Golden by Jessi Kirby? I can’t decide what to read next.

Ricki: I am still reading A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. I am savoring it, and I save it for times I need a pick-me-up. It is simply fabulous. I am also reading a few professional development books, but I will share more about them when I make a more significant dent. 🙂

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

We are celebrating our one year anniversary this week!!!

Come by each day to celebrate with us!

Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Posts in the First Year of Unleashing Readers

Wednesday: Why Do We Blog?

Thursday: What We’ve Learned This Year

Friday: New Year’s Resolution

Saturday: Wrap Up

 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!

  and

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.

One Year Anniversary Celebration

We are gearing up for our one year anniversary (June 24th) and have a fun week planned with celebratory posts and giveaways! In honor of our anniversary, we redesigned the look of our blog. Because we are so excited, we couldn’t wait to share it with you all, so we are unveiling it a few weeks early! We hope you love it as much as we do. A big thank you to Philip Stetson for this beautiful design!

In preparation for our one year anniversary celebration, we would love to hear from our fellow bloggers! On June 25th, we are focusing on the power of blogging, and we would love to highlight other incredible reading/teaching blogs. If you would like your blog to be included in our post, please complete our survey:

WHY YOU BLOG SURVEY

Last Week’s Posts

   

Tuesday: Top Ten We’ve Read So Far This Year

Friday: How to Cheer Up Dad Author Interview

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

 Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I had a great reading week!!! First, I finished The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman which was a roller coaster of a ride! Highly recommend it. I then read the first book in Jon Sciezska’s newest middle grade series Frank Einstein and the Anti-matter Motor, and it is definitely going to be loved by so many middle graders. Next was All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry, and I am glad I knew nothing about this book when I began because the cover and description do not do it justice. A wonderful historical fiction mystery with a strong voice. Last was Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott which was probably my favorite of the week. I read it in one sitting and couldn’t put it down! I fell in love with the characters. SO GOOD!

Trent and I had a good book week as well:

• One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Salina Yoon (I have really liked everything of Salina Yoon’s I’ve read. This is a fun take on the classic nursery rhyme.)
• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle (Classic! I hadn’t remembered that it taught different animals which ended up being a bit of a theme this week.)
• My Dad Thinks He’s Funny by Katrina Germein (This was our Father’s Day read, and this is an example of a book that is so much better when read out loud.)
• Olivia Counts by Ian Falconer (My friend’s daughter loves Olivia and this was our first encounter with her. A pretty complex counting book.)
• This Little Chick by John Lawrence (Another animal book with quite the curious little chick.)
• Ten Little Fingers, Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox (Another Mem Fox book that did not disappoint. I loved the introduction to different cultures in this one.)
• Are You A Cow?  by Sandra Boynton (Our final animal book. Sandra Boynton books just crack me up. I don’t know what it is about them, but they do.)

Ricki: I am writing this post a bit early because I am heading on a trip with my husband and son! I am hoping this means more reading time, but all bets are off with a baby! I haven’t finished any of my longer books yet, but Henry and I read a few picture books. We enjoyed Nest by Jorey Hurley (beautiful illustrations in this one, but there are few words, so readers will have to use their imaginations!), Early Bird by Toni Yuly (a nice story with bold graphics), Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter (a fun, interactive book that is much like Press Here by Hervé Tullet), Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (a very loving, warm classic that was wonderful to read as a mama to her son), and The Snatchabook by Helen Dacherty. The Snatchabook would be my pick of the week. It is a clever, beautiful story that was so much fun to read as an adult. I will definitely be buying this one.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I actually am reading two books at the moment (the crowd gasps!). I have Winger by Andrew Smith on my phone to read when I have no light, and I am reading Julie Halpern’s The F It List when I do have light. Both are very good so far. I’m a fan of each of the author’s style of writing. After these books I’m not sure what I’ll pick up. Which of these do you think I should pick up? Golden Boy, Midwinter Blood, Out of the Easy, Wise Young Fool, or Reality Boy?

Ricki: Because I am posting so early in the week, my future books haven’t changed. I am halfway through A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, which has become one of my favorite books. I am also enjoying Voices of the Sea by Bethany Masone Harar. I haven’t read much of my PD text, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools by Gary Howard. I am hoping to convince my husband to listen to The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin on our road trip, but he hates audiobooks, so it is highly unlikely that I will be successful!

 

Upcoming Week’s Posts

  

Tuesday: Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists

Friday: Lisa Martens’ Guest Post: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: Top 5 Books on Brain Matters

 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!

  and