It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 5/1/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Animals by Tracey Turner, Illustrated by Hui Skipp

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

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Kellee

It is my week, but I am busy this weekend and didn’t get my Monday post done–I’m sorry!

To learn more about any books I’ve finished, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This is my week off. See you next week!

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Tuesday: The Witness Trees by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Illustrated by Dðm Dðm

Sunday: “Small Things Lead to Social Emotional Learning” by Marsha Diane Arnold, Author of One Small Thing

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig

Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Animals by Tracey Turner, Illustrated by Hui Skipp

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Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Penguins
Author: Tracey Turner
Illustrator: Hui Skipp
Published January 1st, 2022 by Kane Miller Press

Summary: Follow the treks, long or short, made by ten different animals all over the world.

Animals don’t actually use maps, so how do they find their way without them? This book focuses on different animals, including elephants, penguins, tigers, and more, and maps of their migrations, territories, and routes to food. Along with discovering fascinating information about the animals and their amazing ability to navigate without GPS, readers will also learn about distances, geography, climate, and habitats .

Includes:

  • Migration paths plus lots of facts about ten animals and their varying habitats.
  • Introduction to maps and geography.
  • Glossary and index included.
  • Perfect STEM title.

About the Author: Tracey Turner is an author and editor has written more than 70 books that cover a wide range of topics. She lives in Bath, England, with her partner and son.

Review: This book is the perfect book for the scientist or animal lover kid in your life! It has so much information that readers will find interesting, even more than what is promised. In addition to maps and migration information, the author includes information about diet, mating, families, habits, and more! And the variety of the animals, from all over the world and habitats, are great also, so the reader takes a trip around the world. All accompanied by colorful and eye catching illustrations! All accompanied by colorful and eye catching illustrations!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Teachers will find so much to use in classrooms! I would love to see this used in a jig saw where each member of a group is given one of the animals, learns all about them by studying the 2 spreads about the animal, then going back to their home group to share what they learned. It could also be used as a jumping off for an inquiry project about another animal using Maps for Penguins as a mentor text for creating their own maps and information spread. The book is also a great early introduction to geography and maps and the glossary and index in the back are helpful to the reader as well.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Which animal migrates or has habitats near where you live?
  • Which animal would you like to learn more about?
  • What other animals do you know about that migrate or travel in another way?
  • Why do animals travel? What are some similarities/differences between the different animals and why/how they travel?
  • Which continents were represented in the book? Which oceans?

Flagged Passages: 

Read This If You Love: Animals, Geography

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall 

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**Thank you to Lynn at Kane Miller for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 4/23/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Hooray for DNA! How a Bear and a Bug Are a Lot Like Us by Pauline Thompson & Greg Pizzoli

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

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Kellee

I am off this week! To learn more about any of these books, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I reread Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka to teach it to my class. I haven’t read anything else because the end of the semester is so busy!

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Ricki

 

  • Reading: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
  • Listening: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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Tuesday: Maps for Penguins and Other Traveling Animals by Tracey Turner, Illustrated by Hui Skipp

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig

Hooray for DNA! How a Bear and a Bug Are a Lot Like Us by Pauline Thompson, Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

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Hooray for DNA! How a Bear and a Bug Are a Lot Like Us
Author: Pauline Thompson
Illustrator: Greg Pizzoli
Published April 25th, 2023 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary: Bill Nye meets Green Eggs and Ham in this playful and rhythmic nonfiction picture book that introduces readers to the concept of DNA, and celebrates the similarities we share with all life-forms–and each other!

DNA is the ABC
of what makes you, you
and what makes me, me.

Did you know we share DNA with every living thing? Humans, bugs, bears, even a virus–we all have shared DNA hidden inside us!

From a debut author and an award-winning illustrator, here is a bouncy and playful picture book–perfect for the classroom or for story time–about the genetic code that makes up all living things, and reminds us that we’re all more alike than we think.

About the Creators: 

About the author

PAULINE THOMPSON is a Toronto based artist and writer. Her work spans 25 years of creating, exhibiting, and incubation. Her love of popular science is the fuel for her children’s stories. In her spare time, Pauline facilitates writing workshops for Writers Collective of Canada.

About the illustrator

GREG PIZZOLI is the award-winning author and illustrator of many books for kids including the award-winning picture books The Watermelon Seed, Good Night Owl, and The Book Hog. He lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, two daughters, dog, and cats.

Review: What a fun introduction to DNA for young children! The author’s rhyming and rhythmic text lends itself to a read aloud and Pizzoli’s illustrations are as eye catching as always. Along with a great message about humanity, the book delivers a solid introduction to the idea of DNA.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: After reading aloud this book, dive into the back matter! The author has some great resources including more about the science of DNA, an activity comparing and contrasting ourselves and other items, and resources, including videos, that can be used in the classroom. This would be a perfect addition to an early education lesson on DNA!

Discussion Questions: 

  • How is DNA defined in the book?
  • What is something that you were surprised that we share DNA with?
  • What would we be like if we had no tissues or organs?
  • How closely related, DNA-wise, are all humans?
  • What does the book share that each of our unique DNAs lead to?

Flagged Passages: 

Read This If You Love: Science books for children

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall  

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**Thank you to Cate at Nicole Banholzer PR for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 4/17/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Thursday: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

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

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Kellee

I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut. I’m loving what I’m reading, but I keep falling asleep while reading! I’ll get back into the swing of it, and I luckily have 3 wonderful books to share:

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner What the Fact? by Seema Yasmin

  • A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus: This is on my #mustreadin2023 list because a friend’s 7th grader could not believe I hadn’t read it as it was one of their favorite recent reads, and I am so glad that I finally got around to it. Set during the same event as The War that Saved My Life, the book follows 3 orphans as they join evacuee children going to the countryside during WWII. I loved the three siblings and was so angry at each cruel event that happened to them hoping that everything will work out for them! Also, they LOVE reading!
  • A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner: Lerner has created a book that is beautifully written; illustrated in a way that adds to the tone, plot, and character development of the book; and is a book that is going to save lives. It will be a mirror for all of us that were made fun of for how we looked, specifically our weight, and for all kids who has had a bully get into their brain. It will be a window for others who may not understand what it is like to be in the situation Jarrett was in or *fingers crossed* for those who are causing those situations. I also think that it is so important to have a book that looks at body issues in middle school males because, as far as I can tell, there are none or very few books that do in this way. Read this book, I promise.
  • What the Fact? Debunking Disinformation to Detangle the Truth by Seema Yasmin: What a fascinating book! In this day and age where there is so much information being thrown at us all the time, it truly is hard to figure out what is true and what is disinformation. This book breaks down the science behind everything, how to be more proactive, and really makes the readers a better scholar by the end.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This is my week off; see you next week!

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Kellee

  • Reading: Futureland: Battle for the Park by H.D. Park, Illustrated by Khadijah Khatib
  • Listening: Best Wishes: The Sister Switch by Sarah Mlynowski & Debbie Rigaud
  • Listening with Trent (and almost done!): Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

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Tuesday: Hooray for DNA! How a Bear and a Bug Are a Lot Like Us by Pauline Thompson & Greg Pizzoli

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

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Gender Queer
Author: Maia Kobabe
Published: May 28, 2019 by Oni Press

Goodreads Summary: In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

Ricki’s Review: It has taken me a long time to acquire this book. I was on hold for ONE copy that the library had, and there were 126 people ahead of me. That’s the joy in public banning of books—they sell really well. I am always glad that the authors are making money off of the ridiculousness of book banning. Not surprisingly, the book is banned because it is a powerful story. Kobabe beautifully depicts eir memoir in a way that captivates readers. I am better for having read this book. It allowed me to feel as if I was living Kobabe’s story alongside em. 

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation:
PEN America’s Report
ALA’s Statistics
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English’s Intellectual Freedom Center

Discussion Questions: 

  • How did this memoir make you feel? What did you learn?
  • What is the role of gender in the book?
  • How do the images enhance your understanding of the story?
  • Why might people ban the book?

Flagged Page: 

Recommended For: 

 classroomlibrarybuttonsmall closereadinganalysisbuttonsmall

RickiSig

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 4/10/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Nic Blake and the Remarkables #1: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

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

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Kellee

It’s my week off! I’ll be back next Monday! To see what I’ve been reading, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am embarrassed to say that it took me this long to read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. I was number 127th on the wait list at the library, and I decided to wait patiently. It was well worth the wait. This is a powerful book, and I am better for having read it.

I really enjoyed Garvey’s Choice: The Graphic Novel by Nikki Grimes, Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III. I really connected with this book and felt like many of Garvey’s interests and thoughts reflected my own. I can’t wait for my son to read this one.

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Ricki

  • Rereading: Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (I am teaching it as part of a week that my students and I are discussing addiction.)
  • Reading: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
  • Listening: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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Thursday: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig