What Are You Reading Monday

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… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.


Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars






Benny and Penny in the Toy Breaker by Geoffrey Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The little animals are cute.
Will have to see what the kids think of this. Do they recognize the friend that always breaks things?


The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred : Spanish/ English by Samantha R. Vamos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
OK. The former Spanish teacher in me is excited by this one. Good reason to practice.  I also love the colorful art. Wish I could actually make arroz con leche as we read this. #somanyrules

Edwin Speaks Up by April Stevens
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Hmmm. I am not sure what to say about this book.
The idea is funny. Poor little misunderstood baby who if people who just LISTEN to him? He knows what's going on!
But ... all the bickering between the other siblings was more than a little annoying. I don't love this one.

Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the picture with the silhouettes of a howling Wiener Wolf and the real wolf against the moon. And Wiener Wolf/Dog's eyes at the end of the chase (I prefer not to think of WHY they are so big ... just that it is funny he saw something that freaked him out).

On a totally unrelated note I think it is ironic the book description uses the word "ennui." Now, I can make a fairly educated guess from context what that word means ... but am I SURE? Would I EVER use that word on my own? Nope.

Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the picture with the silhouettes of a howling Wiener Wolf and the real wolf against the moon. And Wiener Wolf/Dog's eyes at the end of the chase (I prefer not to think of WHY they are so big ... just that it is funny he saw something that freaked him out).

On a totally unrelated note I think it is ironic the book description uses the word "ennui." Now, I can make a fairly educated guess from context what that word means ... but am I SURE? Would I EVER use that word on my own? Nope.

No Dogs Allowed! by Linda Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do love this story. Shows what having an accepting and welcoming attitude can do.
I, however, am not a natural storyteller--I need the words on the page to help! So I'm not exactly sure how to share this one with the kids in a group setting. Will definitely recommend for checkouts, though.

Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love the illustrations and the juxtaposition of two different (but the same!) worlds.

I remember having a penpal from Swaziland when I was a kid. We continued to write for a couple years then drifted from doing so.

I know there are epals and Skype chats (when time zones can match up) with classes from other countries. I just don't see anyone doing them in my circles. Dunno if it's because I just don't hear about it (I'm the school librarian ... so to do anything with kids I need to get the teacher on board) or because they are so busy with testing and interventions and differentiation and accountability it keeps getting pushed down on the list of "to dos."

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some good advice in here about keeping a star in your pocket as well as sharing. And all the different places you can find a star.
LOVE the illustrations. Oddly enough not as big a fan of the font choice but that is not a huge thing.


Still need to finish Feedback. And get to In a Glass Grimmly. Allergy headaches pretty much knocked me out after school every day. That or meetings. #abitonthewimpysidearentI?

Oh! And here are some bookmarks if you like them. Had trouble coming up with different "sayings." If you have an idea let me know and I'll update the file!

Books Set in or About Autumn

The Dog Who Belonged to No One by Amy Hest

Technically not about autumn but has the most beautiful autumn colors and setting all throughout.




Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson

LOVE Bear. Love the fall colors in the illustrations. Can usually read this one with realism because in the fall my allergies kick into high gear. Fall and spring.




Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson

Super cute illustrations but not much of a story. Wouldn't base an entire lesson around it but could be a nice additional selection.






Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

Haven't read this one yet but it looks so cute! I am going to track it down.




Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett

Ever so cute.




When The Leaf Blew In by Steve Metzger

I need to read this one again with PreK. Will I have time before winter?




Little Critter: The Fall Festival by Mercer Mayer

Little Critter was a favorite even before I knew I was going to be a librarian.






Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Another one I want to read again so I can count it on Goodreads. Love the illustrations and the efforts of the Bear.

Also ... check out this handy related post on starting graphing with the little ones!



The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner

Not a picture book ... but a fun one all the same. Maybe a read aloud for ... third grade and up. If you don't live in a place with lots of different trees that lose their leaves in the fall (like oh ... TEXAS) then make sure to include some images of what a fall season with color looks like in the pre-read booktalk. The kids might not know otherwise. Plus the author is so nice. :]


Do you have any favorites?

Frankenstein

So I just picked this up from the library and am debating.

Frankenstein by Rick Walton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WAS going to use it with a lesson on characters for second grade. And don't get me wrong ... I love the book. Funny, funny, funny. AWESOME illustrations.



But ... I don't know. All the losing of heads, literally. Is that something I want to be doing in the library?



Of course I do NOT want to become one of the fussy ... fussybudgets.

So I may go back to the teachers and say "after seeing this book I'm not sure I want to make it the basis of our lesson anymore." I sent them a list of suggestions and that was what they picked.

Or I might not.

Or maybe I'll work harder to get them to want Morris Lessmore. That would work well for characters, right? For second grade? Talking about Morris and his love of books and life of service. ;]

School Shoes Tour

If you even knew how it pains me to listen to my own voice recordings ... but anyway. Thought I'd share a freebie. This is a QR code tour to post around the school and then take the kiddos around to review where important places are. I tested all the codes so *fingerscrossed* it all works!

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Angie on Pinterest

What Are You Reading Monday

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… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.


THIS WEEK
Boy and Bot by Ame Dyckman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quirky fun. LOVE the illustrations. Love the friendship.
Would have to work on my robot voice to read it out loud. "Affirmative."
Can see this as a Pixar short.


Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A definite one we'll need for the school collection, though I don't necessarily see myself using it in a "storytime" or lesson.
Maybe, though. Come close to Fiesta and cinco de mayo I might change my mind. It's just silly fun.

Finished all of the currently released Lunch Ladies! Posted quick reviews of them here.
Another Babymouse (Burns Rubber)

Gem by Holly Hobbie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

EEEEEW! Toads eat their own skin? That is gross. (Fact courtesy of the last page.) But this is a LOVELY book. The illustrations are so lifelike. The toad's eyes show what he is thinking. ;]

The opening and closing letters are the only words in the book (besides those closing facts). They are all that was needed. I'm so glad other people can make picture books like this. I can't!


Petal's Problems by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can't help it. Even though sometimes Petal's little idiosyncrasies are REALLY annoying and a few of the sisters are constantly snipping at each other ... I still like these books! Surprising little lines along the way make me laugh.



Rebecca's Rashness by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
My rating: 3 of 5 stars








On Deck ...
Babymouse for President (it's the most current one so then I'll have read all of them ... recap later this week!)
Squish #3 (name escapes me at the moment but I know I have it ;])
Hollow City (it's weird so far ... the main character is mentally ill so it's taking me a while to get through it)
Blood Lines (love me a good James Rollins thriller when I'm tired from returning to the world of the working joe ... it's more fun when the kids are there, this week is just boring meetings)




And if you like ...
I know the rebel pilot should not have a light saber. Or am I the only nerd who knows that? But that's how the clip art came. If someone has a better way to tweak his saying that would be awesome. I just went with a direct quote. ;]
And they are not all the same width when you start printing and cutting. The light sabers made some of them wider than others.

Books About Writing

This is an update from a list I shared with my school faculty. Again ... a few of them I never actually put on Goodreads so I can't get the pic/blurb link embedded all nicely. I'd go back and add them but I don't want to mess up my goal numbers for this year. ;]
Another list post. Can you tell I haven't been sleeping well and can't think of more interesting topics? :/


The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane Auch
So funny. Little ones will love the illustrations and will start to grasp the storytelling concepts. Same with the older kids!





A Book by Mordicai Gerstein
PERFECT for some sort of genre work station after a lesson. I won’t say this one makes a great read aloud. It’s one that needs to be “looked at” closely. Great little explanations of different genre types.



The Library Mouse (Daniel Kirk)--This mouse likes to write! Keep meaning to make my own Kleenex box complete with mirror and pencil banner. There are three more books in the series.


Chester's Masterpiece by Mélanie Watt
I usually dislike cats. But Chester is too funny and this one is all about HIM writing the book.





Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh ... that was ever so cute. I might even go back and change it to a five just for the new character that was introduced.

Plus? Great intro to writing workshop. Rocket collects words and uses them to create a story. It's not easy but he doesn't give up! And ... he maks a friend along the way. <3 it.


Once Upon a Time: Writing Your Own Fairy Tale (Nancy Loewen) Explores the tools that beginning writers need. This title includes a review list of key concepts, four exercises for getting started, and numerous writing tips.


The Best Story (Eileen Spinelli) The main character wants to win a contest for some time with her favorite author. She needs to write a story ... and all of her family keeps giving her VERY DIFFERENT opinions on what makes a story great.


A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing by Avi
 --of the two the first one The End of the Beginning is my absolute favorite but this one is also cute and it fits the topic!




Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan
A Newbery award winning author of somewhat ... sentimental books. So know that about this one ... but it still works! (And, BTW ... she is one of the most quick-witted and sarcastic people I’ve ever heard speak!)






Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm
SO FUN. Don't discount this one.




Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook by Ellen Potter

Check out the website here. This one ... if I could have purchased a copy for all of our 4th or 5th graders that would have been awesome.






Writing to Explore: Discovering Adventure in the Research Paper, 3-8 by David Somoza

TEACHER BOOK ALERT. I wrote about it a while ago. I wish he mentioned the library more but I really like the idea of the "adventure story" research paper.



Real Revision: Authors' Strategies to Share with Student Writers by Kate Messner


TEACHER BOOK ALERT. GREAT IDEAS. And lots of fun to just read the different revision tactics all of the authors the author of THIS book interviewed.




What should I add to this list?



Post Graphic ... Jen Jones/ Hello Literacy

Books About Books

This is similar to the post I did about books to read in the library at the beginning of the year. But ... there are a few differences so I went ahead with it. :]

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
--LOVE LOVE LOVE.




Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson







Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates







Miss Brooks Loves Books! by Barbara Bottner







BookSpeak!: Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas





Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Check out the book or app!





We are in a Book! by Mo Willems

I made this stop motion last summer.






Winston the Book Wolf by Marni McGee

Good for book and library manners.





The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

Make sure to check out the back cover. Genius design decision.







The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore

I love a tubby bear.





I Am the Book by Lee Bennett Hopkins







Calvin Can't Fly: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie by Jennifer Berne

Other than my quibble that the hurricane looks suspiciously like a tornado I love that the is birdie LOVES BOOKS.



A Book by Mordicai Gerstein
 --great for genre studies





The Best Book to Read by Debbie Bertram






How to Teach a Slug to Read by Susan Pearson







I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss








How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills






Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett

Author and illustrator working together. Or perhaps disagreeing is a better term?




Sue MacDonald Had a Book by Jim Tobin







Have I Got a Book for You! by Mélanie Watt

Not my favorite Melanie Watt but still fun.





Look! A Book! by Bob Staake








INTERESTING. I just went to my Amazon page and apparently there is now a There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books. I can't say I've always been a huge fan of that series but that one might change my mind.

Additions?

Frame for Post Graphic ... Jen Jones/ Hello Literacy

And a reminder!

Go here for more info on my presentation and here for all of the webinars. You will have to give them your email and sometimes (shh!) I just delete messages they send without reading them. And sometimes I read them! It's up to you!