Monday, April 27, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 4/27/15

Oh, how I love book sales! I volunteered at this one and got first pick of the loot ...


It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.


Last Week's Posts

  • Books about Seeing the Possibilities. This collection of picture books include real-life and fictional stories about people who seek out the possible in their lives and make the most of it. Inspire the young artist and inventor in your life!

    Picture Books


    One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the recycling women of the Gambia (2015) by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. This book tells the true story behind the Njau Recycling and Income Generating Group and their success at creating sellable goods from discarded plastic bags. It is a great, inspirational story of how one person can make a difference, but I am concerned that readers will come away with the wrong idea about Africa and life in the Gambia.

    No real explanation is given in the text or copious author's notes about why plastic bags became such a problem, and my fear is that children will misinterpret the beginning of the story - seeing the people as too "stupid" to know about garbage cans or how to throw away trash safely. I understand it may be a hard issue to explain in a picture book. I am curious whether those of you who have read the book had a similar concern?

    You can read an in-depth interview with the author here on Carrie On ... Together!

     

    When I Was Eight (2013) and Not My Girl (2014) by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard. These two powerful picture books tell the true story of co-author Margaret's experiences attending an Indian Residential School in Canada. When I Was Eight introduces her desire to go to school and learn to read, contrasted with the realities of school once she arrived. Not My Girl tells the painful rejection by her father when Olemaun/Margaret is finally allowed to return home.

    These books are an incredible way to introduce older children to the history of indoctrination and discrimination faced by Native American children. It would be really helpful, however, if both books were updated with an expanded author's note providing a bit more context and information.

     

    Palazzo Inverso (2010) by D. B. Johnson. This incredibly clever and complex picture book is an ode to the work of M.C. Escher, and the book itself is a convoluted Möbius strip of a story that turns in on itself and is read front-to-back-to-front again. I am a bigger Escher fan and was quite astounded at how this whole book came together. Definitely one that will fascinate the visual among us!


    Wings (2000) by Christopher Myers. This unique take on bullying features a supporting character, Ikarus Jackson, a young (presumably black) boy with wings. The narrator, a bystander and fellow student, shares his/her own observations about the new boy and everyone's reactions to him. Only after witnessing much does the narrator step up and stop the bullying. This could be a great book for generating discussion about diversity, inclusion, bullying, and differences.

    Middle Fiction


    A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans (2015) by Laurence Yep and Joanna Ryder, with illustrations by Marie GrandPré. This entertaining but brief (152 pages) middle fiction fantasy novel is a great fit for the reader who can't get enough of dragons. Told from the perspective of elder dragon, Miss Drake, the book immediately grabs the readers' attention with the particular tone and style of the narrator. With some action, adventure, and, of course, magic thrown in, this is a book many students might enjoy.

     

    Smile (2010) by Raina Telgemeier and with color by Stephanie Yue and Sisters (2014) by Raina Telgemeier and with color by Braden Lamb. These two autobiographical-graphic novels detail different episodes in the author's childhood. Smile covers the years of middle school and high school when Raina struggled with her dental-related adventures, while Sisters focuses in on a family road trip and reunion that revolves around Raina's relationship with her younger sister, Amara.


    Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales (2014) by Terry Pratchett. This was another of my recent book sale finds, and with my current Terry Pratchett kick, I knew I had to pick it up. This book is a collection of short stories written by the young Terry Pratchett during his stint as a newspaper reporter. There are some interesting and engaging little worlds created here, and one cannot help but think of the influences of Roald Dahl with the inclusion of the very Quentin Blake-esque illustrations. An amusing read and the short story format might be a good one for drawing in reluctant readers.

    Award-Winning Books Reading Challenge update: 10 books, 2 dedicated posts

    Dive into Diversity Challenge update: 80 books, 26 dedicated posts (Books about Seeing the Possibilities and Call Me Tree / Llámame arbol)

    Happy Reading!

    18 comments:

    1. SISTERS and SMILE are huge hits in my classroom! We're going to be reading them during my memoir unit next month. I've got One Plastic Bag from the library - looking forward to reading it!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Great point about memoirs - we are just starting memoirs today, so I will be sure to throw that in there too! Thanks, Holly.

        Delete
    2. I'm not familiar with When I Was Eight and Not My Girl--now I want to purchase both. Thanks for your review!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. You're welcome! They would pair well with Eve Bunting's Cheyenne Again too, if you are looking to create a text set around Indian Schools.

        Delete
    3. What a great haul! I did like the Jack book, although I didn't like the one before it. There are not as many fairy tale based books for boys as there are for girls.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Interesting. I actually liked Rump quite a bit for being so innovative, so I'm sure I'll enjoy Jack too.

        Delete
    4. I was lucky enough to meet Margaret and Christy in an intimate setting. They are such amazing women! If you read their novels, Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home, you will learn more. We had a conversation today about bullying and it seems like Wings is the kind of book that would be helpful.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Wings would be a great one for a bullying discussion. I would be interested in reading their books for adults too, I just hope that if they do another edition they add more to make the ideas accessible to their audience for the kids books.

        Delete
    5. Holy cow! That is one epic book sale haul.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Ha ha, thanks Beth! It was definitely worth the two hours of volunteering to get first dibs at all those great books.

        Delete
    6. Wow-what a stack you got, Katie! I'll look for the books about the Native Americans. I had a student awhile ago whose grandmother was in one of those schools. She came to talk to my class about it-powerful visit. The Palazzo Inverso looks and sounds amazing. Escher's works are fascinating. Thanks for so much, I appreciate hearing about all these diverse books. Loved Wings!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thanks, Linda. That would have been an amazing experience, to hear someone talk about the Indian American schools. What a sad chapter in our history, and one that does not get the attention it deserves.

        Delete
    7. When I was Eight is a book my librarian just purchased at my request. I will be reading it to my class soon.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Good for you! I'll be interested to hear how your students process it. Tough stuff.

        Delete
    8. Katie! I am glad to see how much you are enjoying Pratchett - please tell me what I am missing in Colour of Magic. Lord knows I wanted to love it and stay with it - there were moments of fun and hilarity, but they were too few and far between. It is my very first Pratchett and I came out feeling horribly underwhelmed or too dense to not have caught on what was going on - or is the point to confuse the reader and to just take the reader for a ride and go with it and enjoy it? I am honestly confused. A few of my book club members (it was universally loathed by the way) even suggested sending the first two chapters of the book to a publisher - using a different obscure name - just to see whether there would even be any take-up, if at all. That would be an interesting experiment. :)

      ReplyDelete
    9. This is neat! It reminds me that our local library used book sale is going on this week. there are definitely a couple in your pile that might make their way to my "to be read" list. :) Laurence Yep wrote a few of the American Girl books - I like his style and should check out his other books.

      Currently reading Flyte by Angie Sage.

      ~Xyra, Tea Time with Melody Q

      ReplyDelete
    10. Given my dragons phase, I will have to check out Dragon's Guide!

      ReplyDelete
    11. Agreed, awesome book sale snags!! I want to get my hands on One Plastic Bag-thanks!

      ReplyDelete

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...