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 Weeks' Posts
- April Poetry Book Madness! Join us for the rest of the month as we narrow down our poetry book champion! The final four choices are up now. (See all contenders here.)
- Join the Diverse Children's Book Linkup! There's still time to stop by and check out this brand-new book meme featuring books for children that showcase the diversity of our world.
Picture Books
Tree of Wonder: the many marvelous lives of a rainforest tree (2015) by Kate Messner and illustrated by Simona Mulazzani. My students really enjoyed the surprise twist of doubling numbers in this rainforest-themed counting book. This was a nice little introduction to our Latin America unit. (I skipped the informational sections for our read aloud, but many kids enjoyed reading them on their own too.)
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast (2015) by Josh Funk and illustrated by Brendan Kearney. This one was a big hit in my classroom. The kids loved the lighthearted foolishness of this fridge battle royale, as well as the familiar, bouncing rhyme scheme. The giant fridge fold-out at the end was a nice touch, as it's hard to resist no immediately turning back through the pages to see how the entire map fits together.
Are We There Yet? (2016) by Dan Santat. Thanks to blogger heads ups, I was first on the request list for this book when it arrived this week to the library. This story is a visual delight - our poor main character is stuck on a never-ending car ride to his grandmothers, which forces him to get ... creative. Kids will enjoy the interesting twists and turns of this book (literally). And have a phone with a QR code reader handy, just sayin'.
Once Upon Ice and Other Frozen Poems (1997) selected by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple. This charming little poetry book was suggested for our recent April Poetry Madness. I adore Jane Yolen and had not yet read this one. It's a combination of her son-in-law Jason's photographs of ice that were sent out to other poets who shared their inspired poems. A fun project to show kids how many poems and ideas can come from even a single topic!
Happy Reading!
We have to read Are We There Yet. So many people have blogged about it and it sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun and imaginative, but not necessarily a book with staying power.
DeleteAre We There Yet, on my list. As Tammy and Clare wrote above, so many are saying how good it is. I liked the first two you shared, and will also look for the new Jane Yolen book, Katie. It sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI'll read pretty much anything by Jane Yolen, but I don't think I'll ever catch up with her!
DeleteThe only book I've read on this list is Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. I want to read Are We There Yet.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. I love that book so much! It was a hit amongst my elementary ed pre-service teachers!
ReplyDeleteHow fun!
DeleteThe poetry book looks great. I am really looking forward to Are We There Yet? I read the other two last year and enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteWe already have Are We There Yet at our library! :) Yay!
ReplyDelete