It's Monday! What Are You Reading 10.31.16

This weekly post comes from Jen at Teach Mentor Texts

 and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.  

It's a great source to find new books to use with your students.

Last Week's Adventures

I finished my blog series about reading longer nonfiction texts when you don't read cover to cover with Deborah Hopkinson's Dive.  Check it out here.

Are you doing a Mock Caldecott this year?  Here is how we started ours this year and our lists!

Have you seen Elaine Vickers' debut novel, Like Magic?  It is pure magic - make sure it's in your classroom library if you're 3rd-6th grade!

Picture Books

Nanette's Baguette by Mo Willems
4/5 stars
Another silly, yet witty, treasure from Mo!
Nanette has been given the ultimate responsibility - to get the baguette from the bakery.  But it's so warm and smells so good!  So Nanette does what you would expect her to - eat it all up!  Fun surprise at the end.


Rescue Squad No. 9 by Mike Austin
4/5 stars
A follow up to last year's Fire Engine No. 9, this time young readers see a rescue boat and helicopter in action.  I like how the end pages label and name rescue equipment that is used throughout the book.


I Love Cake! by Tammi Sauer
4/5 stars
Absolutely predictable, but perfect for showing young readers how to draw conclusions.
Rabbit, Porcupine and Moose are getting together to celebrate Rabbit's birthday.  Rabbit has a great day planned, but all Moose wants is the cake.  When the cake is eaten up and Moose is no where to be found, readers can definitely guess what happened to the cake!

Informational Texts

Build, Beaver, Build! by Sandra Markle

5/5 stars

Told in a narrative format, Markle covers a year in the life of a beaver family.  This particular family lives on a beaver dam that has been there for generations.  Each generation has added to the growth of the dam.  We see how the young beaver kit grows in his first year - we see what he needs and how he changes.  We see how the family prepares for the different seasons.  Markle cleverly adds details about how beavers protect themselves from predators, how they eat, how they grow stronger through play, how they communicate with other beavers - all of these facts but written into a narrative story that is sure to capture young readers' attention.

Graphic Novels


DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis by Shea Fontana
3/5 stars
I know readers are going to really enjoy this graphic novel series.  I already have several readers in mind for this book.
Not my favorite graphic novel, but I am definitely not the intended audience....

Transitional Chapter Books


The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon and Dean Hale4/5 stars
I love this series!
The newest one has the Princess in Black (or as my student calls her P.I.B.) is ready for a vacation after fighting 14 monsters all within this week!  She gets to take a vacation because Duff is The Goat Avenger and will help watch over things.  So glad to see The Goat Avenger again!
I've been using this series with a small group of readers and they have loved getting to know... P.I.B.   :)

Currently Reading


A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins


The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Hoping to get some reading done in between the doorbell ringing with trick or treaters! 
Happy Halloween!