Monday, January 8, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1.08.18

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.


Happy 2018!  It's been awhile since I shared so lots to celebrate today!

Last Weeks' Adventures

I celebrated upcoming 2018 books:
January releases
2018 picture books
2018 middle grade books
2018 nonfiction picture books
2018 early reader/transitional chapter books

I celebrated 2017!
picture book favorites
middle grade favorites
nonfiction picture book favorites
early readers/early chapter books/transitional chapter book favorites

Don't miss this post on this amazing 2018 book - Ellie, Engineer


Picture Books

Shelter
Shelter
written by Céline Claire
illustrated by Qin Leng
Now I see why the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award committee honored this book!  So important to read right now - how one small gesture of kindness can come back to you.

This Is Not a Valentine
This is NOT a Valentine
written by Carter Higgins
illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Such a sweet book about kindness and friendship and celebrating each other everyday.

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Here We Are
by Oliver Jeffers
Written for his newborn son, Jeffers tries to capture everything about life a loved newborn may need to know on his journey growing up.  It's a beautiful book and one that I think can be used within classrooms, as well.

Jingle Dancer
Jingle Dancer
written by Cynthia Leitich Smith
illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
A couple of weeks ago my friend Rachel Harder, put out a call for folk tales/tall tales.  Author Traci Sorell responded with a few titles and authors and said that Native people prefer calling them traditional stories.  Every time I learn something new I am grateful.
I'm hoping to build up my library with these traditional stories.  I think sharing stories like Jingle Dancer is going to be helpful to show students that Natives live a life just like they do and have their own traditions instead of the stereotype that lives in most of young readers' heads now.

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
written by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac
illustrations by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey
I'll be using this traditional story in many ways since 3rd grade standards has them comparing themes and morals over different stories.  A good one to have in your library.

The Little Reindeer
The Little Reindeer
by Nicola Killen
Loved this beautiful holiday story.  A young reindeer enthusiast has a chance encounter with a reindeer late one holiday night.  The stark grays and whites are contrasted with red, greens and silver foils.  

Rot, the Cutest in the World!
Rot The Cutest in the World
by Ben Clanton
Looking for a book to show readers the importance of self value?  This is the book you want to use.  And, it's very humorous!

Come Home Already!
Come Home Already!
written by Jory John 
illustrated by Benji Davies
I think this was the most endearing book in the series.  Bear goes fishing but the weather does not cooperate.  Duck is worried that Bear has gone off by himself and decides he needs to find and help him.  

Middle Grade

A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic, #1)
Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble
by Anna Meriano
I read this book so quickly - it is such a fun read!  
Lou, the youngest sister in her family (of all sisters!) desperately wants to help her family in the family owned bakery to prepare for Día De Los Muertos but for now she's kept out until she turns a certain age.  But after some stealthy spying she learns she comes from a family of brujas - witches - and their magic lies in their baking!  Of course what happens when a young girl finds out such a big secret?  She tries her own hand in magic without help.  The rest is just a bit predictable, however the fun is worth it!  I am already looking forward to more in this series!

Currently Reading 

Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire
Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire
by John August
Looking to be a fun magical realism/fantasy book!


Hope your reading is helping to keep you warm!

12 comments:

  1. Come Home, Already has been in the stack I got from the library for a few weeks, but I didn't get around to reading it yet. Knowing what you think, I'll definitely have to get to it. I just love the cover of Rot! Shelter has been on my list.

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  2. I enjoyed Love, Sugar, Magic, but was a bit more worried about Lou not following the magic rules. That never ends well!

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  3. Great stack of books this week. The weather is so cold and nasty, there's plenty of time to read now. Have a terrific week!

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  4. I fell in love with shelter when I first read it. The story and the illustrations are just fabulous together. I've added Arlo Finch to my list since I am a magic realism fan. Thanks for the heads up.

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  5. Rot's cover alone makes me want to read it! How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes would be a great read for second graders who just began a unit on fables and porquoi stories. Have a great week!

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  6. I loved ROT so much. I can't wait to read it to my students.

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  7. I just reserved This is not a valentine from our library - I hope to pick it up this weekend. I am intrigued by Rot - it's been receiving so much love recently, will have to stack that in my to-read list in Goodreads.

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  8. Carrie wrote about Here We Are too. Sounds like such a beautiful book. We are excited to read Come Home Already!

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  9. So many new titles here. But. A moment for How Chipmunk Got His Stripes. The best librarian/storyteller I know used to read this book at a school I once worked at. I need to find it now! Thank you!

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  10. Thanks for the books, Michele. Like always, I find new ones to look for, like Shelter and the Chipmunk story by Bruchac. I know some of his books, but not all. I read Jingle Dancer a while ago and enjoyed it very much. As for showing kids other lives, I read Rancho Rabbit and the Coyote today to the grand-girls and they asked so many questions, and loved Tonatiuh's art, too.

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  11. People keep saying good things about Shelter. Definitely need to pick it up.

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  12. We share a few similar books today! Loved all of the links to your other posts. Thank you!

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