It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 5.13.19

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

This must read nonfiction picture book about the Thai soccer team and their amazing rescue from the cave will captivate young readers.  Don't miss the interview with author Susan Hood and illustrator Dow Phumiruk and be sure to enter the giveaway before it ends tomorrow!

Books that are in a series are so important for young readers.  Some new ones to add to your collection here.


Picture Books


The Little Guys
by Vera Brosgol
I love this book for the mentor text possibilities.  Add this to your collection for talking about good and bad character traits, perspective of characters, and talking about the message of a story.


Side by Side: Celebration of Dads
by Chris Raschka
A love letter to the playfulness and love between a father and child.


I Will Be Fierce
written by Bea Birdsong
illustrated by Nidhi Chanani
LOVE this book!  It's all about empowerment and self-confidence.  More of these books, please!


Sign Off
by Stephen Savage
This wordless picture book is so fun!  I can imagine the oohs, aahs and giggles!
On one layout we see a sign, turn the page and the sign has jumped off and doing something that may or may not be predictable.  But it's towards the end of the book when they all start working together when the magic happens!


Just Read!
written by Lori Degman
illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov
What a beautiful ode to the power of books and reading!  Books can accompany you when you need someone there.  Books can take you places far and near.  Even when you don't have a book, you can find things to read.  Reading can happen anywhere - just bring a book and find those quick moments to read.
Accompanied by Tentler-Krylov's gorgeous watercolor illustrations, this book speaks to a reader's heart and makes you want to curl up with a book... now!
I can see this book being used at the beginning of the year to talk about reading habits.  After reading the book, go back in and create a class list of what you see the readers in the book doing - where are they reading?  when are they reading?  what do you notice these readers do?  This makes a great list to refer to and revisit throughout the year!


Grandpa's Stories
written by Joseph Coelho
illustrated by Allison Colpoys
It will be hard to read this one without some tears.  A beautiful story of a young girl and her treasured time with her Grandpa.  A story about death and memories.  Beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors to celebrate life and a loved one.

Poetry


Bloom Boom!
by April Pulley Sayre
What an amazing book, perfect for spring.  An absolute delight for your senses - it's a gorgeous poem by Sayre that celebrates the rebirth of growing things in the springtime and photographs that pop from the page.  A definite must have for your springtime reads!

Young Adult


Love From A to Z
S.K. Ali
I truly loved this book from A to Z!!!  The perfect kind of book we need in young adult's hands now - challenging thinking, discussion of cultures and what is ok and what needs to be talked about, how to handle emotions when things get really really personal, and how to change things in positive ways.  
Make sure you get this book for the YA reader in your life.  Make sure you find time to read and talk about this one!

Currently Reading


The Endling: The First
by Katherine Applegate
The first book left us on a wee bit of a cliffhanger.  Looking forward to seeing where this adventure takes us.  The world building in the first one was fantastic and this one looks to match it!


Hope it's a great reading week!