It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.
My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.
I spent all last week fending off a very stubborn cold, but despite finally succumbing and having to take a sick day on Friday, my week ended pretty well, by getting to hang out with one of my favorite authors. :)
Last week I finished reading with my ears:
Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football by John U. Bacon
I found Bacon's author talk at U of M's Rackham auditorium when this book first came out much more engaging then the book itself, which is riddled with many confusing tangential sentences, making difficult to follow on audio. Any fan of Michigan football would definitely enjoy this book, but I didn't really learn anything new from reading the book than I did hearing Bacon give the abridged version in his author talk.
Picture books that stood out in the pile:
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
Obvi. Who wouldn't pick this hat trick out of the picture book pile? I will refrain from writing a review so as not to spoil anything. It's not like I need to convince you to read it anyway, right?
Wings by Christopher Myers
What do you do when you have wings but no one cares that you can fly? A thoughtful and profound picture book I will definitely want to add to my collection.
To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space by Dr. Dave Williams and Loredna Cunti
Everything you wanted to know about bodily functions in space
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Messner's use of verbs in this beautifully written picture book is worthy of study, emulation, and admiration.
Teacup by Rebecca Young, illustrated by Matt Ottley
Spare, lyrical text and stunning illustrations make for a need to read this book more than once to understand its profundity. Lots of comparisons (and contrasts!) to draw in this story to Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.
Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Benji Davies
The idea that all stories begin with "A little bit of nothing" is a wonderful, unintimidating way to introduce story writing to students. As it is, I will be reading this book to my 8th graders to kick off NaNoWriMo.
Still reading:
American Street by Ibi Zobo
Currently Reading with My Ears:
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin
Also an Octopus looks perfect for the classroom, can't wait to get my hands on a copy to share with my writing students!
ReplyDeleteI have When Friendship in a pile and Teacup is on hold at the library. Agree with your review for Klassen's next book. Can't wait to share it, but until then not saying much!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the reserve list for We Found A Hat and I've requested To Burp Or Not To Burp and Up In The Garden And Down In The Dirt. I can't wait until Teacup and Also An Octopus become available at my library. I have a copy of Wings in my classroom library and I've always enjoyed sharing it with students. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBurping in space? A new book for me, and it sounds both fun and interesting! I have Teacup on my list, along with that final "Hat" book. I hope I can read America Street soon; it seems important. Thanks, Beth!
ReplyDeleteI just received my copy of Teacup (after waiting for it for a loooong time) and really looking forward to reading it. Wings has always been a perennial favourite of mine. The cover of American Street looks absolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteTeacup looks so lovely. Can't wait to get a copy of this latest Hat title. Have heard so many great things.
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of picture books. We have just gotten several of those in at my library.
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