It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!
August and early September have continued to be extremely busy for me. This past weekend, I sat down with a stack of picture books and remembered how restorative it is to just read for fun. It had been too long. Required reading, even fun required reading, is not the same as just browsing through titles and picking up one that just speak to you.
Though I read a number of book over the course of August and early September, there were too many to list below. Instead, I carefully selected the ones that really stood out from the pile:
BirdCatDog by Lee Nordling (Graphic Universe 2014) - a multi-level wordless, comic-style book that will amaze you.
Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina; Illustrated by Angela Dominguez (Candlewick, August 25, 2015) A young girl and her grandmother learn to bridge the gap between two languages and the bird that helped them.
Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier (Clarion Books, September 1, 2015) - A numbers concept book that is executed perfectly.
In! Over! And On! (the farm) by Ethan Long (Putnam Books for Young Readers) - Long is back with another early reader filled with humor and fun.
This is Sadie by Sara O'Leary; Illustrated by Julie Morstad (Tundra Books, May 12, 2015) - I love books that celebrate imagination and creativity and this one does it beautifully with text and then illustrations by Julie Morstad.
Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Watts (Tundra Books, August 25, 2015) - A fly experiences the five stages of grieving while stuck in a vacuum cleaner. Laugh out loud funny.
Say it! by Charlotte Zolotow; Illustrated by Charlotte Voake (reprinted Candlewick, September 8, 2015) - Lovely reprint of Zolotow's 1980 classic.
I (Don't) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies; Illustrated by Luciano Lozano (Candlewick, September 8, 2015) - Davies takes fiction and nonfiction and combines it into the perfect hybrid. And you may just discover that you do like snakes.
Recently, I had a chance to look through a pile of advanced picture books. Mark your calendar! 2016 is already looking like it has some good coming out:
Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber by Sue Macy; Illustrated by C.F. Payne (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, February 16, 2016) - Macy brings us the story of one of the first female sportswriters.
The Wildest Race Ever: The Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon by Meghan McCarthy (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, March 1, 2016) - I love McCarthy's books and this is a humorous look at the first Olympic Marathon. It's amazing anyone survived.
Dig In! by Cindy Jenson- Elliott; Illustrated by Mary Peterson (Beach Lane Books, March 1, 2016) - Jenson-Elliott has a new book for young readers that encourages children to "dig-in".
Hop by Jorey Hurley (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, January 5, 2015) - Hurley's third book in the series is just as beautiful as her previous ones.
Oh No, Astro! by Matt Roeser; Illustrated by Brad Woodard (Simon & Schuster, April 19, 2016) - A fictional tale of an asteroid followed by true facts.
Bear & Hare - Where's Bear? by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster, April 26, 2016) - Gravett is another favorite of mine and this tale of hide 'n seek and friendship is charming.
Mine! by Susie Lee Jin (Simon & Schuster, January 5, 2016) - The perfect toddler/preschool book - not a lot of words but then Jin puts just the right twist on the end.
Spot, the Cat by Henry Cole (Simon & Schuster, March 1, 2016) - A beautiful wordless book about the day in the life of Spot, the Cat.
The Night Gardener by Terry Fan; Illustrated by Eric Fan (Simon & Schuster, February 23, 2016) - If the Fan Brothers were from the United States, I would be making a 2017 Caldecott prediction but alas they are from north of the border and this beautifully illustrated book will not be eligible. Still pick this one up for both story and illustrations.
So, what are you reading?