It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kid lit focus. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kid lit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.
My goal for July is to do a weekly It's Monday! What are you reading? post for every Monday in July. This post will be a bit long since I read a lot of upcoming releases at ALA last week. Here is what jumped out of the pile in the past few weeks:
Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss (Holiday House, January 2017) From the creator of FLY GUY, readers get Arnold's characteristic humor with a bit of a lesson. Really appreciated the author's note at the end.
This is Not a Normal Animal Book by Julie Segal Walters, Illustrated by Brian Biggs (Simon & Schuster, October 17, 2017) - Thanks to Melissa Stewart, I intentionally tracked this one down at ALA. Not exactly nonfiction, and more than just another animal book. This one is worth exploring when it comes out in October.
The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling by Timothy Basil Ering (Candlewick Press, January 2017) - When I was sitting in on the Notables Discussion, this one came up and I had to read it. One of those lovely stories that results in a lot of feel good emotions.
The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken (Dial Books, April 2017) - Finally got a chance to read this one. Would pair well with Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg.
Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka, Simone Shin (Carolrhoda Books, April 2017) - Sometimes just having one person understand you is enough to feel affirmed. This would be a good beginning of the school year book to share with students.
After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat (Roaring Brook, October 3, 2017) - I am a big fan of Dan Santat's work and I think this is his best yet. A fabulous look at "getting back up" and conquering fears. Looking forward to seeing the final version of the book.
Draw the Line by Kathryn Otoshi (Roaring Brook Press, October 10, 2017) - I love wordless books and I love Kathryn Otoshi's work. In this upcoming release by Otoshi, readers get something a bit different but just as wonderful. I look forward to the discussions I can have with children over this one.
All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Illustrated by Mike Curato (Henry Holt & Co., August 29, 2017) - A wonderful look at a family road trip in Cuba. Looking forward to using this one as a mentor text as well.
When's My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano; Illustrated by Christian Robinson (Roaring Brook Press, September 5, 2017) - Fogliano captures the excitement that children feel when anticipating a birthday and Robinson's illustrations are delightful.
Why Am I Me? by Paige Britt; Illustrated by Selina Alko, Sean Qualls (Scholastic, September 12, 2017) - Another book that will make a good read aloud at the beginning of the school year that will promote a celebration of our uniqueness and diversity.
I Can Be Anything: Don't Tell Me I Can't by Diane Dillon (Blue Sky Press, January 2018) - This one won't be out until 2018 but I love the beautiful illustrations and the powerful message.
Robinson by Peter Sís (Scholastic, September 26, 2017) - I love the illustrations in this book and the author note at the end that helps readers understand the context of the story.
Life by Cynthia Rylant; Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Beach Lane Books, June 2017) - This is a special book. Not exactly sure how to describe it but I still have that feeling that I read something special and I read this one several weeks ago. The illustrations are very different from Wenzel's Caldecott Honor Book - They All Saw a Cat , yet, they are perfect for this book.
Flashlight Night by Matt Esenwine; Illustrated by Fred Koehler (Boyds Mills Press, September 19, 2017) - I love stories that celebrate imagination and adventure and this book capture both in a book that will capture readers for multiple read alouds.
If you missed the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge post last week, check it out here for even more titles.
So, what have you been reading?