It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-26-18

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 recently reviewed:

I haven't written a full-length review in a while. Yesterday I read Islandborn by Junot Diaz and was completely spellbound and immediately sat down to write about it. 


Picture books that stood out in the pile last week:

When a Wolf is Hungry by Christine Naumann-Villemin, illustrated by Kris DiGiacomo
This is one of those books that really makes you think. What DOES it take to change someone’s heart?

Waiting for Goliath by Antje Damm
It's like Waiting for Godot... but not. 

Festival of Colors by Kabir and Srishtha Sehgal, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
A bright, vibrant book about the bright, vibrant festival of Holi, which celebrates "inclusiveness, new beginnings, and the triumph of good over evil.”

I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Ashley Bryan
My only criticism is that it wasn't longer. 

The New LiBEARian by Alison Donald, illustrated by Alex Willmore

An adorable story where reality and imagination hold hands with each other.

Islandborn by Junot Diaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

"Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you." 

Lola is given an assignment at school to draw the place where she is from. The problem is, Lola doesn't remember because she came to the United States as a baby. So at her teacher's suggestion, she enlists the help of her family and the people in her neighborhood to help her find that sense of place she is missing.

Junot Diaz is known for his literary fiction, but I hope he writes more picture books because this book was completely enchanting. The writing is beautiful and Leo Espinosa's colorful illustrations are both joyful and sublime. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with kids.



Islandborn by Junot Diaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Expected Publication: March 13, 2018
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 48
Genre/Format: Picture Book
Audience: Primary/Middle Grade
Disclosure: Finished copy provided by publisher

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-19-18

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 recently finished reading: 
 
The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson
I really enjoyed both of these books. 


Picture books that stood out in the pile: 

Warts and All: A Books of Unconditional Love by Lori Haskins Houran, illustrated by Sydney Hanson
If you’re a middle school teacher, read this book to your students. It’s a sweet, adorable book with a powerful message that this age needs to hear from adults.

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison
This book feels oh so timely. 


Currently reading with my ears: 

Right Where You Left Me by Calla Devlin

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-5-18

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.

Last week I read and loved:

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
A moving story about what it means to be a family, filled with wonderful characters that any reader would feel honored and privileged to spend their time with.

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

“Big. Black. Beautiful. True. That was Sojourner.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G Vs. Inequality by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Stacy Innerst A wonderful picture book biography about one of the fiercest Supreme Court Justices there ever was... and continues to be. Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman, illustrated by Eda Kaban Simple text with a profound and important message: color belongs to no gender. Like what you like and don’t apologize for it. Super Manny Stands Up! by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin You don't need to wear a cape to stand up for what's right, but if you do, an invisible cape will do. A Couch for Llama by Leah Gilbert A family needs a new couch and when they attempt to take a new one home, hilarity ensues. Lies We Tell Our Kids by Brett E. Wagner Some of the lies in this books are ones that parents have told their kids for generations. But most of them are just straight-up weird, but in a funny and entertaining way. Currently reading with my eyes and ears:   The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson I am loving both of these books so far.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 1-29-18

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 recently read and loved: 

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

A book that will ultimately spark a lot of great discussion about mortality and what it means to truly live. This would make a great book club title. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James What took me so long to read this book? I expect it to be winning a couple shiny stickers at the ALA Youth Media Awards in a couple weeks. I could even see it being in Newbery contention. The text is THAT good. Currently reading: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo I am a major fangirl of the ladies of Pantsuit Politics and The Nuanced Life podcasts, and the other day I was listening to The Nuanced Life where Sarah just completely gushed about the KonMari method of organizing, so I knew I just had to give it a try. I'm a little over halfway through with the book and I have to say I've completely drunk the Kool-Aid. I have already made plans for my husband and I to spend our long President's Day weekend completely re-organizing our house. Reading with my ears:  Far from the Tree by Robin Benway This book is wonderful. I'm trying not to rush through it because I don't want it to be over.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 1-8-18

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.

Last week I finished reading:

Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Caseby Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Shadra Strickland

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin
A delightful new book from Brian Selznick that combines the visual beauty of a picture book with the ease and repetition of text of an early reader and the length of a chapter book. Not to mention an adorable gumshoe on the case of stolen jewels, pizza, clown noses, and spaceships.

Love by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Loren Long
This book is everything I hoped it would be. 

Bagel in Love by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Helen Dardik
Clever and cheeky food puns that won't make you groan.

Penguins Don't Wear Sweaters! by Marikka Tamura, illustrated by Daniel Rieley

Don't miss the backmatter that explains the premise of this story and why even the best human intentions can have harmful consequences. My Pillow Keeps Moving by Laura Gehl, illustrated Christopher Weyant Delightful and absurd

Still reading this week:

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

It's Monday! What are you reading? 1-1-18

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.

Happy New Year everyone! Though I have to admit, I am currently not a fan of 2018. A few minutes after midnight the stomach flu reared its ugly head. Luckily I was home. Unluckily we were having friends over, so I had to excuse myself upstairs and spend the rest of the party in quarantine. I'm posting this late in the day because I'm finally starting to feel human again. 

Here's what I've been reading the past few weeks. 

I finished reading:

Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith, and Enduring Love by Lia Huber
I haven’t read a food and travel memoir in a while and I really enjoyed this one. The faith part might turn some people off, but I appreciated that Huber’s faith journey is exactly that. She’s not evangelizing so much as sharing.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
After I finished reading this book, I promptly bought another copy and gifted it to my cousin's daughter who at 11, is already showing plenty of moxie of her own. 

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, edited by Kelly Jensen
Not only is this a fantastic collection of feminist essays, poetry, and art with an engaging format, but it celebrates intersectionality and inclusiveness.

Rot: the Cutest in the World by Ben Clanton

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can’t wait to read this book aloud to my students. Some books just beg to be read aloud. This is one of them. Currently reading with my ears and eyes: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Shadra Strickland