It's Monday! What are you reading? 8-23-21

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.

Hello, friends! I hope you all are safe and healthy as another pandemic school year begins. I'm excited to be back in the library this year, as I went back to teaching 8th grade English last year out of necessity. 

Here's what I've been up to in my reading the past few weeks:

TikTok Book Talks:

A Boy Named Isamu

@bibliophilebeth

##BookTalk: A BOY NAMED ISAMU by James Yang ##picturebook ##booktok ##kidlit

♬ (Without rain) Jazz Lo-fi chill out(875940) - Hazumi

A picture book biography of Bob Ross

@bibliophilebeth

If you’re ever looking for a biography of Bob Ross, you can thank me (my student, actually) later. ##foryoupage ##fyp ##happylittletrees ##bobross ##kidlit

♬ Comical and a little silly carefree music(831995) - Etsuo Kawasaki

I recently read and enjoyed:

The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin

Eugene (Yevgeny) Yelchin grew up under the oppressive communist regime in Soviet Russia and this is his memoir of his childhood growing up in a communal apartment with one of his neighbors being an informant to the KGB and the pressure his parents put on him to have a talent that would eventually help give his family some upward mobility. When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Aaron Asis A young girl's grandmother (lola) visits from the Philippines and she thinks about all the ways she knows it's summer, particularly the way summer smells. A wonderful mentor text to use with students about sensory writing. Isobel Adds It Up by Kristy Everington, illustrated by A.G. Ford Isobel loves math and loves doing her homework, but her new noisy neighbors are making that difficult for her. So one day she decides you can catch more flies with honey and sends them a letter. What she discovers next soon surprises her... A lovely and fun story about the power of dealing with conflict head-on. Not Little by Maya Myers, illustrated by Hyewon Yum Dot may be small and have a small name but she's not little. One day she meets a new student in her class who may be even smaller than her. Sam gets picked on by another student and she decides she will have none of that...

Currently reading: 

Genius Hour: Passion Projects That Ignite Innovation and Student Inquiry by Andi McNair

Currently reading with my ears:

Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi

One last thing: if you are a teacher or librarian and have created an Amazon wishlilst for your classroom that is filled with books, I would encourage you to see if your local independent bookstore (if you have one) has a wishlist feature on their website and create one with them. While I am an Amazon affiliate, I also recognize the importance of supporting independent bookstores and so I created a wishlist on my local indie's website, Nicola's Books. Nicola's has been a fixture in my community and has hosted many wonderful author events over the years. Not to mention they are a five minute drive from my house, so I can get the books I need in less time than it would take for Amazon Prime to deliver it to my house. 

Anyway, that's just a thought. I know not everyone has a local independent bookstore in their community. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7-19-21

 

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've been playing around with TikTok more in recent days and am working to do some booktalks over there. Here is my booktalk of Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

@bibliophilebeth

Picture book talk: OUR SUBWAY BABY by Peter Mercurio ##booktok ##picturebook ##kidlit ##booktalk ##schoollibrarian

♬ _Cute - Gabe Lost

Last week I read and enjoyed: 

Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America's Doctor by Kate Messner, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Excellent biography and the backmatter at the end is particularly great. It definitely helped that Kate Messner was able to interview Dr. Fauci, which provided necessary background and context for this book.

Making a Baby by Rachel Greener, illustrated by Clare Owen

An excellent and inclusive resource for parents when the inevitable “where do babies come from?” question arises.

Small Room Big Dreams: The Journey of Julian and Joaquin Castro by Monica Brown, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega

Excellent picture book biography on the Castro brothers. Highly recommend.

Currently (still) reading:

Instructions of Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Currently (still) reading with my ears: 

Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7-12-21

 

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.

Hello, friends! I hope you had a fantastic week. I know I did. My husband and I welcomed a new dog to our family. Her name is Hazel Grace, she is a one-year-old French Bulldog and I am obsessed with her. 

When it comes to bookish stuff, feel free to follow me on TikTok, @bibliophilebeth. I've been playing around with that account more lately and am having a lot of fun with it (though books have taken a backseat to dog videos as of this week). 

Last week I read and loved:

Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham

A beautiful exploration of what life during the COVID-19 pandemic and will help children process all that has happened in the past year and a half by easing into the conversation through the gentle artwork and quiet text. This Very Tree: A Story of Resilience, Community and 9/11 by Sean Rubin Grab your tissues for this one. This beautiful story of the tree that survived the fall of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 will take your breath away and bring tears to your eyes. Enough is Enough by Barney Saltzberg A book that honors the introvert's need to get away to be alone and recharge in knowing when to say enough is enough Our Shed: A Father-Daughter Building Story by Robert Broder, illustrated by Carrie O'Neill A father and daughter build a shed together and see the fruits of their labor over the years Currently reading: Instructions of Dancing by Nicola Yoon Currently reading with my ears:  Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott

It's Monday! What are you reading? 6-28-21

 

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.

Well hello again, friends. Look at me doing an It's Monday post two weeks in a row. Perhaps I'm getting back in the groove of this blogging thing. Speaking of getting back in the groove of blogging, I wrote and posted two book reviews last week, check them out: 

Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

Currently reading: 

Instructions of Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Currently reading with my ears: 

Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump by Ben Philippe 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

In a series of essays, John Green reviews certain aspects of the Anthropocene, i.e., our current geologic age in which humans have drastically reshaped the planet. The end of each essay results in a star review, and thus the structure and purpose of the book becomes apparent: a rating system for our current human existence.

This is a book that I would have never picked up had I not already been a longtime fan of John Green's writing. He sets up the book in the introduction perfectly, reminding readers what a gifted writer he is, compelling you to keep turning the pages, even if you're not particularly interested in the topic of the essay you're currently reading. What you soon come to realize, however, is that these essays are not just about the topic listed in the chapter heading. That title is just an entry point for Green's meandering, yet purposeful style of writing. This structure is the most notable and apparent to me in his essay about the famous hotdog stand in Reykjavík, Iceland (full disclosure: I have been to said hotdog stand in Reykjavík, so that's likely why I found that essay so compelling), where he's not actually reviewing a hotdog stand, but a time in his life where he experienced a shared moment of jubilation with not only his travel companions, but an entire country. 

Not every essay held my attention, but on the whole this book is a highly satisfying read for fans of John Green and therefore I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four stars. 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Published: May 18, 2021

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 293

Genre: Nonfiction

Audience: Adults

Disclosure: Library copy

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. 

Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify

Written in both English and Spanish, and using the words of migrant children who were detained by the US government for entering the United States, this picture book shines a light on the injustices of our broken immigration system and its impact on children. This is a difficult book to read, even for adults, so it is recommended that a trusted adult read this book alongside a child. There are excellent discussion questions included in the backmatter of the book. Some adults will look at this book, start to read it and say that this book is much too heavy of a subject for a child to read about, but to those adults I say... these injustices in this book are happening to children. We need to talk with our kids about hard things, and this book gives adults the tools to do that with the excellent backmatter included at the end of the book. Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, compiled by Warren Binford for Project Amplify Published: April 13, 2021 Publisher: Workman Genre: Nonfiction picture book Audience: Upper Elementary/Middle School Disclosure: Library copy

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? 6-21-21

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.

Hello friends. I feel like every time I write an "It's Monday!" post I always lead with, "It's been a while." The truth is, I've kept saying the past couple of years that once my tenure with the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award was over, I'd have more time to blog. Well now that my tenure with Walden is over, I haven't gotten my footing back into the blogging world. 

Is blogging still a thing? Or are we just posting on other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok? 

Speaking of social media, I used to love Twitter. It was where I met so many wonderful and passionate educators whom I now consider dear friends. But these days I consider Twitter a cesspoll of trolls and people just shouting to be heard and not really looking for dialogue. I barely use my Twitter account anymore. And truth be told, I've locked down both my Twitter and my Instagram for personal and professional reasons. 

So where does that leave me with this blog? I hope I can find my footing again and start to find some more motivation to write some more longform book reviews, but in the meantime, here are some of the things I've been reading and loving over the past month. 

We Shall Overcome, illustrated by Bryan Collier

A stunning visual interpretation of the beloved song “We Shall Overcome” the that has a young girl walking in the present time past well-known places in African American history. Escape: One Day We Had to Run by Ming & Wah, illustrated by Carmen Vela A book that uses a series of verbs: dart, deft, disguise, flee, etc. to describe the stories of refugees throughout the past three hundred years. Excellent text and organization, culminating with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Grandad's Camper by Harry Woodgate A lovely, affirming story of a young girl who listens to stories of her grandad and gramps going on adventures together in their camper van. What Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George A touching and lighthearted story that helps start conversations with kids about how to talk about disability. Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long A wonderful book that looks at the professions that do the physical work of artistic people with dreams and vision, such as architects, engineers, even authors. Oh Look, a Cake! by J.C. McKee Fans of Jon Klassen will likely enjoy the ultimately dark humor of this book. Currently reading: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Currently reading with my ears:  What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera