Sunday, March 23, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 24, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture Books to YA edition, is a meme created by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers.  Every Monday book lovers share their own #IMWAYR posts.  So here I are the books I've read, listened to and loved this week.


Loved Books of the Past Week
These are the books I loved from last weeks pile and will be placing 
on the desks of children and colleagues alike this week.

Please Bring Balloons
by Lindsay Ward
This was my favourite read of the week.  Its the story of a little girl who finds a note on a carousal polar bear that leads to a remarkable, possibly imagined, night time adventure.  Lindsay Ward's words are sweet, but it is really the illustrations that make the story so magical.  Using cut paper art, Ward not only uses her own illustrations, but re-uses found paper.  The houses in one scene are made from notebooks, with some even have writing on them.  The snowy grounds in the North Pole are really maps with a wash of white over top.  My favourite illustration, however, are the dozens of polar bears dancing, each bear having been cut out of a different sort of paper.  Children from grade one to three will be delighted by the story and the illustrations!  I am hoping to use this book to inspire my students to create their own paper-cut illustrations to celebrate Earth Day.


There are No Animals in this Book (Only Feelings)

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started Chani Sanchez book.  Part art appreciation, part feelings exploration, with a touch of humor, No Animals in this Book! (Only Feelings) was an interesting read. The pictures on each page are actual pieces of art, combined with Sanchez's words about feelings.  The author begins by stating that just like animals, feelings say things too.  This is an interesting analogy, and one that kids could connect with.  It is written in an conversational tone, with the animals interrupting from time to time, because they to want to be part of the story.  This style of writing has been made more popular by such books as  Chloe and the Lion, but in this case, I'm not sure that it adds anything to the story.  The addition of the animals seem more like an excuse to add certain pieces of art, rather than helping to connect with the idea of feelings.  Despite this I would still likely use this book in a grade one or two classroom to discuss ways of representing feelings through sound and art.


Ten Birds Meet a Monster
Ten Birds Meet a Monster is this weeks Canadian pick.  The story is a sequel to Young's Ten Birds.  It tells the story of 10 birds who encounter what appears to be a monster, while exploring a room in a house.  These clever birds decide to try to scare the monster away by creating their own creatures.  Using clothing found strewn across the floor, the birds begin to create their own monsters, but no matter how many birds join in, the creature does not budge. The sentence structure in Young's book is simple, but rich in descriptive words.  Words like resourceful and creative are used to describe the birds, while indifferent and unmoved describe the monsters feelings.  The pen and ink drawings are detailed and intricate.  The simplicity of the black and white pictures gives the story a "thriller movie" feel and helps keep the audience wondering if the monster with ever make its move.  This book would be a great way to show student how adjectives and descriptive words can make simple phrases more exciting.  Young also uses ordinal numbers to tell the reader which bird joins in next, making it a useful book for reading in math.

What I'm Listening to on My Commute
I have a 20-30 minute car ride to work and often pass the time with a good book.

hush, hush (Book 1)
by Becca Fitzpatrick
I am continuing to listen to hush, hush but I am at the point of maybe dropping it.  It's just not holding my attention.

What's on My Bedside Table This Week:
These are the books I'm looking forward to reading this week.

A Watermelon in the Sukkah
by Sylvia A. Rouss


Jane, the Fox and Me




 Well that's it for this week!
Let me know if you've read any of my #IMWAYR books from this week or having any suggestions of what I should read next.  Have a great week and happy reading!

Monday, March 17, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 17, 2014

It's Monday! What are you Reading? From Picture Books to YA edition, is a meme created by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers.  Every Monday book lovers share their own #IMWAYR posts.  So here I are the books I've read, listened to and loved this week.

I finally finished up report cards this week, so I spent the weekend catching up on my reading.  There were lots of good finds that I can't wait to share.


Loved Books of the Past Week
These are the books I loved from last weeks pile and will be placing 
on the desks of children and colleagues alike this week.

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)
by Marissa Meyer
I only just discovered The Lunar Chronicles Series a few months ago, so I was delighted to discover book three had just coming out.  I have loved the first two books, but Cress was by far my favourite.  Marissa Meyer has a gift for introducing new characters into each book without losing any momentum in the established characters' story lines.  The series, based loosely on familiar fairy tales, strays far enough away from them to keep you guessing about what will happen next.  There is some romance, but nothing more than the occasional kiss between action scenes.  My only complaint is that now I have to wait a whole year for book 4 aptly named Winter.


Francis, the Little Fox
written by
My Canadian book of the week, Francis, the Little Fox tells the story of adventure at the laundromat.  Francis and his father go every Saturday to wash their clothes.  Kids will enjoy the familiar routines the father and son have such as going for ice cream and and playing games while waiting for the spin cycle.  Francis has a run in with Lily, who likes to play tricks on people, and has to help find the laundromat owner's cat when it gets frightened by her latest trick.  The illustrations are simple with muted colours, and bring added humour to the story.  In the end, when Francis and his dad return home, we find out what Lily's final trick of the day is.  I promise its something the kids will get a kick out of.  A great book for kids in grade 1- 3, but it may be a big long for anyone younger than that.


Fraidyzoo
by Thyra Heder


When You Reach Me
By Rebecca Stead
Over the past few months I have seen several people talking on twitter about this 2010 Newberry winner.  I happened to find a copy on CD at my local library and put it in this week to see what all the fuss was about.  For the first quarter of the book I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.  I wasn't a fan of Miranda's mother, or Sal her former best friends, or even of the main character Miranda.  But Rebecca Stead's words seemed to draw me in as it talked of a book about time travel, and a strange homeless man that sits on Miranda's corner every day.  Stead slowly unwraps each mystery and reveals its connection to the story.  If you give it a chance, When You Reach Me will draw you in.  There are several layers of story happening at the same time, and I know that I would discover new pieces of the puzzle if I re-read it.



What I'm Listening to on My Commute
I have a 20-30 minute car ride to work and often pass the time with a good book.

hush, hush (Book 1)
by Becca Fitzpatrick
This is an older series, which I just started yesterday.  I am not sure how I feel about it yet, the first few chapters have a very "Twilight" feel to them.

What's on My Bedside Table This Week:
These are the books I'm looking forward to reading this week.

Please Bring Balloons
by Lindsay Ward


There are No Animals in this Book (Only Feelings)


Ten Birds Meet a Monster

 Well that's it for this week!
Let me know if you've read any of my #IMWAYR books from this week or having any suggestions of what I should read next.  Have a great week and happy reading!