It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

These are memes started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journey, and I'm excited to participate, along with many other bloggers, in reviewing books I read the previous week. I'll be reviewing picture books through adult books.

 

Here are the books I read this week:

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Dan Santat

2013-book, animals, classroom-read-aloud, humor, mock-caldecott-2014, nature, personification, picture-book, point-of-view   I've been reading lots about this book on multiple blogs and Goodreads reviews, so I was excited when I finally got it at the library. It's laugh-out-loud funny in the same vein as Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat. Reynolds's narrative works perfectly with Santat's expressive illustrations. I read this book aloud to my fifth graders today, mostly so they could enjoy it, but it also lent itself to a good discussion on point of view and how it can make us sympathetic to char...more I've been reading lots about this book on multiple blogs and Goodreads reviews, so I was excited when I finally got it at the library. It's laugh-out-loud funny in the same vein as Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat. Reynolds's narrative works perfectly with Santat's expressive illustrations. I read this book aloud to my fifth graders today, mostly so they could enjoy it, but it also lent itself to a good discussion on point of view and how it can make us sympathetic to characters. My favorite illustration is when the shark, lion, and timber wolf are sitting together listening to the wise owl. The body language is so human-like and funny. I'm not sure you'd want to share this one with really young kids, but intermediate graders will love it and appreciate the slightly twisted humor!   Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea 2013-book, empathy, friendship, humor, individuality, picture-book, point-of-view, theme     Goat thought he was special until Unicorn came along. Now he just can't seem to compete. Just when Goat gets pretty bitter about it and starts to really bash Unicorn, Unicorn notices the heavenly smell of goat cheese on Goat's pizza. Everything turns around and we realize Unicorn thinks Goat is pretty great! This would be a good picture book to encourage conversations about jealousy and appreciating others' talents and unique gifts. Good lessons on point of view and theme.     Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo 2013-book, animals, humor, picture-book, surprise-ending   Oh my goodness, this book is hilarious! My students are going to love it. The illustrations are awesome, and I love the thick pages. Leon is stuck with no toilet paper, so he has to use something else.  He thinks he's found the perfect solution!  Nothing beats a surprise ending. You will laugh out loud!     123 Versus ABC by Mike Boldt                   2013-book, alphabet-or-counting-book, animals, humor, picture-book                                                                  I read this for the September Sharp-Schu book club coming up this week. This funny book is an argument between the number 1 and the letter A about whether this is an alphabet or counting book. Of course, it's obvious to the reader that when ONE alligator appears, it's going to be both! It takes 1 and A a little longer to come to that conclusion. There's a cute ending, too. I saw that Beth Shaum said exactly what I was going to say - that it's the perfect book for fans of Z is for Moose and Count...more I read this for the September Sharp-Schu book club coming up this week. This funny book is an argument between the number 1 and the letter A about whether this is an alphabet or counting book. Of course, it's obvious to the reader that when ONE alligator appears, it's going to be both! It takes 1 and A a little longer to come to that conclusion. There's a cute ending, too. I saw that Beth Shaum on Goodreads said exactly what I was going to say - that it's the perfect book for fans of Z is for Moose and Counting Monkeys! Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley   2013-book, animals, birds, creativity, empathy, kindness, nature, photography, picture-book, wordless   I loved this sweet story! It's amazing how expressive Hank and the hummingbird are! It's so unique - telling a whole wordless story through photographs of handmade creatures and forest. This book would be perfect for an empathy/Choose Kind unit. I can't wait to find out more about Rebecca Dudley. MIDDLE GRADE      Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan     2013-book, adopted-foster-child, cats, character-development, character-traits, character-who-reads, connections, death, empathy, family, friendship, gifted-character, gifted-girls, home, intermediate-kids-book, journey, kindness, libraries, metaphor, mock-newbery-2014, multicultural, point-of-view, problem-solving, quotes,  realistic-fiction, redemption, reluctant-hero, setting, strong-girl-character, symbolism   This is a very special book, unique in so many ways. The main character, Willow Chance, is so real she practically jumps off the page. She's profoundly gifted, left alone by the tragic death of her adoptive parents, and changes everyone with whom she comes in contact for the good(reminds me of the song "For Good" from "Wicked"). You can see all the categories above where this book could be shelved. In just a pure literary study, the point of view and time structure could be analyzed because it's...more This is a very special book, unique in so many ways. The main character, Willow Chance, is so real she practically jumps off the page. She's profoundly gifted, left alone by the tragic death of her adoptive parents, and changes everyone with whom she comes in contact for the good(reminds me of the song "For Good" from "Wicked"). You can see all the categories above where this book could be shelved. In just a pure literary study, the point of view and time structure could be analyzed because it's so complex. Metaphor and symbolism are strong throughout, and character development is a major component. On a personal level, this book will touch your heart, reminding me of One for the Murphys. Willow and the people she affects are all so incredibly human - imperfect, well-intentioned, and redeemable. I loved it and can't wait to pass it on to students to see what they think. This one should definitely be in the running for a Newbery sticker of some sort!   For Willow:   YOUNG ADULT     The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater o-book, fantasy-science-fiction, model-for-writing, mood-tone, young-adult-book         I listened to this on audio, and the narrator (actor Will Patton) was perfectly creepy. I loved the overall mood/tone of this book, the smart writing, and sharp, complicated characters. The prep school boys and Blue with her psychic mother had me mesmerized. I'm glad I finished it when The Dream Thieves had already come out - now I don't have to wait for the sequel!   CURRENTLY READING       CURRENTLY LISTENING TO       ON DECK:       I also feature what my family is reading each week.   My mom:     My dad:     My husband:     My 17-year-old (for AP Lit):     If you enjoy my blog, I'd love for you to join it or follow by e-mail!  Just scroll down to the bottom right sidebar and you'll find where to do just that!  It always makes me excited to see someone new!   What are YOU reading this week?