It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. One of the very best ways to discover what to read next!
Oh how I love, love, love the reading time the holidays afford! Doesn’t hurt that my #nerdlution goal is to read aloud daily to my children (from the novel we are reading). We just skipped Christmas day because I was ill and family events took up much of the day. Other days we made up for it and read in front of the fireplace for hours! We now begin our third novel since #nerdlution began, The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey.
I have made some “hang out and read picture books” visits to my local library with my daughter. My 10 favourites of the week:
Joone by Emily Kate Moon
I first heard of this title back during the picture book 10 for 10 event – some lovely fellow blogger recommended it to me as my list was all about books with a theme of connections across generations. This title is about Joone and days passed with her grandfather and her pet turtle, Dr. Chin. Rock collecting, swimming in the pond, reading to Grandpa – a story of sweet little moments.
Ladder to the Moon written by Maya Soetoro-Ng and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Wow. An emotional, beautiful, significant read. A story of connection between female family members that spans generations and mortality. Images are stunning. The author’s and illustrator’s notes in the back reveal much more to this story.
Wow! Ocean by Robert Neubecker
I wish I had this book before I took my children to Hawaii for the first time. Bright colourful ocean scenes for children to get lost in! So many pages that just really are WOW! moments. Like the jellyfish page. The pull out page on whales. A page of rays. And so many details not to miss – like the nurse’s cap on the nurse shark. I used an earlier Neubecker title Wow! City to inspire an art project – art ideas just leap off the page of this one too!
Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff
Another must own title if you have little ones or grandchildren. A beautiful counting book about forest animals preparing for the winter. Colourful pages with perfect counting opportunities. One woodpecker. Two squirrels. Three beavers. Four . . .
The Pig on the Hill by John Kelly
Two neighbours. One, stodgy and set in his ways. One, creative and expressive. Much humour as the story unveils.
Lemonade in Winter written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by G. Brian Karas
This has been on my “to read” list for ages and I loved it as much as I was anticipating. I am such a fan of G. Brian Karas and appreciated all of the muted shades of a snowy winter backdrop. Yes, I love the math connection (although not so good for me as all money pictured in back is American and Canadian money looks much different – we don’t even have dollar bills!) but I loved the story. An idea that grows between siblings and changes and adapts with the weather and various circumstances. Why not a lemonade stand in a snowstorm? Such fun!
While We Were Out by Ho Baek Lee
A little rabbit sneaks through the house while the family is out. And of course, they will never know except for the little surprises he left everywhere. Can you guess what? Very sweet.
Crafty Chloe: Dress Up Mess Up written by Kelly Dipucchio and illustrated by Heather Ross
While I didn’t love this as much as the first Crafty Chloe, I did appreciate the very real struggle of trying to please more than one friend and staying true to yourself. And wow, some pretty creative costume ideas!
Ike’s Incredible Ink by Brianne Farley
A great title for would be writers. No story ideas are coming for Ike. Maybe if he had the perfect ink? He sets out to make it using found ingredients like shadows and the dark side of the moon.
The Money we’ll Save by Brock Cole
This was another of our holiday reads. A hilarious story of a family who decides to save money by raising a turkey for Christmas dinner rather than purchasing one for the occasion. A turkey in a small apartment? You can imagine . . .
Other reading:
Danny’s Doodles: The Jellybean Experiment by David A. Adler
This is a chapter book for the younger/beginning reader. I am always on the lookout for titles in this category so was pleased that one, I liked the story and two, it is part of a new series! Humour and school day escapades but a little more depth than other novels in this category. Characters and emotions that are a little more interesting and not what is expected.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
This book literally felt like it transported me elsewhere. I don’t typically read such high fantasy. At times, I would be reading and think, I don’t really know about this . . . But then I was hooked and completely held by the story until the end. Big drama. Other worlds. Battle scenes. Wild imagination. Compelling.
Reached by Ally Condie
I really enjoyed reading this series – one book after the other. Definitely some new aspects to the dystopian love triangle theme. And not a disappointing ending which I often find with this genre.
Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
This was an absolutely delightful read aloud with my children. I will always look at this book and think of our cozy read aloud sessions by the fireplace – lots of giggles, both kids drawing and constant interruptions with connections and predictions. I now want to read this aloud to my students. Such an interesting twist on the fairytale we know (often twists are not interesting at all). I will definitely read all of the titles in this genre that Liesl Shurtliff writes.
Happy reading in 2014 to all my fellow book loving friends!
There's a Book for That 
Great bunch of books this week! I love baby bear, but haven’t seen that book yet. Loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Have you read the second Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Trying to decide if I am going to do this series! Baby Bear books are adorable. Perfect gift to new families.
Another great list, my friend! Many new titles for me to investigate! I’m intrigued by Ladder to the Moon and Wow Ocean! I love Emily Jenkins so will have to check this one out. While We Were Out T-T connection to Stanley’s Party! Ike’s Incredible Ink – I saw this just before Christmas – looks like a great one for my “books to inspire writers” list!
Great idea – linking While you were out to Stanley’s Party! Oh Stanley! What a guy. I love all of these Wow! _____ titles. Simple and perfect for preschoolers but also inspiring ideas for art and attention to detail!
Sorry to hear that you were sick! Doesn’t it always happen on holidays? (except that it’s a great excuse to stay in and read!) We all had bad colds before the break started but have managed to stay healthy (touch wood) so far! Hope you are feeling better and can enjoy a little time this coming week to enjoy some activities! : )
Thanks Adrienne. I certainly did take advantage of all of the reading time! Never too sick to read I hope!
Wow! Where to start Carrie? I have been wanting to investigate Danny Doodles for my lower 4th graders for a while. I will need to find a copy. I added Joone and Inke’s Incredible Ink to my library list. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Thanks Gigi! I think you would like Danny’s Doodles. More than just a simple story about kids at school – although that element is there. Also issues about anxiety about fitting in, an eccentric/socially awkward mom and possibly not telling the truth about family. I was impressed.
I love Ladder To The Moon, have it for my grand girls! And glad to hear you enjoyed Smoke and Bone, on my list! Thanks for all the good titles, Carrie-will look for a few at my library. Happy New Year!
Thanks Linda! Happy New Year to you too! Ladder to the Moon was just exquisite. I may need to buy my own copy for future sharing with grandchildren (in the far away future) It’s a very special book.
Carrie – You always have a few on here that I need to search out. Thanks for sharing this incredible list.
Thanks for stopping by! I am always thrilled if I can introduce you to a new title or two! You know your books so well!
Great books this week as always.
I’m with you about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I would have NEVER read that book had it not been for one thing: it takes place in Prague. I liked the fantasy when it was grounded in a real-life place (that was so perfectly chosen as a setting) but when it got to the otherworldly part, that’s when I started to lose stamina.
I will definitely be seeking out Lemonade in Winter and While We Were Out. Those Look adorable.
Lemonade in Winter is really wonderful. I love the spirit and determination in the kids – so well done. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was certainly out of my “normal” reads but I may just pick up book 2 next holiday. Perfect book to read while I was sick and ready to escape!
I loved Rump as well! Thanks for sharing so many great picture books…my library requests always go up after checking your blog 🙂
Oh I’m so pleased to hear you find some titles new to you! Rump is really a fabulous title. So much fun to share with my children!
I am so desperate for Dreams of Gods and Monsters, the 3rd Daughter of Smoke and Bone book. This series has just blown me away! I didn’t read past Matched. I confess that I let some unfavorable reviews of book two sway me. Rump was a lot of fun! I picked that up after finishing the second Hero’s Guide (LOVE that series). Such great books! Happy New Year! ~Megan
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Thanks for the comments Megan. I think reading the entire series of Matched all at once really just kept me with the story. What I liked were some of the philosophical questions that tugged at the characters. I have the feeling I will be back into this wild world of Laini Taylor some day!
I’ve got Rump in our stack to read aloud. I’ve shared a few Rumpelstiltskin stories with my kids, so I think they’ll be ready for it. My older son still struggles to stay focused when there are no illustrations at all, which is why I’ve been holding off. Really wish middle-grade books would still come with more pictures! I am so glad you loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone! Such a compelling world. I still need to read Book 2. Yuyi Morales is one of my favorite artists–love what her art adds to a book. I was sick on Xmas too–and ended up not even feeling like reading, which is like living in some kind of unpleasant bizarro world.Feeling better this week and hoping to get a lot more reading done. Enjoy the rest of the holidays! So glad your #nerdlution is going so well!
My children drew as I read Rump! It is kind of an ideal inspiration. My daughter drew every character and my son drew the goblins. They both got new sketchbooks and drawing pencils for Christmas. Sorry that your illness didn’t allow for reading time. Hope this week is full of reading for you! Happy New Year!
A blessed and beautiful New Year to you Carrie and family! 🙂 Good to hear you’ve done a great deal of reading during the Holidays. I still feel like I’m catching up and not getting as much as I feel I need. Errands, visits, and so many other things take up a huge chunk of time, but can’t complain as they’re all fun too! 🙂 Thank you for continually resurrecting my Pinterest board through your Monday posts. Will definitely pin these titles again. I’m looking forward to knowing the finalists for Cybils fiction picture book category! I’m sure we’d have our work cut out for us. 🙂
Many thanks Myra! And big Happy New Year wishes to you as well! I wish you a healthy, happy year full of many books. Love all of our book conversations!
There are so many great picture books out there and I can just not keep up! Thank you for introducing me to these new ones.
Rump must have been so much fun to read aloud. It is such a fun story!
Happy new year and happy reading!
You also reminded me that I need to finish the Matched trilogy!! Glad to hear the ending was good 🙂
Yes, good! Phew.
It was very fun to read aloud! Not sure who enjoyed it more – my children or me??!! Happy books and happy baby for 2014!
I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone very much, but I don’t think I do it much justice when I book talk it to students. Will have to try harder with individuals as I can think of several girls who would eat it up.
It is such a dramatic story! Have you read the next book in the series?