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!
Speaking of what to read next? Do you have a TBR list that needs to be tamed? Join a number of bloggers who have chosen some titles as must read titles in 2014. Follow #MustReadin2014 on twitter and read more here. If you want to join in – send me your list/blog post via twitter to @CarrieGelson and I will add it to this post! Everyone is welcome! 🙂 My Must Read List is here. On the Gathering Books blog there is also a wonderful challenge called Check off Your Reading Challenge where you can keep track of and include reviews of books you read. Many of us are participating in both of these challenges!
The picture books (fiction and nonfiction) that I loved this week!
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Éric Puybaret
Gorgeous. What I loved most about this story is how it depicts the interests and passions of Cousteau at all ages and stages. It helps reinforce the message we want to send to our children – be curious, wonder, figure things out and care for our world. An ideal introduction of Cousteau for children. I want to add this title to my picture book biography section and will share it with students this week.
Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? The story of Elizabeth Blackwell written by Tanya Stone and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
I love the style of this book – both visually and the narration. It makes the story both interesting and accessible for young readers. And what a story! An important biography about determination, changing general opinion and beliefs and following a dream. While I want all of my students to hear this story (I have ordered my own copy and will share it soon), there are some children that I specifically have in mind who will rejoice in the messages of this book.
Duck by Randy Cecil
A very sweet little story about a duck from a carousel who befriends a duckling. How can she teach duckling to truly fly? Little bits of melancholy in this gentle book.
Without You by Geneviève Côté
Perfect friendship story to spark discussion with the younger set. The message is a simple one (full of all of the complexities of interpersonal relationships!) Without you . . . many things just aren’t as good. With you, it all is better. My favourite line?
But my book is funnier when I read it with you!
I am the World text and photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.
A wonderful celebration of children and culture from around the globe.
Minji’s Salon by Eun-hee Choung
What a delightful little find at the library this week. This story is all about the celebration of make believe. A little girl peeks at her Mother at the salon and then decides to have her own salon day with her dog! The back and forth between Mom at the salon and little “hairstylist to be” playing at home is wonderful!
Novels I finished:
Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
This was my final book on my Must Read in 2013 list and I squeaked in finishing it 45 minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve. A lovely way to “read in” the New Year – with humour, heroics (of sorts) and creative license with all of the fairy tales we think we know! My son adores this series and I can see exactly why it appeals to him so much!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (the first title I finished on my #MustReadin2014 list)
If you are no longer 18 years old, you might forget that fact while reading this book. All the vulnerability, fear, brutal soul searching and life lessons will come hurtling back at you as you experience the characters of Fangirl. Rainbow Rowell writes characters that are all about raw and true. Brilliant.
Next up? I am almost finished reading Legend by Marie Lu and will probably jump right into Prodigy as I am trying to read the series without many breaks. I’m reading The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey as a read aloud with my children and it is lots of fun! A great MG fantasy/adventure.
Heading back to teach tomorrow, I feel a little sad to give up the long hours of reading I managed to do this holiday! But lots of read aloud adventures await me with my students and for this, I am excited! I was capturing our last two weeks of learning/activities on our class blog Curiosity Racers today – no wonder I was tired at the end of December! Wow, were those last two weeks busy!
For all of you heading back to teaching this week, good luck! Happy Reading to everyone!
There's a Book for That 
I’m doing the non-fiction picture book challenge as well. It’s good to see what others have read. I wonder if there’ll be a core group of books that the participants will have all read!
So many wonderful nonfiction picture books! Love sharing them with my class! Inspires so much talk and writing!
So many pretty picture books! I really want to read Fangirl soon, will have to push it up on my list soon. Marie Lu’s books are awesome, I still have Champion to read. I also just read Vengekeep Prophecies last month and enjoyed it as well. Have a great reading week!
Books We Read
My children are really enjoying Vengekeep Phrophecies! It’s a lot of fun as a read aloud. Fangirl is a must! Truly.
Hi Carrie, Manfish looks really good. I remember watching Jacques Cousteau when I was little. I have been wanting to read The Hero’s Guide for a while. Fangirl is getting a lot of love. I’ll be adding it to my list. Have a great week!
Well deserved love. Honestly! Manfish is fantastic! Read half of it to my students today and the discussion/observations were rich and inspired.
Love the messages in the books that you shared this week, Carrie. Thank you as always for great recommendations. Have a good week back at school.
Thanks Melanie. Day 1 was good – full of reading with the kids. Happy New Year to you!
Love hearing about the Cousteau book, Carrie. I loved watching his series a long time ago. At the time there weren’t many ‘real’ things to watch on tv, & it was wonderful. He was quite an adventurer. And the sweet book ‘without you’ is a find! Thanks for all, looking forward to our challenge & hearing from your class again!
I am thrilled with Manfish especially after sharing it with my students today! They were so intrigued. We are going to watch an IMAX film about the undersea world to capture the wonder of what lies beneath. They are captivated!
Both Manfish and Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? sound like terrific biographies. I agree with you about Fangirl bringing you back to being 18 again. I identified so much with Cath and her struggles as an introverted freshman. I loved Levi for seeing what a wonderful person she was.
I am becoming a little obsessed with nonfiction picture book biographies – so many of them are so well done. Both of these are fantastic titles. Yes, Fangirl sure brought me back. Wow. Love Rowell.
I ADORE Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors. We’ve had so many awesome PB biographies this year!
I know! Works out well as this is the year I am trying to share many with my class and there are so many out there to choose from!
I loved The Hero’s Guide. It is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to. Bronson Pinchot’s voices were absolutely hysterical. Especially Duncan’s.
I can imagine it would be hilarious on audio. My son has giggled through two of these titles now. He’s a huge fan.
I loved Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors–and I agree that it has the absolute perfect artwork. I had to put Fangirl aside this week because I was able to get Reality Boy on a 7-day loan from the library and I’m reading that as fast as I can (I hate 7 day loans–but I love new books!). As soon as I’m finished with Reality Boy, I’ll get back to Fangirl because I was so enjoying it. I had mixed feelings about Eleanor & Park but so far, Fangirl is pretty perfect. Manfish looks interesting–I loved all the PB nonfiction I read in 2013 and want to read much more in 2014!
If my students’ reactions can be used as a measure Manfish is a keeper. We are loving it so far and they have so many questions. Again – how I love titles that inspire such creativity and wonder. Reality Boy is an intense read. Enjoy!
Great titles yet again, Carrie. I’m afraid we still don’t have Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? in our libraries yet. I hope taht when I get to “Gender and Picture Books” in my course, our public lirbaries have already acquired it. Looks really great. I also have a special affinity for nonfiction picture books. Manfish is a new to me title. Thanks for sharing all this, Carrie. I’m so envious that you finally finished one book from your list. I’ve been frantically scrambling to prepare curriculum materials for my new course (on multicultural children’s lit) that I hardly have time to do anything else. I do manage to squeeze in a few chapters of The False Prince every now and again. 🙂
Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors is definitely an important title. I am very excited to share it with my students. Can’t wait to hear the discussion. Sorry to hear you are so busy Myra – False Prince is amazing on audio! Maybe that’s how to approach some of your reading! Good luck!
I love Manfish, it is so beautiful visually! The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is HILARIOUS! I remember being glued to that one until I finished it. Alas, I think its length scares away some of my make readers.
True – it is long but it is illustrated which I think makes it a little less intimidating. I agree – Manfish is gorgeous. Kids noticing so much – even just the colour of the water on different pages has fascinated them.
Hello my book buddy! How was your first day back after the break? Love your list this week – some great new titles for me! The Hero’s Guide looks hilarious – would be a great share with some of the older students who would appreciate the humour. I love Manfish – not quite as much as her follow up (On a Beam of Light) but almost! Fangirl is on my TBR list – which I will be posting soon and linking up to #Mustreadin2014! Another author who has had two very successful books – LOVED Eleanor and Park! Have a great week!
I agree – On a Beam of Light is INCREDIBLE But wow, are kids ever enjoying Manfish. They did some amazing response writing this afternoon after hearing about half of the story. Tomorrow we finish and watch an IMAX movie about the underwater ocean world! How I love biographies! I am a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell! I am excited to see what you think of Fangirl. And to see what is on your #MustReadin2014 list!
I just bought The Hero’s Guide audio on audible thanks to all of this praise!
You will lovvve the rest of the Legend series. It is absolutely fabulous!
I’m planning to read Fangirl soon!
I am really excited to read the rest of the Legend series! Enjoy Fangirl! Can’t say enough amazing things about Rainbow Rowell as a YA author.
I’m such a huge fan of Charles R. Smith Jr. == wonderful to read about I am the world, thank you so much!! 🙂 Glad to know Manfish is recommended too! EXACTLY my feelings on Fangirl as well… Happy New Year and reading fun books to you!!
Manfish has been such a find. Perfect to read in my room as we have been reading lots of biographies but also launches our learning about nature/ecology and environment.
You reminded me to request the Cousteau book from the library –thank you! 🙂 Tanya Lee Stone does a great job with Blackwell’s “story”, as she does so many of her other books. And I’m still patiently waiting for Fangirl!! Hope the first week back in the classroom is a great one!
Thanks Lorna! The first week back has been full of lots of read alouds and time to read! What could be better!?