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!
Picture books I enjoyed this week:
How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
I found this picture book so endearing. It is truly about a little girl attempting to hide a lion in her house. The lion’s expressions are hilarious. Love the old fashioned feeling of the illustrations. Would be the perfect book for story time.
Bits & Pieces by Judy Schachner
Shhh. Confession: I am not a fan of Schachner’s popular Skippyjon Jones series. I love the illustrations but the stories just don’t do it for me. So I went into this book with some skepticism. I was quite pleasantly surprised. The illustrations are lovely and the story is ideal for cat lovers everywhere. It really speaks to the eccentricities of animals and the absolute love their owners have for them. Sweet.
Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth
I think this book is a must own. I featured it in my Nonfiction Wednesday post this past week. Gorgeous art. Odd in the most delightful ways.
If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay
Travel time and various seasons with a little boy who plants a seed. Soon that seed is a tree. The light in these illustrations is incredible.
How Martha Saved her Parents From Green Beans written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mark Fearing
Lots of silly. Ideal for children who love drama, clear bad guys and big doses of humour. Martha must save her green-bean-consumping-pushy parents from a wild band of green bean hooligans who have captured them. Maybe just too silly. Maybe not.
How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge
I am in such awe of Lita Judge. She delivers information about dinosaurs through beautiful illustrations and interesting facts. Each dinosaur featured here is drawn next to something that children already know to allow them to imagine the exact size of the dinosaur. For example, the velociraptor was only the size of a modern day dog. The image shown is of a velociraptor on a leash near by a dog also out for a walk. Engaging and endearing.
Other reading? After reading an impressive seven novels last week, I only finished one this week. Basically, this is because I have been healthy (nothing like being sick in bed to get lots of reading finished) and busy with parent teacher conferences and my children’s events. But, if I could only read one novel, this was a fantastic read!
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
I am quite hooked on these Lunar Chronicles and look forward to getting my hands on Cress, the final book in the trilogy. I was impressed how both Cinder and Scarlet played key roles in this novel. Like the first in the series, it was highly entertaining – full of dramatic twists, lots of action and fascinating characters. All of the characters link together beautifully.
*Updated: I just discovered that there is actually going to be a fourth title in this series called Winter to be released in 2015! Excited!
Next up? I have just started Allegiant and another wonderful stack of #MustReadin2014 titles including Better Nate than Ever in my pile of reads for this break.
Reading Goal updates:
2014 Chapter Book Challenge: 20/100 novels complete
Goodeads Challenge: 133/650 books read
#MustReadin2014: 9/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 42/65 complete
There's a Book for That 
I recently bought Bits and Pieces. It is so sweet. I like the PBs you mentioned in particular the Green Beans book and Aviary Wonders, Inc. the last sounds a bit quirky. I think I might buy it sight unseen if it is a recently published book.
Cinder and Scarlet were fantastic reads. The launch for Cress was so much fun and was live streamed. You should jump into Cress next. I will be interested for your opinion of Allegiant.
I am anxious to read Cress! I am so pleasantly surprised by how much I adore this series! So gripping. Aviary Wonders Inc. is such an interesting title. Worth having in your own or you library’s collection.
I’ve had Cinder & Scarlet for a long time, but just haven’t got to them. Maybe someday! Loved the look of How Big Were Dinosaurs & the others too like Bits & Pieces. Thanks Carrie. Have a good week!
I was surprised by how much I like this series honestly. Hopefully there will be a right time and you will get to them. The Lita Judge title is a wonderful one. She is so talented.
The illustrator for the Green Beans book is local (as in Portland, Ore.) and he let us use one of his drawings for the design on our shirts since where I work is called Green Bean Books! I hope you enjoy Better Nate than Ever because the sequel is even better!
I loved the illustrations in this book! I liked his other title too – The Book That Eats People. I have heard that the sequel to Nate is even more impressive. I have that too so just might read them back to back!
Love Bits and Pieces, as well. If You Hold a Seed looks beautiful–will look for it. Thanks, Carrie!
Thanks for visiting. If You Hold a Seed is worth finding. Gorgeous illustrations.
The Green Beans book looks like one that my kids would like. I’m going to have to look for it. I’m not a Skippyjon Jones fan either. I’m glad you posted about this book, because I most likely would have passed it over. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Green Beans is a hilarious book for the right readers. My students wither loved it or thought it was too silly. One child had a connection to Creepy Carrots.
As usual, I have some more books to check out, thanks for the suggestions 🙂 I have Cinder and Scarlet. My new goal is to start a trilogy and finish it before starting a new one. I have Insurgent ready for my break next week and then I think I’m going to try The False Prince trio…. I have more in trilogies in the stack, just too many books to mention! Have a great reading week!
The False Prince trilogy is a fantastic one. My children and I are happily reading The Shadow Throne. We want to finish it over the break so we can begin another novel. We are also reading some wonderful nonfiction titles.
So good to read about Bits and Pieces, thank yoU! 🙂 I don’t smoothly read aloud Skippy Jon Jones- I prefer to play the audiobook… Hope you have a wonderful reading week… love the shares… as always!
Yes, I think the right reader needs to read those Skippyjon Jones books aloud. I am not that reader either! Happy Reading to you too!
As always you manage to make me open Goodreads to put a slew of picture books on my to-read list. 🙂 Donalyn talked about Aviary Wonders at MRA this weekend and I must say, I am intrigued. I will definitely be checking that one out soon!
It is well worth checking out. It is odd. But intentionally so. Also gorgeous.
Thanks for all of the new titles. Can’t wait to read Aviary Wonders and How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans
I have a special fascination for Aviary Wonders. So interesting! I had to buy my own copy.
Carrie, you make me laugh. Apologizing for reading only one novel! I would love to hear more about how you squeeze that many read alouds into one week in your classroom, never mind how you manage a family and all that reading too!?! You are becoming my reading hero.
I can’t wait to get Aviary Wonders Inc. I just returned from a week in Florida visiting my mom who fancies herself quite a birder. I think she’ll enjoy this take on classification and I think it will be fun to use when we learn about animal adaptations too. I also look forward to giving the Green Beans a read. I love it when the kids get a good ol’ belly laugh out of a book.
I have to share a kid moment from today. I was conferencing with one student but beyond this student, I was watching another boy reading in our classroom library. He was reading a Nat. Geo. book about animals who do heroic acts and I have been noticing him telling everyone who will listen, at every opportunity, about stories or facts from this book. Today as I watched him from afar, he finished the book. Picture this: He closed it. Sighed. Smiled. Sighed again and as he breathed out I heard him say “Awww.” Only a true book lover knows that feeling of loving a book so much and then feeling the pride in finishing it and the disappointment that it is over at the same time.
I am hoping that the Langley Rivermen go deep into the BCHL playoffs so that I might get a chance to visit your amazing classroom!
Thanks for the wonderful book reviews. I am sharing them far and wide!
Stephanie Thank you so much for sharing this story of your little guy and his “book moment” – I can absolutely picture it! What a wonderful comment all around. I thank you. I fit in so many books probably because reading is my reward for everything. Cleaning? Do some reading. Finish some laundry? More reading. Read while I wait for my daughter at gymnastics. Read before anyone is up in the a.m. Read myself to sleep. Books are the best reward! Aviary Wonders Inc. is a true find. One of a kind. Excited to use it in my classroom.
I so want to read Scarlet. Just loved Cinder. Definitely am adding How big were the dinosaurs to my wish list.
How Big Were Dinosaurs is the perfect book for the classroom! If you loved Cinder, you will be very pleased with Scarlet. The character of Cinder still features big!
As always, a whole slew of PBs that sound wonderful! I had skipped the Schachner book too, as I cannot understand the appeal of Skippyjon Jones in the least. (Though my younger son loved them in kindergarten.) But I have read a couple of good reviews that have made me pause, and yours has sealed the deal: it’s definitely one I want to read! Luckily, I am sure my library will order it, since they have multiple copies of the Skippyjon Jones books! I nearly took Cinder on vacation with me but then decided on some different books instead, but it is sitting on the top of my TBR stack (which means nothing since I’m constantly reordering my stack as new books come in!) I have come home to midterm grades being due, needy kids, and extra work responsibilities with a committee I’m on, so I am not sure I’m going to have all the reading time I want this week, but I am hoping to finish Linda Urban’s A Crooked Kind of Perfect and Kathi Appelt’s True Blue Scouts (or whatever it’s called)–I’m really enjoying both! Happy reading week! And glad you’re feeling better!
I think it will be safe to say you can find The Schachner book at the library. Glad I am not the only one that doesn’t quite get Skippyjon Jones. Good luck in finishing the reading you want to do before your other responsibilities overtake your time. It gets busy, busy, busy.
I hadn’t been posting my #mustreadin2014 books anywhere other than my Goodreads shelf, but you prompted me to count. I have hit 25/110. Yay! But I think it will have to be 111 now since I have to add Aviary Wonders Inc now. 🙂
Dangerous to continue adding 🙂 It just never ends! You are doing well though – basically 25%! Well done!
I want all of these picture books! Aviary Wonders and How to Hide a Lion look especially appealing to me. I don’t know how you had time for one novel with your busy schedule! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for visiting Catherine. I love How to Hide a Lion. Just charming. There is even a part where the lion is reading a picture book about a tiger who came for tea. 🙂 (which is another favourite of mine)
We have a lot of reading in common! I just finished Cress and since you loved Scarlet and Cinder, I know you will love it too! I agree that Marissa Meyer is so good at keeping many balls in the air at the same time and not dropping any story lines. It all gets even more complicated in Cress but she does it well. I have listened to all three on audio book – they are really well done.
Thanks for this recommendation Georgette! So pleased to hear that everything still comes together well in Cress. I am so excited to read this third instalment. These titles must be amazing as audio books.
I’m also a SkippyJon skeptic, so thanks for the heads on on Bits and Pieces.
I think it needs a specific reader – I certainly have some of the perfect Skippyjon readers in my room. But was lovely to appreciate the art in this new title and not have to worry about not getting the humour!
I love visiting your Monday reading posts as it invariably leads me to new titles I just HAVE TO, MUST check out: Aviary Wonders in particular caught my eye, looks like my kind of read, despite it being nonfiction (haha). If you hold a seed looks absolutely radiant. I haven’t had a chance to read the Lunar Series (and Cinder), but glad to know that you are enjoying the series – so many series out there so little time. I still am doing good in reading one novel a week – I think I’d stick to that for the meanwhile. Haha.
Aviary Wonders Inc is nonfiction if you stretch it – stretch it another way and you could call it fantasy 🙂 I think you would find it fascinating!
There are so many great books here! I want to get the HOW BIG WERE DINOSAURS book. I love reading anything with dinosaurs to my son. HOW TO HIDE A LION also looks so fun. I was smiling as I imagined the facial expressions you described. Thanks for sharing these awesome books with us!
So pleased you found some titles here that you want to share with Henry. How to Hide a Lion is perfect.