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. It’s the best way to discover what to read next 🙂
I read some beautiful picture books this week, including many nonfiction titles:
Silence by Lemniscates (an illustration studio of artists and designers)
The perfect title to encourage us to embrace quiet and be mindful of what we hear and sense. I think this is an ideal book to inspire a walk outside to find a quiet spot to just be still and notice. A gorgeous title gifted to my classroom by the magical Kim Balke who does Expressive Art Therapy with many of my students.
Quest by Aaron Becker
I was so excited to open this book and just experience the imaginative journey that Becker captures on the page. The reader is pulled through each illustration, all the while attempting to absorb every tiny detail. So wonderful that this is a picture book (wonderfully wordless) so that it can be experienced again and again.
Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Jenkins and Page always introduce us to the most unique creatures and impart the most interesting of facts. The perfect book to read a page or two at a time. The format is engaging – each animal is introduced with a mini letter/question and answer.
“Dear Pufferfish: You’ve got me worried – are you going to explode?”
“No, I won’t burst. I’ve inflated my body . . . “
The Rat by Elise Gravel
I think I might have heard this title shared between children about twenty times this week. There are many giggles about the yucky eating habits and its tail which serves a multitude of purposes.
The Slug by Elise Gravel
More silly and more gross but lots to learn and ponder. My students adore this series. We are in the middle of some “fan art” to send to Elise Gravel 🙂
I have continued reading a number of early/young chapter books as I am interested in introducing a number of new series to some of my readers just getting comfortable with chapter books.
Humphrey’s Tiny Tales: Really Wheely Racing Day by Betty G. Birney
I have some students reading the Humphrey series but for those not quite ready for a longer chapter book, this “Tiny Tales” series is perfect! Cute illustrations and larger text make it non-intimidating and attractive for readers growing their confidence.
Mortimer Keene: Ghosts on the Loose by Tim Healey and Chris Mould
Okay, some really really gross ghosts are featured in another Mortimer Keene title. Rhymes, fantastically odd and creepy illustrations and an English school setting.
Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon by Belinda Murrell; illustrated by Serena Geddes
An Australian title featuring Lulu Bell and her best friend Molly who are preparing for the Moon festival that Molly’s Mom wants to share. I liked this young chapter book a lot – in a tiny story, many things of interest were happening: learning about the Moon festival, supporting a younger sibling finding a way to connect with friends and humpback whale sightings. Lots of illustrations and an interesting story line make this a series I would like to share in my room. I will be purchasing more titles in this series.
I also read Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
Family and sibling dynamics so fresh and honest. Humorous, amusing and believable. Everyone in my family read and enjoyed this title – my son, daughter and husband. Now we have Raina’s books being passed from person to person – all of us are big fans!
Up next? I am reading (and loving) After Iris by Natalie Farrant. After this? The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
Reading Goal Updates:
2014 Chapter Book Challenge: 65/100 novels complete
Goodreads Challenge: 461/650 books read (currently 46 books behind – slowly trying to get this down to 0 from that scary 54 number that is haunting me)
#MustReadin2014: 20/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 111/65 complete
For anyone who shared a #MustReadin2014 list, the plan is to share an update (in whatever form and no matter what your progress) on Tuesday (October 14th). I will host here on this blog. Would love to hear what you have all been reading. I admit in advance, I have made little progress on my list since the last update. I have been reading, just other titles!
There's a Book for That 
Hi Carrie! I love the look of Silence, hope I can find it at the library! And thanks always for the look at the easy readers. It’s good for me to discover some I’m not familiar with. I hope I can get to Sisters soon. We do have it at school & I really enjoyed the others. Thanks for all, and enjoy your week!
Hi Linda. I am really trying to read a variety of easy readers so I have more suggestions at my fingertips for many of my students that are most comfortable in this section of the library. Some are slowly stretching into more complex stories which is great but many are finding their wings in this young chapter book area.
Silence looks wonderful. I love that your class sends “fan art”. I really need to find the Creature features book. Thanks for sharing!
Sometimes illustrations move us . . . 🙂 We are quite enamoured with these Disgusting Critters titles.
I loved Creatures too! I don’t love the Disgusting Creatures books, but I think kids will really like them. I’m doing some NFPB with 4th graders right now and I think they would like them. Hope you have a great week!
I like the silly humour in the Disgusting Critters books and the clever illustrations. When a few more are published, I plan to have my class “go fact hunting” in each title to see what they come up with.
Can’t wait to try out Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon, thank you, glad to learn about it! 🙂 Just finished reading Quest tonight, loved it so much!! 🙂 Happy reading to you…
This Lulu Bell series is cute – but particularly love the multicultural aspect of this one.
So glad you featured the Disgusting Creatures books on your blog today because I keep forgetting to purchase–but I just popped over to Amazon and put two of them in my cart. I love finding new and engaging nonfiction to share with my Children’s Lit students. I know the books they love will eventually be shared with children in their classrooms, and I can’t think of anything more important! The new Steve Jenkins looks gorgeous! Can’t wait to see that one. I have made a little progress on my #MustRead titles–hoping to start another one today. Maybe Counting by 7’s? I think my list next year might be all middle grade! That’s all I want to read anyway….
So agreed – passing on that book love is key and being excited about a wide variety of titles is so important. Counting by 7s is fantastic. My daughter’s teacher is reading it as a read aloud. I am thrilled because it is such a great story. I hear you – MG is amazing!
Creature Features looks awesome. The excerpt you included made me chuckle. I love those books that allow you to read a page or two and then come back to them later. As always, you had several books here that I hadn’t heard of! I’ve been wanting to read Quest for quite some time. I am glad to hear it is just as marvelous as Journey. Happy reading this week!
Absolutely as marvelous. Loved it. Both titles so gorgeous. And yes, Creature Features is a lot of fun. Perfect for sharing.
Carrie – We love The Fly, The Rat and The Slug – They are incredibly clever. Thanks for telling us about the new Steve Jenkin’s book – Can’t wait to read it.
Enjoy- I found some creatures (and their features) that I had never hear of!
There were practically fist fights when my copy of Sisters came in! Have you nominated for Cybils? Nominations close on Wednesday, and I’d love to see more nominations. Any shout out or lists of things you’d like to see nominated that you’re comfortable with would be great, too!
I have nominated in 3 or 4 categories. A few of my favourites already there. I have been loving a lot of Australian easy readers – so don’t qualify.
When my copy of Sisters and Amulet 6 came in, kids were actually banging on my door to get them. It is amazing when titles can do this.
I need to read The Slug, etc. books. They look wonderful, and I have seen them on a couple different blogs–all singing their praises.
Happy reading this week! 🙂
It is wonderful when books cause stampedes!
Silence is one I will be watching for now. I am looking for books like that for myself not just students. I want to make more time for sitting and noticing. That’s funny, I was going to do a reading challenge update this week. Glad to see a reminder about it. *smiles & runs away to start update post*
🙂 I am working on my post now too!
Oh, and sisters completely sold out within the first few hours at our book fair today. Such a fun book.
I can imagine it would!
I am extremely intrigued by the Silence title. I’m hoping I can find it through Interlibrary loan since my library doesn’t seem to have it.
It is really a lovely book – simple yet so important.
I’ve just read Quest this week – beautiful wordless picturebook. Will be reserving Silence – looks like a gorgeous title too. Can’t wait to read Sisters! My 12 year old girl is a huge fan of Raina Telgemeier.
My twelve year old too! She got to give Raina a hug and was thrilled! Quest is certainly amazing.