It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This picture makes me completely smile. This is one of our readers from the BLG law firm that visits with a new book each week. He is reading us Strongheart: The World’s First Movie Star Dog. I love that one listener couldn’t remain seated and stood next to him through the entire read aloud.
This week it has to be two photos as it just gets cuter! My class so loves to be read to!
This week I also shared details of some very special buddy reading we did when we had a K class visit us from another school.
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 a wide variety of picture books this week:
Gaston written by Kelly Dipucchio and illustrated by Christian Robinson
What makes family? Having your Dad’s blue eyes or feeling like you belong? This book lets us ask those important questions. There will also be some giggles and smirks along the way.
The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham
I love all that John Burningham does! He captures vivid childhood imagination so very well.
Strongheart The World’s First Movie Star Dog by Emily Arnold McCully
What an interesting story about a retired police dog that started acting in silent movies. We learned about Strongheart’s training, how he needed to be taught how to play and about his deep connections to his owners. My students were captivated.
Coyote Run by Gaëtan Dorémus
Wild wordless about the wild west. Won’t be for everyone but should be experienced.
Sam’s Pet Temper written by Sangeeta Bhadra and illustrated by Marion Arbona
This book explores many aspects of anger and self control – some really quite well. Others, still not sure as I haven’t had a chance to “kid test” this book. Love how strategies of calming down are explored.
Camp Rex by Molly Idle
This book made me nostalgic for story time with my own children – I can see this being a read it again and again title when they were small. Charming. Sweet. Silly.
The Enemy by Davide Cali and Serge Bloch
I can see this book being used in a high school class and keeping conversation going for days. Not a book I would pick up and read without previewing with a primary class. Could intermediate classes manage this? Absolutely. There is much to talk about. It poses such large and important questions about war. Just who is the enemy? What and whose purposes does war serve? How do we remember the humanity behind each soldier? Powerful.
In other reading:
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
I literally laughed out loud multiple times reading this book. It is absolutely silly and full of fantasy, imagination and “made-up-ish-ness” attached to many things. It is over the top at the same time as absolutely accurately portraying sibling dynamics, parent frustration and little child antics. Full of wonderful illustrations, this has ADORED written all over it.
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern
Whoa Maggie. What a girl you are. Voice bellows from the pages. What a family. So much that is challenging. Not much that is perfect. So very endearing.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
If you just read the poems in this book, I suspect it would garner its fair share of 5/5 ratings. But then there is Gabi and her story. Her story is everything. She is surrounded by issues via her family, her friends, her own experiences. Drug addiction. Teenage Pregnancy. Coming out. Family rejection. Teenage hormones. Teenage dreams. Grief. Angst. Passion. Gabi is . . . such an out there character -not out there as in extreme or strange but out there in terms of honest and real and relatable. Loved this novel for so many reasons. Highly recommended.
Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:
2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 18/80 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 145/415 books read
#MustReadin2015: 8/24 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 30/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 14/50 books read
Up next? I am about to begin Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai
There's a Book for That 
Maggie was a big Cybils favorite, and it’s done better with my students than I expected. Do love the cover!
Maggie has great voice. She is very easy for kids to connect to I think – and school setting, sibling drama and all
Must read Gabi & Maggie-argh-so many good ones to enjoy! Your book Enemy appears to be what Amazon is calling the ‘older reader’ edition. There is one for younger too, different cover. Interesting. Thanks for the picture books, too, Carrie. I’ll look for Strongheart. What sweet pictures of your guest & your student!
That is interesting. This is quite the book. Have been thinking a lot about it – going to try it with my own children tonight. Aren’t these photos adorable?
LOVE LOVE LOVE both Gabi AND Maggie. Great books. I need to check out Gaston. I keep forgetting to read it although I see it at my library all the time!
And I just finally found Gaston at my library! Love this illustrator. Haven’t been able to stop thinking about Gabi. Wow, wow, wow.
So glad you loved Maggie and Dory. I put Enemy on order to add to our Remembrance Day and critical literacy collection. I too love Gaston and John Burningham. It’s so much fun to introduce his work to new readers of any age.
Dory is absolutely delightful. I want to get a copy for my class library! Yes, Maggie is a very special book. I loved your Goodreads review.
I should check out Maggie. I love that cover! I really enjoyed Gabi as well, though the cover is not my favorite. True, it works for the story, but it just doesn’t do anything for me. Thanks for sharing!
~Megan
http://wp.me/pzUn5-2iC
It is a different cover – but makes total sense with the story. Loved that book so much!
I cannot get enough of the pictures you post of your students. they make my heart melt!
So is Gabi, a Girl in Pieces a novel in verse or is poetry only a part of the narrative? I’ve heard the audiobook is good but if it’s a novel in verse I will read it outright because I have this weird thing where I feel like I’m missing out on something visually important by not reading the poems on the page.
Poetry is just part of the book. Shared here and there through out. Very powerful poems. So you could do this as an audio. There is also a zine shared in the book though – so not sure how that would be done.
Enemy sounds really fascinating, you always manage to introduce so many new books for me to look out for! I also really liked the sound of Maggie and Gabi, their covers grab me.
I just read Enemy with my 12 year olds. Lots to talk about. I liked it even more with this second read.
Oh my goodness. Those pictures are FABULOUS. I love them! I really want to read Gabi. It has been on my list for awhile, but your review made me want to read it more. That always seems to happen when I come to this blog. 🙂
I am biased of course, but I must admit, I think these photos are pretty wonderful too. Love how much my kids are book lovers! Gabi is a MUST read – you will love it.
Dory Fantasmagory is one of our favorite new series – It is laugh-out- loud hysterical. Thanks for sharing so many new titles with us.
I am so excited that there is going to be a second Dory title – I might have to pre-order it!
I didn’t really have a desire to read Gabi before, but you may have just convinced me!
I loved the little girl leaning her head on the visitor! Made me smile 🙂
I just had to include that photo! Gabi is a wow kind of read. Really!
I too noticed that you have a different cover than the copy of Enemy at my school library. I am so glad you loved Gabi. She is such an awesome character. 🙂
So awesome. What a book. I wonder why the two different covers? Hmm. This one I found at my public library.
I loved Maggie! Coyote Run is fun since there are hardly any westerns books for kids. But then again maybe there’s no demand!
True – Is the Western no longer appealing? Who knows – I love odd little books and this one had particular charm.
So many books! I’m always impressed by the breadth of your reading, too. I liked Gaston, but I did have some gender related quibbles with it.
I can see that with Gaston. Gives u the chance to raise that with the children. I love this illustrator.
The story of Gaston didn’t work for me in a big way, but I ADORE Christian Robinson’s work so much. One of my very favorite illustrators right now. What wonderful chapter books and novels you read this week! I LOVE Dory–my only NCTE regret this past year is that I didn’t come away with the ARC for the second book. I am very eager to read it. I laughed out loud several times too. Maggie is one that has stuck with me, and Gabi is one of my favorites of the year.
Yes, Robinson is really quite incredible. Dory, wow! I now must own this title for my classroom. Of course, right?
Those pictures are simply precious. Readalouds are the best. I just borrowed a copy of Strongheart from the library. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into it. I’ve read so many great things about Gabi – alas it’s not available yet in our libraries. Probably late this year.
Gabi is worth finding! I love read alouds too – and lots of fun to sit back and be a part of it!
Excited to read both Gabi and The Meaning of Maggie… thanks for the reminder. 🙂 Hooray for buddy reading, one of my favorite things that happens in the library, too cute to see the kids partnered up… 🙂
I am also a HUGE buddy reading fan. One of the best things out there!