It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This was taken during buddy reading with the Ks. I love how my students will track as they read to show the kindergarten child the words as they say them. Many little ones are beginning to read along.
I must also share photographic evidence of this little book thief in my room. Friday afternoon she snuck back into a bin of books I have yet to share and grabbed these.
“It’s not fair! You stash all of these books where we can’t get them until you read them.”
I pointed out that I generally bring out new books every week and book talk almost daily. “True,” she giggled as she attempted to get sneak peeks at these yet to be shared treasures before I snatched them back. Love her passion for books! I can relate 🙂
If you missed it, I shared 20 titles I highly recommend as gift books for new parents. These titles will make beautiful additions to a family’s read aloud collection.
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.
This is Sadie written by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Julie Morstad
Sadie is enchanting. She embraces life – both the real and the imagined parts with gusto. Creative, inspired, endearing.
I featured our read aloud experience with this book here. It is well worth reading to see my students’ reactions.
The Skunk written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
A skunk follows a man everywhere he goes. Why? What does he want? Why can’t the man escape? The ending continues in the strange unexplained vein. Love this book – all of its quirky and charming is delightful.
Cheetah Can’t Lose by Bob Shea
Cheetah’s ego is on competition over drive. His little feline friends realize this all too well and craftily devise a plan to make sure that cheetah won’t win the big race. Does it work? And what will it mean if it does . . . ? Very funny and engaging.
Bright Sky Starry City written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Aimée Sicuro
I was thrilled to discover this title at a local book store. It is a lovely little story about a young girl who longs to see the stars and planets in her busy city. Light pollution makes this a challenge until a storm happens and the power goes out. A detailed nonfiction afterward is shared in the back of the book all about our solar system and light pollution. Also includes a glossary. I will be sharing this with my new class in the fall.
Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy
All the details of bubble gum’s invention. So much fun!
I Didn’t Do my Homework Because . . . written by Davide Cali and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud
A book of outlandish excuses and superbly creative illustrations.
Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin
Beautifully written. Loftin manages to leave her readers always a little on edge yet completely attached to the emotional story line she shares. It’s almost as if the magic suggested in the story floats off the page and whispers quietly, “Come in. Immerse yourself. Feel.” I loved this title even though I found parts of it worrisome and painful. An important book.
Up next? I am reading Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:
2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 26/80 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 198/415 books read
#MustReadin2015: 10/24 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 42/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 18/50 books read
There's a Book for That 
I have Wish Girl sitting on my bookshelf but haven’t read it yet. I need to do that soon.
Impatiently waiting for The Skunk to come in at my library!
Just make sure when that skunk arrives, he doesn’t start to follow you everywhere!
Between you and John Schu, I think you’ve convinced me to buy This is Sadie before I’ve even read it!
“I am very skilly.” I love that line in Cheetah Can’t Lose!!
I’m interested in your thoughts on Blackbird Fly. I’ve heard some mixed reviews from different people.
I want to be very “skilly” too! Also loved that line! This is Sadie is just so very lovely. I am fast becoming a super fan!
Thanks for mentioning your post – Picture Books for New Parents. I did miss it, in the middle of our travel and celebrating this past week. Between it and today’s books, my list to request has almost reached my library maximum of 20 titles! As usual, I love your guidance.
Thank you Ramona. I hope that you enjoy these titles as much as I have!
Love the idea of This is Sadie-hoping my library will have it! And love your young “book thief”. It isn’t fair! Thanks for all. Your twenty titles are gems. I do love If You Want To See A whale, and so do my granddaughters! Have a good week, Carrie!
When I first found If You Want To See a Whale, I found reasons to gift it to everyone – adults and children alike. So very beautiful. My little book thief is pretty funny isn’t she?
When i was a young kid, I would go to a bookstore and look for their new books cart that haven’t been shelved yet and would sneak to grab a copy of the new R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike and read it. I would of course put it back. The temptation was much too strong.
Agreed! New books not yet read are just too tempting!
You are doing a great job with your challenges! I haven’t read Wish Girl, though I’ve added it to my “To Read” list. Did you read Loftin’s Nightingale’s Nest? I had similar feelings about that book to what you describe about this one.
Have a great week! 🙂
Yes read and loved Nightingale’s Nest – even though it was a really emotional read. Wish Girl is wonderful.
LOL to Cheetah, one of my very favorite PBs. We use “skilly” quite frequently in our family, although I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who remembers where it comes from. Looking forward to This Is Sadie. Love your little book thief–and I totally agree with her! VERY unfair that you have those new books hidden away from her! LOL. Wonderful list of titles for new parents!
Thanks Elisabeth. My little thief is very skilly actually at sneek peeking books I plan to book talk!
Love the story of the book thief! My library monitors are always excited when a new box of books arrives and they get first perusal of them. Did you purchase The Skunk? You must share it with me since the VPL doesn’t have a copy of it yet! Every Mac Barnett book I read makes me want to read more and more of his stuff. This is Sadie looks so charming and what a joy to share it at the end of the week. Thankfully, I Didn’t Do my Homework Because, is available at the VPL. (Alas, This is Sadie is not) I’m going to get to Wish Girl eventually – probably this summer…
I didn’t buy The Skunk although I want it. I read it at the bookstore the other day. This is Sadie is so very lovely! It was just released. I would love to say I would lend you my copy but my students won’t let it out of the room!
So many wonderful titles – Cheetah can’t Lose sounds hysterical and we will definitely order Mac Barnett’s new book. We don’t know of any books about light pollution so we are eager to read Bright Sky, Starry City
Bright Sky, Starry City is certainly a title that should be a must have in school libraries. A great book to share with students.
Three pictures today!!!! Too much! And the story of the book thief just shows how you have changed these kids’ lives. They are lucky to have you as their teacher. I am a bit sad that during the summer we won’t get your weekly photos….
And, like often, you are ahead of me in PB reading, and I haven’t read any of these! I will have to catch up on PB reading during the summer 🙂
Happy reading this week!
I had to share these photos of my book thief and this seemed like the perfect place to so so! So pleased that you enjoy these photos – I love choosing which one I am going to use. In the summer I may have to go through my photos and find ones I love but didn’t share over the year 🙂
Those photographs of the kids are marvelous. You make me smile every week, Carrie.
When I go to bookstores and see a really cool cover, I always think of you. Thanks for sharing these. This is Sadie looks like a really good one!
This is Sadie is delightful – we all want our children to have a little of Sadie in them. My students adored it!
Oooooo… so many great books on your list this week! Of course I am already a huge Sadie fan – but also am excited about some of these titles I haven’t read – Bright Sky, Starry City, the Bubble Gum books, and the Homework book. Wish Girl is on my summer read list – I love Nikki Loftin!
You will love Wish Girl. Beautiful in so many ways. Isn’t Sadie so special?