It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. Now that it is summer, I am not surrounded every day with little readers so . . . I am choosing moments from the year not previously shared. Who doesn’t love Piggie and Gerald? During buddy reading with the Ks they are often acted out!
Next week I look forward to having a photo from my current classroom! School begins tomorrow!
From the classroom 2014/2015 archives:
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.
On the blog:
For Top Ten Tuesday: Ten parent characters that made me protective
Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: A starter Kit collection
Must Read in 2015: Fall Update
Celebration: Quiet Possibility
Sunday Reflections: How to Organize a Classroom Library – 20 points to consider
Books I read and loved:
The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
I don’t know where to begin with this book. It’s lush and moody and at the same time sweet and hopeful. I had all kinds of wishes. I wanted to shrink down and wander about this little garden. I wanted the book to be quilted so I could gift it as a “stuffie” type treasure to little ones to snuggle with. I wanted each image, framed, to hang on my wall. This is a book to love.
Hope Springs written by Eric Walters and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Based on a true story of drought and water shortages in Kenya and what it takes to secure fresh water for a community. This book is about worry and fear. Kindness and forgiveness. In the back of the book are actual photos of the community and people that inspired the book.
A Thirst for Home: A story of Water Across the World written by Christine Ieronimo illustrated by Eric Velasquez
This book was written to tell the story of the author’s adopted daughter who first lived in Ethiopia. Because of water shortages and the struggle for food, Alemitu’s mother was forced to place her daughter in an orphanage in order to ensure she was cared for. Heartbreaking. I am studying water with my class this year – stories like this are stories of what lack of access to water really can mean.
Little Robot by Ben Hatke
This is an almost wordless graphic title that I know will be quickly shared throughout my classroom. It’s a story of friendship and kindness that we get to explore between little girl and little robot. Pure delight.
The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango
Thank you to Kellee and Ricki for recommending this book to me. It is a fictionalized novel based on the actual experiences of Virginia as a young indigenous girl growing up in Ecuador. As it happens in many poor indigenous families, Virginia is basically given away to “work” for a wealthier family. It is a stolen childhood full of many hardships and much cruelty. Virginia’s spirit is incredible. I don’t want to give story elements away but will say that culture, family and identity are beautifully explored.
Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:
2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 51/80 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 314/415 books read
#MustReadin2015: 16/24 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 58/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 36/50 books read
Up next? I am reading Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles
There's a Book for That 
I read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park this week and you have three books about water shortages that look like they would definitely be great companions to this book. I’ll have to check them out! Have a great week!
They absolutely would. I recently read A Long Walk to Water as well. Really important to get all of our students talking about this topic.
I’ll look for these water books, Carrie, all new to me. I know that they will all be so good. Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect does themed lists, & here is the one about water. I shared with a colleague last year whose class studied water-terrific class topic! http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2015/01/thematic-book-list-water-and-water-cycle.html Have a marvelous day tomorrow!
Thanks for the first day wishes Linda! And as always, for the additional book suggestions. I am very excited about this topic for my class this year!
I love Little Gardner as well! I am excited about your water study this year and I am very interested in the two books Hope Springs and A Thirst For Home – two books I have not read. Are they picture books or novels? I’m sure your water book list is long but don’t forget Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins! Delightful and great for making connections! Happy back to school to you, my friend!
Thanks for the recommendation Adrienne! I don’t have that book – will see if our library does. I am very excited to start this study with my class! Happy September!
A Thirst For Home is a Picture Book and A Notable Social Studies Book for 2015 chosen by Children’s Book Council. Check out my teaching materials and lesson plans k-5 on my website! Thanks so much, Christine http://www.christineieronimo.com Thank you Carrie for highlighting it!
Great titles I’m adding to my TBR list. Thanks!
🙂 Happy Reading!
I’m now #3 on the holds list for Little Gardener. And just so you know, I’m adding Ask Me from last week’s list to my favorite picture book list. It’s charming. Have a wonderful first week back in the classroom! Those lucky 3rd graders!
So happy to hear that you loved Ask Me! And Little Gardener is also so very special!
I loved the way you talked about your appreciation for Little Gardener, Carrie. I hope you enjoy Read Between the Lines. It was such a selfish read for me, as it’s not an elementary book, but I marveled at the writer’s work Jo must have done to create the published masterpiece!
I am really enjoying Read Between the Lines. Hard to put it down and get things done!
Your description of the Little Gardner reminds us of The Secret Garden. We can’t wait to read it. The Thirst for Hope and Hope Springs are going on our TBR list – What an important topic for students to learn about
I think so too – I have been looking for titles – both fiction and non to share with my class – these two are wonderful ones.
I’ve heard great things about The Little Gardener. Looking forward to reading that one!
It is visually so amazing.
I LOVED Little Robot too! So many kids I want to share it with. I’m interested in checking out Hope Springs too, thanks!
I am so excited to share Little Robot this week!
So glad you found Queen of the Water as powerful as we did. It is an important book.
I, too, loved Little Robot! Such a special little book.
A Thirst for Home was such a touching and heartbreaking (yet heartwarming) story.
Thank you for sharing The Little Gardener. It looks beautiful.
Happy reading this week! 🙂
I really liked Queen of Water a lot. Wow. What a title. The Little Gardener is just precious. I think I am going to see if the children can design their own garden homes/areas. It is just beautiful.
AH! I am so glad you liked The Queen of Water. It is such a gorgeous book. I am a big fan of Resau. I think I heard her at ALAN, and I remember her saying she does a lot of traveling to research for her books. Phew. I get nervous when someone takes my recommendation. I worried you wouldn’t like it! 🙂
I LOVED it! It was a great recommendation – now I want to read more from her!
Loved the Little Gardener… 🙂 Excited to read Hope Springs and Little Robot, placed holds at the library for both. Happy reading week to you! (And happy back to school time as well!)
Thanks Debbie! So excited to be back AND yes, think you will love when these holds come in
This water theme is pretty appropriate given the drought we’ve had in the Pacific Northwest this summer! It’s never to early to introduce kids to water conservation and help build life-long awareness, especially in places where it’s all too easy to take water for granted (in the middle of November, for example….!)
No kidding! I am so excited to begin this this year!
I am excited to find Hope Springs and The Little Gardener. When I saw that it was a Flying Eye Books – I became even more certain that I will love it. 🙂
Don’t you just love Flying Eye Books? So many of their titles are FAVOURITES of mine!