It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I have been sharing a reading photo of the week each week. This week I had to share a very special reading moment. This is one of many reading duos that happens during afternoon reading where a more confident reader spontaneously reads aloud to a growing reader who joins in when he or she can. It it a pretty delightful thing to watch.
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 missed last week’s post due to a computer glitch so this is 2 weeks worth of updates. I narrowed it down to my favourite picture books to keep the list reasonable.
On the blog:
For Top Ten Tuesday: Ten dinner invitations I would accept in the world of MG/YA fiction
Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Some beginning read alouds
An honest check in regarding the literacy in my new classroom: Celebration: From Here
Celebration: Little Sparks (a week later we are beginning to fan those little sparks)
Books I loved:
I am Yoga written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Gorgeous. It reads calm and pure just like its message.
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Brendan Kearney
I was so thrilled to share this title as a read aloud and am even more excited to invite my last year’s students to a recess read aloud later this week (we pre-loved this book back in June). So much silly, so much funny, rhymes that work and a trail of suspense as we move through a refrigerator adventure. We laughed a lot during this book but there was also lots of absolutely “captured” little faces waiting to discover what would happen next! Josh Funk managed to achieve an ideal balance between the silly and the adventure. I actually read this aloud to an adult after school on Thursday who was equally captivated. It’s that good that you immediately want to rush out and find a listener!
Some highlights of our read aloud experience:
- Early on when Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast announced that they were going to race for the last drop of syrup, one little boy started to quietly chant, “Share it! Share it!” At the end, he shook his head. “See, they should have shared.”
- On page four, one child leaned into another and announced: “I like this book already.”
- During the bean avalanche, one little boy started shaking his head, “Oh oh. The beans are waking up and getting cranky.”
- When BVW did his thing (avoiding a spoiler alert for those of you who haven’t read it), many children began a conversation that ended with general consensus that BVW should be eaten!
- There was pure despair when the butter was going to be shared. “No, don’t let the butter die!”
- During playtime, about 30 minutes after we finished the book, one little boy came up to me and said very seriously, “I’m voting for the waffle.”
- This was our #classroombookaday book of the week with many many votes and a little note scrawled on the chalkboard that I discovered at the end of the day “+ 500 more”
In a Cloud of Dust by Alma Fullerton and illustrated by Brian Deines
An important book that depicts how access to education is so very complicated. With a bicycle, a long arduous walk transforms into a manageable ride.
Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends by Jill Esbaum and illustrated by Nate Wragg
This is one sweet book. So lovely that I will soon be featuring it on the blog with student reactions (also very sweet). I am completely smitten with Elwood.
Water Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Violeta Dabija
I adore all of these titles by Salas and Dabija but am perhaps most excited to share this one with my class when we begin our theme on water in a few weeks. Such an amazing book to allow students to think more broadly and creatively about something so much a part of their lives.
Hilo: The Boy who Crashed to the Earth by Judd Winick
Oh Hilo! Joy. Adventure. High degree of action. Engaging characters. An absolute winner in the graphic novel department.
The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
It is totally cliche to talk of being completely lost in a book about being lost in the mountains. But, this book pulled me in and I had a really difficult time putting it down. Lori Lansens is one of my all time favourite writers so I couldn’t miss this title when I heard it was released. An incredible survival story that leads us nowhere safe through memories, dreams and visions. Wolf Truly sets off on his eighteenth birthday to jump to his death from a ridge overlooking Palm Springs. Up on the mountain he meets three women, three generations of one family who become stranded with Wolf. This is a story you won’t soon forget.
Updates on my 2015 Reading Goals:
2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 54/80 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 332/415 books read
#MustReadin2015: 16/24 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 60/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 39/50 books read
Up next? I am reading a number of titles including Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty ( a rare adult read)
There's a Book for That 
What a sweet moment to share! I love when that happens between my two kids, usually over an Elephant and Piggie book. We stopped by Kidsbooks today and picked up Hilo as a birthday gift. My daughter was quite upset when it came time to get the book wrapped because she was caught up in the story and wanted to finish reading it!
It is a great one and a great gift! Well chosen!
Loved Hilo, it’s OUTSTANDING!
My favorite comment from reading LPaSFT with all of my students – “I did not see that coming.” Loved it 🙂
Oh, yes I can imagine that comment. Such a fun read aloud!
I’m definitely adding many of these to my next order! Teachers are going to love In a Cloud of Dust and Water Can Be. Thanks for sharing. Jody
A pleasure. Both books are really lovely.
Thanks for sharing In a Cloud of Dust. It sounds like it has an important message. I like to find books that expose students to different cultures.
Me too! I am going to request that our library purchase this one.
Oh dear, feeling that I will soon be ordering Hilo. And the Bigfoot story. And In a Cloud of Dust. And Lady Pancake. I had held off on Lady Pancake because rhyme. But your review has convinced me that this is rhyme done well and appropriately. Glad you’re back! Missed your post last week!
Elwood is so charming! I agree with you that rhyme when not done well – oh sigh. This one lends itself to rhyme – it is clever and kids LOVED it
I love all of Laura Salas’ poetry books, & this one will be a wonderful one for your water theme. There are many great water books available, & I’m sure you know them, Carrie. I need to get my hands on the Lady Pancake book. It sounds like such fun. And I’ll look for In A Cloud of Dust and The Mountain Story. Thanks for these, too.
A pleasure Linda. So pleased that so many water books exist. We will be diving in (couldn’t resist) to this unit in a few weeks.
Love that photo! Several books here that I have ordered at the library but that haven’t come in yet. Now I’m even more impatient! Thanks for sharing WATER CAN BE… 😀
Your books are really so special Laura Thanks for making them!
Reading your post guarantees me my weekly picture book fix. Time to request Lady Pancake and Sir Toast. I’ve seen it many places, but that note on the board “+ 500 more” is what convinced me!
Pretty much a big influence isn’t it! I loved reading this title aloud!
I’m still on the fence about reading Hilo but I’m curious if it’ll be a great pair with the Galaxy Zack series.
Hi Lo is fantastic! Quite different than Galaxy Zack but readers might enjoy both. HiLo might appeal to an older reader.
I’ve ordered Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. I kept hearing lots of good buzz about it, but finally just caved and ordered it. I need to read Water Is before ordering it… (share??) BTW, your darling daughter dropped in today. It was lovely to see her and the rest of the crowd. They even helped me out in the library – such good library monitors they were.
Yes, you can borrow anything anytime – send me an email and I can blue bag you things! My darling daughter loved visiting!
I Am Yoga looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out.
It is wonderful. We do yoga in the room so it is particularly meaningful
I just love how invested children can get in a good story, hanging on every word, and really empathising with the characters. I think I need to pull out Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast at my next school visit!
It is a really delightful read aloud!
Thank you for telling us about Hi Lo. We are hosting a graphic novel celebration for the month of October and can’t wait to read this book. We hope you will consider joining the google community – https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117918938245141547958?cfem=1
Thanks Tammy and Clare – I will take a look.
aw, thanks for sharing your experience with reading Lady Pancake. I *just* read that book for the first time a few days ago and enjoyed reading your students’ reactions!
So happy to hear this. A lot of fun to read aloud with them!
Lady Pancake sounds like a must have! I will definitely check if we have this in our library. I am going to order In A Cloud of Dust from my research project funds. Really looking forward to it.
So pleased you found some titles that interested you Myra!