It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share a reading photo of the week. I haven’t blogged for a while so I will share a few . . .
Here we are pointing to titles we would like to read after participating in a book sharing circle.
Buddy reading moments are amazing to capture.
This story is a special one. These two are taking turns reading aloud to each other. At the beginning of the year, one student read and one listened. Now they both have the skills to share in the oral reading together. A beautiful supportive reading experience that I was thrilled to capture.
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:
I have been absent from this blog for just over a week (illness, busy, stuff . . . ) so just one post to share:
Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Whose Hands are these?
Books I enjoyed:
Rufus the Writer written by Elizabeth Bram and illustrated by Chuck Groenink
What a very special title. It’s all about stories and creativity so it’s an automatic wow. But, what I love most is that the stories are so accessible. They whisper to children, “You could do this too . . . come on, try!”
If I had a Million Onions by Sheree Fitch, with illustrations by Yayo
Fun, wonderful poetry! Fitch is a master of word play!
Dear Hot Dog by Mordicai Gerstein
I love both the illustrations and the poetry here. Poems that are ode to everyday things. Toothbrushes, drinking cups, the rain and of course hot dogs.
Sing a Season Song written by Jane Yolen with illustrations by Lisel Jane Ashlock
A gorgeous lyrical title about the seasons. The illustrations have a timeless feel – like they could have been lifted from a book of fine art.
Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo
This book is “issue-y” What doesn’t it address? It hits almost everything. Self harm, dysfunctional relationships, bullying, grief, young romance, self-worth . . . I was a little bit irked by “teenage speak” because really, do people talk like that? Maybe . . . Thank god I’m old. But there were many powerful, heart wrenching pages which make it a title well worth reading.
2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 3/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 26/400 books read
#MustReadin2016: 3/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 8/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 3/50 books read
Next up? I continue reading More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera and have almost finished reading A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen aloud to my family. We are all addicted! Just a few more chapters!
There's a Book for That 
What fun pictures! It’s been a struggle to get my students to read during Sustained Silent Reading; many claim to be “reading” on their phones, and I know that they really aren’t. Sigh.
Having a reading community is a really wonderful thing! We have worked really, really hard to get here.
Love the pictures, Carrie. And thanks for your review of Fat Angie. I know I’ll get to it someday. Lots of ‘teen speak’ in many books lately. I love the poetry titles, new to me. Thank you, hope you’re back feeling better!
These poetry titles are wonderful. We do a lot of poetry to build reading fluency lately. Kids love it and I am always on lookout for poems to share.
Dear Hot Dog looks fun, had not heard of that one before! Looks different from Night World!
It was published a while ago. It is a lot of fun. Great mentor text.
So glad you are feeling better. Rufus the Writer sounds like a perfect book for launching writing workshop and for fostering conversations about believing in yourself.
It is exactly the perfect book!
I love this line, “You could do this too . . . come on, try!” It is exactly how I feel about this book! I too am a fan of Sheree Fitch. I’m not sure I want to go near a book like Fat Angie right now….
LOVE Sheree Fitch. She is amazing in person. Have you seen her read?
Fat Angie sounds like something to share with the LGBTW library group I’m in. You know, having recently started my thirties I’ve been wallowing in a bit of self-pity at my entry into the adult world, but your “thank god I’m old” comment really hit home. Being a teenager is always hard, no matter what era you live in (in the middle ages you were likely getting close to middle age….!), but this new generation of teens faces all sorts of challenges that I couldn’t have even imagined as a teen. Glad there are books out there that can speak to these challenges and the kids experiencing them.
So very true! And, compared to you, I am very old! So the teen world even farther away!
I have Fat Angie but haven’t gotten to it. I’d heard it is like no other book out there, so I have been meaning to read it.
I love your buddy reading photos more than just about anything. Thank you.
Happy reading this week! 🙂
I love these photos too. Pretty precious. Fat Angie is unique
Rufus the Writer was a book I used at the beginning of the year when introducing writing workshop. It is a great choice, and really accessible, as you mentioned.
I started A Night Divided before Christmas, but then one of my kids picked it up, and I haven’t gotten it back so I can finish it yet! MUST do that!
Sorry you were feeling ill last week! Hope you are tons better now. Have a good week!
A Night Divided is really fantastic! So enjoyable to read aloud.
The book cover of Dear Hot Dog made my mouth water. Glad to hear that you’re feeling better now. I have Rufus the Writer borrowed from the library waiting for me to get to it. This week, definitely! Always lovely to see photos of your young readers. Awesome.
I love sharing these photos Myra. We have sure worked hard to grow our skills!
I loved Rufus. What a fun story to celebrate creativity and kindness.
It certainly is!
I just ordered Rufus and If I Had a Million Onions. 🙂
Yippee! I love Fitch’s bouncy poetry. We are reading many of these poems as a class!