It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share a reading photo of the week. That has grown to a few reading photos from the week . . . This week they are everywhere!
I love this moment during Reading Workshop where a student got comfortable to read some Bink and Gollie!
The amazing Adam Lehrhaupt (author of Warning: Do Not Open this Book and Please, Open This Book!)sent us a box of goodies after I shared with him how much we loved his books. We didn’t open the box right away because it didn’t come with instructions! Should we open it? Keep it closed? We spent some time talking about this! But wow, were we excited when we made our decision! We were particularly pleased to not find any bruised bananas!
“Hey, you! Don’t be a book closer!” @Lehrhaupt #wearsthisbuttondaily pic.twitter.com/2ct6ESlpLy
— Carrie Gelson (@CarrieGelson) February 20, 2016
Our #classroombookaday titles this week were wonderful!
Writing about this favourite: Donovan’s Big Day
Tea Party Rules was a huge hit! A great story for predictions and lots of smiling!
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:
My 3rd Slice of Life: The kid on the piano
Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: B is for Bear
Nonfiction 10 for 10: Travel the World
Books I enjoyed:
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
This book was very much a visual sensation. Sweet’s illustrations perfectly complemented a series of perfect poems to let us travel through the seasons. I got this book from the library but think I need to have my own copy so it is extra convenient that I will be going to see Melissa Sweet in Bellingham next week and can buy this book and get it signed!
We worked on our own Night poems with art inspired by Melissa Sweet
Take Away the A written by Michaël Escoffier and illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo
I love that with all of the ABC titles out there, there is still so much room for originality! I giggled my way though this one. It is quite delightful!
Awesome is Everywhere by Neil Pasricha
Absolutely awesome and completely interactive. It reminded me of Steve Jenkin‘s Looking Down and Tullet‘s Press Here. A title to be experienced (best read aloud!)
This may be the number one fan of this book!
My Cousin Momo by Zachariah OHora
I really appreciate Ohora‘s illustrations – they have a wonderfully nostalgic feel to them. This title is all about appreciating someone for exactly who they are and it is really charming.
B is for Bear: A Natural Alphabet by Hannah Viano
I featured this title in my nonfiction post this week.
The Story Blanket written by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz and illustrated by Elena Odriozola
This is a wonderful story of community and generosity. Babba Zarrah tells the children of her village imaginative stories as they sit on her story blanket. When she notices that a child has a need that only the yarn from her blanket can fix, she begins to knit together both kind gestures and stories. Will her blanket disappear? What then?
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten
This novel has won numerous awards including being a Schneider Family Book Award winner this year. Adam meets Robyn at an OCD support group for teens. A simple love story with every kind of complication going. Adam navigates first love, his own OCD, a clingy little step brother and a Mom with her own issues s well as small doses of regular teenage issues. Adam is a special character and he offers us a candid glimpse into the life of someone dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder. A must read YA novel.
Reading Progress updates:
2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 7/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 53/400 books read
#MustReadin2016: 5/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 11/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 8/50 books read
Up next? I am reading The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and continue reading All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely with my family.
There's a Book for That 
I am new to your blog and this post packs in much more than simply ‘what are you reading?’! I notice the red dots on the book a day. Do kids vote? Show their thumbs up? Something else? Happy reading to all!
At the end of the week, the children write about their favourite title of the week- draw a picture and a few sentences about why we loved the book. We then add the magnetic dots so everyone can see how the votes turn out.
I always love seeing your pictures 🙂
Ahhh, I haven’t read 13B yet. Are we going to do a chat with it again?
Really love the Adam Lehrhaupt bookmarks and pins!
Adam Lehrhaupt is so great! I adore his books. They are read constantly in my classroom. It would be great to do a chat about 13 B – let’s suggest that again!
Carrie, I recently read THE UNLIKELY HERO IN ROOM 13B ( although it had a different cover). I’m guessing your copy is in its non-superhero disguise. My voice joins yours and a chorus of others that it is a truly remarkable book and should be read by more people. I was tempted to say “everyone” but we know not every book is right for everyone. This one comes close.
Love the celebration of that suprise box!
Sandy
Thank you Sandy! We sure loved that box! The Toten title is extremely special and I will be recommending it often!
I do need to get The Unlikely Hero In Room 13B-so many great chapter books still to read! Love that you received that box of goodies. Your class must have been erupting in excitement! I’ll look for The Story Blanket, too. It sounds wonderful. Thanks, Carrie. Have a great week!
I think you would really enjoy The Story Blanket Linda. And The Unlikely Hero In Room 13B – it is such a fantastic title!
What a delightful surprise box! How generous of the author! Had a good chuckle at the discussion of whether or not to open the box. I love Firefly July–wish I could get more of my students excited about it. I’m thinking I might have a Melissa Sweet day in Children’s Lit this semester!
Melissa Sweet is amazing! I can’t wait to meet her at the end of the week in Bellingham at the conference!
I really need to read Room 13B. I checked it out but was leery of reading it – as that’s a subject that can be easily be done horribly – but now that I’ve heard you and some others name it a must-read, I’m going to try to get to it soon!
It is REALLY well done! I hope you love it.
LOVED My Cousin Momo.
I’ve read Pasricha’s Book of Awesome but I didn’t realize he had picture book too. I definitely need to check that out!
Wouldn’t you kind of like to hang out with Momo for a while?
So many wonderful titles – Thank you! Can’t wait to read Awesome Everywhere, My Cousin Momo and The Story Blanket
Happy Reading! I hope you enjoy them
Just the way you capture photos of your students shows how much you care deeply for them and for your job. Thanks for this post. It made my heart feel so much warmth.
So thrilled to hear this Ricki. Thanks for this lovely comment.
Have you read Two Blankets by Freya Blackwood yet – I just thought that it might be a great companion text to The Story Blanket here, which I shall now pin so that I can hunt for it. I was awed when I saw Donovan’s Big Day displayed in your classroom – so fearless, Carrie. Good for you and even better for your own students, I believe. 🙂
I am going to request this title from my library – looks beautiful – thanks Myra! And we really loved Donovan’s Big Day – we read it after reading Worm Loves Worm.
I love your kids! And it is so wonderful that Adam sent you some goodies!
I love the work you did with Firefly July. It is one of my favorite poetry PB.
Thank you for sharing your alphabet books–Trent and I are working on his ABCs and letter recognition, so I am always looking for something to add variety.
Happy reading this week 🙂